tablet advice please

[jonnyboy666]

ok, this NZ thing is getting closer and i need to look into getting a tablet to take with me. it's sort of a question not so much of brand but memory size etc.

initially i was thinking an iPad air, the 32g version (£359) because i was thinking that would be enough space to put my music on there but then i thought that's pointless as i have a large iPod with the full library on it so that made me question the memory size i need. frankly my iPhone is enough at a pinch for internet and email but i'd rather have something a little easier to use size wise.

i'll put my hands up and say i like apple stuff but it doesn't have to be apple as realistically i have an iMac at home, a macbook pro laptop but it's old and heavy (regarding weight limits on the plane and it all adds up) and starting to die. the reason i thought of the iPad was purely because having the apple stuff means i don't have to learn how to use it because it's essentially just a big iPhone, i also like the compatibility aspect of having the same brand as it makes stuff simple for me, a computer simpleton. also i do like the simplicity of downloading apps etc.

that said, recommendations are welcome for other brands or simply something that does the job for a good price. frankly the £359 of the iPad i felt was a bit OTT for what i need bearing in mind i have the iMac/macbook etc.

edit, something with a USB or SD card insert would be helpful for uploading pics etc

retrobike electronics gurus, shine the light of your knowledge into the darkness of my technological ignorance!

 

[Bullpup]

I have been thinking about this myself recently and although We have an Ipad Air for family use, It's major drawback (s) from my perspective are 1. it has no usb/sd slots so all uploads have to be done via wifi which I don't like especially in areas of poor reception and 2. everything has to be done via itunes.

Otherwise, I really like it.

Have you checked purchase costs out there and indeed in any duty free stop overs you might make?

 

[jonnyboy666]

Re:

i prefer buying here TBH, any issues then i can take it back etc.

went into the apple store today, i hate that place, i went in a few days ago and they'd run out of the iPad i was looking for, he suggested buying it through them online, makes sense you think, but if you buy it in store they help you set it up and show you how things work, while i'm familiar with the lay out of it i still thought this would be useful, but the issue is if you buy it elsewhere, even from their online shop you don't get that benefit, to get that benefit you have to then pay them for their time (which i understand which is why i wanted to buy from them),

so in i go today, in there about 10 minutes, there must be 25 staff, the problem with apple stores is the other people in there, frankly i don't believe most are buying anything but what they do instead is fiddle with the display devices and take up time of the staff, this means that when someone like me wanders in, willing to buy something and be decisive about it i still have to wait for a "genius" ( :roll: ) to become available after talking to a spotty student or a fashionable idiot with a stupid ironic beard. but today i walked out unserved having been willing again to spend but was ignored.

i think they should just have a counter like a trade counter, someone walks up and asks about a product, they then get that product and try to sell it to the customer, no idiots playing with the stuff like a toy, that said i do actually know what they are doing, they are brainwashing/grooming the next generation of potential customers, i believe the shops are there to advertise the brand and if they sell stuff then great.

frankly my old dear gets John Lewis discount as a retired employee so i think if i decide the iPad is the way to go i might get her to get it for me from John Lewis, it'll bring the price down to about £330.

but that said the other thing mentioned above is the lack of Sd card slot, if i take a load of pics on my normal camera i usually stick the SD card in the Mac then clean up the pics and stick them on Flikr, so lack of an Sd card slot would be an issue.

 

[Rampage]

Is it cheaper to buy in NZ?
This one and my previous ipad came from Hong Kong and was around £70 less each.

 

[jonnyboy666]

Re:

i don't mean this in an arrogant way, but i'm not overly concerned about the price, it is what it is, would rather buy locally than risk hassle from buying outside of the country (still currently in the UK). regarding differing prices in NZ etc, haven't even looked at that, as it'll be back here with me in 6 or so months i'd rather buy here for that reason aswel.

getting off topic though the issue at the moment is more about WHAT tablet as opposed to where to buy it from.

 

[stewlewis]

Tesco HUDL n a bunch of SD cards.

 

[jimplops]

Any of the Android ones are good, imho and easy to use, but like you I'm used to that and hate apple lol, and like the look of the Samsung Tab4 and have what you're after.

Regarding iphone, what network frequency are they in NZ, as I know you need triband in the US and I know people have fallen fowl of buying iphones in the states and not operational over here.

 

[jonnyboy666]

Re:

the Hudl thing looks interesting, not sure about having to stick a lot of SD cards in it though, also, it says 2G memory, which obviously is a lot less than the iPad, now bear with me here, there's 2 types of memory on computers etc, one that makes it run and one that is the actual memory, so on this one is the 2G it refers to the memory or the memory that makes it run? basically i'm wondering if this low number is a problem, also the review i found says it's pretty good but the battery life is rubbish but then didn't give a run time.

any clues?

 

[stewlewis]

Yes 2GB memory in the hudl is the running stuff memory, 2GB is plenty enough for Android.
It has 16GB onboard storage memory.
You can add 32GB SD cards at will.

hudl is not live online mobile network though.

 

[jonnyboy666]

Re:

ok that sounds very interesting for £120 or so