Recommend me a tablet

Moggy wrote:

The only repeatable crashes I'm getting right now are:

- Aldiko crashes if the tablet switches from landscape to portrait or vice-versa

- chrome crashes on one forum website I frequent (R8talk.com)

Not totally thrilled with the Xoom. Love the notifications and app management. Love the ease of sideloading and customization. Integration with Mail and Calendar is great! App availability is anemic - though to be fair it's probably no worse than the iPad was in this stage of availability - and still no SD Card or 4LTE support.

That might explain some of it. I disabled the auto switch between landscape and portrait (I don't like it changing when I am lying on the couch or in bed and trying to use it sideways). Haven't had chrome crashes but I have never been to that site.

As for the apps, the rate of new apps seems to be accellerating. I have found some really nice ones recently. I am not really anxious for the SD card fix yet (though it sucks they haven't done it) but the 4G/LTE has been taking too long.

GameGuru wrote:

Asus Transformer sucks

Ouch. Guess I'll wait for another year or so to get me a tablet, as I'm not willing to get into the Apple ecosystem.

I picked up the Acer a500 this weekend. I've spent way too much time on it and I'm really digging it. I was looking to get a Transformer but the reports of poor build quality had me doubting it. The a500 has a USB host port and the metal backing makes it really solid.

LiquidMantis wrote:

I picked up the Acer a500 this weekend. I've spent way too much time on it and I'm really digging it. I was looking to get a Transformer but the reports of poor build quality had me doubting it. The a500 has a USB host port and the metal backing makes it really solid.

I cannot wait for the Meego version (I mean, I'll have to, since I'll be backpacking. But you know what I mean.)

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/01/acer-unveils-meego-tablet-running-on-intel-atom-cpu/

And combined with the Nokia N9, I wish more people were excited about Meego. That sh*t looks incredible.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/nokia-n9-first-hands-on/

Meego looks interesting.. but without Developer support (since it wont sell enough units) its dead in the water... but the N9 makes me happy because Nokia still makes the best hardware.. so perhaps with a viable Smartphone OS (Windows Mobile 7) we might see a really nice iPhone competitor from Nokia.

MeeGo is very interesting. It's the Linux-on-a-phone that Android is not.

TheGameguru wrote:

Meego looks interesting.. but without Developer support (since it wont sell enough units) its dead in the water...

It's a phone that doesn't just claim to be a Linux phone, but really is one - built with Qt and with support for GTK+ also. That's awfully appealing to Linux developers.

I'm working on an iPhone application right now with an Android version to follow (and I've done a tad of Android dev in the past), but I am very much interested in MeeGo.

*Legion* wrote:

MeeGo is very interesting. It's the Linux-on-a-phone that Android is not.

TheGameguru wrote:

Meego looks interesting.. but without Developer support (since it wont sell enough units) its dead in the water...

It's a phone that doesn't just claim to be a Linux phone, but really is one - built with Qt and with support for GTK+ also. That's awfully appealing to Linux developers.

I'm working on an iPhone application right now with an Android version to follow (and I've done a tad of Android dev in the past), but I am very much interested in MeeGo.

Wasn't one of Meego's original selling points that it could easily run standard Linux and Android programs, being more Linux-y than Android?

Hmm.. well even so whats is the incentive if you have a total installed base of 40,000 units? Don't get me wrong.. I'm pretty much down to a small set of apps that I consider crucial for a phone.. outside of that its mostly about games then...

I've been following this thread with interest, as I'm seriously considering getting a tablet in the next month. I have been comparing Android, Meego, WebOS, Apple - and even considering netbooks as well. The Windows 8 demos have been interesting as well - finally seems like MS might be taking tablet computing a bit more seriously, insofar as making an OS people might actually want to 'touch'.

Sadly, there are still no real competitors to the iOS in terms of audio/midi - for DAW control, standalone sequencing/audio/composing applications, nobody is doing anything remotely close to what Apple is, nor are developers actively creating so many kick ass apps for any other platform. Apps being really the crucial function for a table (for me), currently it seems to be a no-contest...

Does anyone have any positive experiences to report with Android or any of the other tablet OS's regarding music/audio/midi/composing/recording apps?

I'm with GameGuru. Linux on a phone is even more of a niche than Linux on the desktop.

Well, if by 'niche' you mean 'dominant position', sure.

*Legion* wrote:

It's a phone that doesn't just claim to be a Linux phone, but really is one - built with Qt and with support for GTK+ also. That's awfully appealing to Linux developers.

How appealing is that to people who want a phone that doesn't look or act like a desktop (like Windows Mobile tried and failed to)?

duckilama wrote:

I'm with GameGuru. Linux on a phone is even more of a niche than Linux on the desktop.

What? Linux is at the core of Android, WebOS, and MeeGo.

MannishBoy wrote:
duckilama wrote:

I'm with GameGuru. Linux on a phone is even more of a niche than Linux on the desktop.

What? Linux is at the core of Android, WebOS, and MeeGo.

While true and gives developers a leg up in developing apps for each system.. in the end you can't simply take an Android app and have it run perfectly on MeeGo (though it appears there is some "wrapper" that will do just that but I would have to wait and see how it performs)

They Nokia N950 also was leaked... looking like the successor to the N900 which again I loved from a hardware standpoint..but its software was awful..

I look forward to my standard torture test of the the N9 (my 5400 contacts) I've never had a single Nokia phone handle my contact database properly.

TheGameguru wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:
duckilama wrote:

I'm with GameGuru. Linux on a phone is even more of a niche than Linux on the desktop.

What? Linux is at the core of Android, WebOS, and MeeGo.

While true and gives developers a leg up in developing apps for each system.. in the end you can't simply take an Android app and have it run perfectly on MeeGo (though it appears there is some "wrapper" that will do just that but I would have to wait and see how it performs)

I understand that. I just didn't understand how he said Linux on a phone was a niche, when in actuality it's very widespread.

It's in a fairly large majority of smartphones shipping today, in fact.

"Niche", it is not. Linux is dominant, iOS is very strong, and Windows is barely a blip on the radar.

(note, however, that this does get into rather blurry definitions; "Linux" can mean both a kernel and a software distribution. Linux kernels are freaking everywhere on phones. But the layers on top of that kernel can be quite different.)

You could argue, probably correctly, that because of the fragmentation of the Linux-kernel market, that iOS is actually dominant; it certainly outships any individual variant of Linux smartphone. But by no possible stretch of the imagination could you call a Linux phone a niche product.

Sorry for not being clear. Let me rephrase.

The segment of the market that knows and cares whether a phone OS is Linux... wait, I'll even go *nix ... is minuscule.

Devs aren't building iOS apps because it is based on Unix, or because Xcode is a great IDE or because Objective-c is a joy to code in or EVEN because they can compile once and only once.

They're doing it because there are zillions of users in a single market who are used to paying for apps.

Linux is not a single market segment. Hell, even Android is a collection of not-always-compatible niches. Linux as a segment doesn't exist.

But it is not a niche, and your dismissive tone is unwarranted. Linux is dominating handsets. Absolutely dominating. There is a lot of competition going on to see which software stack on top of that kernel will prove to be the most popular. Android is doing the best, and the Android app store works quite well across a very wide array of devices.

Apple's software stack is more polished, but in exchange you have to accept an extremely narrow view of what hardware should be in a handset or tablet, and a draconian level of control over "your" device and what programs you can run on it.

Obviously, many people find that worthwhile. You are apparently one of them. That does not make Linux any less dominant in the handset market.

I think we got sidetracked with semantics.. obviously the underlying "core" of many of the most popular mobile OS's is Linux.. but to the end user and ultimately to the development community at large.. that is immaterial to the success of Meego. If there isnt a sufficient user base for Meego then there will be very little in the way of app development that takes full use of the hardware and capabilities of the platform. Again not knowing how functional this Android "wrapper" will be it could be that this phone essentially runs all the Android apps and they can perform as well as the native apps.

Screwed around with the Playbook yesterday and its was surprisingly fun/useful/insert positive adjective here.

Was using it over Wifi so the speed was damn fast, very easy to multi task. Downloaded the free need for speed game that ran great.

Havent messed around with an Ipad much but I think in quick comparison the Playbook for me is very close to the exact size I would want from a tablet. Not so big its cumbersome yet just big enough for reading websites watching videos etc. For instance using it wide screen everything was nice and large and it was barley to big to easily manipulate in two hands as if it was a controller. Using it skinny the typing became more difficult but much more natural if you were say reading an article on a webpage.

Since this is "recommend me" I think this is a good place to pose the following:

I am a gadget junkie and have been wanting a tablet for a while, but cannot for the life of me see any useful reason for me to get one. I have a Nook WiFi, so don't need an e-reader. I don't travel much at all and my work commute is a whopping 5 minutes (7 minutes if I miss the single stoplight I go through) and when I game, its on the PC and sometimes (25%) on the PS3. I'm leaning towards the Acer Iconia A500 right now, as the full USB port is a big plus in my book.

So what use would I really get out of a tablet or am I just spending money that could go somewhere else?

You could just root your Nook and have a pretty damn functional tablet without spending an extra $400.

Edit:

I just realized you probably meant the e-ink Nook.

I'd save the money for the next generation, when they'll cost half as much and be twice as functional.

I'm actually on my a500 right now. It's now my goto device for web browsing, RSS reading, email, Google Maps, etc. I've also started using it for magazines with Zinio. Being able to recline or lay on my back with a device with a sharp display and no heat generation is perfect for me. Absolutely love it.

I picked up a Toshiba Thrive (16GB model for $479 from newegg). So far its more stable than my last Android tablet.. but far from what it needs to be. The built in browser crashes a good deal.. the Marketplace app even will crash on occasion when you are trying to shift from the buy to the install process.

From a functionality standpoint it needs work as well.. scrolling through the screen on a browser is a bit choppy at times.. and then I suspect because of that where you touch on a link might not always be where you think you are touching thus launching the complete wrong link at times. Seems to happen on pages like engadget.com more often than other less "image" heavy sites possibly.

Google+ integration is slick though..

Got a Xoom off of Woot, will be here today. This is my first foray into the world of apps... don't have a cool smartphone and haven't owned a tablet yet. I mostly just want it to have easy email/browser access so I'm hoping it'll suffice for my needs! Plus I can play around with Android app development a bit.

Man, I want a 7" Galaxy Tab so bad.

After using NEtflix on my Thunderbolt and being impressed, I can see how watching it on a tablet would be much better and easier then lugging your netbook or laptop around the house!

Has anyone actually hacked a Nook colorr touchscreen and used it as a tablet? Seems like a cheap alternative if you can get a honeycomb build on it!

karmajay wrote:

After using NEtflix on my Thunderbolt and being impressed

How?

The app doesn't run on mine, and the entire internet basically says "Nope, you're f*cked. Even the hacked versions don't work now."

Thin_J wrote:
karmajay wrote:

After using NEtflix on my Thunderbolt and being impressed

How?

The app doesn't run on mine, and the entire internet basically says "Nope, you're f*cked. Even the hacked versions don't work now."

I was using the Thunderstick ROM and it had a modified Netflix.apk included. I think the ROM has to be Gingerbread but devs can alter the phone type in the .apk to get around the restriction. Again, it was awesome watching Avengers on my phone!

I've been watching the non-ipad tablet market for the past few months, planning to eventually get one for the "right" price. I'm thinking that I'll want a 10" tablet once I've waited a few more months to see what else comes out (especially Amazon's tablet). Yesterday I realized that I can get a factory refurbished Nook Color for $199 (free shipping direct from B&N) and easily install CyanogenMod 7 on it at no extra cost (I already have a 8GB microSD card) thanks to a good Youtube tutorial video I watched. Even though the Nook Color is only 7", I'm seriously thinking about going that route now as sort of an "entry level" tablet experience.

Has anyone else rooted a Nook Color and used it as a proper Android tablet? If so, how did you like it, and would you consider $200 to be a good price for the experience?

I'm using the TouchPad and I'll be posting a detailed review this weekend. I wanted to use it for a couple weeks before posting my review. I own an iPad 2 and have used both the Xoom and the Playbook and I still believe webOS is the best mobile OS out there, if HP can crush some of the bugs and get the apps needed, they have a real winner.