otc
Stylish Dinosaur
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2008
- Messages
- 24,451
- Reaction score
- 19,024
I have a surface pro x which fits the bill as travel computer AND media player AND handheld device for reading full-page PDF documents like court filings.
But my wife hates to bring her macbook air when she travels unless she truly needs a computer (doesn't help that she had it stolen twice at work events at her old job...).
8" or 10" Tablet gives you a nice screen to consume media on while in transit and unlike a laptop you don't have to put it away for takeoff/landing. The ipad is also functional enough that it can be useful for many as an alternative to a full computer while still granting more comfortable screen real estate than a phone. Better experience while reading the news for breakfast, etc. Especially because both my wife and I still prefer tiny phones (13 minis).
There are also a lot of neat ipad apps out there for things like photo work, making music, etc. Not enough to justify the price just to goof around, but android has nothing really comparable.
I'm a fan of the watch though. Unlike the iPad, watch pricing is pretty reasonable IMHO. Between the various models and huge supply of refurbs that promise still-decent battery, you can get serviceable watches for very little depending on which features you desire. Ignoring the "Ultra" you can get the current brand new model discounted to $329 today from multiple retailers and you can step down to the SE or previous generations for even less (including sub-$100 options).
I get a fair amount of use out of some mixture of the notifications, the GPS activity tracking, certain apps (particularly the 2-factor authenticator we use at work), the HR monitor, etc.
But my wife hates to bring her macbook air when she travels unless she truly needs a computer (doesn't help that she had it stolen twice at work events at her old job...).
8" or 10" Tablet gives you a nice screen to consume media on while in transit and unlike a laptop you don't have to put it away for takeoff/landing. The ipad is also functional enough that it can be useful for many as an alternative to a full computer while still granting more comfortable screen real estate than a phone. Better experience while reading the news for breakfast, etc. Especially because both my wife and I still prefer tiny phones (13 minis).
There are also a lot of neat ipad apps out there for things like photo work, making music, etc. Not enough to justify the price just to goof around, but android has nothing really comparable.
I'm a fan of the watch though. Unlike the iPad, watch pricing is pretty reasonable IMHO. Between the various models and huge supply of refurbs that promise still-decent battery, you can get serviceable watches for very little depending on which features you desire. Ignoring the "Ultra" you can get the current brand new model discounted to $329 today from multiple retailers and you can step down to the SE or previous generations for even less (including sub-$100 options).
I get a fair amount of use out of some mixture of the notifications, the GPS activity tracking, certain apps (particularly the 2-factor authenticator we use at work), the HR monitor, etc.