Kindle Fire or Ipad?

hbionic · October 11, 2011, 01:05:09 PM

I was thinking of looking into getting a tablet...although I can use the net from my phone, it would be a little easier having a bigger screen like a tablet for work.

Do any of you have an ipad? A regular kindle?

I read that these ipads have a screen of ove 9 inches and 16GB of memory, and the kindle fire will have 8GB with just over a 7 inch screen.

They both look cool, but not sure how practical they are. The best use I've seen for the ipad yet was an app that had a timer and the poker blinds when we did a house tournament.

Also, I know there's a million apps, but I don't intent to use it more than browsing on the road, or possibly reading. Possibly.

Sgt PSN · October 11, 2011, 01:15:10 PM

Considering that the Kindle Fire won't hit the stores for another month, I don't think anyone here (or anywhere) can give you an accurate review of it. The regular Kindle is just an e-reader so it's not going to be anything that you're looking for other than the e-reader. No web browsing or anything else.

I've got an iPad and I really like it. I take it damn near everywhere with me and use it for it's productive apps as well as mind numbing, time killing apps as well.

iPads are available with up to 64gb though, not 16. 16 is the starting point. I've got 32gb and have had it for almost a year now and still have probably 5gb of free space, and I've downloaded a shteinload of apps and have about 800 songs and a couple dozen movies on this thing. You'll end up using it for a lot more than you think you will.

As for which brand to go for....that's probably up to your wallet. The iPad is legit though so I highly recommend it.

charlie · October 11, 2011, 01:29:04 PM

nba jam on the ipad makes it worth it.

hbionic · October 11, 2011, 01:58:13 PM

How do you connect to internet, is it all wi-fi?

What's the battery life on it, and does it come with a car charger?

What is that cloud that amazon and microsoft speak of?

charlie · October 11, 2011, 02:06:46 PM

http://www.apple.com/ipad/

Sgt PSN · October 11, 2011, 02:19:28 PM

Quote from: hbionic on October 11, 2011, 01:58:13 PM
How do you connect to internet, is it all wi-fi?

There are 2 models. WiFi only and 3G with Wi-Fi.

I have the wifi only so obviously my internet connectivity is limited to wifi hot spots when I'm out and about. The 3G version allows you to access the web anywhere, just like a smartphone. The price goes up about $30 or so if you want the 3G version and you also need to purchase a data plan (Both AT&T and Verizon offer them). Not sure about Verizon but I believe that if you sign up with AT&T, you are not locked into a contract and can turn it on/off as needed. The 3G model also has wifi capability so if you don't have the 3G service turned on, you can still access the web in wifi spots. If you do have 3G turned on, you can still use wifi to access the web so that you aren't using up all of your 3G data.

QuoteWhat's the battery life on it, and does it come with a car charger?

Battery life is phenominal....on a full charge, you can use it for about 10 hours straight, less if you are using it for video or gaming. It doesn't come with a car charger, just a wall adapter.

QuoteWhat is that cloud that amazon and microsoft speak of?

I'm not completely up on this cloud stuff, but my understanding is that it basically allows you to store personal files, videos, music, photos, etc on a secure server or something so that you can access them from any computer, anywhere in the world. It's like an external hard drive that you don't have to carry with you.

Tablets are great for web browsing, music, video, reading, time kiling games, business/work management and organization, email, calendar.

They aren't a substitute for computers though. You can't run 3rd party software on them like you can on a PC/Mac or laptop. So if you're heavy into gaming, video/photo editing or things of that nature, you're going to be disappointed.

I have my PC and my iPad. My laptop is around here somewhere, but I've barely used it since buying the iPad. When I travel, I take the iPad with me. It's easier to tote around, longer battery life and it does everything I needed my laptop to do.

Diomedes · October 11, 2011, 02:38:21 PM

Quote from: hbionic on October 11, 2011, 01:05:09 PMKindle Fire or Ipad?

false choice

Zanshin · October 11, 2011, 03:22:02 PM

Smartest thing would have been to get an HP TouchPad for $99, then put an Android ROM on it. I wish I could have found one on the cheap.

MMH · October 11, 2011, 05:06:32 PM

I have both, and I don't like reading extensively on it because it's backlit. Makes my eyes hurt after a while. By it mean iPad, obviously.

Susquehanna Birder · October 11, 2011, 05:09:30 PM

My wife and I both got iPads, and we went for the wifi-only version. We travel together a lot, so I decided to get a hotspot device. That way we can both share the portable wifi, rather than having to get two separate 3G data plans.

The wife also has an original Kindle, and she still uses it extensively.