Devices set me free (the gadgets thread)

[Norris]

qooc

[nyquillyn]

Just won a Raspberry Pi in a charity raffle at work. Looking forward to seeing what this thing can do.

http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs

[Bob Loblaw]

Which tablet should I get, team?

[red calzolaio]

Which tablet should I get, team?

Love my iPad. I would never pay that $$$$ for one so I'm glad it was a gift.

Those google nexus tabs are pretty cool. Yea, I'd say go with google nexus 7.

[nyquillyn]

Which tablet should I get, team?

I'd go with the second-gen Nexus 7 or the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0.

[red calzolaio]

Which tablet should I get, team?

I'd go with the second-gen Nexus 7 or the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0.

This guy knows!

[BurtReynolds]

I got a Note. I like it.

[dkfan9]

rafa, what kind of money you looking to spend, do you have a screen size preference, do you want a keyboard dock with it, and do you care what OS it runs (IOS, Windows, Android)?

[dkfan9]

Just won a Raspberry Pi in a charity raffle at work. Looking forward to seeing what this thing can do.

http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs

nice. been thinking about ordering one, since it's only 40 or 45 for the model b + sd card with os preloaded

[Bob Loblaw]

Thanks for the recommendations, guys. I'll check them out.

rafa, what kind of money you looking to spend, do you have a screen size preference, do you want a keyboard dock with it, and do you care what OS it runs (IOS, Windows, Android)?

Up to $300. The screen would have to be at least 8-inches and I don't really care about the keyboard. It will be mostly used for reading and some browsing, videos streaming and such. I think most publications that you can download (magazines, books, pdfs) are compatible with all of the three biggest OSs, right?

[dkfan9]

Thanks for the recommendations, guys. I'll check them out.

rafa, what kind of money you looking to spend, do you have a screen size preference, do you want a keyboard dock with it, and do you care what OS it runs (IOS, Windows, Android)?

Up to $300. The screen would have to be at least 8-inches and I don't really care about the keyboard. It will be mostly used for reading and some browsing, videos streaming and such. I think most publications that you can download (magazines, books, pdfs) are compatible with all of the three biggest OSs, right?

yep, they should all be compatible.

It's hard to find good 8+ inch tablets under $300

For $350, this is a pretty sweet deal: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/10-1-inch-t ... /1846005.p

Asus Transformer Book t100. Newest Intel Atom processor, full Windows 8.1, plus keyboard dock. 32GB of storage, but Windows takes up a lot of space compared to Android or iOS, so it's not as useful as 32 GB on most other tablets, though unlike most, it has a full USB port. Screen res is only 1366x768 (standard laptop), so it's not as pretty as a lot of other tablets, but if you're considering Windows, this is a way better deal than either the first or second gen Surface. It's about as fast or faster than any other tablet, except in gaming (see here: http://anandtech.com/show/7439/microsof ... 2-review/4 ).

Kindle Fire HD 8.9" is an option under 300, running $244 for the ad-free version right now ("without special offers" on the purchase page http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DOPNLJ0/ref=fs_ta). It's good, nice screen res, but it's not a powerhouse by any means, and you're stuck in the Kindle ecosystem. It's not terrible, and for media consumption it's got most everything, but I'm just not a fan of the look or the way you're tied in (plus, just like in iOS, apps you can find free on Android will often cost you money on the Kindle). The newer HDX is a lot more powerful, but also more expensive (the 7" HDX costs as much as the 8.9" HD), and you're still in the Kindle ecosystem.

Nexus 7" has a really nice screen, and is a good machine for $229, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7s are a good deal at $179 right now. If you're willing to spend the $50 extra, the Nexus is worth it, but the Galaxy Tab is nice at that price range. Lenovo also has a number of options in the lower price bracket. I'm not that familiar with their tablets, but I've got a Lenovo laptop, and so does my brother, and we're both very happy with them (of course, the keyboard we both love is irrelevant on their tablets). Here's one of them, the new Yoga 8", for $250: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/yoga-8-inch ... &cp=1&lp=1

[nyquillyn]

Scored a OnePlus One invite. Sweet!

[nyquillyn]

I won a Chromebook at the company Christmas party. It's surprisingly awesome. The screen is great. It's just a TN panel, but has nice brightness, deep blacks and a matte finish, which I love.

[Jorge]

Yeah, I bought my little siblings Chromebooks for Christmas. They're pretty nice.

[spike]

i love my chromebook

[Rangi Guy]

Bought two of our kids Chromebooks for Christmas - they need them for intermediate. I don't see them lasting long however

[nyquillyn]

I won a Chromebook at the company Christmas party. It's surprisingly awesome. The screen is great. It's just a TN panel, but has nice brightness, deep blacks and a matte finish, which I love.

I ended up buying another one after an old Thinkpad finally died. Now both my older kids have one. This one came with a TB of Drive space included. Sweet!

[nyquillyn]

Anyone else get one of those new $50 Amazon Fire tablets? I'm fairly impressed so far. Screen isn't great but it's certainly serviceable. Fine for watching movies and playing games. Performance is probably better than my 2nd Gen Nexus 7. Speaker is pretty terrible, however.

Don't know if I'll end up keeping this OS or putting Cynogenmod or Paranoid Android on it.

[Whitey McTeeth]

I broke up my smart phone and ate the insides. i am now truly connected.

[E.H. Ruddock]

I broke up my smart phone and ate the insides. i am now truly connected.

bleep bloop blop