Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Readers > Which one should I buy?

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 01-09-2013, 08:30 AM   #1
faithbw
Guru
faithbw ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.faithbw ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.faithbw ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.faithbw ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.faithbw ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.faithbw ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.faithbw ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.faithbw ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.faithbw ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.faithbw ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.faithbw ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
faithbw's Avatar
 
Posts: 618
Karma: 1526148
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: A place where the sun always shines
Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Mini 2
iPad Mini or Nexus 7

I'm looking to buy a tablet but I'm still not quite sure which one I want. I'm familiar with the iOS and have used it for three years on my iPod Touch 32GB. I have lots of my music stored on it. A lot of it does not have DRM but unfortunately, a good chunk of it is DRM music from the Apple store. I've also brought quite a few apps from the app store as well. Some are only for the iPod but some are made for both the iPad and the iPod. Basically, what I'm saying is that over the years, I've invested a lot of media into this iPod Touch. So my first choice seems to be an iPad mini. The only thing holding me back is the price. I've got about 6GB left on the iTouch. So I don't want to get a 32GB iPad mini only to fill it up quickly. This means the most sensible choice is the 64GB iPad mini which is $529.00 not including taxes.

The Nexus 7 looks like a really great device especially for the price. Plus, it's great that it gets direct updates from Google. However, my main concern is that I'll have buy a lot of the apps that I purchased through Apple all over again in the Play Store. I'm also worried that a lot of my music won't transfer over and I'll have to repurchase it as well. Also, the Nexus 7 only goes up to 32 GB.

So, have any of you had experience with switching from iOS to Android? If so, how smooth was it? Should I just bite the bullet and buy the iPad mini?

BTW, I'll primarily be using the tablet to read, listen to music, check e-mail, use the internet, play games, and use other miscellaneous apps (like religious apps). I don't really watch videos on my iTouch although I have few videos it.
faithbw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 09:55 AM   #2
tubemonkey
monkey on the fringe
tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
tubemonkey's Avatar
 
Posts: 45,460
Karma: 158151390
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Seattle Metro
Device: Moto E6, Echo Show
Quote:
Originally Posted by faithbw View Post
I'm looking to buy a tablet but I'm still not quite sure which one I want.
I have several questions for you first. One, do you really need to keep all of that content on your device, eating up precious storage? One alternative is to keep only essential content on your device and stream the rest of it. Another option is placing your music on an MP3 player like your iPod touch or a Sansa Clip Zip.

I have a 32GB Nexus 7 and I keep storage freed up by streaming content whenever possible and keeping my music on an 8GB Sansa Clip Zip with a 32GB mSD card.

The second question has to do with the content you've purchased. Since you own the audio and video content, you can convert it to a format supported by Android; so you're not out any money there. What you won't be able to port over are the iOS apps. So, how many of those apps are essential to have as specific paid apps as opposed to free comparable apps?

App use is very user specific and what one person is satisfied with would be totally unsatisfactory for another. In all the years I've owned iOS/Android devices, I've never paid for a single app. I either get the free version of a paid app or I get the paid one free through a promo. Also, if a paid app doesn't have a free version, then I'll find a comparable version from someone else that is free. This works for me, but might not work for you.

Since I'm not locked into anyone's ecosystem, I can easily pop in and out at will. The big question you have to answer in relation to the paid apps you deem essential to you is this - is the long term cost/benefit ratio cheaper to stay with Apple and its more expensive devices or to go with cheaper Android devices and having to do a one time re-purchase of essential apps?

Last edited by tubemonkey; 01-09-2013 at 12:24 PM. Reason: added "do a one time - of"
tubemonkey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 10:06 AM   #3
tubemonkey
monkey on the fringe
tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
tubemonkey's Avatar
 
Posts: 45,460
Karma: 158151390
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Seattle Metro
Device: Moto E6, Echo Show
A 32GB Nexus 7 ($249) is $180 cheaper than a 32GB iPad mini ($429).

$180 can go a long way to re-purchase your essential apps.
tubemonkey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 10:11 AM   #4
eSheri
Addict
eSheri ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.eSheri ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.eSheri ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.eSheri ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.eSheri ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.eSheri ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.eSheri ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.eSheri ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.eSheri ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.eSheri ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.eSheri ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 323
Karma: 1015098
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Middle of the US
Device: K3+3G, Sony 350, Kindle Fire HD, iPad Mini
Ah! Very good analysis, tubemonkey!
eSheri is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 10:40 AM   #5
Rick1971
cool a zombie!
Rick1971 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Rick1971 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Rick1971 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Rick1971 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Rick1971 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Rick1971 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Rick1971 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Rick1971 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Rick1971 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Rick1971 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Rick1971 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Rick1971's Avatar
 
Posts: 75
Karma: 1016994
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Antonio, Tx, USA
Device: Sony PRS-350, Lenovo a2107a-f, Le PanII, Motorola Xoom FE
Quote:
Originally Posted by tubemonkey View Post
A 32GB Nexus 7 ($249) is $180 cheaper than a 32GB iPad mini ($429).

$180 can go a long way to re-purchase your essential apps.
plus the iPad isnt expandable...
Rick1971 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 10:50 AM   #6
AnemicOak
Bookaholic
AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
AnemicOak's Avatar
 
Posts: 14,391
Karma: 54969924
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Minnesota
Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick1971 View Post
plus the iPad isnt expandable...
Neither is the Nexus 7 really.



The monkey gives good advice. The only thing I'd add is to go and try out a Nexus if you can or another Android device. I've had iOS only friends buy Android tablets and end up hating them, so make sure you're Ok with the other OS.

Last edited by AnemicOak; 01-09-2013 at 10:53 AM.
AnemicOak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 11:45 AM   #7
Synamon
Lunatic
Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Synamon's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,691
Karma: 4386372
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Land of the Loonie
Device: Kindle Paperwhite and Keyboard, Kobo Aura, iPad mini, iPod Touch
Do you really need all your music on your tablet, or will a few playlists suffice? You can still use your iPod Touch after all. If you are willing to move content on and off your tablet you can certainly manage with 32 or even 16 GB, since the tasks you describe using your tablet for are not data intensive.

You are really choosing between operating systems, so you should check whether or not the apps you have/want are available for tablets on the Android platform. Are you going to have to jump through hoops to use your calendar or other apps that would easily sync if you stayed with Apple? What's your comfort level with learning a new platform?

I went with the iPad mini in the same situation (already had an iPod Touch). Since I also had a Macbook Air, it was a simple choice to stay with the Apple, so that all my existing stuff would sync between my devices and because there were a few apps I use that are Apple only.
Synamon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 12:22 PM   #8
afv011
Captain Penguin
afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
afv011's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,944
Karma: 2077653593
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Vancouver, BC
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Nook Glowlight
Quote:
Originally Posted by tubemonkey View Post
A 32GB Nexus 7 ($249) is $180 cheaper than a 32GB iPad mini ($429).

$180 can go a long way to re-purchase your essential apps.
My thoughts exactly. The higher price on the ipad mini is not justified, in my opinion - it has specs that are lower than the N7.
afv011 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 12:23 PM   #9
afv011
Captain Penguin
afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
afv011's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,944
Karma: 2077653593
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Vancouver, BC
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Nook Glowlight
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnemicOak View Post
Neither is the Nexus 7 really.
Not fully accurate. The N7 doesn't have SD card expansion, but you can use USB sticks with a USB OTG cable.
afv011 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 12:43 PM   #10
AnemicOak
Bookaholic
AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
AnemicOak's Avatar
 
Posts: 14,391
Karma: 54969924
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Minnesota
Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +
Quote:
Originally Posted by afv011 View Post
Not fully accurate. The N7 doesn't have SD card expansion, but you can use USB sticks with a USB OTG cable.
Which I don't really see as expandable memory. More temporary memory, although when not charging I suppose you could leave it always hooked up.
AnemicOak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 01:59 PM   #11
afv011
Captain Penguin
afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
afv011's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,944
Karma: 2077653593
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Vancouver, BC
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Nook Glowlight
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnemicOak View Post
Which I don't really see as expandable memory. More temporary memory, although when not charging I suppose you could leave it always hooked up.
Granted, not as convenient as an SD expansion slot, but the option is there should you need it. I see this more of a thing you might consider if you go on a trip and want to carry a bunch of movies with you rather than a daily thing.
afv011 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 02:04 PM   #12
AnemicOak
Bookaholic
AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
AnemicOak's Avatar
 
Posts: 14,391
Karma: 54969924
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Minnesota
Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +
Quote:
Originally Posted by afv011 View Post
Granted, not as convenient as an SD expansion slot, but the option is there should you need it. I see this more of a thing you might consider if you go on a trip and want to carry a bunch of movies with you rather than a daily thing.
Agreed.

Or one can get stuff like the AirStash, GoFlex Satellite or Wi-Drive and be set for either an iOS or Android device.
AnemicOak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 02:13 PM   #13
David Munch
Scholar
David Munch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.David Munch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.David Munch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.David Munch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.David Munch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.David Munch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.David Munch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.David Munch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.David Munch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.David Munch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.David Munch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
David Munch's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,008
Karma: 3999312
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Denmark
Device: Kobo Libra H2O + iPad Air 4
Quote:
Originally Posted by faithbw View Post
I'm looking to buy a tablet but I'm still not quite sure which one I want. I'm familiar with the iOS and have used it for three years on my iPod Touch 32GB. I have lots of my music stored on it. A lot of it does not have DRM but unfortunately, a good chunk of it is DRM music from the Apple store.
iTunes hasn't sold DRM music for more than 3 years, so I assume your music is from before you got the iPod?
If you want it un-DRM'ed, you can by iTunes Match for a single year (One time fee of 25$), and it should "upgrade" all your music to DRM free (And higher quality in some cases).

Otherwise I'll just mirror the rest of the nerd choir in here - Go for the OS you like and the apps you need. You know iOS, so the question is what you think of Android? At least the Nexus 7 is a cheaper "oops", if don't like it. (Resale value is better for the iPad though)

Last edited by David Munch; 01-09-2013 at 02:16 PM.
David Munch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 03:10 PM   #14
WillysJeepMan
Guru
WillysJeepMan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WillysJeepMan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WillysJeepMan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WillysJeepMan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WillysJeepMan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WillysJeepMan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WillysJeepMan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WillysJeepMan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WillysJeepMan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WillysJeepMan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WillysJeepMan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
WillysJeepMan's Avatar
 
Posts: 655
Karma: 2877892
Join Date: Dec 2010
Device: Kobo Touch, KFHD7, GTab 8.4 Pro, iPadAir 2
Quote:
Originally Posted by afv011 View Post
Granted, not as convenient as an SD expansion slot, but the option is there should you need it. I see this more of a thing you might consider if you go on a trip and want to carry a bunch of movies with you rather than a daily thing.
Neither Nexus 7 nor iPad Mini have memory expansion options given the common sense definition that most people use when describing memory expansion.

If the option for expandable memory is a requirement (the OP has not stated that it is) then it would be helpful to point out the fact that there ARE 7" tablets that provide for microSD card slots such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.

Having said that, if it comes strictly down to a choice between the Nexus 7 and iPad Mini, I would recommend the Nexus 7. (BTW, I'm not a fan of the N7) The openness of Android is a tremendous advantage (over iOS) for a device that is both mobile and personal. The ability to customize and configure a 7" tablet with widgets, icon placement, etc. can really enhance the usability of the device.

And without the ability to expand memory (* - traditional definition) try to get a model with as much memory as you can afford.
WillysJeepMan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 03:41 PM   #15
afv011
Captain Penguin
afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
afv011's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,944
Karma: 2077653593
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Vancouver, BC
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Nook Glowlight
Quote:
Originally Posted by WillysJeepMan View Post
Neither Nexus 7 nor iPad Mini have memory expansion options given the common sense definition that most people use when describing memory expansion.

If the option for expandable memory is a requirement (the OP has not stated that it is) then it would be helpful to point out the fact that there ARE 7" tablets that provide for microSD card slots such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.
Well, the OP stated N7 or mini - so I restricted comments to those 2 options. But even if we broaden it, I would still recommend the N7 over other 7" tablets, it has a pure Android experience and is guaranteed timely updates, something that sadly can't be said of the Samsung.
afv011 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
iPad iPad mini Marc_liest Apple 179 03-18-2017 08:35 AM
iPad Thinking about exchanging iPad 3 for iPad mini jocampo Apple Devices 162 07-13-2013 10:59 PM
iPad Mini: Do You Believe? tomsem Apple Devices 192 11-28-2012 06:50 PM
Comparison Table: Basic features/Pricing - Kindle Fire HD w/ Google Nexus, iPad mini andrys Kindle Fire 7 10-24-2012 05:05 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:22 AM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.