Tablet Decision Time

[phork]

iPad vs Asus Tablets

iPad, you know what your getting. Sterile, millions of apps, solid.

Asus, Android, not quite as many apps, not an iPad. (I own a Android phone and love it).

While I am a techie guy, I have not kept up on tablets. This will be for my wife for her birthday and I cannot decide. Everything in my house is custom (+1 Android) put together by me, the level of awesome is amazing. My wife likes things that just work (+1 iPad).

The Asus Tablets are confusing, somewhat, in their model number system, TF101, TF201, and now the TF300 with a Transformer Prime thrown in there somewhere.

Do not turn this into an IOS vs Android arguement or I will beat you senseless. Tell me why you like one over the other and list your experience with both.

The opinion I find that leads me down one path or another will earn the poster $100million vbucks.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

I would go iPad. It is secure, uniform in design, and far less confusing to operate for those that are not tech savvy. IMO the only really advantage the Android tablets have is the customization aspect that you mentioned but that really adds no value to users that don't plan on using it. Judging that this is for your wife and not you I would go with the safe bet. iPad.

 

[NDBoiler]

Do you have any kids? The reason i ask is that even though it is for your wife, the kids will invariably want to use it too. I find that the games on ipad are very kid friendly to use - fruit ninja, bowling, etc - and so it will get enjoyed by all...

 

[IrishSteelhead]

I bought an HP Touchpad for $100 when they were discontinued. For that price, it was a steal.

 

[phork]

Do you have any kids? The reason i ask is that even though it is for your wife, the kids will invariably want to use it too. I find that the games on ipad are very kid friendly to use - fruit ninja, bowling, etc - and so it will get enjoyed by all...

All those games are available in Android version as well.

 

[NDBoiler]

All those games are available in Android version as well.

Fine then...can I still have the vbucks????

 

[Irish Fam]

Black mock turtle neck

 

[goldandblue]

For the wife... Ipad. For myself Android

 

[Buster Bluth]

iPad, no question. Apple's iPads and iPods remain unrivaled. The iPhone is great too, but I like my Droid Razr more.

When it comes to tablets, the iPad is the greatest. It's not even close.

 

[jimmymac]

My family has an Ipad, and my 9 year old little sister uses it without problems, so it is clearly easy to use. I absolutely love it because I can read magazines, books, and watch shows/movies on the incredible screen (mind you this was the older Ipad as well). Cant say I know too much about the Android, but the Ipad is an incredible machine.

 

[connor_in]

Phork...

I have a Kindle Fire (was not ready to go full tablet yet...baby steps)...it is android other family members have iPads [this is my full disclosure]:

Ipad biggest drawback...no Adobe flash player

Android drawback...as ND fan no HuddleUp app for android (even tho they keep promising)..which basically means..android has most of the apps you would probably want/need...but iPad has more...

by the way...most books/songs/movies are cheaper thru amazon Android than iTunes

just some grist for the mental grinding wheel

 

[connor_in]

For the wife... Ipad. For myself Android

is this the new tech version of women are from Venus, men are from Mars?

 

[woolybug25]

IPad... because you can't get a "Donkey Show" cover for the Android.....

pay... the man.... his monay'.....

 

[Irish YJ]

I have an IPad2 and a Toshiba Thrive (Android). If I'm just surfing, IPad2. If I'm doing anything else, Android/Thrive. The Thrive also has full size HDMI, USB, SD Card slots. The only dislike regarding the Thrive, is thickness, but with the slots..... The one thing I really hate about the IPAD, OK two, are the connections and inability to add storage. If your wife is techy at all, go Android. If she just wants to surf and listen to tunes, IPad

 

[phork]

Appreciate all your input fellas keepem comin...

 

[DomeX2 eNVy]

I run a design studio, so we have a wide variety of tablet and phones that we test our stuff on. Development is one thing, and user experience is totally different. Taking cost out of the equation, the Kindle Fire is not something any of us like, the Samsung stuff tries to be a bit of everything and masters very few, if you go Android, the only answer is Transformer Prime - now there are 3 versions I believe depending on your wants. And the iPad is very good and secure, but has some limitations. You'll find some Apple apps require additional steps than the same app on Android because of the design environment.

Overall you can't go wrong with Transformer Prime or iPad. My engineer who has the TP has the damn thing tethered to him he loves it so much. And fwiw, I'm going to get my wife a TP with the high resolution screen and keyboard next month. 18 hours of battery life is awesome.

Edit:
Forgot to mention that I hate having to run to the Apple store every time I want to do something simple and pay $70 for a new battery. I like being able to open up a device and fix things and see how they are designed.

 

[TheSunIsRising]

Phork, you didn't indicate (or only hinted at whether your wife is tech savvy; you did say 'she just likes things that work', so presume she isn't exactly tech inclined). Based on this:

Transformer Prime if:
-she wants the ability to customize incl. being able to max the performance/processing speed (or, you could do this for her, but you would become her tech support); big if she uses for any high-res gaming
-she wants the ability to increase storage capacity and wants more flexibility for output options, incl. USB
-she wants better integration of docking station and keyboard (TP's is native; iPad is aftermarket), with the additional 8 hours of battery life
-is looking for a more scratch resistant display, without a screen protector added (which can take away some of the touch-screen benefit)

iPad 3 if:
-she wants 'ready to use', with no risk of f-ing the thing up from screwing around with config
-you don't want to be interrupted during ND games with questions about support
-she wants to have the ability to go on-line to a user forum that isn't populated with the four guys from Big Bang Theory
-she wants a better visual on her display (I think the iPad is better personally)
-she wants better integration with an existing iPod
-she wants to be able to have more thorough connectivity (TP only offers WiFi currently); this can come with major data usage charges though.


Based on the limited info about her, if I'm you I would definitely get her the iPad

 

[Rack Em]

How about a Big Chief Tablet? That's about the right speed for most women.

 

[Irish YJ]

Had the TP mentioned above, worked great except had a ton of power and freeze issues. After trying 2, I gave up. My buddy has one, and he had no issues. Guess I got a bad batch, but also have read on the boards that it's a known issue.

 

[Irish YJ]

One more, I will say that at $349, the IPad2 is pretty hard to beat if she is not techy... Micro Center - Computers, Electronics, Computer Parts, Networking, Gaming, Software, and more!

 

[jmurphy75]

Phork...

I have a Kindle Fire (was not ready to go full tablet yet...baby steps)...it is android other family members have iPads [this is my full disclosure]:

Ipad biggest drawback...no Adobe flash player

Android drawback...as ND fan no HuddleUp app for android (even tho they keep promising)..which basically means..android has most of the apps you would probably want/need...but iPad has more...

by the way...most books/songs/movies are cheaper thru amazon Android than iTunes

just some grist for the mental grinding wheel

I got my wife a Kindle Fire also and she loves it, very simple to use great price. Her brother has an ipad and they sat down and compared them she liked her Kindle better

 

[Irish Insanity]

I have an Asus Transformer. It's awesome. I love it. But my girlfriend has an IPad. She loves it. So in conclusion I didn't help you at all.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[PJWhitfield]

Why not let your wife choose, or is she into surprises?

 

[phork]

Because I decide what she'll like !

 

[TheSunIsRising]

Edited my original post as I had forgotten one other benefit of the iPad:

iPad offers 3G connectivity, whereas the Transformer Prime only offers WiFi; this also poses the problem that if she's not careful she may be facing some pretty elevated monthly data usage charges. One guy here had something like $500-600/month in a couple of months.....but he is a VERY active user given his role (considerable amount of video, and other high meg presentations).

 

[Cackalacky]

iPad, iCloud, iMatch = win
+
I used my iPad to lay level lines while constructing my sons treee house.

 

[]\/[GoBlue]

If you're happy with your android phone I'd stick with an android tablet, any apps you paid for will be able to be used on it without buying a second time. You're used to the ecosystem that is android. Chrome to Phone is fantastic. If you're looking for reviews on the Prime (TF201) I love mine, seriously it's great. If you have any questions on it feel free to ping me.

 

[phork]

3G is not a priority because its too expensive around here. As of right now I am leaning to the Asus TF300. I have a month & half still to make up my mind so we'll see.

As for gimmicks like using your ipad for leveling, you can buy a pretty precise level for $500, that won't break if dropped.

 

[BGIF]

WAIT

WAIT

10 gadgets you’d be a fool to buy (right now) | Fox News

Android Tablets
If you want to consider an Android tablet, now is not the time to buy. Though we've seen some speedy quad-core tablets like the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime, we're still waiting for Android tablet makers to come out with screens that have higher than 1280 x 800 resolution. Both ASUS and Acer have announced 1920 x 1200 tablets, but neither one has hit the market yet. If you plunk down $500 on a tablet now, you'll feel silly when the new HD models arrive within the next couple of months.

 

[RallySonsOfND]

You will never be able to fully keep up with technology unless you are buying the 'latest and greatest' which comes out every 3-6 months.

So waiting will just lead to more waiting, IMO.