Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Mikes on June 21, 2012, 10:37:30 pm
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jozTK-MqEXQ
The Pro version has me drooling like no tomorrow...
Pretty much the piece of hardware I've been looking for for the last years... if the pen is any good. :)
-
Summary, please.
-
Well, it sure took them a while. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxk_WywMTzc)
Speaking of which... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZrr7AZ9nCY)
-
video length: 47 minutes. abort.
Summary, please.
this.
-
Summary, please.
A Windows 8 tablet from Microsoft. Has
- 10.6" screen (resolution depends on the model)
- some kind of magnesium alloy case
- microSD, USB 2.0 and micro HD Video ports
- 32-128GB storage depending on the model
- an ARM or an Intel processor, depending on the model
- a cover lid that contains a touch keyboard or a more physical keyboard, depending on the model
- a hefty price, or so the rumours tell.
-
missing the most important bit: i.e. the "Pro" Modell being a fully featured Ivy Bridge I5 based Win8 PC with dual active digitizer for touch and pen input - all in a 10" tablet.
That makes it not just more portable but also more powerful than my current 12" Win7 Tablet.
I'll certainly buy - as said before, if the Pen is any good. (i.e. Wacom or comparable)
-
- a cover lid that contains a touch keyboard or a more physical keyboard, depending on the model
And suddenly my interest in touchpads was piqued. I HATE touchscreen keyboards (I never found them to work well with my 10-finger blind-typing skills), but if the thing has a decent keyboard worked into it...
Also, dat i5.
-
I doubt it'll come with a "decent" keyboard; however, a functional one (i.e. one that you can use without too much swearing) would be a great improvement over onscreen keyboards. In any case, since this thing is a full PC, it'll probably come with one or two full USB ports, so plugging in a decent keyboard will be easier than doing the same thing with an iPad.
-
I'm curious to know if they can win over a portion of the market share, though. Samsung's a competitor too, I believe.
-
I don't think that's the point of this exercise. I think MS' goal here is to provide reference hardware for people to get an idea what to expect from Windows-powered tablets. It's the same thing Google did with the Nexus phones and tablets.
Since MS, unlike Apple, does not manufacture hardware itself, they have a reasonable fear of the market getting fragmented as hell as soon as more than one manufacturer starts shipping those tablets.
-
From my perspective... just the form factor + the I5 is already an achievement in engineering.
At the very least.... this combines the power of a full fledged ultrabook/subnotebook with the form factor of something that's smaller than the average netbook.
And then it's quite a bit more on top of that... ;) With touch, but especially with the pen and with this form factor, this allows true "computing on your feet" with an unheard of combination of portability and power.
-
This does indeed sound neat. While I personally have no need for it, I guess it might become irreplaceable (at least until the new version comes along) to some other people who need this kind of device. It certainly sounds more comfortable to use than a normal tablet, while being more compact than a netbook.
One question though: How long does the battery last on that thing?
-
My current 12" Win7 Tablet with Wacom Pen, together with OneNote, is indeed very much irreplacable to me.
Until that Surface comes along anyways ;)
My guess on Battery Life would be anywhere from 4-7 hours.
Currently getting 4-6 hours (depending on whether WLAN/WWAN is enabled/disabled and screen brightness) on my 12" Win7 I5 (the older vPro Version) Tablet with daylight readable screen, 4gb ram, 128gb SSD - that's with 2x 30wh batteries.
The surface has a smaller battery (I believe something around 40+wh was mentioned), but it also has a smaller screen, the new 22nm Intel CPU and Windows 8 going for it, which all hopefully will result in less power consumption. Who knows... if Intel and MS brought their A game we might see 8hours+ for office use.
-
I'm struggling to know what to buy next to replace my netbook. Given that I'll probably be buying a windows phone (Nokia), this is a very real potential purchase... if it'll play FSO with a plugged in keyboard and mouse.
-
On somewhat of a side tangent, the Surface Pro is one spot where I can see Windows 8 actually shining. I'm still not sold on the UI on traditional systems, though I've been using it off and on for a bit now; but on a tablet (I've fiddled with it a bit on an older tx2000) it's pretty much spot-on.
-
The video makes it look pretty nifty. I think I want one.
-
Microsoft introducing a tablet is now breaking an older rule they have held on for a very long time: they have not been competing with the computer hardware manufacturers before. This is a stab in the back for their computer hardware partners, and they will react on this by offering and supporting alternative operating systems. Microsoft knows this also, but they seem to rely on the demand coming from the consumer side, I expect a lot of advertisements and enthusiastic previews coming up for the Surface. And hey, it might be a great piece of technology, but I can't help but to think that Microsoft is now fighting a losing battle in the long term.
The reason is, they are very late for the mobile and do not actually have an ecosystem yet. Android is currently the most sold operating system in the world, even if you count the PCs. While they could get the consumers interested in their stuff, their recent actions have pretty much closed the doors on the mobile side to all directions. They would have to do it all by themselves, starting from relay antennae and ending up to stores for selling that all.
-
Ah... the Pro most definitely has an already existing and rather huge ecosystem... call it an ecouniverse... that makes the Ipad as well as Android look like the toys they are.
Also, I've tried "working" with either device and even compared to current Windows Tablets with a Wacom digitizer and OneNote... Apples as well as Googles offerings are a joke.
Apple and Google don't have a single leg to stand on in the business world - aside from being a "hip" device.
As pointed out before: Ipads and Android Tablets are quite limited content consumption devices. Neat for what they do... but the problem is you can't do all that much with them.
The Surface Pro comes in Tablet format... but allows content creation on par with an actual laptop. That's a gamechanger.
-
I wouldn't be wagering anything on the operating system that doesn't exist on the markets yet which runs on unproven hardware. Being "hip" seems to have worked pretty well so far. There seems to be a lot of versions being launched of Windows 8, fragmentation comes to mind. So I wouldn't call it an ecosystem until the things are actually out - I don't assume that all Windows PCs actually belong to the MS ecosystem. I'm not sure how quickly the majority of companies are going to upgrade from Windows 7, quite a bit of corporate PCs are running Windows XP and 7 is next on the list as it seems to be functional. Windows 8, I don't know.
Also, what's the difference between a laptop and a tablet? Then again, what's the difference between a thinned laptop and a tablet? For me, Microsoft seems to aim to their own version of MacBook Air, but that's just me. It is of course, better to enter the market sooner than later - and later better than never, but I can't help the feeling that Surface seems to be something that has been sold for years already in the form of thinned laptops.
-
Also, what's the difference between a laptop and a tablet? Then again, what's the difference between a thinned laptop and a tablet?
That's the whole point that I am so excited about: With the Surface Pro, finally, there will not be a difference.
It's a fully featured computing device... not merely a stunted media consumption device ala Ipad/Android.
As for the ecosystem... the Pro will run fully featured windows applications.
Compared to that... the Ipad or Android ecosystems are not just tiny... they simply can't compete feature wise.
I find it funny that with all the craze about apps and ecosystems and comparing the "number of apps available" like penis sizes ... few people focus on the rather essential fact that Android or iOS don't have anything to even remotely be able to compete with the professional software suites available for the windows platform. They are childs in grownup country... and right now they get by by being smaller and cuter than the competition. ;)
For my workflow and daytoday life I certainly do need a fully featured computer (which happens to be a 12" Tablet in my case ;) ). A "media" tablet like the Ipad or Android ones simply won't do. Such a tablet is a convenient extra device to have for simple tasks... but as a "main computing device"?
I like my Android tablet... but i mean, seriously, whom are we kidding? They are cute, convenient toys, but that's about it. As an actual "replacement" for a device with a "real OS", be it Windows, OSX or Linux or whatever, an iOS/Android Tablet would be as suitable as a toy car as a "replacement" for the real thing.
That's what has me excited about the Pro: It looks the perfect mobile device for all my work and entertainment needs - in one small/convenient package.
I.e. One device for all my needs.... instead of 2 like now. ;)
-
Then what's the difference between Microsoft Surface and something like Acer Aspire Ultrabook? Detachable keyboad and that Ultrabook is already available?
I'm sorry, but this just sounds like marketing hype to me; you are being sold something as new what you could already have at a cheaper price. However, I do reserve the right to be mistaken, so if it works for you, great!
-
Then what's the difference between Microsoft Surface and something like Acer Aspire Ultrabook? Detachable keyboad and that Ultrabook is already available?
I'm sorry, but this just sounds like marketing hype to me; you are being sold something as new what you could already have at a cheaper price. However, I do reserve the right to be mistaken, so if it works for you, great!
Don't take me wrong there either. I'm not totally sold on it yet...
What would be essential for me, of course, would be that:
- Fan noise has to be unobtrusive and heat has to be within sensible limits. (I'm used to business class machines... I do not want to hear the fan. - especially not during a meeting or while I teach. - This usually rules out Acer ;) )
- The pen has to be a Wacom pen or work as good as Wacom pen. (OneNote + Pen is a joy for work/meetings/education in general that I will never want to miss/ It's a make or break feature for teaching purposes - this of course completely rules out the Acer)
- The battery time matches or exceeds my current Win7 tablet (4-6 hours depending on use)
- build quality/durability has to be above average. (Microsoft, no matter how hard they try, would most likely be a slight step down from my Motion Computing tablet. Acer... no let's no go there... UGH.)
And no it certainly won't be "unique". With Windows 8 release I am sure we will see a slew of similar devices. This one just looks like the best so far.
I.e. it looks like it can compete with Google and Apple for size, style and convenience AND provide a fully functional PC at the same time. If so... I'm definitely sold ;)
-
Microsoft introducing a tablet is now breaking an older rule they have held on for a very long time: they have not been competing with the computer hardware manufacturers before. This is a stab in the back for their computer hardware partners, and they will react on this by offering and supporting alternative operating systems. Microsoft knows this also, but they seem to rely on the demand coming from the consumer side, I expect a lot of advertisements and enthusiastic previews coming up for the Surface. And hey, it might be a great piece of technology, but I can't help but to think that Microsoft is now fighting a losing battle in the long term.
The reason is, they are very late for the mobile and do not actually have an ecosystem yet. Android is currently the most sold operating system in the world, even if you count the PCs. While they could get the consumers interested in their stuff, their recent actions have pretty much closed the doors on the mobile side to all directions. They would have to do it all by themselves, starting from relay antennae and ending up to stores for selling that all.
There is still some hope for Microsoft, because they at least acknowledged that more and more people are using tablet computers nowadays and are taking steps to try and claim a share of that market.
Usage of tablet computers in the eastern part of the world is still in its infancy. Even in Singapore, where I live in, most people are still making the transition from desktops to laptop computers, and the transition to a tablet computer is not in full swing yet.
If Microsoft does things right, they will not go in the direction of AdLib in this market.
-
Usage of tablet computers in the eastern part of the world is still in its infancy. Even in Singapore, where I live in, most people are still making the transition from desktops to laptop computers, and the transition to a tablet computer is not in full swing yet.
Is there even a "transition" right now? I would highly doubt it. An Android tablet/Ipad simply can't do a fraction of the (rather critical) things a proper computer can.
What I see all around me is people picking up a tablet in addition to their computers - not as a replacement.
Without any solid data to back it either way I would still suggest that it is highly unlikely that people are actually replacing their computers.... with those toys. ;)
Tablets are a growth market (why? Because they are new, everyone wants one, and the market is not saturated like the computer market, doh) - featurewise Android Tablets and Ipads are so limited compared to a proper computer however, that the whole notion of "tablets replacing computers" strikes me as outright ridiculous at this point. People who didn't need a computer before, may get a tablet sure.... but people who needed a computer before... still need a computer, and not one of those toys. ;)
The "Surface Pro" is matter of fact the first device that looks like it could make an actual transition to the 10" tablet format feasible. - and neither Google nor Apple have anything to compete with a 10" tablet computer right now. - "computer" being the keyword here.
With phones that have the same chips, same OS and can run the same software.... what niche will those 10" Ipads and Android tablets fill exactly when we are now getting 10" tablets that are actually fully featured computers sporting I5s and a desktop OS with a fully realized touch interface?
-
They can make an interesting twist on Server/Termal networks by allowing the user to take the terminal anywhere .
-
I think these things will be big in corporate IT, given that they can be administrated using the same tools as regular Windows Desktop installs.
-
If this thing can do all the things we hope it can, it will truly be the device I've been waiting for for years.
I finally went with a HP2760P, which is excellent, but still not all that portable. If a surface tablet can partially replace that with the portability of an iPad, I will buy one harder than anything else I've ever purchased.
-
Too long, didn't watch.
As for the ecosystem... the Pro will run fully featured windows applications.
Compared to that... the Ipad or Android ecosystems are not just tiny... they simply can't compete feature wise.
I find it funny that with all the craze about apps and ecosystems and comparing the "number of apps available" like penis sizes ... few people focus on the rather essential fact that Android or iOS don't have anything to even remotely be able to compete with the professional software suites available for the windows platform. They are childs in grownup country... and right now they get by by being smaller and cuter than the competition. ;)
What's with the constant Android/Linux bashing, mate? You know, when you're sure of what you're doing in your own house you don't need to get your nose in your neighbour's.
Besides, what ecosystem are we talking about here?
Windows on ARM processors (Windows RT) will only support applications included with the system (including some Office 15 desktop applications), supplied through Windows Update, or Metro applications acquired through the Windows Store. Windows on ARM will not support running, emulating, or porting existing x86/64 desktop applications to ensure the quality of apps available on ARM.
So, want an ecosystem? Not in the most popular architecture for smartphones (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_Holdings#Sales_and_market_share). Sorry.
While Microsoft has made some significant progress since the Vista fiasco, even going as far as finally releasing a good OS with reasonable hardware requirements (hell, I love Win7), they're still almost nonexistent in the mobile market (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Phone#Market_share), their dominance in desktop PCs notwithstanding.
-
am i the only one around here who will still take his WinMo 6.5 "smartphone" over any and all android/i****s these days? :p
even with non-standard rom's i've rarely had any issues with it. my gf's android on the other hand...
-
Too long, didn't watch.
As for the ecosystem... the Pro will run fully featured windows applications.
Compared to that... the Ipad or Android ecosystems are not just tiny... they simply can't compete feature wise.
I find it funny that with all the craze about apps and ecosystems and comparing the "number of apps available" like penis sizes ... few people focus on the rather essential fact that Android or iOS don't have anything to even remotely be able to compete with the professional software suites available for the windows platform. They are childs in grownup country... and right now they get by by being smaller and cuter than the competition. ;)
What's with the constant Android/Linux bashing, mate? You know, when you're sure of what you're doing in your own house you don't need to get your nose in your neighbour's.
Besides, what ecosystem are we talking about here?
Linux is a fully featured desktop OS. Android is a very limited mobile device OS. The two should not be lumped together.
What Microsoft is doing with the "Surface PRO" is bringing us a fully featured computer, with a fully featured desktop OS,... in 10" tablet format.
Now about "ecosystems". Usually when people talk about ecosystems they usually talk about Android and iOS apps... it's unusal to talk about "Windows programs" as an ecosystem... but now that we are getting a fully functional computer that is small enough to compete with tablets it becomes glaringly obvious that neither Apples nor Googles "ecosystem" would have a snowflakes chance in hell when people start comparing them to the amount and complexity of programmes available to a full desktop OS.
As said before... in comparison Android and iOS ecosystems are little more than fledgling childs and now someone puts a device out that is about as small as an IPAD or Android Tablet.... but can actually run "grownup software".
If they can pull it off even just somewhat satisfactory... then as far as I'm concerned, Android and iOS Tablets just became obsolete.
What niche is left for them when you have devices that are comparable in size.... but are actually fullscale computers featurewise?
-
am i the only one around here who will still take his WinMo 6.5 "smartphone" over any and all android/i****s these days? :p
even with non-standard rom's i've rarely had any issues with it. my gf's android on the other hand...
I have an old HTC Diamond, but the battery is pretty bad right now. Trying to find a decent phone replacement is kind of hard.
-
am i the only one around here who will still take his WinMo 6.5 "smartphone" over any and all android/i****s these days? :p
even with non-standard rom's i've rarely had any issues with it. my gf's android on the other hand...
I have an old HTC Diamond, but the battery is pretty bad right now. Trying to find a decent phone replacement is kind of hard.
heh. mine is still awesome, capable of pulling a full-on week of use, if i'm not ****ing around with wifi too much. (Samsung Omnia i900)
-
I had a Samsung Omnia SCH-i920 - great phone, but the software had some infuriating bugs. I forget what they are; I have an iPhone 4S now which has its own infuriating habits (but at least doesn't slow down if you don't purge the text messages every few months like the WinMo 6.5 did with its *****y Outlook crap).
Anyways, Next time I'm trying a Droid.
-
I had a Samsung Omnia SCH-i920 - great phone, but the software had some infuriating bugs. I forget what they are; I have an iPhone 4S now which has its own infuriating habits (but at least doesn't slow down if you don't purge the text messages every few months like the WinMo 6.5 did with its *****y Outlook crap).
Anyways, Next time I'm trying a Droid.
i havent purged text messages since i got the phone 3 years ago... no slowness here :p
-
Lucky you. :nod: ... :nervous: Or maybe I'm just unlucky. My wife had the exact same model phone and it did the same thing. Now we're both loving the nifty little features of the iOS, like,
"Oh, you have a call incoming, slide to answer..."
"...but I want to decline the call!"
"I'm sorry, your phone was locked when the call was received, so you'll have to either slide to answer, or mute the ringer, and wait until the call is dropped to use your phone again."
"What?! But I need to catch a snapshot of this moment that's happening just now, before it's gone!"
"Oh well. But don't worry. It's all part of the many benefits of the iExperience. :nod: Enjoy!"
...Which is why we jailbroke our phones. (Nifty little apps like EZDecline that put the choice back where it belongs - with the user!) The only downside to that is that if anything goes wrong (to the point where you can't boot the phone) and you have to restore your phone, one of the guaranteed "features" of any iOS software update that you will be forced to install upon doing an iTunes restore is removing any exploit used to jailbreak the previous iOS software.. so you're stuck until the next jailbreak comes out. There are ways around that (forced iOS upgrade), however, Apple has gotten pretty good at stopping them with their new A5-based devices.
-
Lucky you. :nod: ... :nervous: Or maybe I'm just unlucky. My wife had the exact same model phone and it did the same thing. Now we're both loving the nifty little features of the iOS, like,
"Oh, you have a call incoming, slide to answer..."
"...but I want to decline the call!"
"I'm sorry, your phone was locked when the call was received, so you'll have to either slide to answer, or mute the ringer, and wait until the call is dropped to use your phone again."
"What?! But I need to catch a snapshot of this moment that's happening just now, before it's gone!"
"Oh well. But don't worry. It's all part of the many benefits of the iExperience. :nod: Enjoy!"
...Which is why we jailbroke our phones. (Nifty little apps like EZDecline that put the choice back where it belongs - with the user!) The only downside to that is that if anything goes wrong (to the point where you can't boot the phone) and you have to restore your phone, one of the guaranteed "features" of any iOS software update that you will be forced to install upon doing an iTunes restore is removing any exploit used to jailbreak the previous iOS software.. so you're stuck until the next jailbreak comes out. There are ways around that (forced iOS upgrade), however, Apple has gotten pretty good at stopping them with their new A5-based devices.
in short, apple sucks, and you and your wife really should've known better? (not that androids are all that better, but on the other hand, cyanogenmod for the devices that are beefy enough to benefit from it...)
-
To heck with CyanogenMod "For devices that are beefy enough"...... Put that **** on just about any phone that'll take it. I'm running CyanogenMod 7.2 on an HTC Legend, one of the most bottom end ARM v6 based phones that doesn't even have an official Gingerbread ROM, and even there it takes a frustratingly laggy phone with a lackluster, heavily locked-down stock 2.2 ROM, and adds in a stable 200 Mhz overclock, full DSP stack, smooths out the interface and makes it easy to throw out the nigh-uncustomizable HTC Sense. I had more or less given up on the phone and switched over to a Blackberry 9780 I had given to me when I decided to go ahead and give rooting the thing a try.
-
in short, apple sucks, and you and your wife really should've known better?
I blame my wife's sister. And her boyfriend. We are all on the same plan to save money, and he wanted an iPhone cause she just loved her 3GS, so they got 4Ses. Then my wife wanted one - it was either that or Android, but I will say this: the iPhone has a very slick interface. Just woe to those who dare try to customize it (at the very least, Apple will not do you any favors when they release updates). Apple has a very good product and complete asshole control freaks in charge of it, who hide behind the guise of "preserving the Apple experience" - oh, you mean like your retarded one-button mouse that you finally saw fit to improve? Which stubborn old geezer finally died/retired to let that decision through?
The thing I hate the most about Apple is .. I guess it goes like this: (relevant part in italics)
There was a little girl, who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead,
And when she was good, she was very, very good,
But when she was bad she was horrid.
She stood on her head, on her little trundle bed,
With nobody by for to hinder;
She screamed and she squalled, she yelled and she bawled,
And drummed her little heels against the winder.
Her mother heard the noise, and thought it was the boys
Playing in the empty attic,
She rushed upstairs, and caught her unawares,
And spanked her, most emphatic.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
-
Linux is a fully featured desktop OS. Android is a very limited mobile device OS. The two should not be lumped together.
Now this is just silly.
-
Pray tell.
-
Linux is a fully featured desktop OS. Android is a very limited mobile device OS. The two should not be lumped together.
Now this is just silly.
That Android is based on Linux in no way or form changes the fact that Android is stunted and limited in comparison.
Linux distros have their own issues... but being a cut down mobile OS isn't one of them. ;)
-
In what way is Android "cut down"? Sure, unlike the original mainline kernel, it is heavily optimized for embedded systems, but there is no fundamental difference between android and every other operating system out there.
The only thing that is limited is the range of available input mechanisms (an issue notably missing in android-based tablets), everything else is an issue with missing applications, which isn't really android's fault.
-
everything else is an issue with missing applications, which isn't really android's fault.
True, but Mikes main point (and the one several people seem to be doing their damnedest to ignore) is that since MS are making a tablet running Windows, they aren't as likely to suffer from this issue as iOS and Android. The point he's making is that despite claims from some people that netbooks would be replaced by tablets, they haven't been (I seem to remember Jobs or someone else at Apple made this claim when the iPad appeared).
People still buy netbooks. Why? Cause you can do more with them than you can with any tablet currently on the market. You don't need to find an Android or iOS or BB application that can do the same thing as the one you already know. You can take the applications off the PC that you already know and are used to, and use them on the road. Sure there are other reasons (HD space, greater connectivity, better keyboards, etc) but are they truly the reason? Or is it just the apps?
So while the Android itself isn't cut down, what you can do with it certainly is even compared with Linux (let alone Windows!).
Now I'm not going to say that a Win 8 tablet is going to wipe out Apple or Google but given the massive advantage MS have when it comes to app development, it could happen.
-
I guess so, but that depends entirely on the x86 ultrabook format (which the big tablet is probably based on) getting a lot cheaper than it currently is.
-
In what way is Android "cut down"? Sure, unlike the original mainline kernel, it is heavily optimized for embedded systems, but there is no fundamental difference between android and every other operating system out there.
The only thing that is limited is the range of available input mechanisms (an issue notably missing in android-based tablets), everything else is an issue with missing applications, which isn't really android's fault.
Oh in theory you would be correct.... in practice, as Kajorama pointed out, not so much.
... the optimization for the tablet platform with all its limitation is at once Androids (and iOS) greatest strenght and ultimately greatest weakness. With keyboards and mouses and extra monitors, printers, all being "nonstandard/unusual/or in same cases impossible" to use with a tablet, with the way the app market is set up and with the pricepoints that it accomodates the whole thing is simple dead on arrival when you consider it from the perspective for a professional software developer who has been selling enterprise software or creative sotware suites.
As I said before... Android and iOS tablets are fledgling childs that - of course - can not compete with the Windows platforms hardware flexibility on the one hand and the wealth of "grown up" software suites on the other.
I mean, don't take me wrong here.... I truly loved my Galaxy 10.1 as I first got it... I loved the size and form factor... and I literally tried to do everything with it... and got more and more frustrated, then acknowledged that it is simply unsuited for certain tasks... then admitted that I could do most things easier, quicker, better, and with less frustration on my PC (keep in mind I do have a 12" Win7 Wacom tablet - which, while not *quite* as portable as a 10" tablet, is lightyears ahead of Android/iOS in productivity when used as a mobile device for work)... and ultimately... left it next to my bed to occasionally use as an E-reader or browse the web while laying down.
I'm thinking of getting a Kindle though (hugely more battery life, more portable and less strain on the eyes when reading due to e-ink)... so the one useful thing the Android tab can propably do is go to Ebay.
In summary... I can truly see the potential of the size and form factor... but I experienced Android as a platform that is either completely unsuited for most tasks in my workflow or everyday life and at best "worse" than my pc. (and iOS with its ridiculous restrictions and file system limitations would be worse).
The form factor is the only thing these devices have going for it in my eyes... and now Microsoft is offering that. If their marketing department can get that point across (which is another big if admittedly ;) ) ... then Game Over for the "toy tablets" ... except maybe as actual kids toys or a niche in the ultra low end / low price segment. (Android talets could propably survive there... Apple not so much.)
-
To heck with CyanogenMod "For devices that are beefy enough"...... Put that **** on just about any phone that'll take it. I'm running CyanogenMod 7.2 on an HTC Legend, one of the most bottom end ARM v6 based phones that doesn't even have an official Gingerbread ROM, and even there it takes a frustratingly laggy phone with a lackluster, heavily locked-down stock 2.2 ROM, and adds in a stable 200 Mhz overclock, full DSP stack, smooths out the interface and makes it easy to throw out the nigh-uncustomizable HTC Sense. I had more or less given up on the phone and switched over to a Blackberry 9780 I had given to me when I decided to go ahead and give rooting the thing a try.
i will just point out that if you have old as **** phones around, then no, CM isnt the best option. the one i've had horrid experience rooting, putting CWRecovery on and yaddayadda is a T-com Pulse, also known as Huawei u8220. supposedly "offficially supported with CM7". guess what, it aint. or at least there isnt a single ****ing rom to dl on their site. i had to track down a CM6 image to even get it barely useable again, since in all my infinite wisdom, i didnt backup the original 1.5 rom.
btw, how does my phone (http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i900_omnia-2422.php) compare to the androids anyhow?
in short, apple sucks, and you and your wife really should've known better?
I blame my wife's sister. And her boyfriend. We are all on the same plan to save money, and he wanted an iPhone cause she just loved her 3GS, so they got 4Ses. Then my wife wanted one - it was either that or Android, but I will say this: the iPhone has a very slick interface. Just woe to those who dare try to customize it (at the very least, Apple will not do you any favors when they release updates). Apple has a very good product and complete asshole control freaks in charge of it, who hide behind the guise of "preserving the Apple experience" - oh, you mean like your retarded one-button mouse that you finally saw fit to improve? Which stubborn old geezer finally died/retired to let that decision through?
The thing I hate the most about Apple is .. I guess it goes like this: (relevant part in italics)
There was a little girl, who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead,
And when she was good, she was very, very good,
But when she was bad she was horrid.
She stood on her head, on her little trundle bed,
With nobody by for to hinder;
She screamed and she squalled, she yelled and she bawled,
And drummed her little heels against the winder.
Her mother heard the noise, and thought it was the boys
Playing in the empty attic,
She rushed upstairs, and caught her unawares,
And spanked her, most emphatic.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
heheheheh :D
i know i laughed my ass off when my sister was showing off her 3G or GS, whichever, and was asking me how does she put ringtones on, and it turned out that she had to go through itunes. now, she's a diehard mac user, but even she hates itunes :p
i will agree however, the interface was silky smooth on it.
-
I don't know how iTunes manages on Macs, but it is an absolute cluster**** of a program on Windows.
-
It works well on a Mac 99.9% of the time. 0.1% of the time, it doesn't.
And when she was good, she was very, very good,
But when she was bad she was horrid.
This does indeed sum up the workmanship of any Apple product. If it was made well, it will last years. If it wasn't, it falls apart in less than half a year from the purchase date. I was fortunate enough to get a MacBook that still runs, complete with a charger that is as durable as an Ares.