Should I bother with an Android tablet.

[InuNacho]

I'm in the market for a tablet for school oriented stuff but mainly typing up papers and printing them out. I've had experience with iPads and Pages and found it to be pretty nice to use, even if getting the document onto another computer to print wasn't that easy which gets me back to the whole Android thing. I've read but not used USB OTG which I figure would be pretty easy for transferring stuff from a tablet to a computer, how well does it work in actuality?

I'm eyeing the Xperia Tablet after holding and using one in person and absolutely I love it's larger screen and super lightness. My main concern though is that it won't see support like an iPad would for 3+ years, do any Droid manufacturers give that long support?

I buy hardcopies of all my books so I can mark them up so the Droid's lack of an Ereader doesn't matter to me.

 

[jrswizzle]

I'm in the market for a tablet for school oriented stuff but mainly typing up papers and printing them out. I've had experience with iPads and Pages and found it to be pretty nice to use, even if getting the document onto another computer to print wasn't that easy which gets me back to the whole Android thing. I've read but not used USB OTG which I figure would be pretty easy for transferring stuff from a tablet to a computer, how well does it work in actuality?

I'm eyeing the Xperia Tablet after holding and using one in person and absolutely I love it's larger screen and super lightness. My main concern though is that it won't see support like an iPad would for 3+ years, do any Droid manufacturers give that long support?

I buy hardcopies of all my books so I can mark them up so the Droid's lack of an Ereader doesn't matter to me.

If you don't mind me asking, what was your process? Seems it would be pretty easy to type on an iPad and print from ANY computer following this method:

-Type on iPad
-Log into iCloud.com from ANY computer
-Click "Pages" on iCloud
-Select document to open
-Print

Will get even better with the release of iWork in iCloud - instead of opening in Word or some other program that might cause text/formatting issues, you can open it in Pages in the browser.

Did this regularly in college - also helps to just buy a cheap HP wireless printer for home. They all are wireless nowadays and you can just print straight from the iPad.

 

[InuNacho]

If you don't mind me asking, what was your process? Seems it would be pretty easy to type on an iPad and print from ANY computer following this method:

-Type on iPad
-Log into iCloud.com from ANY computer
-Click "Pages" on iCloud
-Select document to open
-Print

Will get even better with the release of iWork in iCloud - instead of opening in Word or some other program that might cause text/formatting issues, you can open it in Pages in the browser.

Did this regularly in college - also helps to just buy a cheap HP wireless printer for home. They all are wireless nowadays and you can just print straight from the iPad.

I've been borrowing a wifi only iPad 2 without any sort of iCloud stuff, all I'd do was just email myself the doc, login, download, and then print.

 

[jrswizzle]

I've been borrowing a wifi only iPad 2 without any sort of iCloud stuff, all I'd do was just email myself the doc, login, download, and then print.

Ahh ya - the ole "email it to yourself" LOL. Oh college.....

Anyways, I'm a fan of the iPad so I'll always lean toward it. High quality apps available and optimized specifically for the iPad. But it would be up to you and what you want/need/like.

 

[Hawkeye16]

Get Dropbox or if you have a google account I usually use drive.google.com to store and share documents between computers (personal and work) and my i devices as well as android tablet.

Personally I just got a Nexus 7 and it is very nice. With a bluetooth keyboard it would have been perfect for school. And the nice thing is with the price you can buy another brand new one (with updated specs) in 2 years and still be under the cost of an iPad.

I do not think you can really go wrong with a tablet unless you try and go really cheap and get one with sub par specs.

 

[dkersten]

Honestly it sounds like any tablet will work for you and it just comes down to preference and price. If you like the iOS experience, then the iPad is a great option. If you like Android, that too is a great choice.

Personally, I've had three iPads and sold them all. I don't know why, there was just something about them and I would grab my laptop before the iPad. I recently got a Samsung Note 8 and couldn't be happier, mostly because of the stylus integration. Point being, you could accomplish your main goal with either platform but it sounds like the process may be a bit easier on the iPad through Pages/iCloud.

 

[Jessica Lares]

Well, iWork is coming to iCloud, so it won't be an issue this time around. I personally used to use Google Docs, haha.

 

[chagla]

How does portable hard drive or usb drive work? .... android works the same way.

yes. you can plug in to any computer on earth, drag and drop any file to it.

both android phones and tablet work the same way. on top of that, there are file explorer or browsers (like Finder on OSX) on your android phone/tablet which allows you to share/manipulate the file. email, bluetooth, nfc share, USB otc etc etc.

unlike IOS, your files are separate from apps. so even if you delete your apps, your files remain intact. as you know, on ios you can't put any file you wish, file can't be manipulated and lastly if you delete the app that "contains" the file, both your files/apps are gone.

the new nexus 7 has very high resolution and very fast. so if you dont require lot of storage, this is the best tablet you can get. else check out the new samsung tab 3. if you're into writing, drawing taking notes, samsung has something to offer. it doubles as remote plus expandable storage.

I'm in the market for a tablet for school oriented stuff but mainly typing up papers and printing them out. I've had experience with iPads and Pages and found it to be pretty nice to use, even if getting the document onto another computer to print wasn't that easy which gets me back to the whole Android thing. I've read but not used USB OTG which I figure would be pretty easy for transferring stuff from a tablet to a computer, how well does it work in actuality?

I'm eyeing the Xperia Tablet after holding and using one in person and absolutely I love it's larger screen and super lightness. My main concern though is that it won't see support like an iPad would for 3+ years, do any Droid manufacturers give that long support?

I buy hardcopies of all my books so I can mark them up so the Droid's lack of an Ereader doesn't matter to me.

 

[TacticalDesire]

For school I would take a look at the Galaxy note 8. The s pen really is great for writing and notes. And different from most styluses that aren't much better than using a finger. If you're on a tight budget you could get a Nexus 7 which has great specs and the best screen on any tablet. Screen is a bit small at 7 inches. You could also get one every two years and still be under the cost of an iPad (non mini). Evernote, Dropbox, sky drive and office are also available on both platforms.

 

[Michael Goff]

If you don't mind me asking, what was your process? Seems it would be pretty easy to type on an iPad and print from ANY computer following this method:

-Type on iPad
-Log into iCloud.com from ANY computer
-Click "Pages" on iCloud
-Select document to open
-Print

Will get even better with the release of iWork in iCloud - instead of opening in Word or some other program that might cause text/formatting issues, you can open it in Pages in the browser.

Did this regularly in college - also helps to just buy a cheap HP wireless printer for home. They all are wireless nowadays and you can just print straight from the iPad.

I can make it shorter.

> Type up document
> Hook up printer

Oh, your iPad can't do that? Weird. My Surface RT can, most of the time.

 

[Stuntman06]

For typing, I like the Asus Transformer line of tablets because their keyboard dock is awesome. I'm not sure about printing. I've never printed from a tablet before.

 

[tbayrgs]

I can make it shorter.

> Type up document
> Hook up printer

Oh, your iPad can't do that? Weird. My Surface RT can, most of the time.

Except for my Mac Mini at home, I haven't plugged into a computer to print in ages. I print from my Android phone using Google Cloud print services, from my iPad using AirPrint, and over wifi using laptops--couldn't be simpler, and don't need to carry around a USB cable to be able to print.

 

[Michael Goff]

Except for my Mac Mini at home, I haven't plugged into a computer to print in ages. I print from my Android phone using Google Cloud print services, from my iPad using AirPrint, and over wifi using laptops--couldn't be simpler, and don't need to carry around a USB cable to be able to print.

And if you don't have a Wi-Fi printer around, I take it you write it out and hope for the best?

 

[tbayrgs]

And if you don't have a Wi-Fi printer around, I take it you write it out and hope for the best?

Well, in my personal experience, if there's a printer around, it's in an environment where there's usually wifi as well. And the printer generally doesn't have to be wifi, only on the same network.

As I said, I haven't had to plug into a computer to print in a long time (honestly cannot remember, been years), so not a situation I'm worried about.

But you're correct, one advantage a Windows RT tablet with a USB has over an iPad, if you should ever need it.

 

[narutoninjakid]

I can make it shorter.

> Type up document
> Hook up printer

Oh, your iPad can't do that? Weird. My Surface RT can, most of the time.

No need to be harsh. People require different things for different purposes. In my opinion I would never buy a surface tablet lol.

 

[Michael Goff]

No need to be harsh. People require different things for different purposes. In my opinion I would never buy a surface tablet lol.

I just find it weird when people go "See, it's a simple process" and then start explaining a convoluted process. The WiFi printer thing he said is the simple process, the other is a work-around.

 

[blitzer09x87]

if you wanna go with andoird tablet, the only options you should consider are the new nexus 7, SG tab 3 and note 8.0. in my view, all of these tablets are better than the ipad and you should for this.

 

[narutoninjakid]

I just find it weird when people go "See, it's a simple process" and then start explaining a convoluted process. The WiFi printer thing he said is the simple process, the other is a work-around.

True, just want to make sure feelings don't get hurt everyone is open to their opinion.

 

[Michael Goff]

True, just want to make sure feelings don't get hurt everyone is open to their opinion.

Didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, and if I did I apologize.

 

[Essenar]

I can make it shorter.

> Type up document
> Hook up printer

Oh, your iPad can't do that? Weird. My Surface RT can, most of the time.

The Surface RT is awesome. Since it has so few fun apps and so few games and so few social apps, it really forces you to concentrate on your homework.

It doesn't distract you with all the exciting fun stuff you can do with an iPad or Android tablet.

Plus if it gets really cold, you can just put it on your chest like an otter and keep your entire body warm while you use it.

 

[srkmish]

I just saw anandtech review of nexus 7 and oh boy! it beats ipad mini in battery life in terms of web browsing and video playback. Android tablets really are coming to form in 2013 and by 2014 will surpass ipads in performance if not ecosystem.

 

[Michael Goff]

The Surface RT is awesome. Since it has so few fun apps and so few games and so few social apps, it really forces you to concentrate on your homework.

It doesn't distract you with all the exciting fun stuff you can do with an iPad or Android tablet.

Plus if it gets really cold, you can just put it on your chest like an otter and keep your entire body warm while you use it.

I think you have a defective unit. I have fun on mine, and it doesn't get any warmer than my iPad.

Weird.

 

[narutoninjakid]

The Surface RT is awesome. Since it has so few fun apps and so few games and so few social apps, it really forces you to concentrate on your homework.

It doesn't distract you with all the exciting fun stuff you can do with an iPad or Android tablet.

Plus if it gets really cold, you can just put it on your chest like an otter and keep your entire body warm while you use it.

Lol I want to play my games. Microsoft tablets seem to replace laptops rather than being good tablets.

 

[FrankB1191]

I just saw anandtech review of nexus 7 and oh boy! it beats ipad mini in battery life in terms of web browsing and video playback. Android tablets really are coming to form in 2013 and by 2014 will surpass ipads in performance if not ecosystem.

Cnet and other reviewers found the Nexus 7's battery came close to the Mini's, but did not surpass it. Anandtech had 3 battery tests, and they claim the Nexus beat the Mini in web browsing, tied in video, and lost by a lot in 3D battery testing. Anandtech also disliked the small screen size, so it's not a clean sweep.
I would dispute the web browsing battery life Anadtech claims for the Mini, as I use my Mini for web browsing, you tube, and video, and get 12 hours no problem. I should note that some Android fan (nothing wrong with that) reviewers reported battery life varied among individual Nexus 7's, and many did not do well at all. I should add that my Mini's Bluetooth is on most of the time, and I keep my brightness at 50%. My Note 8.0 had atrocious battery life, and ate right through a charge in just under 6 hours. It's long gone....

 

[The Robot Cow]

The new Nexus 7 is a great tablet. Don't let its price fool you into thinking its just a cheap tablet. It packs a punch! Also the major advantage of being a Nexus device is that you get the latest and greatest os version months before anyone else.