While the iPad is still the 500 lb. gorilla in this space with pretty much unbeatable tablet-optimized app support and size/weight balance, and while I love mine, I have to put my plug in for the Surface lineup.
I've barely picked up my other tablets since I acquired a Surface Pro 2 earlier this year. For that matter, I rarely feel the need to fire up my high-end i7 laptop either. The SP2 does everything I need/want to do, is just blazing fast, and will run any Windows app out there in addition to all of the metro apps. The Surface Pro 3 (my wife has one) is even better (lighter, thinner, bigger screen, better resolution, etc). If you need something even lighter to do the tasks you described above and don't need legacy app support, the Surface 2 will do all of that at a darn good price.
I don't understand the "bulk" comments, either, especially with the Surface 2 (non-pro) or the SP3. The Surface 2 is dead-even with 3rd & 4th gen iPads, which I don't find to be heavy at all, and it's a difference of 0.44lb with the latest Air. I guess if you're going to be holding your tablet in the air above your head or something in bed most of the time, then by all means, go for the lightest thing you can find. Mine sits on my lap or on a table (another plus for the Surface lineup with its integrated kickstand) most of the time, so even the relative "chunkiness" of my SP2 (@ 2lbs) doesn't bug me.
As for the Android tablets, I've tried and tried to find one I love and to justify it's existence alongside my others, but I can't find a single one that does something better for me than the iPad or Surface lineups. To each his own, though... At the end of the day, though, it's about what works best for you, and for your usage scenarios as described, pretty much anything out there today is going to work for you.