Italian Hippy
2013-10-28, 08:06 AM
Hello, Playground!
I turned 32 just ten days ago, and my wife, grandma (yeah, I'm 32 and I still have a granny, may she live to see 4 digits of age!) and aunt have decided to chip in to get me a really nice gift, rather than the usual plethora of sweaters, socks and paraphernalia one usually gets.
I immediately started looking for a model which could fulfill all my needs, but the various websites I've sifted through only confused me even more about it, which is why I don't have my birthday present ten days after my birthday. My only experience with Android is with my smartphone, a Samsung Galaxy S2, which was already running Cyanogenmod 9 when I bought it. That said, I've decided to ask the most pleasant community I know of for its collective opinion and advice.
Here's a brief run-down of what I need:
- Call me a fanboy if you want to, but I'll have nothing with the logo of a bitten apple in my home. Android only here.
- I'm already half-blind, so I would choose a bigger screen rather than a smaller one. 7 inches is way too small for a tablet, at that point I'd just get a phablet. 9/10 inches is ideal.
- The absence of a Micro SD card slot is possibly all that made me discard the Google Nexus 10, so that's pretty much a deal breaker, too. I refuse to pay 100€ for 32GB more of memory, especially when I have more spare Micro SDs laying around that I have hair strands in my beard :D (in a pinch, any other card will do, but expandable memory is a must have)
- I'd like something SOLID, that I won't have to replace or repair for a while. Quality of the components, as well as ease of access to certified repair shops, is another selling point for me.
- A SIM slot is not strictly necessary, just an "added bonus". In a pinch, I can use Wi-Fi tethering with my phone. It wouldn't be a bad thing to have, though, considering the battery limitations of both phone and tablet.
- My main uses for the tablet would be browsing, media entertainment (movies, music and all that jazz) and reading ebooks. For work, I could certainly use it, but the only thing that would be useful in that aspect is a *very* accurate on-screen keyboard with a good response. Also, I suppose I could also use a Bluetooth/USB keyboard instead of the on-screen one, so that's a minor point. As for processing power, I honestly don't *know* if I'm going to use the tablet for gaming. So far, I have been stopped by the fact that "phone games = phone battery dies", but I guess a tablet can last much longer.
- Cameras: simply put, I don't give a poop. I'm not using a 10" tablet as a camera. I'll be satisfied with a 1MP front one for videocalling, but back camera is a non-issue.
- Budget is between 350 and 400€. As you can see from my profile (and my screen name) I'm from Italy, so we're talking European market. If I buy stuff from the US or China, they CAN and probably WILL stick me with customs fees.
Thanks in advance to everyone who'll take the time to read and reply! Your help is appreciated!
I turned 32 just ten days ago, and my wife, grandma (yeah, I'm 32 and I still have a granny, may she live to see 4 digits of age!) and aunt have decided to chip in to get me a really nice gift, rather than the usual plethora of sweaters, socks and paraphernalia one usually gets.
I immediately started looking for a model which could fulfill all my needs, but the various websites I've sifted through only confused me even more about it, which is why I don't have my birthday present ten days after my birthday. My only experience with Android is with my smartphone, a Samsung Galaxy S2, which was already running Cyanogenmod 9 when I bought it. That said, I've decided to ask the most pleasant community I know of for its collective opinion and advice.
Here's a brief run-down of what I need:
- Call me a fanboy if you want to, but I'll have nothing with the logo of a bitten apple in my home. Android only here.
- I'm already half-blind, so I would choose a bigger screen rather than a smaller one. 7 inches is way too small for a tablet, at that point I'd just get a phablet. 9/10 inches is ideal.
- The absence of a Micro SD card slot is possibly all that made me discard the Google Nexus 10, so that's pretty much a deal breaker, too. I refuse to pay 100€ for 32GB more of memory, especially when I have more spare Micro SDs laying around that I have hair strands in my beard :D (in a pinch, any other card will do, but expandable memory is a must have)
- I'd like something SOLID, that I won't have to replace or repair for a while. Quality of the components, as well as ease of access to certified repair shops, is another selling point for me.
- A SIM slot is not strictly necessary, just an "added bonus". In a pinch, I can use Wi-Fi tethering with my phone. It wouldn't be a bad thing to have, though, considering the battery limitations of both phone and tablet.
- My main uses for the tablet would be browsing, media entertainment (movies, music and all that jazz) and reading ebooks. For work, I could certainly use it, but the only thing that would be useful in that aspect is a *very* accurate on-screen keyboard with a good response. Also, I suppose I could also use a Bluetooth/USB keyboard instead of the on-screen one, so that's a minor point. As for processing power, I honestly don't *know* if I'm going to use the tablet for gaming. So far, I have been stopped by the fact that "phone games = phone battery dies", but I guess a tablet can last much longer.
- Cameras: simply put, I don't give a poop. I'm not using a 10" tablet as a camera. I'll be satisfied with a 1MP front one for videocalling, but back camera is a non-issue.
- Budget is between 350 and 400€. As you can see from my profile (and my screen name) I'm from Italy, so we're talking European market. If I buy stuff from the US or China, they CAN and probably WILL stick me with customs fees.
Thanks in advance to everyone who'll take the time to read and reply! Your help is appreciated!