Tablet Advice

RobH1

RobH1

Well-Known Member
I'm looking to buy a tablet for use abroad. Requirements are low, just the ability to email, access information from the net (mainly wi-fi) and to load pics (with decent resolution) from camera using cables or preferably SD card. USB socket would be useful too. It should be obvious from the aforementioned that an ipad isn't justifiable.
Can anyone point me in the right direction please? I'll carry out research from there.
Regards
Rob
 
Archos Tablets are worth taking a look at, I bough a 10.1 inch G9 tablet from HMV (no longer trading) for £150, a similar model is available from P.C. World link HERE for £160, 7 inch models considerably cheaper, although a larger display is good for pictures. I would definitely go for something running Andriod for the 1000's of free Apps.
 
There are plenty of Android-based tablets - what you need is some idea
a) what size screen you would find usable/necessary
b) whether wifi based internet is enough, or is full mobile internet needed - the latter can add considerably to cost of both buying and use (but you could find sim cards/dongles to make the usage cheaper)
 
Thanks for the two bits of advice above. I've narrowed it down to a couple.

dandnsmith said:
There are plenty of Android-based tablets - what you need is some idea
a) what size screen you would find usable/necessary
b) whether wifi based internet is enough, or is full mobile internet needed - the latter can add considerably to cost of both buying and use (but you could find sim cards/dongles to make the usage cheaper)
Click to expand...

a) As Ezra said 10" would be better for editing photos.
b) Wifi would be sufficient but for long stays a dongle from the relevant country would suffice.
 
RobH1 said:
Thanks for the two bits of advice above. I've narrowed it down to a couple.



a) As Ezra said 10" would be better for editing photos.
b) Wifi would be sufficient but for long stays a dongle from the relevant country would suffice.
Click to expand...

Not sure how many tablets allow you to connect a dongle. You could tether your phone to the tablet, though and use its 3G connection.
 
Thanks , but I don't have the relevant phone and plan. I assumed a dongle would use USB,will check further
 
Hence my MiFi.

It's not only that the tablet has to have a USB port to plug in a dongle, it also has to support the dongle in its operating system.

Incidentally, the iPad does have a USB interface, but needs an adapter to the extension port.
 
Black Hole said:
Hence my MiFi.
Click to expand...
Would you recommend the MiFi device mentioned in post #5, I am thinking of purchasing one. I currently have a 3 mobile contract with a dongle, but would like to transfer to a MiFi device instead. My dongle takes a full size sim card, would this fit into your MiFi device, or does it use a micro sim card? If the latter, I wonder if I would be able to order a replacement micro sim card to use with my existing contract.
 
Yes, I think it's great (but that's me). Mine is an E585, and contains a full-size SIM.

I was in a restaurant with no public WiFi (I always use my own anyway, it's more secure), and some youths detected my hot spot but couldn't log on (of course). They were hounding the staff to give them the password thinking it was the restaurant's hot spot. When I had finished checking my email I just turned it off, having a quiet giggle to myself.
 
brian said:
Most dongles use USB, but many/all? tablets do not have USB ports.
Click to expand...

Most tablets have a microUSB port, but I am not sure they would recognize a dongle attached there, using an adapter.

In fact, the Nexus 7 only even recognizes a USB drive attached there by means of a special App.

Nexus Media Importer

It works on other Android devices too.
 
brian said:
Most dongles use USB, but many/all? tablets do not have USB ports.
Click to expand...

The two I'm looking at both have USB ports.

Black Hole said:
Hence my MiFi.

It's not only that the tablet has to have a USB port to plug in a dongle, it also has to support the dongle in its operating system.
Click to expand...

How can I check that? In Portugal the most popular dongle is by Vodaphone.

Re your mi-fi, as I would only need it for about four months per year, can you rent by the month/ pay as you go or are you locked into a contract. (I'm not too lazy to look it up but you have first hand knowledge).
 
RobH1 said:
How can I check that?
Click to expand...
You need to look up the specs for the dongle in question and see what OS support it offers. If it only says "Windows, Mac" the hacking community may have managed an Android port (or whatever), but you have to ask yourself whether it is worth the risk.

RobH1 said:
Re your mi-fi, as I would only need it for about four months per year, can you rent by the month/ pay as you go or are you locked into a contract. (I'm not too lazy to look it up but you have first hand knowledge.
Click to expand...
I have a contract. I think you can buy these things with a pay-as-you-go, and it is also reported they can be unlocked from 3. I also think that you could put any 3 SIM in it and access data and SMS (via the web browser interface), it's just that voice wouldn't work, and if unlocked that would apply to any provider's SIM.
 
Mike0001 said:
Try this

It converts any dongle into a WiFi hotspot that any device can connect to.
Click to expand...

That could be a good solution. Be wary of TP-Link devices though - when they work they're great, but I have had a few returns.

The MiFi has the advantage of being self-contained - it has a rechargeable battery and does not need external power.
 
I'm a bit late in the day on this thread, but I'll add a couple of bits:
My wife has a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10 2 - it has a slot for a SIM card, which I haven't got to work with the card from an O2 dongle (works plugged into a PC), and it worked fine while we were in Spain in Jan/Feb with a MiFI setup (Vodafone)
 
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