iPad/Netbook/tablets/touchpads... I'm confused.

bczoom · Nov 3, 2011

My daughter has been saving diligently for 2 years so she can get one of these things.

We're coming into the time when I'm assuming these things will start coming on sale (think Black Friday later this month).

Problem is I can't help her on what to get since I don't know a darn thing about them. She has the money for a high-end iPad (about $700) but I don't want her over-spending if there's similar options without the iPrice.

I believe she wants PC type capabilities (e-mail, basic computing, web browsing...) but also wants whatever it is that her iPod does.

I do know she has a pretty decent music collection from iTunes and would want that to be able to be used on this new device.

Any thoughts/advise?

joec · Nov 3, 2011

I can't help much with that either but suggest you check out TigerDirect.com as they are usually a lot cheaper with a lot of reviews.

Big Dog · Nov 3, 2011

Get her a slide rule and a world atlas and save the money ..............

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq · Nov 3, 2011

Get the iPad - it's got the market share and app support.

If she already has an iPod then she will like the ability to sync the devises in the iCloud.

The forward facing camera and Facetime is pretty awesome for kids and Grandparents. My kids have talked to their Grandmother (with an iPad) more in the last month then they have in their entire lives.

My wife and kids really do like the iPad.

That being said, the iPad is kind of a computer for dummies - it has pretty limited functionality from a "hacker" perspective.

Jim_S · Nov 3, 2011

One important thing to know about the ipad is that the web browser doesn't support Flash. If the developer of the web site you're trying to view forces you to use flash and doesn't provide a way to bypass it you won't be able to view the site. Doesn't happen very often.

I don' know if Apple didn't license flash from Adobe or if Adobe wouldn't license flash to them.

Jim

grizzer · Nov 3, 2011

IPad is a great entertainment device, easily links to other Apple devices

Wanna print without a Mac? - forget it.

Lenovo has new Thinkpad and Ideapad models that are more independent and useful.

joec · Nov 3, 2011

I have a Lenovo ThinkPad Edge laptop that I love and get ads all the time from Tiger about their pads. I just have no interest as my laptop can do all the pads do with much more versatility as well as power.

Dargo · Nov 3, 2011

PBinWA said:
Get the iPad - it's got the market share and app support.

If she already has an iPod then she will like the ability to sync the devises in the iCloud.

The forward facing camera and Facetime is pretty awesome for kids and Grandparents. My kids have talked to their Grandmother (with an iPad) more in the last month then they have in their entire lives.

My wife and kids really do like the iPad.

That being said, the iPad is kind of a computer for dummies - it has pretty limited functionality from a "hacker" perspective.

Of course it all depends on what you want to do with it. However, the latest Consumer Report clearly put the iPad on top. I think the other mentioned in this thread, Lenovo, (not at all familiar with them myself) was around the bottom of the list and seemed to be geared towards 'price' buyers. The ratings were weighted on the functionality of the machine to do multiple tasks and ease of use.

I'll admit that I took their advice and bought an iPad 2 and really like the thing. On this last trip it took freaking 12 hours (with layovers) to get to our destination. We watched 4 full feature movies on it and I still had around 50% battery left.

When picking them up at Best Lie and comparing them side by side, the iPad clearly had a much more sensitive accelerometer, which makes it flip to the right orientation and would make it far superior for any game playing. Loading the same programs on it compared to others next to it also demonstrated it's faster processing speed. By downloading a simple app, I'm able to print to any of my printers directly from the iPad. I just wish it had at least one USB port, but I've gotten used to working around that. Still, it would be a plus.

Dargo · Nov 3, 2011

joec said:
I have a Lenovo ThinkPad Edge laptop that I love and get ads all the time from Tiger about their pads. I just have no interest as my laptop can do all the pads do with much more versatility as well as power.

I have 5 laptops. Not a single one can play 5 or 6 full length movies and still have plenty of battery time left. Besides, on airplanes anymore, laptops are pretty well useless unless you sit it on the top of the person's head in front of you since you're basically looking at their scalp once they lean back. The "pads" really shine when you need or want much longer battery time than you can get from any laptop.

joec · Nov 3, 2011

Lenovo is IBM Dargo. They used to be part of IBM them became their own company. Now they still build all IBM equipment but have added their own line of equipment as well. Very good equipment in my opinion however as previously stated I need a full blown computer not something geared down in to a simple pad setup.

joec · Nov 3, 2011

Dargo said:
I have 5 laptops. Not a single one can play 5 or 6 full length movies and still have plenty of battery time left. Besides, on airplanes anymore, laptops are pretty well useless unless you sit it on the top of the person's head in front of you since you're basically looking at their scalp once they lean back. The "pads" really shine when you need or want much longer battery time than you can get from any laptop.

Well I haven't been on a plane at all since they made smoking illegal so that will tell you something about when. As for watching movies at home I might or in the car perhaps and in both cases battery life means little to me.

In the car I use it for GPS and use a plug to the power supply in the car, at home I use a docking station that keeps the battery fully charged. Now this is the first laptop I've personally owned but have used several over the years that where issued to me. I actually replaced my personal desktop unit with the laptop though still have a Lenovo Desktop in the office. One other thing about this particular machine is it has the 9 cell battery which should be good for about 4 to 6 hours and runs very cold. In other words it doesn't get really hot like some of the older ones I was issued did. Oh and it beats my phone GPS by a mile in the car as the phone depends on getting a signal, mine doesn't as it has its own GPS antenna that I attach through a cable via USB.

Dargo · Nov 3, 2011

joec said:
Lenovo is IBM Dargo. They used to be part of IBM them became their own company. Now they still build all IBM equipment but have added their own line of equipment as well. Very good equipment in my opinion however as previously stated I need a full blown computer not something geared down in to a simple pad setup.

Being that, as I stated, I know nothing of them. I looked them up. They seem to target the mid-sized laptops as price leaders and pretty well the same as desktops. They seem to compare to Acer and Dell. I'm surprised to see HP machines rated highly. I've not been overly pleased with them. After years of fighting the different PC makers I've finally gone over to the dark side with Mac machines. With their new OS, the learning curve isn't too bad and the price gap is nearly gone as well. I guess time will tell if it was a good move. I've had it with all the Windows problems and 8 or 10 "important" or "vital" upgrades per week, keeping up with spyware, malware, antivirus programs etc. etc. IMHO, those programs cripple the machines alone, but you have to have them.

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq · Nov 3, 2011

Dargo said:
By downloading a simple app, I'm able to print to any of my printers directly from the iPad. I just wish it had at least one USB port, but I've gotten used to working around that. Still, it would be a plus.

You must have a newer printer. My HP printer wasn't supported by the HP print app but I'm not going to buy a new printer just to support the iPad. My wife and kids are SOL when it comes to printing from the iPad but they already have a regular computer for that.

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq · Nov 3, 2011

My wife loves to fire up the Scrabble app and beat me at Scrabble while watching TV. I think it makes her feel smarter than me.

She probably is but I beat her in an online IQ test she made me take once and I refuse to take anymore tests because the last thing I need is her gloating over a higher IQ than me.

Doc · Nov 3, 2011

She can't go wrong with an Ipad. The new one with the new OS can multi process so you can have multiple apps open at once. Not the case on the older ones from my understanding.
....beside all the kewl kids have iPads, I don't think she'll be happy with anything else.

rlk · Nov 3, 2011

Zoom, if you go with the iPad, save yourself some serious money and buy your accessories from: http://www.cellularoutfitter.com/

I just purchased an iPhone. Verzon's price for car chargers is $29.99 each. Cellular Outfitter has the same car charger for $10 each, plus $5.99 shipping.

Verison's price for USB cables is $19.99 while Cellular Outfitter has them for $6.00 each.

When my car charger and USB cables arrived, they were in a Verizon box and had a Verizon price tag on the box.

Many of the same cables that work for iPhones also work for iPads.

Bob

bczoom · Nov 4, 2011

Sounds like the votes/suggestions are leaning towards the iPad. A follow-up question. She wants the 64 Gig model since her 16G iPod is already full. How expandable are these things? Sorry if this has been already answered but need to run so I can't re-read the thread.

jim slagle said:
One important thing to know about the ipad is that the web browser doesn't support Flash.

Jim,

Does that mean no YouTube?

rlk said:
Zoom, if you go with the iPad, save yourself some serious money and buy your accessories from: http://www.cellularoutfitter.com/

Thanks Bob! I think I may use that site already for my phone parts. Will have to look.

Big Dog · Nov 4, 2011

I have never ran any of these devices until my brother brought one last week, a Samsung Galaxy. Pretty neat ...............

Jim_S · Nov 4, 2011

bczoom said:
Jim,

Does that mean no YouTube?

youtube works fine, just a very few web pages that won't work.

I use the ipad more than my desk computers.

Jim

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq · Nov 4, 2011

BC - These things are not expandable or upgradeable. They are sealed "consumer devices".

Everything I posted about Adobe Flash in that other thread applies to the iPad. In fact it is the iPad that made most mainstream sites start supporting non-Flash alternative Video formats. Most mainstream websites will work fine on the iPad or they risk losing market share.

Doc · Nov 4, 2011

While the iPad and other devices all connect to the internet via WiFi for free, to have stand alone connectivity you would have to purchase a data plan. That will mean another monthly bill for 20, 30 or 40 dollars depending on the size of data package you choose.

tiredretired · Nov 11, 2011

bczoom said:
My daughter has been saving diligently for 2 years so she can get one of these things.

We're coming into the time when I'm assuming these things will start coming on sale (think Black Friday later this month).

Problem is I can't help her on what to get since I don't know a darn thing about them. She has the money for a high-end iPad (about $700) but I don't want her over-spending if there's similar options without the iPrice.

I believe she wants PC type capabilities (e-mail, basic computing, web browsing...) but also wants whatever it is that her iPod does.

I do know she has a pretty decent music collection from iTunes and would want that to be able to be used on this new device.

Any thoughts/advise?

You won't see the iPad on sale. Not going to happen. Not when they sell a million of these a day or whatever it is.

Best bet for a sale would be an Android base pad like the Xoom. Not as fashionable as an iPad amongst the younger set so may not be an option.

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq · Nov 11, 2011

Amazon should have a Kindle "Fire" out soon for around $199. It doesn't have a camera or microphone but otherwise seems pretty capable.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUtmOApIslE"]Kindle Fire TV Commercial—Amazon's New $199 Kindle - YouTube[/ame]

I still think the iPad is the market leader and the cameras make it truly an entertainment and communication device.

Enceladus · Nov 11, 2011

Teenager!!! Girl!!! (and I am not being sexiest) I have 5 granddaughters and gave the older ones laptops, while they like them. They use there I Touch much more!

Let your daughter get the IPAD2!!!!! She will love it and you will be happier too!

PS: I run 5 PCs and 2 Laptops, I wish I had an IPAD.

tiredretired · Nov 11, 2011

Enceladus said:
Teenager!!! Girl!!! (and I am not being sexiest) I have 5 granddaughters and gave the older ones laptops, while they like them. They use there I Touch much more!

Let your daughter get the IPAD2!!!!! She will love it and you will be happier too!

PS: I run 5 PCs and 2 Laptops, I wish I had an IPAD.

Exactly. I have an iMac and I most definetly do not get the apple mystique. I bought it for other reasons. A teenager, on the other hand, gotta have it!! LOL.

While I was picking up my FREE Android Incredible, I watched people pass right over those and plunk down 299-399 for the iPhone. To each his/her own.

bczoom · Nov 11, 2011

Both of my kids have computers and iPods as Christmas presents from years past.

Need to bounce this off Mrs. Zoom but thinking that for Christmas:
- An iPad for the daughter (with some of her money)
- A clone for the son

Let them have at it for a year or 2 and see how it plays out. I'm sick of computers once I leave my office (since I work on them all day) but if the iPad is that much better, we'll get the son one in the future and Mrs. Zoom can have the clone.

grizzer · Nov 11, 2011

One option may be an iPad2 refurbished unit. It will take the cost down some.

Here is a first review of the Thinkpad Tablet. It has USB and 64GB micro SDHC card upgradeability. http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-ThinkPad-Tablet-18382DG-Tablet-MID.64965.0.html

Dargo · Nov 11, 2011

PBinWA said:
Amazon should have a Kindle "Fire" out soon for around $199. It doesn't have a camera or microphone but otherwise seems pretty capable.

Kindle Fire TV Commercial—Amazon's New $199 Kindle - YouTube

I still think the iPad is the market leader and the cameras make it truly an entertainment and communication device.

There was some sort of electronic trade show here last weekend and reps from a lot of the companies brought their latest and greatest. Based on people I spoke with who attended the show and the write-ups, unless you just have to save that extra $50, the Nook Color destroys Amazon "Fire". I don't have the paper anymore, but on twenty different 'important' comparisons, it was 20-0 in favor of the Nook Color. I would look for a "fire sale" soon on the Amazon Fire. It appears as if they got caught with their proverbial pants down this time. I would have hated to be the poor Amazon employee at the show with everyone crowded around the Nook area and nobody interested in his 'new' device. I suppose every company completely whiffs every so often.

After the show is when I bought my wife the Nook Color as I mentioned. She absolutely LOVES it. It's sort of embarrassing that she likes it more than "any" gift I've ever given her. :sad:

Man, the brand new bright red Miata with a huge bow on top for an anniversary present nor a very expensive diamond ring I bought her apparently doesn't come close to ranking up there with that Nook Color. I suppose I should be happy that I didn't accidentally screw up and buy her one of those Amazon Fire things!

muleman · Nov 11, 2011

Wife has the Nook color and loves it as well. She only downloads and reads books but it is capable of a lot. I personally hate all this new tech stuff as I have no interest in it but have to figure things out for her. :hammer:

NorthernRedneck · Mar 12, 2012

So how about those Blackberry playbooks? Been doing a bit of research to see what I want to get. I'm back and forth to the city all the time and a tablet would be easier to port around then my laptop. I also want something that won't take up much room when I'm out at camp. All I want it for is basic net browsing and to use it as a reader out at camp. Would also be nice to have the capability of the video face to face chat thingy. I'm not a huge fan of the iphone or ipad or anything else ibased. I don't see the need to have the most updated technology and software. So I've been looking and the Blackberry tablets seem to be roughly half the price as any other android or apple based tablets. Is there a reason for this? I know when I switched from my old blackberry phone to my new sony android based smart phone, it was a whole world of difference. Like jumping from an old 1950's pickup to my new truck. Is it the same with the tablets?

iPad/Netbook/tablets/touchpads... I'm confused.

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