I have not owned many tablet computers. My kids had a cheap one and I bought a second hand Nexus 7 years ago, but the latter got very slow and was not getting updates. My main use for it would be to display music when I am playing guitar at pub sessions and some other live performances. It does not have to be the fastest or have a super high resolution screen. Even the memory capacity is not that vital as you can store a lot of chord sheets in a few gigabytes. I heard the folk on the Ubuntu Podcast saying they used some Lenovo Android tablets that were good value. I like that they have a fairly vanilla version of Android as I do not want it messed about with features I do not need.
I went with the Lenovo M10 which is about a third of the price of a similarly sized iPad and I do not use any other Apple products that might integrate with one of those. It has 32GB of internal storage that can be expanded with a microSD card. It has Android 10, which is not the very latest and I am not sure if there will be an update any time soon, but it should get security updates for a while.
The screen is quite adequate for my needs. Videos look good and there are stereo speakers that are at the top in landscape mode. There are charging contacts on the opposite edge as there is a docking station available. I have not seen what that costs on its own.
I bought a generic case that works as a tabletop stand in either portrait or landscape. That will be useful in the pub. I use an app Called Fakebook Pro from Skrivarna. You can load up PDFs of sheet music or get sets of chord sheets that can be arranged into multiple set lists, so you can just swipe across for the next page.
I have already used it for a couple of band performances. The screen was readable in sunlight. I am looking at getting a mounting bracket to have the tablet on my mic stand rather than needing a separate music stand. This one looks good. It may even take the tablet in its case.
I also invested in a screen protector. I find a naked tablet can be quite slippery to keep hold of and vulnerable to being dropped. This lot is still thinner than my old Nexus 7 in its case, but much more readable.
I think it can also work fine for general web usage and as an e-reader. I read a few comics on my Nexus and they would look better on this. It has a face unlock feature, but that is a bit hit or miss. I had to get used to a lack of home button and use gestures for some navigation.
So far I am happy with my purchase. I am wary of spending lots of money on gadgets that will get carried around a lot and may get dropped or stolen. I tend not to bother with extra insurance for these that can add up over the life of the product. I have not really tested the battery endurance yet, but it should run happily for hours. The cameras are nothing special, but I can use the rear one to photograph music to add to my playlists if necessary. Taking snaps with a tablet can be clumsy and I would generally have my phone on me anyway.
I know a lot of people think of brands like Samsung for phones and tablets, but Lenovo is worth a look.
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I'd love to see if I could draw with a tablet as I am not able to draw with a mouse. However, I am not sure if that one benefit would worth the cost of a new machine.
Your review says that this was recommended on a Ubuntu podcast. Do you intend to run Ubuntu or are you sticking with Android?
I know a few artists on Hive draw on tablets. I am not much of an artist, but I may check out some apps for that.
I will probably stick with Android on the tablet as it has the apps I need. I use Ubuntu on my PC. If the tablet loses support at some point then I may look at alternative operating systems if it is still usable.
I must confess I can't live without my tablet. It's just so useful for everything and so easy to carry around. I just treated myself to a Samsung S6 with the smart pen and its incredible. I had thought about getting a bigger one but then it loses its portability, and is more expensive if it gets broken!
I also treated myself the to model that can take a SIM so its even more useful as I hate relying on 3rd party WiFi.
As you have shown, their uses are only limited by your imagination and are really economical as there doesn't seem to be the same rush to upgrade as I have with other tech!
This is actually the first Samsung I've had as thats about all I can get here. My last tablets were Asus and have been brilliant. Only changed as I broke the screen and there was absolutely no where to get it replaced here.
Enjoy it :-)
They are pretty versatile devices. I don't have a laptop, but with a Bluetooth keyboard I could probably get by with the tablet for a lot of stuff. We have an old Chromebook as our sofa device, but as the tablet can handle multiple users it may get used for that too.
!BEER
I got the M10. It's a great little tablet. The only thing I have found slightly annoying is that Lenovo animation when you power it on and that's not really a detriment!
Cool. I tend to leave it powered on. My Motorola phone has a startup animation that also has audio. I found out how to at least make it silent as it was just annoying.
Yeah, i don't think I could cope if it was accompanied by noise. I haven't had and issues with it so far. I for one of those cases that are stands as well. Top stuff!
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STOPLenovo Tab M10 seems like a good choice at the price you paid and hope you are liking the UI.
It's fairly standard Android and so easy to get on with.