Need help understanding tablets

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I'm really behind the times when it comes to technology, I haven't even had a cellphone for the last 5 years. I want to ask you guys what are the advantages and disadvantages of tablets compared to laptops? It seems laptops are very small and very cheap now and have more features that a full sized tablet without being much bigger. So why would a person buy a tablet rather than a laptop? Are tablet priced high because they are a "must have" gadget?

I doubt many would agree with me, but I prefer the touchscreen interface to the more traditional keyboard and mouse.

Many people use tablets as media consumption and gaming devices rather than as full-blown replacements for laptop or desktop computers.

The iPad needs no security, whereas a laptop or desktop computer would.

Overall, a laptop will offer more value for money, but it's a matter of personal taste.

But aren't they limited in terms of gaming also? My mother bought an ipad recently and I played around with it for about 15 minutes and the touch screen seemed really intuitive to me, much more so than keyboard and mouse. So I've been thinking of buying a new computer but now I'm not sure now because I really liked the ipad. Do you have one? Do you think it's ok for light 'office' type tasks like typing documents and doing spreadsheets? Would I be able to use it to write papers in college and do research as effectivly as I would on a desktop?

One concern I had about an ipad is that it does not support flash. How badly does this affect the "media consumption"? Ok make that two concerns because I didn't see a usb port on my mother's ipad either. Is there some way to interface with a desktop? Thanks for your answer.

You'll have different games on tablets than you have on PC (tablets and PCs have completely different input devices and PC hardware is much faster), so it depends on what you want. Angry Birds is certainly popular lol.

I'd say get a laptop if you want to write papers and such for college. IMHO tablets are only really useful for consuming information, they're not very suited for creating it. You'll probably work a lot faster with a laptop, especially when doing more complex tasks.

Lack of Flash could have an impact yes, but it all depends on what sites you use that don't offer an HTML5 alternative for their Flash content. Youtube uses HTML5 nowadays so I think the iPad has no problems with that, plus there's probably a dedicated app for Youtube.

iPads don't have USB ports. They have a special sort of connector you can use to hook it up to other things, but I'm not sure how that works (don't have an iPad). Question is, why do you need it to interface with the computer? You have the iCloud (wouldn't trust it to store important college papers there, but that's probably just me) where you store files and access them from pretty much everywhere.

If you want USB ports you'll have to look into an Android tablet that has them.

The first is entirely dependant on the OS that you are using on the desktop system. If you're running Windows, then yes, you will probably need security/AV software.

Most tablets (non Apple) ones at any rate are based on the 32 bit RISC ARM archectecture. Also, DroidOS is essentially a Linux Variant, but you can load regular Linux or BSD flavors onto them provided of course that you use versions that have been compiled to run on ARM archetecture.

If you get a Win8 tablet, you are essentially stuck with Win8, due to the fact that non-x86/AMD64 hardware that is certified to run Win8 has a UEFI Secure Boot that cannot be turned off.
--I'm sure at some point somebody will come up with a way to 'jailbreak' Win8 tablets, but at this time attempting to Jailbreak a Win8 Tablet will essentially turn the tablet into an expensive, sleek looking brick.

Other than that, I agree with the above in the fact that there is more that you can do with a laptop than you can with tablet. You get a lot more storage, more memory, and generally more software than you would get for a tablet. --The package is bigger, but inherantly more functional.

OK so based on what you guys say I really need a laptop instead of a tablet. Thanks guys, maybe you can help me on the next thread.

If you have only one "computer", a laptop is more generally useful (adequate storage, greater flexibility). Personally, I like my desktop where I can easily have terabytes of storage and can use it for server purposes plus the PS2 port means I can still use my Model M keyboard, etc. I like my laptop for its portability and its ability to do real work. Finally, when I just want to lay back on the couch and read a book or waste time browsing youtube, a seven inch tablet rocks. The 10inchers take two hands to hold, but a 7" is the size of a paperback and easy to hold in one hand and switch off between hands for maximum comfort. A laptop isn't anywhere near as comfortable for this purpose. When I'm at lunch, I like to read news on my tablet and when I'm done -- it slips right into my coat pocket. I can use my phone for that too, but it is easier on the tablet.

If I could pick only two between desktop/laptop/tablet -- I'd go with laptop and tablet. If I could pick only one: laptop.

If you're looking for a fast, multi-use device with the power to go, and go, and go, you need to turn away from the iPads, and towards the Google Nexus 7. 32 GB of storage, 3G or Wifi, and enough apps to satisfy your every need, be it gaming or productivity. The Nexus 7 is the 3rd fastest device currently available on the market, including laptops, desktops, and gaming devices. These results were provided by a sweet program called Quadrant Standard Benchmark.You can find it on the Google Play Store. The only perk that you get with an iPad compared to the Google Nexus 7 is that set of 2 decals that you receive when you purchase an Apple product. The Nexus 7 has a sharper screen, stronger screen, longer life battery, more RAM, more power, more features. eBooks look AMAZING! Games look like they are in 1280p Super HD, and the battery doesn't waver. Excellent sound quality due to the live3D programming that has been imbued into the Nexus. The front facing camera lacks only when taking pictures, but looks excellent when using Skype. Yes, the iPad has a back-facing camera, and the Nexus 7 does not. But really, who is going to lug around an iPad to take pictures? Use your smartphone. Use your dumbphone. Use your camera.

Has Flash support been added to the nexus 7 yet?

The Nexus 7 uses Google Chrome as a browser, which DOES support Flash. You can download Flash also as an application from the Google Play Store. That's why I love it so much....Plus, you can even configure your tablet to use Facial Unlock. You look at it, it scans your facial biometrics and compares them to what is in their encryption keys, and will unlock if you are a complete match.

Flash was removed from Google play last year, and so cannot be downloaded from there AFAIK.

Flash is not officially supported on Android versions past 4.1. The Nexus 7 will not support Flash on Chrome. However you can still download Flash on it and run it in other browsers such as Firefox.

Wierd, because Flash content loads and plays on my Nexus 7, and I do NOT have Flash downloaded