Need help understanding a "tablet" computer

[mark02tj]

You mention that "where I exercise" has free wifi. That implies that you go to a gym. For that purpose I would look at getting something as inexpensive as possible. An i-pad mini is going to be a tempting target while you are taking a shower, in the sauna, etc.

 

[davel8257]

I watch TED talks while riding on my excersize bike. They are fixed length talks of 18 minutes - 2 talks of hard peddling and I call it quits. Yes, there's "an app for that" .... The TED site contains 1000's of talks on a wide range of topics.

 

[dmccarty]

First and foremost, what do YOU want to DO on the tablet? You said you want to use the tablet on the treadmill, I use mine when on our Torture Cycle and I see plenty of people at the gym using tablets. Do you want to browse web pages, play games, read book or magazines?

I have a first edition Kindle Fire and for XMAS I bought the latest Kindle with the largest screen. Oh my but the difference his HUGE between the two. The newest one has a larger screen which helps when reading yet it has more memory is thinner and weighs less than the first edition. When comparing tablets I would strongly suggest looking at weight. I really does make a difference when using the tablet.

The first Kindle I bought was to get the WSJ delivered electronically no matter where I was and to save money. The electronic version of the WSJ was much cheaper than the paper version, and in one year, the difference paid for the first Kindle. Amazon has me hooked. The ability to buy a book and have it within a minute is magic. I have a house full of physical books and I resisted eBooks because I want the physical book but the ability to enlarge photos, tables, graphs in the Kindle books, along with the note taking and highlighting ability has changed my opinion so that know I prefer eBooks. Plus, I can access my books on my cell phone or from other computers. The access on the cell phone is so danged handy. This is not something I thought was use full until I needed the books away from home as a reference or to reread when I had some time.

The latest Kindle is a very good web browser. The old version was a bit slow but the new Kindle is faster and the display is much, much better. Not really sure how it could get much better but I am sure in a few years there will be a "better" display. I don't play games except solitaire and I only use a couple of applications so application choice is not important to me at all. But if you use different apps then you should check the various app stores for your needs.

I don't think there is really that much of a difference in the technology of one brand of tablet to another. One will have an edge today but the same model will be behind the curve tomorrow. I bought a Kindle because of the WSJ and we order so much from Amazon. For us, it is an advantage to use the Amazon ecosystem. Others want to be in Apples ecosystem or none at all.

Later,
Dan

 

[sixdogs]

Very good replies. Thank you all.

Here is more what I want to do. Since I already have a computer at home I don't need this to link to anything or to store any data. Never ever. There will never be any data on it or anything ever saved. All I want to do is read the news and surf. No passwords will ever be stored and I don't have a smart phone to connect anything to. No apps needed or wanted and it will never leave my sight while at this gym. I go there and come home.

I'm retired, and while I'm street smart, etc, simply choose to not want a smart phone. I spent decades in constant communication and no longer care that much. My regular phone is just fine and I do text. All I want to do is read the news while on a very fast --4.7 MPH walk and a strong grade--8.5%-- and need a hour or so to get me over the hump of boring. At that speed it needs to be big enough.

 

[ferrari99]

I have a tablet, if all you are doing is surfing the internet, reading news and the like storage space and cameras is not going to matter. Even though the gym might have high speed wifi if your tablet is not that fast the internet won't be as fast on your device.

 

[s219]

Android has 3 times more apps than Apple.

Not sure where you got that info, but for tablet-specific apps, Apple has a huge lead over Android -- Apple has over 500,000 tablet apps now, while Android is still under 50,000. I'm an app developer and pay attention to these numbers carefully. Here's an old article from August:

iOS Still Steamrolling Android in Tablet App Race | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

The iOS numbers went way up since then. Not so much for Android.

For total apps (phone+tablet), Android is at about 1.1 million. iOS at about 1.06 million. So Android has a very slight lead there.

 

[/pine]

I hate to repeat myself but..."understanding a tablet computer"...is more about learning to use a touch screen rather than using a typical mouse and keyboard...
...personally, I've had a hard time getting used to a tablet and the touch screen...they are very intuitive but there is a learning curve...I have been using touch screens (PDAs etc.) since their introduction...and I still have a little difficulty with (mostly web browsing) touch applications...

Most tablets come with "micro" ports...i.e, storage media, USB, HDMI, etc...so some adapters are required..for instance if your tablet has a standard size HDMI port it makes it that much easier to use a flat panel TV as a second monitor when browsing/shopping...or...>

>switch the tablet to camera mode and disguise on a shelf etc...(leave the TV on)...

 

[dmccarty]

I hate to repeat myself but..."understanding a tablet computer"...is more about learning to use a touch screen rather than using a typical mouse and keyboard...
...personally, I've had a hard time getting used to a tablet and the touch screen...they are very intuitive but there is a learning curve...I have been using touch screens (PDAs etc.) since their introduction...and I still have a little difficulty with (mostly web browsing) touch applications...

Very true, though the interface is pretty easy to figure out, you just poke the screen and see what happens. :laughing::laughing::laughing: I have not had much problem with a web interface other than having to expand the page to be able to click on a link buried in the text.

One reason I like the Kindle so much is because you can easily magnify a photo, table or chart. I figured this out by trial and error. But once I figured how to magnify, the Kindle has become sooooo much better than a book. I have been reading up on trawler boat designs that can take you around the world. Crazy I know but what can I say. :laughing: Many are powered by JD engines though! :thumbsup: Anywho, I have been digging into how to figure out horsepower requirements on boats for which I have found around six different formula's. A couple of these formula's require table look ups for certain values and one of the tables is in a book and is a PITA to use. Another table is on an Kindle book and you can magnify the image so that you can use the edge of the device to help look up the values you need. It is SOOOO much easier to use than a book and it does not require a magnifying class!

Later,
Dan

 

[MossRoad]

Very good replies. Thank you all.

Here is more what I want to do. Since I already have a computer at home I don't need this to link to anything or to store any data. Never ever. There will never be any data on it or anything ever saved. All I want to do is read the news and surf. No passwords will ever be stored and I don't have a smart phone to connect anything to. No apps needed or wanted and it will never leave my sight while at this gym. I go there and come home.

I'm retired, and while I'm street smart, etc, simply choose to not want a smart phone. I spent decades in constant communication and no longer care that much. My regular phone is just fine and I do text. All I want to do is read the news while on a very fast --4.7 MPH walk and a strong grade--8.5%-- and need a hour or so to get me over the hump of boring. At that speed it needs to be big enough.

Check out a Kindle Fire. My wife won one as a door prize and hasn't put it down for a year. She checks out books electronically from the library and Amazon. She keeps in touch with the kids through email and facebook. She surfs the internet. If that's all you want to do, the Kindle Fire fits the bill. :thumbsup:

 

[sixdogs]

Check out a Kindle Fire. My wife won one as a door prize and hasn't put it down for a year. She checks out books electronically from the library and Amazon. She keeps in touch with the kids through email and facebook. She surfs the internet. If that's all you want to do, the Kindle Fire fits the bill. :thumbsup:

Does she have to link this to her home computer or did she just sign up?

Is the screen big enough to read on a treadmill?