phablet v iPod touch v iPad/tablet

[pelham456]

i would like to shed my laptop when i'm out and about.

don't need a phone, so i've been looking at tablets. but is their size a PLUS or a MINUS? that is, do more ppl complain abt trying to type/see screen on iPods and phablets (or actual PHONES, for comparison here), or do more ppl complain abt carrying BULKY TABLET around?

since the whole point is that the laptop SIZE ANNOYS ME, i am leaning toward the iPod/phablet side. can i actually surf for 5-6 hours on one of those w/o being institutionalized?

iPod touches are like $250. what is to stop me from getting a net10 android for $19.99 (even LESS on sale) and just using it to surf? as i understand it, the wifi/surfing will work even if i never use the "phone" itself (i.e. buy minutes).

this seems too obvious -- what's the catch? who would pay an extra $200++ when the "knockoff" (sort of) is SOOOOOOOO cheap?

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related q: anyone have experience transferring files out of phones/phablets/tablets back to laptop? ideally, i'd be using it as a "download pod" -- carry with me daily to campus/sbux/mcds/etc, DL lots of stuff, and dump it back to my laptop at night. like not as a rare event, but pretty much every day.

easy? hard? fast? slow? pain in the...?

[DarkGuyver]

Well, it all depends whenever you are interested in getting an android or Apple device. If you get a android device it's extremely easy to transfer data to and from your computer as all you have to do is connect it to the USB port via a USB cable then click and drag or transfer the data via a microSDCard(provided your android device has a microSDCard slot).

With a Apple device you will have to connect it to your computer via the supplied USB cable and sync your data to iTunes before transferring it(which takes up a extra few minutes of your time).

Both types of devices offer relatively fast data transfer speeds but android devices are typically faster due to the fact you don't have to sync the data to iTunes.

As for knockoffs verse named brands, knockoffs tend to have a very short life span as they don't got thought a very intense QA inspection before being dispatched and they are typical poorly manufactured. Also a named brand will have a 2 year manufacturers guarantee right out the box, so if you experience any problems you can send it back to the manufacturer and they will repair it FOC. They will also get frequent firmware updates while knockoffs won't.

[Goldar]

Tablets bulky?

I use a laptop when I want to bring a computer with me someplace. They are bulky!

Of course, I am always doing things that I need a real computer for, like Art, 3D Modeling/Rendering, and some light programming.

Tablets aren't up to most of what I do, so I never tried one. But I just can't see calling a tablet bulky unless you are accustomed to phones for web use. In which case, and if "size matters" for your purposes, then go with whatever you're comfortable with.

Laptops have the advantage of avoiding all the baggage that comes with "devices" which require constant updates just to work, and syncing with other "services" you may never want or use.

I carry my laptop in a briefcase. You may need to find a proper carrier for the tablet. Maybe a backpack or a purse (yes, men can carry purses - they just call them something else to keep their Masculine Ego intact).

It's all subjective. I'd spend a lot of time in various stores playing with various devices until either comfortable enough to make a decision or thrown out.

[alexora]

It is worth having a look at this thread: so many at the time did not think there was any need for any sort of tablet device...

[Goldar]

Originally Posted by alexora

It is worth having a look at this thread: so many at the time did not think there was any need for any sort of tablet device...

I perused the thread. Interesting to see how little changes over the years

I'm convinced that a tablet will never be for me based simply on the things I need to do with computers, but understand the attraction.

I still wont get a smart phone because of the screen. Like a tablet, it is entirely too unprotected and I am entirely too rough on these things. I wont even own a cell phone if it doesn't flip open like a Star Trek Communicator! Mostly because I am such a Star Trek Geek

But the unprotected screens are just trouble waiting to happen in my view.

Don't want to drag this too far off topic, so I'll just leave it at "whatever works for your needs" is what you should get.

I need the most powerful workhorse stations I can get. I melted a MACBook Pro rendering an animation, and if my work is too much for one of those, I just can't see any tablet ever being up to the task.

[pelham456]

I need the most powerful workhorse stations I can get....I just can't see any tablet ever being up to the task.

as i said, i am KEEPING the laptop. the point is just so i can surf/check email when i'm out and about.

"surfing" includes massive DLing, in my case. but nothing else. renders, file conversions, any sort of processing...those will all be done at home.

Tablets bulky?

...

But I just can't see calling a tablet bulky unless you are accustomed to phones....

i am accustomed to neither, but i wonder whether the tablet will strike me as "not much diff" from the laptop. that's the reaction i had when i gave netbooks a spin a couple years back. still gotta carry it around; still won't fit in a pocket.

in other words, "if you're downsizing, go all the way. half-assed solution [tablet] will never be satisfactory". is this a likely reaction, do most of u think?

As for knockoffs verse named brands, knockoffs tend to have a very short life span as they don't got thought a very intense QA inspection....

yeah, but we're talking about like $250 vs $20!

maybe i wasn't clear. what i was asking, basically, is what is the appeal to an iPod TOUCH nowadays when you can buy an untethered android "dump" phone for $15-20? am i missing something as to why the latter won't work?

seems like the exact same functionality, web-wise.

[MIB04]

maybe i wasn't clear. what i was asking, basically, is what is the appeal to an iPod TOUCH nowadays when you can buy an untethered android "dump" phone for $15-20? am i missing something as to why the latter won't work?

The latter will work, albeit rather poorly. An Apple product with similar specs is going to run faster and smoother than an Android device due to the Apple devices being optimized for ios. An iphone, ipod touch, or ipad is going to run fine with 512mb of ram, but an Android device with 512mb of ram is not going to run as smooth. I'd suggest something like a Moto E which is $100 or less.

[pelham456]

An iphone, ipod touch, or ipad is going to run fine with 512mb of ram, but an Android device with 512mb of ram is not going to run as smooth

does ram really matter since i'm not "running" much? 90% of what i do will be starting some DLs, sticking it back in my pocket, and sitting around. DLs such as those on offer here. at most i'll be running a torrent client.

the other 10% will be surfing/checking email. but if that's choppy, that's ok, i can do that at home. i want the phone really just as an "interface" to collect porn when i'm sitting thru 6 hours worth of boring classes/meetings in a wifi zone.

heck, i don't even need to interact with it -- if it could do NOTHING ELSE but run uTor the entire time, that would still be a goldmine. i could even start it running at home before i go. sit undisturbed in my pocket all day, snag 10-15Gs, come home, xfer to laptop. lather, rinse, repeat.

call it a "porn pod" or a "porn probe" or the like. the "Anteater 3000"....

[MIB04]

The problem is that the price difference between a mediocre phone and a quality phone is not that much now when compared to what both phones offer. I just checked ebay and you can buy a Droid Bionic for less than $50 used. That is a phone with a dual core processor, 1 GB of ram, a 4.3 inch 960 × 540 pixel display. Compare that to a Galaxy Centura which is around $15 and comes with a single core processor, 512 NB if ram, and a 3.5 inch 320 x 480 pixel display. I'd rather pay $35 more for something that's slow and with a smaller and more pixelated screen.

You can buy a cheap phone for just downloads, but the smaller, more pixelated screen will not be that good for browsing, reading e-mail, or watching videos. I'd suggest spending a little more and buying a phone like I suggested for anything besides downloading.

[pelham456]

ok, that makes sense, and i will give it full consideration. might still go for $15 crapjob over better one at 3x that, but i'm not sure. i don't skimp on the laptop, etc., but this is gonna sit mostly untouched in my pocket.

just to clarify 3 things tho:

1) once past basic interaction of setting up DL/starting t0r client, etc., RAM size and single v dual core won't affect DL speed, right? that would be a critical difference, for my purposes.

2) do either of these affect LOCAL xfer speed? i'm assuming i can get files from phone to laptop in a matter of minutes, but i really have no idea. what stat do i look at for that? clerks say these phones have some weird port for this; not "firewire" or "mini USB" as i was expecting.

[obviously if the xfer takes hours and hours, the whole plan is moot....]

3) we're talking dead (unactivated) phones here, right? i know i said that up front, but i just wanna make sure. the bionic, the centura -- they're both gonna work for wifi w/o me doing anything "plan"-wise, right?

[3a can i still dial 0 and 911 on such a phone? j/c -- i know they've made some laws about this.]

I'd rather pay $35 more for something that's slow....

i do hope that's a typo....