Hello Jason, On Fri, 2014-02-21 at 10:51 +1100, Jason White wrote:
I want to choose a tablet, mostly for use by family members - although I'll probably end up running applications on it myself to some extent. I'll undoubtedly be the "technical support" for it.
What I have in mind:
A 10/10.1" tablet - size is negotiable to some degree.
Reliable, long-lasting hardware, i.e., not low-quality components from a company that expects you to buy a replacement within several years.
Ability to take a data SIM card, without requiring it, i.e., it will run from a local wireless LAN whether or not there's a SIM card installed, but we can buy a card for it if desired. LTE isn't essential but would be desirable for the sake of low-latency and high speed. Apparently, at least in other parts of the world, LTE is great for VoIP applications and it would be desirable to support these if Australian networks reach the point of being suitable in the coming years. I've heard very good reports about network latency on LTE connections in North America, for example.
Reads like worth looking at the Cyanogenmod supported list as a first step. As to connectivity, there are battery powered wifi 3G/NextG/LTE modems that some people use. The plans tend to be a bit expensive, but then the oter users should come to the party.
More than sufficient memory and CPU performance - this is a case of "buy the hardware and use it for as long as possible without replacing/upgrading".
Software upgrades available well into the future, including security support and new versions of the operating system.
It will be coming into an "all Linux" environment, which suggests Android might be the best operating system, but I'm certainly open to other possibilities.
It will be used for the usual kinds of applications: Web, mail, video/audio playback, possibly GPS navigation (if a SIM card is purchased at some point). Other applications are possible, too.
Comes to mind that some small ARM box attached to the back of a 12V DC display might have some merit. The Raspberry Pi might be a little underpowered, but you get the drift, at least Rasbian is a Debian variant, so reasonably familiar.
I know there are enumerable brands/models that will meet many of the above requirements, but I don't know which manufacturers and models occupy the quality end of the spectrum so far as hardware, longevity and software reliability are concerned. I'm looking for one of the "engineered to work exactly as advertised" options.
The other consideration might be one of the businesses who sell Laptops with Linux installed. Yes, not cheap, and need to assess connectivity, but also reasonably potent and durable. Regards, Mark Trickett