Ask Slashdot: Best Android Tablet For Travel? 356
PerlJedi writes "I am planing a long trip (to Ireland), and want to buy an Android tablet to take along for the trip. I am a software engineer (I actually work for Slashdot), a Linux geek, and an Android fan. I would like to get a tablet primarily to use for entertainment (when I'm not working or building robots in my workshop, I'm usually playing with my phone), but something I could get some work done from in a pinch would be a major plus (all I need to be able to work is a Web browser, and an ssh terminal, preferably with a keyboard). My current cell phone is the Samsung Charge, rooted and running GummyCharge 2.1, and it is a good bet I'll want to root whatever tablet I get, if not right away, soon after getting it. From an entertainment standpoint I want something that is large enough to watch high definition videos on, with a battery life that will make it practical for use on a long flight. Having a decent camera would be a nice plus, but is not an absolute necessity. Having a forward facing camera for video chat would also be good, but is also not a necessity." PerlJedi's got a few options in mind; read on for the details of his reasoning and help him fulfill his quest.
"My brief initial search has yielded the following initial contenders:
- Asus Transformer Prime: This is currently my favorite, for a few reasons: Tegra 3 quad core processor (that's just plain cool); it's designed with a docking station in mind, making it perfect for using for work; sleek, thin design; light weight; available with up to 64 GB. It is on the pricey side, though.
- Toshiba Thrive: I must admit, I know very little about this one. Unlike the others, I have not heard much hype around it. From what I've read thus far, pros include: full-size SD slot; full USB support; full HDMI support. Cons: Bulkier and heavier than its opponents.
- Motorola XOOM: This one has been available for some time, which can be both good and bad. Its problems should be known and understood by now, but it's lost some of the sex appeal of the new product.
- Samsung Galaxy Tab: The Galaxy tab line has also been on the market for a while. It does have some added appeal to me because my phone is also from Samsung, so the rooting processes, and available ROMs, will be more familiar to me.
- Sony Tablet S: Like the Toshiba, I have heard little hype about this tablet. Its feature set also seems similar to the Toshiba. I must admit here, I may be a bit biased against Sony over some of their recent treatment of the hacker/maker community."
HP Touchpad (Score:5, Insightful)
Asus Prime or Xoom (Score:2, Insightful)
I'd use the prime (given the options available to it) or the Xoom mainly because it's built like a brick sh1thouse and unlikely to break accidentally. I have a xoom myself, and was quite suprised by the standby time of the tablet (ie: a week with keeping over 90% charge). The samsung is sexy and light in comparison, I can't compare the others as I havent tried them.
At the end of the day it's down to what you actually *need* not what's *nice*, sure 64GB is nice, but do you actually need it to write emails? If you like music, then that's a maybe (but most of my collection fits in under 16GB of my frequently listened to stuff, and are you really going to need that rarely listened to piece?)
Ian Hawkins
ian@prowl.org ('cause I can't login!)
From the cheapie model that I got my son (Score:4, Insightful)
Based upon my Christmas mistake (he's 8, he doesn't care)- here's what I would look for:
1. Capacative screen. Resistive touch screens suck, and I forgot how much until I realized this el-cheap sub $90 tablet came with a resistive screen but no stylus.
2. On-board USB ports, not on a dongle. His contains a proprietary connector with USB / wired ethernet ports on it, and I'm afraid he'll lose it. He might have already and I don't know.
3. SDHC or microSDHC slot and plenty of on-board memory
4. Good built-in Wifi- his seems to disconnect at the drop of a hat.
Go with the same brand as your phone otherwise, that way you can be sure your favorite aps will work.
Wait wait wait (Score:5, Insightful)
With all the, uh, street-cred up there, you mean to tell us you don't ALREADY have a Kindle Fire rooted and running the pre-alpha Ice Cream Sandwich????
I'd suggest that purely for size, a 7" tablet might be better for travelling. The Transformer is apparently a hell of a tablet though.
Now I'll share my personal experience from a 2-week trip to Ireland a few years ago. Sure tablets didn't exist way back in 2006 but here's my advice anyway.
SCREW THE TABLET. Get a REALLY NICE camera.
I did take my laptop (at the time a 12" Powerbook G4). It was used at night to download the hundreds of photos off the camera so I have space for photos the next day, and to do minor trip blogging. I did not find the time, opportunity, need or DESIRE to touch a computer during the day.
Re:Don't waste your time, get an iPad (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:An iPad 2 would be the best choice. (Score:5, Insightful)
you have linux then I assume that you also have a windows partition since linux also has few "commercial" apps available for it.
You are incorrect in that assumption. I do not have any hardware in my possession running windows. The only thing that I cannot do with linux that I might want to is playing video games, and I have a cell phone, and a wii (and soon an android tablet) for playing games on.
Frankly I am disappointed that so many people recomend I get and iPad when the OP specified that I want an ANDROID tablet. Just because the iPad is popular, doesn't mean that it is right for everyone. I also have an iPhone that my company bought me, but I don't use it because I like my android phone much much better. I also have a Macbook pro that my company provided, but I am typing this from my personal laptop running Fedora 15 because I like it more than the Mac.
Bottom Line: Apple makes some good products, and I recomend them to everyone that is content using the product in exactly the way the manufacturer intended, and do not need to customize things. But for me, a hacker/maker/tinkerer, I will much rather use android because it gives me the freedom to do all of the things I want to do with my hardware.
Random troll (Score:4, Insightful)
This will get modded Troll, but seriously? If you're planning extended travel, why on Earth would you think about buying a gadget to play with before you go? Get a grip!
I'm being serious, and I speak from experience. Now me, I like books. I always figure that when I have a lot of travel time ahead of me, I should sock a bunch of reading matter into my bag for those long stretches, so I don't run out. And you know what? Almost always, that stuff ends up sitting in my bag unread.
Do you know why you travel? To travel. To experience new things, new people, new places. Not to fuck around with a gadget, or spend your time sitting in a chair by yourself, reading a book.
Count your trip as a blessing, expect it to be one of the experiences of your life that you will always look back on fondly, and please, for the love of God, put the fucking phone DOWN.
Re:Random troll (Score:2, Insightful)
Hey hippy, get your tent off of my lawn!
I happen to own a Samsung Galaxy Note tablet-phone, and I think it's perfect kit for travel. But I do agree with PCM2. Even if you happen to enjoy coding very much, coding isn't as much fun as living. And life is short.
Re:Don't waste your time, get an iPad (Score:5, Insightful)
What if he doesn't want an iPad (which seems rather obvious from the question)?
I just bought a 16GB Transformer from B&H (cheap!), and I didn't even consider Apple since their philosophy doesn't really do it for me. The iPad might be the most awesome tablet in existence for some people, but this doesn't make it a universal. I WANTED an Android Tablet, and I find them superior to iOS devices. This isn't an attack on Apple or their customers, it is merely a matter of taste.
When someone states they want an Android tablet, why even bother stating "Get an iPad"? There are people in this world who don't like Apple for various reasons (just like there are people who can't stand Google or Microsoft), and this is fine. Their opinion is just as valid as yours. Some people don't want an iPad. Live with it. Telling people to buy something they already expressed no interest in considering isn't helpful, it is just obnoxious.
"I'm looking for a decent compact car, any suggestions?"
"Buy an SUV!"
I don't want an iPad because I can't stand Apple's direction and marketing strategy. The fact they like to force $500 upgrades yearly in order to have support. They fact that they decided that they can patent basic shapes. The fact that their founder had a God complex, and is on the record stating he wants to Balmerize the competition. I don't like the closed App store idea, nor the fact that I'm not supposed to own my own hardware. I don't like having a designers tastes shoved down my throat since they "know better". I don't particularly like iOS, or its interface (Yes, it does some things better than Android, but it does some things worse). I don't really like the hardware lock in. I've also had some fairly nasty experiences with their PCs before switching back to Windows and Linux. I like open source software (Android frustrates me too, but it is the closest of all the mobile OSs that are common, or don't suck). I don't want to be locked into iTunes. i don't want to be associated with the "bad type" of Apple fans, who feel the need to constantly show people their devices and try to get them to buy Apple products instead (being loyal to an impersonal mega corporation is annoying in itself) and rant about how Apple is the greatest thing in the world without ever once trying or experiencing non-Apple alternatives. (for my choice: I want to be able to make my tablet a Netbook at whim. I like the the size better, as well.) All of these are valid reasons for not liking the iPad. Or at least these are the ones I'll drag out when my Apple fanboi friends start ranting about their iPads and how much better than must be (a priori) than anything else in existence (even when one of them returned his because he couldn't actually find any use for it to justify its insane price tag, with data).
Re:An iPad 2 would be the best choice. (Score:4, Insightful)
Why not just put it this way:
That's about equally as solid as your logic.
Re:Hmmmmm.... (Score:5, Insightful)
I would argue against the iPad 2 because he's already bought in to the Android ecosystem. When people ask me about tablets, I recommend sticking to one technology. If you have an iPhone, get an iPad -- you've already invested in iTunes (apps, movies, music, books) and everything will transfer back and forth easily. If you have an Android phone, get an Android tablet......again, you've spent money/time/effort in getting your phone to work the way you want.....do you really want to do that again with your tablet?
They are all good, but keep it simple by staying in one playground.
Re:Hmmmmm.... (Score:4, Insightful)
I would not suggest iPad 2. It suffers from horrible lags when web browsing that are frustrating to the point of unusability. Obviously, it doesn't handle flash sites. It has much less available in the way of quality free apps. The user interface is dumbed down or broken in many little ways that make the experience one long chain of annoyances.
Why do people make this stuff up? It's OK to hate something and not use it without the FUD. You can find legitimate weak spots on any platform but at least have the guts to specifically call them out so we can discuss or debunk.