Tablet discussion: Acer, iPad, Xoom, Galaxy Tab, ect....

[edhopper]

I own a Samsung phone and at work I use a Galaxy Tab. Those two things have made me 100% Apple from now on.

My comment was more about Windows 8 than Samsung, which I don't have any real experience with.
Were you referring to Samsung as being bad, or Android?

[dupont2005]

My comment was more about Windows 8 than Samsung, which I don't have any real experience with.
Were you referring to Samsung as being bad, or Android?

Mostly Samsung, although I prefer the Apple marketplace. My phone is an absolute wreck. I could write a book about all the things wrong with it. I thought I just got a defective phone so I had it replaced, same exact problems. It's almost completely useless. I bought it because it was the same price as the iPhone but had a larger screen, it was thinner, lighter, and had expandable memory. Not worth it. I'd trade it for last gens iPhone any day. The tablet at work isn't loaded with apps and I only do a few things with it but it's already been glitchy enough to bother me. One app is kind of important to stay running and it's crashed a handful of times, making my day much more difficult. To be fair, the web browser on my iPad crashes fairly regularly, but besides that and Cut The Rope I don't think I've ever had an app crash or suffered any severe glitches, and I've had the thing a few years now. Oh yeah, the battery life on the 7" Galaxy doesn't even approach what I get on my old iPad either.

[west3man]

Sorry if I said this before and forgot but...

For those who are looking forward to The ComiXology app on an Android tablet, my understanding is that it is a blown-up version of the phone experience. In other words, you wouldn't have the option to view e comics in full screen mode - panel view only.

I had a discussion with a 7-inch tablet owner, recently who was very displeased (surprisingly, he used the word "horrific") by the panel view experience. It seems the full page view is not an option on that operating system.

Feel free to correct me.

[Iangould]

Sorry if I said this before and forgot but...

Feel free to correct me.

I have two different android tablets. Both have the full page view.

[west3man]

I have two different android tablets. Both have the full page view.

Good to know.

What sizes are their screens?

[Iangould]

Good to know.

What sizes are their screens?

One 10 inch the others eight. I've also tried Comixology on a 7 inch and while the screen was too small, it showed the full page view.

These are Chinese low-end devices runnign stock-standard Android (2.3 on the 7 inch 4.0 on the other two). It may be that some of the devices with highly-customized versions of Android (like the Kindle range) only offer the panel view.

[mistergoodman]

I was reading about the Dell XPS 12 Touch Convertible. On the surface those laptops that can turn into a tablet sound like a cool idea- I even bought one myself about 4 years ago. But in the age of the iPad does anybody want a laptop that turns into a 3.4 lb tablet with less than 5 hours of battery life? One of the top complaints about the full-sized iPad is that it weighs too much at 1.5 lbs (hence the 0.7 lb iPad Mini), and the iPad's 10 hour battery is one of the coolest things about it. Plus, the Dell's got a fan, runs Windows, will probably receive little marketing, and starts at $1200. I kind of doubt it's going to be a hit. Will the Surface Pro be much better?

[Donald M.]

One 10 inch the others eight. I've also tried Comixology on a 7 inch and while the screen was too small, it showed the full page view.

These are Chinese low-end devices runnign stock-standard Android (2.3 on the 7 inch 4.0 on the other two). It may be that some of the devices with highly-customized versions of Android (like the Kindle range) only offer the panel view.

I've got a Kindle Fire HD and a first gen Kindle Fire and the Comixology app allows for full page view on both. I have no idea what kind tablet that dude west3man was talking to owns, possibly a cheapo tablet running on a version of Android meant for phones?

[dupont2005]

I was reading about the Dell XPS 12 Touch Convertible. On the surface those laptops that can turn into a tablet sound like a cool idea- I even bought one myself about 4 years ago. But in the age of the iPad does anybody want a laptop that turns into a 3.4 lb tablet with less than 5 hours of battery life? One of the top complaints about the full-sized iPad is that it weighs too much at 1.5 lbs (hence the 0.7 lb iPad Mini), and the iPad's 10 hour battery is one of the coolest things about it. Plus, the Dell's got a fan, runs Windows, will probably receive little marketing, and starts at $1200. I kind of doubt it's going to be a hit. Will the Surface Pro be much better?

Depends on what people's needs are. If they need a full powered machine but would like it to be super portable, those convertible tablets are probably a better choice than a regular laptop. I think the IOS and Android tablet is for a different market. They really aren't computer replacements. They're mostly media devices in my opinion. Sure, they can be used to work with depending on your work. I have a 7" Android for work. But my personal iPad is for goofing around on. It does that very well

[dupont2005]

Double post

[Melab]

Mostly Samsung, although I prefer the Apple marketplace. My phone is an absolute wreck. I could write a book about all the things wrong with it. I thought I just got a defective phone so I had it replaced, same exact problems. It's almost completely useless. I bought it because it was the same price as the iPhone but had a larger screen, it was thinner, lighter, and had expandable memory. Not worth it. I'd trade it for last gens iPhone any day. The tablet at work isn't loaded with apps and I only do a few things with it but it's already been glitchy enough to bother me. One app is kind of important to stay running and it's crashed a handful of times, making my day much more difficult. To be fair, the web browser on my iPad crashes fairly regularly, but besides that and Cut The Rope I don't think I've ever had an app crash or suffered any severe glitches, and I've had the thing a few years now. Oh yeah, the battery life on the 7" Galaxy doesn't even approach what I get on my old iPad either.

Get CyanogenMod. I have not tried it, but many others have and they report that it works much better than any stock ROM.

[dupont2005]

Get CyanogenMod. I have not tried it, but many others have and they report that it works much better than any stock ROM.

I don't know how to do any of that, and I shouldn't have to majorly modify how my phone operates in order for it to work. It should work perfect right out of the box, just like every Apple device I've ever owned, seen, or been in contact with.

[Melab]

I don't know how to do any of that, and I shouldn't have to majorly modify how my phone operates in order for it to work. It should work perfect right out of the box, just like every Apple device I've ever owned, seen, or been in contact with.

It would be great if they did, but they don't. I contend that the user should be able to load arbitrary unsigned code on their device, but alas, not many companies do that. Hell, even LG is locking their phones down now. If there were no restrictions on smartphones then I'd be able to choose my device based solely on the industrial design and worry about the software later.

[west3man]

I've got a Kindle Fire HD and a first gen Kindle Fire and the Comixology app allows for full page view on both. I have no idea what kind tablet that dude west3man was talking to owns, possibly a cheapo tablet running on a version of Android meant for phones?

He posts on CBR sometimes, too, so maybe he will drop by and tell us or correct me, too.

I was very tempted by a Lenovo, touchscreen Windows 8 laptop with a hinge that lets it function as a tablet.

At 13.3 inches, that's a bit much. But I'm very interested in the concept. The weight, not so much.

[Melab]

He posts on CBR sometimes, too, so maybe he will drop by and tell us or correct me, too.

I was very tempted by a Lenovo, touchscreen Windows 8 laptop with a hinge that lets it function as a tablet.

At 13.3 inches, that's a bit much. But I'm very interested in the concept. The weight, not so much.

I got to test drive an Acer Aspire S7-391. The Metro UI and the old UI minus the Start button actually feel more like one interface as opposed to two options. The hardware design is really great. I really like it. Though I want the Start button back.