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."
I was going to say... (Score:5, Interesting)
What about non-Android tablets? (Score:4, Interesting)
What tablets are to recommend for running some more ordinary operating system, like Debian or Ubuntu?
Re:I was going to say... (Score:4, Interesting)
I was going to say B&N Nook Color. Install Cyanogen 7.1 (very easy to do), connectBot, hacker's keyboard, and Opera. The battery life is great, nice screen, dirt cheap. Tether it to your phone for non-wifi connectivity. ..but then I clicked your link for the Transformer Prime. Very nice. Yeah, get that one.
Yeah, I would get a Nook Color if I were going to get a nook. The Nook Tablet is kind of a piece of crap... it's getting "useable", but it's still horrendously put together software-wise. But it is speedy and fast.
I'm actually kind of happy with my Nook Tablet now that I've been beating it with large objects for 3~4 days... but it's still not where I wish it were. Honestly, one should not have to break a product massively in order to make it useful.
The average person might enjoy it, but a geek will struggle in the truly claustrophobic walled garden that they have erected. I actually was crying 30 minutes after opening the package, because it was essentially worthless to me. (Thank god for people having their hands on it a month ahead of me, and doing all the work in rooting it.)
Re:Hmmmmm.... (Score:4, Interesting)
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.
Android tablets are much closer to being true laptop replacements on the road. On my last road trip I brought a netbook and a Xoom. I never used the netbook. I did all the browsing I needed with the Xoom and I edited text files using a bluetooth keyboard. I have QuickOffice on it, but I didn't use it this time. I look forward to the Android version of LibreOffice [androidcommunity.com],I found I didn't really need a mouse, but I will get the Apple trackpad to use with the Xoom, apparently it works fine. Otherwise, I regard Apple's product as mainly for games and spending money. Not the best choice for a serious computer user.
Re:Hmmmmm.... (Score:1, Interesting)
A500 -Why not the Acer ? (Score:2, Interesting)
Why is nobody mentioning the Acer Iconia A500 ?
This 10" tablet has been giving me a real world 12-15 hour battery life, out of the box un-modded, under heavy use.
With its 299$ price wag the 16GB models are fairly powerful, and have all the best features including a full size USB port for your flash drives.
Recently, I've even managed to get external soundcards and a barcode scanner to work on it with very little effort.
I have heard that With CM mods, people have extended the battery life to nearly 20 operational hours before needing a charge.
With the Tegra 2 power, decent build quality, long battery life, full USB 2.0 support, and the MicroSD slot, this was an easy choice.
Just a thought.
Re:Hmmmmm.... (Score:3, Interesting)
My mother got an iPad 2. I use it from time to time when I visit her. I am not making anything up. The iPad gets used for almost exclusively one thing: playing Bookworm, the free game that came installed. Browsing on the iPad is way too frustrating, she does that on her Windows desktop. She plays Solitaire, reads her email and browses on the Desktop, even though she has to get up and go to another room to do it. In practice, the iPad is a sad waste of several hundred dollars.
Meanwhile the Xoom tablet gets constant use because it actually works well for browsing, unlike the iPad, which is intensely frustrating with its frequent lags of up to tens of seconds. Whereas the Xoom running right beside it has no appreciable lag at all, so it's definitely the iPad.
Sorry, didn't make anything up. As far as you Apple cultists are concerned, you would be better served by sticking to the facts yourself as opposed to the usual ad hominem attacks on people who are actually willing to sign their name to their posts.