Rete

I'm more than a bit confused as the tech world has by passed this old broad who stopped dabbling in electronic know-how when she married a geek who knows everything and cannot discuss without yelling "I'm been in this business for xxxxx years"

I am looking to buy him a super duper gift for his birthday in May and knowing he loves his computers, pc - laptop, I thought an ipad3 would be the way to go but then I looked into the other ereaders which have expanded to internet usage, movie streaming, etc.

If you had your choice, and wanted something that can access the web, downloads ebooks, plays games, etc., which would you choose?

cranston

Ipad gets my vote but a long distance.

Guindalf

If he's a geek as you say, he'll be disappointed with the Nook or the Fire and, unless he's a fanboy, he'll probably not be overly happy with the iPad.

My bet would be an Android Tablet. I have the Asus EeePad Transformer and it gives me the right amount of out-of-the-box playability plus room to tinker (I'm a 'geek' too!).

Jerseygirl

Hubby and daughter love their iPads...hubby takes it everywhere. I only use mine when I'm in the car because I don't care for the electronic keyboard. Sorry but I've no experience on the rest.

fatbrit

Transformer.

ChocolateBabz

I just got my ipad3 a couple of weeks ago and I love it. Hubby was dead set against me getting one as the dude has an ipad2 and "I could just use his while I sit at home all day" - but I wanted my own with my own music and apps. If you get him one get him the magnetic cover which is really handy. Have to admit I am a bit obsessed with it. I didn't bother with the 4G as I will use it mostly at home.

My hubby on the other hand says he wouldn't thank you for one. He is not in the least bit interested in spending any more time on a 'device' after a full day of laptop/email/cell phone. He doesn't facebook or tweet (his only concession is skyping his parents on a Sunday awwww....).

I also have a nook and hubby has a kindle. If he is a big reader/traveller he will like either one. I have a slight preference for the kindle having used both. It's great not having to lug books around with you but saying that you can download the nook and kindle software to your ipad and read from that (although it is a bit larger).

If you don't mind shelling out the $$$ I would go for the ipad - it's a great gadget! I even made my shopping list on it and walked around scoring things off last week.

HumphreyC

Wouldn't say I'm an Apple Fanboy and I was going to go down the Android route - then my wife got me an Ipad 2 and now I'm addicted to it. I think he would probably be happy with the Ipad 3 or the Asus mentioned as they are both great tablets. I'd go for the Ipad over the current Asus because of the retina screen.

Ah see, I like the Ipad because it doesn't feel like a work machine so it's great to use after being stuck on the desktop all day. A laptop is more powerful and can do more things but it feels like a work computer.

ChocolateBabz

I know - I have tried to convert him (subversively of course) showing him netflix, youtube videos, trying to get him to 'draw something' or chuck a bird at a pig but he is just not in to it. He thinks facebook is the downfall of civilization and we will all end up living in boxes with no outside contact with the 'real' world!

Now sit him down in front of his big ass Sony Aquos 3D in his darkened media room with a beer and a bar of fruit and nut and he is a happy man. I think he has tuned into a...a...a...GROWN UP

Rete

You've addressed several fears. He loves setting up files, d/l pix, watching videos and checking his e-mail and playing on pogo. He will not join facebook or any chatroom or uses the internet for anything but research on electronics, ebay and things of that nature.

So he can do that on the ipad 2 and 3. You can also accessorize with a keyboard to bypass the on-screen one. The ipad3 has an app for speak and it appears function. You can buy ebooks - not sure if that means you can share the books with another household ipad or not. It can take videos and pix. Great for use on the road trips he takes by car.

Have they conquered the overheating issue?

Weeze

What pc and laptop does he have? Does he use an iPod/iPhone?

You can usually tell if folk will like the iPad based on what they use already.

I love my iPad. But then I have an iPhone and a MacBook air as well. I would say it was very frustrating with iPad-pc updates before I had the Mac as I had to keep going to the apple store to get it updated. Apple make things a bit shi$$y with pc to apple products IMO.

Agree re. Fire/nook would be disappointing if he is a geek.

One big plus for me with apple was that my iPad smashed after 13 months (let's say no more about it, it wasn't me, there was no wall involved, I don't know what you mean). Anyway, even though it was clearly my fault, apple gave me a whole new iPad for a quarter of the retail price. Now that I think is pretty good they said that if it had been under a year old, they'd have done it for free.

Weeze

If you use the same apple id you can share all books/apps/music. That's what we do.

fatbrit

And if he doesn't use itunes, he'll be almost forced to install it to use an ipad fully.

AmerLisa

Bought my husband a Kindle Fire for Christmas, even though my Geeky Techie was a bit snobby about it, but hey it was in the budget over an iPad! But when bonus time swung around we decided to get an iPad and give the Kindle to our daughter (something we talked about at Christmas) My husband actually was very happy with the Kindle and is equally happy with the iPad. To me the iPad would win because its bigger and its more user friendly, but the Kindle is pretty good for the price as well.

Weeze

Good point.

fatbrit

Any any self-respecting geek classifies itunes as malware.