Reply With QuoteCurrently replying on a Windows linx 10, which will connect to a keyboard should I wish,
But using it simply for surfing so far I haven't bothered with the key board option, about £100.00 ish, bargain running Windows 10.
Hi... For a few years I've been using a nexus 7 which has done me well but it's now.... so...... painfully...... slow...... taking nearly 3 minutes to boot up and getting annoyingly frequent drop outs. I've done the 'return to default' procedure a couple of times but there's no real change in it. Is there an obvious problem that I could address or is it just past its best and needing replacement?
Now Xmas is looming and Mrs. Barryboy could be persuaded to buy me a new one case need. But what to get? Should I stick with Android or look at Windows offerings? I rather like the concept of being able to attach a keyboard to the tablet and get what is in effect a laptop but the budget will be unlikely to go beyond £200. My daughter says buy an Ipad but I've got a thing about Apple so that's not going to happen.
Should add that I only use it around the house on my home wifi so not really worried about 3G/4G etc. Grateful for any advice.
Rob
Currently replying on a Windows linx 10, which will connect to a keyboard should I wish,
But using it simply for surfing so far I haven't bothered with the key board option, about £100.00 ish, bargain running Windows 10.
I too was introduced to tablets via a Nexus 7. I have progressed (via the SC) to a Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5" and lately a Galaxy Tab S2 8.0". I'd thoroughly recommend the latter, as I'm very impressed with it. I got the 10.5" so a have a big screen for my ageing eyesight...and it's very good. I bought the keyboard but have yet to use it in anger. Another useful thing is that I also have a Samsung phone.
The 8" came as a bit of a revelation...it's so much easier to use when on the move. The best bit is that the clarity of the screen is such that I can see it (in landscape) generally as well as the larger one (which I like to use in portrait).
RRP is over your budget, but there will be offers out there somewhere.
Just my two-pennyworth...
I'd suggest a Fire tablet and a Chromebook, which covers both your requirements and is within budget.
Originally Posted by bonzo697
This is a very good shout
The chrome books are awesome
If it was the original nexus 7 then these are well known for incurable slow down (I can't recall the reason off the top of my head).
I personally still use a 2012 nexus 7 bought at launch, and it isn't the fastest thing in the world but still does the job just great, as does my nexus 10. I think that if you're after a new tablet, so long as you buy from a good brand e.g samsung, then it'll be hard to go wrong (and you can always do a quick google for a review of the thing)
The updated nexus 7 is still a very good tablet. I had the first version and like everybody else it just started to slow down with long pauses even during use,I tried everything including putting on a custom ROM but the only thing that really worked for me was selling it and getting the revised model which I still have.
There have been persistent rumours all year that a new Nexus 7 is on the way but there's still no confirmation. I hope one does come, but tablets are no longer big sellers so I have my doubts that Google will ever bother with another one.
Thanks, all. Any thoughts on the Windows vs Android question?
Bit of a hijack but there seem to a few nexus7 owners. I used mine mainly for holiday flights and as a Sonos controller but the last time the battery died it refuses to come back on. Tried different chargers and pressing buttons in every order possible but no joy at all - any ideas? Bit reluctant to bin it as it's worked faultlessly until now
Have you googled? Seems to be a common problem.
Depends which version of windows it is. On the whole though, windows is fine for tablets, but the OS is a compromise in that it has been devised for both touch, and peripheral input. Android on the other hand is designed purely around touch, so naturally the experience is going to be a bit more fluid and seamless. I have a trio of windows 10 tablets, and a duo of android tablets. For tablet use, android is more convenient, windows is more versatile.
Last edited by hafle; 4th December 2016 at 19:33.
I have Tony, next step seems to be removing the battery. Unfortunately if I can't fix something with a hammer,bolster and some pink grip it's going in the bin. Was hoping for an easy fix but google says no
You've probably tried this, but with my android tablets I find that I have to leave it plugged in for a period of time (to get the battery charged to a certain level) before it'll start powering on again. If you insist on binning it though, by all means send it my way :)
I've had this with my nexus 7 mk1, for me just leaving it simmering plugged in for an hour or so worked and it then turned on and booted up.
there can be only one,
As a keen buyer of Amazon ebooks ( as well as web browsing) I've tried Amazon Fire's twice. First time (about a year ago) I thought it was too cumbersome and clunky and recently tried again as I was changing my tablet. I find them overburdened with bloatware and too linked in to Amazon for my comfort. They both get sent back.
Now use a Lenovo Tab3 which is good, fast and, as I only have the seven inch model it fits nicely in my pocket so I can take it with me easily everywhere I go.
I too was introduced to tablets via a Nexus 7. I have progressed (via the SC) to a Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5" and lately a Galaxy Tab S2 8.0". I'd thoroughly recommend the latter, as I'm very impressed with it. I got the 10.5" so a have a big screen for my ageing eyesight...and it's very good. I bought the keyboard but have yet to use it in anger. Another useful thing is that I also have a Samsung phone.
The 8" came as a bit of a revelation...it's so much easier to use when on the move. The best bit is that the clarity of the screen is such that I can see it (in landscape) generally as well as the larger one (which I like to use in portrait).
RRP is over your budget, but there will be offers out there somewhere.
Just my two-pennyworth...
Similar here. Didn't get a 10, but now have the S 8 inch. Really very good. About 220 second hand
And yeah. I still have my original Nexus 7, and I would love to 'root' it and keep it usable as well. It wasn't cheap and I don't want it to go to waste
If you think it would keep it usable for you why don't you root it?
Have finally decided. It's to be an ASUS ZENPAD Z300 from Curry's at £99. Specs are 10.1" screen, Android marshmallow, 2GB Ram, 16GB HD, decent quality screen and can accept micro SD cards. Seemed like the best combination of price and spec in my budget.
Rob
Because the last time I tried to root my phone, I followed the instructions religiously but nearly bricked it and spent 3 hours getting it back to it's normal condition.
I have a degree in Computer Science and 20 years experience, so it bugs the shit out of me i couldn't do it but there you go. I am not sure if it has become easier since then, but there were a number of stages and downloads, and at each one something could not work.
I don't think rooting will transform your tablet in any way (old hardware is old hardware) but have you tried this?
http://www.wugfresh.com/nrt/
I'm with your daughter, suggest you put aside your disdain for Apple, just temporarily, and try an I Pad before dismissing it out of hand.
I, too, have my reservations re Apple but the Ipad is without doubt the best tablet I have come across.
^^ this, exactly.
The iPad is the best tablet around BUT they do cost a small fortune and my iPad Air is 3 years old and the battery life is now really poor so is it really worth paying all that extra for an iPad hmmm I don't think it is, I just got my wife Linda an Acer Chromebook and while the screen is a lower resolution and the specs aren't as good as the iPad I am absolutely blown away by the sheer quality of it and brand new for £150 a bargain indeed! As all we want it for is browsing and for that it is perfect and the lower resolution screen is absolutely superb and really surprised me :)
Best is utterly subjective. I bought an iPad air 2. Sold it within a foetnight and went back to my Nexus. The OS was a load of crap compared to android in my opinion. Their hardware is fantastic, no denying that, but i'll not buy an iOS device again.
One of the best (and easily the most underrated) android tablets out there is the nvidia k1.
Fantastic specs, good display, convenient form factor and expandable memory for a very reasonable price
https://shield.nvidia.co.uk/store/tablet/k1
Alex
Ipad for me.
Never had any Apple kit until year ago when bought iPad mini. Liked it so much now have iPhone too. Can't understand criticism of the OS - really don't really need to interact with it much and does what it has to.
Trying an iPad is also a safe option. You could take advantage of John Lewis 90 day returns or buy used off AVForums?
Equally if you buy new they are very easy to sell on nearly new or used and you should not take too much of a hit.
ipad mini here too: go for the two or the four - the one is under-powered now and the three barely improves on the two. However if you really want android, then the Nvidia Shield packs a fair bit of oomph into a low priced tablet.
Ive just picked up a samsung galaxy tab 7 for £99 in currys for part of the wifes xmas cheapest by £30 anywhere on the net.
Myself i have the ipad mini but just the 1st gen which is getting slower by the moment 😫
In my opinion, it isn't really a criticism that the OS is bad, but that it doesn't match the user. For example, iOS certainly does what it has to do, but no more. A lot of people want to be able to do more with their OS, hence thinking Android, Microsoft, or Linux are better. If the OS was actually bad then there wouldn't be so many people happily using it. As I stated, it's subjective.
I see that Barryboy (Rob) has decided on a Zenpad from Asus, which is something I was probably going to advise him, they do well in tests and of course Android is the way to go if a) you don't want to be stuck in the last decade, b) you don't want to go broke and c) you want to keep control of your file system.
The latter is the main reason why I would always pick Android over an iOS device. iOS makes it impossible to organize your files as you normally would on any computer, in file folders where you can stuff various types of files that all have to do with the same project: texts, images, video files, pdfs, presentations or whatever. On an iOS device you can't say 'I'll stuff all the photos, diary entries and videos from my last holiday in one folder, and open them just by clicking on them/touching them'. Or 'I have found images and pdf manuals on a gadget I want to buy or use, let's put them all in one folder so I can find them where I expect to'. Every file has to be 'sent' to an application that will then receive its own copy of it in its own protected space, and if say you have installed a 3rd party photo viewer/editor, you will end up with multiple copies of a photo in the Apple Photo app and in the 3rd party viewer's own 'space' - meaning if you change something in a file with app A, that change will not be applied to the file's copy in app B. Which makes handling your files a mess and fills your storage space with unneccessary copies. Nor will the Apple device be recognized by any computer as a standard storage device to transfer files (without first installing iTunes on the computer), as it does not use the same way to organize files in the first place.
For me that is really the make-or-break difference. I do have an older iPad here that I inherited, and it's OK for consuming multimedia and some other stuff, but as soon as you start working from files you try to store in some logical way on the device, it gets horribly complicated and irritating.
In the file handing sense Android and Windows are way more practical than iOS.
Having said that, many Android devices (phones and tablets) tend to slow down over time as Google insists, even if you don't want it to, to install automatic updates for Google Play Services, to allow you to run recent versions of apps such as Google Maps, GMail, Google Hangouts and whatnot without needing to upgrade the whole operating system to a more recent type of candy. They may mean well (one hopes), but those Google Play Services updates become huge over time, eating up much of what seemed to be an adequate amount of RAM and ROM when you first bought the device. Thus it slows down unless you progressively deinstall various non-Google apps you have been using for years, to make room for the bloated Play Services that you cannot deinstall (well, you can but next time you log on, Google will reinstall the stuff again and in the meantime your Maps or whatever may not work properly). For that reason, if you get an Android device, get it with as much memory as you can - it will remain useful longer.
I hope this helps anyone looking for their Christmas present...
No, I don't expect it to transform it, but it's become much slower over time, and it is virtually unusable now. Any improvement would be good. That link looks good thanks. Certainly more simple than the instructions when I broke my phone.
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