8+ Readers in comparison

[JerseyBiker]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

Just got an SMS (!) from Sony: Delivery should be tomorrow.
Wow! That was fast!

mgmueller I have been following this thread for some time and I a enjoy reading your reviews and comparisons. I didn't feel I had use for a tablet but after playing around with a couple of them owned by family members I now have the bug. I have been sort of researching them the last few days and there are 2 left on my list. The Motorola Xoom and the Toshiba Thrive. Of the 2 which do you prefer and why. I'll appreciate suggestions from anyone. Thanks

~eddie

[gbmovaliya]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

Just got it!
Ordered it on Monday morning, got it today (Wednesday) morning!
Surprisingly fast.

I'm charging it, so for now only first impressions:

Quite frankly,I hadn't really checked the specifications. I was sold to the 2 screens. So, what I didn't know before just checking it out: It has 2 touchscreens! I had expected only 1, similar to Nintendo DS.

It came with Honeycomb 3.2, I'm just installing the first update with some improvements and the Playstation store.

It's well built. No iPod touch quality, but not as "plasticky" as Sony's tablet S either. I'd say, it's about the same quality as the Samsung units typically are.

It's surprisingly wide (as I said: I hadn't checked the specs). Again, I had expected something similar to Nintendo DS. It's quite similar, only about 4 cm wider.

No additional stuff, not even a pouch. Given the scratch sensitive front, I certainly need some kind of protection. The PSP sleeves don't fit, tablet P is way too wide..

The battery is user exchangeable. It's quite expensive (€ 80, if I remember correctly), so I'll wait some time, before deciding whether I need a spare one. I'd wish, it was the same battery as with the old PSPs. But this would have been too easy of course.

So far, I've only seen the setup menu.
It's divided over the 2 screens in landscape format without any problems. The gap between the 2 screens is quite small (ca. 2 x 3mm). I can't imagine it much smaller, but it still might be a bit annoying in some apps - I'll have to check.

What I'll test first: Is there a reader app, which supports both screens in portrait format? Meaning: Like a book = 1 page per screen.
EDIT: In their own Sony reader app, 2 page portrait mode is working. It's quite narrow of course. So I'll have to see, whether it actually makes sense. But it's working as expected.

I'll have to gain some experience. But from my first impressions, I'd say it's certainly a great travel companion. But I don't think it would be the right unit as a sole tablet. I can't imagine myself, using it much for browsing the web at home on the sofa. So I guess, it's the perfect 2nd or 3rd tablet, but probably not the ideal only one.

Great. There's not much bloatware installed! Some Sony apps, which seem okay. But no 3rd party nonsense.

Cool: I don't know whether it's Honeycomb 3.2 or Sony or both: With the small "cross" in the task bar (standard in 3.2) you can zoom apps to fullscreen as usual. But: You can configure each app individually (!), whether it uses 1 or both screens. If you choose "1 screen", it's the upper one (reminds very much of Nintendo DS then). It's not the full width of the screen then, but about 1.5cm smaller on each side. I won't use this (probably), but it's certainly well thought out (maybe for some apps it's needed, when the gap between the 2 screens is too obtrusive).

More later on.

can you please tell me that this device( sony tablet p) can make phone call.
thank you in advance.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Nice, those pictures. But I want a picture of a book in two pages!

Here you go.
Sorry for the low quality.
I'm traveling and only have my iPhone as a camera with me.
But of course I have Sony Tablet P and Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 with me as well.

Personally, I think it's a nice gag - but nothing more.
I can't imagine myself, actually reading that way. And I think, in landscape format the gap between the 2 screens will be annoying. So I think it won't be my main reader.
But of course it's the perfect travel companion. Small enough to have it with me all the time - about the size of Dell Streak. Big enough to do all my web stuff on it.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by JerseyBiker

mgmueller I have been following this thread for some time and I a enjoy reading your reviews and comparisons. I didn't feel I had use for a tablet but after playing around with a couple of them owned by family members I now have the bug. I have been sort of researching them the last few days and there are 2 left on my list. The Motorola Xoom and the Toshiba Thrive. Of the 2 which do you prefer and why. I'll appreciate suggestions from anyone. Thanks

~eddie

Hi again. How's your boat?

I thought the same as you ("no use for a tablet") in the beginning. And for quite some time I've used tablets and dedicated readers in parallel. But quite frankly, those readers are getting less important for me day by day. In fact, 2 weeks ago I've installed calibre again and prepared my library for iRex 800, one of my favorite readers only a year ago. I was quite surprised. Compared to tablets, I found the background rather dim/gray. Okay, battery and weight are arguments. But when having my tablet with me anyway, why should I take an additional reader with me?
So, when traveling, I usually take 2 or 3 tablets with me and only rarely a dedicated reader (usually Kindle DX Graphite).
And - one of those 2 or 3 tablets almost all the time is Motorola Xoom.
I like the form factor, prefer 16:9 of Xoom over the 4:3 ratio of iPad.
I'm not using a cover, but the gel sleeve which adds only little bulk. I find it very convenient to hold. I've seen negative reviews about the display quality, but I'm absolutely fine with it.
I've seen Toshiba Thrive in German Media Markt. I didn't like it at all. And (coming from me, this really means something) I was not compelled at all to buy it. In fact, I've googled, whether this really was Thrive or any other Toshiba model. After some favorable reviews, I had expected so much more. I don't like the looks of it. It seems bulky and "low end". I didn't like the display quality, compared to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9" which was next to it (and which I bought 2 weeks later).

So, if it's between Xoom and Thrive, personally I'd always go for Xoom (although I'm not a Motorola fan in general). I've got the Xoom 1, but I probably will go for the Xoom 2 in addition.

If you're open for other units as well, I like:
BlackBerry Playbook = Phantastic display, best OS in my opinion and kind of Android compatible. You can have it rather cheap now, as it's obviously not a bestseller.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 = very slim and surprisingly elegant. Great display and relatively cheap.
And I like HP TouchPad, but I'm not sure about it's future. But it's unbelievable cheap to get.

As always: It depends on your needs...

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by gbmovaliya

can you please tell me that this device( sony tablet p) can make phone call.
thank you in advance.

No microphone, no app for it.
You can use Skype, Tango and other VOIP apps of course and use a headset.
But there's no way to use it as a "normal" phone. As far as I know, the "old" Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" was the only "real" tablet, which was a "normal" phone as well.
If you want to have a phone/android/game combo, I can recommend Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play. It's basically a PSP clone with Android/phone capabilities.

[mgmueller]

Some additional informations from the first few days of playing around:

In some apps, the split screen/full screen doesn't work.
Android market for example. I'm not sure, but I think it had been working at first.
Without hacking, you can't do anything about that. You either have the "cross" in the task list, to switch to full screen or you don't. If it's not there, you can't switch...
If it's not working, it looks rather stupid of course: Android market on the upper screen, total darkness on the lower screen. You can't switch to the lower screen either...
Fortunately, this only is the case for very few apps. But of course the Android market is kind of a "strategic" one...

Some apps crash, when you switch to full screen. All of the apps start in "single screen" mode. Individually, each app separately, you decide what to do. Next time, it uses the last set.
If you switch to full screen for the first time, maybe 5% to 10% of the apps crash. Next time, when already set to full screen, they usually work. Very few crash for a second or third time, but at some stage all of them seem to work (if you can switch at all).

I care about the details. If you flick from the lower to the upper screen, the two screens don't align perfectly. In my case, the upper screen is a bit higher. Probably only some 0,2mm but you still feel it. If I bend and flex a bit, it aligns more smoothly. Not perfectly done...

The "special black" Sony claims, really shows. In some apps/usage patterns, the quality of the screen is quite impressive.

Performance seems a bit slow in some apps. Maybe the split screen consumes some of the CPU? In Kobo for example, scrolling through my tiny library of ca. 150 books takes quite some time. I even closed it once or twice and opened again, because at first it didn't show my entire library.

Over all impression: It's a cool gadget. But it's exactly that: A gadget. I wouldn't use it as my "working machine". I wouldn't use it as my "standard tool". It's for playing around and doing some experiments. But the boring standard tasks I'll continue to do on "real" tablets, such as iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 8.9".

[JerseyBiker]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

Hi again. How's your boat?


So, when traveling, I usually take 2 or 3 tablets with me and only rarely a dedicated reader (usually Kindle DX Graphite).
And - one of those 2 or 3 tablets almost all the time is Motorola Xoom.
...

Thank you very much for your suggestions. I sold the boat. It got to be too much of an expense for a toy I wasn't using very much anymore. Now I waste my money on my Harley

I like the idea of the smaller Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9". That seems like a better size for using as a ereader which I will do often. I considered the Thrive because my Son-in-Law has one and It seemed OK. But as you say it is very bulky compared to other tablets. My wife who is a Kindle fan just purchased a Kindle Fire. It's nice as an ereader but I think a little small for a tablet. That's why I'll check out the Galaxy 8.9" tablet. I've seen the Blackberry Playbook advertised at very low price's but I think you mentioned in an earlier post that It's nice but there are not very many apps for it and I've heard that elsewhere. I'll also check into the HP TouchPad.

~eddie

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by JerseyBiker

Thank you very much for your suggestions. I sold the boat. It got to be too much of an expense for a toy I wasn't using very much anymore. Now I waste my money on my Harley

I like the idea of the smaller Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9". That seems like a better size for using as a ereader which I will do often. I considered the Thrive because my Son-in-Law has one and It seemed OK. But as you say it is very bulky compared to other tablets. My wife who is a Kindle fan just purchased a Kindle Fire. It's nice as an ereader but I think a little small for a tablet. That's why I'll check out the Galaxy 8.9" tablet. I've seen the Blackberry Playbook advertised at very low price's but I think you mentioned in an earlier post that It's nice but there are not very many apps for it and I've heard that elsewhere. I'll also check into the HP TouchPad.

~eddie

Re. BlackBerry PlayBook:
It's true -unfortunately- there aren't many native apps. Maybe 25 good ones, that's about it. No Navigon, no Kindle app and so on.
But: There will be an official Android player (= kind of an emulator) ca. in February, which allows for more or less all (older) Android apps. In the wild, there's already a leaked pre-release version. I've briefly tested it - good enough.
And for my personal needs, I even can live with the limited apps already. I've got the Kobo app for reading. I've got the phantastic browser and the benchmark OS.
I permanently find myself flicking on iPad or Android tablets until remembering: That's only available on HP TouchPad and BlackBerry PlayBook.

Re. Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9:
It really is a great size. I easily can live with PlayBooks 7". And sometimes I'm glad about the 10" tablets. But 8.9" really allows for both: Mobility and still big enough screen.
And it's ultra-slim. And almost iPad-like elegant.

Re. HP TouchPad: I'm deeply disappointed in HP for killing it that early.
(BTW: I've ordered the LG Optimus Pad and got the info, LG has cancelled the product. It seems like quite a few manufacturers are giving up).
Rumor has it, TouchPad might appear again, this time with Windows 8 or Linux. But I have no idea, how reliable those sources are.
The app situation for now is worse than on BlackBerry PlayBook. They've announced a Kindle app and someone in a thread mentioned a Beta version pre-installed on his US version. But I never got hold of this app. And the Kindle cloud reader isn't working (it's working on PlayBook though - again, best browser on PlayBook).
It's a great tablet. Right after PlayBook the 2nd best OS by far. Great display, nice design. But with a very unclear future. I'd carefully compare to your needs. There are some 3rd party reader apps for ePUBs, but nothing special.
A mixed package...

I think, you have good choices with PlayBook and Galaxy Tab 8.9.
And of course there's the iPad 3 with massive rumors about drastically increased resolution. And we shouldn't forget about Xooms 1 and 2. The race never ends...

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

Here you go.
Sorry for the low quality.
I'm traveling and only have my iPhone as a camera with me.
But of course I have Sony Tablet P and Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 with me as well.

Personally, I think it's a nice gag - but nothing more.
I can't imagine myself, actually reading that way. And I think, in landscape format the gap between the 2 screens will be annoying. So I think it won't be my main reader.
But of course it's the perfect travel companion. Small enough to have it with me all the time - about the size of Dell Streak. Big enough to do all my web stuff on it.

How do you prefer reading on a 16:9 screen, landscape or portrait?

I find 7" the absolute max size for a tablet that's portable. I rather like the idea of the P because it's smaller, but does have a lot of screen.


(and about not bringing a dedicated reader for travelling, my dedicated e-ink reader only sees a lot of action during the summer months...)

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

How do you prefer reading on a 16:9 screen, landscape or portrait?

I find 7" the absolute max size for a tablet that's portable. I rather like the idea of the P because it's smaller, but does have a lot of screen.


(and about not bringing a dedicated reader for travelling, my dedicated e-ink reader only sees a lot of action during the summer months...)

I'm using all tablets almost exclusively in portrait format.

Re. portability: I never carry any gadget >5" directly on me, I have all my tablets in my bag or suitcase. I've bought some carrying cases from 11" to 17" and can transport 2 tablets/readers in each. 2 tablets with 10" are critical and I only take them for a trip >2 days. But 5", 7" or 8.9" are fine (only 1 with 8.9" though).

[mgmueller]

The battery runs dry rather quickly.
On Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9", in the task list, I easily can switch off all notifications (one of the main battery hogs). I can't do that on Sony Tablet P or the other tablets that conveniently.
I have to track the battery consumption on Sony Tablet P. But so far, I'd say it gets maybe 5 hours. It certainly seems way less than on the "benchmark" tablets such as iPad 2 or Motorola Xoom.

For some apps, the gap between the 2 screens turns out to be more distracting then I would have expected.
I've just tried to play Sudoku. It's no biggy, but to me it's kind of annoying that the cells of the numbers appear bigger in the middle. (Of course they aren't really bigger, it just appears that way as they're stretched because of the gap). So I've installed and de-installed quite a few apps, because I simply don't like them on Sony Tablet P. I'll use those apps on another tablet.

And what I really don't like, although it's not Sony's "fault": Some apps don't rotate, but are designed solely for portrait orientation. I want to hold the Sony Tablet in landscape format (the 2 screens above each other), but some apps simply don't allow for that.

[jocampo]

mgmueller

Any chance of buying or checking the Kindle Fire there in Europe? Curious about your opinion but not sure if the device works internationaly.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by jocampo

mgmueller

Any chance of buying or checking the Kindle Fire there in Europe? Curious about your opinion but not sure if the device works internationaly.

Being a Kindle fan, I thought about it.
Ordering via a shipping service is easy enough.
But from what I've heard, lots of features around Amazon's cloud only can be used in the US. And without this, I guess it's only an average tablet. VPN and such may solve lots of problems, but quite frankly I don't want to hack, jailbreak, un-DRM, ... all the time to use these gadget's basic functions. I hate this - we're still far from the ""global village".

[gbmovaliya]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

No microphone, no app for it.
You can use Skype, Tango and other VOIP apps of course and use a headset.
But there's no way to use it as a "normal" phone. As far as I know, the "old" Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" was the only "real" tablet, which was a "normal" phone as well.
If you want to have a phone/android/game combo, I can recommend Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play. It's basically a PSP clone with Android/phone capabilities.

thank ypu so much for the detail. i am really appreciated. can you please tell me your opinion about samsung galaxy note.

[HansTWN]

MGmueller, have you rechecked the German HP appstore for the Kindle app? I had it from the beginning since I chose to register with the US appstore. If you still can't get it, there are other ways of getting it.

Besides, PReader is pretty good.