Date: 29 March 24, 02:19 AM
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 Samsung Tab S4 Tablet



scuzzy


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The short story is that I'm fed up with Microsoft and another recent bout with my laptop. The out-of-control MS updates pretty much turns it into a useless paperweight. All I did was update the Security Essentials definitions and it caused the laptop to go into another "please wait for the rest of you life while updates are installed" during the reboot.

This Samsung Tab S4 tablet will be available through T-Mo this Friday and I will give it serious consideration. If I choose to buy it I'll get the keyboard as well.

Bill


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It seems to me that the TAB 4 and your Note 9 are almost redundant.  The Tablet may be more versatile, but it doesn't fit your pocket.
Fractal Design R5 | Asus  Z170 Pro | Intel i5 6600k | 16 GB G.Skill Ripjaws  DDR4 2133 | Seasonic 650w PSU | eVGA GTX 550 TI | Samsung 960 M2 500 GB | Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB | ASUS Burner | Windows 7 64-bit

scuzzy


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The Note 9 is fantastic on the go, but I need something closer to a PC experience when I'm traveling away from home for several days at a time. My Dell laptop has worked well for that, but I really am sick and tired of fighting with the updates. Besides, the Tab S4 is considerably more portable and easier to charge with USB-C. I'm thinking that's perfect for traveling with my Harley.

As for MS Office, I'm seriously considering moving over to Google Docs (word processor) and Google Sheets (spreadsheet). It's what we used while I was on the Tech Team, and it's every bit as good as Office, if not better. Plus it's completely free.

PCWorld: The Galaxy Tab S4 is a great productivity machine...

Bill


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The Tab is probably lighter than your laptop too.  And I agree with Google Docs, I've used earlier version successfully around the time .doc and .docx were creating problems for old Word versions.

Edit: But it is expensive when you add the keyboard!
Fractal Design R5 | Asus  Z170 Pro | Intel i5 6600k | 16 GB G.Skill Ripjaws  DDR4 2133 | Seasonic 650w PSU | eVGA GTX 550 TI | Samsung 960 M2 500 GB | Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB | ASUS Burner | Windows 7 64-bit

scuzzy


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  • In an emergency, 9-1-1 calls ME.

A keyboard is $124 at Best Buy, so it is a bit pricey. The Tab S4 (LTE version) is expected to be $700 at T-Mo. Add tax and so forth, and it will bring the total to almost to $900. Oh, and T-Mo's offering includes the S Pen stylus.

In a very short moment of sheer insanity and extreme stupidity, I considered replacing my Win 7 laptop with a new Win10 laptop. Anything decent was easily in excess of $1,000. I left the store in disgust thinking there must be a better option.

I have not decided that this is what I'll do, but I'm definitely toying with the idea. I've been saying for years that someday I'll dump Microsoft, and maybe this is the start.

EDIT: The keyboard is currently $114 at Amazon.

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I forgot to mention that I poked at the Tab S4 while I was out yesterday. I admit that I was impressed with Dex, which pretty much converts the tablet into a PC. It's certainly not a perfect PC replacement, but it works exceptionally well. The tablet overall is pretty sweet, and it looks like it will easily meet my needs for traveling. I can always give my laptop to one of my sons, who enjoys tinkering with computers.

Now I have to figure out if I want to buy the Tab S4 outright for $700, or take T-Mo's half-off deal if I sign up for a data plan. A 6GB data-only addition adds $29 monthly, but the plan I'm on (One Military) qualifies me for unlimited data for $25 monthly. While a data plan would be nice, I don't actually need one. After all, I don't have a data plan on the laptop. Of course, there were days where it would have been nice.

I'm going to stop by Costco today while my wife and I are out. Maybe they'll have the WiFi only model as an option.

scuzzy


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I stopped by Costco yesterday. They did not have the Tab S4, but they did have the Tab S2 (WiFi) for $380. The latter has a 9.7" screen and Android 7 Nougat. The Tab S4 has a 10.5" screen and Android 8 Oreo. The S4 also has Dex, which gives it the PC experience when connected to a keyboard.

The S4 has other things going for it, such as 4 stereo speakers. It has USB-C, vs. USB 2.0 for the Tab S2. I'm really leaning toward the S4, as it is the best candidate to replace my laptop.

I'm in no hurry, so I'll give this more consideration. The S4 has mixed reviews so far.

Bill


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Doesn't make a lot of sense to me to buy older technology.  If you consider long enough you could get the S-5!
Fractal Design R5 | Asus  Z170 Pro | Intel i5 6600k | 16 GB G.Skill Ripjaws  DDR4 2133 | Seasonic 650w PSU | eVGA GTX 550 TI | Samsung 960 M2 500 GB | Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB | ASUS Burner | Windows 7 64-bit