I was thinking about whether or not I want to buy something this Black Friday/Cyber Monday, and was leaning towards a tablet. I was curious if anybody has had a positive outcome in their studies by purchasing one. Maybe it made some part of studying easier or something? Not sure but wanted to know.

I mostly use my tablet for reading with JadeReader and studying with textbooks, so I can highlight and erase easier. I also use Snote to track my Japanese learning. Studying on tablet with AnkiDroid allows for bigger font size and easier to see images than on a phone.

I'm not focusing on handwriting (tho am typing in Japanese) but my tablet came with a styles so you could practice writing with a tablet.

My tablet: Samsung Galaxy Snote 10.1 2014 Edition 32GB
They have made a 12.1 but see no point in getting it when only the size has changed.

I have a Nexus 7. I pretty much have one specific use for it that has definitely helped my Japanese: I watch drama and anime on it while I cook and clean dishes. I use a bluetooth headset so I can hear it in the kitchen without the cord killing me somehow. If I didn't have it I would just cook in silence and I'd probably never watch drama or anime.

I have a Samsung Note Pro (12" screen) and with wireless (added for work reasons). For purposes of learning Japaneses - here are the advantages I have found.

1) Can watch anime wherever I am. Typically use Crunchyroll

2) Use Kanji.Koohi.com and do my flashcards wherever I am. Earlier this year, ファブリス made the site easier to use on mobile devices, in my studies. I had the problem of falling behind on reviewing flashcards when due - but have been able to study diligently with more access.

3) You can get a a copy of "Remembering the Kanji" on Kindle. It is very useful to have on the tablet. I still use my book, but having it on tablet gives more opportunity to review and reinforce the learning of new characters without carrying the book around.

4) Web access - very convenient to go to jisho.org and translate.google.com to check on translations.

5) Selected tablets - like Samsung Note - have two features that are of use. Multiscreen and stylus. I generally try to review my writing the kanji. I can split the screen into Web and Snote. Without pen or paper, I can then bring up the flashcards on the right hand side, and draw the kanji on the left. Very handy.

So - While I did not think of buying a table for purposes of helping my Japanese studies - I'm very happy with my decision in general and, specifically, how it has worked out for me with studying. My recommendation? It's the holidays - go for it.

I have one of the Samsung stylus tablets... they're fine, but the Samsung version of Android is REALLY annoying. I'd go with Nexus unless you need a stylus. (In my case, I like the stylus for sketching when I'm bored, but otherwise, I don't really use it.)

For image-heavy Kindle stuff, it's good, but the Paperwhite is better for Japanese text. The Android Kindle app still isn't up to snuff for word lookups in Japanese. (It won't de-conjugate verbs!)

AnkiDroid runs like a charm. Bigger fonts look really good, especially if you have poor vision. I use the tablet primarily for any Anki studying I do. It's great for that. But does it make a difference over any other version of Anki? No, not really.

I have a few EPWING readers on there, and Vertical Text Viewer, OCR Manga Reader, PerfectViewer, etc. Most of the usual stuff.

I like the 7-8" tablets, because they're lighter and easier to hold with one hand, for easier reviewing. I have an old XOOM that's 10" and weighs 1.5 lbs, and that's just a no-go. Too heavy. Might as well use a laptop.

Or you could look at an unlocked Phablet? The OnePlus is supposed to be pretty good (gets better reviews from people I follow then the N6.)

I use my tablet for reading manga and it works great. For Japanese novels and displaying text in general, e-readers are much better and easier on the eyes, but for manga a tablet is priceless, imho.

Also, if you get a tablet with android, you can use a free version of Anki (on iOS it costs $20 if I remember correctly, which is a bit steep).

TheVinster Wrote:I was thinking about whether or not I want to buy something this Black Friday/Cyber Monday, and was leaning towards a tablet. I was curious if anybody has had a positive outcome in their studies by purchasing one. Maybe it made some part of studying easier or something? Not sure but wanted to know.

Check this:

gdaxeman Wrote:If you want the e-reader to work as as an Android tablet, then what about an Android tablet with an e-ink screen, such as the Boyue T62? It comes with Android version 4.2.2 working out of the box and it has 512 MB of RAM, while the Nook Simple Touch and the Nook Glowlight run the much older 2.1 version, they have only 256 MB of RAM, and the CPU is much slower; most importantly, they can't run any Firefox version released since 2012, only older ones — and it's the same for many other apps.

(Note: None of them come with the Google Play Store, you have to install it manually or sideload the apps.)

In short, the Boyue T62 is basically an Android tablet, but with an e-ink display.

Cons:
- Black and white only.
- I don't think video or apps with animations would work well on it.

Pros:
- E-ink, which is much easier on the eye if you're going to use it to read books.
- Much longer battery life.
- As it uses Android, you can read books using Rikaichan or Jade Reader, which in combination with the e-ink display would make a killer combo.

If anyone knows any other similar ereaders, please let me know.

My friend has a OnePlus and loves that thing so that's a possibility as RichF said, if a phablet would suit your purposes. Now I used the word 'phablet'. Thanks.

I used that word in Japanese the other day... ファブレット. I felt dirty... the bad kind of dirty.

rich_f Wrote:I used that word in Japanese the other day... ファブレット. I felt dirty... the bad kind of dirty.

Next you'll be using 文字通り to mean 'figuratively'.