You chose an Android tablet over an iPad--mind telling which one and why? (and other questions)

I've been on the fence a long time concerning an Android tablet or an iPad Which Android did you choose, and why did you get it over an iPad? Are you pleased? How is the resolution for reading?

The Logos app (Android and iOS) is the major reason I've considered a tablet. I realize the Android one has a bit to go in catching up with it iOS counterpart. Are you pleased with the Andoid Logos app or annoyed or frustrated?

What about USB ports? If you have a small amount of memory in the tablet itself, can you download your Logos library to a flash drive?

If you had it to do over again, knowing what you now know, would you choose the same Android tablet, a different Android tablet, or a iPad? Do you know of a rumored-better Android tablet about to be released (could be a major upgrade of one already being sold).

Thanks. That's a lot of questions, but I'm trying to become less ignorant about these things.

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Comments

Steven T Hague

I've been thinking of purchasing a tablet, too, but I just can't resolve being stuck in Apple's world. I keep loading the Betas for Logos Android and Beta 11 is excellent. With Logos Android I'm ready to jump to a tablet, too. My research points to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 but I'm not driving one yet. I'll be watching to see what others say about this tablet.

Kelly Don Oliver

I, like Mr. Hague am having a hard time even considering buying an Apple product. But, my primary use will be LOGOS and if the ipad is absolutely the best, I guess I will be forced to jump to the dark side. I look forward to seeing the answers to Mr. Moore's questions.

Ward Walker

I didn't buy an iPad, mostly due to [percieved]

(1) high cost for limited capability [not a full-up PC]--a price point of a net book would have wooed me, and

(2) I've been immensely disappointed & frustrated by Quicktime on the PC--I don't own any Apple computers.

Given HP's puzzling mis-steps, Dell's dedication to bulky design, and Intel's decision to build ever bigger and more power hungry CPUs with supporting chipsets, perhaps I'll have to convert to Apple in the future.

After my wife mutinied and bought an Android-based Smartphone, I became more comfortable with that OS--and realized I needed to learn it in order to help her navigate her smartphone's features. Since I read a lot, she bought me a Color Nook for our anniversary. I found it to be well designed, but wanted full Android--so when that became easily done, I loaded Gingerbread on a Micro SDHC and now have a dual-boot device. Since the Color Nook doesn't have the hard buttons that Gingerbread assumes, there are some compromises--I'm hoping that when I can load Ice Cream Sandwich on it, those interface compromises will go away.

The Color Nook's small screen size has turned out to be great as a reader; I have to enlarge the text in order to be able to accurately "touch" text, but I can be a slow reader and the combination of larger font and smaller screen keeps me well paced so that the screen doesn't go into power saving mode too often. And for cost, this quality of tablet just can't be beat...yet. I'm sure we will see that change in the coming months.

All this said though, if I could have a device the size/weight/battery life of the Color Nook yet have the horsepower to run the FULL version of Logos, I'd do that in a heartbeat. My compromise is I carry an HP tm2 i5 convertible Win7 tablet with me everyday so I can have access to everything when offline. I highlight *a lot* and from time to time use the notes / clipping feature, so the full version remains my primary version.

Gingerbread... Ice Cream Sandwich

Being an iPad owner (jumped to the dark side 9 months ago and not regretting it), I find the Android version code names colorful and imaginative.

Peter

Jim Crouch

I purchased the Acer Iconium A500. It is at least as fast as the IPad, has a bigger screen, at 32 GB, it cost me $430 instead of $600 and I can expand another 32GB with a micro SD chip (bought an 8 GB one). The USB port is nice and makes an easy way to copy files from any source other than my own laptop. These expandability features were the tip over for me. The fact that I am not glued to the side of Steve Jobs is only a bonus, but would not be my main reason to make the purchase. My brother has an IPad and it didn't sway me in the least. Sometimes I feel like I could have saved another $200 and bought the color Nook, but I like speed!

Logos App is very nice. I can use most of my library on the go on my DroidX or at leisure with my tab. Since the tab is now my "handy Bible" I have a whole library whenever I take it to church, Bible study or the backyard.

The Hebrew is still buggered and the word lookup for Greek and Hebrew can only do lexical forms; any derived forms come up as almost anything. At some point I'm confident that they will fix these.

Timothy Ha

I will wait for Amazon Kindle Tab coming about this October

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/story/2011-09-04/Amazon-tablet-could-take-on-iPad-on-price-more/50256808/1?csp=hf

" the prospect of a less-expensive Android tablet, especially when paired
with the expansive digital media offerings of Amazon, is enough to give
a buyer some serious pause this fall."

Jim Crouch

Great point. I could always take my back to Costco!

Jeff Causey

I went with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Been wanting an Android based tablet for quite a while, but waiting for the hardware to catch up. Biggest thing for me was getting a 10" screen. I'd messed with the iPad and the 7" Android devices that had been out for a while and knew I wanted the larger screen. The Samsung was basically the first one to market that I didn't have concerns about it working properly.

As for why an Android device vs iPad - probably three things: 1) never liked Apple's proprietary nature; 2) poor experience with my iPhone; 3) positive experience with my Android phone.

Been pleased with the Galaxy Tab. Like anything, issues I'd like to see improved, mainly in apps. Device itself, can't complain. I haven't had any problems with the resolution of the device for reading, but I'm not a heavy reader using the device.

As far as the Logos app, it has been ok for a beta. Just frustrated that it is taking so long to reach parity with the iOS version and to take advantage of the larger screen the tablet offers (e.g. split/dual screen).

At present, I don't have any peripherals for the device, so can't speak to that.

At this time, I would not hesitate to buy the Galaxy Tab again. Since I got mine, I haven't paid as much attention to the market, so not sure what may be around the corner. Like most tech, there is always something "better" around the corner. Knowing your hardware will be obsolete in a manner of months is just reality. But if what I have works for me, it is not really obsolete.

Good luck with your search!

Daniel Lee

I will wait for Amazon Kindle Tab coming about this October

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/story/2011-09-04/Amazon-tablet-could-take-on-iPad-on-price-more/50256808/1?csp=hf

" the prospect of a less-expensive Android tablet, especially when paired
with the expansive digital media offerings of Amazon, is enough to give
a buyer some serious pause this fall."

I don't want to discourage you, but Amazon has been far less open in the past to their devices being rooted as compared to Barnes & Noble (e.g. Color Nook, Nook Touch). If the early reports are accurate, the Amazon Tablet will be pretty locked down or customized and you will be unable to install the Logos app without either 1) rooting, which may be complicated and will possibly eliminate all the Amazon customizations, or 2) waiting to see if Logos will publish their app in the Amazon App Store for Android, which may be a long wait or never happen.

Chris Martin

I have been quite happy running Logos on a Viewsonic G Tablet. For me it has a much higher bang-for-your-buck ratio compared to the iPad (though the iPad is a superior device). I use this tablet to read extensively, display my preaching notes, display musical charts for worship, display recipes (tip: cover the screen with some cling wrap while cooking), and more. It gets to job done smoothly.

Pros:

Very active development community creating custom ROMs that keep it up to date even though Viewsonic no longer supports it
Can be purchased for about $250 (here, for example)
Runs the same Tegra 2 processor that most high-end tablets do today, though the custom ROMs actually overclock it safely to a faster speed
10" screen lets you see an actual page's worth of material
Battery life that actually will give you a real-world 7 hours of straight use (Wi-Fi on!)
Full web browsing experience that supports flash

Cons:

The screen was originally designed for a netbook laptop and as such is neither the brightest nor has the best viewing angles (very usable for me, but no competition for a retina display)
As mentioned earlier, this device is no longer officially supported. Using custom ROMs to keep things up to date isn't particularly difficult, but having a slight geek streak certainly helps.

Robert Pavich

I've been happy with the Asus Transformer. While I do LIKE the look of an iPad, the price and the restrictions don't sit well with me.

With the latest software update it's perfect.

It's also a low priced bargain as tablets go....

Floyd Johnson

I will wait for Amazon Kindle Tab coming about this October

Ditto - of course, by the time I wait for review and wait to see if it truly works with LOGOS, there will be something better OR bigger OR cheaper out. [:)]

George

I also use an Acer Iconia 16G with a 16G SD chip. Got mine for 299 plus tax at Walmart. Works very well. I would like to see the Android app catch up with the iphne app.

Mark Timonen

I also use the Acer Iconia with 32 GB onboard memory. I have had no problems with it. Picked it up at Costco for 430.

Preacherman(Central Lutheran Church)

Well I was able to pick up a HP Touchpad 32gb unit on the firesale price of $149, I bought it specifically because I just knew that the hacks would put Android on it...and I believe that it will soon be here! I am really pleased[:D] Hopefully (ok...with Faith!) this won't take too long, and I will have a great $149 Android tablet! I am already very familiar with Android, and I also refuse to be tied to Apple...besides Window 8 actually looks like MS might really have something (time will surely tell[:S]

I also have a HP2740p i7 which screams through LOGOS now, and because it is a tabletPC its easy to tote around...but it will be cool to have a tab for LOGOS as well...and it just keeps getting better!

But to provide MHO on Android or IOS...ANDROID FOR SURE!

Romans 8:9

Kevin A. Purcell

Bill,

Didn't see anyone else respond that can speak from a position of owning both an Android and an iPad. My ASUS Eee Pad Transformer is a hot item. I really like it espeically in comparison to two other Android devices I've owned. The Nook Color and Acer Iconia Tab A500. I returned the Iconia Tab in order to buy the ASUS. I sold my Nook Color on eBay after getting the ASUS. All of that said, I use the ASUS very little and I use my iPad all day ever day. It is just a better piece of hardware, has better support and more quality apps. It has more options for accessories.

People say they don't like the restricted world of Apple. But few explain what they mean. What can you do well on an Android tablet that doesn't have a good or better alternative on an iPad? One of the things people mention is Flash support. But as an iPad user I almost never run into situations where I miss it. As an Android user I can neve remember running into a situation where I really needed it. HTML5 is the future of the Internet and even Adobe is doing things that suggest they realize that Flash is a temporary short term solution that will be replaced by HTML5.

I own an Android phone and think it is much better than my iPhone 4. But on the tablet iPad is the best.

Now, on the side of Logos, the Android app is a little behind the iPad app in development. I think that will change soon since we are seeing more movement on the Android app than the iPad. I think Logos has kind of left iOS on the shelf till they get Android to a state of feature parity. Sure they may say that isn't happening but I see NO evidence to the contrary.

That said, I still cannot use my bible reading plan on my Android devices.

As for price, you can get an iPad 1 for about the same price as a decent Android tablet. If you own nothing and iPad 1 will be a great tool.

Bill Moore

Bill,

Didn't see anyone else respond that can speak from a position of owning both an Android and an iPad. My ASUS Eee Pad Transformer is a hot item. I really like it espeically in comparison to two other Android devices I've owned. The Nook Color and Acer Iconia Tab A500. I returned the Iconia Tab in order to buy the ASUS. I sold my Nook Color on eBay after getting the ASUS. All of that said, I use the ASUS very little and I use my iPad all day ever day. It is just a better piece of hardware, has better support and more quality apps. It has more options for accessories.

People say they don't like the restricted world of Apple. But few explain what they mean. What can you do well on an Android tablet that doesn't have a good or better alternative on an iPad? One of the things people mention is Flash support. But as an iPad user I almost never run into situations where I miss it. As an Android user I can neve remember running into a situation where I really needed it. HTML5 is the future of the Internet and even Adobe is doing things that suggest they realize that Flash is a temporary short term solution that will be replaced by HTML5.

I own an Android phone and think it is much better than my iPhone 4. But on the tablet iPad is the best.

Now, on the side of Logos, the Android app is a little behind the iPad app in development. I think that will change soon since we are seeing more movement on the Android app than the iPad. I think Logos has kind of left iOS on the shelf till they get Android to a state of feature parity. Sure they may say that isn't happening but I see NO evidence to the contrary.

That said, I still cannot use my bible reading plan on my Android devices.

As for price, you can get an iPad 1 for about the same price as a decent Android tablet. If you own nothing and iPad 1 will be a great tool.

Thanks, Kevin. I was able to spend quite a while using a friend's iPad on Saturday, and then that evening checked out the popular Android tablets at Best Buy. Of the Androids, the Asus Transformer was my favorite. The experience, though, has me leaning towards holding out for four or five months, hopefully, till the iPad 3 comes out. A lot of folks don't care for the iPad's aspect ratio, but a primary purpose for my getting a tablet is to read Logos books, and I prefer the way reading sets up in portrait mode on the iPad than in the narrower (though evidently more movie-friendly-in-landscape-mode) Androids.

Then again, if the rumored Transformer 2 comes out in a month or so, . . . [;)]

BillS

I've been on the fence a long time concerning an Android tablet or an iPad

Hi Bill,

Although this is about android vs. iphone, I suspect many of the comments by this experienced iphone user who's going to android may be relevant:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/240477/why_im_not_one_of_the_89_percent_getting_another_iphone.html#tk.rss_main

Kevin A. Purcell

I've been on the fence a long time concerning an Android tablet or an iPad

Hi Bill,

Although this is about android vs. iphone, I suspect many of the comments by this experienced iphone user who's going to android may be relevant:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/240477/why_im_not_one_of_the_89_percent_getting_another_iphone.html#tk.rss_main

While I agree with these for a phone I do not agree with them for a tablet. I own and android phone (Samsung Infuse 4G) and I love it. My only problem with it is a hardware issue - the GPS radio is terrible compared to the iPhone and other Android phones. But when I compare my iPad with my ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, there is no comparison. The only reason I haven't sold the Eee Pad is my desire to keep up with Android tablet news and tools. Which means that lately Its been sitting on my nightstand collecting dust. The only change was the new Netflix update that made it work on my device, if I side load it.

Bill Moore

I've been on the fence a long time concerning an Android tablet or an iPad

Hi Bill,

Although this is about android vs. iphone, I suspect many of the comments by this experienced iphone user who's going to android may be relevant:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/240477/why_im_not_one_of_the_89_percent_getting_another_iphone.html#tk.rss_main

Interesting article, Bill. Thanks for sharing.

One of my problems now is patience. A rumored better-resolution Asus Transformer 2 is said to be released in October, Apple makes it foray into the tablet market in October, I think, and the iPad 3 is expected early next year. Because I will keep the tablet for a good while, getting the best resolution possible for reading is important to me. Patience in waiting, though, is not my strong suit. I've come close to ordering a refurbished 64GB original iPad for $499 and still may talk myself into that.

One of my concerns with Android for Logos is wondering when the app will catch up with the iPad app. It seems still to have a good ways to go.

Bill Moore

I've been on the fence a long time concerning an Android tablet or an iPad

Hi Bill,

Although this is about android vs. iphone, I suspect many of the comments by this experienced iphone user who's going to android may be relevant:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/240477/why_im_not_one_of_the_89_percent_getting_another_iphone.html#tk.rss_main

While I agree with these for a phone I do not agree with them for a tablet. I own and android phone (Samsung Infuse 4G) and I love it. My only problem with it is a hardware issue - the GPS radio is terrible compared to the iPhone and other Android phones. But when I compare my iPad with my ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, there is no comparison. The only reason I haven't sold the Eee Pad is my desire to keep up with Android tablet news and tools. Which means that lately Its been sitting on my nightstand collecting dust. The only change was the new Netflix update that made it work on my device, if I side load it.

Your perspective carries a lot of weight with me, Kevin, because of your experience with the OS's and hardware. I keep toying around with the idea of an Android tablet but keep coming back to thinking an iPad will be better in the long run.

Icarus38376

I've come close to ordering a refurbished 64GB original iPad for $499 and still may talk myself into that.

Have you considered that a new 16GB iPad 2 for $499 might still have a better resale value if you decide to switch platforms in the future?

Bill Moore

I've come close to ordering a refurbished 64GB original iPad for $499 and still may talk myself into that.

Have you considered that a new 16GB iPad 2 for $499 might still have a better resale value if you decide to switch platforms in the future?

That's a good point, Peter, and worth keeping in mind. I've wondered if 16GB would be large enough. It seems that 32GB would be about right. I mentioned the refurbed 64GB iPad 1 because it's in the Apple Store and there are no refurbished 32GB Wi-Fi only right now.