[Polomoney]

I'm debating whether to get an iPad 2 or not. I've got an itouch which I love, but keep changing my mind on whether to upgrade or not. Anyone got one, and if so was it worth it or would you pass if given the choice again?

[honeyboy edwards]

If you are feeling flush go for it, but if money is tight, try the Kogan Agora. It got a good review in Stuff this month and does most of what an iPad can do at a fraction of the cost.

[MattBairn]

Just get a laptop, cheaper and can do more.

[honeyboy edwards]

MattBairn, on 12 October 2011 - 16:58, said:

Just get a laptop, cheaper and can do more.

Thats my take on it.

Why pay more for a product which does less.

[Polomoney]

How much does the ipad2 cost in the Uk?

[Kris.]

Polomoney, on 12 October 2011 - 20:27, said:

How much does the ipad2 cost in the Uk?

The cheapest unit is £399, pricey.

I bought one last Wednesday, and I've never been off it. It's a great piece of kit. I'd been put off not getting one sooner, as I seen it as a sort of larger iPhone that didn't make texts or calls (I've got the iPhone 4) - although I guess it is, technically.

Matt raised a good point though, a laptop can do more, and for a smaller price. It depends what you're looking to use it for. I didn't need a laptop, so I didn't really have to choose between one or the other, just whether I really wanted to spend that kind of money on a tablet. It's been worth every penny so far.

[Polomoney]

Very interesting. My itouch is great (perfect for me keeping up to date with the scores at breakfast on a Saturday morning) but it is a bit small. I really like the idea of getting an iPad, but struggle with figuring out whether it is worth it. That, and the fact that some comparable android systems are now available for $250 over here.

[flyingscot]

I just updated my Android tablet to honeycomb which is a big improvement in my view. Honeycomb tablet for 200 notes is great value.

This post has been edited by flyingscot: 16 October 2011 - 19:32

[pub car king]

I would love an iPad but they are so expensive going to wait and see what the amazon kindle fire turns out like

[saint dave]

flyingscot, on 15 October 2011 - 13:29, said:

I just updated my Android tablet to honeycomb which is a big improvement in my view. Honeycomb tablet for 200 notes is great value.

Just got a archos 7 tab from HMV for £119 , got it for email and web browsing , shopping etc. Good responsive screen and can play hd content. Looks like a decent buy after having a wee mess about with it tonight , but , if any of our boffins know any good stuff to do to it/ for it , I'd appreciate it as it's the first android thing I've had.

[Div]

I held off for ages getting an iPad 2 but eventually caved in and took the plunge a couple of months back.

I love it. It's a beautiful bit of kit. I use it for surfing, emailing, playing games, watching TV, it's really fantastic.

There are of course loads of cheaper tablets than it around, but for me anyway it is the app store that really makes the difference and makes it worth the extra investment.

I am sure the Android marketplace is also very good, so a machine running that would be next best option IMO.

The fire looks decent, and I am sure Amazon will throw a load of content at it.

If you aren't interested in apps and all you want to do is surf and read email on it then the cheap and cheerful ones will do a good job I am sure but otherwise I personally would say it is a false economy as you are paying a lot less but for a much inferior machine.

I'm no apple fan boy but I do love my iPad.

ps; iPad 3 is said to be due out first quarter of 2012 so that means prices of iPad 2 will come down, and of course the 3 should be even better

[flyingscot]

saint dave, on 16 October 2011 - 23:35, said:

Just got a archos 7 tab from HMV for £119 , got it for email and web browsing , shopping etc. Good responsive screen and can play hd content. Looks like a decent buy after having a wee mess about with it tonight , but , if any of our boffins know any good stuff to do to it/ for it , I'd appreciate it as it's the first android thing I've had.

You want to get the Android Market on it- it will change the device. If however you can do the e-mailing, surfing, and are happy with that then there is no probs if it is good for what you want.

Div, on 16 October 2011 - 23:58, said:

I held off for ages getting an iPad 2 but eventually caved in and took the plunge a couple of months back.

I love it. It's a beautiful bit of kit. I use it for surfing, emailing, playing games, watching TV, it's really fantastic.

There are of course loads of cheaper tablets than it around, but for me anyway it is the app store that really makes the difference and makes it worth the extra investment.

I am sure the Android marketplace is also very good, so a machine running that would be next best option IMO.

The fire looks decent, and I am sure Amazon will throw a load of content at it.

If you aren't interested in apps and all you want to do is surf and read email on it then the cheap and cheerful ones will do a good job I am sure but otherwise I personally would say it is a false economy as you are paying a lot less but for a much inferior machine.

I'm no apple fan boy but I do love my iPad.

ps; iPad 3 is said to be due out first quarter of 2012 so that means prices of iPad 2 will come down, and of course the 3 should be even better

The iPad is a nice bit of kit, but I don't like the interface, once you have Android's widgets you realise how dull iOS is on the main screen.

In any case I just didn't see the iPad as VFM as at the time I think it started at £450 for the original iPad where as I paid £220. I think an Android tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab (so good Apple want it banned! ) will be as good too, indeed anything running Honeycomb Android and having the Android market will compete well with the iPad and won't be much of a false economy at all, but some of the cheaper stuff is tat out there I agree.

Google got protective of it slightly by banning a lot of the devices from using google apps to stop them ruining the reputation by releasing tat.

Granted my device wasn't standard either but to a great spec. It was a more basic device out thebox with no market however but a big community behing it so by going to an android forum, following a few steps, downloading a few files I sorted that out, which I enjoy. I have rooted phones too, granted it may not be for everyone but it is simple.

I use mine to watch TV, email and surf. Iplayer is excellent on it, really smooth, watched the whole GP on it today and all the apps- twitter, skype, facebook are there (although the facebook app is not great).

For me the tablet needs to move down a price bracket-£400-500 is too high and they should be in the £250 to £300 range.

[Mr X]

flyingscot, on 17 October 2011 - 00:39, said:

You want to get the Android Market on it- it will change the device. If however you can do the e-mailing, surfing, and are happy with that then there is no probs if it is good for what you want.




The iPad is a nice bit of kit, but I don't like the interface, once you have Android's widgets you realise how dull iOS is on the main screen.

In any case I just didn't see the iPad as VFM as at the time I think it started at £450 for the original iPad where as I paid £220. I think an Android tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab (so good Apple want it banned! ) will be as good too, indeed anything running Honeycomb Android and having the Android market will compete well with the iPad and won't be much of a false economy at all, but some of the cheaper stuff is tat out there I agree.

Google got protective of it slightly by banning a lot of the devices from using google apps to stop them ruining the reputation by releasing tat.

Granted my device wasn't standard either but to a great spec. It was a more basic device out thebox with no market however but a big community behing it so by going to an android forum, following a few steps, downloading a few files I sorted that out, which I enjoy. I have rooted phones too, granted it may not be for everyone but it is simple.

I use mine to watch TV, email and surf. Iplayer is excellent on it, really smooth, watched the whole GP on it today and all the apps- twitter, skype, facebook are there (although the facebook app is not great).

For me the tablet needs to move down a price bracket-£400-500 is too high and they should be in the £250 to £300 range.

This is whats put me off getting a cheapo android tablet. If Im going to get one, I need to know that I can upgrade it as and when, like I do with my phone. I just upgraded the phone to 2.3.3 but Im moist with the thought of being able to put 4.0 (I refuse to call it Ice Cream Sandwich ) on it

[flyingscot]

Mr X, on 17 October 2011 - 08:18, said:

This is whats put me off getting a cheapo android tablet. If Im going to get one, I need to know that I can upgrade it as and when, like I do with my phone. I just upgraded the phone to 2.3.3 but Im moist with the thought of being able to put 4.0 (I refuse to call it Ice Cream Sandwich ) on it

Yes Ice Cream Sandwich is a bit of a rubbish name- but in general I like the google naming system.

However I defo agree about upgrades. When I bought my cheapo I spent ages to make sure I got the right one, same when I bought my cheapo phone. You have to accept some limitations within the price tag, but I made sure the ones I bought had a decent spec and were well supported by the online modding community.

With a big online community behind it, most things can be done- Android Market was on my tablet in about 2 days from release and it is the first Honeycomb port going.

[Reina]

Ice Cream Sandwich? Fuck off, there's no way that's real!

[xbl]

Reina, on 17 October 2011 - 20:57, said:

Ice Cream Sandwich? f**k off, there's no way that's real!

Thats what they call it!

See Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Honeycomb etc.

FWIW, despite being an android owner, who has never bought apple, I haven't personally seen a tablet out there that beats the IPad. Its clearly the market leader for very good reasons!

[flyingscot]

xbl, on 17 October 2011 - 21:01, said:

Thats what they call it!

See Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Honeycomb etc.

FWIW, despite being an android owner, who has never bought apple, I haven't personally seen a tablet out there that beats the IPad. Its clearly the market leader for very good reasons!

The get a lawn mascot for every version too.

http://www.youtube.c...d&v=RX4btquQzUE

Arguably the Galaxy Tab gets close to the iPad (perhaps explaining Apples arseyness). Really nice device, perhaps only Android's newness in the tablet field lets it down.

I'm a bit mixed on tablets as a whole as I think they are overpriced a bit but the iPad is a very nice device to use.

[Mr X]

Reina, on 17 October 2011 - 20:57, said:

Ice Cream Sandwich? Fuck off, there's no way that's real!

It sure is

xbl, on 17 October 2011 - 21:01, said:

Thats what they call it!

See Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Honeycomb etc.

FWIW, despite being an android owner, who has never bought apple, I haven't personally seen a tablet out there that beats the IPad. Its clearly the market leader for very good reasons!

Bit of a strange thing to say, to be honest. An ipad is pretty much just a bigger version of the iphone, in much the same way as Android tablets are just bigger versions of Android phones. In what way would a Galaxy Tab, be inferior to an ipad?

For the record, not saying the ipad isnt a great bit of kit, as it clearly is.

[xbl]

Mr X, on 18 October 2011 - 08:11, said:

It sure is


Bit of a strange thing to say, to be honest. An ipad is pretty much just a bigger version of the iphone, in much the same way as Android tablets are just bigger versions of Android phones. In what way would a Galaxy Tab, be inferior to an ipad?

For the record, not saying the ipad isnt a great bit of kit, as it clearly is.

I don't know.

But I never had any real desire for an iPhone, whereas I've always liked Android phones. When it comes to tablets though, my mate has an android tablet, and I've played with a couple of them, and it just didn't feel as good as an iPad to use. I can't really put it any more logically than that! I haven't had a shot of the Galaxy Tab yet though, so that could be the one that changes my mind. I'll probably be buying a tablet over the next year or so, so I hope there is an iPad beater out there. The release of ice cream cake should help at least.

[Mr X]

xbl, on 19 October 2011 - 08:52, said:

I don't know.

But I never had any real desire for an iPhone, whereas I've always liked Android phones. When it comes to tablets though, my mate has an android tablet, and I've played with a couple of them, and it just didn't feel as good as an iPad to use. I can't really put it any more logically than that! I haven't had a shot of the Galaxy Tab yet though, so that could be the one that changes my mind. I'll probably be buying a tablet over the next year or so, so I hope there is an iPad beater out there. The release of ice cream cake should help at least.

Not for tablets. Android 4 is basically just Honeycomb (which is tablet only) with phone functionality. Obviously, theres some other stuff in there too, but as far as tablets are concerned, there isnt going to be a huge difference from running Honeycomb or ICS. The big jump, for tablets, came from Gingerbread to Honeycomb.

[flyingscot]

Mr X, on 19 October 2011 - 09:06, said:

Not for tablets. Android 4 is basically just Honeycomb (which is tablet only) with phone functionality. Obviously, theres some other stuff in there too, but as far as tablets are concerned, there isnt going to be a huge difference from running Honeycomb or ICS. The big jump, for tablets, came from Gingerbread to Honeycomb.

Tablets really shouldn't have been on Gingerbread though- they should have been on Honeycomb from the start but early ones did use Froyo and Éclair and had their access to Google Apps wiped for doing so.

Honeycomb was a massive step forward but what ICS does is it standardises app development so if you write an app for a phone it is the same process for a tab so the Android market is likely to see and explosion in tab applications.

[Just a bairn]

Looking to buy an iPad for myself as a Christmas present. I've been debating if I should bother with the 3G version, or put the extra dosh towards a bigger SSD. Probably looking at either the 64GB Wifi version or the 32GB Wifi + 3G version. Although I think the 3G may prove to be a useful feature, could I possibly avoid having to buy the 3G version and use the tethering option on my Samsung Galaxy S2 mobile - which if I understood correctly means the 3G on my phone can be shared to the iPad?

Sorry If I explained this poorly, but hopefully somebody can help me out

[AsdaLoyal]

Got one in June and really wish I'd went for the 3G version. Its a great piece of kit but would be much better if I could use it everywhere instead of just Wi-fi hotspots and at home. Depends what your planning on using it for , if its for in the house don't bother but if you do a lot of travelling or want a bit of freedom with it I would defiantly recommend the 3G. I used the tethering using my Htc Desire and it was painfully slow.

[caledonianorth]

AsdaLoyal, on 26 November 2011 - 12:02, said:

. I used the tethering using my Htc Desire and it was painfully slow.

Depends on network and signal. I have tethered on using my orange which was okay but my sons phone on 3 was really good, not bad considering the bad rep the 3 network gets. I pad is an awsome bit of kit though.

[Mr X]

caledonianorth, on 26 November 2011 - 23:12, said:

Depends on network and signal. I have tethered on using my orange which was okay but my sons phone on 3 was really good, not bad considering the bad rep the 3 network gets. I pad is an awsome bit of kit though.

I think 3s bad rep comes mainly from its appalling customer service, and is well justified. In terms of network coverage and speed I don't think there's much you could fault them for.