Tablet aspect ratio - 16:10 vs 4:3?

[fox]

Following a discussion with Jason at PLUG MUG last night, I looked for articles on this question and found one (here that directly addresses the question I posed. By way of background, iPads are all 4:3, Samsung makes tablets in both aspects but their more expensive ones are 4:3, and phones tend to be closer to 16.10 (most are 16:9). The article suggests that neither ratio is better than the other; which works better depends upon what you are reading on the tablet. The article notes that 4:3 is generally superior for reading magazines and websites (exception: comic books), and that 16:10 is better for watching videos, which are generally formatted 16:9. In my case, I use my tablet mostly for reading magazines, so the 4:3 ratio of my current iPad mini 2 is probably what I should stick with. I am looking at upgrading and moving to an Android tablet and had been considering two mid-range tablets: an LG Gpad III 8.0 and an Asus Z580C. Both are high res and both get good ratings from reviewers and users. The LG is 16:10 and the Asus is 4:3.

[Jason]

Interesting that the LG has a black-and-white mode (easier on the eyes, I think), a full-sized USB port (good for plugging in flash drives) and Android Marshmellow, the second most recent OS release. The Asus has Lollipop, and older release, assuming this is the right model, not sure if it is or not, the model number is slightly different in the extra letters after. I agree now looking at the 4:3 factor is probably better though I don't think it's a huge difference. The resolution on the Asus is better but at only 8" I really doubt you'd notice the difference between it and the LG model.

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-Zenpad-Z580C-B1-BK-inches-Tablet/dp/B011TVF5QC

Also, if that's the same model you're looking at it, it doesn't have LTE whereas the LG model does. This is the link for the LG G Pad III from the LG site:

http://www.lg.com/ca_en/tablet/lg-LGV522

You may not need LTE if you don't plan on using data but it's handy to have the option. Of course, you could just sync it with your phone and use the data plan on it.

Darn it, now I want a better tablet

[bobf]

OF COURSE YOU DO! <^8# You still have a pulse, don't you?! <^8#

And naturally, being old-school, my go-to monitors are all 4:3. And as an aside, this helps greatly since the release of the latest two upgrades to Avast! anti-virus; on my netbooks, I have to use an external monitor to get to the Settings button to check update status - a royal PITA, I might add! <^8#

[fox]

Jason, you have the correct models. And I agree with you that the difference in resolution between them shouldn't be a factor - both are very high res. As for the LTE, that isn't a factor for me, as I can always sync it to my phone if I need a cellular connection. My iPad mini 2 doesn't have cellular either. Our original iPad (iPad 2) does have it; we were paying $10/month for a pitiful amount of data and I ended up canceling the plan because it wasn't worth even that small amount of money. The LTE of the LG tablet is linked to Rogers/Fido, which I don't use anyway. (Though I could pay to unlock it.)

I still haven't made up my mind whether to even buy one of those two tablets. The glass repair on my iPad mini should be ready today, and I'm going to try to change some settings first to see if I can make the graphics transitions smoother. The most annoying one is closing apps by flicking up their windows and this in particular is annoyingly choppy. The mini 2 is pretty low spec in comparison with the other two newer tablets (dual core 1.3 ghz A7, 1 GB RAM, released in 2013), but of course Apple tweaks things so that they tend to work better. This tablet was as smooth as butter until it was updated to iOS 10. I don't see it getting any better when a newer OS comes out, and now that I'm 100% Linux, I no longer need the Apple ecosystem anymore.

[Jason]

And naturally, being old-school, my go-to monitors are all 4:3. And as an aside, this helps greatly since the release of the latest two upgrades to Avast! anti-virus; on my netbooks, I have to use an external monitor to get to the Settings button to check update status - a royal PITA, I might add! <^8#

Is the window too big or awkwardly placed to fit on the screen? If so, holding down the ALT key while clicking and dragging on any part of the window should work or maybe that's just a Linux thing?

[fox]

FYI, the LG model is available from Banana Repair Services (George St.) for $210, though the status of this is unclear. They are either new or refurb, and they seem to get them in some way that is different from those you can buy at Bestbuy. For this reason, I think they only come with a short warranty (14-30 days)? I was in a hurry yesterday picking up my iPad mini and I didn't have time to ask them about the details, but they had several in stock and they are definitely not used. Incidentally, I was able to change a few settings on my mini to make it respond more fluidly, so I'm still not sure whether I'll sell it and buy one of the two aforementioned Android tablets or just stick with what I have. It wouldn't cost me much, if anything, either way because the used value of my iPad mini model is close to the new price of the other two.

[Jason]

Thanks for telling me about their LGs. I still haven't finished paying for this tablet yet so can't really justify it yet.

[fox]

Can you text on an Android tablet without cellular access? I can on the iPad, but I think that's because I have an Apple phone and an iCloud account. Not that I do it much, but I do see sent and received texts on the iPad and that can be useful. Also, I looked into the Fido deal on the LG pad; you get one for $50 if you sign up for 2 years of a data plan for $15/mo for 3 gb. Probably a great deal if you actually need data on a tablet, but I don't really. I hardly use data on my phone because I'm connected by wifi at home and school; I can make 1 GB of prepaid data last 6 months or more.

[Jason]

That is a good price. When my tablet is paid for I might look into it. Thanks.

Can you text on an Android tablet without cellular access?

I don't know really. Unless you use an app for texting beyond what it comes with (and that app uses data over wifi), I can't see how you would be able to. Texts are transmitted using cellphone towers. If you lost your phone signal for whatever reason, you couldn't send a text over wifi either. I assume Apple is using iMessage (or something else with an 'i' in front of it) that is probably an app that can use wifi or the cell network (if it has that ability) and sends texts over it. There are some android apps that do the same. Bill has one but I can't remember the name of it.

[ssfc72]

TextPlus is a free Android app that will do texting using wifi. You get to chose a phone number, for use with Textplus.  TextPlus can also do voice calls but you have to buy credit for doing voice calls, with TextPlus.

[Jason]

Thanks, Bill. I'm guessing the Apple texting system must work similarly if it works with Wifi as Mike is saying.

[fox]

I think that one can also use "whatsapp" to text on their Android tablet from wifi; at least that's what is implied here.

[fox]

I bought the LG 16:10 tablet yesterday at Bestbuy, but just to try it out. I have 14 days to decide to keep or return it. Although my usage pattern favours a 4:3 aspect, 16:10 does have an advantage I hadn't thought of: you can easily hold it in one hand across the middle. (You can hold a 4:3 8" tablet with one hand too, but by balancing it from the bottom, which is requires more effort.) Aside from it having LTE capability, the LG has two other potential software advantages. The first, as Jason noted previously, is that is can go to black and white (with the push of a button), which might make it easier for reading, especially at night. The second is that LG includes software that can link the tablet to your phone, which apparently allows you to receive and send text messages as though they were from your phone. I'm not sure if it works with an iPhone or only with an Android phone, but if it works with an iPhone, it negates one of the biggest advantages of owning an iPad. So we'll see how it goes.

Regarding the LG Gpad at Banana Repair, the tablets come from a factory but are classified as used as far as warranty goes, so you only get a two week warranty. However, their tablets are unlocked, so at least you can put any SIM you want in them. I don't think the ~$30 saving and the unlocked phone is a good trade-off against a one year warranty, but others might feel differently.

[fox]

The "QPair" software on the LG tablet doesn't work with an iPhone, but it probably does with any Android phone that has the QPair software on it.

[bobf]

No, Jason, the window is too large, and ALT is likely a Linux thing; it does not work in Win7. Only when I increase res beyond 1024x600 do I get to the Settings button at the bottom... Manageable, but it puts off any user who actually likes to check to see if a) it's been properly updated, and b) if the program itself needs upgrading... One of the default settings turns off the program upgrade notification...?! It can be toggled, but then, I always know before it can flag it anyway...