(Part 2) Top products from r/tablets

I have both the Dell case and one of these

http://www.amazon.com/Fintie-Dell-Venue-Windows-Shell/dp/B00GZNCP3G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398347382&sr=8-1&keywords=Dell+venue+8+pro+case

The case from Amazon is great for the money but I like the Dell case best because when you fold it under the back and basically use the tablet upside down, the viewing angle is just right. The Fintie one is cheap and it feels like it but the Dell case is certainly over priced, problem is that it works best for me so far.

If you want a great keyboard, look at the Microsoft Wedge, it's small but useable and the cover can be used as a stand for any tablet.

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-U6R-00001-Wedge-Mobile-Keyboard/dp/B008OEHPKM/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1398347894&sr=1-1&keywords=microsoft+wedge+keyboard

The Microsoft Wedge mouse is a great armchair mouse and has 4 way touch scrolling. It may look tiny and awkward to use but it's really pretty slick, especially to toss in a bag and go.

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-3LR-00004-Wedge-Touch-Mouse/dp/B008OEHV6U/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1398347894&sr=1-3&keywords=microsoft+wedge+keyboard

I have a Nexus 7 (2014) and find that it's also too small for textbooks in either P or L orientation.

I'm looking at the Galaxy tabs as they're popular enough to have a large user base and decent support communities, as I like to root, etc. my devices:

Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 ... $290 new
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JKCH4X0/
Decent price but the static recent/home/back buttons are weird, and the resolution is noticeably less sharp than my Nexus 7

Galaxy Note 10.1 (2013) ... prices are all over but can be found for $250 new or refurb
http://www.amazon.com//dp/B007M506WS/
A little bit more of a hotrod than the Tab 4 but lacks some improvements the 2014 edition has. Most noticeably IMO is that it uses the older proprietary Samsung connector instead of a Micro USB connector like every other device you charge via USB. This is honestly my biggest hang-up about it.

The Note 10.1 (2014) has mixed performance reviews but is still a nice tablet. It's available for less than $300 used or refurb, which is the most I'm budgeting for this.

There are some Lenovo and Asus tablets out there with good reviews too. Good luck!

Considering that you would be doing educational subjects, would recommend you get a windows tablet or windows compatible. Yea the Tab s2 is a much better choice than the a series. Battery life, gb ram which can run more apps, better processor, can upgrade to the latest os which marshmallow 6.0.[Youtube review video of 9.7] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amO5rzdaZjo) Best you get the [samsung galaxy tab s2 9.7 version] (https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-SM-T810NZDEXAR-32GB-Gold/dp/B010OTG0DC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1482195391&sr=1-12&keywords=tablet&refinements=p_36:30000-35000&linkCode=ll1&tag=qt088-20&linkId=4b97064859d4343cbbb884437c2c7e49) because the 9.7 has a wider screen which would be a better choice since you would be taking notes and also has sufficient battery life to faciliate it. I would recommend you get the [am pen stylus] (https://www.amazon.com/Stylus-amPen-Hybrid-Interchangeable-Feature/dp/B008MOHLVC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1482196497&sr=1-3&keywords=tab+s2+stylus&linkCode=ll1&tag=qt088-20&linkId=90b9c393d664e1bc05efc60ab673b4a2) for it.

I would go for something like this Microsoft Surface Pro 4 which has a very good stylus and stylus support, decent battery life, good build quality and very important, it is a Windows based device which means, you can install any application you could install on a laptop or computer and it works, for example, Microsoft office- excel, word, powerpoint etc...You will also be able to open any of those files done on a computer..

Neither of these have active digitizers. Tablets with Wacom digitizers (that is, ones with the same technology as your Bamboo tablet/stylus) are pretty thin on the ground nowadays, especially at the kind of price point you're at. The best you'll probably get at ~$300 for drawing is the Vivotab Note 8, but it only has an 8" screen.

If your budget can get (a lot) bigger, the Surface Pro 3 is probably the best machine out there. Right now you get a $100 gift card when you buy one, so that might help?

Sorry that there aren't really any good midrange options with digitizers :(

I'd also recommend taking a look at the new Asus T100. Do not limit yourself to the Surface RT and see if you might need full windows. Like Surface RT, the Asus T100 comes with microsoft office as well. In addition it comes WITH a keyboard dock, which is another plus. Did I mention that the price is 400 dollars for the 64gig version?

Highly recommend this tablet over the Surface RT

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00FFJ0HUE/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=1382555106&sr=8-1

Amazon is out of stock ;(, I'm not sure if you'd like 3rd party sellers

>reading PDF files/word documents, some games, and movies and surfing the web

For all of those except maybe gaming, a 10" would be best. I've recommended this one before, but the Asus MeMo Pad FHD10 is on sale right now for under $300. It's a solid buy, my wife has one and no complaints. decent spec too: Dual-Core Intel Atom @ 1.6Ghz, 2GB RAM, 1920x1200 screen.

I have a 7" tablet, I love it, but it's not ideal for documents and movies due to the small size. Just my opinion, others may disagree. I do find it fantastic for gaming though, I found holding the 10" one awkward when trying to play games.

Lastly, no matter what you buy, find a good deal now. Trust me, you don't want to wait for black Friday or Cyber Monday, stock will deplete and you'll likely have to settle for whatever's available, as opposed to buying what you want. It's never worth it to shop on black Friday, most of the deals are shams with custom SKUs anyway.

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ME176CX-A1-BK-7-Inch-Tablet-Black/dp/B00KD5SER8 This one is $108 (I know that's well above your budget, but believe me, you are not going to find a good tablet for $70 unless you are God of Discounts)

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ZENPAD-Z170C-A1-BK-16-Tablet/dp/B010FGJKWC/ref=dp_ob_title_ce (This is slightly weaker than the one listed above I believe, but it's $80 right now (it's on discount), I know that's also over your budget but not by much) Edit: This one is your best bet, the processor is clocked a biiiit slower, but it's running a newer version of Android

When I said I wanted one like the pen that comes with the Surface Pro, I didn't mean the features, just the feel. The one that I already have is really hard to write anything with, so I wanted something more robust so to say. I was eyeing this one, it has a rubber tip, but from the reviews seems to be way better to write/draw with: https://www.amazon.com/Studio-Neat-Cosmonaut-Wide-Grip-Capacitive/dp/B007EW9ISM?SubscriptionId=AKIAJMXJ2YFJTEDLQMUQ&tag=digitren08-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B007EW9ISM&ascsubtag=15635633935959xqh

But it seems kinda big, so I'm open to any suggestions from anyone who can help me out

@FelixR1911 - You need a powered usb hub. The micro usb port doesn't have enough power to do much more than a small thumb drive. I bought this http://www.amazon.com/eForCity-Micro-USB-OTG-Adapter/dp/B005QX7KYU/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_text_z to cover the fact that it doesn't have a usb port...and that small device gets bonus points for working on my nexus 7. I can plug this into my vivo tab smart then plug in my nexus 7 and put files on it like a normal android device.

I use a wacom pen http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-Corp-Bamboo-Stylus-Tablets/dp/B004VM0SE6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1376960389&sr=1-1&keywords=bamboo+stylus+solo

> Moreover it has to be a device I'm able to carry around to classes if not for coding then for taking notes and annotating on pre-provided lecture notes

yep

I'm sure it'd handle that quite well

edit: it's ok ... I won't tell no one you're not running games on it

I looks like Dell is about to solve this problem if they release this cable. Also there are some 3rd party solutions available that fix this problem right now.

I'd suggest either the Logitech that you already mentioned, the Microsoft Wedge, or the Periboard-806.

I've used the Logitech and the Perixx - neither ever gave me any trouble, and the Perixx folds up really nicely without the annoying space in the middle. Never used the Wedge, but only ever heard good things about it.

How about used/refurbished tablets?

• Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 2012 $130 http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-7-Inch-Wi-Fi-Model/dp/B007P4VOWC
  
  Unfortunately, mobile Office isn't as usable or fully featured as Office on desktop. The only version of Office Mobile available for Android is geared for phones.
  
  Instead, I would recommend modern day budget netbooks or detachables + USB dongle. Low end netbooks/detachables have gotten much better (and cheaper) ever since Microsoft started offering Windows for free to OEMs.
  
  
• http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/ASUS-X205TA-UH01-BK-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.308794000
  
  
• http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/ASUS-X551MAV-UB01-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.308008000
  
  
• http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Acer-Aspire-Switch-10-SW5-011-32GB-Signature-Edition-2-in-1-PC/productID.299492300
  
  
• http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/ASUS-Transformer-Book-T100TA-Red-Signature-Edition-2-in-1-PC/productID.304981100

From what I have read, no. There is a kickstarter out there that has special cables that will allow you to do that, but the arent shipoing until June. You can order here



I did find this hack, but unfortunately my OTG cable is at home, and I can't test it out right now.


It looks like powered usb hubs will allow you do charge and use the usb.


I haven't really had problems with the tablet, as it lasts a full 8 hour workday of medium-high usage, without needing to charge.

If you want to get a Galaxy Tab 4, Amazon has way better deals.
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-7-Inch-White/dp/B00J8DL78O/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1417107388&sr=1-2&keywords=galaxy+tab+4

Nexus 10 seems perfect for you. It has USB OTG, HDMI out, 10" 2560x1600 (gorgeous) screen, and is just an overall amazing device for $399. You can get a 32 GB for $499, but not necessary if you have your own hard drive. I'd get the $399 so you have money to spend on buying a keyboard/mouse.


USB OTG

It doesnt look like they're making many quality 7" tablets any more. 7" post 2014 generally seems associated with low end tablets with weak specs and poor build quality. A lot of the "decent" ones are 3+ years old. Stuff like the nexus 7, or my current memopad 7 im looking to upgrade, or the tegra note 7 (early shield type tablet), etc.

Most quality tablets these days are like 8-10". ASUS looks like they have decent 8" tablets around $150ish. THe nvidia shield K1 used to be an amazing buy but they discontinued it and they're extremely hard to find it seems. In the $200-300 range you sometimes start to get some more quality builds, with the hauwei mediapad m3 being one of the strongest options I can see for my own upgrade needs (although also the most expensive at $300).

And yeah. Tablets are in a weird place. They're killing off a lot of the good models, severely nerfing new ones coming out, especially in terms of ram and storage space, and my $130 tablet from 2014 still looks as good or better than $130 tablets today of the same size. it's really weird.

But yeah, just to show what im talking about, here's my model.

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ME176CX-A1-WH-7-Inch-Tablet-White/dp/B00LSS1412?th=1

At the time one of the best tablets at that price range.

But you'll see its discontinued and out of stock, and replaced with some other asus 7 inch model.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010FGJKWC/ref=psdc_1232597011_t1_B00LSS1412

And people report that this model is a piece of junk. So something weird in the 7" market, idk why, they're being reduced to crappy budget models that kinda suck. Maybe consider like a fire tablet if you want something decent?

What you're looking for is a tablet w/ an active digitizer such as a Wacom Penabled (now called Feel) or N-Trig digitizer.

Samsung makes a line of machines, which use their "S-Pen", which is a re-branded Wacom Feel device:

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-Edition-Black/dp/B00F3SOHNU

I think you might find it cumbersome navigating note taking on a tablet and then porting over the notes to a macbook. Alternatives worth considering:

• get a printer: this one is very reliable, able to print wirelessly, and the ink drums last a long time.
  
• get a chromebook
  
• get a small laptop 1, 2, 3
  
  
• Get a Surface Pro 4 and do everything on it instead of your mac.

ASUS MeMO Pad 7 ME176CX can be found for a little more than $100.

I prefer this for a cheap tablet, but it's usually $150+:

ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME181C

And not to be a dick, but you have $300 a year and you are going to spend more than a third of your income on a tablet?

Just to make sure, this is the shield we are both talking about. http://www.amazon.com/NVIDIA-940-81761-2500-000-SHIELD-Tablet-WiFi/dp/B00LM6KF7O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421724563&sr=8-1&keywords=nvidia+shield#productDetails

Available as of this morning on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FFJ0HUE

I'd say this:

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-8-Inch-Tablet-Titanium/dp/B00V49LL90/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1469668958&sr=1-1&keywords=samsung+tablet

Non-mobile: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0092KRAXY/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1427080641&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=fine+tip+stylus&dpPl=1&dpID=51H-WSry5rL&ref=plSrch

^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?

Surface Pro or for cheaper, an older model

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7

As per ratings on Amazon.com the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 is out doing the iPad 2017 model in terms of:

1. Overall NDTV Rating
   
2. Design Rating
   
3. Display Rating
   
4. Software Rating
   
5. Performance Rating
   
6. Battery Life Rating
   
7. Camera Rating
   
8. Value for money Rating
   
   
   

I grabbed a 3pack from amazon for about $10--


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0092KRAXY/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1427080641&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=fine+tip+stylus&dpPl=1&dpID=51H-WSry5rL&ref=plSrch

Really depends on how "fine" you want it to be. Ultrafine? No idea. The ones I linked are finer than a fingertip at least.

Now I'm torn between Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet 128 GB Hard Drive, 4 GB RAM, Windows 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition (32GB, Black).

Are you dead set on android? I've been researching this myself and the Asus VivoTab Note 8 sounds about right for you.