Looking for a tablet

[shaqblogs2011]

I am looking for a tablet. Hope this is the right forum for this.
Not really a big fan of iPads, IMHO they are overpriced and puts you in a spot when it comes to expandability.

Requirements:
1. Bigger the better. Basically a gift to an older person, so small fonts and small size is pretty much a No. It will mainly be used for browsing, watching videos, pics, & listening to music.
2. Should be reliable, not much bugs/issues.
3. Cost - 500$ tops. Less is better. (A little flexible only if necessary)
4. Expandable & flexible. Memory especially. I hope these devices come with USB. (Why do these devices come with such less memory?)
5. Ability to connect to my Wireless modem - WiFi ?
6. Would be nice to have a really Good Battery life.
7. A camera would be a great plus, only if it is of good quality.


Edit:
Basically, I am looking for a decent sized touch based system. Am not aware, if there are better options than a tablet. Am open to suggestions.
Do we get touch based laptops with no restrictions? Install the OS that we want and whola!

 

[killerhurtalot]

I would recommend a Nexus 10... but it doesn't have expandable storage...

But you should know that ONLY the iPad3/4 has a decent quality camera... every other tablet has completely *** camera...

 

[shaqblogs2011]

I would recommend a Nexus 10... but it doesn't have expandable storage...

thanks for the quick reply.
By expandable storage, do you mean expandable internally? I just glanced thro the specs of Nexus 10, it has a mini USB port. I should be able to transfer to a external hard drive, right?

 

[jaguarskx]

By expandable he means a SD card slot for expanded storage. Yes, you can connect a hard drive to the mini USB port for external storage. You will likely need a USB to mini USB adapter since most external hard drives only come with a standard USB cable.

 

[r-sky]

thanks for the quick reply.
By expandable storage, do you mean expandable internally? I just glanced thro the specs of Nexus 10, it has a mini USB port. I should be able to transfer to a external hard drive, right?

no real need to hook up an external hard drive...

There are good apps to use your wireless connection to your PC or to cloud storage.

 

[shaqblogs2011]

kool...thx
where is this available to buy now (reliable store)? The google shop is out of stock.

Also would a 16 GB really suffice? I am used to PC having 100's of GB

 

[shaqblogs2011]

This might sound silly to some....but would it be reasonable to expect a price drop anytime soon? If yes, what would be a range of drop one can expect? (Of course these cannot really be predicted)

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

I would check out any of the windows 8 tabs with the intel atom. windows 8 is designed around lower resolutions, this actually makes fonts bigger in comparison to similar sized higher resolution tablets. Also since the intel atom is x86 all of the webpages will run as "normal" Also any windows accessories will work on the tablet just as they do on the desktop. I would start with the samsung ATIV http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834131397

 

[r-sky]

kool...thx
where is this available to buy now (reliable store)? The google shop is out of stock.

Also would a 16 GB really suffice? I am used to PC having 100's of GB

16 GB is a bit tight, especially if you want to travel with it loaded up with extra movies, music & stuff...

You could look at the Asus Transformer Prime (reviewed on Tom's when it was released)

I don't see a price drop soon. Decent 7" tablets are $200 - 300 and the 10" ones are $450 - 600 - right in line with the ipads...

Personally, I would wait to see how the Win8 tablets fair before buying one... A 2 -3 week test drive would be nice!

 

[shaqblogs2011]

the asus prime looks good with the keyboard dock. But i notiice that it is 200 bucks more for that dock.

I am not much of win 8 fan, so not too keen win8. I felt they still have a way to go. IMO, Usually microsft takes time to catch up with new stuff, and when they do, no loooking back

So currently the 10 inch nexux looks good, but 500 for 32 gigs looks overpriced to me.

 

[shaqblogs2011]

i got hold of a friends toshibha 10" tablet today, it had android. Used it for a while, seemed pretty decent, except for a crash of the chrome browser that i encountered. It is an older model, more than 6 months old, 1 year maybe.

How do these compare with Google nexus? Is it worth a buy? Any alternatives worth considering in the below 400 mark with WiFi for 10" one.

 

[jaguarskx]

the asus prime looks good with the keyboard dock. But i notiice that it is 200 bucks more for that dock.

I am not much of win 8 fan, so not too keen win8. I felt they still have a way to go. IMO, Usually microsft takes time to catch up with new stuff, and when they do, no loooking back

So currently the 10 inch nexux looks good, but 500 for 32 gigs looks overpriced to me.

The transformer dock is less than $200. It generally sells for $150 what I've seen. Walmart sells it for $111; naturally it is out of stock.

http/www.walmart.com/ip/ASUS-Transformer-Prime-Docking-Station/19793264

If you think that $500 for 32GB is overpriced, then consider that an Asus Transformer Prime w/ 32GB sells for $400 while the 64Gb version is selling for $750. Might as well toss in another $50 to get two Transformer Primes with 32GB each.

http/www.frys.com/product/7222053?source=googleps&gclid=CN_Qu9u3yrQCFYKK4AodzygAiQ

Maybe I just caught it when Amazon's "price-bot" is charging an arm and a leg for it 'cause it can be bought for $600 like from...

http/www.amazon.com/Transformer-TF201-B1-GR-10-1-Inch-Tablet-Amethyst/dp/B0067PLM5E

Of course, other places sells the Transformer Primer 32GB for less than $400

Walmart sells it for $300, but it is naturally out of stock;

http/www.walmart.com/ip/ASUS-Transformer-Prime-TF201-B1-GR-10.1-32GB-Android-3.2-Honeycomb-OS-Amethyst-Gray/19590171

However, Fry's sells it for $350 and it seems to be in stock.

http/www.frys.com/product/7051791?source=googleps&gclid=CN2wuJi3yrQCFQyk4AodLAUAsw

 

[jaguarskx]

So currently the 10 inch nexux looks good, but 500 for 32 gigs looks overpriced to me.

I would not get the Nexus 10 due to the 2560 x 1600 resolution screen. The high resolution is going to make text very small; especially on a 10.1" screen. You need to have excellent vision for something like that. For someone who's vision is not very good you want at most 1920x1080 resolution. Lower resolution would be better.

 

[shaqblogs2011]

I would not get the Nexus 10 due to the 2560 x 1600 resolution screen. The high resolution is going to make text very small; especially on a 10.1" screen. You need to have excellent vision for something like that. For someone who's vision is not very good you want at most 1920x1080 resolution. Lower resolution would be better.

I missed that. This basically eliminates the Nexus 10 for my needs.

The transformer dock is less than $200. It generally sells for $150 what I've seen. Walmart sells it for $111; naturally it is out of stock.

http/www.walmart.com/ip/ASUS-Transformer-Prime-Docking-Station/19793264

If you think that $500 for 32GB is overpriced, then consider that an Asus Transformer Prime w/ 32GB sells for $400 while the 64Gb version is selling for $750. Might as well toss in another $50 to get two Transformer Primes with 32GB each.

http/www.frys.com/product/7222053?source=googleps&gclid=CN_Qu9u3yrQCFYKK4AodzygAiQ

Maybe I just caught it when Amazon's "price-bot" is charging an arm and a leg for it 'cause it can be bought for $600 like from...

http/www.amazon.com/Transformer-TF201-B1-GR-10-1-Inch-Tablet-Amethyst/dp/B0067PLM5E

Of course, other places sells the Transformer Primer 32GB for less than $400

Walmart sells it for $300, but it is naturally out of stock;

http/www.walmart.com/ip/ASUS-Transformer-Prime-TF201-B1-GR-10.1-32GB-Android-3.2-Honeycomb-OS-Amethyst-Gray/19590171

However, Fry's sells it for $350 and it seems to be in stock.

http/www.frys.com/product/7051791?source=googleps&gclid=CN2wuJi3yrQCFQyk4AodLAUAsw

Thanks for the links. Leaning towards the Asus Transformer Prime (with android 4.0). Wonder how this blue color looks - last link.
Only downside is it has no USB port. Need to get a dock for that

Any viable alternatives for storing/transfering data externally? Maybe a external hard drive with WiFi ??

 

[shaqblogs2011]

after thinkin bout it for a while....decided to go with a Nexus 10.
should get my hands on it by month end

thanks for the inputs

 

[shaqblogs2011]

Best answer selected by shaqblogs2011.