Thinking of getting a tablet. I like the size - not too big, not too small. Not sure I want an iPad, though. I see others are out there. Sony makes one that gets a good review. Do any of you have one? Likes/dislikes?

 

I've been thinking of getting one and I've been looking at them very closely. After seeing a bunch of them, I think I'm going to hold out for the iPad3 when it hits the market. Only because my desktop and laptop are Macs, and that there seems to be more apps and market support for the iPad than anything else at the moment.

 

Bought my wife the IPad II for Mothers day. Purchased the one with 64G, Wifi, and 3G. The large storage lets her down load lots of music and movies. The 3G has been very handy on our road trips as in the middle of "BFE" you can locate the nearest gas station, diner, motel, etc. She also has a lap top but with all the functions IPad the lap top sits collecting dust.

This also works well as she has an IPhone and can sync all via the cloud.

I think that you need to decide on how you are going to use the tablet and then you can make a better decision.

 

I'm going to be looking hard at these after the first of the year (too many other projects to complete) for our visit staff to use for in home documentation. They will have to be Windows based however.

If you can wait that long I'll share my reviews.

 

I love the ipad 2. I am not sure the 3 will be any more impressive. All rumors at this point, but the 3 is suppose to be larger/thicker than the 2. So far from rumors I can not see that I would want the 3, as I do not need some of the other features they may incorporate. Apple seems to have the market, and the apps are plentiful. I like the safari web browser and have no issues with anysite to view. The only issue is any site that uses flash. Not a deal breaker. I haven't turned on my home computer in months since I got the Ipad. If you do alot of typing the virtual keyboard is not the most user friendly, but for email, and a few forums you might visit it is fine. It all comes down to what you will be using the tablet for. I have used the playbook and was not excited about it. Ipad stole my heart.

 

I'm not an Apple user, so the iPad doesn't hold that much appeal for me. I prefer Windows based, too. I'm not in a rush to get one. Just ...I don't want a laptop. I'd be using it when I'm traveling around locally or away, although it might be nice to have while I'm sitting on the sofa. Probably not that much for gaming or movies. Just the basic stuff - email, Internet, etc.

 

Any interest in a net book?

I use mine all the time. Great for travel. Keyboard has a good feel. I rarely use my PC in the evening for surfing. Net book on the lap works just fine.

Maybe you're looking for something smaller/thinner though.

 

This is my first apple product. I was hesitant but it is so easy it has shocked me that I didn't consider the ipad when it first came out. I like the new features of 2 and the new OS is nice.

 

I agree that you should decide what you want to use it for and try out several. I am typing this on a iPad2 now and I love it. I would like it if i could use a USB memory stick and it would interface with Word and Excel better but I knew this before I bought it.

 

iPad's are great and easy to learn (even for lifelong windows users like me). You would not go wrong with it nor do I expect you will feel disappointed.

I've tried the Kindle Fire and that is also very good. The best thing about it is that it is small enough to slip in a hand bag. It has a very friendly user interface and is tied into the Amazon environment. It is cheap and is great value for money. Also browsed S2KI on it.

Our Program group (users) made a determination (without consulting IT) to equip field-based users of our application with Tablet PC's. The idea being to replace desktop computers with tablets for field based staff. While the idea itself was a good one, their decision to not consult the group I work with, caused issues for users out in the field. In a rush to spend grant money the equipment purchased turned out to be slower than the desktop equipment in addition to being heavy to lug around. Given time and had we been consulted, we could have developed an app that interacts with our application to be used on a lighter device.

I guess it all boils down to what you want to achieve with a tablet device. If you need it as a replacement for a laptop/desktop or to perform the same functions as a PC, then a windows based machine would work for you. If however you largely intend to use the tablet for media consumption with the occasional posting to an internet forum, then an iPad or Kindle Fire should be sufficient.

I hope that helps and good luck. Whatever you choose will be the right device for you.