TABLET NOOB! Dont know whether to buy an iPad or Asus Eee Pad Transformer?

Cathaoir99

Member
Dec 7, 2011
12
0
Im a noob, and basically dont know much about tablets, but after a little look into them, watching videos ect, im going to buy one. Ive narrowed my two down to the iPad 2 and the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. Im wondering which is best and why? Please dont comment if your a serious apple hater or certaintly not an apple fanboy lol

Also -
If anyone could let me know a little bit about the Asus Eee Pad and its functionalitys of what you can do ect

I will be using the tablet mostly for watching movies, internet browsing and playing games :)
Thanks in advance guys!
 

jseah

Member
Nov 21, 2011
141
21
Pretty much anything you can do on an iPad you can do on an Android tablet. The real difference comes down to the OS. The Apple OS is more refined, smooth and seamless but it is also locked down much tighter. Android is open and can be configured to your heart's content. It is very similar to comparing a Mac to a Windows computer. With Apple being a large market segment, obviously going with Apple you will find way more accessories available for it.
 

Pamster

Senior Member
Nov 14, 2011
393
35
When I was looking into higher end tablets, I liked the Transformer, it's a really versatile device. I know people use them for all kinds of applications and uses. What are you mainly looking to do with your new tablet Cathaoir99? It's a nice device with a lot of flexability, especially with it's cool docking keyboard. If it was me, and I know it's not, I would go for the transformer or something like the toshiba thrive because it has the ability for the user to replace the battery as well as full sized HDMI and USB ports. I really liked the Thrive when we were thinking of going the higher end route. Good luck and happy hunting to you! Welcome to the board, glad you joined us, I hope you end up with the tablet you'll be happiest with. :D
 

pbrauer

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 24, 2010
3,649
561
I have had in order, the Gentouch 7/8 (first Android tablet in the US), a Velocity Cruz 101, a Hauwei S7, a ViewSonic gTablet and now the Transformer as my personal tablets. The entire time I have also had an iPad provided by and supported by my job. I have also spent extensive time hands on with the Galaxy 10.1 and the Xoom. Hands down the Transformer is my favorite. Smooth, fast, light, great screen. This is what I have been hoping for in a tablet.
 

Cathaoir99

Member
Dec 7, 2011
12
0
Thanks for your kind reply Pamster. I will be using it as a gadget basically, just doing the basic stuff you would on your laptop. However, im really keen on apps. How is androids selection of apps? I know iPad has a huge variety?
 

Pamster

Senior Member
Nov 14, 2011
393
35
I am new to the android community so I am not sure about that, I know some apps are not duplicated for android users yet, but more are coming out each day. I would go here and search around for apps you might be interested in:

https://market.android.com/


 

Pamster

Senior Member
Nov 14, 2011
393
35
There are other app markets like Amazon app store and getjar.com so if you have some idea of what you're looking for you can search around for the applications these reliable app vendor offer. I had to post again because I just pasted the URL to the Android Market and it continues the link when you type text and I wanted that link to work. ;) It's my fault for not using the BbCode Generator. ;)
 

Cathaoir99

Member
Dec 7, 2011
12
0
Yeah i think the Asus Eee Pad is what im going to go for, just wondering if thats the best i can get for around that price range?
 

jseah

Member
Nov 21, 2011
141
21
Yeah i think the Asus Eee Pad is what im going to go for, just wondering if thats the best i can get for around that price range?

If you're talking about the Transformer Prime ($500 for the 32 GB model) that will be released in about a week and a half, yes that is the best since it will be the only quad-core tablet on the market. If you're talking about the "regular" Transformer (now $299 at Best Buy for the 16 GB model), that one has the Tegra 2 dual-core processor and there are several other tablets with the same processor (i.e. Toshiba Thrive, Acer Iconia A500, Motorola Xoom) although the Transformer was rated the best tablet as well as the best netbook by a magazine. Comparing the "regular" Transformer with the iPad 2, it is a better buy than the iPad 2 since it is almost $200 cheaper.
 

WVUTampaAlum

Senior Member
Oct 6, 2011
77
5
No flash. What people are paying 500 plus for a tablet that does not support flash just because the company doesn't want to? Transformer takes mini sd and has an hdmi port. I just don't get people spending the money for that bs with apple. I don't need someone to hold my hand when computing so I prefer the android device over the 'for dummies' tablet.

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
 

J515OP

Super Moderator
Staff member
Jan 6, 2011
5,172
899
No flash. What people are paying 500 plus for a tablet that does not support flash just because the company doesn't want to? Transformer takes mini sd and has an hdmi port. I just don't get people spending the money for that bs with apple. I don't need someone to hold my hand when computing so I prefer the android device over the 'for dummies' tablet.

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

I agree that flash is nice but it isn't really going to be a consideration going forward. Adobe has already announced that ICS will be the last OS for which they will make Flash. Eventually it is all gong to be HTML 5. Of course we have a ways to go yet and it is nice to have Flash in the meantime but I don't see it as a killer advantage at this point. Honestly Flash has its own issues even on devices that support it.

As far as the original question without money being an issue both are good devices. jseah basically hit the nail on the head regarding the major difference. One that just works out of the box but only works the way it is, or one that may not always work (without fiddling) but works the way you want it (with fiddling).

I wouldn't worry about the apps issue. While there are technically more iOS apps in the Apple store, there are still thousands upon thousands of apps for each and chances are what you find in the Apple app store you will also find in one of the Android app stores.

Pick the tablet you prefer when you compare them while taking into consideration whether you want an out of the box experience or a personal customization experience. Last thing to keep in mind is that the Android tablets are really leap frogging in terms of performance specs at this point. Though in use the speed will feel the same for now, you do get some amount of future proofing with more RAM and faster processors.
 

redcloud

Member
Aug 24, 2011
122
5
Yeah i think the Asus Eee Pad is what im going to go for, just wondering if thats the best i can get for around that price range?


You won,t go wrong with the choice of the Asus Transformer, or better yet the quad core Prime. It is a very well made tablet with great screen resolution, and very good workmanship and ergonomics.
 

WVUTampaAlum

Senior Member
Oct 6, 2011
77
5
I have the transformer. It is a fantastic tablet with only one negative to me. There is no native usb connection. You have to use their plug which is both the charger and USB. This plug is on the bottom which is also then used for the dock if u get one.

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
 
Top