Best tablet for reading (non iOS)?

Hello

Im going to go for the CCNA exam and Ill to read some ebooks so im looking for a tablet. Im not intrested in a iPad.

Im looking at either a Android device or Microsoft's Surface Pro. Some will say the Nexus 7 but no SD card and no pen (to hightlight stuff easier for example) is a bit of a turn off.........The HTC Flyer looked pretty ok but has no support. The Galaxy Note is weird in the sense it that it doesnt have the size of a phone or a tablet and would be pretty hard to read.

Right now the Surface Pro is my perfered choice even if it is not on the market.

Suggestions? Thank you.

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Comments

Excellent1

Another vote for the Nexus 7 here. Picked it up 5 days ago and have been fairly shocked by how much I use it and how much I can do with it. As far as storage goes, I set up one of my PC's as an FTP server, so I just stream everything I want over wifi on my home network. Pdf's / videos / etc, all play and look great on the tablet. Battery lasts forever, too.

Anyway, I've never been a big tablet fan simply because in order to get what I considered a decent tablet, you could buy a decent laptop with far more functionality for a similar price. That said, I've been impressed with the usefulness of the Nexus 7--especially at the decent price.

tpatt100

Did Google even test Chrome out on the Nexus lol. I thought it was just me but the browser stutters/lags when you try to scroll down/up a page. I checked the Google groups and it is a reported issue. I am using Dolphin for the time being.

dmoore44

I'm still on my first gen iPad - I love it for reading ebooks. I've also got a Moto Xoom, but it's a really odd size for reading ebooks.

ThunderPipe

I'd go with an iPad. They are amazing. Lot's of people hate them just because they're popular. That's just silly. They are amazing. "Oh, well I can't configure the kernel...etc...etc...yada yada."

HLRS

I have Acer w500, runs Windows 7 like a charm. I use it like a laptop too. 32gb 2gb ram. only $350. it has HDMI to connect my 40'' TV an SD slot +32gb.

paulgswanson

I'd go with an iPad. They are amazing. Lot's of people hate them just because they're popular. That's just silly. They are amazing. "Oh, well I can't configure the kernel...etc...etc...yada yada."

No, they hate them cause they are over priced junk

<= Myself included

Besides lets not derail, He did say non iOS

YFZblu

I'm voting Nexus 7 on this one - I'm extremely impressed with it.

ThunderPipe

paulgswanson wrote: »

No, they hate them cause they are over priced junk <= Myself included

Besides lets not derail, He did say non iOS

And here we have a perfect example of such a person. While other tablets are struggling to keep up with the iPads and iPhones, idiots bash the products simply out of spite. I've never met someone who's actually used an Apple iOS device and a say a droid or samsung or any other competitor's product, and said that the experience was better. Simple things such as scrolling up and down or side swiping pages are tremendously better on an iOS device. Well, everything really.

But you are right, lets not derail this thread.

Excellent1

ThunderPipe wrote: »

...idiots...

You breaking out the ad hominem certainly doesn't speak to the strength of your position. The fact is that ios vs non ios is a personal preference, much like anything else. Performance between the two platforms is comparable in many ways, there is no clear cut dominance when objective criteria is used to compare the two. Throw in the price differential and a very sound argument can be made for refusing to buy Apple products simply because very comparable products can be purchased for much less money. In addition, some people like the flexibility of modifying their devices, while others are simply consumers content to use what they are given.

In any event, the other nice thing about the Nexus 7 is that it comes with a $25 credit on the google play store, so that can be viewed as a 12.5% discount off the device--unless you never purchase apps. If you do, keep that in mind while you're weighing your options.

tpatt100

I used half of my 25 dollars for a book off Google Play books. I should have gotten it off Amazon for the Kindle app. Google Books for tablets is missing an important feature, you can't highlight or add notes....This is a feature people have been asking for about a year now. I wish I checked before I bought the book but I did not attempt to add a highlight until a few days later. Just assumed such a simple feature was there.

I have Windows 7 but XP at work

Nexus doesn't like XP, checked XDA and others are having issues with MTP on the Nexus. Cannot see any files on the tablet. Will check for updated drivers, not a big deal.

Still a nice tablet, great for the price well great besides the price (would pay a little more) , I think it performs heck of a lot better than any other Android tablets I owned/tried.

Just wish app developers would work on UI positioning the apps so I don't get so many bad looking up scaled phone apps *looking at you Flipboard*

ThunderPipe

Throw in the price differential and a very sound argument can be made for refusing to buy Apple products simply because very comparable products can be purchased for much less money.

This is wrong.

tpatt100

I think if you don't expect a lot of extra stuff you will be happy with an Android tablet. When I tried the Android tablet I was comparing it to Apple and basically the App store is what makes up the most noticeable difference. For me it was games and children educational apps. Children's apps that are professionally done were hard to find or nonexistent for Android but iPad is mainstream and numbers show iOS users are much more willing to spend money on apps so developers flock there.

One app I use on Android a lot, the developer is on another forum I frequent and he said the profit/time requirements for Android is just not there and if it is, the phones are where it is at but even that is much smaller profit wise compared to iOS.

The E-reader app WGU uses (CourseSmart) for books is more current for iOS and is pretty much abandoned for Android, a year later still no updates and no offline mode like iOS so I use my iPad for WGU e-reading.

Google announced some changes for the Play store though, seems they are finally going to push developers to enforce some standards.

JoJoCal19

I picked up the new iPad just for the retina display for reading white papers and eBooks. It's perfect for reading. But since you don't want iOS I definitely would wait for the Surface Pro. I would have got one instead if it were out.

Legacy User

Isn't it uncomfortable to hold the ipad for reading? I keep trying to "like" the ipad but keep gravitating towards the samsung tablet. I have the blackberry playbook its great for reading but the app store is terrible. Wish they would've had fixed the kinks before launch so it could have more support now. Cool Os but no real marketplace.

zrockstar

If you want it for reading, nothing beats e-ink. For tech purposes Kindle is the best because there is way more selection and much better prices in the Kindle store than the B&N. That's what I do all my reading on, or I do it on Kindle for PC when I am labbing. Do you have a laptop? If so, it is pointless to get a tablet just for reading. Trust me, check out a Kindle (not Fire) and you will be 100% satisfied, plus they are much cheaper. If I had the money I would probably spring for a Kindle DX because some of the Cisco Press charts and router outputs look better on a bigger screen.

Roguetadhg

ThunderPipe wrote: »

I'd go with an iPad. They are amazing. Lot's of people hate them just because they're popular. That's just silly. They are amazing. "Oh, well I can't configure the kernel...etc...etc...yada yada."

ThunderPipe: Yeah, there's people out there that hate Apple products because it's popular. Im more in the mindset that I'd like my tablet to do things easily - without the hassle of going through iTunes for everything.

What I mean for the hassle is that it's not that simple to get a pdf from PC to iPad. It's not a click, drag, finished. Atleast when I visited the iPad last, it was a painful experience. I'm not sure if it has changed. I don't see any reason for it to change.

I've been told that the "New" iPad is better to read on. Brighter Brightness, and Lower dimmer quality. Both of which was a problem I had reading while in the sunlight, or at night. That's good news. I'd like to try the new iPad for that reason alone. Just can't shell out the cash for that right now.

Not to mention I'd like the ability to do more with my tablet than just rely on apps. I'd like to get full-blown applications - Wireshark, for example. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this - Surface Pro.

Legacy User

Yea thats the same reason that I was originally turned off by apple products. Everything has to sync through itunes it just made a little paranoid that stuff that hasn't been purchased through them music or something gets red flagged. Even though that may not be the case but I rather remove the middle man (itunes) and just drag and drop.

tpatt100

The 7 inch tablets are great for reading just books. Comic books are best on the 10 inch screens. If the Nexus was maybe a 7.7 like the Samsung then comic books would hit that just right spot for me. The 7inch display makes comic books barely comfortable to read, the text is a tiny bit too small.

10 inch tablets are great for newsreader apps like Pulse.

Roguetadhg

So basicly a 10 incher, just to be safe?

demonfurbie

screen size is a huge personal pref ... if i wanted to deal with a 10in screen id use a netbook

7in seams to fit me best

ptilsen

OP, I am confused. The thread title is "best tablet for reading", then you state "Im not sure if Im going to use the tablet at all for reading". What do you really want? A plain old Kindle is the best choice for reading, but if your goals are getting work done, games, or web browsing, that's very different.

For a versatile, multi-purpose tablet I am very excited for Surface and Surface Pro. MS has to deliver on both versions of Windows 8, but if they do it will be great. If not, it will be a BlackBerry Playbook or HP Touchpad: Undesirable OS on good hardware.

Otherwise, why are we saying non-iOS? Prejudice, or does the iPad truly fail at meeting your needs? I was prejudiced, too: so much so that I used a BlackBerry into 2011 and only switched when it broke and I was given a free iPhone 4; so much so that I still wouldn't buy a Mac months ago when MBP Retina was technically the exact specs I was looking for and could still run Windows. From someone who's entire career has been largely centered around Microsoft products, my recommendation is to forego all prejudices of iOS or Apple. The overall experience on iOS is amazing, and there is relatively little it can't do that it should.

If you want to use a physical keyboard and be productive, you have several choices, but IMO none of them involve any tablets that are on the market. In no particular order:
1. Get a netbook or ultraportable or ultrabook. They're pretty much just as portable as tablets (well, Netbooks are), and the right one with an SSD is almost as good of an experience overall. Obviously they can do a lot more since they can run a full-blown desktop OS. Most importantly, they have keyboards. A decent Netbook with aftermarket SSD is cheaper than a good tablet. A well-equipped Ultraportable or Ultrabook will of course run a lot, but then again the capabilities are there.
2. Get a Surface or similar keyboard-equipped Win8 tablet or touchscreen-equipped laptop, when they come out. Again, if Windows 8 delivers a good experience, this will be the marriage of laptop productivity and tablet mobility.
3. Get an Android keyboard-equipped tablet or touchscreen-equipped laptop. Even if Surface ends up sucking, the concept is good. A physical, non-bluetooth keyboard that is built-in and attaches to the device is what's needed. I suspect there will be plenty of Surface-like Android tablets before the holidays.
4. Get an Ultrabook and an iPad. Don't try to fit a square peg in a round hole. Use the iPad for reading, content consumption, and quick communications. Use the Ultrabook for serious productivity. Even Surface and the eventual clones are not going to replace a high-res, full-powered laptop when it comes to work. Combined, an Ultrabook and an iPad and their accessories still fit well in a laptop bag and make for light carrying. I'm happier carrying around both in airports than I was back in the days I used more mainstream laptops and DTRs, and I get more done and more enjoyment out of the pair of them.

If you are not looking to do work/use a keyboard, and all that was a waste of a post, I return to my original advice: Get an iPad. There is very little it doesn't do well that you really want to do on a keyboardless tablet. Almost everything it does well, it does the best.

JoJoCal19

dmarcisco wrote: »

Yea thats the same reason that I was originally turned off by apple products. Everything has to sync through itunes it just made a little paranoid that stuff that hasn't been purchased through them music or something gets red flagged. Even though that may not be the case but I rather remove the middle man (itunes) and just drag and drop.

I've not once hooked the iPad up to iTunes. I open documents and things I need right there on the iPad. Anything from my computer I just move to Dropbox and access on my iPad. But I do think the Surface Pro will be the best tablet on the market.

tpatt100

Roguetadhg wrote: »

So basicly a 10 incher, just to be safe?

I would think so, I wouldn't use my Nexus for reading PDF files that have graphics like my tech documents. Too much pinching and stretching in my opinion. It's a great size for laying on the couch reading newsreader apps or ebooks though (like the traditional Kindle devices).

Legacy User

I don't have much experience with the ipads. I just know that I had that itunes experience with the original gameboy size ipod. Seemed like to much of a hassle imo.

ptilsen

Modern iOS devices do not need iTunes. I use it once in a great while for a backup of my iPhone, just for extra peace of mind. Otherwise, iCloud backs up almost everything iTunes does. It's also not difficult to setup wireless sync with iTunes, and it's really not that bad. I'm not saying it's not a negative overall, but it's really not that bad and there are some positives. Even foregoing iCloud, it's really easy and intuitive to sync, update, and backup via iTunes.

For the record, I haven't any need to sync media between my PC and my iPad. You still need something for that, and iTunes tends to be the best way, but DropBox and the like can replace it in this regard. I already use DropBox on my iOS devices for all documents. The only time I would see using iTunes is to get a movie or TV show on the iPad.

tpatt100

I make sure to try and use iTunes to backup the iPad and my wife's iPhone every couple of weeks. I just back up my phone to my SD card but really with Google and iCloud I really don't need to honestly. All my appointments, contacts, etc I sync with Google already.

hiddenknight821

ptilsen wrote: »

The only time I would see using iTunes is to get a movie or TV show on the iPad.

Probably not, because the iTunes store app is already installed, and you can download whatever you want right on your iPad.

The only reason I would sync to the iTunes on my computer is to sync whatever media that didn't originate from the iTunes store. I had hundreds of MP3 songs I need to sync from the pre-iPhone era.

EDIT: Forgot to add, I don't trust the clouds with my photos yet, so I occasionally sync with my iPhoto library on my mac.

ptilsen

hiddenknight821 wrote: »

The only reason I would sync to the iTunes on my computer is to sync whatever media that didn't originate from the iTunes store. I had hundreds of MP3 songs I need to sync from the pre-iPhone era.

That's what I mean. If I have an offline video file I want to watch, I'd just sync with iTunes. Cloud storage in general becomes impractical with large video files and for offline viewing of said files. Music also needs to be loaded offline, and once again, that might not be iTunes-purchased music.

Roguetadhg

Honestly Im not a fan of using the fabled "Cloud" or sharing storage. Due to the political climate of "Sharing" sites, albeit legal items and shifty ownership of some TOS for cloud storages... How far do Google Drive's terms go in 'owning' your files? | ZDNet

I'd rather just drag,drop,unplug or even cli copy it over like it was a flash drive. No program needed to transfer things over.

Now, I'm intrigued by ptilsen's comment where modren iOS's don't need iTunes to transfer things. I might give the new ipad a go to see how far that extends.

hiddenknight821

The current iOS doesn't as long as you use third-party clouding services to transfer your files. However, I would encourage you to use iCloud to maximize your iOS experience.