Nexus 7/Keyboard or Asus TF300T or Asus Padfone - European

[Saras]

I'm aware that there are similar topics around. However, the requirements are a bit specific, so:

I've been vying my eyes at tablets for a while now and due to the fact that I've got quite a few backtracking trips planned the next year, and me not really wanting to log my 1grand desktop replacement laptop with a power brick designed to double as a blunt force weapon - I've decided to jump the gun and get some tablet/keyboard combo.

Now, even though I'm not bringing my laptop with me, I will need to stay connected and mostly productive. Skype/Email/A few documents/... et cetera and I'm sure as fuck not gonna do that on a touch screen. Thus the keyboard.

At first I was looking at the nexus 7 + keyboard combo. As it is the cheapest option. However, Once I started adding up the cost of a decent keyboard, a decent case and the 16gig model itself, I got up to ~400eur quite quickly. That's not exactly what I call a cheap alternative for a cheap product.

Especially once I considered that the Transformer TF300T/Dock/Simple case will net me around ~500eur. And for that, I get double the space, more connections, a lot more battery and chances are - better parts/build quality, as well. However, I'm not exactly sure about the bigger size.

Then I remembered the padfone+dock. I mean, at the moment I'm using a shitty entry level android (Galaxy ace1) and while the price difference is certainly noticeable (+250eur from the TF300T+dock), it's not noticeable enough to not offset the cost of a new phone in about half a years time. And while this option is the weakest one, it's not weak enough to make a difference to me (at least I don't think so, I just don't want it to feel sluggish, like my current phone does). it also seems like the most "universal" upgrade, albeit the most expensive.

So that about sums it up, I'm on the fence and I need some input. Which would you choose and why? The tf300t kind of seems like the best bet, but I'm not sold on the screen size. The 7 inch nexus seems like it'd be more usefull outside of the productivity suite, and the padfones 4.3 and 10.1 in one basically cover both the bases, but it's nearly double the price. However, I don't own a tablet, I've only fucked around with them for 20-30 seconds in a show room and these numbers don't really tell me what's it like to actually live with them.

Intended uses: Reading books, reading textbook .pdfs, email, gps, whatever android's equivalent of MS Office is, audiobooks, music, non-hd video playback(space is too much of an issue for 720p+, besides the screen is small as fuck. Also, sound quality is more important to me), some kind of light chess/cards app, ze internets.

Do note that I'll be buying the setup some time between late October/early December, so there's still plenty of time for extra research and input. Consider it to be my Christmas gift to myself, so I'm not gonna push it any longer than that, but if you have something better to suggest within that timeframe - I'm all ears.

[Southrop]

To be honest, i think your best option is the Transformer for what you want. The Nexus 7 is a great 7-inch tablet. I had a chance to go hands-on with it a while back, and I love it. Intend to buy my own when I have money again. The tablet itself is powerful and cheap, not to mention it's a nexus device, meaning OTA updates straight from Google. However, a lack of official peripherals does make it a pain if you need a keyboard or other stuff. If I recall correctly, currently the only official thing is a travel cover. Certainly not helpful for productivity. I don't know if it's just me, but a 7-inch screen was actually a lot smaller than I imagined when I got my hands on with it. If you're after productivity, I don't think 7-inch is really the way to go, especially if you have to use an on screen keyboard. However, the N7 is really powerful, light and a great tablet in general (just not so much for your exact needs).

My flatmate has a Transformer TF300T. It's obviously a lot heavier than the Nexus 7. However, it's a 10-inch tablet. I think the specs aren't as good as the Nexus 7, but it does come with a keyboard attachment. The tablet feels very solid and has a very good battery life which can be extended with the keyboard. Keyboard attachment makes the device very handy to use for things like documents and email, if my flatmate is anything to go by. He actually uses his tablet all the time instead of his laptop, though that's recently changed now that he has a desktop lol.

I haven't ever tried a Padfone, so I don't think I'm really qualified to judge it, but I think it's a great concept that applies to a slightly more niche market. I don't know about other people, but I personally like to keep my phone separate from other devices like a tablet and even my music player. I have always owned a separate device to play my music. In the past, I had an Archos 5 (one of the first android 'tablets' before the whole iPad/Tablet boom). A while ago, I replaced it with a Galaxy Player 5/Galaxy S WiFi 5.0.

[Saras]

To be honest, i think your best option is the Transformer for what you want. The Nexus 7 is a great 7-inch tablet. I had a chance to go hands-on with it a while back, and I love it. Intend to buy my own when I have money again. The tablet itself is powerful and cheap, not to mention it's a nexus device, meaning OTA updates straight from Google. However, a lack of official peripherals does make it a pain if you need a keyboard or other stuff. If I recall correctly, currently the only official thing is a travel cover. Certainly not helpful for productivity. I don't know if it's just me, but a 7-inch screen was actually a lot smaller than I imagined when I got my hands on with it. If you're after productivity, I don't think 7-inch is really the way to go, especially if you have to use an on screen keyboard. However, the N7 is really powerful, light and a great tablet in general (just not so much for your exact needs).

My flatmate has a Transformer TF300T. It's obviously a lot heavier than the Nexus 7. However, it's a 10-inch tablet. I think the specs aren't as good as the Nexus 7, but it does come with a keyboard attachment. The tablet feels very solid and has a very good battery life which can be extended with the keyboard. Keyboard attachment makes the device very handy to use for things like documents and email, if my flatmate is anything to go by. He actually uses his tablet all the time instead of his laptop, though that's recently changed now that he has a desktop lol.

I haven't ever tried a Padfone, so I don't think I'm really qualified to judge it, but I think it's a great concept that applies to a slightly more niche market. I don't know about other people, but I personally like to keep my phone separate from other devices like a tablet and even my music player. I have always owned a separate device to play my music. In the past, I had an Archos 5 (one of the first android 'tablets' before the whole iPad/Tablet boom). A while ago, I replaced it with a Galaxy Player 5/Galaxy S WiFi 5.0.

I believe the transformer has identical performance specs to the Nexus 7. From the CPU to the Screen resolution. And I've found plenty of supposedly supported third-party peripherals. However, I don't feel like paying the price that was asked.

Anyway, got an unexpected monkey wrench in my plans. By the looks of it, the Padfone 2 comes out in three weeks. Lol. Guess I'll have to shelve the issue for a bit. The leaked specs seem to show an improvement in the characteristics by quite a margin. If the price will still be within what I'm willing to pay, I'll get it, if not, I'll get the transformer.