tablets

Any recommendations for a non apple tablet. I want to use it for viewing photos when away from home and internet access.

Thanks Dave

Miss Smeggy has a Samsung tablet. works cool.

I have a Sony. Quite a handy little thing.

Which OS, Dave- Android or Windows?

I recently upgraded to a 10.1" Samsung Galaxy Tab II. Very impressed

We have a galaxy tab and an ipad, the galaxy tab never gets any use and is stuck in our IT draw.... The ipad constantly gets used...

There's no real doubt that the iPad is currently still the one to beat. As with all Apple products, it carries the premium pricing that comes with being leader of the pack. I have used the Samsung and it's fine -- just not (yet?) as good.

Apple products seem to be a very contentious issue to some, and I don't want to get into any extended discussions with anyone on the subject - it's just a matter of personal choice - but I have had an iPad for a few years now and it just works fine. I've never had any problems with it. On the other hand, our IT manager at work has got through 3 android based tablets in the same time and has always seemed to have had some issues with them.

We were in the process of buying my wife an Android based tablet for approx £200 when i decided to check Ebay, see what was available. Picked up an iPad 2 for £150. Included the official Apple cover. As Percy says, it just works....flawlessly.

That said, i just use a cheapish Android tablet myself. Bought the Google Nexus 7 16Gb for £149 while on offer from Google. It's absolutely fab. So far been every bit as reliable as the iPad and just as nippy. It's smaller and a lot lighter. Doesn't need a pricey accessory kit to use USB devices or connect to a decent size screen via HDMI.
And Google have just updated it with the Nexus 7 v2. Smaller and lighter again with a screen to rival or surpass the iPad. More powerful and frugal. And still a bargain price (depending on the storage capacity).

Does Apple provide a better experience for Dave's key requirements? I've owned iPad and Nexus and I use them for different purposes. Never any problems with the Nexus, but the iPad (1!) is now too slow and won't update to newest OS.

One thing I would say is that you absolutely must find a shop and try them out!

Tony

I thought about a tablet, instead of my netbook, but I've decided to wait a while as there is a whole raft of affordable netbook sized laptops coming soon, with touch screen and full Windows 8 on them. Plus a bigger disk than you'll ever get on a tablet which can be used for storing photos, and backing them up to a separate portable, non powered, hard drive too.

In fairness the same could be said of all older devices, not just iPad

True. My point (although I didn't exactly make it :blush was that we need to understand what is important to Dave - I don't use the iPad for cloud-based music or Netflix because its too slow and flaky, whereas the Nexus flies. But if all I'm doing is looking at pics and accessing text-based websites the iPad 1 is fine and would be a whole lot cheaper!

Tony

Since Dave asked specifically for a non Apple tablet all this discussion on iPads is rather pointless isn't it?

DH has a Samsung Tab and is very happy with it. He uses it mostly for his music (guitar tab - rather than paper), and internet when we are travelling. He also has a load of photos on it, for showing off to people.

He doesn't use it for storing photos when we are travelling, even though he has the kit for that.

Absolutely right. Trying them out is important. It's a personal choice and whatever you feel comfortable with. There's no one right or wrong answer to this kind of thing, and anyone answering this post can only advise based on their own personal experience and preferences!