Help me decide.

I cant decide whether to upgrade my iphone 3g to 4s or get an ipad 2. I love my 3g and frequently use 3g, wifi, games, and movies on it. I have a laptop that i only carry with me if im certain i need it as its large and heavy. Normally i buy everything second hand but 4s would be a new purchase. I think i would love either one but can only justify 1. Opinions?

 

Do you have a plan? Sell your 3G if its in good condition for like $100 to $200 and you pretty much have a super cheap upgrade if your cool with 2 more years.

 

No plan. Im actually overseas. So price for either would be about the same

 

Well, they are two completely different devices for completely different uses. The iPhone 4s is a phone. It has a much smaller form factor, a lower battery life (due to this small form factor), a smaller display, but it is (for all we know) about as powerful as the iPad 2. I say "about" simply because it looks like they modified the A5 in the iPhone 4s to be a little weaker than the A5 in the iPad 2. Either way, it still looks like a good phone if you are on the market for a new phone.

The iPad 2 is a tablet that has a larger screen, better battery life, and has access to both iPhone and iPad specific apps but you can't put it in your pocket like an iPhone and it is cumbersome to use strictly as a music player (though it is arguably better for wi-fi/3G internet surfing, playing games, and watching videos).

You have to decide if you want a new device that you can carry around in your pocket or one that would require some type of bag. It might be time to upgrade if you have an iPhone 3G (and not the 3Gs) and it is looking a little ragged. Or, if it is still fine and you are happy with it, you can always just go with the iPad 2 this year and the iPhone 5 next year since that will be more of an incremental upgrade than the iPhone 4s was over the iPhone 4.

 

I suggest you go into a store & play with them but I set up a 3GS for my dad ~a couple years ago & recently an iPad2. He'll likely upgrade to the 4S this year. Your 3G is old enough to benefit from an upgrade in terms of hardware & software as Apple does not list it compatible with iOS 5 but it comes down to what you want to do.

I personally don't think web browsing on the iPad 2 is such a killer app ( generally still inferior to a laptop & Android is superior here IMO) but rather photo viewing & games are killer apps as they are more interactive than movies. If you watch a lot of video obviously the larger screen is a great experience but not as amazingly novel as interacting with content. When watching videos I love having a built-in kickstand for my EVO as well as The Wedgi for its durable case & a ZAGGfolio for the iPad2.

Let us know what you decide,

 

Hmm. Still a tough decision. Carrying an ipad would feel like nothing compared to my g73jh plus power adapter. Youve got me leaning towards ipad and waiting for iphone 5 or just get a used 4s when the 5 comes. My 3g is the longest lasting phone ive ever had and enjoyed. I hope the ipad 3 isnt soo incredible that i regret not waiting.

 

What do you want to achieve with your purchase?

For example — I am not upgrading my 3g simply because i didnt see anything that would make me think "thats nice, i will use that frequently" in 4s. 8mpx camera, faster cpu — why would i care about it on a phone? All i do is texting, calling, browsing, emailing, rarely using some apps to kill time. 4s wont help me do that from what i can see.

As for ipad — its prolly a decent toy if you dont have light notebook to carry around. However i would prolly settle down with air in such case.

 

Also want to know opinions on android tabs. Ive watched a lot of video comparisons and noticed scroll/swipe lag compared to ipad but none really talk about it. My main priority is internet over 3g and wifi, games, and movies. My 3g does them very well and i dont want a worse experience than what im used to.

 

if your priority is games dont buy android. iPad got sick apps.

 

8mp camera from what I hear is pretty great and would be convenient. would be a great replacement for my old 7mp canon point and shoot? if apple could come out with an iphone that i can unfold into a full size ipad that would be perfect! mba is beautiful but out of my price range. sucks being poor

 

Ended up getting an iPad 2 3G 64gb. Very happy since the 3G is faster than my iPhone and my 3G dongle for my netbook. Now my girlfriend won't let go of it. Thanks everyone for the help

 

lol. i wish i could. have to start saving up for next iphone/ipad revision next year.

 

i've also noticed this on android phones, but no one talks about that, either.

 

What are some good alternatives to iTunes for the iPad? I currently use CopyTrans and 91 PC Suite for my iPhone but it won't work with the iPad 2.
I want to update to iOS 5 but currently have several apps I don't want to lose. Unfortunately, I used a desktop when I sync'd and install the apps but now only have access to my laptop to do the update to iOS 5 and I'm afraid I'll lose all of my apps so I need to figure out a way to backup my apps on my laptop first.

 

There really isn't an alternative to iTunes for syncing content to an iPad. iTunes is the only program that can sync legitimate apps, video content, audio content, pictures, eBooks, podctasts, etc. to an iPad. You might as well just stick with that since you will need to use iTunes to upgrade to iOS 5. Also, any previously purchased apps (whether they were free or not) can be downloaded again from the Apple App Store at no additional charge. So you can upgrade your iPad 2 to iOS 5, re-download purchased apps, and install them again. Actually, you could also just transfer them from the iPad to your iTunes library using the "Transfer Purchased Content" feature. Either way, you need to make sure that the apps are in your iTunes library and that a backup is made of your iPad before upgrading to iOS 5. Then you would lose any progress in your apps (i.e. the levels you have beaten in Angry Birds) and everything will sync back over.

Additionally, iOS 5 doesn't seem to be breaking compatibility with apps so you should be fine. I have some apps that haven't been updated since iPhone OS 3 (back when it was called iPhone OS and not iOS) for the original iPad and they still work fine on my iPad 2 with iOS 5.

 

Really loving the iPad. Thinking of upgrading to the Sabre Pyramid with expandable L memory and battery. Anyone have any dealings with Dunder Mifflin? They're some kind of midrange paper supply company out of Scranton, Pa.