Which tablet? Amazon Fire or Samsung tab 4

Both are low quality plastic throwaways. Pick either.

So what do you suggest?

Either one, in terms of the product will last a few years and then has no resale value.

I understand what you meant by throwaway. I'm asking for another product suggestion then for something that will last.

My experience with plastic case lappys, and phones, is that the plastic discolors due to battery heating after several years. With tablets there comes a point in time where OS upgrades cannot be applied to the old model. Apple uses an Aluminum case which will last longer, but the same OS upgrade issue applies to their iPads.

If you use a tablet just for reading it should last longer. If you use it to surf the web and pages with flash vids then the tablet will heat up quite a bit.

If you're worried about being locked into proprietary reading software (iBooks, or Amazone Books) then buy a low priced app that gets you out of that book eco-system. On my ancient iPad 1 I use two apps for reading: Goodreader and ShuBook. Good reader is especially impressive because it allows you to read PDFs, and will play almost any video and audio type of file (including file types Apple apps will not let you play). ShuBooks needs an upgrade to read ePub3 to catch up with the what iBooks can do, but for most books (not too many fancy text layout styles) they read just fine.

Yes, I still use my iPad 1. It looks as good as the day I bought it. OS upgrades ended long ago. I use it strictly as a book and document reader, and to surf the web and check email when there is a wifi network is available. I see no reason to upgrade the ancient iPad 1 in the near future.

tab man wrote:

Going with one of the following:

Amazon Fire HDX 7" or the Samsung Tab S 8.4"

Reviews? Thoughts? Suggestions?

Amazon while the tablet itself isn't horroble, the app ecosystem is. It'll always be crap.

Samsung...looks to be headed the way of HTC and blackberry before them. From the top to the bottom. 74% decrease in mobile profits...prett bad. Not a good long term solution.

Samsung does have a decent app selection but the apps are generally second rate compared to the IPad. Most web use and money spent happens on the iPad which guarantees better app focus.

Both have upgrade bugs, but with Apple at least you'll get upgraded. With droids it'll take a long time.

iPads have better resale value as well.

My 5-year old iPad 1 (wi-fi + 3G) can sell for $100-$200 on ebay.

Throwaways wrote:

My experience with plastic case lappys, and phones, is that the plastic discolors due to battery heating after several years. With tablets there comes a point in time where OS upgrades cannot be applied to the old model.

And this is all artificially induced to get you to buy another one.

Which, is why it's important to get a tablet you can hack. Buy a tablet that has already been rooted/flashed to free-er software.

Laptops/desktop systems are mostly general purpose computing devices already, so it is as simple as abandoning Apple and Microsoft and installing a Free operating system. The most visible is probably Ubuntu.

All I want to use it for is to watch Netflix (to use with chromecast at home), surf the web, email, and read. Very basic and a toy for me to have while I'm sitting on my lazy boy at night watching tv.

iPad Air FTW I only use my lappy for work stuff.

"Which, is why it's important to get a tablet you can hack. Buy a tablet that has already been rooted/flashed to free-er software."

This is a waste of time for most people. Every time a new OS comes out it must be re-hacked. Some computer hobbyists get a kick out of this type of thing.

Free-er software means pirated software. Every time a new app version comes out you need to find a Free-er version and figure out how to install it. As I said, a waste of time for most people.

You're insane to even consider buying a computer that you won't have admin privileges on by default.

If you're not admin, it's not yours, so why pay for it?

So, Little Bad Wigins, do you own a phone with admin privileges?

Still waiting to hear a definitive answer on which one I should go with...muchas gracias.

For reading, watching vids, and web surfing, buy a used iPad (refurbished), 1-2 years old. $235 with free shipping on ebay for a 32GB WiFi model.