Finally bought a tablet - maybe . . .

    I write, maybe, because am on a 16 day trial (w/no restocking fee vs. Fry's) with Best Buys here in Roseville, CA. Actually, already used it once in that I only kept the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 for one evening. The Geek Guy said that was not a problem and they just want to be sure I am OK with whichever one I purchase. So that why I went with BB vs. Fry's this time. Here is what I have now and so far, so good -- the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 8.0":

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-16GB-White/dp/B00BQH8UEY

Up until several month ago I was perfectly content with my Acer Netbook 10.1" (2gb ram, Win7 Home Prem). But now am looking at partial use of a tablet with my SW product for RV parks. That's why I tried the 10.1 Samsung Note first.

Unfortunately, it was just too large for how it appears I would handle the device -- plus, they used a unique charge/data transfer outlet versus a micro USB as most of the rest of the world uses. Other than Apple, of course. So that alone was a deal breaker with me. The demos in the store were plugged in with a cover that hide the plug - so I overlooked it. W/the 8" Galaxy tablet am already charging and moving data to the tablet SD card w/the same cables I use on my Samsung Charge smartphone.

I "really" liked the Nexus 7, plus the 7.2 seem to be announced as well. But it was just too small for what I want to do with it. The 8" Galaxy Note 3 is as big as I can get with out going up to a 10" model. The resolution is not as high as the Nexus, but certainly very sharp and adequate for my needs.

Have played with the 8" Galaxy for a full day now and very impressed so far. The quad core processor w/2gb ram gives me multi tasking with the ability to drag between two apps. The Notes feature I at first thought would not be useful but now I see it will be very helpful at times. Best Buys gave me a $20 gift certificate plus I got a very good price in the sale of my Netbook. And finally, as a freebee DropBox user, was pleased with the 50gb of extra storage good for a full 2 years added to the 4+ gb currently in my account - a promotion between Samsung and Dropbox.

Am now looking at the 20,000 or so variations of covers and such. Am leaning toward having a keyboard type, but want one that allows me to hold the unit in my hands when not typing. Something like this one, for example:

http://www.amazon.com/Exact-Bluetooth-Keyboard-SamSung-Aluminum/dp/B00CXXMF0A/ref=pd_sim_sbs_cps_1

Anyone else using the Galaxy Note or Tab 3 tablets? What has your experience been?  Samsung has just announced the Galaxy 10.1 (2014 Edition) that raises the bar on 10" tablet resolution (quad core, 3gb ram, 2560x1600 res). But, too large for me and am sure out of my price range. Check out these specs:

http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/2014galaxynote10.1/feature.html

Bob,
Getting old is hell. When I saw your post, the first word association that popped in to my head was Eagle #2 Pencil.
Niels

ndaugbjerg said:

Bob,
Getting old is hell. When I saw your post, the first word association that popped in to my head was Eagle #2 Pencil.
Niels

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It sure is, Niels . . . 

or, I could have talking of my latest meds. 

we have both tablet and laptop found the tablet to be very slow at the parks we go to, hope you have better luck.

I bought the same tablet last week,  after returning the 10 inch model.  I'm really happy with it and it is working fine on Park wifi.

Jeannine

im sure ours is more the park than tablet,

Make sure it has the option to store programs to the SD card for some stupid reason my Acer a110  will not allow programs to be stored on Sd card so the main drive will fill up fast.  Have had several emails with them they blame droid and droid blames acer. Either way the ones the kids use can store to card with same version OS.

rsnyde11 said:

we have both tablet and laptop found the tablet to be very slow at the parks we go to, hope you have better luck.

Click to expand...

    My office setup is 1 low profile Acer desktop, a pretty healthy ACER laptop for out and about work/play including remote desktop that requires stable Wi-Fi -- and now this tablet. So I'm on may types of Wi-Fi. So far the tablet responds as well as the desktop or laptop.

Thank you for the feedback . . .

Jeannine said:

I bought the same tablet last week,  after returning the 10 inch model.  I'm really happy with it and it is working fine on Park wifi.

Jeannine

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    Thanks, Jeannine!!  Mine works as well as my other computers it appears so far on the 3 Wi-Fi outlets I've tried so far. As soon as I opened the 10" version box and spied the oddball connector designed to raise accessory sales, I knew I would be returning it. However, I did spend a number of hours getting the feel of a 10" unit. Am reading a number of articles that describe the trend to smaller units - and that's why Apple introduced the Mini that is selling very well. And will be looking at upgrades soon. Many buy covers with keyboards built in or removable - but that becomes another laptop with touch screen. For me, that's not much of a deviation. I "do" want a small real keyboard tho -- I touch type about 80wpm, but not with thumbs on a screen. Am looking at my alternatives.

By the way, I like how the screen ignores the heel of ones hand while using the S-pen. As I explore taking notes in one window pane while reviewing something in another pane - it is not necessary to raise the hand itself off the screen. Much more stable handwriting/printing this way. These tech designers today are sure doing amazing things.

... I opened the 10" version box and spied the oddball connector designed to raise accessory sales

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Bob, don't know if it's the same oddball connector as on my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 but, for $20, I bought a USB adapter. In reality, I've rarely needed it, because the charging cable has a USB plug on the other end.

Am now looking at the 20,000 or so variations of covers and such. Am leaning toward having a keyboard type ...

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They always look somewhat fragile to me. I opted for an inexpensive, but solid, case and a bluetooth keyboard.

I just bought a tablet for my DW.  Sam's Club made me an offer I couldn't resist.  I got a Google Nexus 10 - 16 GB for $200 and they threw in a nice $20 cover.  To be honest, it was the display unit and Sam won't be carrying the 16 GB non-HD model any more.  I picked up a blue tooth keyboard at Best Buy for $70 and the DW is having a good time playing with her new toy.  We went right out and got the Allstays Camp and RV app so we're ready to go again...just can't right now, darn it.

Bob - Currently my digital line up consists of a Nexus 4 smart phone, a Nexus 7 tablet, an 11 inch Chromebook and a 17 inch Windows laptop. The tablet gets used the least of all my devices, the Chromebook gets used the most often. Having a built in keyboard gives the Chromebook the advantage.

We have a Galaxy Tab 2 7" and a older Moto Xoom 10". The Tab gets used continuously and the Xoom only when we  really want the big screen for something - or both of us want to use a tablet at the same time. Also have a Galaxy III smart phone, so plenty of ways to do things. We've been quite happy with the Samsung family of devices.

A buddy has the Galaxy Note II phone, which is also a slick combo of phone and mini-tablet (what they call a "phablet"). It's a bit awkward in size as a phone, easier to use in speakerphone mode than held to the ear, but terrific as a pocket note and reference device. I think it's a serious alternative for pocket internet access and applications such as personal notes, calendars, databases, etc. while also providing a phone.

I think the 7"-8" size is ideal for many people. Convenient to carry and hold, while the 10" models can be a bit heavy and bulky. All depends on your usage, of course.

We find our smaller tablets too small for most things except as book readers, although the books are also mirrored to the larger tablets. My Galaxy 10.1 and Chris' iPad get a lot of usage, but I revert to a laptop when I have a lot of "mouse stuff" to do. I don't find the 10" tablet more inconvenient to carry around than the 7", and it's lighter and more convenient than my 10" netbook; I usually have it (the 10" tablet) and my VZW JetPack WiFi hot spot in a shoulder bag (Chris calls it my "man purse"  ;D ) when we are away from the house, RV or boat and I need to be online.

The 10" tablets are also more convenient/better for doing a show-and-tell with clients, especially when showing them photos of finished projects.

I previously reported looking at the Note before buying my last phone and decided it was way too big and awkward for a phone, so I opted for the Galazy S-III. Chris OTOH won't part with her iPhone.

IOW it's all a matter of personal preference and how one uses each device.

I have the optional keyboard for my ASUS Transformer (10"), and it's a quick disconnect arrangement -- push the small slide and pull the screen out (contains an extra battery, too). I also have a Galaxy TAB 2 7", but it's not used much since I got the ASUS. My 15" Dell laptop doesn't get very much use now, either.

Now that I have FoxFi to turn my Huawei 8800 into a wifi hotspot, I can use the ASUS with its wifi connection to use moving maps on the road -- I even have a special mount for the ASUS in the Jeep (thanks John C.) to use on and off road.