Tablet help

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loneryder

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I would like to have a tablet to keep by the bed to quickly research or look up things that come to mind after shutting down everything for the night. Maybe read blogs, news etc.
I've had 2 Samsung Tabs, one I bricked trying to wipe it and install Android and the other I took back to the store after a day. The reason, Bloatware. There is so much bloatware on those Tabs that every time you turn them on, they take 15 min. to update all that crap. I am on limited bandwidth with 4glte service.
Is there a tablet out there that wouldn't behave as these? What about a used iPad? I've never been an Apple fan but I'll consider anything. Do iPads have all that bloatware? What about an Amazon Fire? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
I will second the fire. Not extremely sophisticated, but inexpensive and reliable. Look for refurbs on amazon to get one really cheap. ☺
 
Originally Posted by csandste
The Fire doesn't play well with Google but they almost give them away at Black Friday. I have a couple and they're worth the small amount of money they ask


+1

The amazon tab was going to be my first recommendation, though I'm not sure it's what the OP is looking for. It's more of a media-consumption device. For the price, however, it's hard to pass up.

I purchased an Apple iPad Air2 128GB last fall for $250. That's a hefty price to pay, but I also know that it will remain useful for much longer than my previous Toshiba Thrive, which I had to root to keep it useable and speedy enough.

Finally, bloatware can be removed. Simply go to your apps and delete them. If you're not sure, have someone help you. I did this on my Toshiba Thrive to keep it useful for a bit. Aside from it being an enormous block of a tablet, it's still actually running pretty well and the battery life isn't as bad as you'd think for the original battery! This old tablet is a backup to my son's iPad Mini 1 (which we got for free when a family member upgraded!)
 
+1 on the Amazon Fire. I got one of these for my 7 year old to use when we drive from DFW to Mexico city (24hrs drive btw). It's able to store enough netflix movies to entertain her on the drive. The parental controls are very stout and I can control it from my PC via the Amazon site which I really like. It is able to internet surf, but like previously stated doesn't play well with chrome. Battery life is awesome, and so far has been able to withstand a 7 year old for a year. It does have Amazon ad's but there are several videos showing you how to get rid of them. plus it was under 100 bucks including the purchase of a protective cover and an additional 64 GB sd card.
 
Thanks all. I tried to remove the apps on the Tab and there are a lot that you can't. Like my Samsung phone. There are a number that there is no option to remove.
Do the iPads have a lot of bloatware?
 
For your purposes the best user experience on using a web browser is an iPad used. There may be an Android tablet that works as well but I think the life is much shorter in terms of supporting the specific hardware. Apple supports their stuff for a long time and the experience is excellent because the matrix of different devices is known.

The Amazon Fire is decent for consuming content(watching movies) or playing games but the clicking and typing experience leaves a ton to be desired.
 
There's no bloatware on any Apple product.

I'm posting this from an old iPad 4th generation with a 64-gigabyte "disk" that's six or seven years old. It's never even hiccupped from the moment I turned it on for the first time when new and out of the box.

Apple, however, has "denigrated" it because it's too old, meaning no system upgrades for the last year or two. But that makes no difference to me, and any used iPad you might consider would almost certainly be newer than mine.

I've come across conspiracy theorists online who allege Apple withdraws support for older iOS hardware, like my iPad, because nothing ever goes wrong with them, there being no moving parts except the Home button, so newer systems is the only way for Apple to flog new hardware. Some new apps, though, like games, cannot be downloaded onto older iOS hardware. (Apple's app store is the only place to obtain apps.) The theorists cite the thousands of ancient 2nd-generation iPads still in use that have never needed a repair of any sort.

No viruses or other malware, either.
 
Originally Posted by loneryder
Thanks all. I tried to remove the apps on the Tab and there are a lot that you can't. Like my Samsung phone. There are a number that there is no option to remove.
Strange. I have an older Galaxy Tab S2, and it doesn't have much if any bloatware at all. Did you buy yours from a wireless carrier?

As far as updates taking a long time, you should be able to disable auto update.
 
Good stuff. Any suggestions as to which iPad model/generation to consider? There are a ton of them on ebay.
 
Originally Posted by loneryder
Good stuff. Any suggestions as to which iPad model/generation to consider? There are a ton of them on ebay.


Just get the newest you can afford. I don't know what iPad generation number is the newest, but I just fired up my iPod (purchased last year) and the system is 11.4.1. My old iPad's is 10.something.

I ran over my very, very old version 2 iPod (the first touch model (no spinning disk) with my car on gravel. It still works as well as ever, but the back is dented by the stones and the glass is badly cracked and uneven. I use the iPod only for music in the car. I have no use for an iPhone, so I don't have one. But an iPod is a phone without the phone part ): . The screen is too small for browsing.

Have you gone to apple.com to check out the new iPad prices? I haven't checked it out, but I think Apple is selling last year's full-size model with new guts "cheap." Also check out Apple's refurbished iPads, if there are any. The full warranty applies and the refurbished stuff always gets good reviews. Often the refurbished items are simply returns.
 
Originally Posted by Oildudeny
kindle fire hd10


I agree. Love mine and have had no problems with it.
 
I have two Samsung Galaxy 8's. They fire up instantly and do not lag at all. Uninstall all the bloatware, and turn off automatic updates. Problems solved.
I love Android and Samsung. Wouldn't be caught dead with anything Steve Jobs made. Been there, done that. Never again. Automatic planned obsolescence should be reason enough to never trust a fruit.
 
Originally Posted by kawie_guy
I have two Samsung Galaxy 8's. They fire up instantly and do not lag at all. Uninstall all the bloatware, and turn off automatic updates. Problems solved.
I love Android and Samsung. Wouldn't be caught dead with anything Steve Jobs made. Been there, done that. Never again. Automatic planned obsolescence should be reason enough to never trust a fruit.


Have a Galaxy 8 as well and feel the same way about Apple. The Galaxy 8 is better but not 5 times better. That's the difference in price between my Galaxy 8 and my Fire 7.
 
As someone who only uses an iPhone and iPad Pro, I had to look up what bloatware was.

A non issue for iOS.

Sometimes a good dead is a refurbished iPad.
 
well I've ordered an iPad 4 for $105. Refurbished.

If anybody is tired of google's antics try www.ixquick.com. I've been using it for a couple of years. Private and collects no info. Won't give you but 2-3 pages of results but it's always worked for me. No "suggestions".
 
I see the OP has made his decision, but for any future views of this thread I'll throw in my 2 cents.

I bought a used Samsung Galaxy tab A 10.1" off ebay (wi-fi only version) for about $145. It was pretty easy to root (simple instructions on xda and youtube). Once rooted you can selectively remove or disable the unneeded junk. I installed Resurrection Remix (nougat version) and am very pleased with the tablet. Incredible battery life and very satisfactory response for web browsing (I don't play games, but it probably would be overmatched for some of the most demanding ones).
 
The iPad 4 will likely suit your needs, but I would have opted for something with a 64-bit processor, so you can take advantage of the latest iOS updates.

I got my iPad Air2 128GB (the lower storage model was less) for $250. I've been running iOS 12 beta (the latest software that hasn't been released yet) and it's pretty nice. My phone is 4 generations old and I've been running iOS 12 on it, too.

If it runs well and you can run the apps you want, then it doesn't matter - enjoy!
 
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