Tablets- Android Vs. Ipad

[char]

I killed my laptop a few months ago (needs a harddrive and 6 years old) and I think I want a tablet to replace. We have another laptop in the house (MacBook), so a second seems unneccessary.

I'm on the road a fair bit and have intermittant access to wifi. 3g/4g isn't an issue most of the time. I want to be able to watch movies, read books, news, email etc.

I've been looking at the Asus Tranformer Prime and the Ipad as potential replacements.

Ice Cream Sandwich seems like a fairly smooth operating system and the Tranformer has a add on docking station if I need to use it as a "laptop." Ipad apparently has the most apps and I'm assuming it would tether to the MacBook better.

Questions:

When not connected to wifi how do you watch movies? I'm assuming there is a way to download them to the tablet.

Can news be downloaded and read later without a wifi connection?

How much data does streaming netflix on a 3g connection use?

Or should I just by a cheap laptop with dvd player?

[systemoverblow'd]

Regardless of anything, buying a tablet without 3G at this point is dumb. I got the first gen iPad wi-fi only and while at first it was fine, it turned out to be a mistake. Not sure about plans, but you can pay for 3G on AT&T on a month to month basis so you don't sign up for it, find out you need it one weekend, pay for just the month and don't have to pay until you need it again.

[crackboy]

another thing to consider is being able to pick up pay as you go data. i know Tmobile offers that, so consider the galaxy tab's

one thing to consider is many android tablets come with an SD/micro SD slot where as AFAIK the ipad;s do not, storage is expandable

[MontuckyFried]

The Transformer's a solid choice. I have a wi-fi only Motorola Xoom, and I've ended up using it WAY more than I ever expected. ICS is smooth, indeed. It's been very easy for me to put my own movies onto it. I have the 32 gb version, and I can just pop a card in if I need more room. The Transformer's even better since you can use regular usb ports! Nobody had them in-stock when I was shopping about a year ago, so I just went with the Xoom instead. I've been very happy, but still kinda wish I had the Transformer. Might buy the new one, and give the Xoom to my wife, since she uses it all the time, too.

I'm also a fan of the Android tablets' 16:9 screen format (better for movies). I think the iPads are too "square" for my taste. The ONE area where the iPad wins is that insane new Retina screen. Hands down the nicest looking screen money can buy in my opinion.

Both iPad and Android ICS tablets are a great choice, and you really can't go wrong either way. However, they are NOT a replacement for a laptop, but they rock for when you're on the couch or in bed and wanna look something up real quick, watch a movie, play a game, whatever.

If you have a phone capable of a wi-fi hotspot, skip the 3g/4g versions of the tablets. Who wants two data plans? When I'm in 4G range, I just turn my Android phone's hotspot on, and I get cable-modem like speeds on my tablet and any computer that's around for that matter.

[MontuckyFried]

Oh yeah, one of my wife's and my favorite features on our Xoom is the HDMI-out. I have every kind of emulator on it, so I can play old school NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, and PSX games on our main tv using the Xoom. Android tablets work flawlessly with the Nintendo Wii's controllers, so we can kick back on the couch and play any game of our choice. Mario Kart 64 FTW!

Not sure if iPad can do that without jailbreaking. Just another reason I love Android. Total freedom. Comes at a bit of a price, though, as it's not quite as stable as the iPad, but been pretty dang good for me overall.

[char]

I don't have a smartphone and don't plan on getting one, so tethering isn't an option for me. I'd like to stay away from a dataplan if I can and just download what I need when I'm near wifi.

How are you getting movies onto the tablet? Torrents?

[MontuckyFried]

I don't have a smartphone and don't plan on getting one, so tethering isn't an option for me. I'd like to stay away from a dataplan if I can and just download what I need when I'm near wifi.

How are you getting movies onto the tablet? Torrents?

No torrents. I make my own files from my own movies (your MacBook will easily do that). Mp4 seems to play nice with both Android and iOS, so that's what I use for my tablet.

Another reason I love my tablet? Comics! Haven't read comics since I was a kid, but this thing resparked my interest. I have every issue of Heavy Metal on there, every Tintin book, Tank Girl, and a ton of others. iPad gets the nod for reading comics, but they really do look beautiful on my Xoom, too.

[MontuckyFried]

If I was in the market for a tablet, this is THE one I'd get...the TF201:

http://usa.asus.com/Tablet/Transformer_Pad/Eee_Pad_Transformer_Prime_TF201/

That new NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core CPU is pretty slick! Dangit. This talk has got me thinking I NEED another tablet. Haha. Mrs. Austin? It's time for you to inherit my Xoom. I really do love my Xoom, though. Nothing wrong with it at all. Still plenty speedy and does all I want it to. But, man I want that Asus and it's dock.

[Hugh Conway]

Buy an iPad and be done with it. The one month at a time ATT dataplans are easy to deal with. Load movies through iTunes, or whatever. the only irritant, when travelling, is the lack of flash support for the few remaining troglodytes who use flash.

[crackboy]

supposedly, google is putting out a nexus tablet soon for sub $250 in price. this is instead of the ASUS memo or whatever its called. the ASUS transformer is super nice though.

[iscariot]

If I was in the market for a tablet, this is THE one I'd get...the TF201:

http://usa.asus.com/Tablet/Transformer_Pad/Eee_Pad_Transformer_Prime_TF201/

That new NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core CPU is pretty slick!

This^^^

Or the soon to be released Transformer TF700T

http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-13376_7-10011722-4.html

Here's a comparison: http://www.androidauthority.com/ipad...r-prime-52918/
and be sure to read the comments.

[RShea]

Movies can be had from a number of sources. First you can use a number of streaming services with wifi. Amazon has movies, if you stay with Android- then Google Play (used to be Marketplace) has movies and video, Netflix has an App for the Droid devices, there are even many ways to have Itunes movies on an Android tablet. Most of these are not free but safe and does not risk MPAA piracy actions for downloading them off the internet.

HDMI, to play on bid screen TV's is also nice while at home.

[Lev]

Buy an iPad and be done with it. The one month at a time ATT dataplans are easy to deal with. Load movies through iTunes, or whatever. the only irritant, when travelling, is the lack of flash support for the few remaining troglodytes who use flash.

You used to be such an Android fanboi. Quitter?

Work is buying me a tablet of my choice in the next month or so. I'm waiting to see what comes out of Google's I/o conference next week.

I like the iPad for its app ecosystem and polish.

I like Android for just about everything else. Much better for cloud computing IMO.

One of the big factors for me is the screen dimensions. Android peeps seem to like 16:9, Apple 4:3. I'm going to use this extensively as a PDF reader for electronic note keeping and annotation. 4:3 is more like a piece of paper.... which is better for general reading and note annotations.

[Hugh Conway]

You used to be such an Android fanboi. Quitter?

Work is buying me a tablet of my choice in the next month or so. I'm waiting to see what comes out of Google's I/o conference next week.

I like the iPad for its app ecosystem and polish.

I like Android for just about everything else. Much better for cloud computing IMO.

One of the big factors for me is the screen dimensions. Android peeps seem to like 16:9, Apple 4:3. I'm going to use this extensively as a PDF reader for electronic note keeping and annotation. 4:3 is more like a piece of paper.... which is better for general reading and note annotations.

nah fucktard I hate apple fanbois. still do. andork fanbois are just as bad.

[Chowda]

I'm in no way an apple fanboy, but the problem with android is that after six months device support is gone. Up until now it has been less of an issue with tablets, but as the number of devices grows it will show up more and more. Phones are basically a two year cycle, so it isn't too bad, but I think a tablet should have a longer life. In four years you may find yourself two or more os versions behind with android. Apple seems to offer more legacy support.