I'm thinking of buying an Android tablet - Page 4

Purple Lady · 10-01-2013, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikola Tesla

Touchwiz.

Unless he's willing to go through the trouble of flashing ROM's (Sounds like he isn't) then I wouldn't recommend Samsung.

You don't have to flash a rom or even root to be able to have a better ui. Just get a launcher app - right now I am using Nova launcher.

Nikola Tesla · 10-01-2013, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

You don't have to flash a rom or even root to be able to have a better ui. Just get a launcher app - right now I am using Nova launcher.

That works somewhat, but Touchwiz isn't just the launcher. You always have Samsungs notification bar and no quick settings panel.

My biggest gripe with Samsung is their buttons. Not only are they hardware but they're wrong. They should be: "Back, Home, Recent Apps." Not: "Menu, Home, Back."

Purple Lady · 10-02-2013, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikola Tesla

That works somewhat, but Touchwiz isn't just the launcher. You always have Samsungs notification bar and no quick settings panel.

My biggest gripe with Samsung is their buttons. Not only are they hardware but they're wrong. They should be: "Back, Home, Recent Apps." Not: "Menu, Home, Back."

My Galaxy S3 has quick settings in the notification bar. I do really dislike the hardware home key though. But it does give you recent apps with a long press . I am also frequently messing up which is the back button since my tablet is different, but like having a menu key on my phone. That's one of the things I think Google really messed up on is getting rid of the menu key - each app puts it in a different spot now.

afv011 · 10-02-2013, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

... like having a menu key on my phone. That's one of the things I think Google really messed up on is getting rid of the menu key - each app puts it in a different spot now.

I disagree. For one, most apps are now adhering to the overflow menu, so it's on the top right. Yes, there are still some using legacy button, but they're fewer and fewer. And another issue with the hardware menu button is discoverability: with the overflow menu you know there is a menu in the app, it's right there in front of you; with the hardware button you don't know until you press it.

My opinion, hardware buttons are no longer needed in an Android phone, and are an abomination on a tablet (Samsung is not listening, as usual).

And their Gingerbread-ish UI aka TouchWiz, they should ban that simply for aesthetic reasons.

Sweetpea · 10-02-2013, 03:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by afv011

My opinion, hardware buttons are no longer needed in an Android phone, and are an abomination on a tablet (Samsung is not listening, as usual).

Why? I prefer the hardware bottoms on my Flyer. Those software buttons only take up valuable screen real-estate... Note that HTC did it right and put two sets of buttons on the device, one on the short end and one on the long end.

afv011 · 10-02-2013, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Why? I prefer the hardware bottoms on my Flyer. Those software buttons only take up valuable screen real-estate... Note that HTC did it right and put two sets of buttons on the device, one on the short end and one on the long end.

Just my opinion, I personally don't like them.

And HTC didn't do it right either, where's the multitasking button? Having to long press or go through other hoops to perform what is a common task is definitively not a good UI approach.

Nikola Tesla · 10-02-2013, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

My Galaxy S3 has quick settings in the notification bar. I do really dislike the hardware home key though. But it does give you recent apps with a long press . I am also frequently messing up which is the back button since my tablet is different, but like having a menu key on my phone. That's one of the things I think Google really messed up on is getting rid of the menu key - each app puts it in a different spot now.

Yes, but it's not Googles' quick settings. That's what I meant.

The menu button is just as legacy as the search button. And yes, devs sometimes do put the menu button in weird places, but for the most part they are aligning with Google's design standards.

Sweetpea · 10-02-2013, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by afv011

Just my opinion, I personally don't like them.

And HTC didn't do it right either, where's the multitasking button? Having to long press or go through other hoops to perform what is a common task is definitively not a good UI approach.

Gingerbread didn't have multitasking and Honeycomb only came out after the Flyer.

afv011 · 10-02-2013, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Gingerbread didn't have multitasking and Honeycomb only came out after the Flyer.

Right, I was referring to recent HTC devices that only have Home and Back buttons.

GB had multitasking though, by long pressing home, but no dedicated multitasking button.

Dave_S · 10-02-2013, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by afv011

Right, I was referring to recent HTC devices that only have Home and Back buttons.

GB had multitasking though, by long pressing home, but no dedicated multitasking button.

OK, now you guys have tweaked my curiosity! How did task switching ever come to be called multitasking for Android? Android's Linux kernel has always provided preemptive multitasking for Android since the beginning, has it not?

Nikola Tesla · 10-03-2013, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_S

OK, now you guys have tweaked my curiosity! How did task switching ever come to be called multitasking for Android? Android's Linux kernel has always provided preemptive multitasking for Android since the beginning, has it not?

Yes, at least since Gingerbread.

I think most people call it multitasking because it makes it easier for the user to multitask.

easterncoyote · 10-12-2013, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mivo

It's a downside, and I don't understand why Google omits the slot, though if you get the 32 GB version, you should have plenty of space and (unlike with an iPad) you can still use USB flash drives.

Haha, I think you answered your own question. Google doesn't include an expansion slot because they want you to buy the 32 GB (more expensive) version

Sabardeyn · 10-16-2013, 07:07 PM

If you have a USB-to-Go cable, you should be able to attach a card reader and sideload books as needed. In this way you can have your entire library present even if they're not on the device.

As to Google's reasons... I assume that it's a discreet push to promote Google Drive which is their cloud storage service. (Note that Google Drive does not work with Calibre! It will appear to operate alright at first, but you will encounter errors almost immediately.)

bfgbjl · 10-28-2013, 03:46 AM

Nexus 7 is worth considering.

jscarbo · 10-28-2013, 11:22 AM

Although the original poster made the decision to go with the Nexus 7 (and I have no issue with his decision or the recommendations made by other posters) for the benefit of others who may read this thread and are considering an android tablet, I'd like to add to the discussion with my recommendation.

I've owned and used more than a dozen e-ink readers and tablets, going all the way back to the Rocketbook/Gemstar e-reader in 2000. I owned several other early e-readers before settling on Kindles in 2008. I currently do most of my reading on a Kindle Paperwhite and am generally very pleased with it. The only real complaints I have is it's lack of epub support and that the 6" screen makes it a poor choice for reading most pdf's.

As for tablets, I owned an original Kindle Fire and still own an original Nexus 7, although my wife is now the primary user of the Nexus 7. In my opinion, the Nexus 7 is far superior to the original Fire in every respect, unless you care about access to Amazon videos.

Since I use an e-ink Kindle for most of my reading, my primary uses for a tablet are for email and internet browsing, watching videos and playing music, and for reading PDFs and magazines. Even though I enjoyed my Nexus 7, I found the 7" screen too small to really enjoy watching videos and for PDFs and magazines.

So, a few months ago I decided to upgrade to a larger screen tablet and began considering my alternatives. I ruled out many because of price, including iPad, Nexus 10 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. Most budget tablets didn't come in larger screen sizes or had very low-end specs and poor reviews.

This left me with two choices, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 priced at $269 or the Nook HD+ which B&N had recently reduced to $149. To me, the biggest advantage to the KF is Amazon's outstanding customer service and support but I couldn't justify paying almost twice as much on this basis alone.

Reading side by side comparisons of the specs, most reviewers gave the edge to the HD+ but the differences weren't great except in two respects. First, the HD+ has access to Google Play. Secondly, the HD+ has an sd card expansion slot. Not only does this allow for expanded storage but more importantly to me, it meant that I could buy a preconfigured dual boot sd card which would allow me to run the latest version of the stock android operating system without rooting it and running the risk of bricking or voiding my warranty.

These two differences, coupled with the lower price, made it an easy decision for me. I bought the HD+ and have been using it now for about three months. I absolutely love it. The large screen HD display is great. I've had no problems with it and haven't needed customer service or support so can't comment on the quality of Nook support although I'm aware of how dissatisfied some B&N customers have been.

So far, I've been running the stock Nook OS and haven't bothered getting a dual boot card for it, although I probably will do so at some point. Based on my experiences, I highly recommend the Nook HD+ and consider it to be one of the best tech bargains on the market.

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10-16-2013, 07:07 PM	#58
Sabardeyn Guru Posts: 644 Karma: 1242364 Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Right Coast Device: PC (Calibre), Nexus 7 2013 (Moon+ Pro), HTC HD2/Leo (Freda)	If you have a USB-to-Go cable, you should be able to attach a card reader and sideload books as needed. In this way you can have your entire library present even if they're not on the device. As to Google's reasons... I assume that it's a discreet push to promote Google Drive which is their cloud storage service. (Note that Google Drive does *not* work with Calibre! It will appear to operate alright at first, but you will encounter errors almost immediately.)

10-28-2013, 03:46 AM	#59
bfgbjl Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2013 Device: none	Nexus 7 is worth considering.

10-28-2013, 11:22 AM	#60
jscarbo Addict Posts: 220 Karma: 1075434 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Costa Rica Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle PW2, Nook HD+, Nexus 7	Although the original poster made the decision to go with the Nexus 7 (and I have no issue with his decision or the recommendations made by other posters) for the benefit of others who may read this thread and are considering an android tablet, I'd like to add to the discussion with my recommendation. I've owned and used more than a dozen e-ink readers and tablets, going all the way back to the Rocketbook/Gemstar e-reader in 2000. I owned several other early e-readers before settling on Kindles in 2008. I currently do most of my reading on a Kindle Paperwhite and am generally very pleased with it. The only real complaints I have is it's lack of epub support and that the 6" screen makes it a poor choice for reading most pdf's. As for tablets, I owned an original Kindle Fire and still own an original Nexus 7, although my wife is now the primary user of the Nexus 7. In my opinion, the Nexus 7 is far superior to the original Fire in every respect, unless you care about access to Amazon videos. Since I use an e-ink Kindle for most of my reading, my primary uses for a tablet are for email and internet browsing, watching videos and playing music, and for reading PDFs and magazines. Even though I enjoyed my Nexus 7, I found the 7" screen too small to really enjoy watching videos and for PDFs and magazines. So, a few months ago I decided to upgrade to a larger screen tablet and began considering my alternatives. I ruled out many because of price, including iPad, Nexus 10 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. Most budget tablets didn't come in larger screen sizes or had very low-end specs and poor reviews. This left me with two choices, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 priced at $269 or the Nook HD+ which B&N had recently reduced to $149. To me, the biggest advantage to the KF is Amazon's outstanding customer service and support but I couldn't justify paying almost twice as much on this basis alone. Reading side by side comparisons of the specs, most reviewers gave the edge to the HD+ but the differences weren't great except in two respects. First, the HD+ has access to Google Play. Secondly, the HD+ has an sd card expansion slot. Not only does this allow for expanded storage but more importantly to me, it meant that I could buy a preconfigured dual boot sd card which would allow me to run the latest version of the stock android operating system without rooting it and running the risk of bricking or voiding my warranty. These two differences, coupled with the lower price, made it an easy decision for me. I bought the HD+ and have been using it now for about three months. I absolutely love it. The large screen HD display is great. I've had no problems with it and haven't needed customer service or support so can't comment on the quality of Nook support although I'm aware of how dissatisfied some B&N customers have been. So far, I've been running the stock Nook OS and haven't bothered getting a dual boot card for it, although I probably will do so at some point. Based on my experiences, I highly recommend the Nook HD+ and consider it to be one of the best tech bargains on the market.