Yes or No, bad time of the year to buy a tablet?

[Bebpo]

When do the new models from everyone typically come out?  I'm trying to spend a couple of weeks shooting through my chores/errands/home improvement/to dos that I've kind of put off for a while and one thing I really need to get before I do any big vacations this summer is a tablet.  Just don't want to buy one and then the new model is out like 2 weeks later.

[Smooth Groove]

Don't Ipads have pretty good resale value?  Just buy a top end model now and sell it quick if the next one is worth an upgrade.

[brawndolicious]

10 or 7 inch and any software preferences?

[G The Resurrected]

Nexus 7's are on the red list which means another version is on its way soon. Probably sometime around Google IO.

Ipad's are probably gonna be in September this year along with Ios7. You can buy a mini without much loss if you resell it quick enough.

New windows 8 tablets are coming in but I wouldn't buy them.

[BobFromPikeCreek]

Just go for it. I don't think there's ever really a good time to buy mobile tech. Shit's always outdated or on the verge of becoming it.

[pilonv1]

Just go for it. I don't think there's ever really a good time to buy mobile tech. Shit's always outdated or on the verge of becoming it.

I'm a firm believer of this too. But then when I think about buying a Surface I want to wait for the second revision

[MCD]

New Surface tablets should be hinted or shown at MS Build conference in June.

As for regular Windows 8 tablets, Haswell Intel chips should be ready in June as well so yeah, if you want a MS flavored tablet, wait till June at least.

[MCD]

There is also the rumored and obvious iPad mini retina.

[Raban]

if I didn't have an iPhone, I'd be all over a retina iPad mini

[Himu]

I still don't see the point in having a tablet beyond comics.

[Momo]

I'm kinda reverting back to print

http://www.abebooks.com/books/RareBooks/publisher-book-club-typography-illustrations/folio-society.shtml

[Cormacaroni]

i accidentally bought a novel in print a few weeks back

[Bebpo]

I still don't see the point in having a tablet beyond comics.

Comic reading
E-book reading
Portable movie/tv player
Portable photo viewer/editor
Better for a lot of app games that are too small on a phone screen
If you have a keyboard, portable e-mail machine/typewriter
My music making friend says they're really cool for making electronic music
Better web browsing than phones

There's probably a couple of other things, but definitely some good stuff.

[Himu]

I can do all that with my laptop.

And I have my kindle paper white for reading e-books. Combined with my smartphone (email, short browsing sessions) I don't see any benefit beyond having a one in all machine. I guess that's the appeal? You say photo editing but I've been editing photos in Photoshop since 2001. Old habits.die hard and I doubt some tablet can edit photos better and more efficient than me with a mouse and a copy of the ol' Adobe.

tablets are a giant to me.

[MCD]

Please buy a Surface Pro.

[Cormacaroni]

I can do all that with my laptop.

And I have my kindle paper white for reading e-books. Combined with my smartphone (email, short browsing sessions) I don't see any benefit beyond having a one in all machine. I guess that's the appeal? You say photo editing but I've been editing photos in Photoshop since 2001. Old habits.die hard and I doubt some tablet can edit photos better and more efficient than me with a mouse and a copy of the ol' Adobe.

tablets are a giant to me.

it's not about function; it's about form. You can sit on a stool, or an armchair, or on the floor. They don't replace each other tho

[Shadow Mod]

I don't get the point of 7 inch ones.

[Cormacaroni]

what's not to like - they're just big enough for comfortable use, small enough and light enough to hold in one hand. You'll never want to go back to reading on a laptop or with a big tablet after you use a small one, unless it's for comics or maybe video

[Shadow Mod]

It just doesn't seem like that much of a middle ground between a laptop and a smartphone.

[Cormacaroni]

we have an iPad Mini with a bluetooth k/b case and it is the tiniest most awesome laptop ever - fantastic battery life.

[Fifstar]

I can do all that with my laptop.

And I have my kindle paper white for reading e-books. Combined with my smartphone (email, short browsing sessions) I don't see any benefit beyond having a one in all machine. I guess that's the appeal? You say photo editing but I've been editing photos in Photoshop since 2001. Old habits.die hard and I doubt some tablet can edit photos better and more efficient than me with a mouse and a copy of the ol' Adobe.

tablets are a giant to me.

it's not about function; it's about form. You can sit on a stool, or an armchair, or on the floor. They don't replace each other tho

Yep. Pads don't do stuff neccessarily better than laptops, but they allow you to do them good enough in a lot of different and often more convenient ways. Of course you can put your laptop into your kitchen when you check out a recipe, but a tablet is much easier to carry around quickly. Of course you can check some background stuff while watching a tv show, but nobody has a laptop literally in reach all the time. Of course you can show each other yt videos or pictures on a laptop but doing it on a couch while switching a pad between each other is just going to happen a lot more often in a familiy type situation.

[Himu]

Replace tablet with smartphone in that paragraph and you'll see why I don't get the point of tablets. I already have something that can do all that. Sure it's smaller, but who gives a shit? I always have my phone on me to the point where the statement " Of course you can put your laptop into your kitchen when you check out a recipe, but a tablet is much easier to carry around quickly" makes literally zero sense since my phone will be in my pocket, ready to go up for a quick google search at moments haste anyways.

[Shadow Mod]

Tablet is less awkward in terms of using it in bed if you're not typing a bunch of shit out. Reading stuff on a laptop isn't really optimal if you're on your back or side in bed and a phone has a small ass screen. Mostly though I use the tablet when I'm just too fucking tired. First world problems.

[Himu]

That doesn't seem like a good reason to spend 500 dollars on something but

YMMV

[Shadow Mod]

Well we have it because it's easier to read books we pirated on it  and it wasn't 500 damn.

[Himu]

Girl, pirated ebooks On my kindle Though tbh, there's no point in pirating books on kindle because Amazon has the mercy and god's grace to let you send your ebook back for a refund within a week. Other week, bought a stinker, read it in like 4 days and sent it back. Then the next week I bought a book, loved it, sent it back

[Fifstar]

Replace tablet with smartphone in that paragraph and you'll see why I don't get the point of tablets. I already have something that can do all that. Sure it's smaller, but who gives a shit? I always have my phone on me to the point where the statement " Of course you can put your laptop into your kitchen when you check out a recipe, but a tablet is much easier to carry around quickly" makes literally zero sense since my phone will be in my pocket, ready to go up for a quick google search at moments haste anyways.

It makes sense, because you don't want to touch a screen to scroll around while cooking if you do a more complex recipe. And in more social situations, the bigger screen allows multiple people to watch the same stuff at the same time, while with phones it's more like people taking turns in watching something.

[recursivelyenumerable]

I dunno, normally waiting for tech is dumb I agree but if you wanted an Surface or (especially) iPad it kinda makes sense to wait for the next generation to appear later this year, if only because current generation stuff will probably get cheaper then

[Himu]

Those are some pretty ifs and buts.

That said I am interested in Nexus 10 or whatever for comics. Kinde Paper White is much better for manga than the previous Kindle Touch, but it's still in black and white, which means it is still worth fuck all for western comics and I want to catch up on my comics without having to make space for shit. Being an overglorified comic reader seems worth the 200 dollar investment. Is that how much a 10 inch Nexus costs? Is a Samsung Tablet better for that? I want access to Marvel AND DC comics AND Viz manga and these assholes have different stuff with different tablets. For example, I remember it being a huge deal that DC gave barnes and noble the finger and said they were putting all their shit on the Nexus, while ignoring the ipad. 

Exclusives. You'd think that bullshit would die past vidya gaming.

Speaking of gaming, I have not been compelled to play one single mobile game beyond Pinball Arcade for more than a week. I think the only mobile game I have beaten are Angry Birds in Space (awesome), and Monkey Island 1 and 2 (awesome). Mobile gaming

[Cormacaroni]

nothing is more inevitable than you completely swooning over whatever you eventually buy

[Himu]

Ehhhhh. I switched isps recently, and last night I got 0.25 mbps on speedtest.net soooooo I'm not sure how accurate that is. Just sounds like false knowledge from an old man to me. It's not my fault you can't be bothered to read beyond the fitness threads, gramps.

[Cormacaroni]

do you really have to insult me personally twice just because you don't want an ipad. ffs, this fucking place

[Momo]

I don't get the point of 7 inch ones.

I have a 7inch. It suits me cause I only read books, comics and manga on it. Very little else bullshit.

[Reb]

I have a Nexus 7, iPad 3, laptop and a iPhone 4, all of them have their uses.

I do have to say I have the least use for the Nexus 7, I have it by my bed because it's the easiest to hold while laying down/being propped up.

Laptop for actual work and actual games.
Ipad for living room reading/web surfing stupid games.
Nexus 7 for in bed news reading.

I don't carry my tablets around, I think a iPhone is good enough for most on the go uses.

[pilonv1]

New Surface tablets should be hinted or shown at MS Build conference in June.

As for regular Windows 8 tablets, Haswell Intel chips should be ready in June as well so yeah, if you want a MS flavored tablet, wait till June at least.

I will be in the US in June though, they won't be there then

[Smooth Groove]

I don't get the point of 7 inch ones.

damn, what a size queen!

[Madrun Badrun]

Go 10 if you plan to do pdf reading on it.

[brawndolicious]

A 7 inch might make more sense for reading on a plane. Plus it's easier to use while watching porn.

[nudemacusers]

A 7 inch might make more sense for reading on a plane. Plus it's easier to use while watching porn.

good point, I haaaate when my ipad tips forward and lands face-down on the cum pooled around my stomach.

[Madrun Badrun]

Ya, especially when you are jerking it to your own picture and then you realize you just gave yourself a digital facial.  Such humiliation. 

[Bebpo]

I don't get the point of 7 inch ones.

I have a 7inch. It suits me cause I only read books, comics and manga on it. Very little else bullshit.

Is 7inch big enough for comics?

[cool breeze]

7 inch is closer to manga book size than comic size.  I think it's fine on my nexus 7, but I zoom in a bit.  Also, I'm considering going bigger with my next tablet if ios# gets windows 8 style split screen apps.  I underestimated the usefulness of a tablet.  When traveling these days I don't bother using (or taking, depending) my laptop outside of work stuff.

[lordmaji]

I just bought a Samsung Galaxy Tablet and I like it a lot, I rooted it the night I bought it because I wanted to do a few things with it that it wouldn't do unless rooted.

I like it though, the android OS is actually pretty damn good. I enjoy it better then Win8 for sure and I'm not a fan of Apple. I prefer PC based OS's, Android, Linux, etc.

[Eel O'Brian]

Nook HD and HD+ are on sale this week through Mother's Day

Nook HD (7") is $149 for the 8GB, $179 for the 16GB
Nook HD+ (9") is $179 for the 16GB, $209 for the 32GB ($199 at Best Buy)

They have microSD slots for expansion, Bluetooth, really decent hardware, and terrific screens (no cameras at all, though, if that is important to you)

Nook HD 7" screen is 16:10 ratio at 1440x900 resolution (highest res of any 7" tablet on the market)
Nook HD+ 9" screen is 3:2 ratio at 1920x1280 resolution

Barnes and Noble just added Google Play this past week, so you have access to all the apps from the official Android  market, and other than their UI skin they're pretty much regular Android tablets now (you can just download a different launcher if you don't like the regular Nook interface)

I picked up a Nook HD+ for a kick-around tablet to use while I'm at work, and the 9" screen size and 3:2 aspect ratio make it pretty much perfect for full page comics, light enough to use with one hand. I've had no probs running any games, either, and you can pair a PS3 controller via the SixAxis app for stuff like the GTA games, etc.

While the sale is on the Nook tablets are a great bargain if you want to try out Android tablets (specs-wise they blow away the iPad Mini at a much cheaper price, so it's pretty much down to how much you like/dislike Android).

The sale is on at all retail stores, but here's the Nook page link if you want to read more:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook/379003208

[Eel O'Brian]

Also, unless you're a Prime member and heavily invested in the Amazon ecosystem, I'd avoid the Kindle tablets. They have the same hardware as the Nook tablets, so they're decent on that front (better speakers, front camera, but no SD slot for expansion), but unless you go through the rooting process you're locked down to Amazon's own curated app market, which only has about 10% of the apps available through Google's App store. B&N's addition of Google Play and the current sale makes the Nook tablets the best bang-for-buck Android tablets on the market right now (at least until the sale is over, haha).

[pilonv1]

I want to buy a paperwhite when I go to the US. Can't understand why you'd ever buy a Fire unless you're frags wife

[Momo]

I don't get the point of 7 inch ones.

I have a 7inch. It suits me cause I only read books, comics and manga on it. Very little else bullshit.

Is 7inch big enough for comics?

Aspect ratio is slightly off (comics are 1.53 nexus 7 is 1.6) not enough to annoy. I read aku no hana (44 chapters) on it last week no pain, I re-read the assylum/bane arc of batman two weeks ago, no pain. 16:10 is actually the closest to standard comics you will find

[Beezy]

Eel's post is making me wanna pull the trigger on a Nook HD plus...

[Himu]

I want to buy a paperwhite when I go to the US. Can't understand why you'd ever buy a Fire unless you're frags wife

Yeah paperwhite is great. Avoid kindle hd.

[Beezy]

Nook HD+ reviews I'm seeing say that its buggy and laggy. Was that fixed with updates?

[Eel O'Brian]

Yes, for the most part, and the update which added Google Play made it run even smoother.

[Beezy]

Then yeah, I have no real use for this thing, but I can't convince myself not to buy one. I think I'll go with the 16GB Nook HD+ since it has a microSD slot.

[Beezy]

Accidentally left my debit card in the back of a taxi last night.

Realized this around the same time that my bank closes.

Banks aren't open on Sunday.

Not once in my life have I ever lost a card or my wallet. I don't think I'm suppose to buy this thing.

[Himu]

IT'S A SIGN, BEEZY.

Buy a taxi depot instead. :p

[Polari]

It's a sign you should wait for the new Nexus and make Andrex happy.

[chronovore]

There is also the rumored and obvious iPad mini retina.

Wait, the current Mini is not Retina?

do you really have to insult me personally twice just because you don't want an ipad. ffs, this fucking place

Watch it, Big C! Next up, he'll call you a classist, and there's no fighting that from a Texan.

[brawndolicious]

The current mini is the same resolution as the ipad 2 so it's okay but not retina.

[cool breeze]

There's a chance Apple will show off new ipads in early June, if you wanted to go with Apple.