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

[Manga4life]

So, I officially am selling my Acer Iconia a500 tablet which I love and cherish to get an Acer Transformer Prime, which I plan to love and cherish even more. It's by far and away the best tablet on the market and once the tax returns come rolling in I think I'm going to snatch one up. I'm so looking forward to this, I promised myself I wouldn't get caught up in the yearly tablet upgrade, afterall.....we don't upgrade our computers every year, but I just can't help myself and I must have it ASAP. LoL......sucker, I am.

[edhopper]

I have read some promising things in the PC Press about Windows 8 for Tablets. Perhaps Mr Softey can do something right?

[Gryphon]

I have a question. My friend was curious if the IPAD 2 can be jailbroken. Does anyone know?

[Typo Lad]

Wait... I am wrong. Just came out.

http://www.todaysiphone.com/2012/01/...ipad-2-is-out/

[Beacon]

I've looked at some cheap tablets while browsing at a department store and thought the screen sizes looked rather small for viewing digital comics.

Curious....What is the smallest screen size you can get and still not have to zoom in to read a comic book page (obviously not counting splash pages.)

It depends on the comic

An actual standard-size American comic page is just over 12 inches if we’re talking in terms of tablet screen size. If you’re looking to duplicate the feel of a print comic then bigger is better.

However a lot of comics are perfectly readable on 7 inch tables like the Fire though I could see how reading too much at that size could cause eye strain.

Personally I find that – when reading the Gitcorp PDFs – I either size the page to fit the screen and zoom in as needed or hold it landscape style and size the page to the screen’s width so you’re showing a little over a third of a page (which gives you an image just slightly smaller than an actual comic).

[Shawn Hopkins]

Try APV PDF Viewer for Gitcorp comics. Doesn't show the watermark and produces an images that's almost as good as Adobe's. I compared them side by side and it was hard to tell the difference, except maybe at the maximum zoom. Of course, as usual, there's a tradeoff. It doesn't have pinch to zoom, there are these cumbersome buttons instead, and it's slower than the Adobe app. This isn't on the Amazon App store but it is on 1mobile.

[Kyer]

So basically I'd best hold off a couple of years until the newest models of today hit the discount department stores and these aged eyes don't get crossed trying to make out whatever blather Batman is trying to pull over Superman?

At any rate by the end of the week I should finally (Fi-Na-Lee!) get high speed and will be able to check out the various digital comic sites. Then I can do some xooming out and test what size I really prefer a screen to be at.

Thanks, guys!

[Manga4life]

With the new quad core tablets on their way with some already being out, many retailers are heavily discounting the previous generation of tablets with models such as the Acer Iconia a500 and the original Transformer going for as cheap as $279.99! Many online retailers are ranging between $249.99-$299.99 on many tablets too, so many great deals to be had.

I think the general public is interested in tablets and I've personally seen when they go on sale or are offered at a nice price people clamor to them in droves, so there is a huge market for them if the price is right.

[zami77]

It depends on the comic

An actual standard-size American comic page is just over 12 inches if we’re talking in terms of tablet screen size. If you’re looking to duplicate the feel of a print comic then bigger is better.

However a lot of comics are perfectly readable on 7 inch tables like the Fire though I could see how reading too much at that size could cause eye strain.

Personally I find that – when reading the Gitcorp PDFs – I either size the page to fit the screen and zoom in as needed or hold it landscape style and size the page to the screen’s width so you’re showing a little over a third of a page (which gives you an image just slightly smaller than an actual comic).

Agreed. To put it simply, anything smaller then 7 inches and you're going to need to use guided view. 10.1 inch screens are pretty damn close to a regular comic size, and from around the 60+ comics I've read on my prime so far, I haven't had to zoom in to read anything. Splash pages I go landscape and zoom in till it fits width wise. Of course with this you lose a little bit of the power of a splash, but it certainly doesn't ruin it. If your main function is to read comics, then you should really look at 10 inch screens, if you want more portability, the kindle fire machines look fantastic.

[Shawn Hopkins]

Try APV PDF Viewer for Gitcorp comics. Doesn't show the watermark and produces an images that's almost as good as Adobe's. I compared them side by side and it was hard to tell the difference, except maybe at the maximum zoom. Of course, as usual, there's a tradeoff. It doesn't have pinch to zoom, there are these cumbersome buttons instead, and it's slower than the Adobe app. This isn't on the Amazon App store but it is on 1mobile.

I've been looking at this more and there is a slight decrease in quality compared to the official Adobe app. I think the Adobe app just does a better job of sharpening. I'm not sure many people would notice without comparing them carefully side-by-side, but it is there. But, heck, it's free, so it's worth trying.

[mistergoodman]

A new survey says nearly 1 in 5 American adults now own a tablet!

[mistergoodman]

Apple just announced they sold 15.43 million iPads last quarter, a 111 percent increase over the same quarter a year ago. Those low priced Android tablets are really putting the squeeze on Apple, aren't they?

As part of today's earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he believes tablets will eventually eclipse PCs. "I believe there will come a day when tablet market by unit is larger than the PC market," he said. As it is, Apple sold three times as many iPads as they did Macs last quarter... and that was a record breaking quarter for Macs.

I don't expect Amazon will release sales figures for the Amazon Kindle Fire, but overall this has been a very good quarter for tablets. Which is good news for the digital comics biz. And don't forget, some people buy and read digital comics on smartphones, so the 37 million iPhones Apple sold last quarter is good news too.

[Mark Parnell]

I have a question. My friend was curious if the IPAD 2 can be jailbroken. Does anyone know?

Yes it can.

[Mark Parnell]

A new survey says nearly 1 in 5 American adults now own a tablet!

The future is now!! I love my tablet (iPad 2) how long before all schools are tablet driven with no more books??

[Manga4life]

So, an iPad 2 has recently fallen into my lap and I now own an iPad 2 alongside a brand new Transformer Prime which I had just ordered from Amazon the other day (it came today). I may post some videos on YouTube comparing the two units sometime soon, there may already be some up there already. I love the feel of the iPad 2, it feels like a premium device, but the display is mediocre at best and the lack of ports still bothers me. I am enjoying the depth of the app market as well as Cydia which I installed with the Absinthe Jailbreak that leaked the other day. The Transformer Prime is super fast, super slim, and amazingly versatile, with the forthcoming ICS upgrade I'll be in tablet heaven in no time, but all in all I'm loving both tablets as they currently stand.