Traveling to Manila: Kindle, Nexus or blow the load on an Ipad?

J

jflail2

Gawd
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Jun 1, 2005
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As the title suggests, I'm having a hard time deciding between 2 different 7" tablets (Fire or Nexus), or just going all out and getting a new ipad for an upcoming trip to Manila.

I'll be there 2 weeks, so would like something that entertains me on the day long flight, as well as while I'm in country.

I like the idea of being able to access Amazon media through the Kindle, but am not sure if I'd have any issues accessing the cloud while in Manila.

A guy I work with has the new Nexus, and it looks slick as well. Seems like the best deal for a 7" tablet, so I'm leaning towards that over the Kindle.

And finally, there's the new ipad with retina display. The price difference is huge, but I'm wondering if the ipad wouldn't provide the most options for entertainment in the end. Not to mention the larger screen.

Just spitballing here, so any and all input would be welcomed. Do you own one of these tablets? If so, would you recommend that model? Is there one of the 3 that you absolutely hate? If so, why?

Any input would be appreciated.
 
iPad 2 NEW from the Apple Store. Really long battery life. ~11 hours.
 
Between the Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7, it really shouldn't even be a question. The Nexus 7 has better hardware, the latest version of android (as well as being one of the first devices to get updates), and it's a totally stock experience. Amazon appears to have apps for most of it's services anyways, if that interests you. There's also netflix and the like... you should have no problems getting access to cloud services no matter which device you chose (provided you can get a good connection where you are going)

As far as N7 vs. iPad goes... that is difficult to say. Bigger isn't always better. I have an Asus Transformer (which is a 10"), but I use it almost exclusively with the keyboard dock as sort of a netbook. For this, it works great, and I appreciate the larger screen size. If I undock it to read a book or something though, I always feel like its too big in my hands. It is for that reason that I'm going to be getting a N7 for myself soon, so that I have something a little smaller to play with. Sure, the display is a lot nicer on the iPad... but enough to justify $500 over $200? Not to me. Maybe it is to you... but I would suggest going to a place where you can hold both an iPad and a N7 in your hands, and decide for yourself if the larger screen is really an upgrade or not. Aside from the display, I don't think your actual experience is going to change too much between the two. They will both read books, browse the web, and watch movies just the same. Most popular mobile games seem to be offered on both platforms now. So... unless there is a specific app you are looking for that is iOS exclusive, I don't think the overall entertainment value would be any greater on the iPad. I say save yourself $300 and get the N7.
 
Do you plan to be on Wifi the entire time? Do they have 4G/LTE there? If so, vacation is a great time to have 4G/LTE, if possible. If so, then you can get the Amazon Instant Video app which gives you basically the same thing as you have on the fire (but you have to purchase through the Amazon site, not the app). You also get the standard array of other apps.

I have all three devices you mention. For me, my order would be iPad, Google Nexus 7, and then the Fire. I'd probably take both the iPad and the GN7. The LTE iPad has hotspot, so you can share the connection. The iPad is just better for any kind of reading, IMO, though the lightness of the GN7 can be important too. I have my iPad in a case so I don't need to hold it all the time. If find browsing the web to be much better on the iPad. The tiny 7-inch screen is ok in a pinch, but the lesser resolution and the smaller screen size prove to be tiring, IMO. I do use both of these tabs every day, but the Fire is collecting dust. It is on my giveaway list.

If your choice is between the Nexus and the Fire, get the Nexus. If you get a flash browser and sideload flash, you can play Amazon vids on the Nexus.
 
Thanks so much for the feedback so far guys, much appreciated. I'll be at work at least 12 hours a day, so I'll have wifi there and in my hotel. I don't really want to pay for another device on my cell plan (Verizon gets enough of my $$ as it is...), so I think I'd just go with the wifi ipad.

So I'm throwing the Kindle out of the equation completely at this point. That leaves me with the N7 and ipad. I'm not overly concerned about the price, so I guess it comes down to portability/not having to install itunes/quicktime, or just going all out and getting much better resolution, work functionality, etc.

I may pick up a cheap used mac book of some kind if I do decide on the ipad so I don't have to install itunes on my HTPC.

And I'm gonna have to pass cheetoz; too many carriers of shit a brillo pad wont scrub off. It's only 2 weeks, so I'll make it...I think.

Leaning towards the ipad 3 at this point to be honest.
 
If you go nexus, I suggest the 16GB version. On the iPad, you only need the LTE for the duration of your vaca, then you can turn it off.

Best.
 
personally, i don't like to take expensive things with me on vacations or business trips, especially to other countries. i'd rather take the cheaper device (N7).
 
Thanks for the feedback gents. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a 64gb wifi ipad3 this weekend. The retina display is absolutely a thing of beauty, and I like the full sized screen for my long flight. Also got the HDMI adapter so I can plug it into the TV in my hotel room when I get there.

Also bought a mac book air off a colleague at work for $100, so I can keep all the itunes stuff off my HTPC.

Very pleased with the ipad so far. Thanks again for the feedback!
 
Thanks gents. Yea, I found a guy at my company who has a few mac books, and he ended up selling me his older mac book air for $100. It's not the nicest/most up to date model; something like a 1.6ghz dual core proc with like 2gb of ram. But for what I need (a place to dump itunes to and that's it), it's a great buy in my mind.

Keeps itunes, etc off of my HTPC, which was my end goal there.

And yea, I've already installed spotify and pulled my backup songs offline to the ipad. Netflix has been installed, and I'll be pushing 3-4 good movies to it before I leave as well.

And finally/randomly, do NOT sleep on Raid: Redemption. Fricking unbelievable action film. Watched it this weekend, but will definitely be loading that one onto the ipad. I'd recommend native language+ english subtitles for maximum viewing pleasure.
 
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