Tablet Plateau

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networkn

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Topic # 173726 3-Jun-2015 13:42

Hi There!

Seems to me there hasn't been much innovation in Android Tablets of Late. I have a Kindle HDX 8.9 which is a STUNNING device, and it's real only downside is the fact you can't get the play store working on it, which to be fair is a reasonable downside. The fact I am so heavily invested in Amazon Eco System, means the tablet works nicely with my kindles, firetv's, echo's etc.

Weight is a big concern for me, decent resolution and reasonable amount of processing power.

My Kindle after 3 years of hard use is starting to signs of issues, and I am considering replacing it. Easiest way is to replace with latest gen HDX, but upon looking around, Samsung 8.4 S and 10.5 S are pretty much it's main competitors and they have been around a while, with no spec refresh or no real signs of lighter or
more powerful units in the wings!

Is that a fair assessment? Anyone have any other recommendations?

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Reply # 1316818 3-Jun-2015 13:55

Yeap, tablets seems to have plateaued, and it is reflected in sales, and them being sold off cheaply in some cases. People are instead using larger phones. The only new type seem to be the new surface ones. Unless apple come out with a different device to the ipad, such as a larger one with a pen, to create a new generation of them. The current ipad for example isn't really much different from the second generation in terms of what it does. Slightly smaller and lighter, and faster, but not much else.

If your kindle is dying, I would buy the voyage. E-ink is far easier on the eyes than a backlit LCD.

shk292

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Reply # 1316820 3-Jun-2015 13:57

I have a 2012 Nexus 7 which really struggles some days

I have my eye on a Tesco Hudl2 - 99 pounds in the UK and an amazing spec for this price

corksta

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Reply # 1316865 3-Jun-2015 15:42

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_tab_s2_80_passes_through_tenaa_with_54mm_waistline-news-12502.php

MileHighKiwi

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Reply # 1316868 3-Jun-2015 15:46

I have a Samsung Note 8 and think it's a brilliant device. I don't use the note function very often but in my old job I used it all the time, taking notes at meetings, emailing them to people etc...

Mostly used for browsing the web, reading Kindle books etc...probably could get by with a cheaper option really.

1eStar

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Reply # 1317110 4-Jun-2015 06:13

It looks like there's a nice Asus tablet coming sometime. I've been waiting for an upgraded note8 but it's never materialised.

Dingbatt

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Reply # 1317162 4-Jun-2015 08:25

I am writing this on a Note 8. It is a great device but is starting to struggle a little. I would like a new generation of this device but have to go to a huge 10 inch tablet or a phablet Note 4. Neither of fits my needs. There are other 8 inch tablets but none with a built in stylus and the additional utility that that brings.
So I agree, tablets have kind of stagnated, but apart from putting faster processors and higher res screens what can they do? Devices like the Note and Transformer tend to be niche and people don't seem to wasn't too pay extra for the added features.

Areas of Geek interest: Home Theatre, HTPC, Android Tablets & Phones, iProducts.

MikeB4

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Reply # 1317200 4-Jun-2015 09:02

One person supports this post

I don't think it has reached a plateau but they have reached a point in evolution where we are going to see smaller incremental changes around connectivity, screens and price etc but the basic design formula is there now and the technology is sound across platforms. With slower development and lower costs the price of tablets 'should' show a steady drop until the nadir is reached.

Mike
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networkn

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Reply # 1317219 4-Jun-2015 09:26

Anyone know of a good deal on the Galaxy TAB S 8.4 16GB?

roobarb

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Reply # 1317220 4-Jun-2015 09:26

According to Google the next hardware advance for Android is fingerprint detection.

Android Pay wants it and no devices have it yet.

Wade

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Reply # 1317224 4-Jun-2015 09:30

IMO the future of tablets is as a semi laptop/desktop replacement, windows continuum could be the big breakthrough for a whole bunch of consumers and is something that I am very much looking forward to, desktop dockable phones what more could you ask for?!

Currently Android and iOS is great as a portable solution but not overly versatile as a complete solution

What would tip tablets into a growth mode would be the ability to have a desktop (think chromebook) experience on an android phone/tablet when docked, with USB Type-C on our doorstep docking portable devices has to be the next big thing

Dingbatt

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Reply # 1317248 4-Jun-2015 10:10

Wade: IMO the future of tablets is as a semi laptop/desktop replacement, windows continuum could be the big breakthrough for a whole bunch of consumers and is something that I am very much looking forward to, desktop dockable phones what more could you ask for?!

Currently Android and iOS is great as a portable solution but not overly versatile as a complete solution

What would tip tablets into a growth mode would be the ability to have a desktop (think chromebook) experience on an android phone/tablet when docked, with USB Type-C on our doorstep docking portable devices has to be the next big thing

ASUS tried it, but it never really caught on. Maybe it was a little before its time (a bit like Google Glass) and just needs a "second coming".
I am seriously considering a Surface Pro at the moment but to me it is more of a laptop replacement than a tablet replacement.
If Google's Soli project bears fruit with its 3d gesture recognition then that may be a revolutionary moment for tablets.

Areas of Geek interest: Home Theatre, HTPC, Android Tablets & Phones, iProducts.

MikeB4

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Reply # 1317250 4-Jun-2015 10:21

Dingbatt:
Wade: IMO the future of tablets is as a semi laptop/desktop replacement, windows continuum could be the big breakthrough for a whole bunch of consumers and is something that I am very much looking forward to, desktop dockable phones what more could you ask for?!

Currently Android and iOS is great as a portable solution but not overly versatile as a complete solution

What would tip tablets into a growth mode would be the ability to have a desktop (think chromebook) experience on an android phone/tablet when docked, with USB Type-C on our doorstep docking portable devices has to be the next big thing

ASUS tried it, but it never really caught on. Maybe it was a little before its time (a bit like Google Glass) and just needs a "second coming".
I am seriously considering a Surface Pro at the moment but to me it is more of a laptop replacement than a tablet replacement.
If Google's Soli project bears fruit with its 3d gesture recognition then that may be a revolutionary moment for tablets.

I have just been given a Surface 3 and its great, it's not a Laptop replacement it's a Laptop alternative. The Surface Pro 3 is definitely a laptop replacement and possibly a Desktop replacement for some.

Mike
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The views stated in my posts are my personal views and not that of any other organisation.

Using empathy takes no energy and can gain so much. Try it.

bongojona

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Reply # 1317271 4-Jun-2015 11:06

I don't like the 'walled garden' of closed ecosystems, and that is largely why I have not gone Apple, and likewise will never get an Amazon tablet. I do have a kindle paperwhite which is great for books, but my tablet is a Samsung which gives me much more freedom.

My Aunt from the UK was over during Christmas and had a (basic) Amazon tablet so I got to play with it and was shocked at how limiting it was.

I have the kindle app on all my devices and my books are always synced so that I can continue reading on whichever device I have at hand.

tdgeek

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Reply # 1317276 4-Jun-2015 11:12

bongojona: I don't like the 'walled garden' of closed ecosystems, and that is largely why I have not gone Apple, and likewise will never get an Amazon tablet. I do have a kindle paperwhite which is great for books, but my tablet is a Samsung which gives me much more freedom.

My Aunt from the UK was over during Christmas and had a (basic) Amazon tablet so I got to play with it and was shocked at how limiting it was.

I have the kindle app on all my devices and my books are always synced so that I can continue reading on whichever device I have at hand.

I feel the "closed" and "walled gardens" are overrated these days.

How is Amazon closed?
How is Apple closed? I use Apple, I can put anything I like on iOS, whether that be illicit or non Apple supported formats. OSX is the same as Windows, different UI, much else is similar. Gamers would go for Windows but thats not a walled garden issue.

Wade

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Reply # 1317293 4-Jun-2015 11:28

Dingbatt:
Wade: IMO the future of tablets is as a semi laptop/desktop replacement, windows continuum could be the big breakthrough for a whole bunch of consumers and is something that I am very much looking forward to, desktop dockable phones what more could you ask for?!

Currently Android and iOS is great as a portable solution but not overly versatile as a complete solution

What would tip tablets into a growth mode would be the ability to have a desktop (think chromebook) experience on an android phone/tablet when docked, with USB Type-C on our doorstep docking portable devices has to be the next big thing

ASUS tried it, but it never really caught on. Maybe it was a little before its time (a bit like Google Glass) and just needs a "second coming".
I am seriously considering a Surface Pro at the moment but to me it is more of a laptop replacement than a tablet replacement.
If Google's Soli project bears fruit with its 3d gesture recognition then that may be a revolutionary moment for tablets.

Likewise the Motorola Atrix was a failed contender, great concept but too proprietary, hardware has come a long way in a relatively short time, the current gen technology is not necessarily providing vastly improved user experience compared to last gen but it is opening the door to other innovations

The next gen W10 flagship phones are basically going to be a hybrid phone/baby surface 3, to me that is technology working. How long will it be before we see a phone that is as capable as a Surface Pro3? Then we are talking!!

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