Pad, Netbook, or Laptop?

I bought my wife the Kindle Fire and it came last Wednesday. It seems perfect for her needs, streaming video, web browsing, email. She said it is a little heavy to read with in one hand. Plus, it is only $199. I, like many others, do not care for Apple's policies on content control so will shy away from iPad x no matter how nice they are. YMMV
 
TromboneAl said:
Well, I ordered the iPad 2. It came out to $490 with tax and recycling fee.

Hey, who's a good money spender? I think I'll go vomit now.
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After you use it for a while give us reports on how you and Lena like it as a reader. I understand the primary method for side loading anything (including books) is through iTunes. Not being a Mac guy I have been worried that I would screw up trying to load things from various copies of iTunes on different PCs. If I hooked it up to a friend's iTunes to copy something over would it sync and wipe out all my stuff - things like that. I did discover that you can send things over via Dropbox. A friend with an iPad wanted a book I have in Calibre. We opened her Dropbox account on my PC and dropped the ePub file in. It immediately appeared in Dropbox on her iPad and clicking it caused it to open in the iPad's e-reader. Pretty nice.
 
gsparks2 said:
I bought my wife the Kindle Fire and it came last Wednesday. It seems perfect for her needs, streaming video, web browsing, email. She said it is a little heavy to read with in one hand. Plus, it is only $199. I, like many others, do not care for Apple's policies on content control so will shy away from iPad x no matter how nice they are. YMMV
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It's funny, since I purchased the K-Fire for me but DW is now using it all the time :facepalm: .

She took it to w*rk the last two days to show her photos from her latest trip (Switzerland). She dosen't like to take the netbook since she claims it is too "bulky"; she can just slip this one into her (oversized) purse.

She was using it to read Jane Austin last night (downloaded all the free books) and had the same comment about the "one handed" weight (would be more so with an I-Pad, I assume). I told her just to put it on her lap, like any other "regular" book.

While the I-Pad may be better overall (depending on use), this little unit fits our needs, and it will be easier (compact) to use on our trips.

Well worth the $199 (actually, it costs Amazon around $202 to build, but they expect to make up the loss on product sales).

The only two "extras" I purchased was a cable ($4.00) to download data from my PC's (such as spreadsheets, photos, etc.) and a $14.95 app to be able to run a portable "Office Look-Alike"; same thing I purchased from my Handspring (how's that for history?), many years ago...
 
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MichaelB said:
And then they found the apps store. This is like the razor and blades thing, and that $490 iPad is just the beginning.

I'm thinking about getting one.
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There are tons of great free apps, and many pay apps that are only a couple of bucks. Even Apple's iPad spreadsheet, word and presentation apps are only $10/each (Numbers, Notes, Keynote).

Apps are not expensive, nothing like a PC or Mac. OTOH, you can spend a bundle on books (though less than hardcover) movies and music if you aren't careful.
 
I agree. I doubt if we've spent more than $20 on the iPad2 apps the past year. If you have a Mac you use for work and email etc., then I think the iPad makes so much more sense than the Fire because of the ability to sync stuff like Mail, Calendar, Evernote, etc. Dropbox is just one of the ways to sync files; we just got 5 gigs free from SpiderOak when we bought a hard drive. 2Gigs are always free: https://spideroak.com/
 
PaddyMac said:
...sync stuff like Mail
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All mail can be sync'ed, from all your providers, global or your own ISP (DW/me have three sources - all linked to K-Fire). As for calanders, it's not something I use (since I'm retired and have no schedule :LOL: )....

Just an FYI...
 
I'm trying to decide between an iPad 2 and a Samsung Android tablet. Right now leaning toward the Android since I have an Android smartphone and I can use the apps I've already paid for. Going to look at an iPad this afternoon.
 
Is it too LBYM if I haven't paid for ANY of my 42 iPhone apps? :ROFLMAO: Nodak, your post has me thinking about that one.... :)
 
I purchased an iPad to cut down on the weight of carrying both a laptop and a Kindle when I travel. The iPad can do just about everything I needed the laptop for. With a free cloud account I can access all of my files if needed. A side benefit is that with the iPad, I have started to use the library app more frequently and have been saving $40 - $50 per month by not buying Amazon books.

I was also surprised by how frequently we use FaceTime to get video calls. Lately, my daughter and her husband have been in Italy and have been calling me at all times of the day and night from her iPhone.

Milkman
 
Never been a big Apple koolaide drinker but I do have an Ipod Touch and am considering an Ipad for the DW this Xmas season. The process of using Itunes and buying and loading apps is pretty idiot proof so don't let that scare you. The Ipad is head and shoulders above anything else on the portability and convenience market these days. Just my 2 cents.
 
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I have an old laptop that still works well, so I cannot justify an iPad. But, when the laptop goes to its reward, I will take a long hard look at the iPad ( and similar computers). I still have a desktop for managing my music and work related issues.
 
One small item I haven't seen addressed here.
My 7 month old iPad 2 has completely replaced my laptop when traveling. I am continually amazed at how much I've grown to depend on always having the iPad handy, and I do in fact love reading books on it as well as so much else.

The small point is that I have an Apple wireless keyboard. It's compact, lightweight, and completely "toss in the bag" handy. By pairing it with the iPad over Bluetooth, you have the best of both worlds. We all need to occasionally do a fair bit of typing, and this makes it a breeze.
 
W2R said:
Is it too LBYM if I haven't paid for ANY of my 42 iPhone apps? :ROFLMAO: Nodak, your post has me thinking about that one.... :)
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I've only bought about 4 apps at less than $10 total. Looked at the iPad and was impressed with it but still haven't decided.
 
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Nodak said:
I've only bought about 4 apps at less than $10 total. Looked at the iPad and was impressed with it but still haven't decided.
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There are probably some really cool apps that aren't free. Come to think of it, I did pay $1-$2 for one just to see how that is done, when I first got my iPhone.

I think the iPad is stunningly beautiful but I don't plan to buy it in 2011.
 
Milkman said:
I was also surprised by how frequently we use FaceTime to get video calls. Lately, my daughter and her husband have been in Italy and have been calling me at all times of the day and night from her iPhone.

Milkman
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Does anyone know if you can use Skype on an iPad instead of FaceTime?
 
For those of you thinking about going with one of the lighter weight 7 inch reader tablets, Ars Technica gives the nod to the Nook over the Fire. I have the slightly less capable Nook Color but my experience is similar to that described for the new tablet. I especially appreciate the openess for ease of side loading documents, photos, videos, and non-DRM books.
 
donheff - W2R: Better wait for the iPad4, I hear it will be even more amazing...
 
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My Kindle fire arrived right before we were leaving for vacation so I got to put it to the test . I loved it for travel . It did everything I wanted and more . The Internet connected quickly and was very responsive . I was able to check my email ,surf the web , shop ,read and even play angry birds . Plus it slides easily into my purse !
 
Apple had the I pad 2 on sale today. I ordered one for DW for Christmas. With the case and tax it came out to $515.
 
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Heard some research which may be both arguments for and against tablets:

1. 70% of the time, tablets are used with the TV on in the background.

2. Tablets have peaks of usage in the morning and late at night, suggesting people are using it as soon as they wake up, perhaps still in bed, and when they go to sleep.
 
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