Another tablet thread, last one was old

Well, i think the question last time was: Can a tablet replace a laptop?

I found the answer. Yes, it can.

Solution: Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 + Samsung keyboard station. Will run you about $430 all in if you shop Fleabay, but it works.

Faster than our laptop by a wide margin, the bluetooth keyboard has no lag, and the OS is better, in my opinion. Distance from hand to screen while using the keyboard is a little closer than normal, but that makes touch screen use easier.

Me gusta.

My laptop died last year, and the ipad I was using was so old it was a horrible experience.

I recently scored a used Asus Transformer with keyboard for 140, I am loving it compared to the ipad. I miss having photoshop on the laptop though. For everything else this tablet is awesome so far!

Nice! The transformer is what i wanted when i first got into android things. I couldnt pass up this tablet though. Msrp was almost $700, and it's absurdly powerful.

The only thing i'm struggling with is that i still keep trying to use a touchpad that doesn't exist and use a mouse pointer that isn't present. I'll get used to it.

Now... if there were a decent Megasquirt program that worked on Android, i'd be golden. MSDroid sucks.

I just got a Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 for Xmas. Will have to look into those additions. Guy at work suggested an add-on accessory battery for it also to extend battery use.
Wanted a Samsung Galaxy tablet so I wouldn't have to learn another operating system, Same as my Samsung Galaxy S5 phone. And it takes micro-SD cards to expand memory or transfer/add files or best of all to watch movies while traveling.

Edit: I got a Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 for Xmas. Not a Tab.

What sort of battery life are you getting? I get probably 8-10 hours of use.

The keyboard is the one Samsung has on their site. Couple sellers on Ebay have it for $82 shipped. Entirely worth the money.

Depends on what I'm doing with it. A lot of Wi-Fi internet or something that uses processor a lot I get 4-5 hours. Light work I get what you're getting, 8-10 hours. Work sometimes has me traveling across the country or even overseas, friend from work suggested battery pack for those long flights and waiting in airports.

Yep. Regret actually buying the last laptop and not going this route instead.

Swank Force One wrote: Well, i think the question last time was: Can a tablet replace a laptop? I found the answer. Yes, it can. Solution: Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 + Samsung keyboard station. Will run you about $430 all in if you shop Fleabay, but it works.

So this is easy to use like a laptop... on your lap? The problem with most of the keyboard-with-a-tablet options my wife and I looked at was you basically needed to sit them on a table to use them. So no couch use.

What do you want to do with the tablet? Can you name every application or function you want to use on your laptop or laptop replacement?

pres589 wrote: What do you want to do with the tablet? Can you name every application or function you want to use on your laptop or laptop replacement?

Who are you asking?

In reply to ProDarwin:

SFO. It's to make sure there are applications or web-based solutions out there to do everything he wants. It'd be unfortunate to get a tablet rig going and miss something he wanted to use it for. It might also be a good way to foster discussion & solution-finding that lets others see that what they want to use a laptop for could be done with a cheaper & lighter tablet + input solution like a keyboard case.

As much as I love my iPad, I cannot recommend it for a laptop replacement. Even with a bluetooth keyboard, I find too many compromises. Getting closer with iCloud Storage, but not there yet.

ProDarwin wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: Well, i think the question last time was: Can a tablet replace a laptop? I found the answer. Yes, it can. Solution: Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 + Samsung keyboard station. Will run you about $430 all in if you shop Fleabay, but it works.

So this is easy to use like a laptop... *on your lap*? The problem with most of the keyboard-with-a-tablet options my wife and I looked at was you basically needed to sit them on a table to use them. So no couch use.

I used it on my lap to create this thread. Was pretty easy.

You can't swing the screen back and forth for optimum angle, but it's pretty balanced and the screen is waaaaaaaaaaay better than what i have on my laptops so angle is much less of a big deal.

pres589 wrote: In reply to ProDarwin: SFO. It's to make sure there are applications or web-based solutions out there to do everything he wants. It'd be unfortunate to get a tablet rig going and miss something he wanted to use it for. It might also be a good way to foster discussion & solution-finding that lets others see that what they want to use a laptop for could be done with a cheaper & lighter tablet + input solution like a keyboard case.

I already got the tablet deal up and running. Bought the tablet a few months back, keyboard base/cover thing arrived yesterday, and i'm very impressed.

Does everything i need it to do, save for run TunerStudio. I can get a cheap netbook for that or just use one of the old laptops.

The idea here is that the last Windows i was actually REALLY familiar with was XP. Since then, i've been using Android OS outside of work the vast majority of the time, simply because i have an Android phone. I'm more comfortable with it, and every time i use a Windows device now, it feels clunky.

Just made sense to make the move in this direction.

I've turned my TV into an Android media center as well. Got one of those little sub-$100 Android TV boxes and set it up with XBMC/Kodi, it runs KitKat. Very neat.

Is there a decent, value-priced Windows tablet? It's not even required to be Windows, but that would simplify things, probably.

Duke wrote: Is there a decent, value-priced Windows tablet? It's not even required to be Windows, but that would simplify things, probably.

In what way would it simplify anything other than allowing you to carry poorly written and insecure code around with you?

Stick to Android or Apple and just enjoy a good platform for media consumption. If you want to create media, get a laptop.

Duke wrote: Is there a decent, value-priced Windows tablet? It's not even required to be Windows, but that would simplify things, probably.

I am using an HP Stream 7 that I bought for $79 during the holiday sales as my primary laptop. I have it in a Zagg universal case. If you're gonna stick with Windows, it's solid, cheap tablet. If you want to try to get Linux or something going, or if you want to be able to connect a bunch of equipment, or if you want to work with virtualization, you need more power.

Then again, I kinda like Windows 8/8.1, and I kinda like having something as tiny as this.

The Surface units aren't bad.

The good ones are fairly expensive, though.

Swank Force One wrote: The Surface units aren't bad.

My work laptop is a first generation Surface with a Type Cover. The track pad is awful. They added some sort of momentum to it. The pointer continues for a fraction of a second after you stop moving your finger, unless you lift off. It doesn't matter in Metro, but clicking a radio button on a desktop app is miserable. I've managed to get a support person to duplicate this on their own unit, but I've never heard of a fix. It's subtle, so I'm guessing it's not going to be fixed.

SWMBO wanted a surface. We went to the windows store and she ended up with an Asus (transformer?) that has the detachable keyboard and runs the full version of windows 8. It included office and she doesn't use her win7 laptop at all anymore.

moparman76_69 wrote: SWMBO wanted a surface. We went to the windows store and she ended up with an Asus (transformer?) that has the detachable keyboard and runs the full version of windows 8. It included office and she doesn't use her win7 laptop at all anymore.

Have the same one, that thing has been a disaster.

Swank Force One wrote:

ProDarwin wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: Well, i think the question last time was: Can a tablet replace a laptop? I found the answer. Yes, it can. Solution: Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 + Samsung keyboard station. Will run you about $430 all in if you shop Fleabay, but it works.

So this is easy to use like a laptop... *on your lap*? The problem with most of the keyboard-with-a-tablet options my wife and I looked at was you basically needed to sit them on a table to use them. So no couch use.

I used it on my lap to create this thread. Was pretty easy. You can't swing the screen back and forth for optimum angle, but it's pretty balanced and the screen is waaaaaaaaaaay better than what i have on my laptops so angle is much less of a big deal.

ProDarwin's concern is the same one I have.

So for your example, Swank- when you say ballance- is that with the "kick stand" or just ballancing on your lap? I do like how the sceen stays in place on a laptop, but also appreciate the ability to do other things as a tablet.

My laptop is showing it's age (abit still young), so I'm going to look into it.

I've never, ever, owned an android device, and I may try one. But the interface to me does not seem that straight forward. Not that Windows 8 is, but at least I'm familiar with that one (being what I use for normal computers). iPad isn't as much in the runnings, since it's ever so slightly more than a simple media device.

In reply to tuna55:

What kind of problems are you having? Hers has been flawless so far. She's had it for about a year now.

moparman76_69 wrote: In reply to tuna55: What kind of problems are you having? Hers has been flawless so far. She's had it for about a year now.

Ours is about a year old as well.

HDMI out failed
Screen cracked (don't remember dropping it, but it's possible)
Sometimes doesn't want to turn on when you hit the button
The "H" key is hit or miss
Sound is ruined (started out fine, now you can't play music on it unless you want it ruined)
Screen attachment is wonky, you can't pick it up without disconnecting the keyboard.

Staying away from Asus after this I think.