Almost set to buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 but then wondered if I'd be better with a laptop. I just want something to sit in the living room save me using my phone when away from the desktop.

BTW the Galaxy Tab 2 is running ICS, is it worth holding on until one comes out with JB or is ICS fine?

It wont replace a laptop lets get that straight, what it will do though is work alongside your phone in terms of using it to browse etc as the tab screen will be bigger.

I have an ipad (barely use it) mrs has a nexus 7 its handy and the price of some of the tabs are excellent just now, ICS is absolutely fine there isnt a huge amount between ICS and JB to warrant searching about for a JB version.

Have a look at the Nexus range.

Thanks Grizzle, I had a play with a Nexus in HMV, the day before it's demise was announced so watch out retailers if I visit your store but I wasn't that impressed and to be fair I do miss a 'proper' keyboard when using my phone.

There's some good lap top weekend deals on e-buyer but I need to check my BB for Windows 8 as I recall getting an e-mail about it from my ISP.

Get an iPad, we've got macs, mac minis, iMac here and we tend too just grab the pad

Bought a Nexus 7 for my parents and they get on well with it. I use it all the time too with no issues.

Pad Pad Pad

Depends what you want to do with it, if it's to read, watch films, general browsing, sitting on the toilet, lying in bed, tablet every time.

If it's to work with, write a lot, video editing, music creation get a laptop. (I know "there's an app for that" for these tasks as well :p )

Depends what you want to do with it

Exactly what DaveI says.

Asking laptop vs Slate is like asking Petrol vs Diesel. It really is horses for courses.

Exactly what DaveI says.

Asking laptop vs Slate is like asking Petrol vs Diesel. It really is horses for courses.

do Findus make tablets now! ;)

quite simple really

If you just want to do Net browsing, odd games, some general e mail - Tablet will do.

If you do more than this then a laptop.

If you want a tablet size laptop, then any 11" mini notebook.

Cheers folks, makes sense

I bought a nexus 7 and a new laptop around new year.

New laptop has been used TWICE, where as the Nexus has been used almost daily. Swmbo quite rightly pointed out what a waste of £400 the laptop has been.

I can do most of what I want on the Nexus,and the only reason for the laptop is anything needing lots of typing, intensive office apps (there are android office apps, but they struggle with complex formatting /macros/formulas) or anything on cd or dvd.

Ref typing, try an app called SwiftKey. It's predictions learn the more you use it, and can mean very little typing.

I know just before the free trial ended it said 1000 keystrokes saved lol

Sent from my Galaxy S3, not a Crapple!

I have a desktop, laptop, netbook, tablet and smartphone. I generally use my phone if i want a quick answer to a question. The tablet for prolonged use on the sofa or pick up put down gaming. The laptop is used as a bit of a test bed and for when i need to do network type things as you can't beat a proper keyboard.

The desktop is used for gaming and proper computer use.

I never thought I would need a tablet until i got one. Now it is used every day without fail. As it has been said already it depends what you want to do with it.

I had a mate who had a busted laptop, they replaced it with a tablet and found the tablet got more use than the laptop did before it broke. They are what i would consider to be an average home user. (Unlike me, obviously)

Some great info, thanks folks.

Had a play with a nexus 7 and liked it, don't know what I didn't like last time.

Just watching a few on ebay but if anyone knows of any going cheap please shout

Get an iPad, we've got macs, mac minis, iMac here and we tend too just grab the pad

Yawn, Apple's software is boring as hell...

I can say that as i've had all iphones until the 4s, i have a macbook and ipad.

Android is just so customisable.

Yawn, Apple's software is boring as hell...

I can say that as i've had all iphones until the 4s, i have a macbook and ipad.

Android is just so customisable.

And made from poo IMO , quality quality quality, built so well and never any issues , would I buy iphone5 no why cos I love my 3GS son has 4&5, better apps on iOS IMO I'm biased tho as I'm just a sheep apparently,

iOS is so stale its unreal!!, Jelly bean is the way forward and recent Apple sales are proving my point.

Key Lime Pie.... watch out

Had a play with a nexus 7 and liked it, don't know what I didn't like last time.

Just watching a few on ebay but if anyone knows of any going cheap please shout

What size & budget?

For new, try HotUKDeals. Nectar points can take the sting out via argos. My N7 cost me £25 after remembering my points

And made from poo IMO , quality quality quality, built so well and never any issues , would I buy iphone5 no why cos I love my 3GS son has 4&5, better apps on iOS IMO I'm biased tho as I'm just a sheep apparently,

You like what you like. I personally dislike apple products, I dislike the walled garden approach from Cupertino. But despite that I recommend apple stuff to certain people.

Sure IMO it is overpriced and underspecced but it does just work. My grandparents could pick up an iPad and figure it out pretty instantly.

I gave them my ICS archos 80 today and they were a bit confused by it, they probably could have figured it out given time though to be fair.

I love android and will stick with it until it begins to stagnate, but it is not without its problems, updates and skinning being one, fragmentation is another, although not a biggy really. The biggest benefit of android though is its biggest weakness and that is the massive variety of devices available with the different specs. A brand new android could be a top of the range 1080p quad core beast, through to an 800mhz or lower entry level process with 240 x 480 screen which creates a nightmare for devs and apps.

My archos 80 I'm using now was cheap at 50 quid but relatively well specced. Being 8" and 1024x768 though I have found a number of apps (apparently) aren't compatible, I've side loaded the apks and they work fine, auto trader is just one example.

This can be avoided I suppose by buying a nexus product as the apps will work with them, for the most part at least.

What size & budget?

For new, try HotUKDeals. Nectar points can take the sting out via argos. My N7 cost me £25 after remembering my points

Thanks

Cheap as possible, 32gb ideally.

I have a HUK account and will check there, nectar points get spent by the wife normally when she shops at Sainsbury's but I'll check to see how many we have in hand

Looking at things a 16gb would be OK

If you need to work on it - laptop

If you want to browse and view on it - tablet.

Nexus 7/10 are good.

Don't forget the old BB Playbook. It's underrated and very cheap.

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/blackberry-playbook-7-tablet-64-gb-10647930-pdt.html?srcid=867&cmpid=comp~Google~Computing~10647930&istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&istItemId=xaiiwaqm&istBid=t

Do you have a PC as well?

If so then a tablet is ideal, yes they are limited to what you can use them for but they are much more flexible than a laptop.

Sure IMO it is overpriced and underspecced but it does just work. My grandparents could pick up an iPad and figure it out pretty instantly.

I gave them my ICS archos 80 today and they were a bit confused by it, they probably could have figured it out given time though to be fair.

This is the whole thing with Apple products … they just work straight out of the box and everything is logical.

Sure you cannot customise them as much as say a windows based product, but when it works so well to begin with, why would you need to?

Dated software? why change when it works so well, change for just changes sake is stupid.

I hate the whole Apple marketing etc, BUT I am on my 2nd iPhone, own a Mac and bought SWMBO an iPad for xmas, why? because they just work and much better than all the Windows stuff we have.

I truly hate the Windows8 layout with it’s oversized tiles , which you can no doubt change, but I don’t run them down at every opportunity like the Apple haters seem they have to do at every opportunity.

My mother in law is pretty hopeless with PC’s, yet she has just bought an iPad and has picked up most of the basics straight away, simply because it is so intuitive to use.