tablets

Dave loves to drive when he travels, but the most recent car he has doesn't have a CarPlay option. How can he use an iPad as a CarPlay alternative for maps? Leo says a Wi-Fi iPad doesn't have GPS and as such, the maps are going to be inaccurate. Wi-Fi does triangulation of Wi-Fi signals that it can read, whereas GPS uses location based on a triangulation of GPS signals and cellular towers, which is far more accurate. He'd be better off using an iPad that has LTE.

Larry bought an iPad at Costco and didn't like that he constantly has to enter his iTunes password. It's annoying. So he returned it. Which tablet should he buy? Samsung or Asus? Leo says that Apple is #1 in tablets, but if he can't bear it, Samsung has very nice tablets. Google is about to announce a Chrome based tablet, code named Nocturne. And it will run Android apps. It should be announced in about ten days.

Diane is looking to replace her tablet. She'd like a 10" model and had Samsung in the past. What's her best choice? Rich says that the Apple iPad really is the best tablet out there, and it's the best value. It may cost a little more, but the ecosystem is more vast, the apps are better written, and the user base is exponentially larger. Since she needs one that works with spreadsheets, The iPad works great with Google Sheets. The screen size of the iPad is 9.7".

Nam wants to upgrade his tablet. What should he buy? Rich says that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is a good option, but at $650, it seems a bit pricey. And for that price, he'd be much better off with the iPad. They're better tablets. The Android tablet hasn't really taken off like the iPad has.

John has a Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 and it has an OLED screen. Leo says that's a great model. Is it better than an iPad? Leo says an iPad has True Tone, which helps calibrate the image to the ambient light. Leo's opinion is that nothing beats OLED. But then again, we haven't heard if the new iPads will have OLED yet. Apple's position is that the iPad screens are great. But then again, iPhone X screens are OLED. If they do use OLED, they will be made by Samsung. So it won't be any better.

Johnny picked up a Windows Surface Go tablet, which Leo calls the cutest computer ever. It's 9.7" with Keyboard and Pen, and USB charging. But Johnny got a charging adapter for it that bricked the computer. Leo says to never buy a third party charger unless he's sure it's a legitimate product. Amazon doesn't police their third party sellers very well, and a lot of them are either counterfeit or very cheaply made.

Don wants to know if buying a refurbished iPad is OK. Leo says if it's from the manufacturer, then yes. Especially with Apple, who won't sell something unless it's perfect. And odds are, the refurbished item is simply a model that has been returned. It'll also have a new warranty as well. But Leo says he may want to wait a few weeks because Apple is about to announce new iPads and iPhones for the fall holiday shopping season. That will mean the current models will drop in price. And 64GB is plenty for internal storage.

Chris is looking for a good tablet that won't break the bank. Is there a Chromebook tablet? Leo says there is, but he doesn't recommend it. The best Android tablets are made by Samsung, and the Galaxy Tab S3 is about $450. Leo says that Google had a great tablet called the Pixel C, but they don't make it anymore. If budget is an issue, then the Amazon Fire tablet is the best because they are heavily subsidized.