I've been toying with the idea of getting an Android tablet for a while, and woot has a good deal[1] on one. What are general thoughts on tablets?

1. http://www.woot.com/

[ Edit: screw $800 for a 3G tablet (Xoom) - not worth it ]

There's a very good reason that thing is selling so cheap. It's because it is crap. It isn't even running Honeycomb, which is the android version for tablets.

To be honest, if you really want a tablet, get an iPad. If you passionately hate apple for whatever reason, then wait a year, because android is not ready to compete with the iPad just yet. There's only a handful of apps designed for tablets on android, and the UI still needs some significant tweaking. Not to mention the iPad battery life just stomped everything else.

Personally, I think they're just more 'fun' than practical...

I'm not saying that tablets don't have their uses though. I'ld love to have a tablet for my art stuff. Sketching & painting then scanning sucks. Never know how it's going to look once it's on the computer. Doing that stuff with a mouse never has the same 'feel' to it. If you do a lot of online reading (that's online as in plugged in. Digital. Not necessarily the interwebs but it is included...) it's good. Short bouts of typing are alright, however I prefer an actual keyboard if I'm going to be typing anything more than a paragraph. Touchscreen keys just feel lifeless to me.

In short, if you want an expensive toy, go for it. I wouldn't mind having one. But I'ld be getting a better computer or a decent laptop before I'ld even consider it.

It's not a replacement for a computer. It's something that is more mobile than a laptop. I use mine on the couch, I take it to meetings, I watch Netflix on the exercise bike, entertain myself on long trips and family get togethers, share photos with family, etc. Now, could a laptop do all of that? Yes, but I wouldn't. Because the laptop is far bulkier, has less battery life, isn't usable by my great grandmother, doesn't really fit on my bike, and is frankly slower for some purposes. (Loading iPhoto alone takes longer on my MacBook than it does to load, select an event, and start a slideshow on my iPad)

Yesterday, I went down to my local vzw with my girlfriend to buy her a Thunderbolt (DON'T get one) and while she was getting set up, I had the opportunity to tinker with a xoom and an ifad.

The xoom actually really disappointed me. Now I don't know if this was because it was a display model or what, but for having the tegra 2 processor, and all that memory it does, it was still laggy. If I paid full price for one of those suckers I would be wicked pissed to have the thing lag on me like it does. I am thinking either motorola can't get their **** together when it comes to lag and android (all of their phones + new videos of the bionic and atrix) or the tegra 2 processor is just overrated marketing hype.

I've always said though that I would rather have an android tablet any day over an ifad. Android is much closer to actual laptop usability, as where the latter is more hey look at how chic I am with my giant iphone.

The whole point of a tablet is that it doesn't "feel" like a laptop when you use it

Also Wolfy that tablet is fine if you root it and throw on a ROM from XDA, but if you're not into that I would honestly also recommend an iPad

If I am gonna pay $500+ I at least want file exploring.

This. The couple people I know with an Ipad complain all the time.

File exploring is nice, definitely, but I use dropbox for everything anyway, which renders it mostly irrelevant. In addition, file exploration is irrelevant when you have nothing to open those files with. Even Docs to Go looks horrid on a tablet.

But you know what else? I'm not making tons of documents on this thing in the first place. Why do I need file exploration when I don't have any files to explore? I have Dropbox and I have a SMB filesharing app. It's all I need, and it'll be complemented by Cydia when it is available.

Also, the speed of the Xoom isn't Motorola's fault. It's a combination of Android and Tegra's. The iPad 2 is actually faster than it, and it's cheaper. So you have slower hardware combined with unoptimized software.

What do you use for instant messaging, Mr. Matty?

Trillian? Or were you asking to IM me? In which case, Mattatrr on AIM

Er, yes, I meant what you use on the iPad.

I'm actually considering the HP Touchpad this summer. There aren't as many apps, sure, but webOS is a homebrew wetdream. And the UI (cards/stacks, Just Type searching) pretty much blows away every other mobile OS out there. And to top it off, Palm/HP is one of the few companies that seems to be able to rival Apple in terms of industrial design.

Also if you want an Android tablet, consider rooting a color Nook.

Emon: the Touchpad looked nice indeed, but a lot of the developments happening in the company as far as developer relations... It is getting ugly. They're breaking promises left and right, getting information is like pulling teeth, etc. I mean, seriously, up until a couple weeks ago, the SDK for WebOS 2.0 was still under NDA! For something that was released with the Pre 2 last year!

Well that's balls

I took the plunge on woot's tablet. The general public consensus seemed to be in line with Pommy's statement.