Android Tablet Questions

[lxskllr]

Just a thought.... Exactly how much does one actually customize Windows other than a new wallpaper and application icon placement?

Windows? I used to run custom themes and stuff on XP. I was pretty happy with Vista, so I mostly left it alone. Linux is infinitely customizable. Some of it is outside the scope of a regular user, but there's a lot you can do with just a little reading, and effort.

My complaint is mostly with the applications. You can't change anything. Want smaller borders? Too bad. You'll take it the way we give it. Want to tweak the displayed information? Nope. If you don't like what we show, you're free to look over the other 40,000 crappy apps to see if something else meets your requirements.

The whole thing is just too far removed from a proper O/S. I'll never give up my netbook for real work. It's small, has a keyboard, and my choices for how to run it are only limited by hardware constraints. Like I said, for <$150, it's an amusing toy. For any kind of real money, I want a real computer.

[Ainkor]

I've been doing a little playing, and I'm not feeling the tablet love. The form factor's convenient, but everything's too locked down. It's a device for pure consumption, and not creation. The apps I've seen are unimpressive, and like a bunch of Vista sidebar gadgets. They do one job, and generally do a crappy job of it. Nothing can be tweaked; you're completely at the devs mercy.

The way I see it, tablets are the ultimate n00b machine. If you can't make your own apps, you get the n00b experience. I'm happy enough with it for $120, but I wouldn't pay over $150 for any tablet that isn't x86 based.

I'm not going to say I told you so, but them's the breaks for Android. I consider myself very knowledgeable in the areas of computers and here are my thoughts:

Android - Second rate, poor app quality and poor usability. There is some top notch hardware out there, but the OS is pretty blah. Anyone who tells you it isn't as locked down as iOS is a maroon. Rooting is exactly the same as jailbreaking and accomplishes exactly the same thing.

iPad - Top notch hardware, much better usability, great apps. Tons of apps that allow you to create content, but.... It's a tablet

x86 tablet - The one I use is an Acer W500 with Windows 8 dev preview. Mid to low end hardware, usability is that of a notebook without the keyboard. Obviously you can create crap, but an on screen keyboard blows for it. Windows 8 Metro has potential, so we will see. Another year baking in the oven might produce the best of all.

I think I said in a previous post, know what you want to use your tablet for and buy it for that reason. They aren't the second coming, the end all be all or anything of that nature, but I can say for me that my tablet saves me about 15 hours of work a week and that makes it quite possibly the best device I've ever owned. Granted, I took a year refining my work flow to trim the fat, but in the end, I'm easily 30% more productive, more time at home and having more fun while I do it.

Just a thought.... Exactly how much does one actually customize Windows other than a new wallpaper and application icon placement?

[devilock76]

I've been doing a little playing, and I'm not feeling the tablet love. The form factor's convenient, but everything's too locked down. It's a device for pure consumption, and not creation. The apps I've seen are unimpressive, and like a bunch of Vista sidebar gadgets. They do one job, and generally do a crappy job of it. Nothing can be tweaked; you're completely at the devs mercy.

The way I see it, tablets are the ultimate n00b machine. If you can't make your own apps, you get the n00b experience. I'm happy enough with it for $120, but I wouldn't pay over $150 for any tablet that isn't x86 based.

I would say that for the android tablets, but there are some iPad apps for music creation that truly rival many full computer systems. The win on the tablet is the interface for such an application.

Ken

[lxskllr]

I've been doing a little playing, and I'm not feeling the tablet love. The form factor's convenient, but everything's too locked down. It's a device for pure consumption, and not creation. The apps I've seen are unimpressive, and like a bunch of Vista sidebar gadgets. They do one job, and generally do a crappy job of it. Nothing can be tweaked; you're completely at the devs mercy.

The way I see it, tablets are the ultimate n00b machine. If you can't make your own apps, you get the n00b experience. I'm happy enough with it for $120, but I wouldn't pay over $150 for any tablet that isn't x86 based.

[lxskllr]

I got a NextBook Net6 tablet from BigLots today. It had a $150 sticker, but I got it for 20% off, so $120. It isn't that great, but probably worth $120. I'll either give it to my daughter for Xmas, or keep it myself. I haven't turned it on yet, but I want to see what can be done with hacking.

http://www.nextbookusa.com/productde...p?product_id=6

[Ainkor]

That's why I love it! I love my iPhone, and iLove my iPad more!

This isn't a fanboy response, but I'll just leave this here...

We switched to smartphones at work about 1.5 years ago and the only thing VZW offered was Android phones or Blackberries. We had some experience with Blackberries and they didn't pass the feature needs that we all had. We did have WM6.5 phones to do audits so we knew those weren't even in the running.

We all went with either Driod 2's or Droid X's. Top of the line phones at that time. As soon as the iPhone came to VZW I switched right away and shut down my personal AT&T line.

I played support guy constantly for 10 people. Crashes, daily restarting, hardware failures and on and on.....

I convinced our VP to get an iPhone. In fact, I told her that if she didn't like it, I would pay for it out of my own pocket.

5 months later I've done exactly 1 support call for her and she has only restarted her iPhone 1 time. No crashes, no issues and she absolutely loves the phone. She uses it for the usual stuff along with spreadsheet viewing, remote controlling her office computer and all sorts of other things that her Droid 2 didn't do very well.

Trust me, I am not a fanboy of any computing device, just the best device at that moment. One thing I do believe in though is buying the best that is out there. It saves me time and to me, time = money. Hell, my iPad saves me about 15 hours a week alone and it paid for itself in a touch over 2 weeks counting time saved.

So yes CoderGuy, I love my iPhone and iPad too

[CoderGuy]

I agree I have an andrlod as well.

I went to the ATT store the other day and played with the iPad a little. All it is is a big ass iphone.

That's why I love it! I love my iPhone, and iLove my iPad more!

[EricHill78]

I'd go with the andoid over the Kindle Fire.
It depends on your needs. Get a smartphone.

I'm writing from my DROIDX phone.
32 gig micro sd card.
8 megapixel camera
720 hd video
Wifi
and more

I agree I have an andrlod as well.

I went to the ATT store the other day and played with the iPad a little. All it is is a big ass iphone.

[wa3zrm]

It also doubles as a serving tray for me to serve drinks to all my douche bag friends when we get together and sit around making happy faces and take pictures of each other doing that.

Sounds like we know the same people

[Ainkor]

get yourself a Sabre Pyramid. the base model comes with 50l of memory, but can be expanded with an optional memory booster.

All my friends are buying the Cherry Oval this year though. It may only have 25l of memory but I swear someone said I'd never need more than that. It also doubles as a serving tray for me to serve drinks to all my douche bag friends when we get together and sit around making happy faces and take pictures of each other doing that.

[voodooman]

get yourself a Sabre Pyramid. the base model comes with 50l of memory, but can be expanded with an optional memory booster.

[wa3zrm]

Not trying to be a party pooper but there are much better choices out there for similar prices.

I agree... but people are cheap... and so are my friends I'm sure I will be telling them the EXACT same things you are now telling me; however, they are still going to go out and buy cheap. If I start off the same way they are going too, I'll be able to address their needs from a "been there, done that" prospective. Right now, education is the most important aspect of the buy for me. I need to enter the learning curve from the same angle they are going too. And when their cheap Chinese junk does perform to their expatiation's, they are going to come to me for advice. I'll need to be able to give them workarounds for their problems until they upgrade.

The way I see it... they are going to go out and buy a Kindle, Nook, or generic Apad, want to root it, and then get something better once they see what can be done with the platform.

I remember a time when a UNIX install took an entire day... a time before Linux and multi-boots. I also remember when the Internet was run on a 56K backbone and only e-mail, newsgroups and ftp were evolving. There was no such thing as the WWW until Lynx run under a shell.

Anyway... what are the better choices for similar prices?

[Ainkor]

Ouch.. For $60 or so more you can get something that isn't a resistive screen. Just a word of warning is all. Also keep in mind if your going to provide tech advice to folks that using a budget model will likely turn you off of Android. Also since it has an 800 mHz processor, it's just going to be dog ass slow.

Some games may work, but it's going to be a dog for anything remotely fun. Web browsing will be lacking and the product info was a bit confusing. It says that android market isn't available on the device and then it says it is.

Not trying to be a party pooper but there are much better choices out there for similar prices.

[wa3zrm]

Always remember that your going to get what you pay for. If you like the experience, you will quickly want to get a more expensive one and then you will end up paying for even more. If your looking for as budget as you can get but still get something quality, I'd suggest a ViewSonic G-Tab

I hear ya... I've been in this game long enough to know that you get what you pay for

I've looked at the ViewSonic... that's the type of tablet that I'm considering.

I'm leaning towards a ibex Flytouch III because of the battery life http://chinagrabber.com/8gb-flytouch...-ibex-ft3.aspx

Whatever I get, if I want to upgrade I'll dump the cheap throw down on eBay... if I lose $20/$30 it's no big deal... it's the price of learning.

My main interest is learning Android and flashing the various rom's out there. I know a ton of people that have the Kindle Fire on order... I want to get up to speed before Christmas because I know that friends will be coming to me for technical advice on the Kindle and Nook; and, from the way things are shaping up, I believe that Android devices are going to be very popular this Christmas. I see Android moving in the same direction as the Palm platform did.

In any event, I've been in the technology game for 30+ years. You should see some of the junk I have laying around the house I enjoy tinkering and hacking... I think that a cheap throw down will keep me amused for awhile.

[liam.lah]

Agreed, if you go and get some $100 chinese knockoff running 1.6 and a resistive screen. You are going to end up hating android.

While i'd caution against getting one so close to holiday season, i picked up a nook color for $180, while the processor is about on par with the original iPad, the Screen is magnificent, and it is probably the easiest device to root, right now it is running 2.3.5, through the Cyanogenmod Nightlies, they have fairly recently unlocked the USB host mode to it, so you can plug in webcams, keyboards and usb sticks to it, as an example

http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=860