▲ 1 points

Ask HN: Transformer Prime and Exhibit II or Streak 7

by EwanG·14y ago·2 comments·view on hn ↗

My "dilemma" is that I am looking for a solution that will provide communications in a lot of places and not just be dependent on WiFi. I have had several Android tablets and both versions of the iPad at one time or another (primarily setting them up for family), and up to now have relied on a PHS-300 and a USB WiMax stick for communications for the tablet, and an Optimus V on Virgin Mobile for phone/VOIP.

So I have two solutions I am considering in a couple of weeks when I get my XMas bonus. In both cases I am planning to use T-Mobile as the provider using their new $30/month plan for 5 gigs of 3G/4G data and 100 minutes of voice, and GrooveIP to do VOIP (which is what I have used on my current phone).

Solution A is to get a Samsung Exhibit II, set it up with WiFi tethering, and then get a Transformer Prime. This will require me to carry a bag with the Transformer, and means I may sometimes have to rely on the phone where it isn't convenient to lug the Prime. On the other hand, the quad-core Prime may eventually let me do things I can't do on a dual-core machine, and it is a 10+ inch screen which should make for easier reading.

Solution B is to get a Streak 7 4G model and a stereo bluetooth headset. This would mean I'd have the tablet with me all the time (I borrowed my wife's Kindle Fire and confirmed it fits in my pants pocket), although calls might be a bit inconvenient if I don't have the headset handy. That is a dual-core tablet, and at this time, I don't know of many things in the Android market that I would need more than that to do.

Solution A runs around $800-$900, while solution B runs around $500-$600. So is Solution A worth the extra $300-$400 and the occasional inconvenience? Anything you know about any of the mentioned devices I might want to be aware of?

Thanks in advance!

Just what is it you think you'll be doing that the prime will do better enough than others? That and I'm guessing the same argument regarding cameras can be applied here. The tablet you have WITH you is the tablet you'll use.

Why not just use the phone tether with a 7" tablet? Let the phone remain being a phone and the tablet be a tablet?

The Streak 7 has the 4G built in, and so it would be cheaper to go with a stereo Bluetooth headset ($60 - $70) than the Samsung phone (just under $200). I don't want a contract given how things are going in this space, and so that's actually one of the cheaper phones with 4G.

As for what the Prime might do better, I know that reading Manga scans is a little easier on a 10" screen (whole page at a time rather than a half page), and I presume that the 4 cores will make any editing or web browsing faster. But whether it will do it several hundred dollars faster is a big if in my mind. Ideally I'd get both, try them out for a week, and return the "loser". But that's a bit more than I can afford.