Laptop vs iPad vs tablet vs Kindle?

[awp101]

I'm trying to figure out what advantage the last three have over a laptop.

The way I see it, other than size the iPad is just a fancy laptop, the tablets (like the Galaxy) are less fancy laptops and AFAIK a Kindle just does books.

I'm sure there's something I'm missing but I don't know what it is.

Can anyone explain why the last three are so popular and do they really have an advantage over a regular laptop?

Thanks!

[olyinaz]

Let start off by saying these are my opinions, and they're worth even less than the 2¢ you didn't pay to get 'em, but I have actually used most of the devices out there and we own iPads and Nooks etc.:

In color the Kindle and Nook are less expensive - that's pretty much it - otherwise they're tablets just like an iPad or one of the iPad wannabes. In black and white the Kindle and Nook are books - that's pretty much it. They use very little power and will run for weeks on a charge. So let's skip over book readers and get back to tablets.

The iPad is still the best tablet despite many tries by other makers. The main draw of the iPad is the fantastic user interface (it's not at all like using a PC) and the huge library of available software. Also, if you buy the 3G model then for $25/month it's always connected to the internet at pretty snappy speeds (if you live in a good 3G coverage area) which is real nice. What a tablet is best used for is READING the internet, emails, watching movies and TV shows, and playing around with games and the software that is available. They also make OUTSTANDING personal navigators with GPS moving maps available that put most hand held navigators to shame. I'm not talking off-road hiking/camping GPSs here - I'm talking about road navigators. And of course an iPad is a full featured iPod as well.

The iPad also has some great aviation applications, but I wont go into that (I am a beta tester for my airline which is adopting the iPad for use by our 10,000 pilots). All I can say is if you're into aviation the iPad is mind boggling in its usefulness.

Lastly, if you set up an Apple Airport wireless network in your house you can buy an Apple TV for a hundred bucks and stream anything from your computer to your TV, even in high-def, and that includes Netflix and the iTunes store content for purchase etc. It's pretty cool.

In short, the iPad is a joy to use. Swiping your finger and navigating around it is so simple anyone can pick it up quickly and the screen is lovely with vibrant, great color, movies look fantastic, music sounds great etc. You can pretty much leave it "on" all the time so that it's instantly ready the second you pull it out of wherever you carry it. I'm talking about ZERO boot time here - not quick, not fast, not "ready in a few seconds", I mean INSTANTLY ready the second you pull it out and light up the screen. I can't over estimate how daggum handy that is!

What the iPad, or any tablet, is NOT is a PC/Mac/laptop computer! It doesn't handle files like a "real" computer. Printing from it is a pain in the butt, moving files to/from it is cumbersome, and doing many things regarding its' management through iTunes can be frustrating. I tried to replace my laptop with the iPad and while I'm getting by on the road with nothing but the iPad, it's not something I enjoy posting to forums with or writing long email replies with so I mostly read - take in information - while I'm on the road with my iPad. I wait until I'm home to get busy with outgoing information and items that I need to get after. Would a Macbook Air be more useful for just a tad more weight? YES. It would also cost twice as much and not be as handy.

So what it boils down to in my view is this: Should you ditch your PC for an iPad? NO. Should you consider an iPad if you travel or like to sit in a coffee shop reading? YES! I love my iPad. LOVE IT. Will I be getting rid of my PC anytime soon? No way man.

Hope this helps.

Best,
Oly

[adirondakjack]

If ya have an Ipod or I phone, ya pretty much knowwhat an Ipad is. (same goes for the droid based devices.) The downfall IMHO is the "pads" don't "do" phone, so ya still gotta have a phone, and still have to pay the vig for MOBILE internet unless ya tether to your "rooted or jailbroken" phone. If I'm doing that, I'll bring along the 15.6" widescreen lappie for those instances the phone won't cut it as a display for internet stuff.

My one doc carries a 13" lappie around all day as his records interface. Another is going to an Ipad system instead. Both can see x rays, cat scans, etc directly from the hospital's digital files, access my records, and send a scrip to the pharmacy. One has a physical keyboard, the other doesn't need it.

I'm waiting for "full internet" type experience (not mobile net) with a PHONE built in (blue tooth so ya ain't gotta use speaker in public), about the size of a readers digest. Bigger than my Droid, smaller than the "maxipad", as easy to transport and see as a readers digest..... I think android will be the platform to do that.... Then I could do away wth the droid and have a slightly larger interface to the world that is a phone, yet is a more useable multi- touch screen computer. Add a plug-in Kbd for those times when doing bunches of kbd-ing when ya also would like the full screen, and the "kit" for travelling would be complete.

[jeepnik]

Oly nailed it. I, too, work "on the road" extensively. Often in areas that have no internet connectivity other than a cell signal. I use excel quite a bit, and using a tablet no matter whose, is just too "clunky". One thing I have found that a tablet does, is allow you to quickly sketch things. Works pretty good for brain storming small piping and electrical installations so you can do "pretty" drawings later. In fact, other than email and such (and with my eyes, it's so much better than any phones small screen it ain't funny), that's what I use it for most.

As to GPS, the only problem is it's size. Great for looking at, but finding a place for it in my truck, that doesn't block access to other things just didn't work for me. While the camera seems like a nice function, and I admit looking at photos you just took is much easier on the larger screen, again, the size makes it ungainly. However, integrating photos and sketching funtions to allow later drawings is a nice feature.

If they would allow the use of "Office" software with out an intermediate software, and improve file transfer, they would be much more useful to me. Maybe the Ipad 3?

[awp101]

Thanks! I'm not a gadget guy and I've already got a laptop.

What got me to wondering about the others is there was a link on another forum to free Kindle downloads for some research and reference books. It's all stuff that's in the public domain now so there's no copyright or publisher's fees for Amazon to pay. It turns out many are available through Project Gutenberg or another place.

Also, my employer has started carrying the smaller Galaxy so I could get one at cost if I wanted. I've held them but can't come up with a reason to get it. It's too big to be comfortable as a phone (to me) and the lack of a real keyboard makes it more trouble than it's worth to me.

Plus, I'm old fashioned. I want to hold my books and I'm pretty sure a Kindle doesn't smell like an old bookstore. I don't go anywhere for longer than a weekend most of the time, have only flown 2 or 3 places in the past 10 years so portability is not a huge concern to me.

[Charles]

Three weeks ago, my daughter gave me a protracted test drive on her ipad. She uses it in her work. I tell you that flung a cravin on me real bad. They are super gadgets for all of the reasons mentioned.

When finances are available, I am going to get one, toss the lap top and use my desktop for word processing, working up Power Points and other serious computer work.

[madman4570]

Heck,
It took everyone and then some to make me get rid of MY OLD DESKTOP
Myself,would love a very compact 12" laptop that could get a signal about anywhere there is.(kinda like that DroidX)?????
daughter has a DroidX and that is really kinda cool.(but too small for what I want)

Hey,maybe someday soon there will be a central simulation center where it appears as a campfire and we can all do the Skype thing to each other simultaneously

[olyinaz]

Myself,would love a very compact 12" laptop that could get a signal about anywhere there is.

Careful what you wish for! I've had laptops like that and with the dot/pixel pitch they usually put on laptops I got tired of squinting and trying to see what I was doing. The key is to look at the unit you're considering to see if you can read the average web page (like this forum for example) at the standard screen resolution with comfort. Some very highly rated laptops will surprise you.

Best,
Oly

[Ysabel Kid]

The company I work for leases our workstations (all laptops), so we switch them out about every 4 years (once 3, twice 5 years). We just switched them out earlier this year, and had two models to choose from. I decided on the smaller one - with a 12" screen. When I am in the home office I use an external keyboard and monitor, so the size doesn't matter. After hours, or when I am traveling, it is usally in my lap. The small screen takes a bit to get used to, but I love it. It weighs about 1/2 as much as the larger model, and I no longer get my laptop screen pinched by the jerk in front of me on a plane who has to slam back his seat as soon as he or she can.

I've been thinking about a tablet as well, but don't want to carry around both. Work wins...

[Leverdude]

I have one, the wife got it for me. Its ok for some things but not a computer. I do get online & post from it sometimes but also use it for games & things. I like the GPS for boating, doubt I'd use it in a truck but I know I'll use it sailing. That said I never woulda bought one.