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  • looking for a tablet: android, ios or Windows?

    Hello,

    I'm in the market for a tablet... main intended use would be inflight navigation, which is available on all platforms. Important features are GPS (I would get one with a built-in gps, but I have a bluetooth/USB gps module which works with Android and Windows that might be more accurate). 3G/LTE connectivity could be interesting I think (I have a USB modem, but built in would be less hassle). Battery life is important, power from USB seems convenient but not mandatory, 7" is too small for the purpose, I would guess at least 9".

    FWIW, I have an iPAD (no 3G/gps, so not usable for this - I did not realize GPS went hand in and with 3G) and a cheap 7" Android tablet (lacks bluetooth and gps, has miserable battery life) and 2 android phones. I also have a 7 year old Fujitsu Siemens tablet. From my experiences with them, I would rate the following:
    iOS:
    + nice interface
    + build quality / battery life
    - price
    - fixed amount of storage (or even higher price)
    + software support
    - limited connectivity with other hardware

    Android
    - slightly more clumsy interface
    ? build quality / battery life depending on manufacturer
    ? price seems to go hand in hand with the second item
    + expandable storage
    - software support may be limited by Android version (which may be limited by lack of updates)
    - limited connectivity with other hardware (storage might work, printers not - more hit or miss)

    Windows
    ? no idea about the interface on a true tablet
    ? build quality / battery life depending on manufacturer
    ? price seems to go hand in hand with the second item
    - software support seems quite guaranteed (e.g. Windows 10 will be supported for quite some years to come)
    - good connectivity with other hardware (storage, printers, ...)

    A higher end Android starts to fall in the same range as Windows 10 tablets (considering reputable manufacturers), but still cheaper than staring prices of Apple. I noticed with my Android phones that they start to be limited in apps, as they run older Android versions. Without upgrade possibilities, this will impact their lifetime; this is ok for a phone, but is a bit worse for a tablet which should last longer.

    I'm leaning towards the Windows 10 option, as it might double as a replacement for my current laptop. But I'm not sure... Any thoughts?
    pixar
    Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

  • #2
    I've got the full set in my house.

    I have an iPad2, pretty good in all areas.

    I have a Surface Pro 2 - great for use as a small PC for commuting, not so great as a tablet imo. App store is small, tablet heavy.

    I bought wifey a cheap 10" Android tablet at Christmas. Recently I replaced it with a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition)- should have bought this first. Brilliant spec. I actually got a refurb model for £180.

    We also have iPhones, 8" android tablet and 3 Android phones (a no-name, a Note 2 and a Note 3). All good but I'd say keep it separate for battery life.
    FT.

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    • #3
      There's also Jolla

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      • #4
        @FT: Thanks!
        Initially I was more leaning towards a Windows Tablet as I think its OS might be supported longer (or at least not become a limiting factor). I still fear that with Android, the device and OS are more tied. But perhaps my fear is ungrounded. But now I'm also looking at an Asus Android Tablet.

        For the intended purpose, either OS should be fine. Main issue is what I want next to that... IMO, an Android tablet or IOs tablet are nice browsing/email/gaming tools, but not really work tools. Even a light Windows tablet would allow me some more functionality and connectivity.

        The Asus tablet I'm looking at adds GPS and LTE connection (two things which the Windows tablet I'm looking at does not have), and at a lower price. I will test my bluetooth GPS on Windows 10 and the decision might hinge on that one (I have a USB 3G modem which should suffice, but the tablet I'm looking at has just one USB port...).

        @UtwigMU: there is? :-P
        pixar
        Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

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        • #5
          I have a Surface Pro 3 checked out from work, and it's pretty awesome. The SP3 line is expensive though. No way around that. It's designed to be a Macbook Air competitor, not an iPad/tablet contender.

          Usual disclaimer: Nothing official here. Pure speculation based off semi-reliable Internet rumor.

          I'm about 100% positive the Surface Pro 4 line will be announced shortly before the Win10 launch. The rumor mill says that at least one smaller SP4 variant will get announced, maybe more. The variant is supposed to run a lower end Broadwell-M, or possibly a tablet grade Celeron and/or Atom processor. That way you get full x86 compatibility (within GPU limits) at a tablet competitive price point. Mobile carriers are starting to cozy up to Windows a bit more, so there will likely be some LTE integration in the major market segments.




          If you go the Android route, check out the CyanogenMod support devices. Cyanogen makes the best custom ROMs. They are often times even better than the original ones. They are even building their own Android branch and product lines (similar to what Amazon does with the Fire tablets). They also tend to keep device support longer than the OEM.

          http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Devices#type="phablet","tablet","media device";
          Last edited by Jammrock; 30 March 2015, 08:50.
          “Inside every sane person there’s a madman struggling to get out”
          –The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett

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          • #6
            Agree on the awesomness of Surface Pro 3, boss has it and I set it up for him and got to play with it. It's expensive but still cheaper than what i paid for used X61 tablet which was it's predecessor. I would seriously consider it for myself as I very liked X61.

            That said, windows application eperience is a bit meh, you don't even have what's ap and the way boss uses it is mainly desktop apps and with type cover as a laptop.

            IMO it boils down to:
            iPad: +build quality, lots of apps, screen aspect ratio, -price, walled garden
            Android: +price, lots of apps, can root, use your own thing, -aspect ratio
            Windows +can run Win32 apps and double as a laptop, -not as many apps, aspect ratio

            I'd say to just display flight manuals, iPad with it's good screen, standardization, would be best. If you want to root it, run cyanogen mod, customize it, use mp3s... then get Android tablet. Windows modern has few apps (Jolla at least runs Android ) but if you like the device and your flight stuff works, then consider it. Get surface if you want your tablet to double as a laptop - if you might type often (you can also use bluetooth kb/mouse and miracast screen) and you don't already have a laptop Surface is best.
            Last edited by UtwigMU; 30 March 2015, 09:22.

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            • #7
              I've changed my idea for the screensize, 7-8 inch ought to suffice. I read about the SurfacePro4, but assume it will be more than I want to spend on this.

              The androids I'm looking at are the Asus Nexus 7 (16GB) and the Asus MemoPad8.
              The Windows tablets are the Toshiba Encore 2 WT8-B-102 , Acer Iconia W3-810 32GB and Acer Iconia W3-810 64GB

              None has a modem, and only the Asus Android ones have GPS. So a big thing will be whether or not the bluetooth gps I have works. The Cyanogenmod suggestion is a good one... But I'm out of luck with my last 2 phones, SonyEricsson X10 mini pro (still many unresolved issues in the stable build, now it is not even available for download) and Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman (fully operator locked, no unlocking possible), so while it may extend the usable lifetime of some android devices, it may be difficult to predict.
              pixar
              Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

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              • #8
                Imo just get the iPad mini, it wil make life easier even if it's more expensive. Acer is definitely not for the kind of guy who has Xeons at home.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by UtwigMU View Post
                  -not as many apps
                  Only if you're counting Windows Store modern apps vs iTune/Play store apps. Win x86 has more apps that both iTune and Play combined.

                  Which is one reason why Win10 is going to be free across the board. Get people on Win10 and build a case for Universal apps. Lots of people on Win10 means lots of people buying apps in the Windows Store, means more people will build "modern" apps.


                  I'm not an Apple fan, and not for the obvious reason. I would go with a Samsung or ASUS tablet over an iPad.
                  “Inside every sane person there’s a madman struggling to get out”
                  –The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett

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                  • #10
                    Speak of the devil...

                    Surface 3 (non-Pro) announced today. Quad-core Atom x7-Z8700 processor, pen+touch, LTE, 10.8" 1920x1280 screen, 2GB RAM+64GB disk or 4GB RAM+128GB disk configurations.



                    Discover a range of Microsoft Surface devices built for all the ways you create, work, play and connect. Unleash your creativity with Microsoft Surface laptops, dual screens, 2-in-1 PCs and All-in-One devices.


                    Lower end starts are $499, higher end starts at $599. LTE prices no available yet, but I would guess at least $50 on top the current price. Type cover and pen sold separately. Which I still think is a mistake.
                    “Inside every sane person there’s a madman struggling to get out”
                    –The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett

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                    • #11
                      Speaking of Surface, have you gotten wireless display with Surface 3 Pro working? I ordered Asus Miracast wireless HDMI dongle and it didn't work with either TP 540p nor Surface Pro3.

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                      • #12
                        I see the aspect ratio on the surface as a plus, but that might just be me..
                        "Perhaps they communicate by changing colour? Like those sea creatures .."
                        "Lobsters?"
                        "Really? I didn't know they did that."
                        "Oh yes, red means help!"

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Wulfman View Post
                          I see the aspect ratio on the surface as a plus, but that might just be me..
                          Oh yeah, I fully agree. I *hate* 16:9, want at least 16:10. It really makes such a difference.
                          Join MURCs Distributed Computing effort for Rosetta@Home and help fight Alzheimers, Cancer, Mad Cow disease and rising oil prices.
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                          • #14
                            I came across this Windows 8.1 model:


                            It seems to have its own GPS, and all other functionality I need, just no internal modem, but that was not a big requirement - I most likely would tether from my phone anyway. It is a bit low on ports (no hdmi, just one USB micro, which I suspect also doubles for USB OTG (any thoughts?)), but can be had for as little as 150 EUR. As it has its built-in gps, compatibility with my bluetooth gps is less important.
                            It should run Windows 10 fine... I always have problems finding useful apps on iOS (usually expensive) or Android (they need a ton of rights), whereas I have my set of open source applications I use on Windows...

                            Jörg
                            pixar
                            Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by UtwigMU View Post
                              Speaking of Surface, have you gotten wireless display with Surface 3 Pro working? I ordered Asus Miracast wireless HDMI dongle and it didn't work with either TP 540p nor Surface Pro3.
                              Yes I've gotten it working, with the MSFT Wireless Display Adapter. I've done some nice low-level research on Miracast and Windows as well.

                              Miracast uses WiFi Direct, which bypasses the wireless AP and connects directly. It's supported natively in Windows 8+. Win7- needs a third-party app for it to work.

                              Miracast works by using a special virtual wireless adapter that connects to the Miracast device through the physical wNIC without interrupting network/Internet connectivity. Because of this it uses the Public firewall profile to connect.

                              Anyway, the two major problems are 1. the video drivers, 2. the firewall. For the SP3 make sure you have the latest drivers and firmware installed.




                              Next make sure the Wifi Direct and Wireless Display firewall rules are enabled in Windows Firewall with Advanced Security. You can also try disabling the firewall (the proper way) to see if that's the issue.

                              Find help and how-to articles for Windows operating systems. Get support for Windows and learn about installation, updates, privacy, security and more.


                              Do not stop the Windows Firewall service in newer versions of Windows (Vista+). It breaks network security. Leave the service running and then disable the firewall (the proper way) if you don't want to use it.

                              Hopefully that helps.
                              “Inside every sane person there’s a madman struggling to get out”
                              –The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett

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