Advice on buying a tablet

Thanks for all the advice! I've been tempted by the Kindle Fire, as I'm pretty wired into Amazon and their products, but I worry that if I buy pdfs at, say, rpgnow, it might be difficult to use them. Is that a valid worry? Is that difficult on other tablets like the Nexus?

Like others have said, you can't go wrong with an iPad or a pure Android tablet like the Nexus. Avoid 7'' inch tablets, since you're planning to use it for gaming PDFs.

Personally, I've got the first Retina iPad (3rd gen) and I love it. Reading on it is a joy; novels, magazines, comics, and game books. I no longer bring printed books to my game sessions. Since the 5th gen iPads are coming out, there should be some good deals on gens. 3 & 4. The one I have is supposed to be somewhat under-powered, but I don't see it. Works fine with multiple 100+ page PFDs open simultaneously. Even runs graphically-intensive games well (at least the few I've got).

Plus, the iPad has one of the best PDF readers in existence: Goodreader.

(I'd stay away from the Kindle Fire line -- my understanding is they're effectively the least open of the major tablets, despite being built on an Android foundation)

I got one of the new Nexus 7s about a month ago, specifically for a long trip we were taking. I have no regrets. So far, it's performed perfectly. The only thing I regret is not getting a 10", and I will probably remedy that when the next gen 10 comes out, whenever that might be.

The biggest issues I have are trying to integrate different libraries of e-books (free from Gutenberg vs Amazon vs Google) and different libraries of digital movies (Flixster, Amazon, Google), but this isn't really Google or Android's fault. I expect I'll sort the e-book thing out eventually, and the movie thing is tied up by the studios.

There's no issue playing the movies or reading the books, they just exist in different apps right now.

Nellisir said:

I got one of the new Nexus 7s about a month ago, specifically for a long trip we were taking. I have no regrets. So far, it's performed perfectly. The only thing I regret is not getting a 10", and I will probably remedy that when the next gen 10 comes out, whenever that might be.

The biggest issues I have are trying to integrate different libraries of e-books (free from Gutenberg vs Amazon vs Google) and different libraries of digital movies (Flixster, Amazon, Google), but this isn't really Google or Android's fault. I expect I'll sort the e-book thing out eventually, and the movie thing is tied up by the studios.

There's no issue playing the movies or reading the books, they just exist in different apps right now.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm not an Android fan, but I'll recommend the Nexus 7 if somebody's price sensitive or really wants Android.

Since it comes straight from Google, you'll get better firmware support (ability to upgrade). Lots of other Android devices just get orphaned out there once they launch.

And I agree on not blaming the device on needing different apps to read different providers books or movies. That's just a fact of life for everybody because of how every vendor needs to supply their own store/viewing app.

I bought a Nexus 7 about a month a ago. I love it, and it's even more awesome now that my GPS issues were solved.

My previous tablet was a Xoom. Even though the 10 inch format seems to be good for some things , I can overall feel that A device the size of the Xoom is somewhat cumbersome, of course that might be a result of the Xoom weighing as much as a brick in comparison to the Nexus 7.

Janx said:

And I agree on not blaming the device on needing different apps to read different providers books or movies. That's just a fact of life for everybody because of how every vendor needs to supply their own store/viewing app.

Click to expand...

To expand on this a little, my e-book issues are primarily due to having bought a Kindle Paperwhite at the same time as the Nexus. So all the ebooks need to be in the Kindle's library system for me to read them on the Paperwhite. The movies end up in different apps depending on what agreements the studios have, and whether you buy the movie online through Amazon (goes to the Amazon/Kindle library) or Google Play (My Library/Google Play), or as a physical disk with a digital copy (in which case I've seen Flixster, Vudu, Amazon, and Google as various options with various movies at various times.)

Everything is playable on the Nexus. It's just impossible right now to be completely organized about it.

The bigger issue is Apple-only apps. I hate those.

(We went to Thailand for 3 weeks, and bought the Nexus and Paperwhite to keep my daughter and myself amused. Purchasing from Google Play was not possible in Thailand, but fortunately I'd made purchases beforehand, and there wasn't any problem downloading already purchased materials onto the Nexus.)

I would really like a 10", though, and will probably buy a 1st gen 10" whenever the 2nd gen comes out.

If PDFs are the goal, don't underestimate high pixel density as something you'll want. It tends to be one of the things sacrificed in lower cost models. The iPad's Retina display (and, I think, the Nexus 10) have densities that make them indistinguishable from paper at reading distances. This makes a big difference. Now that I've used an iPad 3 for PDF and ebook reading, my iPad 2 just feels broken.

Also, get a feel for which software you would actually use for gaming and make sure it runs on whatever it is you buy. Dicenomicon? Sheet Yourself? 3D Virtual Tabletop? Summoner? All depends on your game and needs.

I love my Nexus 7. I even started to bike commute with a backpack so I could take it with.