Hi,

I'm looking to get myself a tablet but am unsure as to which one to get. I'd appreciate any information from anyone who has one and am looking for any recommendations or cautionary words about those to avoid..

thanks in advance

The iPad is awesome. It is expensive but you do get a lot for your money.

I'm honestly no Apple fanboy (I probably sound one from that disclaimer) but I love my iPad. Ive used a few others (not for long periods) like the Sony and the Samsung and they cant hold a candle to the iPad, especially in build quality.

I have an iPad and we just bought an iPad3 for my wife as she needed one for her job. Since we got ours I rarely spend any time on my desktop anymore, unless my wife or daughter are using the ipads or there is something that I can only do on the PC.

I didn't do much research into which tablet to get as it was a choice between an ipad and a Samsung Galaxy. No other tablet devices, in my opinion, were even in the mix. I crossed off the Galaxy for personal reasons. I have an android based phone and it is a piece of carp. I don't know if it is a hardware or an operating system issue but I want to throw it against the wall at least once a day. Because of that experience I shied away from the Galaxy.

A couple of things to think about: what other types of devices do you have and will the tablet be compatible with them? What do you want to use it for? Some people may say that if you just want to read ebooks then get a Kindle Fire. I initially wanted a Kindle Fire but since getting the ipad I realized there are many other things I can do with a tablet.  So just because you only see yourself using it for one thing, you may be surprised at how many other tasks you do on the tablet. Also, look at what accessories are available for the tablet. Things like smart covers, a stylus, protective case, etc. will add to the cost. And finally, look at the types of apps you want to use. Do a little research on them and see if they have issues with one OS compared to the other. So in other words, an app might do well on iOS but you may see some criticism about the Android version (apparently it's harder to code apps for android devices as they are not standard).

Also if you get an iPad you can get Battle Academy!

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/battle-academy/id499901136?mt=8


Im desperate to find people to play with- its superb. (yes I know for a IOS game its pricey but its identical to the PC version and you can even play online against PC and MAC players- very clever)

Sorry but I'm a bit of a luddite, I wouldnt pay the cash for a tablet, I bought a netbook instead, more functionality for half the cost, no brainer really.

Another vote for the iPad.

Never used Apple before so I was sceptical and bought a second hand Mk1 just after the iPad2 was released. Now my pc only gets used once or twice a month instead of every day! I do everything on the iPad that I used to do on the pc.

I just need to invest in a wireless printer and the pc will probably get junked.

Cheers,

Kev

Best tablet? Probably ecstasy.

All right, I've already got my coat on... 

I was going to say Solpadol full strength....'s my favourite.
I'll get my coat too !
Cheers - Phil

Hahaha - you two are too funny  

I use both iPads and a Sony S1 (Android) - given the choice, the Sony gets used more - I find a lot of its functionality more intuitive than Apple & it's far easier to switch between multiple functions; also - and a biggie for me - if you're a Google multi-product user then it's seamless across all those products. The iPad does have a better build-quality with its glossy sleekness, but this also means (and I'm serious here) that, when out of a case, it's way easier to drop / slide out of your hands. Can't remember who said it, but, "the iPad is the most expensive piece of glass you'll ever buy."

I also use a (Windows) laptop, a netbook (superb value for functionality as Gordon says), a Macbook Pro and a Kindle...and I probably use them roughly equally I guess - depends on what I'm doing - horses for courses and all that  

Don't forget though, that tablets really are access devices - great if you're happy with someone else holding all your data in the cloud and can access it exactly when you want, at speed - but something to think about...you'll fill 32Gb / 64 Gb very quickly if you're using it to hold data...

Bottom line though is that they're fast, portable and (largely) non-intrusive: as much for gaming as when with others (e.g. in front of TV with family).

I've had iPads for about 15 months now, and they have been my main computing device for that time. My windows laptop was rapidly consigned to the shelf. I have since bought and iMac partly for remote access to work and partly for photo editing and display.

The biggest advantages of an iPad are portability, battery life and instant on. The Apps are great, and generally cheap. The various android ones I've seen don't look that joined up in their software, so I'm quite surprised in Niks comment about the Sony being more intuitive. My 6 year old quite happily uses the iPad without any help.

Seratonin - I've been thinking about getting battle academy, how wargame like is it?

Very wargame!

Theres a free demo on their website. Its the PC version but its 100% identical to the iPad version other than no touch controls obviously (which I think improve the game!)

http://www.slitherine.com/games/bbc_ba_pc

I've got no experience with the other types, but the Motorola Xoom I got for Xmas has been fantastic.  Works quickly and efficiently at whatever I ask it to do, apps seem to be good, and is very handy to have at the shows.

Quote from: Leon on 17 June 2012, 11:10:00 PM
I've got no experience with the other types, but the Motorola Xoom I got for Xmas has been fantastic.  Works quickly and efficiently at whatever I ask it to do, apps seem to be good, and is very handy to have at the shows.

Leon,

How well does it handle PDFs?

Bob

How about this one:

Virus free, won't crash, and can double up as a chopping board