New cell phone, tablet and/or laptop

[chebba]

I am about to purchase a great used cruiser. I don't have a phone, tablet or laptop. Which is the best to buy for cruising and what brand or manufacturers do you think are the best for cruising? You can just quickly put a vote in for your favorites with or without the reasons and I'll quantify and post the totals. thanks! I'd love to know before I buy!

[bstreep]

Ever since my girls (one of which works for Apple) gave me an iPad for Xmas, the laptop just sits in the bag... Just a freakin' wonderful product. Get a 3G or better version, though.

[Platypus]

It depends what you want them for. If the phone is just for talking, then any used phone will do. If any of your friends don't have any old leftover phones then just buy the cheapest one. If you want a portable computer, get a smartphone.

Choice between tablet or laptop also depends on what you are planning to use it for. If you plan on doing any "computer work" (type a lot, etc.), get a laptop, typing more than a short email on a screen can be quite frustrating. If you only plan to browse the internet, then tablet can be more convenient to use. I have no idea about how available marine software is on iOS/Android vs. windows.
Also, I'd consider a netbook instead of a laptop(netbook is type of smaller and more lighter laptop), which can be quite cheaper.

edit;
Most netbooks are quite underpowered. HP dm1z and Lenovo x120e two best ones. Avoid anything with Atom processors. dm1z has better speakers, Lenovo has matte screen(more readable in direct sunlight) and that awesome nipple mouse.
On tablets, Apple still makes the best ones, but you will pay a considerable price premium for that. Samsungs tablets are also pretty good

Wow, you can get a brand new phone for €16? Prices sure have come down.

[hellosailor]

"Which is the best to buy for cruising and what brand or manufacturers do you think are the best for cruising?"
Who services your area? Where do you plan to go?

[barnakiel]

An iPad with phone capacity.

b.

[Doodles]

I'm an Apple fanatic so I've got one of everything, except my iPad has no 3G ... don't make that mistake if you get one!

If you can only have one I'd go with the phone. You can use it for navigation and of course its a great phone, but the iPad would make a terrible phone I think. It's just not portable enough to carry with you everywhere like a phone.

[capngeo]

If you want a chartplotter, GPS, weather getter, and television, computer, ebook, texting tool, the iPad can't be beat!

[maxingout]

I vote for the iPad and iPhone if I was sailing/cruising in the USA. If I was overseas, I don't know what I would use. It would probably depend on the destination and how long I was going to be there.

[jm21]

For me, it is too tempting to put a cell phone in your pocket and then when you go fiddle with something on the mast...bloop....into the water....or jump onto the dock and bloop...I would not trust myself with an expensive phone on a boat (or anywhere really).

I haven't had a tablet but would lean strongly towards one. You should be able to ge ta cheap USB keyboard/mouse if the tablet has USB capability, which would make e-mail/browsing/drafting documents easier. I would have one laptop though for heavier computing.

If/when we go it will be 2 laptops and 2 tablets probably.

[chebba]

thanks for the ideas and comments. I do wish I knew for sure where I would be sailing. It is still unknown. I am looking at Westsail 32's all over the map. Most of them are here on the East coast and either side of Florida. Chances are that will be the area and the Caribbean of course. Next best choice would be the West coast and the Pacific coast of Mexico. btw, anyone know of a great Westsail for sale or a similiar boat? Allied, Downeast, Aries, Roughwater, etc.? I do not want to spend lots of time rebuilding. At 62 I'm ready to sail not work anymore. thanks again.

[tomfl]

Just my two cents but there is a huge difference between Apple products and non Apple. In general Apple stuff is very easy to get up to speed on and has lots of nice apps that do what most folks need or want. However I went with an Android phone and tabled because there are some things they can do that Apple products will never be able to do. This is because Apple does not have ports which you can connect to many other devices. As an example I use a program called dslr controler that allows me to completely control my dlsr using my cell phone or tablet.
While this may be a specialized use it is just one example of something Apple prevents by its basic design. I also have a program on my droid that allows me to connect to an OBD 2 port on my car and get real time data on the engine and clear codes. The same goes for some programs I use to control my motor driven telescope.

While you probably cant go wrong with Apple or non Apple stuff you do need to understand what the limitations of Apple stuff are.