Sandra Darlington Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I am in the market for a tablet. I've been googling tablets and asking around, but the answers I get vary so much, that I'm totally confused. I want internet service, the camera, read e-books, a GPS, open attachments, watch videos and quilting shows when on vacation... I've googled tablets, have talked to "geeks" at Best Buy, asked my kids, and the guys at my local Verizon store. So far, the top contenders have been #1) Asus Transformer Prime; #2) iPad 3 (due out in Feb); #3) Galaxy. What do you all have, do you love it, and why? I'm trying hard to elevate myself out of the 90's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoryJM Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Such a timely question. I'm in the same position. Today I started looking at the Kindle Fire; it looks promising. Sort of like an Android vs an iPhone. I have Adobe Ideas on my iPhone and can upload a photo and draw on it, which is exactly what I'm looking for. However, the iPhone is kind of small for that to be of much use. It looks like Kindle has alot of the same stuff, though, and is much less expensive. Plus, since its strictly wifi, there's not monthly cost. Decisions...I HATE decisions!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Darlington Posted January 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Hi Dory, I also heard good reports on the Kindle Fire. I guess that can be added as #4 on my comparison shopping list. I would love to be able to take a picture and draw on it! So, that needs to go on my list of must have's, too. Thanks for mentioning it. I hope others jump in here and give us some great info. I'm heading to bed now, but I'll check back here tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane2quilt Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 My 28 year old daughter got the Kindle Fire for Christmas - she loves it!!!!!!! The price is good and no monthly fees. I am thinking about buying one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne from Guam Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 My kids bought me a Kindle Fire for Christmas. It is about 1/2 the size of an Ipad, easy to hold and read. You can change the position, either vertical or horizontal. I do not know about all of the possible art related apps. It does not take pictures. Right now, I am addicted to playing 'words with friends', a scrabble game. I can play a game with one of my far away friends and we can text between moves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I got my DIL the Nook Tablet for Christmas and she just loves it. You should keep in mind unless you have a Mifi or device cabable of getting internet signal from your phone you will not be able to use it when traveling unless you can find a network to connect to. You can get Ipad and with a service plan for internet. That is the only way you can use it as a GPS device. I have a MiFi from Verizon which allows me to be connected as long as there is a Verizon signal. Recently used it all the way to NC and back and it was wonderful. I have an Ipad 2 and love it for it portability and for reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsha Nichols Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I am also looking for the right tablet. I wanted to get one that was compatible with the new Pantovision software for quilting. If I understand correctly it must be windows 7 and not android or ipad. Is that right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisquilter Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Originally posted by Marsha Nichols I am also looking for the right tablet. I wanted to get one that was compatible with the new Pantovision software for quilting. If I understand correctly it must be windows 7 and not android or ipad. Is that right? Marsha, I am also thinking about the Pantovision. 1. Yes, as I understand it, the tablet must run windows 7. 2. In my research, most tablets run with the droid system. The guy at Best Buy said the reason is that Windows is not as good at using touch screen technology as droid. He suggested waiting until windows 8 comes out (this summer I believe) and more tablets will be available with windows technology. New and improves touch screen response. 3. I treated myself to a nook tablet this christmas. I love it! There is no camera. The nook has a slot to add SD memory card for storage on your nook. I plan on storing pictures for my customers to see when I meet them at places than my home. I bought a 16GB mini SD card for 10 dollars at Amazon. You do not have the capacity to add memory to the fire. 4. If I could have afforded it , I probably would have bought the I-pad. But the price was right with the Nook and it does all I need. I mostly download books from the library for free. Easy Peasy. I tried to read and compare everything, got sorta overwhelmed, and decided the Nook would work for me because I could go to the local Barns and Noble brick and mortar store if I had any questions on the operation of the nook or technical probelms. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stagecl Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I got my DH an IPad for Xmas...he loves it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbi Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Definitely an iPad... with an art ap... Have you seen the drawings that Susan Shie does? Don't know Susan Shie? Check out my FB friends and see her wall/photos! OMG I've had Macs for 20 years, love their products. My friends who have PC's are always taking them to have them fixed, and spending a ton of $$ on them... In all the time I've had Macs, the only problem I've had is running out of space! Maybe I should sell for Apple? LOL Enjoy whatever product you purchase! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing bear Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I have the Kindle Fire and love it; however, you need to realize that the Fire and the Nook are not "computer". yes, it can do a lots of 'computer' type things, surf the web, upload videos, e-mail, play games (which are awesome!), use a lot of apps, but in the end it is an e-reader with lots of capability ... not a computer with lots of fun stuff. I still use my computer - with the Intuos4 tablet - for drawing/designing quilt blocks etc. I have the Intous4 which I love and serves MY purposes. I love my setup but it may not be for everyone. In fact, starting a Quilt whisperer class using the Intuos4 this a.m. with Carla Barrett of Feathered Fibers. Fun Fun Fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aithne Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I love my iPad. It is the original so it doesn't have the camera, but that's ok for me. I don't have a data plan so I have to have access to wi-fi but that doesn't bother me much either. I love the apps and the portability. It really depends on what you want, but if your heart is set on an iPad, splurge and get what you want. If you get something else, no matter how good, you will always feel like you "settled" for it. I also have a Kindle, an iPhone, and a PC and I use them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsha Nichols Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Originally posted by chrisquilter Originally posted by Marsha Nichols I am also looking for the right tablet. I wanted to get one that was compatible with the new Pantovision software for quilting. If I understand correctly it must be windows 7 and not android or ipad. Is that right? Marsha, I am also thinking about the Pantovision. 1. Yes, as I understand it, the tablet must run windows 7. 2. In my research, most tablets run with the droid system. The guy at Best Buy said the reason is that Windows is not as good at using touch screen technology as droid. He suggested waiting until windows 8 comes out (this summer I believe) and more tablets will be available with windows technology. New and improves touch screen response. Hope this helps! Thank you Chris I will look for the new tablets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anette D. Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I really like my ipad2. No trouble reading because the screen is larger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 quote - In my research, most tablets run with the droid system. The guy at Best Buy said the reason is that Windows is not as good at using touch screen technology as droid. He suggested waiting until windows 8 comes out (this summer I believe) and more tablets will be available with windows technology. New and improves touch screen response. I have an IBM tablet that I've had for 4 years and runs Windows 7. I have zero problem with using the touch screen technology. I think the problem is that most tablets don't have the processing speed or memory to run Windows 7. My IBM tablet was pretty pricy. There are now some tablets on the market that run Windows 7 and are around $600 - $700. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisquilter Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Thanks Heidi, I can only offer what the best buy "guy" told me. Not having a windows tablet, I will defer to your first hand knowledge. Perhaps the windows tablets will have faster processors. I will wait for the new ones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Originally posted by chrisquilter Thanks Heidi, I can only offer what the best buy "guy" told me. Not having a windows tablet, I will defer to your first hand knowledge. Perhaps the windows tablets will have faster processors. I will wait for the new ones! They may have faster processors but I'll bet that Windows 8 is also a bigger memory hogger too! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 hi - first of all...what's wrong with the 90's, sandra? but seriously.... i got a kindle fire for my birthday, which was around thanksgiving. i really liked it. on new years eve it stopped working. just would not turn on. when i returned it, the guy at best buy said they were getting a lot of them back cause they were broken. if you read the reviews, they are mixed. i opted for the regular kindle cause i had to get something for all the books i bought in the month i had that kindle fire. & i got an iPad for the net and email when i'm on the road, which has been a lot lately! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Can anyone tell me if Kindle ebooks are able to be downloaded on to the IPad? I know that IBooks and Nook do work on mine, but haven't tried the Kindle ones yet. I did put SketchbookX on my Ipad. It is a fun drawing app (free). I haven't put photos on it yet to draw on, but want to get there. I would encourage the purchase of a stylus with any tablet that you are getting. It sure makes it easier to create or type and draw. We use Numbers spreadsheet on ours for our income business and the stylus makes it much nicer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOwens Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 We have the Kindle Fire and an Ipad. The fire does not have the great touch technology that the Ipad and Iphone have. But it is a good alternative to having an Ipad. You can download Ibooks on the Ipad. Meg, when my original Kindle stopped working Amazon replaced it overnight with no problem. The new Kindle fire was lost in the mail (?) before Christmas and they also sent a new one overnight with no complaints. Even with the few problems, they've gone out of their way to make sure we were satisfied. Happy New Year! Dana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakequilter Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I have a Kindle Fire and really like it. I use the Sketch Pad app and it allows you to draw designs and draw over your own pictures also. While there is no camera, it has most of the features you are looking for. What I like about is the size and how easy it is to use. It is not a computer though, so does have some limitations in that area. Just my 2 cents! Happy shopping:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindasewsit Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I like this thread! I have a Kindle. I am thinking about getting a fire. I am going to wait to see what the next Fire might have on it.... I am hoping a camera.. If it had a camera on it now, I would get it in a second! I would LOVE to have an IPad, but they are a little pricey for my budget! Maybe I should just save up for one. I would just use the wifi on it, I don't want the extra cost per month for a plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I love love love my Kindel Fire!!!! I didn't think I'd like it but My DH surprised me with it for Christmas! I have read 5 books since Christmas!!! I can check my email and do most everything I want. I can even use the document program and print it. I highly suggest it! Yes, you can download ebooks from Amazon to and ipad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 A trick my daughter taught me on the Ipad for GPS without wifi while traveling. If you know where you want to go for your destination (store, etc.) Google it from home or hotel and let the Ipad save the page, then when you are needing the directions, just open that saved page and you have your map. If you try to move anything on the page then, you will lose what was there. You can save more than one page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwilt-n-Deb Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I have a samsung galaxy. I use it all the time, great for internet, games, and directions. I did get the $20.00 a month service from verizon so I could use it when I travel, but it only cost $200.00 which was alot less than the Ipad I was looking into. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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