Google Nexus 7 or iPad 2

[Astra.Xtreme]

3) More bang for your buck - No matter what anyone says, Apple charges a premium for their brand and as such Android platforms result in a better price point for similar quality.

This isn't necessarily true, especially in the tablet market.

The Galaxy Tab 2 and iPad 2 are basically equivalent and are the same price.

The new iPad is in a league of it's own since no other tablet can compare with it, at the moment. The MS Surface will be the closest competitor to it, and it probably won't be cheaper.

The old saying "you get what you pay for" is what applies here. Plain and simple.

[Noir Angel]

The Nexus 7 is mostly an eReader with more features than a cheap under 100$ eReader. Sorta like Kindle Fire but probably more open.

The iPad is a "tablet".

I think if you're looking for an eReader with more features than a simple eReader you should look at the Nexus and other Android tablets with smaller screen. If you're looking for a tablet then look at something with a bigger screen imo.

The iPad might be a good choice if you already paid for iPad compatible apps on your phone. I actually like my iPod a lot and would have no problem buying an iPad if a tableat is what i would be looking for. People say iOS is boring i actually think it's really simple to useand it simply just works which is what you are looking for in a tablet (some people often mix tablet and laptop).

No, the Nexus 7 is not just an e-reader, it's a fully fledged tablet. It's hardware is more than powerful enough to run any Android application or game at full speed.

For your usage, the bigger screen is a no-brainer to go for. Browsing and typing emails on a 7" screen is going to be a nightmare.

Plus Android doesn't have native tablet apps, so that's a huge downside.

Not true, there are native tablet applications on Android. Not quite as many yet, but they do exist.

[Deihmos]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q...oid+tablet+apps

So to find apps you use Google? I have a tablet with CM9 and frankly I think the whole experience is terrible. I was trying to use it for classes but it was such a pain. Switching apps requires using that awkward list. Another thing is Android does not multitask as well as IOS although some people say the opposite. Try playing a video in the browser while not in focus on Android. I found it to be impossible.

Now I recently bought an iPad and wow. The experience is so impressive compared to using Android. I can transfer files to the device wirelessly without effort. The Office apps are polished and well developed. I can play audio in the browser while doing something else and the screen is beautiful. The apps on IOS are of such high quality compared to what's on Android. Another thing is that I don't need flash to play online videos because pretty everything plays and works a lot better than using flash. Flash is still required for Android devices and the new version has no flash support. There is also airplay so i can transfer video to my XBMC running HTPC or audio to my airplay supporting receiver.

If money is not an issue I would go for the iPad. The experience is of a much higher quality. I like the IOS experience so much that I want my next phone to be an iPhone and not another Android phone.

[Shadrack]

Skype, Firefox and facebook are terrible on Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1 :/

Ok... Skype is OK but the quality sucks on iPad 2. Firefox is none existent. Don't get me started on that steaming pile of a facebook app on iPad.

/iPad 1, 2, and 3 user who actually drooled some when I saw the Nexus 7.

[FISO]

So to find apps you use Google? I have a tablet with CM9 and frankly I think the whole experience is terrible. I was trying to use it for classes but it was such a pain. Switching apps requires using that awkward list. Another thing is Android does not multitask as well as IOS although some people say the opposite. Try playing a video in the browser while not in focus on Android. I found it to be impossible.

One thing I would like to ask and one thing I would like to point out with this post. What Android tablet did you have? Was it one that was comparable in price to an iPad? I only ask because I have had a few people tell me that they hated the Android tablet experience and got an iPad instead, and come to find out they bought a cheap or discontinued $180 to $250 tablet and were comparing it to a $500 iPad HD. Which is a horrible comparison in my mind, something akin to comparing a kia to a lambo instead of a similar weight class ferrari to a lambo. With that aside, the thing I really wanted to point out is that even with a comparable tablet (price wise), how can you be surprised to find an OS impossible to use when the release is still in nightly builds? CM9 just went to it's first RC last week, which needless to say is a little prejudicial to compare it with an OS that's been in final release for over half a year. Not trying to pick on you, it just seemed to me this was an odd comparisons of Android vs iPad.

Back to the original topic, if all someone is looking to do is read books, check emails, read facebook, and play Angry Birds (which is a surprisingly large amount a tablet users these days) then the Nexus 7 is a perfect tablet. But I think if you want to do anything beyond the general day to day social churn or casual reading, then I would grab an iPad.

[Noir Angel]

Back to the original topic, if all someone is looking to do is read books, check emails, read facebook, and play Angry Birds (which is a surprisingly large amount a tablet users these days) then the Nexus 7 is a perfect tablet. But I think if you want to do anything beyond the general day to day social churn or casual reading, then I would grab an iPad.

Again, why do people keep making this absurd claim? The Nexus 7 has a quad core processor, and one of the best graphics processors on the market. It's hardware is just as capable as the iPad in hardware terms.

[FISO]

Again, why do people keep making this absurd claim? The Nexus 7 has a quad core processor, and one of the best graphics processors on the market. It's hardware is just as capable as the iPad in hardware terms.

I was going on the form factor of it. I do quite a bit of work on my Asus Transformer, but I can't imagine using a screen size smaller than that for actual work. So for the question of Nexus 7 vs iPad 2, the internals don't come into play for me, it's just what you want to use it for. I personally think Google was extremely smart with the Nexus 7 design, since the largest share of tablet users probably don't do anything past the social churn or casual reading, giving them a great alternative vs the iPad. A large majority of iPad users I know, don't need the size and sure didn't need to spend the price on it, so a smaller $200 alternative that's just as fast is perfect for them.

[Deihmos]

One thing I would like to ask and one thing I would like to point out with this post. What Android tablet did you have? Was it one that was comparable in price to an iPad? I only ask because I have had a few people tell me that they hated the Android tablet experience and got an iPad instead, and come to find out they bought a cheap or discontinued $180 to $250 tablet and were comparing it to a $500 iPad HD. Which is a horrible comparison in my mind, something akin to comparing a kia to a lambo instead of a similar weight class ferrari to a lambo. With that aside, the thing I really wanted to point out is that even with a comparable tablet (price wise), how can you be surprised to find an OS impossible to use when the release is still in nightly builds? CM9 just went to it's first RC last week, which needless to say is a little prejudicial to compare it with an OS that's been in final release for over half a year. Not trying to pick on you, it just seemed to me this was an odd comparisons of Android vs iPad.

Back to the original topic, if all someone is looking to do is read books, check emails, read facebook, and play Angry Birds (which is a surprisingly large amount a tablet users these days) then the Nexus 7 is a perfect tablet. But I think if you want to do anything beyond the general day to day social churn or casual reading, then I would grab an iPad.

I actually have a touchpad with CM9. I tried the Galaxy Tab and Asus Prime and returned them all because they were basically the same as using CM9 on the touchpad. I don't find the experience to not be up to par or worth the price with Android. It feels exactly the same as using Android on the phone.

I think what really makes the iPad stand out is the apps are of really high quality. I cannot find anything on Android that works like Notability and that app only cost 99 cents. I even use the iPad to make and receive calls when travelling using the free magic jack app and airplay to send videos to XBMC. The other day I forgot my iPod at home so I plugged the iPad into my car stereo since it has connections for iPod. I don't think it is worth spending the same amount for an Android tablet like Asus Prime and Galaxy Tab but maybe the 199.00 might be worth it. I also think with a 7" screen you might as well just use your phone.

[FISO]

I think what really makes the iPad stand out is the apps are of really high quality. I cannot find anything on Android that works like Notability and that app only cost 99 cents. I even use the iPad to make and receive calls when travelling using the free magic jack app and airplay to send videos to XBMC. The other day I forgot my iPod at home so I plugged the iPad into my car stereo since it has connections for iPod. I don't think it is worth spending the same amount for an Android tablet like Asus Prime and Galaxy Tab but maybe the 199.00 might be worth it. I also think with a 7" screen you might as well just use your phone.

I can understand your point of view on that...although a lot of what you said I can do with my android one. :D But, I will admit there are quite a few useful apps for the iPad that are a lot better quality than the android counter parts.

The reason I think Google was really smart with the Nexus 7 is that they don't appear to be aiming it at the demographic that reads a board like this, but more of a demographic that asks for help from the people that reads a board like this. I think the tech community gets hung up so much on how they view a portable device (myself included) that they forget the majority of tablet users aren't even remotely tech savvy. I wish I could find a study somewhere that breaks down the estimated percentage of tablet users that have at least a decent understanding of technology, as I think it would be a pretty interesting read.

[farmeunit]

I have a tablet with CM9 on it and I think it just sucks. The OS isn't implemented well on tablets imo. I got an Ipad and I could not be happier. The device works really well compared to android and the apps are so much better. I find Android a bit cumbersome to use and the apps are mostly designed for the phone. If you have an Android phone with ICS you will see that on the tablet it is the exact same thing.

There are so many little things about IOS that makes it so much better and easier to use.

I disagree with the OS on CM9. I have it on a Touchpad, and like it much better than iOS. I can say that SOME apps are better on iOS, but as for being designed for the phone, I find more on iOS that are designed strictly for phone, than I do on Android. I like app management a lot better also. When I hit Back, it goes back. You don't get that on iOS. You can also see a list of running apps by pressing one button instead of double tapping the home button. Some stuff just make more sense on Android to me. I have to "find my war around" iOS, and ICS is much more logical.

I do like Airplay and some features on iOS, though. If you have other Apple products, such as an Apple TV, then I'd say iPad. If you like a bigger screen, then iPad. If portability is more important, or freedom to do more things, then Anroid is a great choice.

[Deihmos]

That 4 finger swiping makes a lot more sense on a tablet than the vertical list on android. I never cared to see what apps were recently used which is all those icons represent. It does not mean the app is running and android does the same thing.

II have not touched the touchpad once since I got the iPad. That thing is a piece of junk for me but good thing it was only $100.00. I just installed Xbmc on ios so going to mess with it.

[JnCoKiLLa]

IPAD all the way...I have a HTC Rozound and its great, but for tablets right now sorry Dont like Android. Till the Surface comes out I'd Buy a ipad