Post by mrmike on Mar 30, 2013 5:18:30 GMT -7
My quest for an E-Reader started some months ago. I wanted something that could handle PDFs as well as books. As I started researching I was being pulled more and more to a tablet. I really had my heart set on a Kindle Fire HD. I made my way to Best Buy due to their veterans discount to do some shopping. After browsing the tablets a manager finally came over to help. I told him I wanted the fire HD.
"No you don't" he said.
"I don't?"
"No, you don't." he replied. He then went on to explain. "I have one and its awesome, it does every thing you want it to and then some. Screen and sound quality are top notch and its easy to use. I let my kids use it, see and never saw it again. So I decided I needed another tablet for my self."
He pointed me to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2. "This, is just as good if not better than the kindle." And it is. With the Galaxy your not locked into the kindle books, you can get apps to run kindle, nook and the google books. It also runs PDF flawlessly. There are more apps available for it as well and its about 100 bucks cheaper than the Fire HD 32gb.
Best Buy does NOT offer a discount on products like tablets or computers though, they are locked in to the price by the manufacturer.
So to make a long story longer.... I got the galaxy, with an otter box and a 32GB micro SD card, bumping my memory up to 40GB for less money than if I had just bought the 32GB Kindle Fire HD.
The Tab 2 is very easy to use and set up. Never having owned a tablet or even an iPod it only took me a couple minutes to get started and couple hours to get really figured out. With some research on line I was able to set it up in a way to extend the battery life by about 50% too.
PROS:
CONS
Some apps I got that I just love!
"No you don't" he said.
"I don't?"
"No, you don't." he replied. He then went on to explain. "I have one and its awesome, it does every thing you want it to and then some. Screen and sound quality are top notch and its easy to use. I let my kids use it, see and never saw it again. So I decided I needed another tablet for my self."
He pointed me to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2. "This, is just as good if not better than the kindle." And it is. With the Galaxy your not locked into the kindle books, you can get apps to run kindle, nook and the google books. It also runs PDF flawlessly. There are more apps available for it as well and its about 100 bucks cheaper than the Fire HD 32gb.
Best Buy does NOT offer a discount on products like tablets or computers though, they are locked in to the price by the manufacturer.
So to make a long story longer.... I got the galaxy, with an otter box and a 32GB micro SD card, bumping my memory up to 40GB for less money than if I had just bought the 32GB Kindle Fire HD.
The Tab 2 is very easy to use and set up. Never having owned a tablet or even an iPod it only took me a couple minutes to get started and couple hours to get really figured out. With some research on line I was able to set it up in a way to extend the battery life by about 50% too.
PROS:
- Cost $179 at best buy
- Ease of use
- Available apps
- Built in GPS (satellite type)
- Built in magnetic field sensor (accurate compass)
- Robust WiFi, downloads go really quick.
- Pre set up with google goodies like gmail, talk, and so on (I use google stuff for work so this was a bonus for me)
- Dual sided camera
- Bluetooth
CONS
- Battery life, I do use it quite a bit and manage to drain it daily. Intermittent use may prove to be better but I was a little disappointed in battery life. (time for a solar chager).
- Glossy screen. The screen has a bit of reflection to it. I will be looking for a matt screen protector right away.
- Its not waterproof, bullet proof, or EMP proof
Some apps I got that I just love!
- Smart compass. A compass app that uses the magnetic sensor in the tablet. Works great and very accurate when compared to my orienteering compass. This app also has a metal detector, though its not super sensitive. You need to be with in 6 inches or so of the metal to get a reading.
- MyTopo Maps Pro by Trimble. Trimble is known for their mapping and GPS technology. This map app is simply awesome. It can work with WiFi, or you can download your own custom map packs with over lays like topo, street, and photo. Once you down load your custom map you can freely navigate that area. You can download multiple custom maps limited only to your storage space.
- GPS Essentials. This app was produced specifically for android. It is lacking in the offline mapping department and limited only to mapquest at the moment. but the GPS is great. Out side I get about 10 foot accuracy most of the time. The app is constantly being worked on, I would expect to see some good maps in the near future.
- Starwars Angry birds.... Come on! Who dosnt like StarWars.
