Tablets

[JB400]

    After having the hard drive of my laptop quit, I've been doing some research for a suitable replacement, one of which is a tablet.  Unfortunately, I know nothing about them.  I'd like to get one with a couple USB ports so that I can hook it up to the tv and a gaming controller.  From what I've seen, a 2n1 tablet meets this requirement.  Do you have any recommendations on which one to look at?

   Also, I've noticed that most of them are Google based.  Does the Google setup work just like the Microsoft setup on a laptop?  Does Google's store contain the same apps that the Microsoft store does?  I'd like to get the same games that I was playing on my laptop if possible.  Games, movies, and DC.com is what I used my laptop for, and is what I'll be using the tablet for.

                                                         Thanks for any input

[Ponch ®]

   After having the hard drive of my laptop quit, I've been doing some research for a suitable replacement, one of which is a tablet.  Unfortunately, I know nothing about them.  I'd like to get one with a couple USB ports so that I can hook it up to the tv and a gaming controller.  From what I've seen, a 2n1 tablet meets this requirement.  Do you have any recommendations on which one to look at?

   Also, I've noticed that most of them are Google based.  Does the Google setup work just like the Microsoft setup on a laptop?  Does Google's store contain the same apps that the Microsoft store does?  I'd like to get the same games that I was playing on my laptop if possible.  Games, movies, and DC.com is what I used my laptop for, and is what I'll be using the tablet for.

                                                         Thanks for any input

you should be able to have netflix, amazon, and any of the streaming services on a google tablet (and access to DC.com, of course). That being said, no MS Office or windows only games.

Maybe you should look into a Windows based tablet.

[miller time]

I have a Nexus 7 its all I have, its OK having a tablet but it's not a full replacement for a laptop 

[b5blue]

Go to Walmart and pick one out to try. You'll have 14 days to try it and return if you don't like it. 

[Ponch ®]

Go to Walmart and pick one out to try. You'll have 14 days to try it and return if you don't like it. 

Whatever you do, dont buy the cheaper ones. Youll hate it after a while - they usually run older versions of android and tend to be slow / unresponsive.

Better off spending the extra $ on something thatll perform better.

[Dino]

I have an Asus Transformer TF700T. It's a 10" tablet with separate keyboard. The tablet itself has an hdmi output so I use that to hook it up to the TV. The keyboard has a USB port. The keyboard also has a built in battery that charges the tablet's battery. The tablet lasts about 8 hours with plenty use and the keyboard adds about 10 hours to that.

It's a good tablet but I do prefer a good laptop to be honest. Still, it's nice to have.

I found that the tablet could get a bit laggy at times so I rooted it and installed another Android system. Works like a charm now!

If I'd get another one I would consider the Samsung Galaxy tab for Android and the Surface Pro for Windows.   

[LaOtto70Charger]

I have a 8" Samsung Galaxy Tab 4.  Works good on world of tank Blitz with no major lag issues.  Also I watch a lot Netflix.  So much that I barely use the TV anymore since I just have the tablet sitting right in front of me the screen size doesn't matter.  No external USB on the version I have.  It does take a 64gb mini SD card though which is nice.  You can also set up to store movies, apps, and picture to that to save on storage space.  That part was really nice on a trip to China in January.  Had the company laptop but for entertainment while traveling it is hard to beat. 

Oh and you can download free versions of Microsoft excel and word for Android.  It works a lot better than the outlook version that I was using on our I-pad. 

I would like to get try a Surface Pro and probably would have bought that.  The only reason we got the Tab 4 was AT&T had a promotional going for $10 a month you get the tablet with 4g connectivity.  Can't make phone calls but can download data on the go.  Can even download Google navigator.  Should make the next road trip nice with movies, and music predownloaded. 

[Ponch ®]

We got the Tab 4....Can't make phone calls...

Actually you can. Just set up a google voice account and install the google hangouts dialer. Voice assigns you a phone # and you can make calls from any of your android devices that have the apps installed and are linked to that particular google account.

Comes in handy for business stuff or even if you want to post somethig on craigslist and dont want to give out your "real" number.

That being said, the calls are made through your data. If you dont have a lot of it on your plan you may wanna use it mostly on wifi.