hoyateach

The search function showed, quite improbably, that no matches existed for the search terms "ipad" and "tablet," hence this post.

The title is self-explanatory. We're not looking for the latest/greatest/fastest tablet, just something usable, with good memory and performance. Long battery life is also important. Any recommendations to buy or avoid would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

cordelli

I believe for the last day or two no matter what you put in the search function, it would return no results. I think it may be broke.

It's always better to use google, put in your search terms followed by site:flyertalk.com. As long as you are looking for something in the public searchable areas, it will bring them up.

ipad tablet site:flyertalk.com

will bring you back many threads.

planemechanic

You need to better define what value means to you. Are you looking for the largest selection and broadest range of apps? That is one OS. Are you looking for the largest selection of cases and accessories? That is the same OS. Are you looking for the ability to tweak every single setting, but opening yourself to certain risks in having that ability? That is another OS. What kind of computer and phone do you use? That may have some bearing on what you would prefer. Do you have an upper dollar limit? Or can you afford to pay for whatever you decide is what you want, regardless of the initial cost?

Have you tried any tablets? If not, I suggest going to a store or borrowing a friends tablet and asking them about the device and their choices. Here you will find many on the Apple camp and many on the Android camp, and both are good choices for many people.

hoyateach

Thank you for the replies.

I've used a couple of iPads and liked them a lot. My wife is a Mac user. I have a PC. So brand is largely irrelevant. I know very little of apps. I do have an upper dollar limit and have been considering getting a refurbished or secondhand tablet.

All things being equal, since my wife's Mac is older than my PC, we'd probably go with an iPad and make it hers.

I'm asking friends and reading up online but given the wealth of knowledge on FT, it never hurts to ask here as well.

DeafFlyer

The iPad is probably your best bet. Maybe the iPad 2 price is now low enough for you. I'm very happy with mine. I'm no Apple fanboy either, but they hit a home run with this tablet..

YVR Cockroach

For around $200, I don't think you can go wrong with a Blackberry Playbook. May not have all the apps of an iPad but a lot cheaper, multitasks, and very solidly built.

nerd

In the spectrum of tablet prices, would an Ipad be at the value end?

planemechanic

Again, you would need to define value first before you could answer that question. To me? The best overall value is the iPad, but to others that would not be true. So it is not a simple yes or no answer.

nerd

But I did define it in my question.

Braindrain

If you can still get one, the HP Touchpad. The prices have dropped at CL and you can put Android on it.

I picked up the 32GB for $149.

chollie

CL?

Braindrain

Craigslist

Forgot to mention the specs of the Touchpad were quite decent. It's running a Tegra 2 at 1.2MHz and it comes unlocked and rooted. You can bump up the MHz to 1.5, where it's normally supposed to be.

As for Android, you can run Cyanogenmod. It comes in a Gingerbread flavour (Alpha 3.5) or ICS (Alpha 2). Personally, I'm keeping it on GB Alpha 3.5 as that seems to have less issues than the current ICS build.

hoyateach

Hmmm...

hoyateach

Also, hmmm...

planemechanic

Not really, which is why I asked you to clarify the term. If you are solely asking about price then the iPad is at the higher end, but price and price alone is a bad way to define value. What good is a cheaper product that doesn't do what you want, or in a manner that you like? A cheap tablet that sits in a drawer is a bad value, while an expensive one that is used every day is a great value.

Which, if you had better defined value, would have been more clear to everyone.