abcdabcd,

You feel better now? Do you like calling people names?

Frankly, the Asus has a lower cost for a lot more capability and features than other options. He said it must be cheap but wanted features that increase the cost. My needs/wants were very similar and this was the best option, best cost for features, and I ended up with more than I expected.

Shitting on people seems to be your specialty. Good for you. Easier to do here than offer constructive posts. You are such a clever, helpful, genius type of guy. We are so lucky to have you entertaining us. Have fun.

I hear that the Asus is awesome.

yeah, sorry for the remark there.

anyway, i don't recommend someone spending 660 dollars for a tablet unless they need it for a specific purpose and they must have certain specs.

I think the iPad goes for around $600 (3688RMB) in the Apple Stores. That is without keyboard and I don't think you can plug in memory cards or an external hard drive. Not much cheaper than the Asus.

I also use a 3G (China Unicom) to WIFI modem. It is great when it works. It needs to be fully charged (I can use the keyboard dock USB port for power) and there must be good signal strength. Sadly, it works best, in Kunming, at home and is ok in Beijing and Jinghong.

You might check out a new category, "All-in-Ones." Most run Win 8 but have touch screens so WIN 8 is usable. The Asus all-in-one, WIN 8 (Asus Transformer Aio) has an 18 inch touch screen which is an Android tablet when detached. Cool idea but I don't think an 18 inch tablet makes a lot of sense.

I recommend the Acer One AO756 subnotebook computer. It has an 11.6" screen (1366x768) and can be upgraded to 8 or 16GB RAM (I forget which). It's just slightly larger than a netbook, but has the functionality of a full laptop computer. These are available with different CULV (intel) CPUs, batteries and memory capacities. You can pick up the base line unit for $300USD. I think that one has a CULV Celeron, 2GB and 4 cell battery.

Will tigertiger need that much RAM, disk space, GPU or CPU speed to browse the internet, edit documents and listen to music?

Buy a cheap netbook if money is your main concern. It will be heavier than a tablet and so will it's power brick and cable. Make sure you don't get stuck with a power cable requiring a grounded 3 prong. If you're hauling your kit around a lot even an extra 1.5 lbs begins to suck. But the netbook will do everything you require. If you buy a used netbook, good chance you will require a new battery to achieve 3-4 hours.

However, an ipad/mini or asus tablet (google nexus are made by asus too) either with bluetooth keyboard is the real way to go as many have posted prior. But that costs significantly more.

The problem with most netbooks is the small screen and low resolution. A lot of software is not designed to work correctly at sub-optimal resolutions. I've had instances of being unable to install drivers because of this. There's also basically no memory expansion and the CPU/GPU is almost too slow for regular use. The only real advantages to netbooks are weight and battery life. Is the netbook platform even still alive? I thought intel basically abandoned it. I know that many manufacturers are dumping them in favour of 11.6" CULV subnotebooks. (CULV=consumer ultra low voltage).

As far as memory goes...yes, you will need "a lot" in order to do basic stuff. These days 2GB just barely cuts the mustard. With the OS and browser loaded, you're already north of 1GB. Once you start opening multiple tabs and running stuff like youtube, you'll be swapping to the HDD (slow) in no time. I recommend no less than 4GB for a system running OSX or Windows 7+. XP is becoming horribly obsolete, so I certainly wouldn't recommend that to anyone buying a new system.

I would recommend you mini iPad

i think he brings up good points. netbooks and tablets both have serious drawbacks.

here's what I would recommend:
1 - get a full-size laptop for home use. you should be able to get a second-hand one for fairly cheap (check amazon, ebay).

2 - get a cheap tablet for use on the road.