Best Android Tablet?

With the recent release of the Andoid app, and the personal acknowledgement that I have thousands of resources that remain unread because it's hard to sit and read for long periods of time on a computer, I've decided to get an android tablet.

I believe I'm going for one in the 7-8.9 inch range, because I believe the 10.1 will be a little awkward to hold and read from for long periods of time.

Does anyone have an opinion on which one is best and why? Any links to good comparisons?

Thanks,

Derek

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vandevsr

The Best: The Nook Touch. It has an E-ink screen and costs around a hundred dollars. Only one catch: you need your geeky nephew to root it first. And rooting just changed depending on which version of Nook firmware you have.

The nook is the best reader. If you want to do Bible Study use a laptop or a iPad, but for reading the nook wins. Battery life is great (days, even weeks). Good for bright sunlight too.

And since the Nook runs the Logos app so well, you may as well put on the Kindle app, for all your other books.

Bill Anderson

With the recent release of the Andoid app, and the personal acknowledgement that I have thousands of resources that remain unread because it's hard to sit and read for long periods of time on a computer, I've decided to get an android tablet.

I believe I'm going for one in the 7-8.9 inch range, because I believe the 10.1 will be a little awkward to hold and read from for long periods of time.

Does anyone have an opinion on which one is best and why?

Derek,

I am generally an Android fan but I have an iPad 2. To me the 10-inch screen is ideal for Logos on a tablet. And, the reason I have an iPad and not an Android tablet at this point in time is because the iOS version has split screen capability. Holding the tablet in landscape mode, I can have a Bible open on one side of the screen and a commentary on the other, with both screens linked.

This feature is coming to the Android version and when it does I will likely get an Android tablet. If I were buying one today (or soon), I would get the upcoming second generation of the Asus Transformer (a 10-incher). That looks to be the tablet with the best specs out there, as well as being the thinnest and lightest.

Rosie Perera

I have the first generation Asus Transformer (a 10-incher) and love it. It's not too cumbersome to sit with and read for long periods of time. Battery life is fairly good. About 8-9 hours, twice that if you've got the keyboard connected. I haven't tried a smaller screen one since the Samsung Galaxy 7" one that was in the store beside the Asus when I chose it, but I got the feeling that one was too small even for just reading.

Todd Phillips

If I were buying one today (or soon), I would get the upcoming second generation of the Asus Transformer (a 10-incher). That looks to be the tablet with the best specs out there, as well as being the thinnest and lightest.

Yes, the Transformer Prime, which is supposedly going to be released at the end of next week, will have a quad core processor and will be thinner than the iPad 2.

Also coming in December is the Toshiba Thrive 7" (which has a 1280x800 screen on the smaller form factor for a higher pixel density), and maybe the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, which was announced in September but still doesn't have a release date. The 7.7 will have a Super AMOLED display along with1280x800 resolution.

If I had to buy right now, I'd probably buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9. Best Buy has the 16MB version on sale for $399 right now. But so much is in the near-term pipeline that I'm doing my best to wait.

Derek Browning

So....

You all have unconvinced me of getting a smaller unit, the coming split screen functionality won me over...

Does anyone know the price for the upcoming transformer prime? With a quad-core it sounds like it may run faster than my laptop... [8-|]

Todd Phillips

Does anyone know the price for the upcoming
transformer prime?

$499 for 32 GB and $599 for 64 GB.

With a quad-core it sounds like it may run faster
than my laptop..

Don't get too excited--you can't compare it with an Intel. They are different beasts. The processor is a NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-Core Mobile CPU. It handles both the programs and the graphics.

Bill Anderson

So....

You all have unconvinced me of getting a smaller unit, the coming split screen functionality won me over...

Does anyone know the price for the upcoming transformer prime? With a quad-core it sounds like it may run faster than my laptop...

Yes, that was what I was trying to emphasize. The problem is that because the split screen hasn't been implemented on Android yet, we don't have any reports on how usable it will be on a 7-inch screen. I am over 50, so with my eyes it isn't going to work. The 10-inch screen is the smallest I could use with this functionality.

As far as whether a quad-core tablet will run faster than your laptop, tablets are different beasts. They don't run full blown desktop applications. But one thing you will really appreciate is that there will be no boot up time. Just turn on the tablet and enjoy. [:)]

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

If I were buying one today (or soon), I would get the upcoming second generation of the Asus Transformer (a 10-incher). That looks to be the tablet with the best specs out there, as well as being the thinnest and lightest.

Yes, the Transformer Prime, which is supposedly going to be released at the end of next week, will have a quad core processor and will be thinner than the iPad 2.

Personally learned Asus Transformer Prime has one faster graphics benchmark score than iPad 2 (tied other score) => http://www.pcworld.com/article/245256/asus_eee_pad_transformer_prime_tf201_review_a_breakthrough_performer.html with planned upgrade to Android 4.0.1 "Ice Cream Sandwich"; likewise learned tablet has 2 CPU's with automatic processor load switching.

PC World has a Top 10 Tablets list => http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/collection/8786/top_5_tablets.html

Keep Smiling [:)]

Steven T Hague

I've been watching tablets for a while - look back a couple of versions and there are some other posts. Anyway, I just can't go for the iPad and was looking for Android tablets. I had been looking at the Samsung Galaxie 10.1 but last weekend I bought a Lenovo X1. It is a 10-inch, 32 gb Android tablet with a micro SD card slot and HDMI ports. Currently priced at $299.

With my laptop, I can be patient for all the features on the tablet. The ones I really want are split screens and reverse interlinears.

STH

Tony Thomas

I love my Galaxy Tab wi-fi 7". Much more capable than the Kindle Fire and affordable at around $300.

lynn-kai chao

got the asus transformer 16gb brand new off craigslist for $190 cash. it should be hitting rock bottom prices used now that the prime is out. hands down best android tablet ever made even sweeter with the price. like people have said here already, its a greeaaatt device

i use logos on it all the time. love it in vertical mode. a little heavy to hold though and not as well balanced in vertical (top heavy) but its the only way you can type with thumbs. the ipads vertical split keyboard is a nice feature. if theres something like that for android especially the transformer that would be the best as it would help with the balance issue. i believe the transformer has one of the longest running battery lives too in an android tablet. i no longer am afraid (compared to say a laptop) when the battery meter says 10% left as i know that will still be plenty of juice to get me through a long sermon. i personally was looking at 7in tablets also like the galaxy but this 10incher isnt as awkwardly large in person as it may seem to be. im glad i got a 10incher. never looking at 7in again. i encourage you going into a store to see it in person.

other than the thinness of the new prime, there really is nothing that would make me want to upgrade to it until the price falls below $200 on the used market. this original transformer is peppy in all applications i use it for especially logos. there is a slight delay when you flick through pages in logos but otherwise no big deal. im even responding with it right now. i cant wait till they have notes syncing capabilities (hoping thats in the works).

for me a $500 tablet is nothing but a joke. you can buy two fairly portable core i3 or amd A6 laptops nowadays with that cash or the 1st gen macbook air!

Randall Sweeney

It's tough to say what is the "best" because there are a lot of options out there and a lot of different features that have to be examined. Personally, I love the Asus Transformer Prime because it offers a lot of the unique options that i need / want in a tablet and its' price isn't too bad, though not the cheapest. But, at the same time i like the Galaxy 10.1 and the Acer Iconia Tab A500 which are cheaper options compared to my favorite. At the end of the day it all just depends. This is a link that is pretty informative about some of the best android tablet

Angelia Ulrich

I have just looked at the Asus Transformer Prime at Best Buy & was disappointed that it only had 1GB RAM (or DDRAM). I thought Logos 4 users said 2 GB were needed & 4 were best. You don't find this tablet very slow? Thanks.

Angelia Ulrich

Just looked at the Asus Transformer Prime at Best Buy. I thot I'd read somewhere that the RAM could be updated from 1 to 4. Now I can't find that. Isn't 1GB RAM too slow to run L4? Thanks.

Bill Anderson

Angela,

It is important to know that you won't be running L4 on the tablet; you will be running a pared down version of Logos built specifically for tablets. This app is designed to work within the confines of tablet specifications.

Also, when you buy a tablet -- any tablet -- all of the components are built in to the main circuit board. Unlike desktop and laptop computers, you can't add more memory. Depending upon which tablet you buy, you might be able to increase the storage space with an optional microSD card.

For what it's worth, my iPad 2 has 512MB of memory and runs the iOS version of the Logos app very well.

Ron Henderson

I have the latest Toshiba thrive 10.1" 4G. But I am eagerly awaiting the split screen in logos android. I have it on my iphone and find it a great necessity and joy. When will it come out? It is already in android Olive Bible.

Tony Thomas

Split-screen is already available:

http://community.logos.com/forums/t/44710.aspx

Ezekiel37

Finally obtained a Transformer Prime 64G unit in January - tough to do. The first APP was LOGOS. Very responsive. Do not regret my purchase. Waiting for more functionality for the Android OS. If possible allow those with larger size, or more processing ability to configure /customize Logos for whichever screen size they have. Multiple screen partitions as in the Windows environment - more open resources at once. Include the ability to configure local processing as CPU and Storage permits. This of course would not work well on a phone. 64G storage can maintain quite a library if desired. Tablets and mobile devices are only going to see increased storage and processing abilities.

Bill Anderson

Hey Gary,

Welcome to the Logos Forums.

I picked up a Transformer Prime 32GB last week and love it.

The newest version of the Android app brought in the split screen feature, so now the Android app is on feature parity with the iOS app. I don't think there are plans to make it possible to partition the screens with any more granularity like the desktop version of Logos. The Android and iOS apps aren't meant to be on feature parity with the desktop version.

Randall Sweeney

Just an update there is now an awesome asus tablet review that really goes in to depth on what i would consider the best if not one of the best android based tablets available on the market right now in its' price range. What do you guys think?

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

Just an update there is now an awesome asus tablet review that really goes in to depth on what i would consider the best if not one of the best android based tablets available on the market right now in its' price range. What do you guys think?

Welcome [:D]

Depends when to buy since better tablets have been recently announced:

ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity has 1920 x 1200 resolution screen => http://www.androidcentral.com/video-hands-asus-transformer-pad-infinity-0

Android Central has more Mobile World Congress coverage => http://www.androidcentral.com/mwc

Looking at ASUS web site, noted no price listed => http://eee.asus.com/eeepad/transformer-infinity/features/

Hands-on article also lacks price and availability =>http://androidcommunity.com/asus-transformer-pad-infinity-700-lte-hands-on-20120227/

Engadget has a hardware specification comparison of Apple's new iPad and elite Android tablels => http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/07/new-ipad-competition-specs/

Found one more comparison => http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/new-ipad-vs-asus-transformer-pad-infinity-700-specs-comparison

By the way, Apple dropped refurbished wifi iPad 2's with 16 GB to $ 349 (same warranty and packaging as new) => http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad after dropping new iPad 2 price to $ 399, which is less than $ 499 for ASUS Transformer Prime.

Edit: Samsung offers a comparison of their Galaxy Note 10.1 vs new iPad => http://androidcommunity.com/samsung-strikes-back-compares-galaxy-note-10-1-vs-new-ipad-20120307/ that includes two Android apps side by side, which does not (yet) work for most Android apps => http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/03/07/samsung.struggles.to.make.note.101.vs.ipad.look/

Keep Smiling [:)]

Tommy Johnston

btw, a small correction. the ipad2 price cut has dropped the comparable version (32gb) to equal price as the lowest capacity transformer prime (also 32gb). That is certainly a great price point for the ipad2, but it is still not cheaper than a transformer prime.

those HD screens do sound pretty nice...

Jason Scalzi

Anyone have the Motorola XYBOARD 10.1? This will be mainly used for LOGOS. Any input will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jason

Tony Thomas

Google reportedly is releasing its Google Nexus tablet in May. Asus is rumored to be the manufacturer:

http://www.slashgear.com/asus-made-google-tablet-tipped-for-may-release-09217644/

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

Google reportedly is releasing its Google Nexus tablet in May.

Another rumor has bit less nexus tablet hardware with price from $ 149 to $ 199 => http://www.androidauthority.com/rumor-asus-nexus-tablet-to-feature-a-dual-core-processor-will-be-priced-at-149-64164/

Wonder about Logos mobile apps usage and performance on upcoming Nexus tablet ?

Keep Smiling [:)]