I Pad help

[BJB]

So many to choose from and I don't want to blow all of my gun money. I will be using it for work more as a compact file cabinet. It has to be Wi-Fi ready. I know that a lot of companies are making tablets.

Some say refurbished is as good as new (if it comes from their factory it meets their requirements)

Any suggestions or directions would be Greatly Appreciated

BJB

[ShamGlock]

I have an iPad I use for work. I went with a 16 GB wifi model. If you are going to be using it mostly as a mobile file cabinet I would highly suggest getting a dropbox account and storing all your files there and just using the iPad to access the files on your dropbox account. For what I do, the dropbox account has been more valuable than the iPad. 

[babelt]

I second drop box. I use it daily and it will sync with your computers files so all you have to do is save the file and its on drop box. I would just go with 16gb WiFi ready. You can pick them up at Walmart.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[BJB]

Looks like the files and training videos will be 17.1gb. These are things that I must have at any time so I was planning on getting the 32gb.
Is there any history with other tablets or should I stick with apple

[Lumber_Jack]

Looks like the files and training videos will be 17.1gb. These are things that I must have at any time so I was planning on getting the 32gb.
Is there any history with other tablets or should I stick with apple

I know lots of people that have had good luck with off brand tablets. Me personally, I stick with the iPad. It's user friendly, had good system support with upgrades when necessary. And I wouldn't hesitate to order a refurb from the apple store. I've know a few people to do so and all worked like brand new.

The downfall is that apple is the most expensive tablet. I just dot have any personal experience with other brands so I stick with what I know.

[ShamGlock]

The refurbs from apple are generally outstanding. And have the same warranty as a new product. Again, storing those files on a site like dropbox will free up the space on your tablet, and you will always have access to them on dropbox. 

[Peace]

refurbs can go well, and they can go awful.   With electronics, it's all about power supply to components.  I converted to mac about 10 years ago, and my first refurb was a G5 PowerMac.  That thing had a slew of problems that they hadn't worked out, but I still have it, and it still works.  

 

I have an iPad, 32GB.  I do manage files (once a month) to keep space on it; I like dropbox, I just don't like being unable to acces files without wifi.

 

I don't keep music on it, and I don't keep much video, but I have a lot of files and a lot of apps.  It is not indespendible for me, but it does put a lot in a small package.  (tools for work, learning games for the kids, a whole library of literary classics)

 

On the other hand, it does blur the work/home line for me.

Edited August 24, 2013 by Peace

[peejman]

We have an ipad2 64gb that I bought here for a very friendly price. I assume it works since my wife and kids don't complain about it. But they don't let me use it either...

[Wiljo05]

So with the file size being 17.1 GB you are going to run into some issues with transfer...not to mention lots of data used if you choose a connected device(which I 100% suggest). If you can put those files on a SharePoint site or similar, you could use a Remote Desktop app to login and view vs download. That big of a file is with out a doubt going to cause some issues downloading to a mobile device.

[Romad7]

We have 2 iPads. Mine is a white 64gb wifi and 3G AT&T iPad 2. Wife's is wifi only white 16gb iPad 2 refurbished.

I am a big fan of Dropbox and highly recommend it but with a wifi only model it can be inconvenient when there is no signal. I'm not recommending the Cellular capable model though unless you have a really good reason. The wifi only one doesn't have GPS, so consider if that's important to you.

A great app that works with Dropbox is Quickoffice HD Pro. It can open and edit MS Office docs and edit or create them.

Since you already have 17gb of work files starting out I would recommend the 64gb wifi only model. You might any to add DVDs and music to your iPad and will likely see an increase in work files and will want to have on demand access regardless of wifi availability. It adds up quickly.

I am a huge tech geek and Apple fan but I have stuck with the iPad 2 since it came out and I still love it and don't see a real need to upgrade just yet. The only thing would be if the wifi is improved on a newer model such as with the new AC format but I would need a new Airport to take advantage of that and its notwoth it yet. You can save some money going with a used older model.

Also, the white model looks great. I prefer a black iPhone but the white iPad is very nice. Edited August 24, 2013 by Romad7

[npgunner]

No experience with tablets besides Apple's and no need too. iPad has always worked and done what I've wanted it too. They are all WIFI ready, you just have to decide if you want to spend the cash (both initially and monthly) to have one that's mobile connected through Sprint/AT&T or not.

[Defender]

I picked up a like new Ipad 2 64Gig Wifi only model form a felklow TGO'er last year foir a reasonable price and I love it.  Only regret is I kinda wish I had a cell version iuntsead of just wifi, but then that comes with a monthly price tag so...I dont want oit that bad...theres only been a dfew times really that I wished i had the cewll version...and I can tether it to my iphone 5 if necessary and get online that wqay...ive dont that a few times.  If I had to do it again, Id probably do the same thinmg:  get a large memory wifi only and everything Ive read about refurbed ipads is good

[Romad7]

Just to make it clear, the cellular version doesn't have a mandatory monthly cost or contract. You only pay when you want to use the cellular function otherwise it operates the same as a wifi only model.

[BigK]

Don't be afraid to try an Android tablet. Their Jelly Bean and Ice Cream Sandwich OS are both very good. They aren't as sexy and fluid as iOS, but they're faster and more powerful. 

 

ASUS makes a really good tablet called a [url="http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&N=100013681%20600372021%20600372015&IsNodeId=1&OEMMark=N&PropertyCodeValue=449%3A154842%2C449%3A168091%2C449%3A281841%2C449%3A338569&bop=And&Order=REVIEWS&PageSize=100"]Transformer Pad[/url]. It gets pretty good reviews and can save you about $100 over the iPad4.

 

You can buy a refurbished iPad for about the same price, but it'll be an iPad2 (which you DON'T WANT for business use) or iPad3. That ASUS is definitely better than an old iPad and benchmark tests say it's considerably faster than the new iPad. It may, however, come down to what is compatible with your work software.

[East_TN_Patriot]

I have a 16G iPad 2.  The difference between the iPad 2 and iPad 3 is mostly in the screen.  At the time, I wasn't so much concerned with that so I went with the iPad 2.  At the time, I also didn't think I would use it nearly as much as I do, which is pretty much all the time when I am not sitting in front of a laptop or desktop for heavy computing tasks like dedicated word processing or graphic design.  As a result, I wish I had gotten the iPad 3 with at least 32G of memory.  I personally don't see much need for the cell wireless feature since I am usually places with free wi-fi hotspots and I have a hotspot feature on my cell phone.  I briefly considered the iPad mini, but I quickly decided I preferred the larger screen size of the regular iPad.  I do a lot of reading and annotating of PDF files on the iPad, so the larger screen was a big plus.

I can't emphasize enough how helpful it is to get a Dropbox account.  It's free and it's great to have.  Here is a link to get one of their free accounts.  It's pretty easy to get additional storage tacked on for free, plus if you are a heavy user you can purchase 100G of storage for a modest annual rate.  I store a lot of stuff on my Dropbox account and have not needed to purchase an upgrade (yet).  There are a couple of other apps that I would suggest if you find that you need them.  First is Goodnotes.  It's a fantastic reader/annotation application and the developer is very responsive to customer input.  I suggested he add a touch to change pages feature similar to an e-reader and it was added with an update shortly thereafter (I would guess that others had suggested it as well).  Evernote is a good way to organize projects.  You can download a Kindle and Nook e-reader app so you can read e-books just like one of their proprietary tablets.  I bought Pages and Keynote, but find that I don't use them much since their functionality is very basic and it's a bit clunky to use on a tablet.  

One accessory I highly recommend is a cover, especially the Apple Smart Cover since it attaches to the iPad with magnets and turns the iPad on and off when you open/close the cover.  I use that in conjunction with a leather sleeve I made (I do leather work as a side business so I have that luxury) and it keeps the iPad safe and sound.  I dropped an iPad once when I forgot to put it in the sleeve and quickly found that the device is not forgiving of being dropped on a hard surface.  Should you find that to be the case, you can get a replacement for $200 at the Apple store (not chump change, but much cheaper than buying a new one).  They don't repair broken iPads, but just change them out for a new/refurbished one.  

One last thing.  It is rumored that a new iPad will be released in September or maybe October.  It's supposed to have a faster processor and be lighter/thinner.  If you want the latest and greatest, you'll probably want to hold off for a few weeks.  I am strongly considering making an upgrade at that point.

[willis68]

I gave my wife my 64gb Wi Fi and 3G model,

A couple of months ago when I bought my 128GB model, I store a months worth of Entertainment on mine every time I go to work so I use most of my storage.

The difference between the 2nd and Fourth generation is the retina display and yes it is faster, having said that my old 64 GB 2nd edition is still fantastic and my wife absolutely loves it

[SoldMyHat]

After using android, windows phone and apple products, I will always choose apple now. It just works. Always. Windows mobile is very limited and android has poor system support. If you get a used android tablet it WILL NOT be running the latest software and most likely will not be upgradable without hacking. On the other hand, Apple supports their older gen models for quite a few years.

Also, get as much space as you can afford. And the 5th gen iPad should be out next month. So I would wait a bit and get the newer model.