Small and lightweight tablet?

[Double Wide]

Was thinking of maybe carrying a tablet on my hike, but I want it to be as light as possible obviously. Don't want to take an ipad, but need something with USB port to upload photos to trail journal and such. Any suggestions on one that will handle the trail environment?

Thanks

[verasch]

Probably the best option would be the galaxy tab 2 7". It weighs about 12 oz, and it has the ability to have an external card. It's got pretty good reviews, and I was definitely interested in buying it, but I went to the store and held a 7" tablet. Its a little weird and it doesn't feel right. Phones typically fit in one hand, even the larger ones like the Motorola X. But the size just feels awkward. And its not much better of an experience than reading on an iPhone.

So I'm going to go for the larger tablets, which give you more options. The galaxy 2 10" didn't get very good reviews, so I wouldn't recommend that one.

Currently, the lightest tablet on the market (10") is the Toshiba Excite, weighing in at about 14 ounces, but I haven't heard anything about this tablet aside from how light and thin it is. Toshibas are known for pushing the boundaries of devices, but unfortunately this is at a cost for performance, reliability or cost. If fads are lighter thinner electronics, then they'll do that.

I've read great reviews of the asus transformer tf300. It weighs a bit more than the 2012 ipad, but its only $386 and it has 32 gb internal memory. It also has expandable memory too.

One of the reasons I like this one is the GPS feature. You don't need wifi or 3g to get it to work, so it can double as your GPS. You can also save Google maps for offline use, much as with any tablet that runs ice cream sandwich operating system.

Just keep in mind that no matter what you bring, you need to protect it, which will be a lot more weight. Most 10" tablets will fit any case made for the ipad, as long as its not too thick.

Depending on how you pack, a robust waterproof sleeve might suffice and wrap it in a towel or shirt. Just make sure you can touch through the film so it can remain in the bag.

HTH

[Double Wide]

Thanks for the good info--gives me a starting point as to where to look. Also, by March of 2014, I'm *sure* there will be new toys on the market that are probably lighter and thinner...

[verasch]

I use cnet for reviews. They are very harsh in their reviews, which is good to me. I've never seen them give a rating higher than 9. Amazon has a good ratings system too, but a lot of people have issues they could solve with a little gumption. In a couple months, I'll be able to review the tf300 from a backpacking perspective.

[Wise Old Owl]

I guess I am old school you answered the question very well - but I will stick to a 4 oz Smart Phone.

[leaftye]

I don't see much of a difference between a high end smart phone and a tablet. Personally I'd rather just carry the phone. Sure, it has a smaller screen, but all the pixels are still there. You might just have to hold it closer to your face. Both suck for typing. I'd personally go with Android over an iPhone because I think some of those phones are better suited to long distance hiking.

[dale1627]

I agree with the smart phone option. I can easily read on my RAZR maxx and like having the option to actually use it as a phone if needed. I keep it in sleep mode most of the day untiI I stop for the night. Then i send a quick text home and put it in airplane mode while I read for a bit. I did a three day hike awhile back and had fifty percent battery left when i finished.

[kayak karl]

im get so OLD. this is what i thought of when i read this

[LynnMT]

Has anyone used a solar recharger with an iPad or smartphone? What kind of success, or not?

[verasch]

I guess I am old school you answered the question very well - but I will stick to a 4 oz Smart Phone.

Yes, if you really want to spare the weight, a smart phone would be the better option. The iPhone is just shy of 5 ounces, and the razor maxx mentioned at 5.1 ounces, are both fine if you want to use weight as the deciding factor.

Truthfully, even I consider the idea of taking something like this to be the entertainment package for hiking. I mean, tech + protection + battery options? Totally not for the fent of heart. But... I am a total geek, so that's why i'll carry one when I go out.

I don't see much of a difference between a high end smart phone and a tablet. Personally I'd rather just carry the phone. Sure, it has a smaller screen, but all the pixels are still there. You might just have to hold it closer to your face. Both suck for typing. I'd personally go with Android over an iPhone because I think some of those phones are better suited to long distance hiking.

Actually, there is a bit of difference between a tablet and a smartphone than just the screen, but I'll start with that. Aside pfrom the iphone and the galaxy nexus, most smartphones have a resolution of about 960x540. Yes, all these pixels smooshed together make watching movies awesome. But not great seeing as you are still looking at a a 1.75"x3.5" screen.

Tablets have screens comparable to that of laptops these days. You have a much larger viewing area, and with the amount of pixels that larger laptop screens have, all those pixels crammed together make for very impressive results.

I'll admit the keyboard takes getting used to. I like the ipads keyboard because it splits in half so it feels easier to use while holding the tablet with two hands. I just don't like spending 700$ for something that has no improvability, expandability, or limits what I do on it.

I guess its just a preference. If you wanted to bring a notebook (paper-kind), you might sit there and say well, I can take a small notepad instead. Eventually you could argue for bringing sticky notes too. LOL I'm just exaggerating, but i like them for the multitude of uses.

It will become my library card, my GPS unit, my notebook, my sketchbook, my internet, my mp3 player, my video phone to my wife on trips, my map bower, my home away from home theatre, and probably a bunch of other things as well I'm just not thinking of. But like I said, its a preference for geeks. To each their own.

[verasch]

I forgot to mention the major diference between smartphones and tablets. Smartphones are intended to input information, whereas tablets are intended to be both input and output. While its true that most smartphones have card slots, most are inaccessible and have limited interaction with the OS. I can only think of a few that have extra ports going in that allow for actual input (the micro USB on HTC phones are output only).

Tablets allow for more freedom of information input. HDMI, USB, SD options, all included on many devices.

Sorry for stealing the mike here.

[leaftye]

Actually, there is a bit of difference between a tablet and a smartphone than just the screen, but I'll start with that. Aside pfrom the iphone and the galaxy nexus, most smartphones have a resolution of about 960x540. Yes, all these pixels smooshed together make watching movies awesome. But not great seeing as you are still looking at a a 1.75"x3.5" screen.

I did say high end, not just sorta high end. The iPhone has a decent number of pixels with a resolution of 960x640. That's good enough as long as you're not dealing with scientific literature with small funky symbols. The Samsung S3 does much better with a resolution of 1280x720. That's better than my 12.1" tablet pc and almost equal to the 1280x800 resolution on my 5.6" tablet pc that I've read ebooks on almost every day for the last few years.

A smaller device is also less likely to get damaged, and much easier to protect. I've used a cell phone while hiking in the rain/snow. I wish I could show you the pictures, but it was the first time I used that phone and nothing was really happening when I thought I was taking pictures. All the phone needed for protection was a ziploc bag and an umbrella. I can't imagine futzing around with a tablet without having to stop, take off my pack and use both hands.

If screen visibility is a concern, go try one out. It's what I'm going to do.

In the meantime, figure out exactly what you expect this device to do.

[verasch]

I did say high end, not just sorta high end. The iPhone has a decent number of pixels with a resolution of 960x640. That's good enough as long as you're not dealing with scientific literature with small funky symbols. The Samsung S3 does much better with a resolution of 1280x720. That's better than my 12.1" tablet pc and almost equal to the 1280x800 resolution on my 5.6" tablet pc that I've read ebooks on almost every day for the last few years.

A smaller device is also less likely to get damaged, and much easier to protect. I've used a cell phone while hiking in the rain/snow. I wish I could show you the pictures, but it was the first time I used that phone and nothing was really happening when I thought I was taking pictures. All the phone needed for protection was a ziploc bag and an umbrella. I can't imagine futzing around with a tablet without having to stop, take off my pack and use both hands.

Yes, you did mention the high end, which is why I stated the galaxy nexus, which is essentially the same as your S3, with a very nice AMOLED screen.

And it is very convenient to have something so small to use very quickly without having to take off your pack. If this is an issue, the 7 inch tablet would probably still be a better option, but only based on the OP requirements.

Your S3 is a dope phone, but one of the criteria for the tablet was the removable memory card. In order to access the sd card, you need to power off the S3, take off the back, and access it from there. With a tablet, he would only need to locate it on the side.

This was what i was referring to when i said that smartphones are intended more for receiving information, not replacing it. Still wish I got your phone than my thunderbolt. Very nice phone!

[leaftye]

He also said that his hike start in March 2014. I'm sure that hardware will be much different by then. I'm personally hoping for a Windows Phone version of the Nokia Pureview 808 with a high resolution screen. Hopefully they don't do something dumb like make a fixed battery, delete the memory card slot, put in useless power conservation modes or make using the camera a hassle. If they put in the right hardware, the thickness and price won't matter much.

[verasch]

He also said that his hike start in March 2014. I'm sure that hardware will be much different by then. I'm personally hoping for a Windows Phone version of the Nokia Pureview 808 with a high resolution screen. Hopefully they don't do something dumb like make a fixed battery, delete the memory card slot, put in useless power conservation modes or make using the camera a hassle. If they put in the right hardware, the thickness and price won't matter much.

hey, in my defense, he didn't mention the 2014 part until AFTER i posted.

I'm just curious, but what is it you like about the Windows phones compared to the androids? Is it easier to remove bloatware or root? I've seen screenshots of Winows 8, which look suspiciously similar to Prodigy, the biggest competitor to America Online back in the '90s.

[leaftye]

I'm not faulting you for the start date. I'm just opening thinking that any advice on specific models available right now will be nearly worthless in a couple years.

I don't currently have a preference between Windows Phone and Android. I want Windows Phone because I want that Nokia phone. I just don't want Symbian when Nokia is only going to support that OS instead of doing further development. Nokia is switching from using their own operating system to using Windows Phone. That should mean an ever improving choice of apps. I can also write my own software, and I'd much rather write code for an operating system that's still being developed instead of one that's slowly being put to bed.

So no preference. If Nokia made the Pureview 808 with Android, I'd still want it.

[nateshuntsvegas]

What I use and like is the Acer A100 7" tablet
What makes this better than most is it has an hdmi out, and it has a storage sd slot mine is 32gb but you can get 64gb
The bad is that it has average battery life like around 8 or 9 hours and you have to carry a separate charger. The good is that its light and has pretty good rear video shots HD and a good front video camera. Also they have good on screen keyboard that uses your thumbs and its a split keyboard rather good.

[konradchen]

Was thinking of maybe carrying a tablet on my hike, but I want it to be as light as possible obviously. Don't want to take an ipad, but need something with USB port to upload photos to trail journal and such. Any suggestions on one that will handle the trail environment?

Thanks

I have an ipad 2 as well as a good nexus 7. I would wholeheartedly recommend the nexus 7. It's super lightweight (only the ipad mini is lighter), great screen resolution, and has a mini usb port which will accept a mini-usb/usb2.0 cable. They are also extremely affordable when you compare it to the apple products. I believe there is a 4g compatible nexus 7 as well.

[konradchen]

*sorry, I meant the "google" nexus 7.

[BrianLe]

"I don't see much of a difference between a high end smart phone and a tablet."

Ditto, and there are various products that sort of fill in the gap in between. The standard "small" tablet size is 7". They now make smartphones with screens in the 5" and even 6" range. No kidding: http://www.latimes.com/business/tech...,6986891.story

So if you're inclined towards a tablet for the trail, I suggest that you think instead of something that's designed from the ground-up to be a smartphone and pick one with a relatively large screen, perhaps the Galaxy Note 5.3 or something along that line: http://www.androidauthority.com/the-...ability-23356/