# Getting a Tablet



## crcook84 (Aug 12, 2010)

Things have changed for me recently and I'm thinking of getting a tablet. Now, I'm not interested in particular tablets because this won't be happening for maybe several months (although, I wouldn't mind advice about good brands). If anything, I'm interested in some technical questions:

Does the tablet have the same features as a smartphone if not more? (I'd be interested in a SIM slot, but I defer to advice as to whether or not that could be an encumbrance.)
I know they can link. So, what are the different ways a smartphone and a tablet can connect wirelessly? and what extra features can that add?
Any preference as to the OS? I'm leaning towards Android for the moment just because it feels easy to use.
Android vs Win 8?

I do have a "sort of" tablet nearby: the Nook. However, it belongs to my sister and she won't let me touch it without "kid gloves"? I just know that she's been able to get some connectivity between her phone and her Nook.


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

i'm sure you will get a lot of different views here, i feel the apple ipad is probably the best , but comes at a price.
other machines I have setup for people , are samsung tablets (andriod 10.1") and they also work very well, mainly for watching sports on BT here in UK, email, book reading and surfing .

connecting to the mobile network is fine, except for the cost of a data subscription.
The ipads, touch and samsung galaxy and TAB 10.1 , I have used all connect to preferred wireless networks in range and pick the stronger signals.

I have not yet used windows 8 on tablets , only on touch screen Laptops/Desktops and it works very well.

i just fell the touch sensitive and performance on apple seems to work all the time , but you pay a premium for that


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## help4me (Oct 29, 2005)

I have two android tablets... one ipad... an android smartphone... a laptop... and a desktop. .. here's my experience.... I can do a lot more with my phone than I can my with my tablet simply because of storage space. My tablet is running 4.1... so i can't easily direct apps to the sd card... the developers didn't add that feature back in until 4.3 I believe. Unfortunately my tablet will noy recieve an update for the newer system. So keep that in mind when buying your tablet if you choose Android. An ipad is certainly reliable and will cost more. I myself prefer android because the apps I use most often I can use between devices linked through my google account. I like that a lot. I find android to be more customizable than apple products... which is also a big deal to me. If you use an android smartphone... get an android tablet. If you have an iphone... go for an iPad.


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## crcook84 (Aug 12, 2010)

There's something else I was thinking about. I was messing around with a computer I installed Android on (other features are disabled so this was only temporary to test 4.3) and I found a feature in Google maps that allows me to download map data for offline use. I can save map tiles and use them with a GPS later. What version of Android can do that? My smartphone has 4.0.1 and it can't do that.


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

You need Android 4.0.3 but the feature itself is actually part of the Google Maps app not Android, but you can't update to the newer Google Maps app on the older versions. Waze is another great free map programs that offers Offline maps, but it's now owned by Google too.


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## crcook84 (Aug 12, 2010)

Thanks for all the advice. We opted on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3. It's on sale at Costco for around $160 for another week or two. It comes with Android 4.1.2. As for a navigator, Google Maps can be used offline. You position your window over a specific area and then type "OK Maps". Gmaps then downloads the tile data. However, that gets tedious after a while. That's when I found an alternative:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mapfactor.navigator
It uses OpenStreetMap as a free map alternative. Although, I'll try Waze.


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