Guest fantapantsss Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 i've been thinking of buying a tablet for when i go into sixth form next year, something more portable than my heavy laptop. i looked at the acer iconia tab at first but then came across the advent vega. since i'm a tablet newbie i need some help from those who know more about tablets than me. i'm looking for a tablet that will be good for writing essays and doing presentations. the advent vega seems to fit exactly what i need (with the easy to use built in keyboard and the usb port so i can transfer my work onto usb for printing) and it has an amazing price compared to other tablets on the market now. if you have/had one would you recommend it for what i need? or is there a better tablet out there for my needs with a good price too? (i do live in the UK and i don't want to buy offliine, so if you suggest a tablet please make sure it's available in the UK first) thanks :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stirkac Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 i've been thinking of buying a tablet for when i go into sixth form next year, something more portable than my heavy laptop. i looked at the acer iconia tab at first but then came across the advent vega. since i'm a tablet newbie i need some help from those who know more about tablets than me. i'm looking for a tablet that will be good for writing essays and doing presentations. the advent vega seems to fit exactly what i need (with the easy to use built in keyboard and the usb port so i can transfer my work onto usb for printing) and it has an amazing price compared to other tablets on the market now. if you have/had one would you recommend it for what i need? or is there a better tablet out there for my needs with a good price too? (i do live in the UK and i don't want to buy offliine, so if you suggest a tablet please make sure it's available in the UK first) thanks :P +1 but i need one in EU(slovenia) thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mxbob Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 there is certainly nothing better tablet wisefor your needs out there for the price however i wouldnt want to write an essay on one (or any tablet for that matter) i just dont think onscreen keyboards are up to it yet you could attach a usb keyboard but be aware you will have to carry that around with you as well (meanign you wouldnt end up carry much less than a laptop anyway i think it would be a great little machine for doing presentations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fantapantsss Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 there is certainly nothing better tablet wisefor your needs out there for the price however i wouldnt want to write an essay on one (or any tablet for that matter) i just dont think onscreen keyboards are up to it yet you could attach a usb keyboard but be aware you will have to carry that around with you as well (meanign you wouldnt end up carry much less than a laptop anyway i think it would be a great little machine for doing presentations thanks for the advice :P i was thinking of getting a small portable keyboard if i needed to, but it depends on how i feel about the built in one first:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CoWPlagued Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 There are a few posts here with similar questions, and it's also worth reading through a few reviews. The main "issue" with the Vega is that to get the most out of it you need to install a custom build (like Corvus5), which although some people find simple others may proffer a device with a better "out of the box" experience. from a price perspective though (and as a student price is normally the most important factor) I don't think you can come close to it's feature set with any other device. Typing on a tablet isn't exactly fun, but you can do it. You also have to consider the advantage of buying from a high-street store over on-line purchases, it's easier to return, or buy a replacement should something happen. Having a "cheap" tablet is also going to help in the event you or a friend does sit on it. So the bottom line from me, is it's definitely not the best tablet out there for working on, but it's the best tablet in it's price bracket by a fair margin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fantapantsss Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 There are a few posts here with similar questions, and it's also worth reading through a few reviews. The main "issue" with the Vega is that to get the most out of it you need to install a custom build (like Corvus5), which although some people find simple others may proffer a device with a better "out of the box" experience. from a price perspective though (and as a student price is normally the most important factor) I don't think you can come close to it's feature set with any other device. Typing on a tablet isn't exactly fun, but you can do it. You also have to consider the advantage of buying from a high-street store over on-line purchases, it's easier to return, or buy a replacement should something happen. Having a "cheap" tablet is also going to help in the event you or a friend does sit on it. So the bottom line from me, is it's definitely not the best tablet out there for working on, but it's the best tablet in it's price bracket by a fair margin. thank you for the advice :P what is corvus5 and how does it improve the quality of the vega? i wouldn't mind installing things so the tablet is better for me to use so i'm not bothered over the 'out of the box' thing but i would like to be in the know of what i'm doing :rolleyes: i have looked at the my local technology stores and they have a few tablets on sale in store but all tablets will have their flaws as will anything. i've seen a few online for a good price and exactly what i'd like but then there's the factor of sending back if anything goes wrong :\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest everett_psycho Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 If you can afford an acer iconia, have you considered the asus transformer? It's meant to be one of the better tablets and comes with a detatchable keyboard you can use and office software installed and the keyboard doubles the battery life to 16 hours. I love my vega but wouldn't want to write a lot on it. Corvus5 is a custom rom, it replaces the stock android os but makes it faster and gives you access to the google Apps and most importantly the market. It's meant to be the best one but I'm using the standard modaco one, it's easy enough to install and I'll probably upgrade to vegacomb once a few more kinks have been ironed out. It is a must though, android without the market is pretty awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fantapantsss Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 If you can afford an acer iconia, have you considered the asus transformer? It's meant to be one of the better tablets and comes with a detatchable keyboard you can use and office software installed and the keyboard doubles the battery life to 16 hours. I love my vega but wouldn't want to write a lot on it. Corvus5 is a custom rom, it replaces the stock android os but makes it faster and gives you access to the google Apps and most importantly the market. It's meant to be the best one but I'm using the standard modaco one, it's easy enough to install and I'll probably upgrade to vegacomb once a few more kinks have been ironed out. It is a must though, android without the market is pretty awful. it doesn't sound too great by all of this, i did look at that tablet but it just seems that if the keyboard is needed all of the time then it may be easier to just buy a notebook? i'm not sure anymore haha, it doesn't really matter too much about the price but i was planning on taking this to and from school with me and i wouldn't want to have the worry of something really expensive being ruined (200 is still a hell of a lot for me but if i bought a tablet for double that i would be too worried to even take it out!) if i installed all of this software to use google apps and android market would it be overall better to use? and are they easy to install because i don't want to mess around with it too much :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gdwhitehouse Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 (edited) Just a quick point, the Asus Transformer has the same on-screen keyboard as all other Android tablets, you don't *have* to have the keyboard, but is is an option for when there is more typing to do - however, that's about £429 for the pair. The Vega is great value for money for a tablet, but I would say that if you need to type, and print, and edit and stuff like that, you'd be better off with a netbook of some form if size/weight is the issue. I would have said the Vega is great for media consumption, but for creating stuff, not so hot (well, that is probably true of a majority of tablets). For me, carrying about a keyboard to alleviate the issue defeats the object a little. For example, when I head off on a train for London, if I have stuff to write, I take my laptop, if I'm going to browse, watch a film and surf, I take the Vega. Oh, and if you don't really want to 'geek out' and put ROMs and stuff on, then no, this is not for you. G Edited May 23, 2011 by gdwhitehouse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Yogimax Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 (edited) if i installed all of this software to use google apps and android market would it be overall better to use? and are they easy to install because i don't want to mess around with it too much :P Oh yes!! And if you are on this forum and posing / answering intelligent questions, upgrading the Vega is definitely not beyond you. Out of the box the Vega is initially limited - once you have (very easily, and with lots of help here) installed a new ROM you will not believe the difference. The only rule here is - "your friend is search" - most questions have been answered and have automated walkthroughs e.g. the AUDI or other threads for connecting properly to a PC. Outside this, there are plenty of experts who have helped me unstingingly and nearly immediately! Enjoy the community!! Edited May 23, 2011 by Yogimax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fantapantsss Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 Just a quick point, the Asus Transformer has the same on-screen keyboard as all other Android tablets, you don't *have* to have the keyboard, but is is an option for when there is more typing to do - however, that's about £429 for the pair. The Vega is great value for money for a tablet, but I would say that if you need to type, and print, and edit and stuff like that, you'd be better off with a netbook of some form if size/weight is the issue. I would have said the Vega is great for media consumption, but for creating stuff, not so hot (well, that is probably true of a majority of tablets). For me, carrying about a keyboard to alleviate the issue defeats the object a little. For example, when I head off on a train for London, if I have stuff to write, I take my laptop, if I'm going to browse, watch a film and surf, I take the Vega. Oh, and if you don't really want to 'geek out' and put ROMs and stuff on, then no, this is not for you. G i still have a laptop thar would be used at home but i wouldn't dream of taking it antwhere, it's a very heavy laptop in comparrisson to others for some reason, even though it's new, and the carrier case i have for it also adds weight. i have definitely considered a netbook or notebook but 2 of my friends got them for christmas and i use them from time to time and i've found them to be quite slow and thet're relatively new (about 6 months) so i think they'd be a bad option for an impatient person haha. I think since i still have my laptop typing won't be an issye until that gives in, thanks fir the help :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fantapantsss Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 Oh yes!! And if you are on this forum and posing / answering intelligent questions, upgrading the Vega is definitely not beyond you. Out of the box the Vega is initially limited - once you have (very easily, and with lots of help here) installed a new ROM you will not believe the difference. The only rule here is - "your friend is search" - most questions have been answered and have automated walkthroughs e.g. the AUDI or other threads for connecting properly to a PC. Outside this, there are plenty of experts who have helped me unstingingly and nearly immediately! Enjoy the community!! this definitely makes it a lot easier knowing it wouldn't be a difficult process improving the quality of the vega! especialy knowing there's so much help on the net since i would have no idea what to do on my own xD thanks for the advice :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kryzop Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 this definitely makes it a lot easier knowing it wouldn't be a difficult process improving the quality of the vega! especialy knowing there's so much help on the net since i would have no idea what to do on my own xD thanks for the advice :P Hi well for me it depends of your budgeg and running cost I got the vega for 200 £and I am now running honeycomb so pretty much half the price of the big boys But if you have the money I would recommend the eepad transformer, for me the best hard / soft combo on the market... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fantapantsss Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 Hi well for me it depends of your budgeg and running cost I got the vega for 200 £and I am now running honeycomb so pretty much half the price of the big boys But if you have the money I would recommend the eepad transformer, for me the best hard / soft combo on the market... yeah i know that the more you pay the better the product will be, but since it's my first table i'm trying to stick low budget to see if tablets really are for me. And since i'm going to be carrying it around with me almost everywhere i'd rather not have to worry about it constantly :P i think in the future though a more expensive tablet will be best, i'm waiting for the release of the eee pad memo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mahousaru Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 i'm looking for a tablet that will be good for writing essays and doing presentations. Since you need it for writing essays I really recommend that you need a keyboard, and if you are going to carry a stand and keyboard around you might as well get the transformer as it will add another ~8 hrs of battery to your untethered productive day. My tablet is useful for doing reference stuff at work, or for minor updates to records, but writing anything over a couple of paragraphs then I need a keyboard. Not just for speed, but to save my arm and back. I can't imagine what it would be like to either bend over my tablet typing with 2 hands, or type even slower with one hand and feel my left arm start hurting trying to hold it at a good angle... I do have the stand, but that stays at home and it really is nice to type on with a keyboard. I really don't think that the eee pad memo will cut it for serious essay writing, well unless someone brings out a kick arse dictation app.... The slider maybe? Either that just carry a stand and decent keyboard with you :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Yogimax Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 My tablet is useful for doing reference stuff at work, or for minor updates to records, but writing anything over a couple of paragraphs then I need a keyboard. Not just for speed, but to save my arm and back. I can't imagine what it would be like to either bend over my tablet typing with 2 hands, or type even slower with one hand and feel my left arm start hurting trying to hold it at a good angle... I successfuly 2 thumb type with SwiftKey for tablets (the beta version) - it gives a split keyboard either side of the screen with the numbers etc floating in the centre. As a touch typist I can achieve about 1/3 my normal speed with it - probably about 15+ words a minute. Just a thought... However, I have been considering the transformer for a combination of the better screen, and the option of adding a keyboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mahousaru Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 I successfuly 2 thumb type with SwiftKey for tablets (the beta version) - it gives a split keyboard either side of the screen with the numbers etc floating in the centre. As a touch typist I can achieve about 1/3 my normal speed with it - probably about 15+ words a minute. Just a thought... However, I have been considering the transformer for a combination of the better screen, and the option of adding a keyboard I'll give SwiftKey a go, but so far I haven't found a touch screen device that I can happily type on at anywhere near 100% productivity. In terms of RSI, do you think that having the work load on just your thumbs is an issue? Also so you feel any strain on your forearms holding the screen at a nice angle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Yogimax Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 I'll give SwiftKey a go, but so far I haven't found a touch screen device that I can happily type on at anywhere near 100% productivity. In terms of RSI, do you think that having the work load on just your thumbs is an issue? Also so you feel any strain on your forearms holding the screen at a nice angle? I would tend to only squirt off quick emails/responses on the Vega - fairly accurately as SwiftKey does a quite good job at text prediction. If you were going to be longer than 2-3 minutes at any go, I would strongly recommend an external keyboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Yogimax Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 I would tend to only squirt off quick emails/responses on the Vega - fairly accurately as SwiftKey does a quite good job at text prediction. If you were going to be longer than 2-3 minutes at any go, I would strongly recommend an external keyboard. The SwiftKey tablet beta is restricted at the minute to registered beta testers - I have PMed the product lead to see if it could be opened out to this forum... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Yogimax Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 For newcomers - beep0666 has produced an excellent step-by-step guide to going from the Advent bought in Currys to having a fully Vegacombed and Market enabled monster!! He has a post on the forum about it, but this is the link straight to his blog Try http://www.hungrycodemonkey.com/blog/insta...mb-beta-part-1/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest beepo666 Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 (edited) Oh my word, I'm famous! :P Thank you for the shameless plug. The real credit in making the Vega useful goes to the guys that are producing the ROMs. For my opinion I'd say the Vega would be a good fit for you but you'd need Corvus, R8 or CM7 on it and a small keyboard. I quite fancy one of the roll up rubber jobbies. Edited May 24, 2011 by beepo666 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest everett_psycho Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 I'm using the swift key app I bought for my hero, it's good enough for now until I do the upgrade to vegacomb. if your in doubt try out the vega, for 430 quid you could get yourself a vega and if it doesn't work for your college stuff get a netbook as well. It's definitely nice having one, my laptop hasn't been used since I brought this thing home but all we do is surf the net and play games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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