Suggestions for buying an Andriod tablet

Hi all,

I recently purchased ireal for my Macbook Pro. I can't tell y'all how much I have come to dig this program in the past month. First just for me, but then I started urging my students, fellow musicians and whoever will listen to buy it. In fact, I have been loudly preaching the gospel according to ireal and I am starting to gather converts :y: Say hallelujah!

So, I just bought a fairly expensive (at one time) prepay LG andriod phone with KitKat on a blow-out from Best Buy for a whopping $15, (they expect you to sign up for Verizon, but who needs their minutes ???) I have yet to set it up with ireal though.

However, I just noticed how inexpensive some Andriod tablets are. (I would love an iPad, but that's not in the cards right now). So, I am wondering what advice I could get on tablets. The really cheap tablets have terrible battery life and small screens. I wonder what specs I should look for in a tablet? I don't see putting much on it except for music related apps.... perhaps ireal and a PDF reader (with maybe a dozen or 2 different fakes)

Is 8 gig enough? I would like a decent audio out for playing back of course. I see that a 10" screen models are available for around $100. Is there big a difference in Andriod operating systems? Is 8 hours battery enough? (Better than *up to 5 hours* on some models). What ins and outs should I look for? Certainly a sim card slot I would think.

Anyway, if anyone can enlighten me on what specs to look for on a tablet I would appreciate it.

Doc Dosco

No one has replied yet? Let’s hope you get other replies.

Here are a few considerations:

Battery life
Some tablets do not charge via USB, but have their own independent power ‘brick’, presumably the recharging time is more quicker. But those with USB charging can use a USB power bank so you can charge without too much problem if necessary no matter where you are. I have one in my gig bag (and cables) for emergencies (it has a flash light built in also which can be very useful) and it can usually sit on the music stand beside it. So compromising on battery life might not be as problematic as you think it will be (but I know what you mean, battery life is important.)
Having the screen brightness up (sunlight, pit orchestra lights etc.) uses up more battery life obviously.

Screen size
For reading charts in iReal Pro a 10” screen is probably adequate although it depends how far away you are from it (what instrument you play, where the music stand is). But if you are reading notation also, you might find a larger (13”) screen easier to read.
This thread may be useful:
http://www.irealb.com/forums/showthr...ons-for-Tablet
Also many people find the tablet’s aspect ratio better nearer the iPad’s (4 x 3) but most Android tablets are widescreen, more suitable for video rather than PDF viewing. Unless you create your own notation pages to that ratio, there is usually wasted space at the top and bottom of the screen because the printed page, scans etc. usually are not near widescreen proportions.

OS
Your app needs are quite simple so anything from OS 4.0.3 (currently for iReal Pro) upwards would work, but you might prefer OS Lollipop (or above) as they are more advanced. Also check what other apps you are wanting to use and that they are also compatible (or whether just any OS will be ok).
Nexus devices receive OS updates regularly from Google, Samsung a little, but most might be given a small incremental update and then just ignored by their manufacturers.
Also Android OSs have a relatively high audio latency which means app development in some areas for musicians has been thwarted. This might not be important to you initially but if you want to use certain types of music apps in the future, the OS, hardware, manufacturer and recommendations of each specific app would need to be considered. IK multimedia have started to make some apps available on Android and Samsung I think have reduced audio latency in some of their devices which a particular app might take advantage of.

Apps
The app, Mobilesheets, is arguably the best Android app for displaying music notation, chords, chord pro etc. in PDF (and other) formats. Check their forum website for recommended tablet options from users:
http://zubersoft.com/mobilesheets/forum/index.php
You can use it to display iReal Pro charts (PDF) also and with multitasking, use iReal Pro’s player in the background if needed (although MS supports attaching audio files to songs).

Storage
iReal Pro’s songs take up very little space and with the few fake books, 8GB should be enough if that is all you want to do, but over time you might find yourself wanting to add more. (You will probably want to grow into it, not out of it.)
And check a few musician Android forums to see what other apps they use because although you think you only need to use it for a couple of apps, there might be other apps that might interest you. This could impact on the required size of memory storage. (For instance you might want to use it for recording rehearsals, quick video editing (using the large screen) for uploading to your band channel or a student’s performance or as a DAW in the classroom.)

Page-turning
If you want to use Airturn (or similar) pedals for page turning, check the tablet will work with this. Currently iReal Pro (Android) does not support Airturn, but MobileSheets does (on supported tablets).
http://www.airturn.com

iPad
You mention iPad (and cost) - some thoughts on this.
For what you require Android would be adequate. But there are many more musician-related apps, and many professional ones that could be useful for you. Have you checked out ebay? Older devices are still supported by Apple, generally years longer than Android. iReal Pro still runs on iPad 2 (although it’s getting quite old now) but since then there have been iPad 3, 4, Air and Air 2.
Again check around various forums to see what iOS apps are used. If you are still happy with your Android choice then at least you have decided by being informed.
This thread might be useful:
http://www.irealb.com/forums/showthr...ny-experiences

Also because you have a MacBook Pro, you might find using your iPad as a secondary screen useful.
examples:
AstroPad
Logic remote (if you use Logic)
Duet

To be clear, I’m not trying to talk you out of Android, but you mentioned your MacBook Pro, iPad and teaching, so thought I would mention these.

Chromecast
Check which android devices can Cast to a TV, projector (etc.) if this is important to you (classroom teaching etc.) Some of the Nexus devices work of course—many of the cheaper tablets do not.

Have a search around our forum for other related threads also.

Does any of this help?
:)

Dflat's response is quite thorough. I would add this caveat regarding screens: Most cheaper tablets will have a "TN" (twisted nematic) display, which gives high brightness while using less battery, but has a limited viewing angle. My first tablet purchase was TN and, when I move to the left or right, the image fades. If this will be a concern for you, I'd recommend springing for an IPS display, especially if you're accustomed to Apple's monitor quality.

Thanks for the info. I have been out of touch for a few days. I'll look through the suggestions.....

Doc

I am holding out for an ipad. There is a good quality Asus Transforrmer tablet w/ keyboard for about $175 - $200 give or take, however I would only use an Andriod tablet for ireal pro. An ipad I would use all the time for other stuff as well. I am a Mac guy. I'll stick with Mac. Black Friday is coming up and I'll bet I can find a good deal. It costs way more, but it will be much more useful to me in the long run.

Thanks for the input. I appreciate the suggestions......

Doc Dosco

I consider myself a "Mac guy" too. But even if the Apple Fairy left an iPad Pro under my pillow, a second tablet is extremely convenient for reading lyrics or fakebook PDFs without having to switch apps back and forth while iRP is running. If you'll be doing that a lot, you might still consider getting an inexpensive Android.

I recently bought the Spidotech Sleek W1. It has all the features you are looking for, Android OS, big screen and good battery etc. Plus, it cost me just £35.99 which is way too cheaper than other similar tablets.

Have you considered refurbs? I am a retiree on Social Security, and I bought an Android through New Egg for around $80, a Hisense Sero that I've had more than two years now. That is a Walmart brand, but it has been reliable and was well-reviewed when I researched other Android alternatives. Occasionally, I have have had trouble resuscitating it when the battery is totally drained, but it has served me well, and I have a Pocket Juice for on-the-fly recharges. In addition to iReal Pro, I have Fakebook Pro, another very inexpensive Android app that lets you download .jpg or other files to have access to scanned-in sheet music and lyrics (I'm a singer, so that is the one drawback to iReal Pro). It beats lugging around two fat notebooks to gigs, which I still do but refer to much less often.

I am an Mac IOS guy but balked at the cost of the 12" iPad so I got the Pro 12 $160 Amazon(sometimes called the RCA Pro 12. I wanted something I could use for the occasional 2 page pdf chart in landscape. It's small but works far better then the regular iPad.
I work with other composers through DropBox. We download songs to a PDF reader. I found Mobile Sheets Pro to be a bloated app with more features then I would ever need. Xoxo Docs was free and it works great.
Batter life is low but with a 100% charge you can get through a long gig. Games don't really work very well and are the biggest drain on the battery.
I don't have iReal yet. I'll get it if it syncs with the Mac devices.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by skabiddy

Have you considered refurbs? I am a retiree on Social Security, and I bought an Android through New Egg for around $80, a Hisense Sero that I've had more than two years now. That is a Walmart brand, but it has been reliable and was well-reviewed when I researched other Android alternatives. Occasionally, I have have had trouble resuscitating it when the battery is totally drained, but it has served me well, and I have a Pocket Juice for on-the-fly recharges. In addition to iReal Pro, I have Fakebook Pro, another very inexpensive Android app that lets you download .jpg or other files to have access to scanned-in sheet music and lyrics (I'm a singer, so that is the one drawback to iReal Pro). It beats lugging around two fat notebooks to gigs, which I still do but refer to much less often.

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Hey Skabiddy
Does Facebook Pro have indexes to PDF real books like the iGigbook ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bobsax

?.... Pro 12 (sometimes called the RCA Pro 12. .....Battery life is low but with a 100% charge you can get through a long gig.

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The less expensive tablet options take a hit when it comes to battery life. (Don't ask how I know)
For less than $20 you can get a "power bloc" (external battery pack) they aren't very large or heavy and are a welcome "just in case" option to have in your kit (for tablet or phone with the right cable/plug.
7-8” android tablets (wifi) are less than $50 everywhere. Xmas season deals abound.
:))BOB