tablets/e-readers

N

nightowl81

Cathlete
I'm looking to get a tablet/e-reader. I want to mostly use it for reading and, of course, workouts! With all the youtube workouts, and more going download, I guess it's time to give in... I'll also use it to check the web and email when out, but not the most important things.

should I get one with alot of memory space if I want to use it for workouts? I'm thinking maybe the tried and true ipad maybe the way to go... considering what I'll be mostly using it for, I probably won't have to upgrade it for a long time, and I know even my 1st and 2cnd gen ipods are still working and going pretty strong, seems like apple products they last forever.


I don't really know what other benefits there are to the tablets, I know there's alot of apps, so diet apps will be nice to have, I'm not sure if there anything else worthwhile on them to justify a more costly one.
 
Love my iPad...downloaded Travel Fit and took it on a business trip, with the band...that is all I needed to get a great workout in the hotel room. :)
 
connect tablet to TV using HDMI cable

I too, would like to purchase a tablet to mainly:

*) Blend cathe's download.
*) Reading e-books
* ) storing and viewing various Videos
*) Keep in touch with cathletes through forum;):D.
*) connect tablet to tv and view custom blended workout.

Has anyone managed to do listed tasks above using any other tablet a part from Ipad?

Hope to hear your feedbacks,
 
I have a e-reader (kindle) and a iPad mini. I have not used the iPad for workouts so can't any advice about that.

I love my kindle for reading!!! The iPad is great for emails and surfing the Internet but I don't like reading a novel on it. The kindle has e-ink so your eyes don't get sore and e ink can be read in the sun. The kindle in it's cover feels like a paperback and the iPad gets awkward especially lying in bed and holding it at different angles. If you at going to read novels, I would highly suggest an e-reader.
 
I'm on my third Nook (now the Nook HD) because I love it so much. And they are on super sale now because B&N is getting out of the tablet manufacturing business (but still supporting the e-book business). I was tempted by the Nook HD+ because of the low price, but glad I resisted. As the other poster mentioned, the larger tablets and be harder to hold to read for long periods of time. But I also have an Android tablet for more "tablet-like" functions, so I had that backup. If I didn't have it already, I probably would have gone ahead and gotten the HD+. I have a stand that I often use to hold my Nook when I'm reading and use it for my tablet sometimes, as well, so there are options. (The stand is actually a picture holder/stand I bought from Michael's and it works perfectly :D )

The price of a Nook compared to an iPad is significant; even more so now. It does not, however, have the option of getting the 3G/4G service plan, as it does not have that capability -- it is WiFi only. So that's something to consider if you need that.

Anything I know about a Kindle is from reading, as I have never had, nor used, one. As far as books go, the Kindle is limited to solely books purchased from Amazon, aside from what you borrow from the public library (a function I use extensively on my Nook -- love that capability). With Nook HD and Nook HD+ it has now been opened up to the Google Play Store and, surprisingly, they have not blocked the Kindle app. I now have Amazon books on my Nook, as well as my B&N books. Nook also allows you to load purchases made from other companies, such as Kobo. You can sideload books that you get from other sources. I don't believe Kindle allows this, but I'm not 100% sure. You can read in the sun with the new Nook HD, and you can read wearing polarized sunglasses, which was not possible with the previous Nook Color.

I have not tried connecting my Nook HD to my TV, but I know they do make the specific cable for it. I do this often with my Android tablet and it's a really nice feature to be able to take advantage of for many purposes. Since you can use a microSD card with the Nook, I don't see why you would not be able to load a workout from the Workout Blender on the card and connect the device to the TV, but I'm only speculating on that based on what I know, not what I have experienced.

I would not try to talk anyone out of an iPad. Sometimes I wish I had one just because they're what the "cool kids" have, but for practicality, I much prefer the flexibility of the Android operating system, both for my reader and my tablet (and my phone, for that matter). I'm more writing this novel to point out that if price is a consideration, checking out the Nook HD/HD+ as something that might meet your needs is worth thinking about.

I'm sure others from the iOS and Kindle side of the fence will also be able to provide a lot of good information.

Can you tell I'm passionate about my geek gadgets?!

ETA: I don't believe you can use any device to create workouts from the Workout Blender. It's a program that needs to be downloaded to a computer, not an app that can be loaded onto a tablet, no matter whether it's iOS or android. That would be a good question/confirmation to post in the Workout Blender forum for Curt to answer.
 
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I absolutely love my Ipad! If you plan to add a lot of videos to your Ipad I would recommend going with at least 32g. Videos can take up a lot of memory. I have 64g and very happy with this amount of memory as I do a ton with my Ipad.

You would need to download the videos and save to your computer then transfer over to your Ipad via Itunes. If your are using workout blender (which I use and love) once you create your video on your computer then you would do the same and transfer to your Ipad. Yes you need a computer for workout blender. It is really easy to hook your Ipad up to your TV to play your videos too.

My Ipad is wifi only and this is fine for me. Most places offer wifi so it has not been a problem for me.

I also have a kindle touch. I do not like reading on a tablet whether it's an Ipad or another brand as I do not like the lighted back. Now my son prefers reading on his Ipad. So it is just a matter of preference. If you want to read on the Ipad you can download either the ibook app from apple or kindle app.

Right now I am keeping in touch with cathletes by using my Ipad. I prefer using my Ipad for Cathe forums then my computer.

I do all my banking, email, I take notes in meetings, music, I receive people magazine, fitness, more and reader's digest directly to my Ipad!

I could go on and on but I think you all get I am a fan of the Ipad!!! :)
 
connect tablet to TV using HDMI cable

Is anyone using Android tablet?

My understanding is I blend my workout on my pc or laptop, then i transfer files onto the tablet. Do I have to install itune onto tablet to be able to play blended file.?

I am trying to get my head around this download, blending and viewing on TV process.:):):)

I want to connect an android device to my TV.

Anyone into this please help!
 
Hi,

I also have a Nook, and use it exclusively for e-reading.

The iPad is great for surfing the net, e-mail, etc, but I don't like it for reading a book. It's too big and bulky. Love my Nook, it's the original classic and I am thinking of upgrading to the next level, but not the tablet...don't need that much since I have the iPad for all that other stuff.
 
nckfitheart2009 said:
Is anyone using Android tablet?

My understanding is I blend my workout on my pc or laptop, then i transfer files onto the tablet. Do I have to install itune onto tablet to be able to play blended file.?

I am trying to get my head around this download, blending and viewing on TV process.:):):)

I want to connect an android device to my TV.

Anyone into this please help!
Click to expand...

I have copied the full Cathe workouts to my Android tablet and played them on a TV without any problem. You can't load iTunes onto an Android tablet, so that is not an option. I have not loaded a Workout Blender workout onto the Android tablet, but I don't see why it would be a problem to do that. You just have to have a video player app on the tablet, and they all come already-loaded with them. Again, you can likely get the definitive answer to your question on the Workout Blender board, so that there is no doubt one way or the other.
 
I recently got the Kindle Fire HD. It apparently does everything (although I haven't gotten that far yet). I've used it to read magazines, surf the web, I follow the forums, facebook, linked in, etc all on the Kindle. i've downloaded 3 books so far. I like how you can adjust the way the text looks, the color, etc. Makes it very easy on the eyes. I've watched video on it, although I haven't downloaded any video yet. I got 32G of memory, figuring 64 was more than I needed. The price was $400 something, which is less than half what an iPad would cost! I went Kindle because iPad was too much and B&N is bailing on the readers (as previously mentioned). Also got great reviews. Not a techy, so can't say more than that. Still learning.
 
Android tablet

Thanks to both Nancy and NY25 for replying. Now i have the answer to my question.

I am used to android apps and just dislike Apple marketing strategy.

I will go for an android tablet;)
 
Just a clarification about B&N getting out of the tablet business:

"...we are fully committed to NOOK. We are not exiting the device business and do not plan to discontinue our tablet line. We are moving away from independently building our own tablets but intend to design co-branded tablets with partners that offer the same great NOOK content and NOOK service. With respect to our popular Simple Touch and Glowlight eReader lines, we plan to continue to design, innovate and launch new products. We will continue to offer all our millions of digital customers ongoing support, updates and innovations, as well as an amazing digital bookstore experience offering any digital book, magazine or newspaper, on any device."

Just throwing that out there since I brought it up to start with and don't want to cause any confusion.
 
Thanks Nancy, good to know they plan on supporting the product.

I will eventually upgrade to the Simple Touch with the glow light, so I can read in bed while my DH sleeps!
 
Few years back I bought a Thrive tablet from Toshiba. I love it. I wanted something heavier with full USB and HDMI ports and a full size memory card. It worked out perfectly. I have my Cathe downloads on a 64 GB memory card. I ripped some of my other workouts that don't come as downloads and put them on another card. I plug the tablet into my TV whenever I don't feel like messing around with DVDs. I buy both DVDs and downloads and I can't tell the difference in the picture or sound. I also use my thrive on the road for my workouts. It plays anything with ".mp4" or ".m4v" extension but not ".flv".

I have unlimited storage because of the ease of changing memory cards. If I had to store anything on the cloud, I wouldn't use my tablet much. I would never buy a tablet that doesn't have an expansion slot, and at least mini HDMI and mini USB ports.

I also have a nook but I use my tablet more. I have the nook app on the Thrive and it works pretty well for the most part. Some magazines won't load.
 
To soapmaker

Soapmaker said:
Few years back I bought a Thrive tablet from Toshiba. I love it. I wanted something heavier with full USB and HDMI ports and a full size memory card. It worked out perfectly. I have my Cathe downloads on a 64 GB memory card. I ripped some of my other workouts that don't come as downloads and put them on another card. I plug the tablet into my TV whenever I don't feel like messing around with DVDs. I buy both DVDs and downloads and I can't tell the difference in the picture or sound. I also use my thrive on the road for my workouts. It plays anything with ".mp4" or ".m4v" extension but not ".flv".

I have unlimited storage because of the ease of changing memory cards. If I had to store anything on the cloud, I wouldn't use my tablet much. I would never buy a tablet that doesn't have an expansion slot, and at least mini HDMI and mini USB ports.

I also have a nook but I use my tablet more. I have the nook app on the Thrive and it works pretty well for the most part. Some magazines won't load.
Click to expand...

Thanks Soapmaker,

Same here, the tablet i will go for will have the features underligned above. I am definitely going for an expansion slot. So far I am considering a brand with expansion slot of up to 32 gig. This is fine IMO to start with. I can always add card as I add more download. I have 2 cathe's series at the moment.

Can i ask, did you mention using a hard drive?
I was thinking of using hard drive to store my cathe file as back up but was wondering how I could possibly move them around from hard drive/tablet.

Thanks for sharing our thoughts on this.
I truly appreciate.
I am actually in a virtual homework process therefore need guidance.

Kind Regards,
 
Hi Nathalie,

I think the expansion slot is the memory card slot. Most new ones come with the micro SD. They all say 32 GB, but mine worked fine with the 64. I think it is more the android operating system and its capability to address the memory properly. I upgraded to ice cream sandwich (ICS) long ago. It can handle 64 GB memory cards better than windows. Access is so fast, it makes DVDs look ancient (but I still want them). Most manufacturers will give you an app built in to play mp4s. I played lectures from youtube, ripped dvds (using Handbrake), composites I made without any problem.

I have everything backed up on a hard drive and some even on my computer and on dvds. The memory card serves as back up when I'm not using it. I carry a small box with 8 memory cards (over half a terabyte) that I can access in seconds. It is convenient. I just put 4 seasons of New Tricks on a new card with plenty of room left for the rest of the series.

Hope this helps.:)
 
I am also an iPad fan. I am ALWAYS on my iPad!! Love the convenience. I am excited for the release of Cathe's new workouts as they are my first "DVD & Download" purchase. :)
 
E Readers

I have both an IPAD and a Kindle Fire. Love the IPAD for gaming and videos, music amd my e-newspaper. Love the Kindle for reading books, calendar interface and email. They both work great for everything, I just find the interface, size and density of the IPAD for reading not as comfortable or portable (as in stick it in my purse) as the Kindle. I always go with the max on storage size for any device. Just to plan ahead. I know you will enjoy whatever you choose.
 
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