Anyone else dislikes tablets - all tablets?

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Some folks may remember the "ultra-mobile PCs" that were out a while back.

They were the results of a collaboration between Intel and Microsoft, using Microsoft's Origami as a base. They were essentially tablets.

I've had a Samsung UMPC from 2008 to 2010.
I absolutely loved it.
But I've got a simple explanation, why iPad did succeed, where all the other tablets before had failed: iTunes.
Before iTunes, you had to use sheer endless sources:
- Music maybe from a single source.
- Movies, if you actually bought them, from another source, but still might have been a single source.
- Software (nowadays we call it apps): Each app from a different source.

I still have my old programs from 10 years ago backed up.
I put each .exe file in a separate folder. And I put the emails, containing passwords, registration numbers and such, into the very same folder.
I've got hundreds of those folders.
And still: Each time I reinstalled my system, some apps/programs had been missing. I simply couldn't remember, where I had bought a specific app. Games, for example, could be bought from tons of sources.

Now we use iTunes (or Google Play or the Microsoft store) as our central platform for every type of content.

That, in my opinion, is the single most important argument, why iPad did succeed.
And, funny enough, Apple did the very same before for music. iPods, imho, couldn't compete with the specs of Sony players or even Microsoft Zune. But the combination of iTunes and good enough hardware was outstanding.
And it shouldn't even have been a surprise: It had been Apple's approach for Macs as well = Hardware and OS from a single source.

Simple, but looking backwards all genius decisions seem simple...

[sakura-panda]

I love my tablets.

I bought an iPad (original) for showing off photos and playing videos. My husband surprised me with an iPad 3 (with retina) that I use for watching videos, playing games and photo editing. I don't read much on either of them. I use a stylus with the new one so that there are fewer fingerprint streaks on the screen.

I also have a Nook HD+ that I bought new for cheap to use as an Android tablet. In the past year I have only added the Kobo Reader app to it -- I use it exclusively for reading. The screen size is wonderful, although the battery life is significantly less than on my e-ink readers. Even though it is heavier, I tend to pick it up more often when I read just because I like the screen size. I have a portable battery charger and a lapdesk that I use so that I don't have to hold it when I read for a long time.

I'm personally not a fan of Kindle anything, so I would suggest trying a different brand of tablet before giving up on them completely. However, I have very limited experience with Kindle Fires (my kids each have one but I haven't used them much beyond setting up wi-fi and troubleshooting the occasionally cranky app) and it may not be as different from other Android-based tablets as I think it is. Also, the way I use them (as portable viewers, mainly) may make me more biased regarding their overall usefulness.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

I understand, you've rooted your tablet?

I have. It was a bit of a PITA to do it, since it's not a known brand supported by the various one-click-root solutions, but rooting would be the first thing I'd do to any such device.

If so, there are tools in Google Play, to move apps.
You even can delete from ROM and add other apps to ROM.
It's a bit tricky with the 2 kinds of internal storage. Some of those apps recognize the internal 1GB partition (often called "USB" in the settings) as the SD card and ignore the "real" SD card. But like Apple says: There's an app for that. And that's true for Android the same.

Just check for "root" in Google Play and you'll find a few dozen tools (some partially work for un-rooted devices, but rooting for such tasks always is a good choice).

I have. I don't pretend to have looked at everything, but thus far I haven't found a good solution.

The problem is the way internal storage is partitioned. The device has 4GB of flash memory. 767MB of that is seen as app storage. 1GB is seen as an internal SDCARD. The rest is what appears as one drive in Windows if I plug the tablet in and turn on USB storage. The 32GB external microSD card I plugged in appears as another drive in Windows.

What I'd like to do is change the internal partitioning, to increase the amount of flash available as applications storage. (Bumping it up to 1GB would address most of my problems.) Some apps can be partially relocated to the 1GB partition seen as SDCARD, and all that can be, have been. The Google apps cannot be relocated, and those are the problem children.

I have an app for rooted devices called Folder Mount that will apparently let you swap the internal card locations to the external card by altering the mount points, but that would not address my problems. I've already removed various apps that came as part of the standard image and required root to get rid of.

There's a limit to how much effort I'll invest, since my plans include a larger and more powerful device in the future without the limits that bite me. The primary use case for the A727 is eBook viewer, and it would be more than worth the price of admission if that was all I ever did with it. Anything else is gravy.

Among other things, I'm a sysadmin who learned his trade on AT&T Unix System V Release 2 before Linux was a gleam in Linus Torvald's eye, and am a Linux admin and run Linux alongside Windows at home. I'm familiar with the theory, and Android is a flavor of Linux, but I'm still sorting out exactly how things are implemented. This device is a much a "Discover Android" learning tool as anything, but I'm being careful not to break it in the process.
______
Dennis

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by piperclassique

Don't know about the rest of you, but Swype has revolutionised typing for me. AFAIK it is only available for android, and it speeds up typing to the extent that I hardly ever use a standard keyboard. I touch type, not very fast, but although swype means I have to look at the keypad, it is still faster for me. Oh, that is on either the galaxy tab, or the note, where I do use a stylus.

http://www.swype.com/get-swype/swype-on-ios-2/

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

I also have a Nook HD+ that I bought new for cheap to use as an Android tablet.

You and lots of other people. The first thing many folks I know thought when the saw the Nook tablet was "Root it and get a cheap general purpose Android tablet." That backfired on Nook as a wave of cheap general purpose Android tablets appeared from Chinese vendors at prices Nook couldn't match, and they stopped selling the tablet models a while back. They do still offer the dedicated readers.

My SO got a used Nook tablet off of eBay, specifically as an eBook viewer, because the Nook is supported by the New York Public Library through a 3M app. She's happy enough with the default uses that I haven't tried to root it, since it wouldn't add anything she uses.

In the past year I have only added the Kobo Reader app to it -- I use it exclusively for reading. The screen size is wonderful, although the battery life is significantly less than on my e-ink readers.

I made it a reflex years back that when I wasn't actively using a device that used batteries, it sat on the appropriate charger.

The big battery users on tablets are screen brightness and wifi. I find the screen quite usable dialed back to about 1/3 of the default setting, and added a desktop widget to toggle wifi with a touch, so it's normally off. The last time I totally ran down the battery, I had toggles wifi to do something on line, and forgot to turn it off again. Oops!

I'm personally not a fan of Kindle anything, so I would suggest trying a different brand of tablet before giving up on them completely.

A lot of folks back when were looking at the Kindle Fire as a cheap Android tablet. My advice was "Spend $50 more and get a Nook tablet. The specs are much better and you'll have a happier experience when you root it." The Kindle Fire is an extension of the original Kindle, with the same underlying purpose.

The original Kindle was a loss leader, sold below cost to build a market for the eBooks Amazon wanted to sell. Once the market was established, Kindle apps for various platforms appeared, because Amazon wanted to sell you the books, and the more platforms you could read them on, the more thay could sell.

The Kindle Fire extends that to audio and video, and Amazon has arms devoted to publishing, audio, and video, creating content you can only get through Amazon. Amazon is also a major player in cloud services. they want you to buy your digital media from them, store it in their cloud, and access it on demand from your device. The whole point is to lock you into Amazon as your vendor.
______
Dennis

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

Are you traveling frequently?
I understand, if someone who mainly is at home, doesn't see big advantages in tablets.
Tablets shine as mobile devices. I wouldn't want to do without on a business trip or on vacation.

I use a netbook when I travel, which really functions just like a laptop but a bit smaller, and it does everything I need while traveling (and gives me a normal keyboard!). It's not much bigger than a tablet and I don't really treat it near as carefully as I would a tablet. I of course have my phone and ereader with when traveling too.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by crossi

How do you keep from selecting when you want to scroll or change text size?

All these operations use different gestures. If you're getting the wrong result from them, you perhaps need to practise making your gestures more precise.

[ApK]

I've noticed that a tablet is particularly wonderful when it's your only device. My kids are rarely without theirs. My mom loves her iPad.
But my tablet spends most of its time in the drawer of my bedside table.

It comes out once in a while for a video or game, but the vast majority of the time, my phone or laptop does what I want better, or more conveniently.

I don't dislike my tablet, I just find myself liking my other options more, most of the time.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by ApK

It comes out once in a while for a video or game, but the vast majority of the time, my phone or laptop does what I want better, or more conveniently.

Do you find a phone or a laptop better than a tablet for reading on? Personally I find a phone too small, and a laptop very uncomfortable for reading anywhere other than sitting at a table.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Do you find a phone or a laptop better than a tablet for reading on? Personally I find a phone too small, and a laptop very uncomfortable for reading anywhere other than sitting at a table.

My wife enjoys reading on both her S5 phone and her Note 8 tablet. I think I see her use the phone more when reading in bed and the tablet more when sitting in her favorite reading chair.

Neither of us do "real" reading on laptops. Just forums and other such browsing.

I cannot read a book on any LCD screen. I have my K3 for that...though lately I've been doing mostly "ear-reading" with audiobooks, so my K3 is keeping the tablet company in the same drawer.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Do you find a phone or a laptop better than a tablet for reading on? Personally I find a phone too small, and a laptop very uncomfortable for reading anywhere other than sitting at a table.

This.
Apache

[copyrite]

If it involves anything more than a few sentences, I'd prefer to type on a (desktop or laptop) computer. No long form reading on a PC if I can help it, there's ways to get the content onto a tablet.

If my decision was based on my Kindle Fire and/or el cheapo Azpen tablet we have I'd probably be more in the dislike than the like category. Having said this, I'm in love with the Nexus 7 tablet I got just before Father's Day. It's just about replaced my Paperwhite for Kindle content, and being able to view my entire Calibre library using Calibre Companion & Moon+ Reader Pro is amazing. There's also all those other apps that are constantly clamoring for my attention (at least until I flip off the Wifi)...

[ebusinesstutor]

I use my tablets everyday. My main ebook reader is my Galaxy Note "phablet."

I use my larger tablet for:

• reading the news via rsss
• watching music videos while I do dishes
• as a music player - partnered with my Bose Soundlink Mini speaker via bluetooth
• reading music while I play my mountain dulcimer
• playing games
• checking weather and more

I have a laptop as well that I use for presentations and work while travelling, but the tablet is more portable to move around the house for all the other things I use it for.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Do you find a phone or a laptop better than a tablet for reading on? Personally I find a phone too small, and a laptop very uncomfortable for reading anywhere other than sitting at a table.

I go through spurts of reading on my desktop/laptop. I read almost all non fiction on my laptop. Especially PDF's. I tried a tablet or three and it is just not as easy for me. I just sit at my desk and hit the spacebar to page forward. The text is always big enough and I can bookmark easier. Just used to the process I guess.

Plus I have always found study/work easier sitting rather than reclining.

Fiction it is an ereader for me although if I must finish a book before I sleep, I may read it in my desktop. I read much faster.

Tablets are harder on my eyes, which is illogical I know as I don't have a problem with my monitors. But after reading 2 books on my tablet, I noticed an immediate feeling of comfort going back to my ereader and have repeated this twice.
I don't use my tablet often, but am not unhappy with it either.

helen

[NickC42]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

Tablets are harder on my eyes, which is illogical I know as I don't have a problem with my monitors. But after reading 2 books on my tablet, I noticed an immediate feeling of comfort going back to my ereader and have repeated this twice.
I don't use my tablet often, but am not unhappy with it either.

helen

You are holding the tablet closer to the eyes than your monitor so the relative brightness may be higher. There may also be a question of the refresh rate.
It has been shown that the light from the screens may disrupt sleep patterns if used in the late evening so increasing tiredness. That's why I've just ordered an Onyx T68 so I can set aside my iPad Mini and Android phone in the evening and hopefully still read email and these forums. It remains the be seen how well it works for this.