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Geeky stuff

Tablet advice from luddite: Looking to get geeky DH one, which should I choose?

130 replies

JoyceDivision · 26/12/2013 20:55

Ok, Iapologise if my post is shockingly thick, but I am rubbish at computers andstuff, while DH loves reading manuals about learning new programs or whatever they are... Blush

so, its a big birthday for DH mid year, and I will hopefully get a bonus of about £300 from work, so I could look to buy him a tablet for his b'day.

So which one do I get?

Is there one that is well and truly better than the rest?

I don't even know what features I should be looking at, so if you think theres anything I should consider, all help would really be appreciated!

OP posts:
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niceguy2 · 27/12/2013 09:08

The iPad mini is a good tablet albeit a bit pricey. But that's Apple stuff for you.

Despite being a big Android fan, I have to admit that Apple tablets are arguably still the most rounded platform.

The mini still has a good sized screen. Personally I find 7" tablets a bit small. Suitable maybe for kids but not for adults. 10" can be a bit too big to carry around so the mini's size is a good compromise.

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roadwalker · 27/12/2013 09:12

does he have an apple phone or does he use android?
If he is already using the android market then a google nexus may suit
If he favours apple then ipad- depends on how much you want to spend

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AnotherWorld · 27/12/2013 09:25

If he's a geek he will have a preference on manufacturer/operating system. Make sure you buy the one he'd want. It's a bit of a personal choice really. Can you suggest you buy it then ask him to choose.

As a fellow geek I'd be very grumpy if I was presented with a tablet that cost £££ without having any choice over it.

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tribpot · 27/12/2013 09:30

Yes, I wouldn't attempt to buy this without consultation. If you get an iPad and he's a massive Apple-hater you will not be thanked :)

I definitely wouldn't want someone to buy me a tablet as a surprise present, too many pitfalls. Can you ask him? I'm sure he will appreciate the gesture.

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flatmum · 27/12/2013 09:31

iPad mini or google nexus 7. I have a nexus 7 and would be happy with either. But don't get him a kindle fire hd or hudl as a geek wouldn't be happy with anything apart from a nexus or iPad I think. Some people have strong vendor preference though (google or apple) so I think you need to drop some hints and find out which he'd prefer.

Phone may not be enough to suss it - I have an iPhone and a nexus 7 tablet. I would be happy to get an iPad mini as well though.

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1sassylassy · 27/12/2013 09:52

a geek wouldn't be happy with anything apart from a nexus or iPad I think,bit of a sweeping statement,I,m a geek and there,s plenty of other tablets on the market I would be perfectly happy with.

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mummy1973 · 27/12/2013 09:57

I'd feign interest at some point and ask him which is best or get his friend to feign interest if too obvious. Better to get something he'd love. Agree maybe iPad if apple lover or Nexus if not.

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BikeRunSki · 27/12/2013 10:02

I'd give him an "IOU a tablet" voucher. Even if you know his preference for Apple or Android etc, there are variations within the models. I gave DH a box with an Apple, a joke shop eye and a pad of paper, all the Tesco vouchers we had and an IOU. It took him a while to work it out.

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flatmum · 27/12/2013 10:04

Nobody in my office full of geeks has anything other than one of those so the balance of probability is that he'd want a nexus or iPad. What else would meet the criteria? I understand that there are loads on android tablet out there that you can run android 4.4 on same as the nexus, but why bother when a nexus is not really that expensive anyway (certainly compared to iPads). I hope you're not going to say a windows 8 tablet as I have one and it's dreadful (as a tablet) - I only ever use it with a keyboard as a laptop.

So that leaves galaxy tabs etc - just android and a kindle fire HD - do like them but more limited in terms of what you can do than android without a serious amount of effort so not sure that would be in the running for a geeky type who will probably want to aubaround with it, put different file formats, own movies on etc.

At the end of the day they're all glorified external hard drives with a screen in my view and you can get round any proprietary restrictions about where to get content from ie apple store, amazon, play store etc of you really want to but I have found android requires the least effort. And a nexus 7 is not expensive and probably the most powerful.

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moominleigh94 · 27/12/2013 11:13

I love my Nexus.

You can get keyboards to wirelessly connect to the tablet so screen size wouldn't be an issue if you went for the Nexus 7, it's small but powerful, inexpensive and IMO far better value for money than an Apple product.

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LumpySpacePrincessOhMyGlob · 27/12/2013 11:18

Kids have an android Nexus 4 phone which I love, but when it comes to tablets I think apple has the edge.

Instead of an ipad air you could get hem the Ipad retina which came out last year.

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LumpySpacePrincessOhMyGlob · 27/12/2013 11:20

I mean I have a Nexus 4, not the kids.

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BsshBossh · 27/12/2013 12:02

If he uses iTunes and has an iPhone and/or a Mac computer then iPad is the way to go. It synchs seamlessly between all the Apple products. If not then you may as well go with a cheaper tablet (even though iPads are fantastic!).

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BananaNotPeelingWell · 27/12/2013 13:02

Do you have to have anti virus software and run maintenance programmes on tablets? (Sorry I'm with the op in the luddits campBlush)

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ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 27/12/2013 13:24

Another luddite marking my place.

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cardamomginger · 27/12/2013 14:18

I LOVE my nexus 7.

I couldn't afford an ipad, didn't want anything that large (the nexus fits nicely in my handbag, but it's still big enough for my and DD to watch films on), and was not keen on the whole thing where you are so constrained by apple and what they will or will not permit you to do with your device. I am impressed with the range of apps available for the nexus. Some things that I woudl want are Apple only, eg ability to watch full films etc on Lovefilm, and that pisses me off as it seems that it is just a 'policy' decision someone has made and not for any good technical reason.

When I got the nexus I wondered if I would feel that I had settled for something second best. But not at all.

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cardamomginger · 27/12/2013 14:19

I agree with the poster who said to ask him what he wants. It's quite a personal thing.

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lensbabyd · 27/12/2013 14:38

Well I just bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 at lunchtime as they are only £79 on sale in Carphone Warehouse. Kids have the previous version, not the best out there but small, simple, great for android and at that price what's not to like.

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unlucky83 · 27/12/2013 15:11

Really stupid question here - maybe cos I'm way out of touch...but why do you need a tablet anyway?
If you have a smart phone and a laptop I mean?
Looked into getting one for DD1 and came to the conclusion they are not quite a computer (so no good for doing any work on), not a phone and I see people using them as cameras - but they only have digital zooms - camera on a phone would be just as good????
Is the future not going to be touch screen laptops with removable keyboards? Or am I missing something? (and I really could be?)
Also once you buy them do you not have to spend a fortune buying apps for stuff that a) you can do on a smart phone or b) you can do on a laptop using free programs...

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BikeRunSki · 27/12/2013 15:27

I wonder this too. Although DH and DS(5) love DH's iPad.

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BananaNotPeelingWell · 27/12/2013 15:34

I'm guessing that is boils down to them being a fun and useful thing to use. And in some part because they're an aspirational item.

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Merguez · 27/12/2013 16:16

I swear by Paracetamol.

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tribpot · 27/12/2013 18:51

What I use mine for.

  1. Travel - both with ds on long-ish train and car journeys, and on my daily (bloody awful) commute.
  2. Work - I have the Galaxy Note 10.1, which comes with the S-pen. This means I can write on the tablet basically in the same way that I would on paper, but with the advantage of having it all electronically. Likewise I can have access to all my files in meetings and off-site without having to cart the laptop around everywhere with me.
  3. Work part 2 - we have a daily stand-up meeting to review tasks and progress, you literally have to stand up for this. You don't want to be balancing a laptop whilst trying to keep track of the tasks on the electronic task board :)
  4. Leisure - watching videos, playing games, Skyping etc. I can also do documents / spreadsheets and stuff although of course the laptop is preferable if I'm actually at home.


The S-pen is the envy of many of my colleagues, most of whom do have Nexus tablets. The 10.1 inch size is perhaps a little big in retrospect for a child / for on the bus. Good for the train, though.
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vanillamum · 27/12/2013 19:02

Don't get a Toshiba brand one. We have three tablets at home as DH works in online learning; two of the three are HTC Flyers one 3/4 years old and one about 2 years old. They are out of date but have upgraded well and so reliable-they came with a 2 year warranty and we sent the older one back for some reason about 18 months into the warranty. Repaired and returned within 2 weeks at no cost. Would really recommend them but now they are a bit basic and maybe not what a true techy would want.
Toshiba another story-my 10 year old daughter saved up to buy a 10inch toshiba one-she saved half and we did half. She has had it under a year and it has stopped charging because the USB port you plug the charger into seems to have slipped so you can't get the charger in properly. I know she will not have been rough with it because she was used to using our 7 inch screen flyers. Toshiba have decided it is a charger issue so not covered with the warranty and also want to charge us £88 for discovering this fault. When I contested this they said we could buy from them for a bargain price a newer version of the tablet. That would cost us £240. At the moment they are not moving on this and I haven't told my daughter as it would make her so sad. We can't afford either option so I am hoping Toshiba get the customer spirit and fix my daughters tablet. She still thinks it is being fixed. Really unhelpful customer service from Toshiba very different from HTC flyer experience.
Hope our bad experience helps you make an informed decision....

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Bunnyjo · 27/12/2013 21:17

I'm with Tribpot on this. I also have a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 with S pen and I bloody love it! It's SO easy to use and really versatile. I agree that the screen might be a bit too large for some, but I honestly cannot fault it.

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