iPad mini 2 or keep the Asus?

[mystika1]

Hi,
I need a bit of help deciding what to do. Right before Christmas, I bought an Asus Me572.(very close to nexus 7) After getting it all set up like I like it, I had very noticeable lag loading web pages no matter what browser I used. I also had issues with the keyboard. When I would type, there was a delay in the text appearing on the screen. (my daughter's kindle fire hd6 would load web pages way faster) I was about to return it to the store, but decided to reset the device and let it update fully before adding my favorite apps. I did this reset yesterday and have had no issues at all since. I bought my device from best buy which gives me until January 15 to return the device. I am a bit concerned, because I don't want to end up with a faulty device. The user ratings for the Asus at best buy all look to be excellent.
My question is..
My husband is an apple user and never really has any problems with his devices.
Would I be better off bringing the Asus back and getting an iPad mini 2? I want a device that will last me at least a couple of years.

Thanks,

Penny

[Josieb1]

I have a cheaper Asus tablet the memo 7, but I also have a ipad mini 2. Personally I'd never place a android tablet over an ipad. I guess it all depends on how much money you've already spent on apps and if you'd need to buy them again. If your husband has an iPad have a play with his first, see how you like it. But if I could only have one it would be an iPad. It's well worth the extra cost.

[burnafterreading]

i used to have an iPad mini (original, 1st gen), and i gave it to my parents once i bought my Android tablets.

since my smartphones are android based, it made more sense to me to have everything android. plus, i HATE LOATHE DESPISE apple's fascination of proprietary connectors.

admittedly, i threw away all of my book / app purchases from apple since none of that transfers to my android. i think it was around $120 for all that stuff. it's still in my account but effectively useless to me.

i prefer my android tablets for many other reasons, but i do have to admit that as far as user interface speed & snappy-ness, the apple was better. not by a lot, but a bit better.

the androids are also quite a bit more affordable. apple stuff is overpriced (as far as i'm concerned) since it has many limitations and is kinda "closed" and proprietary. but hey, at least if you own apple you can be one of cool kids. cuz all the cool kids, they seem to fit it. I wish that I could be like the cool kids, like the cool kids.

[mystika1]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

I guess it all depends on how much money you've already spent on apps and if you'd need to buy them again.

My books have all been purchased from Kobo or Amazon. The only app that I have purchased is Mantano Premium. I am a cheap skate and stick to the free stuff. Lol

Penny

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by mystika1

My books have all been purchased from Kobo or Amazon. The only app that I have purchased is Mantano Premium. I am a cheap skate and stick to the free stuff. Lol

Penny

Mantano is an android only app. It's equivalent on Apple is Marvin, although personally I quite like iBooks. To be honest it all depends what you are used to, don't let the android vs Apple argument sway you. Yes I prefer Apple I have two ipads and an iPhone. I also love my kindle Fire and I only bought the Asus to sideload android apps to the Fire.

The other poster loves android. It's what your used to and what you prefer using. If you can play with an ipad, even a full suze one will do, before you have to make a call, then you can decide.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by mystika1

My books have all been purchased from Kobo or Amazon. The only app that I have purchased is Mantano Premium. I am a cheap skate and stick to the free stuff. Lol

Penny

Both Kobo and Kindle have apps for both android and apple. The kobo app is identical but the kindle apps are different. The android one has a carousel, the Apple one doesn't. Also the boxes for collections on the android app has a white background which I don't like. But the book reading is the same, I think. I don't actually read books on my Asus, sorry.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by burnafterreading

i used to have an iPad mini (original, 1st gen), and i gave it to my parents once i bought my Android tablets.

since my smartphones are android based, it made more sense to me to have everything android. plus, i HATE LOATHE DESPISE apple's fascination of proprietary connectors.

admittedly, i threw away all of my book / app purchases from apple since none of that transfers to my android. i think it was around $120 for all that stuff. it's still in my account but effectively useless to me.

i prefer my android tablets for many other reasons, but i do have to admit that as far as user interface speed & snappy-ness, the apple was better. not by a lot, but a bit better.

the androids are also quite a bit more affordable. apple stuff is overpriced (as far as i'm concerned) since it has many limitations and is kinda "closed" and proprietary. but hey, at least if you own apple you can be one of cool kids. cuz all the cool kids, they seem to fit it. I wish that I could be like the cool kids, like the cool kids.

Unfortunaly it's comments like your last paragraph that makes anything else you say seem tainted. I don't use Apple because it's 'cool' I use it because it does exactly what I want. I don't like stock Android I only have the Asus so I can sideload Google play apps to my Kindle Fire which I DO Like, a lot.

Each device is only as good as what the user wants it for, it's got zero squat to do with what's Cool!

[burnafterreading]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

Unfortunaly it's comments like your last paragraph that makes anything else you say seem tainted. I don't use Apple because it's 'cool' I use it because it does exactly what I want. I don't like stock Android I only have the Asus so I can sideload Google play apps to my Kindle Fire which I DO Like, a lot.

Each device is only as good as what the user wants it for, it's got zero squat to do with what's Cool!

ever hear of a phrase "tongue in cheek"? apply as needed

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by burnafterreading

ever hear of a phrase "tongue in cheek"? apply as needed

Followed very swiftly by 'have you looked in the mirror'

[Anthem]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

I don't like stock Android I only have the Asus so I can sideload Google play apps to my Kindle Fire which I DO Like, a lot.

I'm not big on stock Android either. Although I have had very little use of Lollipop (5.0), which I do look forward to using soon. I prefer the Fire OS to stock Android as well... not sure why, actually.

Originally Posted by Josieb1

Each device is only as good as what the user wants it for, it's got zero squat to do with what's Cool!

burnafterreading was quoting an Echosmith song.

Originally Posted by burnafterreading

ever hear of a phrase "tongue in cheek"? apply as needed

Originally Posted by Josieb1

Followed very swiftly by 'have you looked in the mirror'

blah blah.

Originally Posted by mystika1

I bought my device from best buy which gives me until January 15 to return the device. I am a bit concerned, because I don't want to end up with a faulty device. The user ratings for the Asus at best buy all look to be excellent.

First of all, if you really like the device but are skeptical about the unit that you have then by all means take it back and get an exchange. Then you will know if it was that specific device or not. I can say that hardware inside the ME572 is pretty decent so you shouldn't be getting TOO much lagging of the interface and apps, but also realize that it is not a premium tablet with super high end specs, so a few hiccups here and there are to be expected.

Originally Posted by mystika1

My question is..
My husband is an apple user and never really has any problems with his devices.

He is extremely fortunate!

Originally Posted by mystika1

Would I be better off bringing the Asus back and getting an iPad mini 2? I want a device that will last me at least a couple of years.

Here is my hard and fast answer for this: if the Apple iPad appeals to you and it is what you "want", then you should go get it. It will cost you $120 more than the Asus, but the iPad is without question THE premium tablet to have in terms of build quality (Sony and certain Samsung devices are up there as well). If you want a tablet to last a very long time, an iPad is a safe bet. They usually last a very long time and age fairly gracefully. If the iPad has some emotional appeal for you, then nothing else will satisfy that no matter how hard you try. If it is a matter of cost or practicality, then there are alternatives.

[mystika1]

Originally Posted by Anthem

If it is a matter of cost or practicality, then there are alternatives.

Would you mind sharing your recommendation for a tablet $300 or less? When I purchased the Asus, I was not working. I had to keep it below $200 at the time. Things have changed. I do worry about battery life on devices as well. My brother in law has the Samsung note 10 inch and his battery is dead within five hours!

I honestly have never really desired an iPad, but my husband has stayed with his iPhone 4 and ipod 4th gen since they were released. He has no plans of upgrading because they still work fine. I, on the other hand, have been through several android phones and 2 tablets in that same time period.(usually because they are no working.)

Thanks,

Penny

[burnafterreading]

well, you only have one day left to decide whether to keep or return the Asus. is it running Lollipop (5.x) yet or still on 4.4.x? there's ways of rooting it, installing 5.x, etc. some people have deleted the extra junk software and are seeing better performance as well.

here's one problem with Android - it's free. this means that ANY hardware manufacturer can toss android onto their device, so having a bad experience with an android tablet has little to do with Android itself, but possibly the hardware. iOS on the other hand is ONLY done by Apple on devices made by Apple, so it's consistent and tighter spec'd (and more $$$).

there's really only one iOS experience - an Apple product.
there's a lot of different Android experiences - high end devices, mid range, and cheap junk. it's not Android's fault if the hardware is crap.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by burnafterreading

well, you only have one day left to decide whether to keep or return the Asus. is it running Lollipop (5.x) yet or still on 4.4.x? there's ways of rooting it, installing 5.x, etc. some people have deleted the extra junk software and are seeing better performance as well.

here's one problem with Android - it's free. this means that ANY hardware manufacturer can toss android onto their device, so having a bad experience with an android tablet has little to do with Android itself, but possibly the hardware. iOS on the other hand is ONLY done by Apple on devices made by Apple, so it's consistent and tighter spec'd (and more $$$).

there's really only one iOS experience - an Apple product.
there's a lot of different Android experiences - high end devices, mid range, and cheap junk. it's not Android's fault if the hardware is crap.

You make a valid point. My Asus Memo Pad 7 is a cheap tablet, I specifically wanted a cheap one as I only really wanted it to sideload Google apps to my Fire, which I bought for text to speech.

I always thought Samsungs were the high end Android tablets but if I'm paying for one of those I'll buy an iPad, plus I have a 64GB ipad, it's a struggle to find Android tablets over a 32GB and not all apps can be run from an SD card.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by mystika1

Would you mind sharing your recommendation for a tablet $300 or less? When I purchased the Asus, I was not working. I had to keep it below $200 at the time. Things have changed. I do worry about battery life on devices as well. My brother in law has the Samsung note 10 inch and his battery is dead within five hours!

I honestly have never really desired an iPad, but my husband has stayed with his iPhone 4 and ipod 4th gen since they were released. He has no plans of upgrading because they still work fine. I, on the other hand, have been through several android phones and 2 tablets in that same time period.(usually because they are no working.)

Thanks,

Penny

I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 last summer on ebay for €175 (more or less). I don't know an exact number on my battery, but I do know, with moderate use, I charge it once every 2 to 3 days (mind, I also have a Asus Vivotab Note 8, and I really don't like Android's internet browsers, I prefer Window 8's Metro browser, so most of my tablet internet use is done on the Asus, the Samsung is mostly for android apps that don't have a windows equivalent).

And about non-working Android tablets: this Samsung is my second. My previous one, a HTC Flyer, I kept for close to 3 years and I only replaced it because I couldn't upgrade the Android version to a newer version than 3.2...

(don't have an android phone, never had an android phone, never will have an android phone (based on today's knowledge about mobile phones), so I can't comment on that)

[mystika1]

Well.. I brought the tablet back. I was worried about future problems and to be honest, I don't care for the long bezel. While I was at best buy, I looked at other tablets. I like the square ish look of kindle fire hdx and iPads. I didn't buy anything to replace the tablet with yet. I am going to really mess around with demo models Saturday, when I have more time. I am planning to use the tablet for reading, watching movies (when we are camping), browsing the web, and mail. Any tablet can do that, but I really want good battery life and something that is not full of bugs. Lol

Thanks,

Penny