Thinking of buying a tablet

Ev wrote:new ipads come out today. iPad Air and iPad Mini with retina most likely

The iPad Mini with the retina display is 7.9", which is the same size as my girls' Acers. I find those a little bulky (mind you, the mini will have a much smaller bezel/frame). But here's the interesting part -- the pixel *density* on the retina display is 324 ppi (pixels per inch), and on the Nexus 7 FHD it is 323 ppi. I don't think anyone could tell the difference (except in price).

I just ordered a leather case/stand with detachable bluetooth keyboard. $27 US. Sure, it'll take 3 weeks to get here from China, but I'm just going to wrap it up for myself for Christmas. Started buying my own presents a few years ago, best thing ever. I don't need surprises.

Nexus 7's bezels are too big IMO

Ev wrote:Nexus 7's bezels are too big IMO

There's a reason for that --- apparently the stereo speakers are pretty decent.

Naw, the speakers are on the back.

Ev wrote:Naw, the speakers are on the back.

Yes, on the back, but it still requires "stuff" on the inside. You can't place them right against the back of the screen or else you make the whole unit thicker.

Still, the front and bottom bezels are too large.

iPad mini retina is the best small tablet on the market.

I will probably buy the Air at $519

Ev wrote:Still, the front and bottom bezels are too large.

iPad mini retina is the best small tablet on the market.

I will probably buy the Air at $519

What makes it "the best small tablet"?

Looks, the new display (which made the Nexus 7 the clear winner over the first iPad mini), the app ecosystem, the internals...only Dung thing is price.

Ev wrote:Looks, the new display (which made the Nexus 7 the clear winner over the first iPad mini), the app ecosystem, the internals...only Dung thing is price.

And that's a big one when buying something like this. It's not a necessity, it's not something I can work on, so it's really just a bit of a toy. Apple always pissed me off with not just their price, but their pricing strategy. From 16GB to 32GB is a $100 increase (only $30 for the Nexus, I believe); the 4G option is $80 extra on the Nexus but $150 on the mini.

Android is definitely catching up on the app front. Maybe they never will but, really, of the 100s of 1000s of apps there are out there, you probably have a dozen that you use fairly frequently. The BB app store is a bit sad, can't compare to iTunes, but Google Play and other Android app places are not too bad.

But the thing that really turns me off Apple is their content management -- specifically how difficult it is to manage your music library. You have to install iTunes (whether you purchase stuff there or not), you can only use one device (PC) to load music onto your device. Very restrictive. The interface is cool -- the flipping of the albums but, really, who needs it? The BB has a very simple interface where you scroll through the albums -- same usefulness.

The BB is Dung - the brand is done.

I have an Android phone and I love it. But for tablets, Apple is still the clear lead dog right now. I will wait to see what Google has to offer in the next Nexus 10 on November 1 before purchasing a tablet, however.

Ev wrote:The BB is Dung - the brand is done.

I have an Android phone and I love it. But for tablets, Apple is still the clear lead dog right now. I will wait to see what Google has to offer in the next Nexus 10 on November 1 before purchasing a tablet, however.

Yeah, well, until my company's IT department (or whoever is in charge) changes their policies I'm shackled to my BB Bold, missing 'i' key and all. The early upgrade fee was only about $120 back in Feb. when the key first fell out, and it's got to be even lower now (and my manager was perfectly willing to sign off on that back then), but if they are switching over to something other than BB I'd rather continue pecking at the hole in the keyboard where the 'i' key used to be with the arm of my glasses than risk getting "stuck" with another BB and not being able to switch for 2-3 years.

Didn't RIM just announce BBM support for iOS and Android?

Using it now. Nice. It's not replacing the laptop anytime soon (but the keyboard/cover is on the way, and there is an app for Office tools, if I can get the company VPN app on it, hmm).

Very nice screen. Watched some Pixar shorts, will watch something on Netflix tomorrow.

google better release the Nexus 10 soon...the iPads are too tempting

Ev wrote:google better release the Nexus 10 soon...the iPads are too tempting

It was rumoured to be Oct. 28, but now that's come and gone, and they are thinking Nov. 1. It'll be launched at the same time as Kit-Kat (4.4)

so the new Nexus 10 is coming out? Will it still be made by Samsung?

xzel wrote:so the new Nexus 10 is coming out?  Will it still be made by Samsung?

No one is telling for sure. Samsung is the expected one but there's also a rumour that they were thinking of switching to Asus (who did the Nexus 7s). They had some promos that hinted at the 28th (presumably October) but as that's gone by the boards, who knows. Maybe they switched from Samsung to Asus and that delayed things?

I'm pretty sure it is asus