Back To School Technology Buyer's Guide
by Zach Throckmorton on August 4, 2011 8:55 PM ESTTablets and Ereaders
The last few years, and especially the last year, have seen an impressive diversification in the field of tablet computers and ereaders. While tablets can be used as ereaders, and some ereaders can be modified to be more tablet-like in functionality, the two markets remain largely distinct. Essentially, if you want to read ebooks and pdfs, and long battery life, you want an ereader. If you want an experience closer to using a computer—browsing the web, watching videos, listening to music—you want a tablet. Many tablets also come with note-taking software so with the addition of a stylus, they can be used as notetaking devices.
Tablets
The tablet everyone knows about is Apple's iPad, now on its second generation. Anand, Brian, and Vivek reviewed the iPad 2 a few months ago. While there are many non-Apple, non-iOS alternatives to the iPad, I think the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer has risen to the top of the field with its combination of features and pricing. Anand thoroughly reviewed it in April and then re-visited it, with the Android 3.1 OS installed, at the end of May. Comparing the iPad 2 with the Eee Pad, the Eee Pad has a slightly physically larger screen with a higher resolution, is slightly physically larger and heavier, and has twice as much memory. Both the Eee Pad and iPad 2 come with 16GB of internal storage. However, the Eee PC also has a microSD card slot. The iPad 2's screen is generally considered to be better, as Anand detailed in his review of the Eee Pad. The iPad 2 also lasts longer on battery, though both easily provide a full day's use on a single charge. The base model Eee PC is $100 less than the base model iPad 2.
Without wading too deeply into the Android vs. iOS debate, I will simply state that both operating systems have legions of fans, and both have their advantages and disadvantages. Suffice it to say that one is not vastly superior to the other. It really comes down to personal preference—so try them both out before making a decision. However, the iOS does have one advantage particularly relevant to college students—there are far more educational apps available for the iPad through the iTunes App Store than there are for the Eee Pad through the Android Market. Furthermore, from my evaluations limited to general biology, anatomy, zoology, and genetics apps, the iOS education apps are generally superior to the Android apps.
Ereaders
Unfortunately, as nifty as the iPad 2 and Eee Pad are, they're also somewhat expensive at $500 and $400, respectively—for the cheapest models. Ereaders offer the ability to read documents on the go, and are far less expensive. They're also physically smaller, lighter, and last much, much longer on a single battery charge. Of course, they also have much reduced functionality compared to tablets.
The two most popular ereaders are Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook. The Kindle is available in three flavors: Kindle WiFi, Kindle 3G + WiFi, and the Kindle DX. The only difference between the WiFi and 3G + WiFi models is that the 3G + WiFi model can access Amazon's WhisperNet 3G service so you can download reading material and access web-based content without having to connect to a wireless router. The 3G service is very widely available (for example, it works in rural Siberia), and reasonably speedy. The web features are considered limited, experimental, and subject to change, but for now, you can use a Kindle to check your web-based email account, as well as use Twitter, and read Wikipedia to your heart's content.
The Nook is available as a standard and Color version. The standard Nook is a direct competitor to the Kindle WiFi, and both cost $139. Having used both the Kindle WiFi and Nook, my recommendation is simple: go to a store and try them both out yourself! The Nook Color, on the other hand, is very different from all of the Kindles. It is essentially a touchscreen tablet that runs Android underneath Barnes & Noble's proprietary surface. Therefore, it can be hacked to run just Android. The Nook Color's hardware is not as capable as what is found in, say, the iPad 2 or Eee Pad, but it runs many Android apps acceptably well.
Next up, we take a look (or rather, give a listen) to portable media players, headphones, and computer speaker systems.
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rageguy34 - Thursday, August 4, 2011 - link
I'm surprised that you would even mention USB keys given how easy they are to lose or an external hard drive seeing as how they can also get lost or have a mechanical failure. Every student should use dropbox or another alternative if not only for cloud storage but for the version history on document saves as wellbrshoemak - Thursday, August 4, 2011 - link
Losing a USB key is not the fault of the hardware. External drives, like anything else can fail. I agree that Dropbox (or like services) should be a part of a student storage plan but other methods of data redundancy are fine. Keep in mind there are times where you need to go to campus computer labs to print certain specialized documents or need color laser prints, most students aren't rocking color lasers in their dorm rooms. Those lab PC's are locked down so you have no way to install Dropbox to get your files - a flash drive is required in those instances, so they can't be totally discounted.zshift - Friday, August 5, 2011 - link
Dropbox has a web interface. I haven't used a flash drive since I created my Dropbox account, and it provides multiple points of backup if you use it on multiple computers. For a student, the spacing limitations shouldn't be too much trouble, especially since referrals net the user extra space. Last I checked, docs, presentations, spreadsheets, and even a few songs or pics here and there don't fill up my Dropbox. I have 2 years worth of material on there, accessible from anywhere I can get an internet connection. Plus, I've lost every flash drive I've ever owned.Zoomer - Friday, August 5, 2011 - link
A flash drive is so much faster than mucking around with some web interface, particularly when the paper is due in -10 minutes.nickb64 - Friday, August 5, 2011 - link
I bought a 16GB USB Key last year because my school blocked the dropbox domain, and I got it on sale on Amazon for $20, which I felt was a pretty good deal, since it was only a dollar more than the 8GB model by the same company.I can access Amazon Cloud Storage from school, but it's a pain in the ass to keep it and Dropbox with the same files in case I need them. Having something in Dropbox is useless if I have to use it in a lab where I don't have access to the Dropbox site.
I just bought a 4-pack of 4GB USB keys because my old 2GB one was too small for my sister's needs, and I can keep various utilities on another in case I need to use them to help someone I know with a computer issue. Also, they were really cheap.
nafhan - Friday, August 5, 2011 - link
Different students are going to have different storage needs. Dropbox will be fine for Word Docs (and has other advantages, as you mentioned), but someone working with large media files will need at least a thumb drive or a mechanical hard drive to get enough space.Procurion - Monday, August 8, 2011 - link
Cloud....meh....I call it pie-in-the-sky. I choose to remain in control of my programs and my privacy, not relenquish it to an unknown group of for profit individuals. Anyone remember Wikileaks???? Nothing on the intenet is "safe".Nataku - Friday, August 5, 2011 - link
no offense, but cloud storage just isn't be all end all solutionthere are plenty of reasons, but to name just a few
- >1GB file download or USB transfer? USB is a hell a lot more faster
- firewall blockage + paranoid IT security will own you when u thought u could download ur powerpoint for the presentation happening in 5 min
- no internet connection --> hey my school kept printing stations off the net so u have to use USB drives
- entering ur username/password on a pub PC that may have keylogger and ur dropbox account having personal stuff, (self video of triple x stuff.. j/k lol)
StormyParis - Thursday, August 4, 2011 - link
As a student, I worked at the Computer Lab. That was back in 5"1/4 floppies day, but the broad 50% of people coming in about lost/corrupted/destroyed data or equipment has stayed about the same.So please kids, do backups. And remember, backups are
- offline, so a virus (or a pissed ex) that wipes your stuff can't get to your backups.
- offsite, so the thief that empties your dorm room nor the idiot that drowns it can get to it
- several, because of murphy's law: your backup will go bad the day your laptop gets stolen.
- tested, because quite often you think you're backuping stuff only to realize that your app does not pout its docs in the user directory.
Also, buy cheap stuff. I know youngsters always need ego-boosters, and branded overskill tech stuff is a nice personnality crutch. Keep in ming though, that it's a waste of money, it's likelier to get stolen, it makes it worse when it's stolen / damaged... and, really, you should try being what you do, not what you own.
techhhhhhy - Thursday, August 4, 2011 - link
I'm sorry, but this was clearly written by someone who doesn't go to college and doesn't know what's right for a campus.There is no way, 0 chance that you can use a desktop on a college campus / dorm. Does it work? Yes but it is absolutely retarded idea.
I could have made this article in 1 page. Get a 15" or less laptop, 13" is ideal. Portability is key in college. If you can afford it get a Macbook because this is what 75% of your classmates will have.