Slashdot Mirror
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."
Check out lenovo
If you can get your hands on one, I'd highly recommend it. Got one for Christmas from my awesome GF and it took me longer to download all the SDKs and files than it actually took to root and ROM it.
Even without the keyboard, I've barely put mine down in the months since I bought it. You might be better off trying to pick up the original on the cheap now that its successor is on the way - it's a good, solid piece of hardware and it can be rooted easily too.
"It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
I was going to say B&N Nook Color. Install Cyanogen 7.1 (very easy to do), connectBot, hacker's keyboard, and Opera. The battery life is great, nice screen, dirt cheap. Tether it to your phone for non-wifi connectivity.
..but then I clicked your link for the Transformer Prime. Very nice. Yeah, get that one.
sig: sauer
That's what I read the title as. I thought of Marvin and Data. Of the two, only Data is an android, and while Marvin might be many ages-of-the-universe old, Data's head is three hundred years older than his body.
I have a friend who sounds almost identical in his needs ... he was traveling (3 months in Japan) and wanted something he could throw in his backpack and work from (web, ssh) if needed, without having to lug around a laptop. He got the ASUS Transformer with keyboard, and loves it -- he still uses it every day, and this is almost a year after buying it. Plus the doubled battery life the keyboard provides is really nice.
I own a Xoom and a Transformer. I love both.
The Xoom feels less plastic and more sturdy than the Transformer, and since the 3.2 update, the Xoom is just as great as the Transformer as used as a tablet-only. I actually prefer it to the Transformer. Now, the Transformer with the keyboard is just another piece of awesome for daily stuff.
So for your usage pattern I will definitely recommend the Transformer with the keyboard.
With all the, uh, street-cred up there, you mean to tell us you don't ALREADY have a Kindle Fire rooted and running the pre-alpha Ice Cream Sandwich????
I'd suggest that purely for size, a 7" tablet might be better for travelling. The Transformer is apparently a hell of a tablet though.
Now I'll share my personal experience from a 2-week trip to Ireland a few years ago. Sure tablets didn't exist way back in 2006 but here's my advice anyway.
SCREW THE TABLET. Get a REALLY NICE camera.
I did take my laptop (at the time a 12" Powerbook G4). It was used at night to download the hundreds of photos off the camera so I have space for photos the next day, and to do minor trip blogging. I did not find the time, opportunity, need or DESIRE to touch a computer during the day.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
you have linux then I assume that you also have a windows partition since linux also has few "commercial" apps available for it.
You are incorrect in that assumption. I do not have any hardware in my possession running windows. The only thing that I cannot do with linux that I might want to is playing video games, and I have a cell phone, and a wii (and soon an android tablet) for playing games on.
Frankly I am disappointed that so many people recomend I get and iPad when the OP specified that I want an ANDROID tablet. Just because the iPad is popular, doesn't mean that it is right for everyone. I also have an iPhone that my company bought me, but I don't use it because I like my android phone much much better. I also have a Macbook pro that my company provided, but I am typing this from my personal laptop running Fedora 15 because I like it more than the Mac.
Bottom Line: Apple makes some good products, and I recomend them to everyone that is content using the product in exactly the way the manufacturer intended, and do not need to customize things. But for me, a hacker/maker/tinkerer, I will much rather use android because it gives me the freedom to do all of the things I want to do with my hardware.
I would not suggest iPad 2. It suffers from horrible lags when web browsing that are frustrating to the point of unusability. Obviously, it doesn't handle flash sites. It has much less available in the way of quality free apps. The user interface is dumbed down or broken in many little ways that make the experience one long chain of annoyances.
Android tablets are much closer to being true laptop replacements on the road. On my last road trip I brought a netbook and a Xoom. I never used the netbook. I did all the browsing I needed with the Xoom and I edited text files using a bluetooth keyboard. I have QuickOffice on it, but I didn't use it this time. I look forward to the Android version of LibreOffice,I found I didn't really need a mouse, but I will get the Apple trackpad to use with the Xoom, apparently it works fine. Otherwise, I regard Apple's product as mainly for games and spending money. Not the best choice for a serious computer user.
Have you got your LWN subscription yet?
Are you kidding? The iPad 2 barley runs Android.
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
Your question will garner far more posts like the one above but I will add my 0.02.
I like the original Transformer (TF101-A1) very much and would suggest you take a look at it if the Prime is too pricey for what you want. The Prime is currently the only shipping Tegra 3 system I know of so to lump it in with the rest of your list isn't quit fair. While it's still yet to be field proven all indicators point to the Tegra 3 being quite a capable chip which will run for a very long time on a single charge.
Toshiba's Thrive is an interesting tablet. I have only tested it in store but I like it for the most part. The full size ports are a definite plus and the rubbery backing make for a slip free experience.
I don't have any experience with the Xoom or the Galaxy but you mentioned rooting and I was curious if you had posed this question over at XDA? I choose my android devices on price and rootability so the Nook Color has been my recommendation to all my non-technical friends looking for a cheap tablet.
Sony likes to cut off its nose to spite its face. Given their treatment of Geohot I would steer clear if you are looking for rooting. I'm sure you can root them just not sure what Sony's response will be to it.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
That's like asking what brand of hammer is best for hitting yourself in the nuts.
What if he doesn't want an iPad (which seems rather obvious from the question)?
I just bought a 16GB Transformer from B&H (cheap!), and I didn't even consider Apple since their philosophy doesn't really do it for me. The iPad might be the most awesome tablet in existence for some people, but this doesn't make it a universal. I WANTED an Android Tablet, and I find them superior to iOS devices. This isn't an attack on Apple or their customers, it is merely a matter of taste.
When someone states they want an Android tablet, why even bother stating "Get an iPad"? There are people in this world who don't like Apple for various reasons (just like there are people who can't stand Google or Microsoft), and this is fine. Their opinion is just as valid as yours. Some people don't want an iPad. Live with it. Telling people to buy something they already expressed no interest in considering isn't helpful, it is just obnoxious.
"I'm looking for a decent compact car, any suggestions?"
"Buy an SUV!"
I don't want an iPad because I can't stand Apple's direction and marketing strategy. The fact they like to force $500 upgrades yearly in order to have support. They fact that they decided that they can patent basic shapes. The fact that their founder had a God complex, and is on the record stating he wants to Balmerize the competition. I don't like the closed App store idea, nor the fact that I'm not supposed to own my own hardware. I don't like having a designers tastes shoved down my throat since they "know better". I don't particularly like iOS, or its interface (Yes, it does some things better than Android, but it does some things worse). I don't really like the hardware lock in. I've also had some fairly nasty experiences with their PCs before switching back to Windows and Linux. I like open source software (Android frustrates me too, but it is the closest of all the mobile OSs that are common, or don't suck). I don't want to be locked into iTunes. i don't want to be associated with the "bad type" of Apple fans, who feel the need to constantly show people their devices and try to get them to buy Apple products instead (being loyal to an impersonal mega corporation is annoying in itself) and rant about how Apple is the greatest thing in the world without ever once trying or experiencing non-Apple alternatives. (for my choice: I want to be able to make my tablet a Netbook at whim. I like the the size better, as well.) All of these are valid reasons for not liking the iPad. Or at least these are the ones I'll drag out when my Apple fanboi friends start ranting about their iPads and how much better than must be (a priori) than anything else in existence (even when one of them returned his because he couldn't actually find any use for it to justify its insane price tag, with data).
A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey
I would argue against the iPad 2 because he's already bought in to the Android ecosystem. When people ask me about tablets, I recommend sticking to one technology. If you have an iPhone, get an iPad -- you've already invested in iTunes (apps, movies, music, books) and everything will transfer back and forth easily. If you have an Android phone, get an Android tablet......again, you've spent money/time/effort in getting your phone to work the way you want.....do you really want to do that again with your tablet?
They are all good, but keep it simple by staying in one playground.
Here is the Acer Iconia A500 tab (just tab, power supply, and microUSB cable) for 199.
http://www.pcpartsohio.com/BookDetail.aspx?item_id=1333
It has a USB OTG host so you can plug in your USB stick to add storage / transfer data.
HoneyComb 3.1 already rooted, I suggest you root using this post
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1205204
Then install the ROM from tegraowners.com
Thor there has a great HC 3.2 ROM and also a very good and promising ICS ROM.
Also Ubuntu is being ported to it as well
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1158260
-Joseph