Jerry is looking to get a tablet and thinks that the iPad is a bit pricey. Leo says it is, but it's a great tablet. The iPad is definitely the champaign of tablets. It's got more memory, better performance, and a huge store of useful applications. Apple may even be announcing a less expensive 'iPad Mini' later this month, which will likely be a 7.85 inch tablet for around $200 to $300.
Tom is looking for a GPS replacement for his Garmin and he was thinking about a tablet because it could give him more options. He's concerned it won't connect to satellites for GPS, though. Leo says that almost all tablets he could get have a GPS chip (with the exception of the Wi-Fi only version of iPad), but the maps would get downloaded as he goes. Waze is a great app that does it this way. It collects information about the road ahead from other Waze users. However in rural areas with no 3G, he wouldn't have a map.
Sometimes content bought from the Google Play store, or the Apple iTunes store for that matter, can only be played on the device it was purchased on. But if the Nexus 7 supports DLNA, and he has a TV that supports DLNA, it could play content to the TV wirelessly similar to AirPlay on the AppleTV. Another way to do it is through the Nexus 7's USB connector. He could buy a MediaLink HD adapter, so he could just plug it into his TV using HDMI.
Mark's daughter is heading to Europe as a foreign exchange student. Mark is wondering whether or not he should get her an iPad or a Nook for book reading. Leo says not to get a Nook, but the $79 Kindle will work just fine. The new Google Nexus 7 is also great bargain at only $200.
Leo says he's a big fan of Android Tablets, they've definitely come of age. But it's hard to compete with the Google Nexus 7 for only $199.
The Nexus 7 doesn't have a lot of internal storage and also doesn't have an SD card slot. He could try connecting the Nexus 7 to his computer via USB and copy the files to it that way. He could also use DropBox, and use that to transfer the files.
Leo suggests not filling up the storage of the Nexus 7, though. One reason the Nexus 7 doesn't have much storage is because everything is moving to the cloud.
Jim was one of Leo's first QSOs when Leo got into Ham Radio.
Dave's wondering whether to get a Nexus 7, a Galaxy Tab 7 inch, or the iPod Touch. His wife and daughter have iOS devices. Leo says one reason to stay with iOS is that he can continue to use the same apps instead of buying new ones.
The Google Play store won't let him buy an app unless he has a supported device installed. The chatroom says he could install the Android SDK and create a virtual tablet and register it. That's a long way to go to save a few bucks though. He could also go to a brick and mortar store, log into the Play Store with a demo device and buy the app that way. He may be able to buy a gift certificate. Another option is to contact the app developer and tell them the dilemma. Maybe they'd do something for him.
Leo wouldn't recommend getting a Windows based tablet now because the existing ones are running an operating system not designed for touch. That will change though when Microsoft releases Windows RT, which is pretty much Windows 8 for tablets. Microsoft is expected to put out their Windows RT based Surface tablet in September or October. If she can wait, and if she's really happy with her Windows Phone, she might want to consider these Windows RT tablets. There won't be much software available for it because it's so new, though.
Leo finally gets his Google Nexus 7 tablet and he says that this is finally an Android tablet that can compete with the iPad, and for half the price! The one thing it lacks is a high resolution display like the retina on the iPad, but it's close. So if you're in the market for a tablet, this is the one to get at that price point.
