Do I Need a Tablet?

Tablets are fast becoming the technology to own.  Convenience, most people will tell you, is the main reason for having one.  I won’t argue.  Transporting a tablet that can house dozens of books, songs, movies, and games is easy.  You can work on documents on the go.  You can read a book and seamlessly switch to watching a movie.  They’re a handy invention whose latest releases are quickly catching up to low end laptops.



The question many find themselves asking as they browse the array of tablets available is “Do I really need one?”  Most importantly, “Which one do I need?”

The answer to those questions is as muddled as the tablet market, but I’ll try to help you answer them.

Something to understand before we proceed is that tablets are more about consuming and less about productivity.  Of course they can be tweaked with apps and home setups, but they’re mainly marketed as entertainment devices.  If you want to see how a tablet can be used for productivity, take a look at this Lifehacker article which includes a way of using a tablet to replace a GPS system.  Out of box though, tablets are mainly for fun.

A quick word of warning: At the moment, off brand tablets less than $100 are not worth your time or the promised savings.  They are too cheaply made to even consider making this list

Easy Answer:
No.  A tablet will not replace any essential devices in your life. If you don’t have a computer, consider getting a Chromebook before getting tablet.  Tablets are meant more for accessorizing technology you already have.  For example you won’t be storing your digital photo collection on your tablet unless you feel like shelling out upwards of a thousand dollars.

If you are in desperate need of upgrading your technology, look into computers and smartphones before diving into the tablet pool.

No:
Do you have a smartphone?  Consider how much you use it if you do.  If you already use it a lot, move to the next section, but if you don’t you might be better off still passing on a tablet.  There are many people with iPhones that think moving to an iPad will be fine and fun.  For some it is, for others, I’ve known them to never pick up the more expensive and larger versions of their phones after the newness of the iPad wore off.  Consider if you might be one of these people and gauge your smartphone usage before making a table purchase.

Maybe:
Perhaps you have come into some extra money, or, you’ve had it all along. At the same time, you don’t need to replace anything so you’re looking for something fun and new. Either way, you’re not sure what you want to spend your money on.  

If you’re looking into tablets, you need to ask yourself: “What do I need/want a tablet for.”

If you’re just interested in movies, browsing the web, and reading, any versions of the Kindle Fire or Nook tablets would be suitable for you.  These are not great devices for intense gaming or for digging into the app atmosphere, but they are cheap compared to other tablets.  If you don’t think you’ll use a tablet outside of streaming media, but you’re really interested in owning one, check out these low-end tablets the next time in you’re in Best Buy.  They are low-end, but they’re far from being terrible.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD
Barnes & Noble’s Nook  & Nook HD+

Yes:
If you have a low-end smartphone, but you are constantly using it, then a tablet might be for you. A tablet will render larger screen real estate and a larger battery.  Depending on how you use your phone will change tablet options.

If you have an iPhone, it would be easier for you to transition to iPad or and iPad Mini.  Both are much larger than a typical iPhone screen and the ecosystem is so similar the transition from iPhone to iPad back to iPhone throughout the day will be seamless.  If money is an issue, the iPad Mini is cheaper, but it is also smaller than the other iPads Apple offers.

The cost with any Apple product is going to be much higher than the Nook and Kindle products so be careful not to fall into the trap of buying a tablet and continuing to use your phone anyway.

If you have an Android phone you are constantly using, your tablet choices are going to be much greater.  That’s not to say an iPhone user or an Android user can’t use another company’s products, but in terms of ease of use and data, sticking with one specific manufacturer has a lot of benefits.

Samsung users might find using a Samsung branded tablet—which there are quite a few of—a great experience if you like the TouchWiz.  TouchWiz is the software Samsung overlays on top of Android’s native atmosphere.  It is pretty locked down and doesn’t leave room for much customization, but if you want something easy to use that runs Android and uses Google Play, Android’s app store, a Samsung tablet would be a great way to go.

Samsung offers 3 lines of tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab.  The Note is more for people who want to make use of the S-pen Samsung offers.  The Note is expensive, on par with the iPad, but is Android and offers exclusive note taking abilities through the use of its S-pen.  The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 isn’t great.  I suggest passing on it unless you can only afford a $169 tablet and really want it to be Android. If you are really considering it, make sure you read plenty of reviews before taking the plunge and try out the device in an electronics store.  The Kid tablet is marketed toward the children in your life.  I don’t know much about the device since it was just released, but it also runs Android.  It might be worth checking out if you were thinking about getting a tablet for a younger child.


If you are on a budget, but still in wanting a tablet and an Android experience, consider Google’s Nexus 7.   Since it is manufactured by Google, it gets the latest updates and doesn’t have any overlaying software like TouchWiz.  The cheapest model rings in at $229, but the hardware and specs are some of the best in the market.  However, the screen is only 7 inches with the Nexus 7.  Google does have a Nexus 10, which has great reviews however there hasn’t been much support for it lately.  Unless you really want the 10 inch screen, go for the Nexus 7 instead of the Nexus 10.

Google’s Nexus 7 and Nexus 10

If you still want an Android tablet that is cheap, but works, your last choice is the ASUS MeMO Pad 7.  It’s not a terrible tablet and actually comes in cheaper than the Kindle and Nook.  On Amazon it is currently selling for less than $125 and has decent reviews.  This might also be a good tablet to get your feet wet with.  Buy it and see how much you actually use it over the course of a year.  If you find you are using it a lot then paying more for a better tablet later won’t leave you with regret.  Plus you can always give the MeMO away as a gift or try selling it on eBay.

I’m still not sure:
There are a lot of tablets so some trepidation when entering the market is perfectly fine.  There is also a new market opening up aptly called phablets. Essentially, phablets are sized in between a phone and a tablet. The Samsung Mega is one of these devices and has a 6.3 inch display.  It’s an expensive little device, but it is both a phone and a tablet.

You might also want to look at Asus’ Padfone Infinity which is a phone that plugs into a tablet screen.  It’s a better two in one because the phone is pocket-able while the tablet has a screen worth computing on.

If the biggest thing stopping you is productivity, then look at Microsoft’s
Surface Pro 2. Do NOT buy Microsoft’s Surface.  Only get the Pro because the cheaper Surface is slow and barely usable.  The Pro is one of the most expensive tablets on the market right now starting at $899, but it is an actual Windows PC that runs all of your Windows apps.

Conclusion

To summarize, there are a lot of different tablets and depending on your electronic usage and budget there are going to be different options available to you.  Keep in mind your needs and wants when shopping and be prepared to sacrifice a feature like an SD card port for a cheaper price tag.  Tablets are constantly being released so don’t worry too much about your device being outdated if you opt for an older device.  As long as you go with something you will use and can afford, you will not make the wrong decision. 

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