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Tablets: Nexus 7 or Galaxy2 7.0 ?
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Home › Forums › General Forums › General Lightweight Backpacking Discussion › Tablets: Nexus 7 or Galaxy2 7.0 ?
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Mar 31, 2013 at 12:40 am #1301101
Dont know where to post this since its tech not nature related.
Do any of you have any experience with these?
They are cheap at less than 200 but really i would like to have a smart phone and surf the net with wifi but without a damn data contract.I am not a geek so all this simcard talk just confuses my Mercury Sable mind.
I would use the tablet for websurf/email at home and for travel.I do not do music,video,movie downloads.With these cheaper tablets you cant get a dedicated internet service-you have to buy the more expensive version for that option(this is why a smart phone is nice- and because you can use it as a phone!).
Recently i downgraded to a dumbfone and like the no contract world.Mar 31, 2013 at 8:19 am #1971329I use a Galaxy tab for work. It does OK. Not real fast. I don't like the slippery plastic back on it though. There have been some major changes to some service plans lately. Dropping contracts. I would shop around some more.
Mar 31, 2013 at 10:11 am #1971366Dave:
Depends on where and maybe how long your travels are.
If, like me, you travel to all sorts of places, including the 'fourth world' — then the Nexus 7 is suboptimal. Its lack of a microSD card slot reminds me of my first tablet – the original iPad. Beautiful thing it was — except the only way to update or copy files was either by connecting to desktop (mothership) or over-the-air WIFI. Well, the first was impossible, and as for the second, WIFI could be darn hard to find in the third and fourth worlds. One of my travel PDF file got corrupted somehow — and it would have been nice to just copy over from a backup card — but no, in my case, I had to wing it until I finally got to a place with wifi — then email the publisher to send me another copy. And then wait a day and then look for Wifi again…
When traveling, there are the apps I use:
o browser
o email
o Skype (pay $30 a year and you can call US and Canada from anywhere in the world where you can find Wifi — no time limit)
o Music
o Photo
o PDF reader / Kindle — for travel guidebooks, other reading
o Language translatorMar 31, 2013 at 2:53 pm #1971456the lack of usb is what i notice on these tabs…like if i want to transfer pics from my real camera which i do quite a bit.Only the acer iconia has a standard usb but that tab is massive.I like the ipad but i cant justify the xtra 150-200 bux.This is all brings me back to either a small laptop or figuring out how to use a smartphone as tablet via wifi without data contracts.I see galaxys as low as 150$.
Mar 31, 2013 at 4:41 pm #1971481Dave:
Just like with gear pieces, it's all about compromises. You won't find USB ports on most tablets because it would make for a thick and clunky tablet. Most tablets offer microSD card slots instead.
Now, many (if not most) cameras this day and age use SD cards. If your camera does as well — then you can switch to using microSD cards instead — with an SD card adapter. Your camera won't know the difference. And when you want to view or transfer photos to your tablet — simply insert the microSD card.
The microSD card (use with adapter) seems to be the lowest common denominator nowadays for computers, tablets, cameras and phones.
Mar 31, 2013 at 7:03 pm #1971523Received the Google Nexus as a present. The screen is nice but the tablet seized up on me. Tried to force a restart and all the suggested tricks I could find online to no avail. Was all ready to mail it off then my wife tries to turn it on one last time and voila! If this event never happened then I'd give it a 4/5 for the money.
I think buying an iPhone 4s and using it sans SIM card is a good idea. I don't know if the phones work with Apple's SD card adapter or not. You'd presumably have a decent web browser, skyper, camera, GPS, etc. I opted for the 4s in lieu of the 5 and am happy with it but haven't removed the SIM card yet to see if it restricts use of any of my aps. Didn't w my 3GS so I'm assuming not.
Apr 1, 2013 at 8:35 am #1971647Something like this will give you usb 2.0 on a nexus 7
http://www.amazon.com/eForCity-Micro-USB-OTG-Adapter/dp/B005QX7KYU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1364830557&sr=1-1&keywords=micro+usb+to+usbI like my nexus 7, but I mainly use it to surf the net while on the crapper, or in bed. I don't use too many apps. Screen quality is excellent, grippy textured backside is a nice touch. Build quality is okay…a little bit of creaking when I flex mine.
Apr 1, 2013 at 2:22 pm #1971759Konrad:
Do you know of similar contraption but with a SD or microSD slot at the other end instead of USB?
EDIT: Do you think this will work on the Nexus 7?
Apr 1, 2013 at 8:30 pm #1971885im pretty sure it will work with the nexus7 my buddy has something similar for the nexus 10
Apr 3, 2013 at 6:08 am #1972279I have a Nexus 7 that I like quite a bit. It works as you'd expect from a tablet – pretty fast, small, versatile and Jellybean is a nice operating system (I also have a Mac and an iPhone so I'm partial to Apple, but Jellybean is every bit as good as iOS in my opinion).
I also have a slightly older Galaxy Tab 10.1. It is currently rooted with Ice Cream Sandwich – I've been gearing up to load Jellybean on it. It is a nice tablet, works fine and I have no complaints about it either.
Neither has a micro SD slot but that has not been an issue for my uses – admittedly I have WiFi most places I use them.
The biggest difference for me at least is the Google device gets Android updates straight from Google. Samsun pushes their own updates on their own schedule – typically with the Samsung interface on top which I don't care for. Hence why mine is rooted to basic Android. Not a huge deal but loading new Android ROMs to update the Samsung requires some time and energy and know how… the Google device uploads easily with a tap.
At this point I'd be hard pressed to get a tablet or Android phone from any source other than Google… I really like the straight Android experience.
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