iPad Mini vs Nexus 7 vs Kobo Arc

I really want to like the Nexus 7 mostly because I feel the $329 price for the ipad Mini is too much. We've had our iPad2 since the first week it was released. Love it and use it daily. It really has replaced any need for a laptop around the house. I figure the ole iPad's getting long in the tooth and my one big complaint is the weight. It's still used constantly but I'd really prefer if it we a a few ounces lighter...

And for those who haven't tried it but have a collection of movies, give Plex as shot as your home media server. We've been using it for 4 years and love it. We use it all over the house for movies, etc (on the iPad, via Roku in other rooms). It's fantastic.

Originally Posted by PropellerHead

Well, it's not for me because that's not how I buy a car, but it IS how I buy electronics. I want the best spec'd TV and could care less about the menu's I'll only use to set it up and reset the clock. I want the best combination of sound processing, inputs, outputs, and other features from my amp. I want the most lumens from my flashlights. But I rocked a 3.0 X5 for 7 years instead of the big V8 because it got the job done and met my other desires for the vehicle.

So you would buy a product that is slower because its specifications say it has a faster processor? Specifications do not equal great products or fastest speed. It's how the hardware is mated to the software that determines the user experience. If a tablet came out with a 2.5 ghz processor but in practice was actually slower than your current one would you still buy it because it spec'd better?

Originally Posted by Emilner

If a tablet came out with a 2.5 ghz processor but in practice was actually slower than your current one would you still buy it because it spec'd better?

This fantasy isn't really on thread topic, but I'll play along in search of Oz. If the 2.5GHz cost me $60K less than the other one and yet I could do anything I wanted with the slower performing one, you bet I would. Woops. Were you hoping I would simply ignore that the OP is as attracted by the cheaper device as I might be were I in his place? Were you hoping that the Nexus proc's quad core proc and better, more crisp screen ratings would suddenly become somehow less important than the iPad Mini with year-old innards and screen from two iPad generations passed? Fantasy indeed.

Back to reality: in fact I did live this fantasy. I could have bought an X5 M with a smaller 4.4L motor instead of my used 4.8is. Both would serve my needs. I bought the one with the larger yet slower motor. The one that does not perform as well. The one that does not fill me with the allure of owning a special, special item. Why? This is a tool. It's a screwdriver or a hammer looking around for screws and nails. Oh. And it was $60K less.

Are you suggesting that you would ignore price and pay up for what must be the absolute most expensive, highest performing and most emotionally fulfilling purchasing experience every time? Must I hold the hand-cut jeweled hammer from Germany in my hands, eyes closed and simply FEEL the difference between it and the Craftsman? Hogwash. For most people I know or want to hang out with, price- especially a 50% premium- is a factor that must be considered against specs and the associated, non-fantasy-land performance.

Originally Posted by PropellerHead

.., Apple products buy me shutty. Shutty is freakin' priceless.

iOS does seem more initiative. I should be clear that I am looking for your personal subjective opinions. At work, my team develop on Android and iOS platforms. We have a bunch of Nexus 7s and iPad Minis. I actually like the feel of the Mini better, though am put off by the price.

I just purchased the Samsung Tab2 7.0" this past Saturday for $179. That was less than I paid for my Samsung Galaxy SIII when it came out - $199. I LOVE the Tab.

Originally Posted by ed325i

iOS does seem more initiative. I should be clear that I am looking for your personal subjective opinions. At work, my team develop on Android and iOS platforms. We have a bunch of Nexus 7s and iPad Minis. I actually like the feel of the Mini better, though am put off by the price.

Well... it's not really your decision is it? I mean initially yes, you decide. But the reality is that if you buy the thing your wife won't use then you're pretty much going to spend 1.5 x's the price for a Mini. That's dangerously close to a very, very bad decision. One that I've made, btw.

I was in a similar place after buying my wife an Android phone a couple years ago. She used it and b!tched for the month that it took VzW to start carrying the iPhone. I walked in, asked if they were selling shutty that day and how much it cost. I converted the phones, sold the Android and she's found other stuff to complain about.

Originally Posted by PropellerHead

Well... it's not really your decision is it?...

So true.

She is now leaning towards getting a new utrabook to replace her elderly desktop. Maybe the best solution for her.

When thinking what to get for ladies, in most cases it's "None of the above". Probably a Windows Surface with keyboard, or iPad 4 with a BT keyboard.

Originally Posted by ed325i

It will be for my wife. No tinkering. For reading and media consumption.

At home, we already have a bunch of Apple devices. I am typing this with an iPad2. We have Airplay speakers.

On the other hand, the Nexus 7 is much cheaper.

Btw, I like the 7 or 8" form factor. The one thing I don't like about the iPad2 is its weight.

I have both a Nexus 7 and picked up an iPad Mini last week. I much prefer the iPad Mini because of the whole ecosystem. Much more elegant, Airplay works great and don't forget iMessage.

Spend the extra $ and don't look back and regret it later.

Originally Posted by GeneArch

I have both a Nexus 7 and picked up an iPad Mini last week. I much prefer the iPad Mini because of the whole ecosystem. Much more elegant, Airplay works great and don't forget iMessage.

Spend the extra $ and don't look back and regret it later.

I'm breaking my vow out of this thread since the OP already said he's getting an ultrabook.

I wouldn't get an iPad mini even if all specs would have been the same, just because of its form factor. It's too wide to hold comfortably in one hand for a prolonged period of time like when reading a book. Especially if you're reading leaning back on a sofa, or laying on your back. Amazon and other book readers got the form factor right.

Originally Posted by PropellerHead

By the way- I typed that on an iPad. Seriously- the women in my life are kept quiet by Apple products. You might think that this goes against my value proposition. It doesn't. Apple products buy me shutty. Shutty is freakin' priceless.

Couldn't agree more. Ever since I got my wife an iPad, the constant complaints that I used to hear from her operating her Sony laptop had all but disappeared. Yet, she loves her Android ICS phone. iPhone 4, not so much. Go figure!

My 7 yo kid OTOH constantly complains about his iPad for the fact that he can't get any online games to run (that he's allowed to go to). "Argh, no flash player again, dad..." with a big . Go ahead and try http://pbskids.org/ and http://ninjago.lego.com using an iPad. He's getting a Nabi 2 Tablet for Christmas; it's a Nexus 7 equipped with a kid-safe, passworded front-end and a drop-safe bumper.

Originally Posted by Eddie Bimmer

Couldn't agree more. Ever since I got my wife an iPad, the constant complaints that I used to hear from her operating her Sony laptop had all but disappeared. Yet, she loves her Android ICS phone. iPhone 4, not so much. Go figure!

My 7 yo kid OTOH constantly complains about his iPad for the fact that he can't get any online games to run (that he's allowed to go to). "Argh, no flash player again, dad..." with a big . Go ahead and try http://pbskids.org/ and http://ninjago.lego.com using an iPad. He's getting a Nabi 2 Tablet for Christmas; it's a Nexus 7 equipped with a kid-safe, passworded front-end and a drop-safe bumper.

Nexus 7 (Android 4.2) doesn't have flash player either... Google stops support of Flash on future androids.

Originally Posted by MatWiz

Nexus 7 (Android 4.2) doesn't have flash player either... Google stops support of Flash on future androids.

I knew you can still manually install it on 4.1 Jelly Bean.... Yep, including 4.2 JB.

Originally Posted by Eddie Bimmer

Couldn't agree more. Ever since I got my wife an iPad, the constant complaints that I used to hear from her operating her Sony laptop had all but disappeared. Yet, she loves her Android ICS phone. iPhone 4, not so much. Go figure!

My 7 yo kid OTOH constantly complains about his iPad for the fact that he can't get any online games to run (that he's allowed to go to). "Argh, no flash player again, dad..." with a big . Go ahead and try http://pbskids.org/ and http://ninjago.lego.com using an iPad. He's getting a Nabi 2 Tablet for Christmas; it's a Nexus 7 equipped with a kid-safe, passworded front-end and a drop-safe bumper.

There's an app for PBS Kids and for ninja go. My kid has both on the iPad...

Originally Posted by brkf

There's an app for PBS Kids and for ninja go. My kid has both on the iPad...

He got both apps but they only play a small fraction of the games available. A large majority of them are the older, Flash-based games, some of which he used to play on his laptop before he got his iPad, the games he's learned to like, and they aren't playable on iPad.

Originally Posted by Eddie Bimmer

He got both apps but they only play a small fraction of the games available. A large majority of them are the older, Flash-based games, some of which he used to play on his laptop before he got his iPad, the games he's learned to like, and they aren't playable on iPad.

Where have you been? I'm quite sure I didn't have you on my ignore list...

Originally Posted by Eddie Bimmer

I knew you can still manually install it on 4.1 Jelly Bean.... Yep, including 4.2 JB.

I'm pretty sure Mobile Flash doesn't play most of those Flash games off the internet. I sideloaded Flash on my custom rom 4.2 Galaxy S3. It doesn't work in Chrome. Only the crappy built-in browser

I played with iPad Mini today at the Sprint store.

It's actually a pretty good form factor compared to what's on the market today. The 7 inches Android "looks" a bit small to me now that I have the Note2, and the 8" 4:3 form factor isn't that bad because it has quite a bit more real estate (screen) than the 7". It's so much easier to hold than the 10" iPad because it's thinner, lighter and not as wide, while doesn't feel like sacrificing 2 inches diagonally. I really don't understand why the Android OEM has to waste so much space on the bezel (actually I can think of 1: to accommodate a bigger battery?), if they really can come up with something not as long and wide.

If I had to get an iPad today, I would choose the iPad Mini over the iPad 4. The iPad4 is simply too heavy and hard to hold.

But my ideal tablet, regardless of OS, is something with current form factor or even thinner and lighter, while providing much larger screen and narrower bezel, or a smaller form factor with the same screen size and narrower bezel.

Bottomline, 10" on a 4:3 is very different than a 10" on a 16:9 form factor.

I'm not sure what you are saying about the bezel. I just looked at my Nexus 7 and it has 1" top and bottom, and 1/2" on the sides (holding the table portrait style).

Are you saying no bezel at all?

I would like to have the actual screen as large as possible and the physical tablet as small as possible. But the problem is with holding it and touching the touch screen. I would like a feature that would disable all of the screen except an icon at the bottom where you could turn screen input on/off to make it easier to read, for example. But for everyday usage, you need to enough bezel to hold the tablet comfortably.

Originally Posted by MatWiz

I'm not sure what you are saying about the bezel. I just looked at my Nexus 7 and it has 1" top and bottom, and 1/2" on the sides (holding the table portrait style).

Are you saying no bezel at all?

I would like to have the actual screen as large as possible and the physical tablet as small as possible. But the problem is with holding it and touching the touch screen. I would like a feature that would disable all of the screen except an icon at the bottom where you could turn screen input on/off to make it easier to read, for example. But for everyday usage, you need to enough bezel to hold the tablet comfortably.

From gizmodo iPad mini review:

Apple has made the iPad mini smart enough to know when a thumb is just resting on the display and when it's trying to tap or swipe. It's a thoughtful touch, given how little room there is to maneuver on the borderlands of portrait mode, but my default grip was simply resting the tablet in my palm, bolstered by my thumb resting along the gently curved side. You can't hold a Kindle Fire HD or Nexus 7 that cavalierly. I couldn't, at least.

Originally Posted by GeneArch

From gizmodo iPad mini review:

Smart.

The thing is, what happens if you move your thumb around? It would think you are swiping?

Anyway, hopes it comes to Android too one day soon.

Originally Posted by MatWiz

I'm not sure what you are saying about the bezel. I just looked at my Nexus 7 and it has 1" top and bottom, and 1/2" on the sides (holding the table portrait style).

Are you saying no bezel at all?

I would like to have the actual screen as large as possible and the physical tablet as small as possible. But the problem is with holding it and touching the touch screen. I would like a feature that would disable all of the screen except an icon at the bottom where you could turn screen input on/off to make it easier to read, for example. But for everyday usage, you need to enough bezel to hold the tablet comfortably.

I wouldn't say no bezel at all. 1" added to top and bottom, and 1/2" added to each side don't sound like much, but it is much larger than if you trim each side of bezel by 50%. Just think about how much impact a few mm thicker on the phone can create a very different feeling.

Originally Posted by Griffoun

But my ideal tablet, regardless of OS, is something with current form factor or even thinner and lighter, while providing much larger screen and narrower bezel, or a smaller form factor with the same screen size and narrower bezel..

This is a good point. You would think they could narrow the bezel on the larger iPad. Lots of open space.

A prototype from Synaptics.

Hopefully we'll see it on more devices soon.