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tablet for browsing, portfolio, pdf

Looking to get a tablet. Not for work, but i need it for browsing, email, updating cv (i do this in illustrator and output to pdf), showing my portfolio (pdf or other good presentation app). I'll be away from my desktop pc so wont have access to my usual software. Needs to be at the cheaper end too. Any recommendations?

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  • aleksdigital
  • Jaco
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    Jaco polycounter lvl 17
    Can't go wrong with a Nexus 7 in my opinion, much cheaper than an iPad as well.
  • Playdo
    Can u get a mobile version of illustrator and adobe acrobat (not just reader) on either of those ? And not that i use it, but something similar to word?
  • Renaud Galand
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    Renaud Galand polycounter lvl 19
    I decided to go the "cheap" way and bought the first 7 inches kindle fire, then a Kindle Fire HD 8.9 inches and I couldn't be happier with both. Once you understand that it's just an android tablet with a skin on top you can really do anything that you'd do with any other android tablet... But for half the price :)
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    anything with a retina style/HD screen, if you plan to use pdf based ebooks and art magazines. You'll have to zoom less to read small print fonts like annotations, picture commends, footnotes. For example I wouldn't recommend an ipad mini, or any device with a non HD screen if you want to read e-books like Vertex.

    I picked up the cheapest 16gb iPad. Great for showing a folio and especially great for reading art related e-books and magazines. (FastPDF+ is a pretty good up that handles even heavy PDF docs, just like Vertex).

    There's also a wacom stylus available for the iPad so you could use it as a sketchbook too.
  • Rwolf
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    Rwolf polycounter lvl 18
    Nexus7 (2nd gen) hear, you can get the first gen's for under $200 now.
  • Xoliul
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    Xoliul polycounter lvl 14
    Isn't a Nexus 7 same price as a Kindle Fire at least? You should definitely prefer a Google device over an Amazon device! I have a first gen Nexus 7, still really happy with it after a year, even got my parents one too last christmas.
    And Apple devices are the opposite of the "cheap end" ;)
  • mats effect
    Apple is holding an iPad event tomorrow. iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 should be on the way.
  • MichaelElphick
    I'm in the same boat, but probably going to get a Nexus7, but waiting to see what Apple comes up with.
  • VPrime
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    VPrime polycounter lvl 9
    There is a really nice free vector/illustrator tool on iPad called Inkpad. I played around with it and it seems to be very well featured.
    There are also lots of great painting and image manipulation apps as well..

    As for word, Apple just made their iWork tools free as part of iOs7 (It may be for new devices only, not sure). But you get Pages which is the word equivalent, Numbers for spreadsheet, Keynote for presentations, and iMovie for video editing.
  • Alemja
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    Alemja hero character
    Another Nexus7 here, first gen and I personally think you can't go wrong with it. You can download Google Drive for it and get access to all of it's office-like features. There are a ton of PDF readers, some free, some not, just check Google Play for any apps you might need on an android device.
  • Playdo
    Is the 7" screen good enough for a portfolio? I'd have thought it'd be a bit small for presenting at an interview.

    And do any of those pdf readers available allow pdf pages to be added, rearranged etc, for creating a portfolio?
  • WarrenM
    I have an iPad 3 and while not the cheapest thing in the world, DAMN is it nice. For browsing and gaming, it really can't be beat. I use mine almost every night for reading, games, tutorials, etc.
  • Playdo
    And another question: How does 3g work on these things. I usually tether my phone to a laptop and run it off the phone's 3g. But I don't think this is possible with a nexus. So if I buy a 3g Nexus, I take it that I don't have to pay rental on the 3g?
  • Visum
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    Visum polycounter lvl 7
    I use iPad 4 but had 1st gen Nexus 7 and my GF uses 2nd gen Nexus 7. I love N's size. You just can't beat that but for everything else iPad just kills it. With $30 extra bucks for apps you can make it a full blown business tool.
    7" might not be the best thing for presentations. It's small.
  • Xoliul
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    Xoliul polycounter lvl 14
    I showed my portfolio on a 7", it's fine if they sit next to you.

    3G on a Nexus works just like any tablet I think? You'll be able to do more than with Apple, that's for sure. You sound a bit confused though: where do you want the internet to come from? Tablet, phone, laptop? I think you don't want to get a simcard for the tablet?
    In my case, i just have a Wifi Nexus 7, I set my phone to Wifi hotspot and thus wirelessly tether the nexus from that. Works fine, way easier than cables.

    Oh yeah perhaps something to keep in mind, but with Android devices you can just browse files and folders. I have a portfolio folder with a bunch of stuff, subfolders and mixed photos/video (set up on the pc). You can just browse that like Windows with a free file explorer app.
    You can't do any file-folder browsing on iPad, I had an infuriatingly bad experience trying to get some Photos to sort properly on one once.

    I also play a few games on the nexus 7 and it still runs everything super-smooth and fast, can't imagine how an iPad would be better in that aspect.
    edit: I just remember, this would sell it to me alone for gaming: you can plug a 360 controller into a Nexus 7 and it works straight away with most games that need it. USB storage works too with some fiddling.
  • Visum
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    Visum polycounter lvl 7
    New iPad Air just got announced.
    Looks freaking sweet!

    New Mini is pretty cool too.
  • monster
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    monster polycounter
    iPad Mini first gen is now $299 for the base model.

    Xoliul, I use dropbox to browse and sync files on my iPad. I used it at a couple of interviews successfully. (On an iPad 3)

    Just in general, I've interviewed quite a few people recently, and it was much nicer with those that brought a tablet. They were able to show extra work they couldn't post publicly on their website.
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    this might be the time to pick up some previous iPads on the cheap - if you can stay rational and resist the "must have newest Apple shiny!" pull. There's surely many dealers with the pre "air" models still in stock who'll want to get rid of them. I have an iPad 3 and for reading, folio display, sketching and most gaming it's still a pretty fine device
  • Playdo
    @Xoliul: Yeah a little confused. I tether my phone to my computer via cable. Was thinking of doing the same thing with the tablet. If it can be tethered via setting up a hotspot, that'll work too. I don't know much about how 3G works on tablets ..Do you need to put your own simcard in there? So I could take my 3 simcard out of my phone, put it in the tablet and that'll work?

    An iPad sounds nice but I don't know if it's the best way to go. I get the impression that they're more restrictive, and I'm so used to working on PCs, which I think is more like android's way of doing things.

    As long as a 7" inch screen is good enough for interviews, I'd be happy with that size, as it means it'll fit into my coat pocket. Not sure if the iPad mini is too big for that.

    Edit: Won't be used to play games on (well maybe the odd one or two, but that's at the bottom of my list)
  • VPrime
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    VPrime polycounter lvl 9
    If your phone can be set up as a wifi hotspot then the iPad (and any other tablet) can connect to it like any other wifi connection. No need to buy the 3G model. 3G/Cellular model is only needed if you want to have a separate data connection for the tablet.

    Tmobile is giving away a free 200mb data plan for the new iPads though if that fits your needs.

    iPad has the better quality apps, but android has more freedom with customizations. You can have different themes, launchers, firmware etc.

    Another plus If you go iPad is that you can get our free app and makes your own games :)
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    if you get a table with a Sim card, make sure it has the same form factor - e.g. regular Sim, mini Sim, or you need an adaptor, or file down your Sim card to size. I cut mine down with my Swiss Army knife, but not everyone may feel comfortable doing that.

    Personally pick any brand you like for table - the only real important thing for reading and folio display, in my opinion, is a HD/Retina screen. Makes a huge difference.
  • Rick Stirling
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    Rick Stirling polycounter lvl 18
    My first generation iPad is showing it's age, and the Nexus 7 that I bought for my parents outshines it in performance and PROBABLY the screen res. However, my sister has a 3rd or 4th generation iPad with Retina and that blows the nexus out of the water - it is double the cost of course.

    I saw the Surface in the flesh for the first time a few days ago, it looked quite nice, but not as nice as the iPad for a comparable price point.

    One other thing that I'll need to consider when I eventually drop my 1stGen iPad is the rest of the devices I have. The last 2 phones that I've owned were iPhones, my wife has an iPhone, so we've got buy in to that app infrastructure.
  • Xoliul
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    Xoliul polycounter lvl 14
    There's a new Nexus 10 coming, and the older ones are like 300$ average. Get that if you're worried about size and resolution, it's still way better than an iPad's resolution (2560x1600, 300ppi for the nexus 10 vs 2048x1536 264ppi for iPad 4 and 5).
    I think they'll announce the new one tomorrow, it might have an even higher resolution.
    Playdo wrote: »
    @Xoliul: Yeah a little confused. I tether my phone to my computer via cable. Was thinking of doing the same thing with the tablet. If it can be tethered via setting up a hotspot, that'll work too. I don't know much about how 3G works on tablets ..Do you need to put your own simcard in there? So I could take my 3 simcard out of my phone, put it in the tablet and that'll work?

    An iPad sounds nice but I don't know if it's the best way to go. I get the impression that they're more restrictive, and I'm so used to working on PCs, which I think is more like android's way of doing things.

    Yeah just check if your phone can do wifi hotspot. If not, might want to opt for a 3G version because i don't think cabled tethering is possible between android devices.

    And if you're like me and couldn't even put up with iTunes' media transfer system back in the iPod days, don't bother with it and go for Android. You just plug it in and it works like a USB drive on your PC. More than makes up for any "difference in quality of apps" if there is such a thing (I can't tell, but I never missed anything app-wise)
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    Xoliul wrote: »
    And if you're like me and couldn't even put up with iTunes' media transfer system back in the iPod days, don't bother with it and go for Android. You just plug it in and it works like a USB drive on your PC. More than makes up for any "difference in quality of apps" if there is such a thing (I can't tell, but I never missed anything app-wise)

    It's gotten much better now. Although it is not as flexible as android as you cannot browse the file system from the device. You can send data to a specific application via iTunes and that is very easy. You can also copy stuff from the device this way.

    However if you want to access the same file from different apps then you have to transfer it for each up, and it will take more space too, as there's no shared storage. Personally I settled for certain apps which I like so it doesn't bother me, but I can see how this might be a problem for some.
  • Xoliul
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    Xoliul polycounter lvl 14
    Yes I understand, the whole transfer-between-apps things is just unacceptable to me personally. Having a file on the device, and not being able to open it with another application just doesn't cut it for me.
  • WarrenM
    More than makes up for any "difference in quality of apps" if there is such a thing (I can't tell, but I never missed anything app-wise)
    It's not quality of apps with Androids, it's the lack of them. I'm constantly showing things to my wife on my iPad that she can't get for her Kindle Fire. Android is an app desert.
  • Xoliul
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    Xoliul polycounter lvl 14
    WarrenM wrote: »
    It's not quality of apps with Androids, it's the lack of them. I'm constantly showing things to my wife on my iPad that she can't get for her Kindle Fire. Android is an app desert.

    Ermmm, Kindle Fire = custom Amazon Store that is completely different from Google Play Store; it has about a 10th of the amount of Apps. Exactly why you shouldn't get an Amazon tablet!
  • WarrenM
    Well, then I don't have a point of reference. However, isn't the general consensus among developers that Android isn't worth developing for? I could swear I've read interviews where indie developers were saying that.

    It's sort of like making Linux versions of things. A nice thought but generally not worth it.

    Although as Android gains marketshare, who knows?
  • Xoliul
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    Xoliul polycounter lvl 14
    I think that's a big misconception that gets thrown around a lot. Google Play Store has the same amount of apps as Apple's store, last year it caught up in amount. I read somewhere between 800.000 and a million, but it just keeps going up. Marketshare for Android is much larger than IOS (well everywhere but in the US I think), so most devs don't ignore it anymore.
    The "not worth developing for" comes from there being a lot more Android devices to test on, making it harder and more effort.

    I've had more "why can't I do this on IOS?" moments than I've had "Why is this app not on Android?" moments (2; both games).
  • WarrenM
    Yeah, I think that was one of the main complaints ... too many devices and OS versions.

    Anyway, nice to hear Android is doing well. Competition is always healthy.
  • Playdo
    Thanks for your input guys. Definitely helped me narrow things down
  • cptSwing
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    cptSwing polycounter lvl 11
    Xoliul wrote: »
    Ermmm, Kindle Fire = custom Amazon Store that is completely different from Google Play Store; it has about a 10th of the amount of Apps. Exactly why you shouldn't get an Amazon tablet!


    Aren't they hackable though (would expect them to be, at least)?
  • CharlieD
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    CharlieD polycounter lvl 11
    Whatever you get, look up refurbished tablets on amazon. Most of them are new, just returned. I've been getting lots of refurbished stuff(laptops, tablets, etc) and so far so good.

    I picked up a nexus 10 and LOVE it compared to my old ipad. One thing though, IPad has way better portfolio apps from what I've seen.
  • Xoliul
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    Xoliul polycounter lvl 14
    cptSwing wrote: »
    Aren't they hackable though (would expect them to be, at least)?

    Rooting really isn't something for the average consumer.. I thought I knew what I was doing, but it was very complicated when I tried it, even with "one click" solutions on a Nexus (Nexus devices are easiest to root so they say).

    For that reason you're best off with Nexus devices since they're the least crippled in features and get updated the fastest; it removes much of the need for rooting since you've got the best stock experience.
  • Playdo
  • MichaelElphick
    I bit the bullet the other day and bought the 2013 Nexus 7, Pretty sweet, very happy with my purchase, all the apps I need, adobe reader is great for loading up the portfolio pdf, browsing is smooth ( I use Firefox, so syncs with my desktop)
    Plays videos/tutorials with ease with the VLC app.

    LIght, just the right size it's..

    Perfecto!
  • passerby
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    passerby polycounter lvl 12
    Nexus 7 cheaper than a iPad mini but more powerful, and has a very nice screen on it.

    Think you made a good choice I have one and love it.
  • aleksdigital
    I'm getting myself an ipad air and a mac pro for xmas :)
  • Playdo
    Out of interest, how about using one of these super-size 6" phones for showing a portfolio? I'm not talking for environments, but for products, props etc. Anyone got experience with one of these? Might be too small ..not sure.

    http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/22/4865276/nokia-world-2013-lumia-phone-announcements

    http://blog.laptopmag.com/worlds-biggest-smartphones

    Edit: Just noticed neither have launched yet
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