Okay, Are there really any iPad alternatives?

[ChrisC333]

Originally Posted by scottjl

So what is the point in running a "full" OS if you're disabling parts of it?

As Will said, it's a matter of having the choice and flexibility. We don't all need the same bits.

Operating systems like XP or Windows 7 allow for a huge range of possible configurations. Because many users aren't all that that tech savvy (and reasonably enough, don't see why they should be) the default installations run more things than most people really need. If you've ever run msconfig on a Windows machine you'll see a long list of services and programs that start up by default. Depending on what you use it for you can safely disable many of them, but the precise 'which, when and how' can get quite involved.

This is not unique to Windows, the same general idea also applies with a Mac OS.

If you're happy with the choices that Apple have made for you with the iPad (and looking through this forum would seem to show that some are and some aren't) then that's great. But if you prefer to be able to customise your system so that it's more precisely tailored to your needs, then that's fine too.

Cheers,

Chris

[ChrisC333]

Originally Posted by Houndx

I sold off my T91mt to get the iPad and I couldn't be happier having made the decision. While it's a fine machine, Windows is not finger friendly. During the time I owned it I ended up only using it as a reader. The largest problem that kept me from enjoying it was that clicking on small links, like page numbers on forum threads, was hit or miss - mostly miss. It was just easier to continue surfing on my laptop.

You didn't try sharpening your finger to a point then?


Seriously though, I'd agree that it takes a while to get the hang of using a finger. When I first got the HP Touchsmart I found that I was sometimes jabbing away repeatedly before I hit the right spot. With the iTouch and iPhone it was the reverse - it took both my wife and me a while to develop the accuracy needed to NOT have them keep racing off in the wrong directions. The merest accidental brush of the screen could send things off in some totally unintended direction.

I've developed a better 'Windows finger' now, but my firm preference is for using the stylus that comes housed in the HP. It feels natural and even rather elegant to use, and - for what I've been doing so far - the responses are spot on.

As usual, it seems to boil down to researching what you really need compared to what you'll actually get, and then picking the best compromise for your needs. If you could find the perfect device then you'd never have to buy another one, and that would rather spoil the fun...

Cheers,

Chris

[athlonkmf]

Originally Posted by ChrisC333

Thanks for the info. That sounds pretty disappointing. I've not used a T91, and my knowledge of it comes from Jack Swinden's quite extensive thread about his, which is elsewhere at this site. He does mention that he bumped the Ram up to 2gigs and stripped out all the unnecessary services and start-ups, but seemed content with the results. Perhaps, as the primary focus at this site seems to be reading books, he felt the performance was then good enough for novels and general on-line reading?

Using the T91 as a reader

I'm unlikely to buy a T91 now, but if I had it would have been used for reading books and web-sites such as news and forums. I would not be needing multi-tasking, just the ability to instal a range of different book reading software, and do relatively undemanding work. Jack's solution would seem to cover that, but it's certainly useful to get your perspective as well, for those who might expect more. Thanks for posting it.


My own HP tablet has a similar processor speed but switchable graphics and 4 gigs of Ram, so I'm not having the same problems that you are. I'm even able to play a current game on it, which I didn't expect.

My only point is that there are a number of tablet style computers already available, and that the iPad doesn't really have the field to itself. Which one we prefer is of course, as always, a matter of personal needs and preferences.

Cheers,

Chris

Don't take my word for it. You should just watch the video reviews

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl0nXa6AJcc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d3T89Si_Ms

[mjhudston]

I think the only thing that lets apple down on the ipad and to a lesser degree the iphone and ipod touch, is the lack of Adobe Flash Support. If I eventually do by an Ipad (An I am still considering it), I want it for more than just E-books. I want a good browsing experiance, email and movies.

Apart from the lack of flash support it does that. If another tablet of a similar form factor comes out that does all of that then presto, im sold.

[ChrisC333]

Originally Posted by athlonkmf

Don't take my word for it.

Why not? I'm quite happy to believe your story.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

The iPad hype has mostly passed us by. But everyone is talking about the iPad as if the main thing it brings to the table is its nice display and lovable iPhone interface. But is that really true?

Let's try a quick thought experiment -- Other than the iPad, what $500 or less product (already on the market) supports the comfortable reading of full page pdf documents with a large backlit screen? Sure, the iPad doesn't have SD Card or USB support, but are there really any other comparable devices available on the market?

Consider these specs as a baseline. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I don't see a lot of other choices (yet)...
* 10hrs+ battery life
* Backlit 9"+ hi-resolution color screen
* Small slate or convertible tablet form factor (netbook size or smaller)
* PDF, txt and ePub support
* Price below $500

And that has absolutely nothing to do with any of the "Apple mystique" or the iPhone OS. Throw in a large capacity SD Card slot that is available to e-book applications and it looks pretty close to unbeatable in this context, doesn't it?

Given that your 'baseline' seems closely tailored to the ipad's strengths it is hardly a big shock that it's by far the best fit for that 'baseline' e.g. drop the battery life requirement a little, up storage needs or add in things like a usb port or flash and suddenly something like the tm101t becomes the best fit.

The simple fact of the matter is that all current devices including the ipad make some compromises and all you can really do is find the product(s) that suit you the best and get one of them or wait until something suits you better.

[athlonkmf]

Originally Posted by ChrisC333

Why not? I'm quite happy to believe your story.

Because in the video reviews you can actually SEE how sluggish it works and you'd yourself for ever considering it.

[scottjl]

I would take an absence of Flash over sluggish performance any day. If my iPad crawled surfing the web I would ditch it in a second, but it surfs at excellent speeds and apps run just fine, even 3D high graphic games. For those with an iPad looking for some classic Pinball action check out Pinball HD. Incredible graphics, great gameplay and just plain fun.

For all the whining about lack of a SD slot, just how much are people planning on using it? How often do you use the SD slot on your laptop or desktop and what for? With my 64G model I can load it up with more media than I can consume in a week (books, video, music and apps) and still have plenty of room left over. So you can't argue that you need SD for extra storage space. That leaves file transfer, there are plenty of apps that will get date in and out over wireless (GoodReader being a great example of this). The only common task I can think of that one would do on a daily basis is importing photos if you were out on vacation. Get the $30 camera kit and you can do just that, includes a bonus USB connector that people are finding out is useful for all sorts of goodies. And there's always email, goofy, but it works, if you really need that Word document on your iPad right now, just have someone email it to you, open the email on your iPad and you can view it in Mail or open it in Pages (and export it via email too).

So seriously, what else do people do, on a daily basis that they wouldn't be near a desktop to load up via iTunes, do people need a SD slot for? "Cheap expandable storage" isn't a good reason, it just means you're not willing to pay Apple's price for the 64G model. Don't buy an iPad or make due with 16G which is still enough for a few dozen apps, a movie or two, a couple hundred of books and a few albums, still with room to spare. Don't complain about BMW because you aren't willing to pay the price for one.

While some things could be made easier with SD card sneakernet for transfers, there are plenty of alternatives to get things done. It just takes a creative mind willing to look for solutions rather than sit around and complain.

[richman]

I think with the camcorder adapter that should help to quiet the usb/sd slot thing and it costs 30 dollars. If that works as solution, that would quiet my SD/usb port question. Do you have it yet Scot? Also, I'm sure we will be able to view movies and mp3's from the SD attached or usb hard drive we attach to it. It is probably just a matter of time before it's all sorted out. You are our resident IPAD guru. Be easy on the dis-believers , it's a new device that has only been out less than a month, and this IPAD has us thinking of IPAD alternatives just to see if any can compare to the IPAD that have the features we are used to on netbook/computer.
p.s. I'm interested in 16 gig 3g model for gsp feature , just waiting for it to come out and get review. Maybe wait a few months so I know there are no hardware bugs on first production line models.

[ChrisC333]

Originally Posted by athlonkmf

Because in the video reviews you can actually SEE how sluggish it works and you'd yourself for ever considering it.

Would it be impolite to ask why you still bought one then?

I'd already seen the first review you linked to - where the guy from jkkmobile made a video that lasts for half an hour - and he actually seemed happy with it. Making comments like "Windows 7 really enjoyable on T91". He gave it a pretty good run down in that half hour and showed it doing all sorts of tasks including net surfing, working with video, etc. It appeared to be the early T91 version, rather than the current T91TM but he seemed to think that it performed well enough for what you'd expect from those specs. I can't recall any major complaints that he had with it overall. I didn't watch all of the second one, but the guy certainly seemed to be making a bit of a hash of it, and it sure did look a lot clunkier in his hands.

When I assessed the T91TM with a view to possibly buying one for myself (after reading Jack Swinden's review here at Mobileread) I did check out a number of such videos and it looked as if it would do the jobs that I was looking for it to do. I wouldn't have expected much speed from it, nor did I need it. As it happened it didn't make the cut because there were others available that fitted the bill better. But I'll certainly bear your experience in mind if I ever decide to look at it again.

Cheers,

Chris

[Crowl]

Isn't the point about usb or an sd slot on something like this not that you use it constantly, but they are bloody useful when you do use them?

Incidentally, if the 'baseline' did include either of them meaning you had to get the connection kit then that means the ipad doesn't hit the $500 target either, so again it all comes down to what features you value the most and what compromises you are willing to make, for many people the ipad has that balance just right and there's nothing wrong with that.

[JSWolf]

Actually, the iPad only sort of brings the ePub experience. With some ePub, the experience is lost due to iBook not supporting the ePub spec enough.

[scottjl]

i don't have the kit yet, it's on order.

from what i read. you can put movies onto a sd card as well as pictures. you can import both pictures and movies into the ipad, they will all show up in the photos application. you can play videos from there, and delete them when you're done. or sync them back to your desktop. this was made with those small camcorders in mind, but the ipad doesn't know one video from the next.

so you could, if you needed more movies than you could fit on your ipad, load up a few SD cards. go off on your vacation. load them in (one by one, or en masse) off SD cards into your ipad. watch them. then delete them. along with vacation photos, etc. you can't export any content out to a SD cards, apple forbids this, at least for now.

personally, i think the video player on the ipad is pretty poor, especially compared to the music player. it's obvious which of the two saw more love. even ibooks has more sorting, searching and navigation abilities. hopefully this will be addressed in the future.

[richman]

Scott
Good info, I think more of us need to know what you just wrote, because lack of usb/sd card was making this device too closed, but I feel different about it since you shared your info.
And it's still just the beginning and more cool stuff will come out for it.
Would you like the screen on your IPAD to be bigger, say 12 inches, or do you think the IPAD screen size is PERFECT FOR YOU as it is?

[leebase]

I love my iPad. However, why wouldn't I want an sd card slots? Sd cards are cheap -- I'd load up a set of cards with movies and tv shows before going on vacation. If I had that option. But I don't.

BTW, the iPad _is_ the alternative. You can get a netbook, or a cheap laptop, or a tablet, or an Archos -- all existed before the iPad. They are not alternatives to the iPad, the iPad is an alternative to them.

Tired of the monochrome, slow paging world of the eInk reader? Try the iPad as an alternative.

Tired of netbooks that do everything your laptop does -- only slowly -- and your needs are only web browsing, email, music, movies and the like? Try the iPad as an alternative.

Love your iphone or other smartphone but wish you had a bigger screen? Try the iPad as an alternative.

Not happy with trying to run windows apps on a tablet with a stylus.....wish there were a tablet with a huge base of apps all designed to run by finger? Try the iPad as an alternative.

What there isn't YET -- is an alternative to the iPad that is all the goodness that the iPad is at the things the iPad is good at. The android tablets will be coming out later in the year and they will be alternatives that are far more like the iPad than today's netbooks and tablets.

Lee