The whole gambit - tablets are used for so many things. Obviously not heavyweight processing but many many things. As for "web browsing" - so many business applications are browser-based (a trend I was seeing 10 years ago when I worked in the Web industry) that "browsing" is now so much more than pron and Farcebook. Most of our business applications are browser-based

In that case, you should go ahead and buy as planned

Even if he doesn't and won't admit it, he will be on that tablet in his room, whenever he can (secretly though, as he's 14 and previously wrong, but he will use it )

If caught using it, he will say he feels the need to use it, just to show his appreciation to you, but will continue to tell his brother how rubbish they are

Exactly, T, exactly!

Unashamed trolling! Now I'm not a mod, I can indulge myself from time to time...

I forgot, of course, to add 'to me'. We've discussed previously how my computing needs are somewhat different from those of the average punter - I need heavy lifting, lots of screen real estate (often two monitors), and a real keyboard.

I'd argue, though, that the pads - irrespective of brand, and except, oddly enough, for the generic cheap imports - are being sold as loss leaders to keep the majority of users tied into the associated walled garden. Obvious examples are Apple - you get your applications from the green-grocer or not at all; Android - in particular things like the Google Nexus, but all are intended to take you to the maker's application store; Windows - you can't run *anything*, not even a different operating system, that's not signed by MS. You can get around these restrictions, but in many cases only with difficulty; not the sort of thing an average punter will do.

All are made to deliver content - audio and video mostly - rather than use as a tool. While you can, for example, type notes on many of them, I'd strongly argue that a full-sized keyboard with moving keys is far superior tool - else why all the research into haptic feedback for tablets? Why also the number of external keyboards for them?

For none of these pads can you write your own applications on the pad itself. You can write applications, certainly, but you need an external computer and development kit upon which to do it. The fact that perhaps only five percent of computer users actually write code is immaterial; it's a restriction and a big one; without it, you can do nothing unsanctioned by the maker.

Thousands of applications are available, certainly, and often very cheaply or free - but look at those free applications and see where the money's coming from to pay for them: yup, your eyes have been hijacked for the advertiser. Look how many applications require access to phone lists, to IP addresses, to location information... how many actually need that if not to use your personal details? And look how much applications that have significant practical use cost... you don't get Tomtom for £0.59.

So I restate the case: tablets are designed as a one-way 'media consumption' device and other uses are ancillary if occasionally beneficial, in a very similar way to that of smart phones.

Jim, apologies for dragging this off thread.

(And yes, I have a Nexus 7. I hate the thing.)

Edit: perhaps a mod could build a new thread?

I understand your point, Neil, but I think your caveat "for me" should be writ large!

I'm talking about buying tablets as amusement delivery systems for teenagers, with a bit of web-surfing chucked in.
On the other hand, I can happily use my tablet for translating on the go, when its compact size, instant start and long battery life make carrying a laptop around a nonsense. You are correct that all mass consumer communications devices are tied in to some "walled garden" or another, but for anyone outside uber-geekdom, that's a price we accept to pay, generally not too unwillingly.

Go cheap on the youngest and get the middle one an iPad Mini - all that sibling hierarchy comes in useful.

For me, the iPad is often a really quick source of information - weather, news, fitness/dietary data, maps, as well as music and radio. It's ultra portable. I bought an external keyboard to share amongst the iPad users at home - nobody uses it.

Update: middle child has put "Tablet" on his Christmas list (below Go-kart and airgun and above iPod - you gotta love 14-year-old boys. no Savile/Cyril Smith jokes, please).

I think we may be able to proceed with Plan A. So, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 or Nexus 7?

nah get him an airgun.

Get him an airgun-mounted go-kart!

Talking of things being mounted, have you heard the one about the corpulent Liberal, the jogging nonogenarian and the...

Knowing Billy, he'd end up in A&E if we gave him a Furby, never mind a firearm.

or a go-kart mounted airgun....

An Airgun isnt technically a firearm but I see your point Jim.

I should think so, tsk! Mr Picky!

Seriously though shooting is a good sport. Plenty of different options with air pistols or rifles and a good training ground before moving on to proper firearms.

Plus the mullet is bound to be making a comeback with the forthcoming '80s revival so he'll be able to go the whole hog to fit in nicely with all those lovely gun-totin' Murcans

Really seriously though, despite having done my share of shooting with both air weapons and small-bore (and MrsC has fired some pretty fearsome hardware on a "nature reserve" near Poole), I wouldn't let my stepson anywhere near anything of the sort. Can 14-year-olds legally own airguns?

But we digress; let us make haste back to tablets...

Well you need to get over to Emjay's thread about shooting. Back on topic, I've just bought a Galaxy Pad 2 from John Lewis, shown as out of stock on web wite, but called local store and they ordered one to be sent free delivery from Oxford St store. The fiddly charging and lack of add-on storage on the Nexus plus the sheer value for money of the Samsung £179 - £30 = £149 plus a free 8 Gb card wins for me!
PS: The "silver" model has a black surround around the screen (and a silver back) whereas the "white" model is, well, white instead.

Well, we went the Dave G way - but from PC World, not John Lewis. With cashback, we paid £128 each for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 8GB model, a leather case and an 8GB memory card.

It seems a reasonable deal; just hope the little darlings appreciate their enormous good fortune!

just had this come through on an email.. not top spec but a good price good value??

A mate just got one on that deal, minus the case and earphones, and seems really good for that money. Agreed not top spec but more than adequate for what it's used for

Nexus 7 is a bargain, Carphone Warehouse are selling the 32GB one for £180 (32 GB Wifi version)

A deal so good I could not resist! and me a lifelong apple person, and I like it, to be fair there isn't the same amount of high quality apps on the play store and I really miss icloud integration especially with Pages and Numbers but apart from that I like the multi user feature on iOS4.2
And its a pure android experience, no touch wiz etc, just the OS.

Or rather they were selling them at that price, can't even see any for sale on there now.

Charlie, my choice would have been the Nexus 7; my F-i-L just bought one and it's a pretty good piece of kit. However, there were two major factors that meant we ended up going for the (significantly lower specced) Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7. Firstly, price: we got the Tabs for £128 each including a case and an 8GB memory card. Quite a saving when you're buying 5. The cheapest (16GB) Nexus I found was on Play and was £159. So that's £38 plus a (£10) case on each one: £240.
Secondly, there is no rear-facing camera on the Nexus (not yet, anyway, they'll doubtless introduce it on an upgrade shortly after Christmas). This is an issue for our kids as they all love taking pics and mucking around with them before sticking them on FaceBook.
Our best guess was that these will have a lifespan of 2 years max before they get broken/lost/rendered obsolete, so we didn't want to spend too much.
One thing I can foresee is my stepdaughter (who is 18) deciding to return hers and pay the difference for an iPad. She could probably use the higher spec more than the younger kids, though maybe one or more of the others will follow suit.

We ideally wanted them all to have the same so they could easily share and interact, but it'll be up to them.

Well as the owner of an iPad 1 and an iPad 3, I must admit I was a little unsure about the Nexus, but at £180 for 32GB(I also got a leather look case with magnetic on/off cover like the apple one on my 3) for £5.99 from ebay.

I was so impressed that I ordered a 32GB 3G one from Google pay store (with delivery that came to £250), and am hoping it gets delivered today.

I still like the iPad mini but just know that in April the Retina one will come out so will wait a little while.

How many devices can one man need...?! Keep taking the tablets!

Family of 4 Jim, they all want tablets these days.

Kids have the iPads now as they can work on them, (still no good productivity stuff on android that I have found), they tend to use Pages a lot and it syncs via icloud with the macs we have at home so they like that.

Wife has first Nexus for Facebook and reading the news.

I will have second one as ideal for the commute.

That explains it. You were consistently using "I", so I was under the misapprehension they were all for you!
I use Pages a lot on my iPad, but I've never tried a productivity app on either an Android device or a 7" one.

Since this is the "Official Tablet Thread" for this Christmas, let me ask for opinions here.

I'm offering one tablet to my wife. Just for leisure purposes, so it doesn't need to be a "big gun".

I've narrowed the options to two 7" models, very much alike and only £16 apart, but they have me cornered in the following aspects:
- one (the cheaper) has a user-facing camera, Bluetooth, but no 3G;
- the other has front facing camera, 3G, but no Bluetooth.

I don't have a tablet, so excuse me for asking: which would YOU prefer? Regardless of the camera detail, what would bother you the most not to have?

first one would be the one I want. Can't be doing with paying for 3g, that's what my iphone is for

Yes, the 1st one with user facing camera, bluetooth can be useful for an external keyboard (if you can be bothered) and just use wifi when at home or down the pub or in the hairdressers no need for 3G IMHO

Go for 3G if you can, it lets you take tablet away from home, tethering is good but runs phone battery down quite quickly
Bluetooth is good for keyboards and for streaming music to wireless speakers.
For cheap 3G look for 3gigabyte sims on eBay, they sell for around £12-13