Database Users

[Honest Answers] should i buy a tablet?

hi. i finished school with good grades so my dad told me he will buy me what i want (but not ANYTHING like 1000$ or something)
anyway, i told him i wanted a galaxy tab 10.1
i waited until it arrived then i was going to go and buy it then my bro told me "Do you really need it?"
so i head to the store and before buying it i remembered what he said and i headed home without buying it.
it have been days and i am over my head thinking and especially that i can buy anything else" i need" (but idk what i really need) and that my dad offered me to deposit in my bank account the same price of the tab in case i did not buy it.
here is why i want it: games, web browing , chatting.
do i really need it ?

If you don't have smartphone it will be a whole new world for you and you will love it. Now if you are a techie with a lot of gadgets its simply going to be an accessory, a very convenient one still. then comes all the in depth customizing. It could most likely eliminate the use of others if you can find its use. At the same price you can get a good laptop or even a better super phone. Its all up to your standards of living, if you can use such a product productivly and willing to put the time into getting to understand the product, standard ergonomics.
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i had samsung 7, and now 10.1. For myself i would buy it again. But it wont answer your question.
Read following feature list. If you will use following features regularry, its for you.
- reader : comfortable way to read books ( write anot.) you can keep thpusands of books with variouse format
- light weight : important, if you travel often
-good access to internet, mail, exchange
- remote access over vpn to remote desktop etc
For me, it is useless to have netbook. I have also laptop, but heavy i7 proc, 16Gssd. Its hardly portable, but i run on it network simulation.
Personaly if i would be fresh graduate, i would wait. This market is really new.

I love my Tab but if you don't have a computer or a laptop I would get as lightweight of a laptop that you can afford. A 14 inch screen around one inch thick would be a great portable sized one, I have an HP that size and it is great.
But if you do have a computer/laptop already then the Tab would an awesome addition, but it is really a toy IMO.

Love my tab
I love my Tab. I never bought into the smartphone craze, mostly due to the price of data plans, the Tab allows me into the world of smartphones, just on wifi instead. Between Netflix,games, browsing on the net, reading Game of Thrones on the kindle app, RSS readers I have not used my computer nor my PlayStation all summer long. With all the customization I am very happy with my decision, save for no love from an actual Netflix app or HBO GO.

I say yes and here is way. Tablets are changing the consumption of media, and they do everything from web browsing, email, IM chat, video calls, movies, tv shows, games, media storage, news, books, and on and on. My gtab is playing second fiddle to my iPad right now but it is a really nice convenient way to be connected.

You say you don't really know what you need...so it sounds like there's really nothing you need. I suggest you do buy it! It's pretty sweet! You could use it for many things on a daily basis. You said you finished school, I don't know if you're going back or not, but you can also use it to take notes in class instead of wasting paper.
If you buy it you have 14 days to return it without a problem. If you buy it at a Best Buy they won't even charge you for a restocking fee so give it a try!

While it is definitely true that no one NEEDS a tablet I have found it to be a fantastic device and worth every penny. I was always an apple person and was super excited about the ipad until I discovered it was basically a big phone. So I waited for something more approaching a computer to come along and finally decided on the tab.
Pros
1. Super light weight: makes my netbook seem like a brick. This is majorly useful for heading out of the house and for holding while lounging around or whatever.
2. Fast for email and web browsing.
3. Emulators - plays snes and genesis games... what more do you want.
4. Touchscreen - with keyboards designed for honeycomb e.g. thumbkeyboard it is surprisingly easy to type. Browsing etc feels great.
5. Always on and ready to go (though mac laptops / chrome are simillar)
Cons
1.for writing it is still not quite able to give a good experience (though that should be obvious) it struggles with large documents and Google docs is badly implemented. For instance I was reading a manuscript on here marking places that needed editting using polaris office (included free). It worked nice as a reader but did not inform me that it failed to save the last 20 of my 60+ bookmarks.
2. More bugs and lag than on a fully fledged computer, but not too bad.
3. Not post-pc enough to justify purchase over desktop or laptop depending on what you already have - in terms of what you can do, the tablet is no replacement for either. But if you have them already you will find you use them far less.

My suggestion (as a GTab 10.1 Owner) is... don't buy a Galaxy Tab 10.1
Get a Nook Color... root it, overclock it... etc... you'll learn much more this way and you'll save several hundred dollars
... or get the original galaxy tab 7, which you can find for less than 200 dollars on craigslist.
and maybe get an ipod touch with your extra cash and have the best of both worlds. I dunno, up to you.
Either way, at this point 500 is too much to pay.
I'm disappointed there is no official netflix app, no official google voice support... lack of quality tablet apps, and I'm worried about Samsung supporting the device once the next version comes out.

Consumption v. Production
Nice contrast between pros and cons. About the question, really depends on what you plan on using it for. I think the tab is more often used for information consumption versus production. I use it for work as a sales rep to view email and work files quickly and easily. I tether it through my HTC Inspire and almost always have it connected. Again, more for information consumption versus production. However, I know there is a docking keyboard I may get down the road, and not carry my laptop anymore! And, its cool to pull up videos/pics/industry news on the spot to show clients without the hassle of booting up a laptop...
Jake-CT said:
While it is definitely true that no one NEEDS a tablet I have found it to be a fantastic device and worth every penny. I was always an apple person and was super excited about the ipad until I discovered it was basically a big phone. So I waited for something more approaching a computer to come along and finally decided on the tab.
Pros
1. Super light weight: makes my netbook seem like a brick. This is majorly useful for heading out of the house and for holding while lounging around or whatever.
2. Fast for email and web browsing.
3. Emulators - plays snes and genesis games... what more do you want.
4. Touchscreen - with keyboards designed for honeycomb e.g. thumbkeyboard it is surprisingly easy to type. Browsing etc feels great.
5. Always on and ready to go (though mac laptops / chrome are simillar)
Cons
1.for writing it is still not quite able to give a good experience (though that should be obvious) it struggles with large documents and Google docs is badly implemented. For instance I was reading a manuscript on here marking places that needed editting using polaris office (included free). It worked nice as a reader but did not inform me that it failed to save the last 20 of my 60+ bookmarks.
2. More bugs and lag than on a fully fledged computer, but not too bad.
3. Not post-pc enough to justify purchase over desktop or laptop depending on what you already have - in terms of what you can do, the tablet is no replacement for either. But if you have them already you will find you use them far less.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

*Bump*
so should i get a laptop/ computer or a tab ?

No. You NEED a computer if youre attending another type of schooling. I'd get a tablet later because having a computer has more uses especially for school, where a tab(especially a HoneyComb one) is for play and mobility(or as I call lazyness).
When I had my iPad, I used it for internet because I was lazy to get my laptop out. Went back and returned it (I'm 16, so I have to be allowed to return regardless, within the return period, this case being 3 months ), thought I wanted an iPad 2, bought a laptop, and don't regret it.
Laptops last much longer if you buy the ones $600-$900(they are mainly above average these days).
In short, GET A LAPTOP, THEN A TAP YOU REALLY WANT LATER, like a quad core one hahah.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App

hnakhi said:
*Bump*
so should i get a laptop/ computer or a tab ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have all 3. This is order of how much I use each device.
Laptop > Netbook > Tab 10.1
Laptop is still the best for overall productivity.
I like my tablet, but there is no way it could be my only device.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

For games, get an iPad.
Big MMORPGS, got a Laptop.
Web browsing, a 15-17 inch laptop.
If you want it to be portable, iPad/XOOM, Tab 10.1 is too thin and easy to snap, also doesn't take a memory card, XOOM does.
Chatting, all will work.
If you don't have a dual core phone, get a laptop, but get a good one, my Toshiba Satallite for $600, dual core at 2.3 ghz I believe, 4 Gb of ram, 640(really 500)gb hard drive, etc. I don't regret picking my laptop over the iPad 2. Yes, I've had iphone 3g since launch, the 3gs, then 4 until February, had android since(like 5 android phones, all getting better).
I have a strong feeling you will be happy with a computer over a tablet. If not, you got 15-30 days to return But you will want a tablet. go play with a tab at bestbuy, not a game, just see what it can do, the speeds it does. My dads employee lent him a 10.1, I played with it for about 10 minutes, then got bored. Go try it out, tabs are limited, not computers.
If none of that made sense, I explained why to get a laptop.
To answer your Original Post(no, I'm not lazy, I wont us OP), GET A LAPTOP FIRST, THEN A TABLET LATER.
But seriously, he might be right. Do you really want a tab? Go play with one first then tell me what you think.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App

matistight said:
No. You NEED a computer if youre attending another type of schooling. I'd get a tablet later because having a computer has more uses especially for school, where a tab(especially a HoneyComb one) is for play and mobility(or as I call lazyness).
In short, GET A LAPTOP, THEN A TAP YOU REALLY WANT LATER, like a quad core one hahah.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the best advice in your case. Unless you already have a nice laptop, get yourself a MacBook Pro, because you'll need it for any school related and/or creative projects you will embark on in the future. Throw Parallels, then Windows, and any games you can think of on it, and you'll be set for a while. MBP may be approaching your dads budget, and I feel for him, but a 13" at Macmall/Microcenter with $50 8GB ram upgrade from NewEgg is the route I'd want my smart, savvy son to take.
If your laptop shreds already, tell dad to find you a $99 HP Touchpad, and spend the rest on an educational father/son trip to Vegas. ;D
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matistight said:
If you want it to be portable, iPad/XOOM, Tab 10.1 is too thin and easy to snap, also doesn't take a memory card, XOOM does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WTF? That's a reason for NOT buying a Tab? Because it'll be more likely to break by putting massive force on either side?
I'd also like to see a survey of how many Xoom or Transformer or Iconia users actually, you know, swap SD cards on a regular basis.

I have a laptop (a gaming one at that)
A tab 10.1
and an HTC evo...
I use my laptop quite a bit 4-10 hrs a day
phone about 2-5hrs a day
tab 10.1 >2 hrs a day
so in the end was it worth the 499.99 no, am i glad i bought it yes.
im the kind of person who always has to get something when i see it that looks cool...
I do love how fast and easy it is to surf web and stream music. once i get the logitech Zagg bt keyboard case will i use it for school, yes. I would much rather carry that around than a 17" laptop...
The tab is very convenient when in bed and doing some last minute XDA reading (lol i love this site) or when playing a game on my laptop, to be able to look up something w/o having to ALT+TAB is wonderful... idk about some people but i think its pretty snappy when it comes to browsing the web (w/ dolphin browser)...
start with a laptop or a MBP (they are nice but im still a M$ person) if you go with a Windows machine check out HP's website they always have great GREAT deals on high performance laptops (HP makes very nice laptops and you would be wrong to think any less IMO)
(tons of free upgrades and i think they still have the deal going on where you buy a laptop and get a free 4Gb Xbox)
I love my Tab... only downfall for me is the homescreen/launcher (TW) is pretty laggy... esp when moving apps or creating shortcuts
hope this helps...

OK, I found an article on Engadget and that might answer most of the questions you are looking for. And then you can decide for yourself whether you need tablet or a netbook or notebook, etc.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/21/editorial-tablets-arent-the-third-device-id-hoped-for-fr/
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Here's what I'll tell you,
Tablets are a great internet viewing device and fun to pay games on, but they are more of a filler between a phone and a laptop. If you do not have a laptop or your own computer I would suggest the computer.
At this point in time, if I were you, I would get an HP TouchPad for $99 (if you can find one) and play around with it. If you like it then good, if you don't you can sell it on ebay for most likely more than you paid or keep it because it is only $99. Then you have the rest of your money to get a laptop or Galaxy Tab if you find the need for them.

krips2003 said:
OK, I found an article on Engadget and that might answer most of the questions you are looking for. And then you can decide for yourself whether you need tablet or a netbook or notebook, etc.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/21/editorial-tablets-arent-the-third-device-id-hoped-for-fr/
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The writer seems to be someone that hates tablets as a whole.
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Can the Note 2 replace the Laptop for the casual user....?!?

The original Note was a success...
Now the Note 2 has twice the power, 2 GB Ram, better/bigger screen, enhanced S-Pen, a much better battery life and many more new/exciting features. I think it's safe to say that it is twice or maybe even thrice as good than the original note and now much more is possible to do on the new Note 2.
For someone who mostly uses the laptop for surfing the web, listening to music, watching videos reading ebooks/pdf and travels often carrying the laptop around, Can the Note 2 be genuinely considered a laptop replacement device for a casual laptop user....?!?
Kindly also vote in the Poll.
Thanks

Yes

Depending what for you use your laptop, as for me even Htc One X can replace laptop, not for world of warcraft or to working with laptop thought but browsing, reading and low gaming it can replace and much better than htc one X i think
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

Yes mostly for the browsing and media. You can manipulate files without too much hassle too (simple things though)
I now use my laptop only for the office suite / job hunt ****. And the Note 8h on my face daily for all other internet related stuff now

Laptop no, netbook yes, 10inch cheap android tablet yes, ipad no.
On the move definately great. Relaxing at home, ipad3 still is more relaxing to use. That said, I havent touched the wife's ipad since getting the gn2.
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No way not a laptop. A tablet yes but a PC no
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No fot a casual user ;its possible to use note2 as a computer but a casual user cant use becuase its so more difficult

It all depends on where you live and what your basic needs are. My problem is that it doesn't run Java. All official services in Denmark require login with a Java applet. But it will replace my tablet.

Laptop no but tablet? Absolutely. I had the nexus 7 until I received my note 2 then I sold it. My note does everything's nexus 7 can do better, battery life is actually a bit better on the note 2 for me and its more portable. On top of that you have cellular data so it definitely can replace a tablet but not a laptop though.

Why is everyone saying "laptop no"?
The OP stated that they would use it for "surfing the web, listening to music, watching videos reading ebooks/pdf ", why wouldn't the Note be sufficient? I've done more with less capable hardware.

Just wait until there is a good Linux chroot and someone makes an s-pen compatible vnc client, then it will replace everything!
Sent from my MB860

I would still say no, a laptop can you do so much more with. Although you can do a lot with this device you are restricted by many limitations compared to a laptop. However you can get far and do much with this relatively small device. I'm a freelance photographer and i use the Note 10.1 now instead of a laptop, it works pretty smooth and allows me to deliver images to papers and clients on foot and it slips down in my camreabag with ease compared to a bigger heavier laptop.
/ Magnus

tomh235 said:
Just wait until there is a good Linux chroot and someone makes an s-pen compatible vnc client, then it will replace everything!
Sent from my MB860
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I already have the Asus Transformer Prime tablet, and with the attached keyboard dock I can have all of the functionality of a laptop when I RDP to my Windows desktop. The Note 2 will provide just about the same ease of use and functionality with the s-pen. I imagine the s-pen will be a very similar I/O interface to a mouse given the wacom sensor in the Note 2. I just hope that the devs find a way to effortlessly use the it to pan, zoom, and scroll within windows.

thegadfly said:
+1
I already have the Asus Transformer Prime tablet, and with the attached keyboard dock I can have all of the functionality of a laptop when I RDP to my Windows desktop. The Note 2 will provide just about the same ease of use and functionality with the s-pen. I imagine the s-pen will be a very similar I/O interface to a mouse given the wacom sensor in the Note 2. I just hope that the devs find a way to effortlessly use the it to pan, zoom, and scroll within windows.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea but he's not going to have a pc. Honestly the few things you can't and might have to do on a pc would be burning a movie or something like that and more mainstream gaming. In android device can definitely replace a pc for most things. The question to whether specific android devices can replace a pc in all practicality and reality. Personally I watch a lot of YouTube and the difference between my nexus 7 and my friends note 2 is quite extreme. You can do ANYTHING on a 4" a android phone you can do on a 10" tablet but a GUARANTEE there are times you'll want to throw your 4" phone into the toilet and flush it if you had to use it for everything.
So is 5.5" enough to replace a tablet IMO? Personally, no. I know it could be done but it isn't very practical. I watch videos/surf the Web on my phone if I HAVE to, not because I really want to. While a 5.5" screen is more enjoyable than something smaller it won't in all practicality replace a 7" tablet or 10".
I do keep my laptop for playing games and the burning stuff but honestly beyond that I haven't touched it, I always grab my nexus 7.
So the question is can android replace a pc for the most part? Yes. Can a note 2 replace a pc? Technically yes, in all practicality IMO no. Good luck with what you decide
Sent from my SCH-I535

Im gonna be a smart a$$ and say that yes it can replace your laptop for the things you have just mentioned But your laptop has no chance of replacing you Galaxy Note II...!!

Yes it can, as long as you have 64GB in there. I mean ai download alot of media so i like having a 64Gb.
I only get on my apC to play WoW, my phone does everything else for me. Love this thing.
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Clienterror said:
Yea but he's not going to have a pc. Honestly the few things you can't and might have to do on a pc would be burning a movie or something like that and more mainstream gaming. In android device can definitely replace a pc for most things. The question to whether specific android devices can replace a pc in all practicality and reality. Personally I watch a lot of YouTube and the difference between my nexus 7 and my friends note 2 is quite extreme. You can do ANYTHING on a 4" a android phone you can do on a 10" tablet but a GUARANTEE there are times you'll want to throw your 4" phone into the toilet and flush it if you had to use it for everything.
So is 5.5" enough to replace a tablet IMO? Personally, no. I know it could be done but it isn't very practical. I watch videos/surf the Web on my phone if I HAVE to, not because I really want to. While a 5.5" screen is more enjoyable than something smaller it won't in all practicality replace a 7" tablet or 10".
I do keep my laptop for playing games and the burning stuff but honestly beyond that I haven't touched it, I always grab my nexus 7.
So the question is can android replace a pc for the most part? Yes. Can a note 2 replace a pc? Technically yes, in all practicality IMO no. Good luck with what you decide
Sent from my SCH-I535
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, you are correct if we're talking about not even having a desktop. So yes, the main thing you would be missing from android phones are apps that can only run on the x86 ISA. This includes a vast majority of programs (basically anything that runs on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux) e.g. CAD programs, photoshop, mainstream games, etc... Compared to x86, the ARM ISA has not had a lot of apps written for it and not a lot has been ported over either. While a lot of the more basic apps have been ported over (e.g. email, notepad, browser), not a lot of more demanding apps have been written for the less powerful ARM ISA, simply because stuff like mainstream games are currently way too taxing for an ARM based SoC.
However, most of the casual, basic apps like email and web browsers have been ported over or rewritten for ARM. Plus, with Android, you're able to manipulate and transfer files without having to worry about proprietary stuff like iTunes getting in the way. So as long as you don't anticipate needing to use specific x86-only apps in the future, you should be fine.
In response to the screen size comment, I think that the ideal screen size mostly depends on the situation. For example, in social settings, something 50"+ is ideal. For sitting at a desk, something in between 23"-27" is ideal. Bed? 5" - 10". Couch? 7" - 17". Toilet...? 5" - 10". Anything outside the home? It needs to be able to fit into your pocket so < 6". So I think the ideal screen size is very dependent on your habits at home. If you never sit at a desk at home, then yeah, I think you could definitely get by with just a 5.5" screen. For me, I think the Note 2 will be large enough to want to use it in certain places in my home, but not exclusively at home because I use a desk. I also believe that the screen is large enough so that I can only bring the Note 2 with me on travel and not get totally frustrated by using it exclusively. Essentially, I think the size makes it a very flexible device for many situations.

I've got an iPad but still most occasions reach for my phone as its always with me, quick social networking, quick gaming session, browse of the net, all easily doable even on my 4.7" device. I think 5.5" is a sweet spot for most places.
My PC/Laptop only exclusively gets used for Photoshop, Lightroom, downloading, flashing boot.img, and such. Hardly use it that often for web browsing only time if I'm shopping online otherwise my phone and tablet take care of that. Or if doing a long research session.
I spend most my day at work sat in front of a PC makes a nice change to use something else.
But the note is an ideal size for content consumption, for anything creative PC/Laptops are better suited.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

My laptop hardly gets any love anymore.
I use my Note for just about everything. On the very few items I still need a PC, I use TeamViewer and connect to my laptop via TeamViewer Desktop Control for Free. I hardly ever actually use the computer itself.
Regards,
-

I would say yes, unless you need to burn CD/DVD/Blu-Rays.

Nexus 10 vs ultra book? Which to get?

Hello,
In the past few weeks I have been getting pretty excited about getting a nexus 10.
Mainly due to the large screen with its insane resolution.
I have been an android user since my first smartphone.
Currently I have a Galaxy Nexus and a nexus 7.
I love the 7. It has great portability and I take it outside often due to its small size.
I am however thinking about adding a nexus 10 to my gadgets because when at home doing mainly couch browsing, I wish for a bigger screen, especially to use chrome.
However in the last few days I saw that for just a bit more I can buy an ultra book with a 13 inch screen hard drive, 4 gb of ram and not too much weight.
On that price range the screen is just 1366x768, but for a 13 inch laptop it might be enough.
So, hanging on the fence here.
What should I go for?
Nexus 10 or ultra book?
Cheers
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

I've been using a 13 inch Macbook Pro for a couple of years and am replacing it with the Nexus 10.
Having recently gotten a PC again, I've found myself using my Mac less and less. With a powerful PC, the only thing I really needed my mac for was for internet access on the go and so my mac had basically become a cumbersome internet machine - something that a tablet is far more suited to.
It all depends on what you want to use it for. I do photo editing, light pc gaming and lots of internet browsing. My PC can handle all of that and when I want to be mobile a tablet is a more practical option than a laptop. I wouldn't want to just have a tablet because of the things I do use my PC for, but if I was just internet browsing then I could probably manage with just a tablet.
If you want something for couch browsing, then why would you pay more for a laptop which is more cumbersome to use than a tablet? The specs on the ultrabook are fairly average, and if you're only planning on using it for things a tablet could easily accomplish, then you may as well save the money and buy the thing suited for the task.

I was in the same boat like you last week, i ended up buying a Asus Zenbook Prime for $1,030 with Window 8, can't compare a Android tablet to a full PC, now if you want both a tablet with a full PC i would look at something like this
http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/tablet-pcs/XE700T1C-A01US
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-ATIV-Smart-Pro-700T/dp/B0098O9TRO
BTW that thing has the same spec as my Zenbook but has a better SSD then my Ultrabook

Thank you for the replies.
Currently I just have my Galaxy Nexus and nexus 7.
I don't currently own a computer.
My wife has a laptop I use when I need to do something pc related like using the nexus toolkit and torrents and such.
But that kind of use is not too frequent.
I like android os as I use Google services and having everything in sync between the devices is a plus.
I use Tapatalk to browse the forums on the 7 and some apps like ebay and imdb for specific uses.
When I use my Nexus 7 at home I wish it was bigger. I find it strange bit cumbersome to use chrome with several open tabs and for more intensive Web browsing.
So the nexus 10 looks like an option to me.
I don't work with a computer at home. For Work i have the office computer.
So, my doubts:
- would a nexus 10 overlap my Nexus 7 and one of the devices become redundant?
- would the 10 inch screen of the nexus 10 be big enough to overcome the limitations I find on the 7?
- would an ultra book be more agile and faster?
- would an ultra book be comfortable to use without a table or desk? Just for couch surf?
Don't know which side to turn.
Cheers
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

I dont know about this it might be dumb or you might end up challenging yourself but have you never thought of building your "own" computer, here is just one of million example, this is on the extreme side since its water cooled
http://www.overclock.net/t/1277018/build-log-first-wc-build-nzxt-switch-810-matte-black
You dont have to go crazy, this is my own pc, i built this back in February-March of this year

gdourado said:
So, my doubts:
- would a nexus 10 overlap my Nexus 7 and one of the devices become redundant?
- would the 10 inch screen of the nexus 10 be big enough to overcome the limitations I find on the 7?
- would an ultra book be more agile and faster?
- would an ultra book be comfortable to use without a table or desk? Just for couch surf?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ultrabook Cons:
If you buy a Windows 8 ultrabook now, you're going to regret it in a few months once Haswell comes out. You paying about $800 - $1200 (ultrabook - ultrabook convertible) for something that will last only about 4-7 hours. Wait about half a year and the Haswell chips should allow at least 7 hours of use.
Tablets would be far more comfortable on your lap. Also considering how ultrabooks have air vents, if you block a vent on accident, your ultrabook might end up frying itself. So I'd think ultrabooks are far more comfortable to use on a table or desk.
Ultabrook Pros:
Ultrabooks are far far far far more powerful than tablets. You can't deny it. An i5 or i7 processor will blow any other mobile chips out of the water. So the performance will definitely be more "agile and faster."
My recommendation is that you either wait for the Haswell chips to be used in Ultrabooks or just go with the Nexus 10.

404 ERROR said:
Ultrabooks are far far far far more powerful than tablets. You can't deny it. An i5 or i7 processor will blow any other mobile chips out of the water. So the performance will definitely be more "agile and faster."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But who needs a far more powerful machine just for web browsing and watching videos.
If you need to be able to run demanding Windows programs, then by all means get an ultrabook. If it's just going to be used for light casual tasks like web browsing, the tablet is the better/cheaper option.
The only thing I'm concerned about with the Nexus 10 is what the screen quality is like. No, not the resolution, the black level & colours. If it's anything like the Note 10.1 it will be very good imo.

Vertron said:
But who needs a far more powerful machine just for web browsing and watching videos.
If you need to be able to run demanding Windows programs, then by all means get an ultrabook. If it's just going to be used for light casual tasks like web browsing, the tablet is the better/cheaper option.
The only thing I'm concerned about with the Nexus 10 is what the screen quality is like. No, not the resolution, the black level & colours. If it's anything like the Note 10.1 it will be very good imo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had a wild idea today.
I can get a new ipad 4 for a sweet price of 400 euros.
The same price that the nexus 10 is supposed to cost from the play store.
Should I give the ipad a chance?
Or is the nexus 10 better?
How would the ipad play with my Android devices in the terms of syncing email, calendar, contacts?
Cheers
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

gdourado said:
Had a wild idea today.
I can get a new ipad 4 for a sweet price of 400 euros.
The same price that the nexus 10 is supposed to cost from the play store.
Should I give the ipad a chance?
Or is the nexus 10 better?
How would the ipad play with my Android devices in the terms of syncing email, calendar, contacts?
Cheers
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends if you can live with their walled garden eco system. But you do get more optimized apps and games.
I wouldn't get one personally. Android allows me to do almost everything I can do on my laptop. IOS is too limiting for me. I also don't like Apple, but that's another story.

Vertron said:
It depends if you can live with their walled garden eco system. But you do get more optimized apps and games.
I wouldn't get one personally. Android allows me to do almost everything I can do on my laptop. IOS is too limiting for me. I also don't like Apple, but that's another story.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to use apple computers. Sold my latest imac this year.
I liked it more than windows.
Trouble free.
I never had a ios device.
But for what I use the tablet, I guess I could make do with an ipad, and the 4:3 screen is sweet for Web browsing.
And Google has a gmail app and chrome app, so I guess it would be doable.
I guess I could buy it and if I don't like it, sell it.
Thoughs?
Cheers
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Vertron said:
But who needs a far more powerful machine just for web browsing and watching videos.
If you need to be able to run demanding Windows programs, then by all means get an ultrabook. If it's just going to be used for light casual tasks like web browsing, the tablet is the better/cheaper option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely. That is why the ultrabook is far more versatile and can become your tablet, laptop, computer, etc. But if you don't need Windows software, then you're 100% right. The money doesn't justify simple internet browsing and casual gaming.
gdourado said:
I used to use apple computers. Sold my latest imac this year.
I liked it more than windows.
Trouble free.
I never had a ios device.
But for what I use the tablet, I guess I could make do with an ipad, and the 4:3 screen is sweet for Web browsing.
And Google has a gmail app and chrome app, so I guess it would be doable.
I guess I could buy it and if I don't like it, sell it.
Thoughs?
Cheers
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't want to weigh in here too much since I don't own an iPad, but if you're not someone who likes tweaking things, the iPad certainly looks like the choice of your device. "Best user experience" is based on you. "Feeling walled in" to the ecosystem, while maybe true, certainly won't be a problem for someone who simply likes a trouble free device.

404 ERROR said:
Definitely. That is why the ultrabook is far more versatile and can become your tablet, laptop, computer, etc. But if you don't need Windows software, then you're 100% right. The money doesn't justify simple internet browsing and casual gaming.
I don't want to weigh in here too much since I don't own an iPad, but if you're not someone who likes tweaking things, the iPad certainly looks like the choice of your device. "Best user experience" is based on you. "Feeling walled in" to the ecosystem, while maybe true, certainly won't be a problem for someone who simply likes a trouble free device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would probably prefer the nexus 10.
The problem is that Google does not sell it trough the play store here in Portugal.
So I will probably have to resort to some sort of tricks to buy one or will have to pay more than the play store price of 399 euros.
The ipad I can pickup the new 4 here with a company cuppon for 410 euros...
So the easiness of purchase makes me want to try the ipad.
If only google could come to their senses in regard to distribution of their products...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

gdourado said:
I would probably prefer the nexus 10.
The problem is that Google does not sell it trough the play store here in Portugal.
So I will probably have to resort to some sort of tricks to buy one or will have to pay more than the play store price of 399 euros.
The ipad I can pickup the new 4 here with a company cuppon for 410 euros...
So the easiness of purchase makes me want to try the ipad.
If only google could come to their senses in regard to distribution of their products...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tbh I just can't get by the fact that ios won't let you change the default browser. Currently on my sgs3 I don't have a default browser so every time I click on something it asks me what browser I want to use. Also I like having a user accessible file system because it just makes downloading things like pdfs and such so much easier. I just wanted to throw this out there because I considered buying an ipad due to the gpu, but have decided not to due to the obvious os limitations.

gdourado said:
Hello,
In the past few weeks I have been getting pretty excited about getting a nexus 10.
Mainly due to the large screen with its insane resolution.
I have been an android user since my first smartphone.
Currently I have a Galaxy Nexus and a nexus 7.
I love the 7. It has great portability and I take it outside often due to its small size.
I am however thinking about adding a nexus 10 to my gadgets because when at home doing mainly couch browsing, I wish for a bigger screen, especially to use chrome.
However in the last few days I saw that for just a bit more I can buy an ultra book with a 13 inch screen hard drive, 4 gb of ram and not too much weight.
On that price range the screen is just 1366x768, but for a 13 inch laptop it might be enough.
So, hanging on the fence here.
What should I go for?
Nexus 10 or ultra book?
Cheers
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really depends on what your goal is and how much you are willing to pay.
Personally, the most action packed system on the market (soon to be) is as someone else mentioned Ativ Smart Pro. Here is quick list of why:
Ativ Smart Pro
+Full HD screen - I owned Transformer Infinity and have seen iPad 3 a few times. The screen resolution jump from regular screen i.e. iPad 2, or current android tablets to Infinity's full HD screen was big. From full HD to Retina display did not seem as much. But certainly, good to have high resolution.
+Wacom stylus - I had Galaxy Note 10.1 for little. Capative screen with just stylus is markedly different in accuracy and experience compared to inductive pen technology.
+ Real windows - The Windows store market is nowhere that of Android or iOS; however, when you add legacy windows applications, things totally change.
+ Keyboard dock - Can use as real ultrabook PC
+ Expandable memory - One reason I am really holding myself back from buying Nexus 10. This was one of the major reason I jumped from iOS to Android.
Major downsides
-Price $1200 - Considering this is real ultrabook PC, and high end tablet. If you buy both, it may perhaps cost similar but still a bit too expensive. Plus as stated below, the tablet experience may not be as perfect.
-Battery life - Listed 9 hours, but in reality it may be like 4-5 hours (rumor)
- Weight - Close to 1.9 lbs is a bit heavy for pure tablet.
Alternatively, Ativ Smart PC or other atom based real Windows 8 tablet may be a valid option. It has Atom processor i.e. slower than i5; however, longer battery life, lighter weight. However, it does not have Full HD. But cost is cheaper like $600-$700. It is atom underpowered for real full blown PC power i.e. you won't be able to play skyrim or high end graphics game, but still has Wacom stylus, MS office, and even sunspider benchmark is still faster than any other Android or iPad 4.

HoushaSen said:
Major downsides
-Price $1200 - Considering this is real ultrabook PC, and high end tablet. If you buy both, it may perhaps cost similar but still a bit too expensive. Plus as stated below, the tablet experience may not be as perfect.
-Battery life - Listed 9 hours, but in reality it may be like 4-5 hours (rumor)
- Weight - Close to 1.9 lbs is a bit heavy for pure tablet.
Alternatively, Ativ Smart PC or other atom based real Windows 8 tablet may be a valid option. It has Atom processor i.e. slower than i5; however, longer battery life, lighter weight. However, it does not have Full HD. But cost is cheaper like $600-$700. It is atom underpowered for real full blown PC power i.e. you won't be able to play skyrim or high end graphics game, but still has Wacom stylus, MS office, and even sunspider benchmark is still faster than any other Android or iPad 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For $1200, I would much rather have a $400 Nexus 10 and a $800 ultrabook instead of one compromised machine. I really wouldn't recommend anyone to get a X86 tablet until Haswell comes out.

As an Android lover... if you're not interested in tweaking or customizing your device, and/or are not willing to put up with lots of workarounds and the like, get an iDevice. I'm sure android will eventually be just as polished with just as many tablet apps, but right now you'll need a thick skin and a love for the platform itself to want the N10 over a iPad4.
That said, there are certainly many advantages to the Nexus 10 for me and my uses, and I wouldn't trade it for an iPad in a million years. But if you care about a smooth experience, get an iPad.

Why I HATED the Surface Pro (just in case you were tempted) ...

I just had to do it. All the hype, all the articles, the lure of OneNote's full power. I had to drop $1000 on a Surface Pro just to see what the fuss was about. Hell, I could always return it but I had to know for myself.
I truly truly HATED the Surface Pro. Here is as short list of what sucks:
1) It's HOT. How hot? After holding it for 30 minutes I felt like I had grabbed a ceramic cup I heated in the microwave. My hand was actually bright red. I have no idea how any sane person could stand holding this toaster over in their hands for any period of time.
2) It's HEAVY. How heavy? Big piece of metal heavy. Also because of it's hard angles it is no fun to hold.
3) It is IMPOSSIBLE TO USE IN PORTRAIT. I mean, this tablet must be a foot high in portrait. If you are trying to type on the soft keyboard the keys are literally 10 inches from the words you are typing so thumb typing is pointless.
4) Considering this has an i5 CPU it actually lags. Scrolling on web pages stutters and dragging pictures across OneNote jerks around like mad (this may actually be a feature of OneNote as it snaps to a grid - so not a bug necessarily).
5) Firefox (if you like that browser) is a DISASTER on this. Pinch to zoom is total fail. Again a lag fest.
6) 1920 x 1080 may sound awesome but on a tablet this small it's not. Even zoomed at 150% text and icons can be tiny and very hard to click.
7) Windows 8 is a schizophrenic mess even on this. Whoever decided Metro was a good idea HAD to be high.
8) The included stylus has a hard plastic tip. Hard plastic tip on slick glass equals HARD TO WRITE. The Note 10.1's rubber tipped stylus is far better.
9) The Surface Pro is not designed to be a tablet. It is more like an ultrabook with a removable keyboard and a pen that you can hold in your hands (if you must).
Why did I write this? Well, if like me you have felt tempted by the Surface Pro and access to full blown OneNote with inking, I wanted to put your mind at rest - don't. The Note 10.1 is a far more "useable" tablet for half the cash.

I totally agree with everything you wrote. My company has given me a surface Pro to test out and I would add the following to your list:
Battery life is only about 4 hours so you are forced to have extra chargers, one for home and one for the office.
The size of the charger is huge. Its a small brick!
There is no silo for the pen! You are supposed to attach the pen in the magnetized power port which means that any little bump and you lose the pen. I give Samsung a lot of credit of delaying the release of the Note 10.1 to redesign a silo for the Spen.
The things I like about the Pro is having Office 2013 and the keyboard cover. However, I actually do not like OneNote. I prefer SNote a hundred times. There is an SNote app for Windows 8 but only for Samsung branded devices. I wish they would make it available for all.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

mitchellvii said:
I just had to do it. All the hype, all the articles, the lure of OneNote's full power. I had to drop $1000 on a Surface Pro just to see what the fuss was about. Hell, I could always return it but I had to know for myself.
I truly truly HATED the Surface Pro. Here is as short list of what sucks:
1) It's HOT. How hot? After holding it for 30 minutes I felt like I had grabbed a ceramic cup I heated in the microwave. My hand was actually bright red. I have no idea how any sane person could stand holding this toaster over in their hands for any period of time.
2) It's HEAVY. How heavy? Big piece of metal heavy. Also because of it's hard angles it is no fun to hold.
3) It is IMPOSSIBLE TO USE IN PORTRAIT. I mean, this tablet must be a foot high in portrait. If you are trying to type on the soft keyboard the keys are literally 10 inches from the words you are typing so thumb typing is pointless.
4) Considering this has an i5 CPU it actually lags. Scrolling on web pages stutters and dragging pictures across OneNote jerks around like mad (this may actually be a feature of OneNote as it snaps to a grid - so not a bug necessarily).
5) Firefox (if you like that browser) is a DISASTER on this. Pinch to zoom is total fail. Again a lag fest.
6) 1920 x 1080 may sound awesome but on a tablet this small it's not. Even zoomed at 150% text and icons can be tiny and very hard to click.
7) Windows 8 is a schizophrenic mess even on this. Whoever decided Metro was a good idea HAD to be high.
8) The included stylus has a hard plastic tip. Hard plastic tip on slick glass equals HARD TO WRITE. The Note 10.1's rubber tipped stylus is far better.
9) The Surface Pro is not designed to be a tablet. It is more like an ultrabook with a removable keyboard and a pen that you can hold in your hands (if you must).
Why did I write this? Well, if like me you have felt tempted by the Surface Pro and access to full blown OneNote with inking, I wanted to put your mind at rest - don't. The Note 10.1 is a far more "useable" tablet for half the cash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@mitchellvii
Why don't you try out one of the Samsung Atom Tablets and let us know your experience.
The Atom editions should solve issues:
1 & 2.
If you install and Dual Boot Android 4.0 x86, then that should solve issues:
3,4,5,6,7
Thus, you can retain the convenience of the Android OS and have the power of Windows 8 without carrying more than 1 device.

I played with one at local store. Win 8 is just not a touch environment. Metro was a try and fix. Microsoft will have to forget they own windows and start thinking fresh to compete with android and crapple. Which both rather you dislike either of the two are becoming very mature and complete operating systems build around your fingers. Not a true business class os patched to try and compete. I will also add tablet software is getting better at productivity and will eventually be able to compete with the true ms type program's. The power of these device's are amazing. If you need full productive programs for now stick with a ultra book type notebook computer. The note 10.1 is the second best thing to that. There is no 3rd place device
My opinion of course conclusion is get a traditional notebook or a note 10.1 tablet

klau1 said:
@mitchellvii
Why don't you try out one of the Samsung Atom Tablets and let us know your experience.
The Atom editions should solve issues:
1 & 2.
If you install and Dual Boot Android 4.0 x86, then that should solve issues:
3,4,5,6,7
Thus, you can retain the convenience of the Android OS and have the power of Windows 8 without carrying more than 1 device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't say I agree that Android x86 is a solution. I don't even know how easy it'd be to install on the Pro. Android x86 project has come a long way but there are still issues with it, once it's as easy as just compiling it to x86 then let's talk
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

was walking around the mall and finally saw a surface pro. funny thing is i just read the ts mention the things yesterday. the thing that mostly stuck out was the weight. so first thing i did was pick it up. man that is like picking up a plate of iron... couldnt really get anything going well in the few minutes i messed with it. win8 definately not something for me. nor is carrying around an iron plate...

from a traveling salesman's viewpoint, I love it. I am able to install and run various programs such as AutoCAD (with wedge mouse), a custom estimating software...
Granted the battery life could be better, but I'm able to make sales calls and RDP for my office desktop printouts/updates on the unit without having to charge through a moderate days work. I've never had the heat buildup as described in the first post and it does not have the apps you'll find in the play store. but for a laptop replacement you can travel light with, love it.
FWIW

I think Microsoft has missed the boat. They're obviously not getting Voice of Customer, but are getting voice of Developers when they make these products. Apple figured out what MOST people want for a tablet. Android is assuredly closing that gap and raising the bar (S-Pen). I would recommend that Windows quit trying to compete but get smart and work with Android, so both can crush the Apple serpent.

I have been using Samsung's Ativ Pro for some months now... err... not using at all. It just sits there. Microsoft has missed the train of the mobile age. Because of battery issues it just cant stand by like İOS or Android, it just goes to deep sleep and you cant get your push messages from Facebook.. and no e-mail alerts. I agree it is a detachable ultrabook. I love my Galaxy note II and 10.1, and hardly use my Ipad4.

I actually like the Surface Pro, but it's definitely NOT the same as this tablet. I mean, the Surface is definitely not a.. use-anywhere kind of tablet (I mean, its main "attraction" is that keyboard which really just means that it's not in the same tablet market). So, I'd say that you have to change your expectations because it is definitely an ultrabook in disguise.

The battery life would stop me switching. With my screen brightness turned down I can get a full day at uni out of my note (~ 8 hours) which is fantastic

Mixed feelings...
The weird beveled sides are weird and makes it hard to hold.
The battery life is terrible - even for a full i5 slate.
It is chunky.
I have a Samsung Series 7 slate, which was the reference platform for Win8 and it's a lot better.
As for Win8 itself - yep.. schizophrenic is a good description. You're using desktop and suddenly you're in Metro. You're using Metro and suddenly you're in the desktop. You want to run something - and bam back in Metro - except it's not all your apps - just some of them so over to search which shows you all your apps.
Bring up the keyboard in Metro, things work ok (mostly). Do it in desktop - and it's a crapshoot as to whether it'll come up automatically - and when it does it rearranges your desktop.
Bah.

Sounds like its quite aways from general populations
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

I purchased this over the weekend the surface pro 128gb version with type cover. im loving the experience with it so far. its a great and powerful device. no lag at all unlike what the op mentioned. lol

I too had the Pro. It was a very good ultra book (the best out there, in my opinion) that had a kick ass Wacom digitizer, awesome specs (the hard drive is fast as ****) and excellent style. I had it for five months and didn't regret it at all. I found it to be quite light, though obviously not as light as my Note.
It was just a ****ty tablet. Heavy (for a tab), terrible battery life and no Metro apps that are worth having. I used the Desktop most of the time, even after moving to 8.1. Shame, really; I think Metro is a fantastic platform for tablets.
I actually didn't know the Note 10.1 existed until I sold it off last week. I would have never bought it if I did, seeing how it is $500 more. The Note is so much better (right now), since it does everything my Pro did but with more battery, less weight and a Chrome browser that is actually functional. In fact, I found my Note to be easier for reading than my Nexus 7 and sold that off too! The Surface was too heavy for me to read on, and there were no apps for that anyway.
Its screen resolution kind of bites and I miss having a kickstand, but other than that I'm super happy to have sold it off.

If it wasn't for the battery life, I would have bought the surface pro over the note, although I don't plan on using the metro UI at all. I've used it for a total of about an hour and while using the regular desktop in touch mode I didn't run across any issues. Most things there an app for on android you can do through a full Web browser or there's a regular windows program for.
Part of me wants to say that if you're just Web browsing and watching movies then android is a good pick, but I'm getting fed up with pages not loading correctly when trying to browse the Internet. Half of the Web based ebooks I use for school either don't load or have issues.
From a hardware standpoint, I'm never holding my tablet straight out without it resting on something, so weight wouldn't be a issue. If I personally wanted a super casual tablet, I think a cheap 7" tablet like the Nexus 7 would be much better and more comfortable.
It amazes me how quick people are to criticize windows 8. All the metro UI really is is a new start menu that's more touch friendly. Tablet users complain there are no apps, yet have thousands of full blown windows apps they can use. Desktop users complain the start button is gone when all they have to do is hover in the same spot and it appears.
I've been researching for a new tablet or convertible to bring to school there are too many negative reviews for windows 8 for ridiculous reasons. No YouTube app? Guess what, I can play flash in the web browser. The drop box app isn't very good? Guess what, I can install the regular windows program and get two way sync. No email notifications in standby mode? My guess is you have an android phone going off right next to wherever your tablet is anyway.
Lastly, the surface pro is a hybrid device. So it isn't going to be the perfect tablet or the perfect ultra book. Its for people who want a mix of the two. For a device that's been out for nearly nine months, some of these complaints shouldn't be much of a surprise. I don't think its justified to make a thread bashing the product because you failed evaluate your wants and needs and didn't research a $1000 tablet.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

Sher The Love said:
If it wasn't for the battery life, I would have bought the surface pro over the note, although I don't plan on using the metro UI at all. I've used it for a total of about an hour and while using the regular desktop in touch mode I didn't run across any issues. Most things there an app for on android you can do through a full Web browser or there's a regular windows program for.
Part of me wants to say that if you're just Web browsing and watching movies then android is a good pick, but I'm getting fed up with pages not loading correctly when trying to browse the Internet. Half of the Web based ebooks I use for school either don't load or have issues.
From a hardware standpoint, I'm never holding my tablet straight out without it resting on something, so weight wouldn't be a issue. If I personally wanted a super casual tablet, I think a cheap 7" tablet like the Nexus 7 would be much better and more comfortable.
It amazes me how quick people are to criticize windows 8. All the metro UI really is is a new start menu that's more touch friendly. Tablet users complain there are no apps, yet have thousands of full blown windows apps they can use. Desktop users complain the start button is gone when all they have to do is hover in the same spot and it appears.
I've been researching for a new tablet or convertible to bring to school there are too many negative reviews for windows 8 for ridiculous reasons. No YouTube app? Guess what, I can play flash in the web browser. The drop box app isn't very good? Guess what, I can install the regular windows program and get two way sync. No email notifications in standby mode? My guess is you have an android phone going off right next to wherever your tablet is anyway.
Lastly, the surface pro is a hybrid device. So it isn't going to be the perfect tablet or the perfect ultra book. Its for people who want a mix of the two. For a device that's been out for nearly nine months, some of these complaints shouldn't be much of a surprise. I don't think its justified to make a thread bashing the product because you failed evaluate your wants and needs and didn't research a $1000 tablet.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said!
-Sent from my laptop running Windows 8

Sher The Love said:
The drop box app isn't very good? Guess what, I can install the regular windows program and get two way sync.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This feature was an unexpected gem for me. Before if I drew something in Sketchbook on the Note, I had to hit the share button, and pick a format to export to the cloud. Now, I just save it to my Dropbox folder (which I set as the default location), and it'll show up in on my desktop when I get home.
I've been using a Samsung Ativ 500T for a few weeks now, and I actually really like it. The main reason I bought it was I was getting tired of my Note botching all the formulas when I tried to open up an Excel spreadsheet in Polaris, QuickOffice, Google Doc (or fill in your Office Suite). The formatting also became funny on Word docs after opening in one of the above mentioned apps. I'm even able to run PS7 (I'm an amateur, so I don't need CS5 or later).
Of course this device is not perfect. As a straight replacement for a Note or iPad on the go, I still like the Note better. Screen rotation is a bit wonky sometimes on the Ativ. Although the wide screen is great for productivity, it's a bit unweildy, especially in portrait. There is connected standby, but not sure if it stays connected even in deep sleep. So, e-mails don't get come in when I'm asleep. Certain functions also don't work while in deep sleep: I haven't found a decent alarm app I can use (I used my Note as a backup alarm in case I didn't wake up to my phone).

jedah said:
This feature was an unexpected gem for me. Before if I drew something in Sketchbook on the Note, I had to hit the share button, and pick a format to export to the cloud. Now, I just save it to my Dropbox folder (which I set as the default location), and it'll show up in on my desktop when I get home.
I've been using a Samsung Ativ 500T for a few weeks now, and I actually really like it. The main reason I bought it was I was getting tired of my Note botching all the formulas when I tried to open up an Excel spreadsheet in Polaris, QuickOffice, Google Doc (or fill in your Office Suite). The formatting also became funny on Word docs after opening in one of the above mentioned apps. I'm even able to run PS7 (I'm an amateur, so I don't need CS5 or later).
Of course this device is not perfect. As a straight replacement for a Note or iPad on the go, I still like the Note better. Screen rotation is a bit wonky sometimes on the Ativ. Although the wide screen is great for productivity, it's a bit unweildy, especially in portrait. There is connected standby, but not sure if it stays connected even in deep sleep. So, e-mails don't get come in when I'm asleep. Certain functions also don't work while in deep sleep: I haven't found a decent alarm app I can use (I used my Note as a backup alarm in case I didn't wake up to my phone).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sold my note and got a 500T a little over a month ago. While I'm not completely satisfied due to the speed, it's far better than the note was for school. I knew it would be slow, but I got it to hold me off till some newer haswell convertibles came out. Glad I bought the note and 500T refurbished for under $360.
In my opinion, Onenote is much better than anything on android. Especially being able to print full webpages to it. It helps when most of my accounting homework is online based. I can print to onenote and have detailed notes and the problems worked out. I could even get these pages to load correctly on my Note.

I just pre-ordered the Surface Pro 2 for my wife. We got the 256GB option. She wants to be able to consolidate her notebook and Note 10.1 into 1 device. She's a mechanical engineering major and will be running CAD, Matlab, etc and also has a lot of Office oriented and online homework. I think mainly she wants a computer where she can take equation heavy notes on without having to worry what to do on which device and forget about file syncing. Her current notebook is heavy @ 5lbs. Does this seem reasonable or are we asking for a $1500 headache? I keep saying it's going to a heavy tablet. She keeps saying but it's going to be a light notebook. Notifications don't matter since she has an Android phone. We're selling her Note 10.1 to a friend to help finance the Surface Pro 2 so that won't be available to her. I'm excited but nervous at this point.

Farewell Note Pro 12.2

After soul searching for a few weeks I decided to sell my 12.2. I really wanted a one device replacement for my tablets and laptop. As much as I tried, this just did not fit the bill. I was also surprised at the lack of any development on this tablet.
It is a solid device but needs a dock in my opinion and can't quite service all my needs in one device.
Bye bye 12.2. It was fun for a while.

Yeah I don't know if you're like me but as much as I wish for it there will never be a true "laptop replacement" other than a laptop itself lol. I always cringe a little when new users come to the note pro forums here or on Android Central and ask if these devices would serve them well as a laptop replacement. Truth is they do for some use cases but not all.
Sorry things didn't work out for you. It's too bad about lack of development too. Taking matters into ones own hands by using things like xposed gives some relief but it's not the same as true custom roms.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk

So, what you end up getting?

Moderate Replacment ?
Mike02z said:
After soul searching for a few weeks I decided to sell my 12.2. I really wanted a one device replacement for my tablets and laptop. As much as I tried, this just did not fit the bill. I was also surprised at the lack of any development on this tablet.
It is a solid device but needs a dock in my opinion and can't quite service all my needs in one device.
Bye bye 12.2. It was fun for a while.
Click to expand...
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muzzy996 said:
Yeah I don't know if you're like me but as much as I wish for it there will never be a true "laptop replacement" other than a laptop itself lol. I always cringe a little when new users come to the note pro forums here or on Android Central and ask if these devices would serve them well as a laptop replacement. Truth is they do for some use cases but not all.
Sorry things didn't work out for you. It's too bad about lack of development too. Taking matters into ones own hands by using things like xposed gives some relief but it's not the same as true custom roms.
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petercohen said:
So, what you end up getting?
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Im looking to use this as a light laptop replacement for school. I have a large 17.3 inch laptop that I lug around and i commute so its starting to be a pain. I want to use this for notes, writing in class , going over power points and light work. I will leave the serious stuff for my laptop at home. I will probably buy a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Do you think the device can cover these areas well ?

I went with a big i7 Surface 3. I had a lot of Amazon gift cards. With the dock, I'm thinking it *may* be my one device solution. Time will tell....

naruto.ninjakid said:
Im looking to use this as a light laptop replacement for school. I have a large 17.3 inch laptop that I lug around and i commute so its starting to be a pain. I want to use this for notes, writing in class , going over power points and light work. I will leave the serious stuff for my laptop at home. I will probably buy a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Do you think the device can cover these areas well ?
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"Well" is subjective, particularly when it comes to generalized requirements. Take an existing powerpoint done on a computer that has complicated transitions and embedded objects and all bets are off as to whether or not the tablet will handle it "well" if at all.
I'm an engineer so I always err on the side of conservatism so I can't go on record telling you it will fit your needs perfectly. That said I think in general yeah you should be okay provided your specific requirements with regards to office file compatibility are not too high.

naruto.ninjakid said:
Im looking to use this as a light laptop replacement for school. I have a large 17.3 inch laptop that I lug around and i commute so its starting to be a pain. I want to use this for notes, writing in class , going over power points and light work. I will leave the serious stuff for my laptop at home. I will probably buy a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Do you think the device can cover these areas well ?
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It varies from person to person. I've used it for that in my last year and it served it's purpose well. (With a Logitech K810). As for if it will work for you, I can not say.
Mike02z said:
I went with a big i7 Surface 3. I had a lot of Amazon gift cards. With the dock, I'm thinking it *may* be my one device solution. Time will tell....
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I really like the idea of the Surface. It's just such a shame they had to use a 1990's level GPU. You get an i7, 16GB RAM.... and an Intel HD 4000. If there was ever the definition of a bottleneck, it's an Intel HD. That piece of junk is not worth 2000 quid. Not worth 800, either. 150, maybe.
I require a dedicated GPU for my day to day usage of a laptop (Design/Gaming).
If the Surface 4 gets an Nvidia, now that will be worth considering.

I do no gaming and no graphic design work so it seems to be just want I needed. So far, so good.
I don't think the Surface 3 Pro is advertised anywhere as a gamer machine.

Mike02z said:
I do no gaming and no graphic design work so it seems to be just want I needed. So far, so good.
I don't think the Surface 3 Pro is advertised anywhere as a gamer machine.
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I know. And if you're happy with it, don't let me stop you. (no really, I mean it. This is just my opinion, you don't need my opinion to enjoy your device )
I just don't think it's worth the price it sells for. Not in terms of hardware.
My laptop has an IntelHD 4000 and an Nvidia 740M. (That requires some managing as a gamer.) Inside is the same range of an i7 and 16GB RAM. When I select the IntelHD as the device to play a 2k film, it freezes every few minutes, botches up the render of several shot switches and if it's 4K, simply doesn't even get past the very first frame. The sound plays, but the video simply can't be rendered.
That's how weak an Intel HD is. Now tell me, is that worth 800 quid? Let alone 2000?
I like the idea, I really, really do. And if they add an Nvidia, I will absolutely buy the top-tier one.
But I can't understand why people would pay so much for such outdated and lousy tech.(But then, I feel the same about Apple users.) Or why companies are so utterly stupid in adding them. It's bloody difficult to even find a decent laptop below 8000 quid that doesn't have one of those useless Intel HD's. Intel HD should've been banned from the market year ago since the Family 4.

I recently had the Surface Pro 3 and it really was a solid device. I actually returned my Wi-Fi GNP12.2 to get it. But for what it cost, I really expected more. That device needs broadwell. Thermal issues and such really prevent you from taking advantage of it's higher potential performance capability. It ended up being a basic media and light productivity device, for which I found the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 to be fully capable of doing, for considerably less money.
I decided to go back to the GNP12.2, except this time I went with the SM-P907A as my "small notebook replacement" device. Add in the solid Samsung keyboard case, S Mouse, and I'm ready to roll. The Snapdragon still does it's thing better than the Exynos, I've got LTE everywhere (love that feature), and with the right apps, it really has been able to do everything I need out a portable computing device. I mean, it's light, excellent battery life, crisp screen... the list goes on.
Keeping in mind, I do have a more powerful 15" Ultrabook and high-end fixed workstation for more demanding tasks. But for the day-to-day mobile stuff, it's been working great for me. Well, at least until something more interesting comes along. With that said, I do agree it's not for everybody. Nothing ever is. But probably at least worth giving a shot for many. Either way, good luck! :good:

Mike02z said:
I went with a big i7 Surface 3. I had a lot of Amazon gift cards. With the dock, I'm thinking it *may* be my one device solution. Time will tell....
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Hey man I am in the same boat. I just went through Dell Venue 8 pro-->11 pro--> Note 10.1 2014--> note pro 12.2. All in the matter of like a month.....
I have this to say about them all.
Dell venue series I bought out of a desire to try and stay cheap but still have an active digitizer. I am trying to digitize all of my notes for my masters program so that when I write my thesis it will all be accessible in one place. Venue 8 was too small, 10 was underpowered and the active digitizer on both was crap, I mean really bad. The note 10.1 was great but I wanted some more real estate so I went with the 12.2 for a week or so. Since it is the thread I am writing in I will make a few observations
1. Great tab overall, well powered but overwhelmed by Samsung TW UI, easy to take care of with root/greenify and what not.
2. For importing the pdfs and ppts from lecture it just took forever, I played with some different note taking apps and I always ended up with the S-pen app which is awesome, but it would not handle my 1000+ page books at all. I don't know how long I waited for snote to import it and then it crashed. What a shame because it was a champ otherwise.
3. One thing both the notes had for me was the multiwindow function, watch a lecture and take notes at the same time, but I noticed when I was streaming lectures that were in HD I would get some lags from the Snore and Spen. Again shame because I know the tab has the power to run it but I am guessing that its the TW issues again.
4. Why I ended up going elsewhere.(surface 3 i3)
- I want to get rid of carrying around my old 09 MBP and become a little more streamlined. I am relinquishing my MBP to be a home desktop/server since I dropped an extra 4gigs of ram and a 1TB HD in it through the years. This tab just didn't do it for me. It was soooooooo soooooo close but it just didn't quite get there from a productivity standpoint FOR ME.
5. I am a flashaholic with my phone sooooooo having something to run Odin/LGflashtool on when I am on the go would be nice so that I don't have to worry about ending up in bootloops and not have a phone the rest of the day.
Note to Samsung if you are reading this.
First, bravo on a great tab, seriously it is an awesome machine but
Second, get out of the way of the android experience a little(read a lot) more and let the hardware shine. I would love to see the android L update on this tab with a minimized TW UI so that you can really see the beast that is in the tablet.
I have gone from cheap to some of the best hybrid tablets you can go and I have this to say. The Note pro may be for you because its awesome but know what you need and what you don't. If you are trying to replace a laptop then the Note pro may not be for you unless you are talking about partial replacement to just carry around during the day and then use the big laptop back home, it may work then. BUT, if you want a true laptop replacement, like leave your old one to collect dust it may not be right for you.
Just trying to prevent so many open box items at my local best buy........
-Ice3186

I too use this tablet for school and for the price ($416 on ebay) it's a miracle device. I tried the surface pro 3 and the handwriting was not as good which was a deal breaker for at its price ($999 for the i5). I chose to just acept that ill have to carry around my toshiba a little while longer. snote is a underpowered app with frustrating lag when navigating through different ui but still the best there is. As a side note, I'm not sure why to would want to import pdfs into it when you can multi window them in a reader.

Tsk_Tsk_Tsk said:
I too use this tablet for school and for the price ($416 on ebay) it's a miracle device. I tried the surface pro 3 and the handwriting was not as good which was a deal breaker for at its price ($999 for the i5). I chose to just acept that ill have to carry around my toshiba a little while longer. snote is a underpowered app with frustrating lag when navigating through different ui but still the best there is. As a side note, I'm not sure why to would want to import pdfs into it when you can multi window them in a reader.
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GOOGLE LECTURE NOTES it's what snote should be
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Even as a power user, I have had no problem using the NP12.2 as a primary enterprise device. I travel a lot for business, do presentations and lecturing and so forth. My demands are quite high and I have loved the 12.2. On the occasion that I have needed something more powerful, the use of one of the remote apps (I like PhoneMyPC and have used it for years) works just fine as long as I keep my laptop at home, powered on, and connected to the internet. Then, when I need a file or something from the PC, well... that is what Dropbox is for. Couple the NP12.2 with a bluetooth keyboard case (and mouse if you need it) and it has been the best tablet that I have ever used, and I owned the first 10.1 android tablet two days after it came out.