jeffreytheduck wrote:
Hello, well I was thinking about maybe investing in a Tablet. At first I was wanting maybe just an e-Reader to read books, but why not pay a bit more and be able to download apps and access the internet much better, right? Well I have some questions regarding tablets.
1) Do all tablets or most require a data plan to use them?
2) How do you download apps if you don't have the iPad?
3) How much are data plans on average if you need one?
4) Which Tablet is reccommended to me or just in general?
I really will only use the Tablet to read books online, use social networking, surf the internet, play games and maybe take random notes or whatnot. If somone would graciously get back to me, I would appreciate it! Thank you.
A lot of tablets are wi-fi only, so they work wherever you have wi-fi. Some people "tether" them to their phones via wi-fi for "on the go" data. Only 3G/4G enabled tablets (Like the Verizon LTE variant of the Samsung Tab 10.1) require a data plan.
If you have an Android tablet like the Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Android Market is the Android equivalent of the Apple App Store. Also, unlike Apple devices, Android devices let you "sideload" apps from your PC and also access alternate markets (like the Amazon App Store for Android.)
Data plans are usually around $30 for a 2GB/month data plan if you want data "on the go" anywhere that has cell service. (Note: The Verizon LTE Tab 10.1 may only be able to use WiFi and LTE, not Verizon's old 2G/3G network).
As to which is recommended for you... This is a subject of flamewars. I have a WiFi Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and love it. It's the thinnest of the Android tablets, however it's one of the more expensive ones ($500 for 16GB). The Asus Transformer is $100 cheaper but it's a bit thicker and accessories for the Transformer are VERY expensive and frequently sold out. However, The Transformer's accessory keyboard makes it quite popular - the integration of the Transformer's addon keyboard is superior to any other tablet solution. The Tab 10.1 can use many accessories intended for the original 7" Galaxy Tabs, so accessories (both Samsung official and third-party) are much easier to find. The Acer Iconia A500 has far more ports built-in so it's thicker but requires adapters for fewer functions. The Toshiba Thrive takes the Iconia concept further - it has nearly EVERYTHING built-in, but this makes it the thickest of the Android tablets.
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