laptop / netbook / tablet suggestion

March 12, 2014 8:16 PM

travelling out of town in 3 weeks, want to bring something with me. i'm cheap and i'm not looking for miracles.

requirements are minimal (i think) - i want to watch some streaming video*, browse the internet, and play some games.

i'm a long-time Android user, so if we lean towards a tablet i'd like to stick with that since i already have a library of games.

if we go the laptop / netbook route, i'd like to play some Steam games that do not push the hardware like FTL, Puzzle Quest, and Papers, Please.

I'd prefer to spend $300 or less, but could probably be talked into $400. HELP!

*yes porn you perverts

posted by radiosilents to Technology (10 answers total)

Sounds like a Nexus 7 would do the trick. I have a 1st gen one and like it, but the current 2nd gen version is even better. Roughly $225-250, or under $200 for a refurb.

If you need keyboard input ability, you could add a Bluetooth keyboard.

Netbooks have generally fallen out of fashion. (I have one of those, too, and it's ... adequate. But it runs Windows, if you'd prefer that.)

But honestly, based on your needs/wants, look at the Nexus 7.
posted by pmurray63 at 8:28 PM on March 12, 2014

I also rec the Nexus 7, which I have and use pretty much as you describe. They're surprisingly cheap, and they're a lot more durable than you'd expect.

If you're going to be doing a lot of emailing or anything, you might want to shell out for a bluetooth keyboard, but tbh I find that the stock keyboard/swype/swiftkey (depending on my mood) works just great for short and medium stuff. I wouldn't write a novel on it, but I write Mefi comments on it all the time.
posted by MeghanC at 8:47 PM on March 12, 2014

A 7" Kindle Fire HDX would fit your bill nicely.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:37 PM on March 12, 2014

If you're willing to go $300 - $400, you can get to a 10" tablet, which is double the size of a 7" tablet. Once you decide which tablet you want, then narrow it to selecting which one. I have a 1st gen Nexus 7 that I really like, but portability and price were my primary issues.

I think you'd actually do better with 10" of tablet. The Nexus 10 is a great tablet for $399.
posted by cnc at 10:09 PM on March 12, 2014

I picked up this tablet for $139 at Radio Shack last summer. They now have similar weird brand 10" ones for little money. I watch Netflix, read, browse the web and play lots and lots of Android games. The only difference I can find between my tablet and my partner's much more expensive one is that the battery life on mine is dreadful. I generally use it plugged in.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:56 AM on March 13, 2014

Go for a Nexus 7. Anything else under $300 is a compromise. At a dollar under $400 - the ipad mini retina just clinches the Nexus for me on screen size and availability of apps, but the Nexus is perhaps a sweeter machine for travelling and you could get a 32gb one for cheaper than the price of a 16gb ipad mini retina.
posted by 0bvious at 5:07 AM on March 13, 2014

As much as I love the iPad mini with retina display, the price difference between it and the Nexus 7 is enough to make you realise why Apple keep posting healthy profits.

Get a Nexus 7. It isn't quite as good, but you get a lot more bang for your buck.
posted by mr_silver at 10:56 AM on March 13, 2014

If you really want to cheap out and you're comfortable doing a simple install of the stock Android OS, the Nook HD+ is 8.9", has a great 1920x1280 screen, and it's less than $200. Installing Android is really easy because the nook has a micro-SD slot, so you just boot from there, install, and you're good to go. These guys will even sell you the SD card or their ROM, if you want to keep things super simple. The stock Nook OS kind of sucks, but with Android installed, the tablet is a great bargain.
posted by dialetheia at 1:29 PM on March 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

The Nexus 7 is definitely a good idea. If you're especially cheap, I'd recommend the Asus MeMoPad 7, which is similar (insofar as it's basically the last-version Nexus), but way cheaper, and really well reviewed for it's price-performance ratio.
posted by General Malaise at 7:21 PM on March 13, 2014

I fifteenth or whatever the Nexus 7. I used to have a first gen. A really, really nice little tablet, especially combined with a Bluetooth keyboard.

I now have a Samsung Note 10.1. Also very nice, but more expensive.

I think you'll love the Nexus 7.
posted by lhauser at 10:14 PM on March 14, 2014