To get an ipad or to not get an ipad...

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AlfaWskyDlta
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To get an ipad or to not get an ipad...

#1 Post by AlfaWskyDlta »

So, I've been thinking about getting an ipad but I'm not really sure about it. I have a laptop that can obviously to more than an ipad can, but its the mobility of the ipad that makes me want it. Being able to carry all of those features around the house, on planes, or car rides really appeals to me. As portable as a laptop may seem to most people, I really don't like carrying mine around that much. Carrying my computer around on trips is really a hassle for the small number of features I actually use while traveling. Having an ipad would make travel much easier, and allow me to take the internet with me around the house. On the other hand, it does cost $500 :|
What do you guys think? Should I still consider getting one?
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RobbieThe1st
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Re: To get an ipad or to not get an ipad...

#2 Post by RobbieThe1st »

Get a HP Touchpad.
Or Archos 101

Or get yourself a high-end Android mobile phone(with high resolution screen), load it up with applications and have the same stuff in your pocket.

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avwolf
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Re: To get an ipad or to not get an ipad...

#3 Post by avwolf »

I have a TouchPad and really love it. (I really like WebOS, and, properly patched and hacked, the performance is great; besides, what other tablet lets you run Ubuntu on it in a little chroot window?) It's great for what it does. The iPad is a fantastic piece of hardware, and the work and polish Apple put into it really shows (several of my coworkers have iPads and iPad2s). I'd say it's the best tablet on the market. However, you pay out the nose for it. You can find really solid Android tablets out there, at a somewhat lower price, though you largely get what you pay for. I've got a friend who swears by his Asus Transformer, and from what I've seen, it's a quality piece of work, but it's on the higher end of the cost spectrum for an Android device. Don't buy a Viewsonic gTablet, using one of those quite nearly convinced me to never purchase a tablet at all, they're cheap and they absolutely reflect that.

Tablets are really handy for quick reference websites, though they wouldn't be much fun for, say, the forum. They're nice for reading pdfs and books on (but if you're only doing that, get a Nook or a Kindle -- the eink is easier on your eyes, the battery life is much longer, and they read pdfs and ebooks just fine). Tablets also make very good feedreaders and streaming video players. They have a pretty specific niche they fill, but in my case, my tablet is really good at the things my netbook is bad at, and my netbook is good at most of the things that the tablet is bad at, and then my desktop is great at everything, but ties me to my desk.
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RobbieThe1st
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Re: To get an ipad or to not get an ipad...

#4 Post by RobbieThe1st »

May I point out that the Archos 101 /also/ allows ubuntu/debian/whatever chroot, due to it allowing an Angstrom dual-boot. And native Ubuntu support isn't far away.


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That being said, the Touchpad would actually be a very good deal now - You can find them new on Ebay for $300, and 250 if you're careful. Remember, it's worth 600.

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AlfaWskyDlta
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Re: To get an ipad or to not get an ipad...

#5 Post by AlfaWskyDlta »

From what I've heard HP has discontinued the Touchpad, and will no longer be supporting webOS. (which is why they are going for so cheap) That's pretty much a big red flag in my book :|

I'm primarily thinking that I want an ipad because I'm familiar with how iOS works, and I like the way it performs. The app support is also a huge selling point for me.
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