Rec's please

I'm in the market for a new phone & a tablet...I was gonna get me a big phone(was looking at Samsung Note 4) til my accountant suggested I(the business) treat me to a tablet...so I don't really need a big screened phone perhaps....

I'm not the most technologically up to the minute kinna person so I could do with some thoughts from some techsavvy types please.

I was considering the Sony Z3 compact phone or one of the smaller Samsungs about the same cost.

As for tablet-I have no idea(I should probably point out that I don't Apple) but I hear the Samsung ones are pretty good.

Any thoughts or rec's would be appreciated-thanks.

I recently got the Samsung Galaxy S5 phone. It's huge compared to my last phone, but I've adapted to it. It's a nice phone, but I probably would have been just as happy with one of the older (and less expensive) models. I just thought I had to have the newest, of course. I've compared it with my cousin's iphone and they look like the same phone. I do stick mine in my back pocket and have sat on it many times without it bending, however.

Thanks Purple Reign.

The Z3 compact is on a very affordable tariff currently, & it's a Sony I've had & been very happy with my last 2 phones(both versions of the Xperia mini pro plus) things have moved on so far since then.

I really like the look of the Samsungs, I'm no good at making these kind of decisions.

I have always used a Samsung phone and never regretted it. Some people have issues but I think they just don't take good care of their items well. I personally think the Note 4 is kinda huge and that it might be a bit of a hassle. Plus you said you're getting a tablet right? So there is no need for a huge phone I think? I would imagine one would want a larger screen to enjoy watching videos and stuff on it but since you'll have a tablet - I don't see why it would be necessary. Unless you have other purposes for a larger phone.

As for the tablet, I have a Sony. Like you I've used Sony products and they've always been good to me. But tablet wise, I felt like I should've gone for a Samsung, I don't know. They both use Android right? So I'm not sure how much different they'd be in terms of functionality, but more of the features. Like the reason why I got my Sony tablet is because of where the speakers are located, at the bottom instead of side so that when I'm holding on to it, my hands are not covering the speakers - stuff like that. (But the downside of this decision was that it's slightly heavier than a Samsung tablet - you know how Samsung always likes to go for thin and light products.) So yeah, you could compare the features and see which one suits you best.

Not sure how helpful this is, sounds messy and jumbled up (like how my mind is at the moment :s ) but good luck!

Also, Alma - if you could narrow down your choices, I'd be more than happy to help you look through and compare your options. My friends always ask me to do this for them because they know I can be a bit of a tech nut and I always do a lot of research (I'm not a pro though) before I get my electronics (it drives people crazy sometimes). Just wanna be careful and not regret my decision, is all.

Thanks LadyF!

You're spot on, getting the tablet will mean I wont be needing a large screen phone.


I went to the phone shop yesterday & the guy in the shop wasn't all that helpful, I think it's maybe because I've been in a number of times & haven't made up my mind yet.

Or because I'm looking at a cheaper tariff than I was for the Note 4 perhaps.

Then there's whether to have my tablet on some kind of 4G contract-I doub't I'll need that though as I think I'll just run it off the wifi as & when I need it.

I shall keep looking & thinking, I should really take a trip up to the retail park & have a look at the tablets & see what they have up there.

Yeah, scouting around is good, don't be bothered about unhelpful shopkeepers, I never trust them anyway. Sometimes they just wanna sell off a certain brand of product and they would just keep recommending you that. I mean I'd ask for their opinion, but never base my decision on them alone. I always do my own research as well. There were a few times I find them to bullshit stuff and felt glad I did my own research.

Also, yeah I don't think it's necessary for your tablet to have the 4G contract unless you plan to bring it out and use it outside mostly. If so, then having that would be useful - but why would you need that if you have your phone? Again, depends on your usage for each item really.

Yeah, keep looking first, don't rush into it. Let us know what you have your eyes on. I feel like such a nerd being excited about shopping for electronics. :\

Z3 Compact specs look good to me. Get it!!!!

I suggest for a tablet, the NVIDIA® SHIELD™ TABLET. It's a gaming tablet, but an Android tablet is an Android tablet, and this one sounds like one of the best.


Processor NVIDIA® Tegra® K1 192 core Kepler GPU,
2.2 GHz ARM Cortex A15 CPU with 2GB RAM

Display 8-inch 1920x1200 multi-touch Full HD display

Audio Front facing stereo speakers, dual bass reflex port with built-in microphone

Storage 32 GB (WiFi+4G LTE) / 16 GB (WiFi-only)

Wireless 802.11n 2x2 Mimo 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 4.0 LE
GPS / GLONASS

Connectivity WiFi+4G LTE or WiFi-only
Mini-HDMI output
Micro-USB 2.0
MicroSD storage slot
3.5 mm stereo headphone jack with microphone support

SIM Card Micro-SIM

Motion Sensors 3-axis gyro
3-axis accelerometer
3-axis compass

Gaming Features SHIELD wireless controller compatible
NVIDIA GameStream™
NVIDIA ShadowPlay™
GRID Cloud Gaming Beta
Console Mode
Gamepad Mapper

Cameras Front: 5MP HDR; Back: 5MP auto focus HDR

Video Features 4K Ultra-HD Ready

Stylus DirectStylus 2 with 3D Paint (Included)

Software Updates SHIELD software upgrades directly from NVIDIA

Battery 19.75 Watt Hours

Weight and Size Weight: 13.7oz / 390g
Height: 8.8in / 221mm
Width: 5.0in / 126mm
Depth: 0.36in / 9.2mm

Operating System Android KitKat OS (Android 5.0 Lollipop ready)

Software Google Play™
NVIDIA SHIELD Hub
Trine 2: Complete Story
Multi language Handwriting Recognition
NVIDIA Dabbler™
JusWrite
Evernote
Adobe Reader
Camera Awesome

Cellular Connectivity

North America:
Unlocked (compatible with AT&T, please check bands supported)
LTE, HSPA+, 3G, 2G, GSM, EDGE

Outside-North America:
Unlocked (please check bands supported)
LTE, HSPA+, 3G, 2G, GSM, EDGE

Cellular Bands

North America:
LTE: Bands 2,4,5,7,17 (1900, 1700, 850, 2600, 700)
HSPA+: Bands 1,2,4,5 (2100, 1900, 1700, 850)

Outside-North America:
LTE: Bands 1*,3,7,20 (2100/1800/2600/800)
HSPA+: Bands 1,2,5,8 (2100/1900/850/900)
* In certain regions band 1 and voice support is enabled

Optional Accessories SHIELD tablet cover
SHIELD wireless controller
SHIELD AC adapter
SHIELD Stylus

I totally know what you mean about the sales assistants pushing what they want to sell.

I should be excited about getting a new phone & tablet but I'm a bit 'meh' about it all really(more excited about the piano lol) maybe going to look at tablets will get me a bit more interested.

I appreciate your expertise on this LadyF, it's really not my field-thanks again

Pun, that seems like a really cool high-end tablet. :0

Also, good luck Alma.

Hi Punisher, thanks for the rec'

I have no idea what the most of what the specs mean, I'm thinking I might want something bigger than an 8 inch tablet, the Samsung I looked at earlier was a 12incher(*fnar-sorry)

ETA:I think front facing speakers make all the sense

It depends if money is a factor or not. I am going to presume that it's not...

If you're ruling out iPads, then there are only 3 large screen tablets that I'd really consider:

Google Nexus 10
Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5

There's no doubt that the Nvidia Shield is the best gaming tablet, but it's got the WORST screen glare you've ever seen if you try and use it outside or under less than optimal lighting. It's also got loads of gaming related stuff pre-installed.

I prefer the Google Nexus 10 out of all of them, because they ALL run on Android, but you get the cleanest experience on the Nexus - with none of the annoying bloatware and proprietary programs added by the other manufacturers. You also get the android updates earlier due to it being created by Google themselves.

Having said this, I think the Xperia Z2 is the 'sexiest' looking tablet and the Samsung has the best specifications, so it;s all down to what you want.

If you're wanting data on the tablet, it is almost always cheaper to buy the wi-fi only version and then go with a tether-friendly phone provider.

When it comes to phones, it really depends on what exactly you're wanting it for. If it's going to be primarily for making and receiving calls and texts etc, then your choice of network is far more important than the phone itself.

Personally, I don't care for any of the compact phones, but if I had to have one I'd take the Sony Xperia Z3 compact, but everyone I know that's gone with a compact has ended up regretting it and moving up to a full size version - and there's a lot more choice there.

Thanks Cavey....I'm with O2 for my phone, have been for a number of years & it seems to do all I need.

I've been used to a tiny old phone for some time now so even the Z3 compact will seem large & fast to me.

I have little to no idea about much of all this stuff....'cleaner experience'? 'bloatware'?

Oh God I'm so left behind with all this 'wifi only' & 'tether-friendly'.....uuuuuuuuuuuur...this has left me wondering if I'm falling into that place my parents were in when I had my first pc(Vic20 lols).

meep!

Bloatware is any unwanted and unnecessary software added by the manufacturer. Google is the creator of the Android operating system, so if you want the original experience, without all of those added 'extras', then you choose a Google device.

You can purchase most popular tablets in a WiFi only or WiFi and 3G/4G version. The WiFi only version is significantly cheaper, but cannot access mobile data when a WiFi connection is not readily available. Tethering is where you use your phone (and it's data allowance) as a mobile WiFi hotspot for your WiFi only tablet to use when a normal WiFi connection is not available. I'm pretty sure that o2 now allows tethering on all their contracts, so you should be fine, but I'd check with them first so you don't end up with a massive bill.

ladyforsaken said:

Pun, that seems like a really cool high-end tablet. :0

Click to expand...

Yeah. It will be my next tablet

Alma lost her spoon said:

Hi Punisher, thanks for the rec'

I have no idea what the most of what the specs mean, I'm thinking I might want something bigger than an 8 inch tablet, the Samsung I looked at earlier was a 12incher(*fnar-sorry)

ETA:I think front facing speakers make all the sense

Click to expand...

Lol 12 inch will be massive

"Processor NVIDIA® Tegra® K1 192 core Kepler GPU, 2.2 GHz ARM Cortex A15 CPU with 2GB RAM"

The processor is the main thing to look at when you buy a tablet. Basically, the higher the GHz and Ram, the better. That's how I make my choices

Alma, Samsung phones are usually built like tanks. My mom's tablet is a Samsung, and it hasn't exploded yet with her usage. So I'm assuming their tablets are also built like tanks. My personal preference for a phone is always going to be LG. They have good stuff, too. Whatever you do... Don't get a Kyocera. They are not built like tanks. I've had my Kyocera Rise for almost a year now, and it's on its way out the door. Looking into getting the LG Volt myself - pretty **** good specs, and it's now (currently) under a 100 bucks over here.

Thanks for the further explanations Cavey & Pun.

Nilla-thanks too, it's good to know Samsung have good build quality-I like my stuff to last a while.

I went to look at the tablets in the shop today...

I ended up looking at two Samsungs...the Tab4 & the Note both look really good & then I came home & looked online at the TabS

The TabS looks like it might have to be the one.....is it worth my while spending the extra on?

I haven't been able to 'see' the Sony or Nexus ones they weren't in the shop.

The Tab S does have better specs compared to the Tab 4, plus the screen is just teeny bit bigger than Tab 4, not sure how much can the difference be seen though. So of course the price would be higher.

I'm not sure how you make decisions but to me, if I'm going to use this for long term, and I'm going to actually use it, then I'll get the best out of all the options - but something reasonable enough. Like Pun's recommendation would be bit too high-end for me, it's great, it's got awesome specs but for me I wouldn't need to use something like that for a tablet, I guess? Really depends on what you wanna use it for.

Mostly I'll want to take it to class to show dvds to my students, & bluetoothing music/audio to my Bose Soundlink more than anything else so a nice big clear screen is best.

Will the tablet & soundlink be able to bluetooth each other? How can I check that? Or is it safe to assume if they both have bluetooth capabilities that they will work together?(I really have no clue)

I'll probably also end up using the tablet for online stuff & that it might replace much of the work my laptop is used for currently-which will give the poor old thing a break(it's seen better days-it's still fairly decent but is about 6 years old & freezes up from time to time-it's done really well though). I'll still have my laptop for when I need it & I have a nice little netbook that I can work away on if I have to(it's a bit squished but I do use it sometimes).

I very much appreciate the help from you folks on this.

I have never used a Bose SoundLink so I checked it out and on the Bose website for one of the models, not sure if it is yours but I was looking at the Soundlink Bluetooth Speaker III, and I would imagine it should be the same for any other model and saw this:



So I would think it should be possible to bluetooth stuff between the soundlink and the tablet.

Well by the sounds of what you'd use it for, I don't see why not get the better option of the tablets. Tab S seems pretty decent, as long as it's also within your budget. Not sure if you have other tablets in mind, could still compare these to those ones.