[bcrdukes]

Hello RS,

To keep a long story short, I was laughed at and ridiculed by a 57 year old business man on a recent business flight: He scoffed at me for flopping my out-of-control bulky copy of The Globe And Mail while he sported the latest iPad reading the same exact thing, but digital.

This lead me to think: Am I out of touch? Am I falling behind? Am I being green? (j/k fuck that, I don't give a shit.)

He suggested I get a tablet instead which makes for reading the paper a lot more easier than heaving a huge newspaper on-board a flight. I travel a lot for work and personal reasons so I need to ask: Which tablet should I get?

As you can see, I have one primary motive and purpose: To read the paper (online editions.) The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Globe and Mail - you name it. Each paper has their own app, but PressDisplay also has a subscription based service that offers somewhat of an "all you can read" service which includes the papers I listed prior.

1. The iPad is expensive. I won't lie - it's more than what I want to spend and I don't want to get roped into the whole "Apple" non-sense. This will not be an option.

2. Microsoft and Android tablets - I'm open to suggestions.

Some of my criteria:

A. Lightweight and portable - I travel a lot so I don't want something heavy and bulky
B. Good size for reading. I don't need a honkin' 14" tablet (do they even exist?)
C. Would prefer to have a brand/make/model with good reviews and support/warranty with good product lifecycle (or am I out to lunch?)
D. Ideally, I want to spend between $150 - $250 (pre-tax/shipping etc.)

Thank you in advance! :)

[Hehe]

Second-hand iPad Air or wait when they go on sale.

I have seen them in the 200s on CL.

Why iPad Air?
iPad gives you a relatively more consistent user experience. Sure you could go with Nexus or other Android tablets, but as both an iOS and Android user myself (I have iPhone, Nexus 5, iPad Air and Nexus 7), I think I prefer Android on phone, and iOS for tablet.

Android is good for configuring everything to suit the user. But I find that very useful for phones since its size requires that. Not so much on 10" tablet though.

[dyan]

Imo.. Android just turns to shit after a few years.. Starts to lag so bad. You pay for what you get.

I have a nexus 7 and the lag is so bad, while on the other hand my first gen ipad is still holding up.

[twitchyzero]

^ f2fs file system will rejuvenate it if you're technically inclined.

I'm also curious what makes a tablet screen suitable for reading. Anything would decent viewing angle and great brightness range with dim/night mode seems to fit the bill. Contrast, pixel count, color reproduction all seems moot in this regard unless you'r talking about the $50 Chinese tabs.

[bcrdukes]

^
Ditto.

I'm hoping someone can chime in from either personal experience and/or reviews they know of in which a particular tablet is suitable for reading. It'd be nice to have something like a Kindle, but it's eBooks only and (I think?) chained down to Amazon only.

[Gucci Mane]

just keep reading the paper.


FUCK THE HATERS.



in all honesty though, hehe is right. you wont find a more polished experience for a tablet then the ipad. theres a reason everyone has one and its not because they're "sheeple".

[asian_XL]

yeah, fuck the haters, I read newspaper every morning. My iPAD stays in the toilet and will always.

[GLOW]

what a sad sad day when an old man laughs and teaches dukes how to be hipster...

and ya, i still read the newspaper...b/c it's not mainstream :accepted: :troll:
http://img.pandawhale.com/147800-taylor-swift-haters-gonna-hate-q0cZ.gif

+1 with used ipad if cost is an issue for you. older ones seem more reasonably priced.

your price range seems to point to samsung tablets like a tab 4 or tab A 9"?
people complain they're junk etc but for that price they seem to do the job for me. slight lag if you're casting to a TV though other than that...i got my family a 10" tab 4 last xmas and it seems good, kind of bulky/heavy though so maybe 8" is a good size

[Alby]

i suggest you walk into an electronic store/dept and check out the demos they have displayed so you can play around with them. then base your decision off that.

[Lomac]

i suggest you walk into an electronic store/dept and check out the demos they have displayed so you can play around with them. then base your decision off that.

This.

I still use an e-reader for when I want to do a bout of serious reading. The e-ink can't be beat when it comes to ease on the eyes for a good hour or two of staring at a screen.

As a proper business solution, a Surface would be your best option. However, it's a bit bigger and heavier than most others out there, and even the newest base 3 model is outside your price range.

My mom bought a Tab 4 for her four month trip through the South of Europe, mainly because she didn't want to haul a laptop around and it was cheap enough that if it got lost or broke, it didn't matter. It's a decent machine, but I found that it seems to lag just ever so slightly... even after I optimized it. The Tab A is the newest Samsung model out in Canada and, for a base model, it seems to do the trick quite well.

However, and as much as I don't like admitting it, the iPad is still probably the best overall solution for a tablet. While the Air 2 doesn't have the best screen or fastest chips, it has that premium feel and a better app solution than Android. The Mini 2 and Air 1 are still sold at some stores and often go on sale for relatively cheap. The Tab S and Tab Pro may have the best screens on the market (personal opinion, at least), but the Retina screens do still give them a run for their money and make reading much easier.

[bcrdukes]

Problem solved: Going to use my Blackberry Playbook that I forgot about.

/thread

[Razor Ramon HG]

:lol

Unexpected end of thread

[Gucci Mane]

playbook is such a horrible tablet. lol. so glad i unloaded mine while it was still worth something.

[bcrdukes]

I just tried it out and downloaded the Globe And Mail app.

It works. It does the job. And did I mention that it works? I stopped by Best Buy to take a look at some of the Samsung tablets and iPads and felt that my head was going to explode. I still use a Nokia 8390, okay?

Sorry for the unexpected and anti-climatic ending. I seriously forgot I even had the thing. It saves me agony of buying something I may likely regret.

[TOS'd]

Trolled.

[Spoon]

Or you can open a TD account and get it for free. Switch and Get a Free Tablet | Chequing Accounts | TD Canada Trust (http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/m/edb/index.jsp?cm_sp=GOOGLE:MECA:p6950403002&s_kwcid=AL!4530!3!45437140064!e!!g!!td%20tablet&ef_id=UopAQQAAANI1jnga:20150628214002:s)

[GLOW]

hey don't knock the playbook. still use mine daily. sturdy as hell. the kids have dropped it more than once and still good. downside is zero apps but you seem to have the app you want so bonus. if could only run android apps more smoothly then it would last even longer. i'm thinking maybe a tab a with a stylus perhaps near the end of this year. currently just used as a browser now that the youtube app seems to be broken.

[bcrdukes]

+1

The Playbook has yet to fail me.

I'm not a huge app user on any device and so far, all I've used it for is for PDFs/presentations, some very light browsing/IM, and now reading the paper.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Get the Ipad Air either on CL, or you can even buy mine =D

Anyways I used both Ipads and a Samsung note 8. After a while just seems the NOte8 lags here and there so I sold it.

Got my Ipad Air when it first came out (roughly 3 years ago I think) still runs very smooth. Size is good but for me I rather use the ipad mini2 since is smaller and easier to carry around. Just came back from China and I got an ipad mini2 for my gf and I have to say it is a lot easier to carry around than my ipad air.

Is your price range you will only be able to get a shitty Android tablets which will lag or the screen will be really bad. Trust me on this. Co worker got some cheap ass Asus tablet and when opening the same games, apps my ipad air beats it every single time. Even playing clash of clans I notice that his tablet lags and it is not an intense graphic game.

[bcrdukes]

Update:

So I ended up borrowing a friend's iPad (1st Generation) and this thing is pretty heavy. Upon her request, she suggested that I do not update the software on the device so now I can't download The Globe and Mail, New York Times, and LA Times. Good grief.

As for the Playbook - it's doing the job, but the reflection is insane. That and there is no native app for The LA Times, only The Globe and Mail. Will give it a few more days before I decide on what the next move is but I'm feeling that a physical paper is still best. :accepted:

[Gucci Mane]

Update:

So I ended up borrowing a friend's iPad (1st Generation) and this thing is pretty heavy. Upon her request, she suggested that I do not update the software on the device so now I can't download The Globe and Mail, New York Times, and LA Times. Good grief.

As for the Playbook - it's doing the job, but the reflection is insane. That and there is no native app for The LA Times, only The Globe and Mail. Will give it a few more days before I decide on what the next move is but I'm feeling that a physical paper is still best. :accepted:

what kind credit card do you use? i used my visa avion points to buy my ipad mini 2. its the same as as the ipad 3 minus fingerprint sensor. perfect size for a tablet IMO.

[bcrdukes]

Please, I just cash and Bitcoins only!

Just kidding. :D

I really don't want to go the iPad route but if/when push comes to shove, I may have to oblige. I'm going to see if any friends can loan me an iPad Mini for a day or two and see how things go.

[GLOW]

Update:

So I ended up borrowing a friend's iPad (1st Generation) and this thing is pretty heavy. Upon her request, she suggested that I do not update the software on the device so now I can't download The Globe and Mail, New York Times, and LA Times. Good grief.

As for the Playbook - it's doing the job, but the reflection is insane. That and there is no native app for The LA Times, only The Globe and Mail. Will give it a few more days before I decide on what the next move is but I'm feeling that a physical paper is still best. :accepted:

if reflection is an issue for your PB, try a matte glossy screen protector. IMO has less glare and the colours of the screen look better to me. probably could get one for like $4 or less online at like DX or monoprice.

so since PB isn't cool and totally retro...are you being uber hipster by going back to it? :considered:

regarding ipad weight, that's why i suggested the 8" tablet in terms of weight without sacrificing too much on screen size.

[bcrdukes]

if reflection is an issue for your PB, try a matte glossy screen protector. IMO has less glare and the colours of the screen look better to me. probably could get one for like $4 or less online at like DX or monoprice.

so since PB isn't cool and totally retro...are you being uber hipster by going back to it? :considered:

regarding ipad weight, that's why i suggested the 8" tablet in terms of weight without sacrificing too much on screen size.

I'll try the matte screen protector first on the Blackberry Playbook. I'll probably get laughed at on my next flight by a 74 year old grandma.

Lenovo has this: Lenovo TAB S8 Tablet | Wideview 8" Android Entertainment | Lenovo CA (http://shop.lenovo.com/ca/en/tablets/lenovo/s-series/s8/)

8" tablet on Android though. Worth looking into or pass?

[herman]

Nexus 7 - cheap(ish), does the job, good compromise between portability and screen size, and no lag to report.

That said, I like the tactile feel of a newspapers / magazines. Go old school and keep print alive.

[Mr.HappySilp]

ipad mini 2 is the best option for you I think. 7.9 inch isn't too big or too small. Not heavy to carry around. Battery life is decent. Or you could wait till the new ipad mini4 comes out and get the ipad mini2 even cheaper.

[trollguy]

were you wearing your monocle to read the newspaper as well?

[bcrdukes]

were you wearing your monocle to read the newspaper as well?

:pokerface:

[mr_chin]

You want a tablet JUST for reading? BAAAALLLLLLLLLLLER.

What's wrong with free newspaper? Do you need a tablet to save these newspaper for later? News(paper) are something you read and that's it. Why waste money on a tablet just for reading news? lol

[bcrdukes]

Your boorish questioning is the reason why I read the paper, especially paid, and not free.

[Euro7r]

I absolutely hate itunes and all the apple BS, but I have to admit, my Ipad has been great. Reading news, browsing forums and watching youtube is mostly what I use it for. Never had issues or the "lag" an android will have after 1-2 years.

[bcrdukes]

Why do Android tablets end up lagging after 1 - 2 years? (Sorry, I'm not an Android user.)

[gars]

The originaly Nexus 7 (2012) started lagging after about 1 year - but that was because it was using really crappy memory inside. If you were to flash a custom recovery and change the file system, you could make just as fast as it was out of the box.

that was the only major issue that I can think of - the Nexus 7 2013 doesn't have that issue - plenty of people still use that as a regular tablet.

[Gucci Mane]

Why do Android tablets end up lagging after 1 - 2 years? (Sorry, I'm not an Android user.)

android isnt really known for supporting older devices all that well. another reason why when it comes to tablets, ipad's are the best.

[bcrdukes]

Wow, this is a bit disheartening. :okay:

[Mr.HappySilp]

Why do Android tablets end up lagging after 1 - 2 years? (Sorry, I'm not an Android user.)

Android is not optimize to run on every manfacture tablets, phones. Also every manfacture put their own custom UI/Skin/restriction on top of Android making a cluster fuck. Another reason is fragmentation. A lot of devices that run Android aren't using the most up to date heck even a few version from the latest Android.

https://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html?utm_source=suzunone

there are still lot's of Android device running or even brand new device out of the box aren't using the latest Android. Some apps might right well with the latest version of Android while lags or won't even work with pervious of Android while others work great with last version of Android but not the latest.

Third manfactures puts their own custom skins, UI/ restriction on top of Android. Look at Samsung and their touchwiz. Even with the best hardware it still lags (up till S6 coz they clean up touchwiz). Android is open base so anyone can mod the code and put them in their product and a lot of the times it only makes the whole OS runs slower, with bugs and crash.

With Apple they have only a handful of device that runs iOS. Also since Apple is the only one that makes product that runs iOS they can make it very very very optimize to their product. In terms up updating to the latest iOS since Apple product are the only ones that use iOS it doesn't have to go through different manfactures for them to add their own UI, Etc etc and therefore it is easier for apple to push out updates. Apple also forces apps developers to only develop apps optimize for the latest iOS. If I remember correctly Apply also forces app developers to update their apps to work with the latest iOS which Android does not.

[mk1freak]

ipad mini (original - 3) break too easily even with a case and a drop from a 8yearolds lap to the floor while sitting down. nexus 7 2013+ has been my go to tablet, didn't even root it and i only use it to read manga and comics, never had an issue with lag. but when you're installing dozens upon dozens of apps well of course it'll slow down.

matte screen protectors help with glare so your playbook will probably benefit from that if you want to save money. especially if your happy with it.
matte protector (http://www.ebay.ca/itm/CitiGeeks-Blackberry-Playbook-Screen-Protector-Anti-Glare-Matte-LCD-2-Pack-/280847082410?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item4163ca63aa)

this is their non-ebay site:

http://www.citigeeks.com/screen-protector-for-blackberry-playbook/

[bcrdukes]

^
Thanks for that!

I don't run any apps beyond e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter on my phones. I can't imagine doing it on a tablet when its primary purpose is to read. Have you been doing routine updates on your Nexus 7?

I ordered the matte screen protector for the Blackberry Playbook from CitiGeeks as well! :)

[mk1freak]

Yup I've updated it when it comes up, the only thing I had to do is buy a 15 dollar usb charging port off eBay, because I wore the dam thing out from using it so much. Fixing it took 15-20mins and was easy as hell . once it starts not holding a charge I'll buy another battery and install since its so easy.
If you're only checking email, fbook twitter, on your phone, reading on the playbook is fine. That is until you get asked by some 75 year old why you don't use google glass to read. :lawl:

[bcrdukes]

I won't lie - I'm not a very good adopter of technology. Took me years to get off of a GSM phone when UMTS/3G was prevalent.

I'm still using a Pentium III PC. :pokerface:

[Gucci Mane]

cause hipster.








hipster with a porsche doe!

[gars]

I think there are too many cheap Android tablets on the market. It's hard to compare Android tablets as a whole to iPads, because iPads are still quite a premium market and only really compare to the flagship android tablets.

Like it was mentioned above, not a lot of Android Tablets have good software support - so a lot of them don't end up getting updated on a regular basis. That said, if you don't fill up your tablet with useless apps, you should be fine - especially if you're just reading the news or surfing the web.

My coworker just bought a Xiaomi Mipad - there was a sale on Aliexpress a few weeks back for ~$180USD - which is a steal for that tablet. It's not a tablet meant for the US market, so you might even have to flash the google apps on it yourself - but if you're willing to tinker - there are plenty of cheap good Android Tablets.

but if you think that buying a $100 Android Tablet will compare to a $350 iPad, you're going to have a bad time....

[bcrdukes]

cause hipster.

hipster with a porsche doe!

:suspicious:

[Gucci Mane]

:suspicious:

i'm aware. :ifyouknow:

[bcrdukes]

My life is suddenly in imminent danger.

[Gucci Mane]

My life is suddenly in imminent danger.

be less of a hipster blogger then. lol

[Reeyal]

I work in IT, and I'm surrounded by electronics, from phones, tablets, laptops, to desktops. Sometimes I just want to disconnect from all of that by picking up actual newspapers, magazines, and books. It feels nice to block distractions and the constant bombardment of information (often useless) that plague online-capable electronics nowadays.

[6793026]

i hate hate hate technology. i still have a desktop from 2013 and it's running legit.

i read newspapers and have been a subscriber for the past 25+ yrs. Few reasons why i don't need ipad
1) i throw my newspaper away once i get off the plane.
2) I can fuck and chuck my magazines like a bad habit, i can leave it at poolside, beach, on a table, without thinking someone might take it.

ipad has its issues, once u update IOS, it gets soooo slow if you're running anything older than 4 yr. Once you stop upgrading... some apps won't work and you're bitching and screaming forcing you to upgrade and it gets so slow.

[bcrdukes]

I should have updated the thread.

1. I abandoned the idea of buying a new tablet altogether.
2. Decided to just stick with the paper. It is what it is.

[GLOW]

next time some old hipster tries to teach you to be hipster, just tell him tablets are SO mainstream.

[mk1freak]

until your matte screen protector comes in........you will test it out "just to see"

[nabs]

Bumpity...

I need suggestions. For taking notes and editing PDFs with handwriting. I'm basically buying for school but would like a good one for other capabilities. I need to be able to write with a stylus.

Suggestions please.

Is Asus transformer still any good? People going for Samsung tabs now?

[bcrdukes]

until your matte screen protector comes in........you will test it out "just to see"

I just got the matte screen protectors.

It's pretty good as you suggested (thanks btw) but a physical copy of the paper trumps all. :accepted:

[mk1freak]

I just got the matte screen protectors.

It's pretty good as you suggested (thanks btw) but a physical copy of the paper trumps all. :accepted:

agreed, i see it like money, it feels so much better to hold 5k in paper money than a debit card.. then again both are plastic now :lawl:

@nabs if you want to use a stylus the samsung note tabs are geared towards stylus use. it all depends on your budget as you can use any tablet with an aftermarket stylus only the notes have the functionality built into the stylus itself

[nabs]

@mk1 care to elaborate. What'sapp me

[GLOW]

i don't recall a new galaxy note tablet with a stylus, last one is galaxy note 8 and 10 or 12. samsung's latest tablet with a stylus is the Tab A. you can check a demo out at costco.

[mk1freak]

you are correct the tab a is the newest one
the note 10 is 2014 and the note 12 is current as pro edition

[bcrdukes]

Just a bump from the dead and an update to anyone curious:

I ended up pre-ordering this for shits and giggles. :pokerface:

https://jolla.com/tablet

[Gh0stRider]

Just a bump from the dead and an update to anyone curious:

I ended up pre-ordering this for shits and giggles. :pokerface:

https://jolla.com/tablet

64GB for 378.42CAD

specs are kinda meh...

[bcrdukes]

As long as it's not Android and iOS! :heckno:

[Gucci Mane]

As long as it's not Android and iOS! :heckno:

lol.....


:rukidding:

[mk1freak]

You should've preorder Jolla from the indiegogo page... It's in usd and you prolly save ~25 on exchange
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jolla-tablet-world-s-first-crowdsourced-tablet#/

[bcrdukes]

I did! Thanks! :)

[GLOW]

64GB for 378.42CAD

specs are kinda meh...

but it's not mainstream Kappa

[!MiKrofT]

As long as it's not Android and iOS! :heckno:
Scary to think this might end up like my Nokia N810 wiith its Maemo os. Too much uncertainty with these things.

[bcrdukes]

I still use my Nokia N9! Love that OS! :D

I think you can install Android apps on Sailfish OS.

[Gh0stRider]

wouldn't be surprised if you can hack it and put android os on it like the HP Touchpad.