Ask Slashdot: Best Android Tablet For Travel?

PerlJedi writes "I am planing a long trip (to Ireland), and want to buy an Android tablet to take along for the trip. I am a software engineer (I actually work for Slashdot), a Linux geek, and an Android fan. I would like to get a tablet primarily to use for entertainment (when I'm not working or building robots in my workshop, I'm usually playing with my phone), but something I could get some work done from in a pinch would be a major plus (all I need to be able to work is a Web browser, and an ssh terminal, preferably with a keyboard). My current cell phone is the Samsung Charge, rooted and running GummyCharge 2.1, and it is a good bet I'll want to root whatever tablet I get, if not right away, soon after getting it. From an entertainment standpoint I want something that is large enough to watch high definition videos on, with a battery life that will make it practical for use on a long flight. Having a decent camera would be a nice plus, but is not an absolute necessity. Having a forward facing camera for video chat would also be good, but is also not a necessity." PerlJedi's got a few options in mind; read on for the details of his reasoning and help him fulfill his quest. "My brief initial search has yielded the following initial contenders:

• Asus Transformer Prime: This is currently my favorite, for a few reasons: Tegra 3 quad core processor (that's just plain cool); it's designed with a docking station in mind, making it perfect for using for work; sleek, thin design; light weight; available with up to 64 GB. It is on the pricey side, though.
• Toshiba Thrive: I must admit, I know very little about this one. Unlike the others, I have not heard much hype around it. From what I've read thus far, pros include: full-size SD slot; full USB support; full HDMI support. Cons: Bulkier and heavier than its opponents.
• Motorola XOOM: This one has been available for some time, which can be both good and bad. Its problems should be known and understood by now, but it's lost some of the sex appeal of the new product.
• Samsung Galaxy Tab: The Galaxy tab line has also been on the market for a while. It does have some added appeal to me because my phone is also from Samsung, so the rooting processes, and available ROMs, will be more familiar to me.
• Sony Tablet S: Like the Toshiba, I have heard little hype about this tablet. Its feature set also seems similar to the Toshiba. I must admit here, I may be a bit biased against Sony over some of their recent treatment of the hacker/maker community."

Comments

Don't waste your time, get an iPad

[jmcbain]

If you value your time, then you should get an iPad. There is absolutely no use in shelling out good money for an inferior Android product and then trying to get it to work correctly and efficiently. The iPad ecosystem also has a ton of productivity applications, games, and peripherals. If you like programming, then software development in iOS is fun and well supported by excellent iOS documentation and forums.

An iPad 2 would be the best choice.

[aristotle-dude]

I offer the following reasons:
1. It has a high resale value in case you want to upgrade to an iPad 3 later or actually want an Android tablet later.
2. iOS offers multiple remote connection options like Citrix Receiver, Join.me, Logmein Ignition, Webex, VNC app, RDP apps an X-windows client and various SSH clients on the app store.
3. iOS offers some of the best browser out there including the built-in Safari and third party ones like iCab which offer some extensions and file downloads.
4. The iPad 2 is one of the most usable tablets out there and it is used by mac and windows users. If you have linux then I assume that you also have a windows partition since linux also has few "commercial" apps available for it.

Re:Hmmmmm....

[Anonymous Coward]

I agree. If you value your time, then you should get an iPad. There is absolutely no use in shelling out good money for an inferior Android product and then trying to get it to work correctly and efficiently. The iPad ecosystem also has a ton of productivity applications, games, and peripherals. If you like programming, then software development in iOS is fun and well supported by excellent iOS documentation and forums.

Re:if it ain't broke...

[Aryden]

I have an iPad 2 and I have a Touchpad with Cyanogen's alpha android build. I haven't touched the iPad since I installed android on the touchpad. The iPad is about to go on ebay.

Who is the true zealot...

[SuperKendall]

He placed the condition of an Android tablet.

And he placed other conditions on software. So it was left to use to determine which was more important.

Apple iZealots refuse to acknowledge

I'll just stop right there and ask the audience this question:

I am saying the person should use the device which has the best and widest range of software for the tasks he wishes to perform.

Microlith here insists that be discard and you buy hardware based solely on a vendor, not capability...

Who then is the zealot? I am willing to buy whatever hardware best meets my needs. Microlith and others are in siting you can only go one way - just because, even though it doesn't do as well what they claim they want to do.

I would define the real zealot as the one who cannot bend even in the face of something that would be advantageous to them...

Sorry, pure bullshit. You're left waiting for a jailbreak to come along

Which is usually about a week or two, since everyone gets dev builds - and it's not like Apple is actually doing anything technically to break jail breakers.

Learn before you speak.