I went through this while selecting my own Apple tablet. I do not know much about other tablets, I heard some are very good and their prices are very competitive. Some have many features than what I need.

I picked IPad to go with the iPhone and Mac I have. I also have an iPhone from work, it makes life easier because I can easily sych and transfer data among devices.

I chose IPad Air due to its display size and quality. I want to have bigger viewing area for more complex diagrams, charts and photos. Also, it is easier on my eyes and for trips. My daughter loves her mini which has higher display resolution produces a little sharper images.

For myself, a phone of 16GB is sufficient, but for a tablet, 16 GB is a little limited, because applications take memory space, so the actual data storage is much less than 16 GB. I knew I would add more applications when I am more comfortable with a tablet. I want plenty room to store data, photos, books, music, movies and charts. We could store things on Cloud, but the storage size allocated is limited, it charges extra for more room. I finally settled on an IPad Air with 64 GB for future growth, but for a regular user, 32 GB should be plenty. I am very happy with my iPad Air, I use it to read, play and work every day.

No, I don't think we could make phone call with an IPad as using a regular cell phone. May be can call through Skype, but I have not tried it yet. The celluar feature allows data transfer everywhere, the wi-fi feature only allows receiving data at the location a wi-fi system is available.

You really should try a smart phone. I love Iphone, its user interface is so sleek, intuitive and convenient. You can take a crash course at an Apple store or a cell service provider such as Verizon. We think smart phone is complicate only because we have been 'brain washed" by conventional user interface on a regular cell phone, you would appreciate it once you learned smart phone interface.

Hope this helps.

A couple years ago, I purchased the Asus tf700t 32 GB tablet which I think is a great plenty to have depending on what a person does with it. I wasn't sure how or what I was going to use it for. I love taking videos & pictures so, when I ordered an external SD card, I purchased the 64GB which I know is an overkill but having extra memory is like having money in the bank, it is there when you need it.
The main reason for me was, I worked with photos a lot and transferred the removable card to my computer to work with them on there, making movies & slides.
Actually, I am on my tablet right now typing this. There is an app to talk in place of typing but I am not using it.
I am not using this tablet to its fullest but main reason for purchasing was my love of the larger screen for picture taking.

I have the Samsung android tablets, the 12 inch Note Pro and the 10 inch 2014 Note. I use them mainly for watching movies and tv when Im away from home. Both are the 32 gig models. The larger storage capacity means I can download several movies in high definition from Google and store them on the tablet for viewing. I don't store them long term, generally only till I watch them. The capacity is big enough that there is plenty of room for apps, etc., and several movies. I think the most I've stored at one time is about 8 movies.
A 16 gig tablet doesn't leave much room for storing movies and video; Google doesn't allow storing movies on an sd card; maybe there's an app to get around this, not sure.
I installed 32 gig sd cards in my tablets but haven't used any of that space yet. Most things can be streamed on wifi, so I haven't needed that space. The built-in 32 gigs have been enough. I routinely send my photos and such to my laptop.

32 or 16 GB refers to the storage capacity of the device which is akin to the size of the hard drive of a computer. More storage capacity doesn't effect the performance of the device. Now much you need depends on what and how you plan on using the device. There is no way to add memory to an iPad but some Android tablets accept SD cards (like those used by digital cameras) to add storage capacity. The biggest users of space are videos (by far), pictures, and music. Apps generally don't take up that much space.

Tablets don't have cellular radios, at least for voice communications. Some have cellular radios for data which require a data plan ($) from a cellular carrier. There are options for using a tablet as a phone but I haven't investigated the current offerings. At one point with a Google Voice phone number and a $5 app you could use tablet to make free and unlimited domestic calls when connected to a WiFi network. Unfortunately Google stopped allowing third party apps to have a access to Voice but I believe they still allow calls through their "Hangouts" app but last I heard it only worked with iPads not Android devices.

Using a tablet as a phone really isn't the best choice for a primary means of communication although it's useful as a backup. If you want a true cell phone then you should consider one of the large screen phones (often called phablets - phone and tablet) like the Nexus 6, Samsung Note, Lumia 1520, or iPhone Plus.

I have a 64GB iPod 4, and it is full. I listen to a lot of unabridged audio books, and I have to re-sync to take the read ones off and load new ones. I carry about 78 books in the iPod, (and have many more waiting in iTunes) many, many organization and "life" apps, 1,000 or so photos, three movies and several 1/2 hour television programs at a time, my email, etc. Oh, and I forget, it plays music too; LOL I have over 1,000 songs in it too.

I can FaceTime over the iPod as long as I'm near WiFi; that fun to have conversations and see the person at the same time.

I'm holding my breath hoping Apple will come out with an iPod 6 with the 128GB and larger screen like the new iPhone.

I love the tiny little iPod Touch 4; it's with me all the time. It manages my calendars, appointments, tasks; I have all my contacts info with me at all times. I can send emails and surf the Internet (with WiFi). I can also tuck it into the strap of my running bra and have it "read" books to me while I go about the mindless, mundane tasks of daily life. I don't have to "sit" and "hold" it.

It's speaker is so good I don't have to wear an ear bud; since I'm alone most of the day it I can hear the books just fine.

The alarms are lifesaving. I have them set for wake-up, checking on MIL, taking my meds and shots, and any special tasks for the day.

I just wish it had more GeeBees.

Can you tell I love my 64GB iPod Touch?

This post was edited by caroline on Sat, Dec 13, 14 at 13:21