After watching the streams/chats and reading the forums for a while, I've gathered that you are all by far the funniest, friendliest, and most intelligent group of techies I've ever worked with. So, who better to go to for tech advice. I'm thinking of buying a small mobile internet device, something about the size of the iPad, but not the iPad (I'm Apple-phobic). Any suggestions on what I should get?
@LordPraetox: Honestly the tablet industry is very new and it is a bit dangerous to buy and tablet besides the iPad this early. If you are really "applephobic" I recommend you buy a netbook that runs Windows 7.
I do certainly enjoy a hardware keyboard. And Win7 is my favorite OS, by far. Though I do have a certain amount of curiosity toward the iPad, experiences with Macs have soured me to the company. I do like the battery life and ebook apps, but I'm afraid of spending the money for a product that may either sit unused or disappoint me in general.
Are the office apps even compatible with MS Office? Are there any good games (besides Plants vs Zombies)? And the big one. Is it worth $700 (I'd only want the 64GB version)?
" I do certainly enjoy a hardware keyboard. And Win7 is my favorite OS, by far. Though I do have a certain amount of curiosity toward the iPad, experiences with Macs have soured me to the company. I do like the battery life and ebook apps, but I'm afraid of spending the money for a product that may either sit unused or disappoint me in general. "
Well what are you planning on doing with the device? If you are planning on doing a lot of reading I would recommend the iPad because of iBooks and all of the applications that major magazine and newspaper publications are releasing. Also it would give you the ability of playing high resolution games. It is very thin and easy to take on the go if you travel a lot and if you wanted to do a lot of typing on it you could always connect a bluetooth keyboard to it or buy the keyboard accessory.
I do plan on doing quite a bit of reading on it to save myself some shelf space (small room). I'd also like something very portable that I could easily take upstairs with me when I dog-sit or to fiddle with as I watch Hoarders with my grandma. A handheld gaming device would be sweet chocolate icing on the cake.
" I do plan on doing quite a bit of reading on it to save myself some shelf space (small room). I'd also like something very portable that I could easily take upstairs with me when I dog-sit or to fiddle with as I watch Hoarders with my grandma. A handheld gaming device would be sweet chocolate icing on the cake. "
Then maybe the iPad is the right device for you. I've been very happy with mine and highly recommend it. If you can get over your "applephobia" you should definitely give the iPad a try. :)
If battery life and ebooks are big criteria for you, you may enjoy the iPad greatly. The battery life seems to be phenomenal from all early results (actually more than what apple claims) and a lot better than the claimed time on some of the others coming out (more than 2x what the Slate will put out). between the kindle app and the iBookstore, your options are pretty large as well. As for games, it seems to be better for that than the iPhone was, so it's def more of a win in that category. Not sure if the $700 would be worth it or not, I think I'd never use the full 64GB cause I won't be putting much music on it. Mostly just video and apps I feel.
That said, if you're looking for a device JUST for reading and battery life, nothing will beat the Kindle. It's just a single-purpose device unfortunately, and as a result it is highly specialized.
The iPad doesn't really have a hardware keyboard, unless you attach it to a bluetooth keyboard (though any will do). So if you're wanting a hardware keyboard on the go, it may not be for you. Also, some of the content CREATION apps seem a bit weak right now, though hopefully improving as the app stores improves. It's best as a content CONSUMPTION device at the moment. Depends on which you're more interested in.
Well what are you planning on doing with the device? If you are planning on doing a lot of reading I would recommend the iPad because of iBooks and all of the applications that major magazine and newspaper publications are releasing. Also it would give you the ability of playing high resolution games. It is very thin and easy to take on the go if you travel a lot and if you wanted to do a lot of typing on it you could always connect a bluetooth keyboard to it or buy the keyboard accessory.
Then maybe the iPad is the right device for you. I've been very happy with mine and highly recommend it. If you can get over your "applephobia" you should definitely give the iPad a try. :)
Yes, I own an iPhone 3GS and hopefully soon I'll get a Macbook Pro.
That said, if you're looking for a device JUST for reading and battery life, nothing will beat the Kindle. It's just a single-purpose device unfortunately, and as a result it is highly specialized.
The iPad doesn't really have a hardware keyboard, unless you attach it to a bluetooth keyboard (though any will do). So if you're wanting a hardware keyboard on the go, it may not be for you. Also, some of the content CREATION apps seem a bit weak right now, though hopefully improving as the app stores improves. It's best as a content CONSUMPTION device at the moment. Depends on which you're more interested in.
I love Apple products because there is so much thought put into every aspect of there design on both hardware and software fronts.