WiFi tablets? - TTLG Forums

Independent Thief on 6/5/2013 at 01:13

I'm stuck on a dialup connection and really don't have the funds to upgrade to cable right now (no DSL in my area sadly) however there are a number of free wifi hotspots in the surrounding area and I thought about getting a cheap tablet to take advantage of this-I thought I might ask what would be a good inexpensive one from your experience, note I also need one I can transfer files to and from my desktop as well l (so I can download/upload fan missions).

Renzatic on 6/5/2013 at 03:12

(https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_7_16gb&feature=microsite&hl=en) The Nexus 7. It's the best tablet you can get for the price, bar none.

Renault on 6/5/2013 at 04:03

I have a (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0083PWAPW/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=13750467381&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9671920881018537475&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_7q9jvwq3ro_b) Kindle Fire and love it, but Renz is right, the Nexus does have slightly better specs and more capabilities. Still, the Kindle Fire is not a bad option if you can get it cheaper than $200 used on Ebay or something like that.

Renzatic on 6/5/2013 at 04:59

The Kindle Fire is another good one, though I'd still choose the Nexus simply because it's running stock Android, and can be better used as a mini PC. The Fire is more an Amazon storefront/internet device.

june gloom on 6/5/2013 at 07:11

I have a Kindle Fire and it is a clunky, slow piece of shit. It's my piece of shit, but it's still a piece of shit. Its complete inability to retain browser tabs after it shuts off is aggravating, especially when I use it for frequent reference and often have to wait a minute or more for it to reconnect to the wifi so it can (slowly) reload the page that it should've retained in the first place.

This gets worse when it has a battery charge under 90%, which is basically about an hour of use after being fully charged.

Renzatic on 6/5/2013 at 08:52

Deth, have you considered rooting your Fire and slapping Android on it? I hear it works pretty well.

Independent Thief on 6/5/2013 at 12:03

Quote Posted by Renzatic

(https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_7_16gb&feature=microsite&hl=en) The Nexus 7. It's the best tablet you can get for the price, bar none.

Interesting, I assume the USB sync cable will allow me to plug into my desktop so I can transfer files back and forth?

Al_B on 6/5/2013 at 12:22

I'm not sure if that's directly possible on the Nexus but you should be able to install the (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sand.airdroid&hl=en) AirDroid app and transfer files via WiFi to and from your PC.

Renzatic on 6/5/2013 at 17:41

Quote Posted by Independent Thief

Interesting, I assume the USB sync cable will allow me to plug into my desktop so I can transfer files back and forth?

AirDroid's the cooler option, but yeah, you can transfer files back and forth using a USB cable. Just plug it in and it should show up as an external storage drive in Windows.

Alternately, you can get Dropbox (https://www.dropbox.com/help/137/en) and use the LAN Sync option. All you have to do there is drag and drop files into the appropriate folders, and they'll automatically show up on all the DB equipped devices on your network.

Zerker on 6/5/2013 at 20:04

Dropbox is handy for tablets, but the Android app does not create a mirror like it does on Desktop applications, so LAN Sync is not particularly useful. It only downloads files when a file is specifically marked as favourite, or when selected in the application. In both cases, it is cached to storage for further re-use without downloading, but I don't believe it uses LAN sync for this. I certainly don't see an option in the settings for it.

That said, Airdroid and the standard USB cable will both work fine. I have a Nexus 7, and it connects in "MTP" mode, which is handled by default in Windows. It's a bit wonkier in Linux, so I actually use "File Expert". It's an okay file manager, but it can also host an FTP server at will to allow easier transfers.