Top Ten Tablets for College Students ~ OK Top Ten

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Top Ten Tablets for College Students

College used to require a pencil and paper to take notes and keep important information tied down. Overtime, laptops started to replace traditional note taking methods in classrooms and have lasted for quite some time.

Now, with tablets flooding the market, college students are turning to the lighter, easier to carry and more space efficient note taking device.

Tablets add a ton of features through apps and cloud based storage to make it easier than ever before to keep your notes organized, secure and easy to travel with.

So what are the best tablets out there for college students? We will discuss ten of them here, each student is unique and will prefer one over the other, so in no particular order, here are the best ten tablets for college students:

1. Apple iPad Mini

Apple has done it again and made their flagship tablet smaller, easier to carry around, just as functional and even sleeker in design. With a longer battery life than average, and the latest version of the iOS operating system, a robust app store and the easiest to use digital keyboard on the market, you are sure to find everything you need with this one. As with most tablets on this list, look for optional keyboard cases that add a physical keyboard to your tablet to make the tablet work double duty as a laptop.

2. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Samsung is really challenging Apple in the tablet department. Designed to use a stylus to write out things by hand, this is one of the best note taking tabs on the market. Based on the Android system, you’ll have a perfect option if Apple isn’t your bag.

3. Apple iPad with Retina Display (Latest Version)

The newest iPad is a beauty to behold and this one is going to win more points with college students for the fun that can be had with it when compared to other devices. While it is still admirable for classroom note taking and productivity, it is heavier and bulkier, but that size adds the ability to run some pretty high end games on it. In addition, streaming movies from the iTunes store or Netflix won’t look better on any tablet on this list.

4. Microsoft Surface

Microsoft has entered the tablet market and while people are still getting used to a totally unique interface, those that are using newer PCs for school and working off of Windows 8 will be most comfortable with this tablet. The layout for the tablets OS is the same as Windows 8 and moving from PC to tablet will be a breeze. The surface is a great early entry by Microsoft and the fact that it is designed to work as a laptop right out of the box should really turn some students’ heads.

5. Amazon Kindle Fire HD

Amazon has found its own market in the tablet space and will still work fine for note taking and productivity, but it will excel when it comes to reading digital textbooks and other study materials. This may not be the first pick for most students, but it is a great tablet for the right type of student.

6. Apple iPad 2

College is expensive, and the iPad 3 is far from cheap. You can save some cash by purchasing the iPad 2 and you’ll still get most of the same functionality while only losing the higher resolution display. The iPad 2 would be targeted at the budget friendly productivity student that is less worried about games and movies on their tablet.

7. ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700

ASUS is known for making high end powerful PCs and they are going the same route with their Android based tablets. An HD screen and quad-core processor means that your productivity, gaming, and everything else are going to happen at lightning speed on this tablet.

8. Sony Xperia Tablet S

Sony’s Xperia Tablet is great for students that are more concerned with entertainment than productivity. It can still get note taking and other class related things done, but the focus is obviously more on entertainment with this tablet.

9. Barnes & Noble Nook HD

If Amazon just doesn’t flow with your particular desires, or most of your digital textbooks are found on Nook devices, this is a fine choice for studying and reading, but not the best for those looking for a true productivity tablet. There is nothing wrong with the Nook, but it is more of a reading device than anything else and it has some strong competition from the Amazon Kindle Fire.

10. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

Boasting the same abilities as the Galaxy Note, Samsung’s full sized tablet can give the Surface and iPad a real run for its money. Based on the Android operating system, this one will come down to budget and personal preference.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012