I'll make this short and sweet since I'm @work and need to well, work...
I was growing tired of the burden of having the Athena with me all the time so I went down to at&t and got a Tilt... Nice phone (except for video issues which will be fixed hopefully) but I simply could not get used to a small screen again, especially for finger typing. Athena's big screen really reduces the need to use a stylus. In fact, I only use it for actually writing notes on the screen.
So, I thought, maybe 2 devices again? I could go to the Moto Q9 Global and the HP iPAQ 210/211 (release iminent if not out already...) But, the lack of wi-fi on the Moto was a deal-breaker for me since I sometimes spend 2 or 3 days at a time in a location with wi-fi only. I had the Q for a week and returned it.
I simply could not adapt to either device; I have adapted to the Athena. It's been covered before how this is not a proper phone and I agree but with my Jabra BT8010 and LG Style-I (I have and use both) it works well enough for me. I'm more of a data user than a talker.
Of course, your mileage may vary...
Yes, it is hard to leave the Athena especially when you are a custom to the screen and other aspects we take for granted. I tried the Tilt as well, and it was no match. In the end, I am still perfectly happy with the Athena until another big screen slimmer device with more capabilities.
Almost same here.
- Had a Universal -> happy;
- Universal dead, replaced with Hermes by operator -> *very* unhappy;
- Hermes eBayed, Athena bought -> happy.
Can't understand how people now how people can browse the web, play video and stuff on smallish QVGA screens.
lpsi2000 said:
Yes, it is hard to leave the Athena especially when you are a custom to the screen and other aspects we take for granted. I tried the Tilt as well, and it was no match. In the end, I am still perfectly happy with the Athena until another big screen slimmer device with more capabilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More capabilities - like being able to fly??
I agree with you and HeartofDarkness - the screen (and built-in GPS) make it invaluable. Now if only they would produce a version that didn't have the microdrive but just had a large solid state drive......
Came from an atom. Did all you mentioned. Damaged my eyes in the process. Fortunately damage was temporary. I'm very happy with my athena. Heavy and big compared to the atom but for now, it works for me and I love it. Until a better PPC comes out, I don't think I will consider replacing it.
Things I would look for in a new device:
thinner but wider display to improve web browsing and enable a 'narrower' device. The only REAL thing I miss about the Athena is the big screen, but with a little design alteration the size could be more-or-less maintained without making the device as bulky as at present.
Slimmer profile, rounded at the edges and no keyboard. I think the look of the device is spoiled by the hardware keyboard and I much preferred to leave it at home and use Fingertouch.
Ability to use as a handset like the Iphone for when needed (bt works but some people don't like using bluetooth/wired headsets all of the time)
Full ATI chip support.
Vueflo improvements such as auto-rotation
FlashLite 3.0 to enable full embedded flash site support!
This is what i'll be looking for. I'm sure if HTC don't release a device like this someone will.
leoni1980 said:
Things I would look for in a new device:
thinner but wider display to improve web browsing and enable a 'narrower' device. The only REAL thing I miss about the Athena is the big screen, but with a little design alteration the size could be more-or-less maintained without making the device as bulky as at present.
Slimmer profile, rounded at the edges and no keyboard. I think the look of the device is spoiled by the hardware keyboard and I much preferred to leave it at home and use Fingertouch.
Ability to use as a handset like the Iphone for when needed (bt works but some people don't like using bluetooth/wired headsets all of the time)
Full ATI chip support.
Vueflo improvements such as auto-rotation
FlashLite 3.0 to enable full embedded flash site support!
This is what i'll be looking for. I'm sure if HTC don't release a device like this someone will.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amen to all these.
Would just add what it should still be on winCE platform for the sake of software availability.
Also, camera taking indoor could improve.
Don't forget to replace microdrive with an SSD.
If possible, I prefer regular size SDHC. It's capacity seems to be always ahead of minisdhc and microsdhc.
But for now, Athena is still the only option meeting my needs most closely.
Despite what the cosmic feline has spewed all over xda (I hope he is banned indefinitely), I still consider the Athena a single-device solution since anything as easy to carry as a BT headset or Style-i is not burdensome as separate phone and PDA. I did the 2-device thing awhile back with an iPAQ 4705 and Nokia 6230b and I found myself without the PDA on too many occasions. Future onverged devices will mean fewer compromises than we have to make now but for now the Athena is as good as it gets and that's good enough for me. And as good as it gets has only gotten better with the AP team and xda input and development.
calm down now. let's be nice please, each to their own and all that......i use two devices at the moment as it suits my needs: am i an idiot?
the athena might get even better within a few days/weeks. im seeing if it could be a first device with something.... cant reveal what yet but oh well we'll see if it will be possible.
leoni1980 said:
Things I would look for in a new device:
thinner but wider display to improve web browsing and enable a 'narrower' device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Leoni,
I've given more thought to the issue of aspect ratio.
I think that we should not go for a narrower screen. Narrower screen is suitable for portrait use. Also, most applications will not be able to use it properly. Think about the problems square screens are having. Also, think about your wide screen television playing most videos, which requires the image to be flattened in order to cover the entire screen, or having to leave the two sides margin unused.
I think the aspect ratio should just stick to the standard ones because of this.
Am I making sense?
eaglesteve said:
Leoni,
I've given more thought to the issue of aspect ratio.
I think that we should not go for a narrower screen. Narrower screen is suitable for portrait use. Also, most applications will not be able to use it properly. Think about the problems square screens are having. Also, think about your wide screen television playing most videos, which requires the image to be flattened in order to cover the entire screen, or having to leave the two sides margin unused.
I think the aspect ratio should just stick to the standard ones because of this.
Am I making sense?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Narrower screen will suit movie playback better as it is more in fitting with the widescreen standards, whereas the Athena's aspect ration necessitates more cropping to fill the screen as it is quite square. 800*480 is becoming more common on pocket pc's and moble devices so I don't think compatibility will be any more of a problem than it is with VGA. Also web browsing will be significantly improved as there will only be a minimal need for horizontal scrolling. This in turn will make remote desktop and things such as Pocket Excel, Pocket Word and any other graphical/chart app look a lot better.
What do you think?
leoni1980 said:
Narrower screen will suit movie playback better as it is more in fitting with the widescreen standards, whereas the Athena's aspect ration necessitates more cropping to fill the screen as it is quite square. 800*480 is becoming more common on pocket pc's and moble devices so I don't think compatibility will be any more of a problem than it is with VGA. Also web browsing will be significantly improved as there will only be a minimal need for horizontal scrolling. This in turn will make remote desktop and things such as Pocket Excel, Pocket Word and any other graphical/chart app look a lot better.
What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would be like what you see on television. Basically the extra space would not be used for many years until all movies are made in the new format. It would only happen if there is widespread adoption of wide screen TV.
Similarly, unless all PDA moves in the same direction, software vendor is not going to start coding their applications for wide screen just for a small market.
A long and narrow screen will also be unsuitable for portrait use.
I think with the 96 dpi, ability to see is not an issue with Athena's size and aspect ratio. With excel, one cannot completely eliminate need for horizontal scrolling. A narrower screen would give less visibility height wise, so I'm not sure that is better or not. But the key issue, as I mentioned, is the availability of software, which is not up to us, or the hardware vendor. To go wide and short screen is going against the de facto standard in the PDA industry, and would have to overcome too much problems to be worth it.
eaglesteve said:
It would be like what you see on television. Basically the extra space would not be used for many years until all movies are made in the new format. It would only happen if there is widespread adoption of wide screen TV.
Similarly, unless all PDA moves in the same direction, software vendor is not going to start coding their applications for wide screen just for a small market.
A long and narrow screen will also be unsuitable for portrait use.
I think with the 96 dpi, ability to see is not an issue with Athena's size and aspect ratio. With excel, one cannot completely eliminate need for horizontal scrolling. A narrower screen would give less visibility height wise, so I'm not sure that is better or not. But the key issue, as I mentioned, is the availability of software, which is not up to us, or the hardware vendor. To go wide and short screen is going against the de facto standard in the PDA industry, and would have to overcome too much problems to be worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are already windows mobile devices with 800 by 480 screens. It would be interesting to see if there are any compatibiity issues versus standard VGA, however I doubt there are. The widescreen ratio here in britain is standard in all broadcasts of the last 3 years or so and is certainly standard in Movies, meaning that for movie and tv applications at least some of the Athena's screen height is wasted unless cropping the image. The 800 by 480 ratio is also more in keeping with the typical ratio of photography. Portrait orientation is not really an issue since the .480 resolution is the same as it would be on the Athena, though marginally scalled down in size. Overall there will be an improvement in screen real-estate and a more pocket-able device would be possible
leoni1980 said:
There are already windows mobile devices with 800 by 480 screens. It would be interesting to see if there are any compatibiity issues versus standard VGA, however I doubt there are. The widescreen ratio here in britain is standard in all broadcasts of the last 3 years or so and is certainly standard in Movies, meaning that for movie and tv applications at least some of the Athena's screen height is wasted unless cropping the image. The 800 by 480 ratio is also more in keeping with the typical ratio of photography. Portrait orientation is not really an issue since the .480 resolution is the same as it would be on the Athena, though marginally scalled down in size. Overall there will be an improvement in screen real-estate and a more pocket-able device would be possible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not the expert on this area. I just know the square screen devices had problem running many normal software, and its just my educated guess, not based on any hard research, that it might encounter similar issues in another aspect ratio.
Someone with more knowledge might want to comment on this, as I feel that I'm begining to comment based on speculations now. I'd rather not do that.
Other than this concern, I think 800x480 would be great.
Cheers.
Its a matter of choosing to stay with the past, or go with the future. In the past the 4:3 ratio was most common both for TV and computer monitor formats. Now with HD getting ready to become mainstream in many countries, the 16:9 ratio is becoming the new TV standard. Computer monitors are also quickly taking on that ratio with all the "widescreen" versions now on the market. I'm betting within 2 years 16:9 will be the definitive standard for TV and computers, especially since 4:3 content on a 16:9 screen is more useable than the reverse (watching a widescreen movie on a 4:3 screen sucks).
Now resolution is another matter, and some seem to be getting that mixed up with the physical dimention ratio. You can squish 800X480 on a 4:3 screen, or a 16:9 screen, you just need elongated pixels. Not that any company would do that, I'm just saying. So after going with 16:9, an appropriate resolution would have to go with it like 960x540.
I think the best form factor for the next version would be a 16:9 screen, which would elongate it somewhat and reduce the height. Not only would this allow for 4:3 and 16:9 content, it would make it easier to hold as a real phone (and then make sure it has a standard private earpiece so it can be used as a phone). By making it a little longer it should be able to be thinned out a little, too, since there would be more internal volume for components. Add vibrate and all the hold-outs will buy it - the ones that love every spec except the fact that its not quite a phone. The mass market won't buy it unless it has vibrate and a private earpiece. Adding the widescreen will appeal to the iphone crowd and many others looking for the next big thing.
Widescreen, a little thinner, a private earpiece and vibrate and HTC will have an instant hit.
techntrek said:
Its a matter of choosing to stay with the past, or go with the future. In the past the 4:3 ratio was most common both for TV and computer monitor formats. Now with HD getting ready to become mainstream in many countries, the 16:9 ratio is becoming the new TV standard. Computer monitors are also quickly taking on that ratio with all the "widescreen" versions now on the market. I'm betting within 2 years 16:9 will be the definitive standard for TV and computers, especially since 4:3 content on a 16:9 screen is more useable than the reverse.
Now resolution is another matter, and some seem to be getting that mixed up with the physical dimention ratio. You can squish 800X480 on a 4:3 screen, or a 16:9 screen, you just need elongated pixels.
I think the best form factor for the next version would be a 16:9 screen, which would elongate it somewhat and thin out the height. Not only would this allow for 4:3 and 16:9 content, it would make it easier to hold as a real phone (and then make sure it has a standard private earpiece so it can be used as a phone). By making it a little longer it should be able to be thinned out a little, too. Add vibrate and all the hold-outs will buy it - the ones that love every spec except the fact that its not quite a phone. The mass market won't buy it unless it has vibrate and a private earpiece. Adding the widescreen will appeal to the iphone crowd and many others looking for the next big thing.
Widescreen, a little thinner, a private earpiece and vibrate and HTC will have an instant hit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, indeed the longer but narrower phone will be easier to hold.
Do you reckon there will be problem running existing applications on 800x480 screen?
I doubt it, although if they go 16:9 the resolution would have to be something like 960x540 or some other similar 16:9 format (I edited my post above to include this). Well-written applications like Word or GPS should already be built to handle any resolution. I know on desktop Windows any resolution change triggers a system event, which apps are supposed to monitor and adapt to. I assume since RealVGA requires a reboot Windows Mobile doesn't support resolution changes on the fly, but it should at least have an API to tell apps what the current resolution is when they first run, and most apps should already be built to adjust accordingly - there are just too many different screen sizes on the market for them not to.
techntrek said:
I doubt it, although if they go 16:9 the resolution would have to be something like 960x540 or some other similar 16:9 format (I edited my post above to include this). Well-written applications like Word or GPS should already be built to handle any resolution. I know on desktop Windows any resolution change triggers a system event, which apps are supposed to monitor and adapt to. I assume since RealVGA requires a reboot Windows Mobile doesn't support resolution changes on the fly, but it should at least have an API to tell apps what the current resolution is when they first run, and most apps should already be built to adjust accordingly - there are just too many different screen sizes on the market for them not to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, they cannot afford to not cater to all the different resolutions and aspect ratios. What I'm worried is what in reality many programs are written by lazy programmers who had not made their applications as smart as the likes of microsoft office. Games, for example. But, I'm hopeful that more and more people would become aware of the need to make their applications aspect ratio as wellas resolution aware.
Anyway, by the time we get our next device, wm7 should be out. Then, many developers might need to go through some adaptation. Who knows, wm7 may allows resolution change without the need to reset?
leoni1980 said:
calm down now. let's be nice please, each to their own and all that......i use two devices at the moment as it suits my needs: am i an idiot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@me? I am perfectly calm, damnit!!! (just kidding...) Anyone who carries 2 devices is fine with me; to each his or her own, it just didn't work for me. As for spacecat, he was always picking a fight and I grew weary of his drivel cluttering xda. He's entitled to his opinion as well but stepped over the line by attacking others. 'Nuff said.
Related
im waiting for my advantage to come and had a quick question for thoose that have the device already. do images look clear and crisp on the screen while browsing the web? i know its a vga res, but i get confused by the whole dpi thing. will the images look similar to the iphone images. not the browser im talking about the images themself. i read a comment saying that browsing on the advatange was like browsing on four kasier screens will the images not look better on the advantage because of the bigger screen? or will they look alot better than a 2.8 inch screen or 3.6 (i think iphone) screen?
cjmedina said:
im waiting for my advantage to come and had a quick question for thoose that have the device already. do images look clear and crisp on the screen while browsing the web? i know its a vga res, but i get confused by the whole dpi thing. will the images look similar to the iphone images. not the browser im talking about the images themself. i read a comment saying that browsing on the advatange was like browsing on four kasier screens will the images not look better on the advantage because of the bigger screen? or will they look alot better than a 2.8 inch screen or 3.6 (i think iphone) screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Images won't look 'better' as such aside from the increase in size. Fonts and icons however look infinitely better. The kaiser's screen is quarter vga, meaning its resolution (pixel count) is a quarter of the Athena's. The size of the Athena's screen is also bigger but this is not necessarily a given: the toshiba Portege g900 has an even higher resolution screen than the Athena and yet a substancially smaller display.
The iphone display is of a very different aspect ratio to the relatively 'square' athena display, being 1.5:1, so its resolution could never tally with the Athena. The slightly different dimensions work very well for the multimedia functions for which the iphone is optimised, most noticeably widescreen movie playback. Its actual resolution is 480 by 320 pixels, and it is very colourful crisp and sharp as well as transflective (meaning it can easily be seen in daylight: the athenas's display is not) and scratchproof.
The iphone aces the Athena on multimedia performance, given its great mp3, video and browsing capabilities. It does exactly what it supposed to do well. The athena is let down by an unsupported video chip, making it (and most HTC devices) not perform as well as it could with video playback. It also doesn't have as intuitive or attractive a UI as the Iphone. What it DOES have is lots of software, including alternative browsers, better offfice utilities, more potential for personalisation and a replaceable battery. The best screen between the two for me is the Iphone's, though it is 1.5 inches smaller so many would prefer the bigger athena display.
For the difference between qvga and vga though you have to see a kaiser and athena screen side-by-side
.
I have included a screen capture for you, the picture is this good on my athena
(personally I think it is very good)
ice_coffee said:
I have included a screen capture for you, the picture is this good on my athena
(personally I think it is very good)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im sorry, i just have to ask is that man in the pic hold an old revolver... jesus does the asain women carry a musket and a horn with gun powder in it. lol j/k
irus said:
im sorry, i just have to ask is that man in the pic hold an old revolver... jesus does the asain women carry a musket and a horn with gun powder in it. lol j/k
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LMAO... I was wondering the same thing.
ok thanks guys just wanted to make sure the images dont look all smashed like they do on a 2.8 inch screen.
The screen on the advantage is 3" x 4" @ 480 x 640 which is 160 pixels per inch
the screen on the iPhone is 3" x 2" @ 480 x 320 which is also 160 pixels per inch
the screen on the TytnII (kaiser) is 1.68" x 2.24" @ 240 x 320 which is 142 pixels per inch
A ppi count alone does not give a true reflection of the difference in resolution and size. On the face of it the Tilts ppi statistics seem to bear little difference to the athena's and iphone's. In reality both the Athena and Iphone have clearer, sharper and brighter screens which accomodate web pages and document viewer/editors in a more enjoyable fashion.
Htc's crappy, non-transflective Qvga screens are to me inexcusable on modern windows mobile devices and yet still they insist on shipping out these sub_standard slider devices. i had my Tilt/vario 3 for a week and thought it was cheap, poorly built and that components such as the 3.2mp camera were substandard given the expense of the device.
Anyway. If the next iphone has 3g, a 5mp camera with autofocus and dvd-quality video and a huge wealth of free software (and a group of talented developers constantly working on every programming need) and isn't just on O2 (in the UK) or AT&T (in the U.S.) and doesn't cost the earth....well i might give one a go.....
Hello, I know that there are hundreds of you who have coreplayer, an HD2, and another Windows Mobile phone.
Can some of you post videos of coreplaying on action on both the HD2 and another phone?
I would prefer a simultaneous comparison on the same footage being played roughly at the same time (volume can be muted).
I would prefer a comparison between a 4 inch screen to a 3 inch screen.
Please please please post a video! It would be awesome and I need it to make a certain life changing decision!!!!!
What's the point? Coreplayer works better on the hd2 than on any other (except maybe that couple of phones for which it has hardware acceleration) thanks to the 1ghz cpu. Not much more to say...
kilrah said:
What's the point? Coreplayer works better on the hd2 than on any other (except maybe that couple of phones for which it has hardware acceleration) thanks to the 1ghz cpu. Not much more to say...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to see clearness and screen size, and to see if the size is actually worth it. Just saying that it is clear and big does no justice. Video representation is the best method to show you how big an object in a film really is.
People on the Xperia X1 board used to say that the screen was very big, and many enjoyed the video experience but there was no actual comparison to prove to naive people like me that 3 inches is utterly useless.
I agree with kilrah... works better than it did on my nokia e71 and my htc touch pro2
video comparison is moot, its the same program with the same features, on a faster phone with a bigger screen
What do you like and hate about your E71?
And I still want to see a video comparison, nonetheless.
poetryrocksalot said:
People on the Xperia X1 board used to say that the screen was very big, and many enjoyed the video experience but there was no actual comparison to prove to naive people like me that 3 inches is utterly useless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tell me why the 3 inch screen is useless?? I have crystal clear images and video on my x1... is a great little phone for vid... however the hd2 is much better in terms of size... same clarity and quality, just bigger...
So you hope to see a difference in playing a video on 2 phones with different screen sizes on a video of both? Good luck.
I could film my 37 inch tv and send you the video, it wouldn't look different to you than if I did it with my 2.8 inch phone.
Go in a store that has phones on display, and compare yourself in real life. It's the only way to get an accurate idea.
kilrah said:
So you hope to see a difference in playing a video on 2 phones with different screen sizes on a video of both? Good luck.
I could film my 37 inch tv and send you the video, it wouldn't look different to you than if I did it with my 2.8 inch phone.
Go in a store that has phones on display, and compare yourself in real life. It's the only way to get an accurate idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They don't have HD2 on display in America. Look at where I am from.
I got to compare my brother's HTC Touch Pro2 to my Xperia X1 and learned that even 3.5 inch screen is not good enough for me to watch a movie on the plane. And guess what, damn it, before I get to compare the damn devices, I was 100% certain that the 3.5 inch display would be enough for me.
Nope.
Even my brother said that the screen size for video playback was awesome. Nope, not for me. But I do enjoy watching movies on my laptop, I just want to know what the minimal size for me is.
So.......I wish I could have the damn HD2 so that I can compare to the Touch Pro2 and Xperia...but no, it's not in America....yet...and besides that, damn it, once the HD2 hit T-mobile stores, there probably won't be any video to compare to other phones, and if there is, the videos are different.
I am looking for details in film, because when I watch a movie on the go, I still enjoy the little details in the background. The little easter eggs, and stuff that you are meant to see but not on the first screening. A big but minimalistic screen is vital for such details.
If I see a basketball of the same color and shade on the basketball court because it is from the same film, I can compare that in-motion footage on two different screens. I can see if a 4.1 inch is perfect for such details, because I already have experience with 3.5 inch screens with actual video playback. And with the implication that I have experienced testing 3.5 inch screen, you should know that if I see two same objects, I can roughly imagine myself seeing the actual visual representation in real life. I am not just talking about comparing a windows icon to an apple shortcut icon. Nope, if I compare a windows icon, I must compare it to the same windows icon.
If I compare films I must compare the same films at roughly the same moment.
This is a true comparison of visuals.
And your TV argument is pointless; the contrast in size is way too apparent. And guess what, I can test that on my own.
I can no longer just listen to what people have to say about the devices, for example--my brother or the person who said that 3 inch screens are awesome. A truly unbiased review does not praise an object, but it does compare it to relevant ones.
The HD2 screen is so big that the video experience is awesome, because this fits in the reviewer's criteria. If the review simply states that the HD2 screen is bigger than the Xperia or Touch Pro2, there is no preference in the criteria. But if one gives a careful visual comparison, he can let the beholder make the decision (not the reviewer himself).
I feel like some of you are implying that I am stupid, but I wish you could understand my reasons.
poetryrocksalot said:
I wish you could understand my reasons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And I wish you would understand why even if someone shot a video of 2 devices next to each other it wouldn't do any justice to how it actually looks like.
poetryrocksalot said:
I am looking for details in film, because when I watch a movie on the go, I still enjoy the little details in the background. The little easter eggs, and stuff that you are meant to see but not on the first screening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A compressed youtube video of the 2 will just show some half blurry screens on which you can't see anything of the little details that interest you, even if they were actually there. All you'll be able to see is that the HD2's screen is bigger, but you already know that.
Apparently we can say all we can, you seem to not have the same expectations than most of us if you were disappointed following the advice you were given with the X1. So even if we say that properly encoded video looks extremely crisp on the HD2 you'll have to see for yourself on the real thing. So wait until it hits the store, take your current phone with a short clip, go there, grab an HD2 on display, send the clip to the HD2 via bluetooth, with a coreplayer cab if needed, and do your test... that's what I did with my usual programs, spent 2 hours at the store doing what I usually do on my phone on the HD2 before buying it
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=582122
The "modded video" in the first post is a good example of good quality video for the hd2, best played with the built-in player.
I love my Nexus One, but like everything, as time goes by and new things come along, there are things I wish were different.
If you had 'three wishes' and could change only three things about the N1, what would it be?
Here's my list
1. By far my first wish would be for more application flash memory. Even with App2SD, there is just not enough space for all the apps I want to install. I'd love to see a minimum of 4GB of app memory.
2. Front Camera. Now that real video conferencing apps and reasonably fast 3G is available, this is a big deal.
3. Screen. We all know how terrible the touch screen is. I get real tired of locking and unlocking to 'reset' the digitizer once it's lost it's mind. While we're replacing the screen, going up to a 4" SuperAMOLED at a little higher res wouldn't hurt. Maybe 960x512 ?
Things I wouldn't change
- The dual, noise canceling mics. This works great.
- The titanium alloy case. Light, sturdy, cool.
- AMOLED. I'll never go back to LCD.
- multiple radio bands. Take it anywhere.
- Bare Android. Keep your UI's and overlays.
***Update***
Now that I've been playing with Darktremor's a2sd script on CM6.1.1, I have to revise my list. Google should really release a code update that allows users to (optionally) do just what DarkTremor's a2sd app does. Truly move the apps and Dalvik cache to the SD card. This really does remove the app memory limitation on the Nexus One. In fact I now have 145 apps installed totaling 256MB !
Note that this does require partitioning your SD card and creating an ext(2/3/4) partition and the whole process is not noob friendly, but if you take your time and do a little research first it's WELL WORTH IT!!
This will make you love your Nexus One again.
Now, about my list.
My new wish to replace the app memory item is:
- USB host mode and additional microUSB host port.
How cool would it be to be able to hook up keyboards, mice, external HD's, even monitors? We already know it can be done, but it would have been nice from the factory.
Actually, I wouldn't care about app space too much, since proper old-fashioned Apps2EXT allows installing as much as I can possibly imagine.
I also wouldn't change the screen size. Absolutely no need to go any larger. And that includes resolution - the only visible resolution artifacts are the result of PenTile AMOLED, and not lack of resolution. No need to make the GPU work much harder.
Things I would change:
1) Digitizer (touchscreen), for obvious reasons.
2) CPU - rebase on 7x30, to get the same CPU with twice faster GPU.
3) Better photo camera.
1. More geebees! Seriously, 4-8GB internal memory should be sufficient until Unreal Engine and id games get ported.
2. Dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor. Need I say more?
3. Hardware keyboard! I've had my N1 for over 6 months now and still can't get used to virtual keyboards. Swype is nice, but it's not multi-lingual.
Bonus round: Screen size bump to 4 inches would be nice. I find that the optimal size. At the very least an upgrade to a Super AMOLED.
In no particular order:
Better digitizer
More memory
Better speakerphone
Better screen - a cross between the retina display and a super amoled would do me, and with much improved touch screen performance.
Better gpu, coming from a galaxy s that is one thing I miss.
Better camera.
Alreet headphone socket which is actually flush. I really don't want to be buying headphones again to find the phone goes mental when I plug them in (apparently some headphones don't fit in the none flush jack and so the phone gets confused as to whether it's headphones or a headset). Found this out the hard way recently.
More internal app memory, though this isn't such a big deal any more.
3 wishes? i would pay for this...
1. new and BIGGER SCREEN. my eyes are hurting after using a hd2 (thats why im still on the hd2..) atleast 4" would be nice.. but i dont want to leave the 4.3"
2. QSD8x72.
3. erm.. hard to say, the two wishes there are everything i really want.. but probably we need a bit a better battery when if we had QSD8x72
best things on this device are obvious:
- like OP said, the second mic for noise canceling is awsome
- AMOLED is cool, even if the screen is too small
- THE ****IN TRACKBALL, GODDAMN I LOVE IT
- the whole design of the device is awsome
EDIT: oooh i forgot.. 3.5 audio jack on the bottom plz.. at the top just sucks. and get the power key to the other side where the jack now is...
I still have trouble with my wifi connection temporarily dropping after I wake the phone, but I am not sure if that is a hardware or software issue.
I wouldn't mind a line-out jack for audio. Even better would be an HDMI out jack for video capability.
The antenna could be redesigned so the signal wouldn't be affected by hand placement. It's not as bad as some but it could be better.
Overall, though, in terms of design and performance the N1 still rocks for being 11 months old. That is normally eons in terms of the product cycle in this market. I'm so glad I bought two for my wife and I.
-More memory
-Better speakers
-Best digitizer
-SD card slot on outside
My list...
4.3" SAMOLED2 display
Tegra 2 Dual-Core CPU/GPU
Front facing camera
HDMI Out
Printing support (wifi/network)
Desktop Chrome browser....will also need a faster CPU.
1. better speaker
2. Better battery life without changing the size
3. Maybe better camera. Like 12Mp so it can record 1080p.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
x986123 said:
My list...
4.3" SAMOLED2 display
Tegra 2 Dual-Core CPU/GPU
Front facing camera
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Niceee
10chars
Battery life
Better power button. I'm on my second and it too is buggy.
Better external speaker.
Better digitizer is a. Close 4th.
Digitizer. It felt really disappointing to learn that the sensor could only handle two inputs, and crappily at that. I wish it had shipped with one that didn't spaz out whenever the battery was charging.
Camera Button. I'm not a huge photogeek but this would have been a slick feature. Tapping the screen always shakes the camera noticably, and my photos come out blurred. I think a camera button could have limited that.
Front Facing Camera. I think this really would have helped to future-proof the N1; now, if (hopefully when) a video chat protocol is standardized for the Android platform, I'll have to upgrade if I want to be able to utilize it.
I also still have conflict with the capacitive buttons. I like them because they're sleek and sit flush with the screen. However, I dislike them because they don't work when the phone is locked (in case I want to remap the buttons to, say, skip songs).
1. better digitizer (touchscreen)
2. hdmi out
i think the intention of this post was more towards what you would change and not what phone would you rather buy today.. super amoled and tegra are new technologies and weren't available when the nexus was created
what others have been saying:
ffc: i can live without a front facing cam because i can still video call people, the only reason i would ever use video is to show someone something not just so that i can talk face to face
gpu: it's not that bad, it's not the best but it is almost a year old now
camera: decent enough, do you really need 1080p?
battery: that's not really much to do with the phone, all batteries suck
This is tough, I had to cross a few things out:
1) 4" screen without all the current problems
(love the size and weight, but a tiny bit more screen would be nice. and we all know the other problems)
2) Better battery life
(currently have to charge it 2-3 times a day)
3) Better voice recognition
(I'm from Texas but VR hardly understands me. And the more I repeat a phrase, the more it misunderstands the words.)
Cool
I'm impressed, There are actually a lot of good ideas here.
I'm already cobbling them together into my "perfect phone" list.
So far it looks like:
- Vanilla Android 2.2.1+
- Unlocked
- Multiple Radio bands (like the N1)
- Minimum of HSDPA support, HSDPA+ or LTE pref.
- Minimum of 4GB app storage
- MicroSD slot that's accessible without removing battery.
- Front camera
- 5 MP rear camera (I don't care what anyone says, any more than 5MP in a camera with an aperture that small is a bad idea and only done for marketing reasons. It's all about light gathering, not resolution. Think the opposite of DPI as it's used in screens and printers. The lower the camera pixels per inch, the better)
- 720p video at 30fps
- SuperAMOLED screen. LCD is the past, forget it.
- dual core CPU with GFX acceleration
- HDMI output
- FM radio
- Micro USB with host mode option.
Note that these are in addition to all the standard Nexus One features like a titanium allow case, dual microphones, etc.
Megapixel Myth
william tanaya said:
1. better speaker
2. Better battery life without changing the size
3. Maybe better camera. Like 12Mp so it can record 1080p.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
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Regarding #3, you've fallen into the megapixel myth. Megapixels don't mean much of anything for most consumer devices. Sure, if you are a pro photographer taking pictures for magazines or billboards, then yes. maybe you need a high MP camera. For everyone else, it's nonsense.
For example, you wished for 12MP to handle 1080p video. but the fact is that full HD, 1920x1080 is only 2MP!
On a cell phone with a tiny camera chip, the less MP, the better. Why? Because this means that each pixel element is larger and therefore can capture more light. This results in better saturation, faster ISO ratings, and better low light capability.
Anything over 5MP in a cell phone is a waste and counter-productive.
Personally I also think 8MP is the limit of diminishing returns on consumer digital cameras, and 12MP for DSLRs.
If you follow digital camera news, you'll find that the biggest push is to put larger image sensors in cameras.
unibody titanium case
unbreakable screen
waterproof to 100m
fold out knife and bottle opener
Tachyon_1 said:
Regarding #3, you've fallen into the megapixel myth. Megapixels don't mean much of anything for most consumer devices. Sure, if you are a pro photographer taking pictures for magazines or billboards, then yes. maybe you need a high MP camera. For everyone else, it's nonsense.
For example, you wished for 12MP to handle 1080p video. but the fact is that full HD, 1920x1080 is only 2MP!
On a cell phone with a tiny camera chip, the less MP, the better. Why? Because this means that each pixel element is larger and therefore can capture more light. This results in better saturation, faster ISO ratings, and better low light capability.
Anything over 5MP in a cell phone is a waste and counter-productive.
Personally I also think 8MP is the limit of diminishing returns on consumer digital cameras, and 12MP for DSLRs.
If you follow digital camera news, you'll find that the biggest push is to put larger image sensors in cameras.
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nice to know that, sounds logic..
ty..^^
I just received my Google Nexus 10 yesterday. After reading all the great reviews about the video quality I must admit I was shocked how poor it was. Don't get me wrong, it isn't awful by any stretch. The detail is certainly there and there is so much detail it might actually be detriment to the product because I can pick up compression artifacts and pixelization I didn't even know was there on some of my videos. However, this really leads in to what I think the source of the problem is on this device, that is, the black level. The first video I took a look at was Ice Age since it came with the N10. If black level is off on animations they can look washed out and it certainly did in this case. My projector on a 100" screen could actually reflect a better image in my opinion. Moving over to other videos like a 1080p MKV of Battleship displayed some improvement, but the poor black levels were still there. Oh, and I should mention this was with using MX Player.
So, are others seeing something similar? Again, I'm not trying to really downplay the image entirely because the detail is certainly there, but again, I'm disappointed by the black level. Is there possibly a way to adjust it that I'm not aware of? All I can seemingly find is Brightness and that doesn't do enough. Perhaps a gamma control would help? Any guidance from others is appreciated.
U get ice age free with N10?
Sent from my Nexus 10 using XDA Premium HD app
verusevo said:
U get ice age free with N10?
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Yes.
2 posts? Troll?
Techie2012 said:
2 posts? Troll?
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Thanks for the welcome. Did people say the same about you when you had 2 posts? Trust me, your accusation is utterly ridiculous. This is simply my first Android device and this was my initial impression. I hoped that there might be some kind of workaround or fix so I simply did a Google search for a Nexus 10 forum and wound up here. As I allued to in my initial post there are plenty of things I like about the device and black level might not be a deal killer, but if there was a way to resolve it, why not pursue it?
Techie2012 said:
2 posts? Troll?
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Only 245 posts and a member since February of this year? You must clearly have very little to contribute anywhere since you don't have at least a 1k post count or year+ membership (sarcasm btw; post count and join dates means absolutely nothing in determining a person's status lol)
I believe a few others have mentioned black levels not being optimal on the N10. I myself don't really see it as a problem, but then again I rarely watch videos. I believe Contrast itself might be a better option to modify over Brightness, but I'm pretty sure Contrast isn't adjustable currently.
Possibly when Kernel development matures enough, we may be able to modify screen settings, but I don't think we're there quite yet. Maybe some video players might have an option for adjustments?
Those frequenting here have varying social skills. Be tolerant.
Suggest posting some pics of screen's black level, alongside another device used as a baseline. A thousand words and all that.
Also suggest searching Play store for "display settings" and try out the various widget/apps available.
That's seriously put me off buying this tablet now.
A poor black level can ruin video quality. I know this because my laptops black level is shocking bad, picture below.
Now I might either get a Note 10.1 or wait for something with a high res screen and a good black level.
Haha you guys are funny.
Anyway back to the original question, this device has a LCD screen, and like most LCD TVs, the black is not as black as you'd like or you would see on a PlasmaTV or Amoled screen.
If black levels are highly important to you, i'm sorry to say you bought the wrong device.
Ok, so I took a previous poster's advice and got a hold of an iPad3 with Retina Display and compared it against the N10. The difference was not as significant as I thought it might be. Ultimately, I didn't think either producing razor sharp images with inky blacks and that is because they don't my own HDTV's (LED) in my home along with my home theater projector crush both devices. Why? Well, first, I wasn't aware that the contrast ratio was so poor on all the tablet devices. Most of my other products have something like a 50,000:1 contrast ratio whereas the tablets are around 1000:1, a very big difference. Also, I'm accustomed to watching BluRays on those displays. BluRay quality just doesn't seem to exist on these tablets right now. So was I expecting too much from the N10? Yes.
Spending some time with both devices side-by-side allowed me to sort of critique both on my own terms and decide which one I like best. I'm probably an atypical user so my opinions here are my own and I don't expect others to find the same items valuable.
1. Display - the iPad wins here, but not by as much as I might have thought. Whites are more warm and not as bright on the N10 when compared to the iPad. Blacks are also better on the iPad, but I expected it to be a dramatic difference. It wasn't. I've included some images to this post that will help you see the difference a bit more. There are some images where the difference looks very pronounced, but that is the digital camera really exposing the faults of the N10 and making them appear more significant. I wouldn't say that is the case in reality. Also, something you'll notice from the images is the light leak. It is there on the N10, but not on the iPad. Too bad Samsung couldn't have done a better job here. It would have made it appear as a more quality product.
2. Form Factor - I find the form factor of the iPad better than the N10. I like to use portrait mode more often than most I think and the iPad gives you more space to work from horizontally when doing so. This makes web browsing much easier and I actually feel more cramped using the N10 to browse via landscape. I would MUCH prefer the N10 to have the iPad's shape.
3. Weight - I would have never thought 50 grams or whatever it is would make a difference, but to me it does and the N10 is a clear winner here. After handling both devices for some time I simply enjoyed holding the N10 more. The lightness made for a more enjoyable experience.
4. Rubber Backing - When I saw on this on the N10 I thought it was sort of a gimmick, but I really like it. Again, it just seems to feel more comfortable holding it.
5. Heat - I have no idea why, but the back of the iPad got pretty hot while using it. The N10 had some slight warmth, but ever since I've used it it has stayed relatively cool.
6. Speakers - The N10 really crushes the iPad here. The front two speakers are awesome and can push out good volume. Going back to the iPad with its rear mono speaker almost feels silly in comparison.
7. Web Browsing - The winner here is the iPad. Pages came up more quickly, they are easier to scroll through (only slightly), and are displayed better. In portrait mode the clear winner is the iPad since you have more horizontal space to work with, something I like.
8. Off-axis viewing - Not that you ever really need this because tablets are really made for a one person audience to be looking at the device head-on, but I did notice it. For whatever reason the iPad had a better image once you move off-axis from the device. The N10 was washed out more quickly as you moved off-axis.
9. Bugs - Oh man, Jelly Bean has them. I have essentially the base image on the N10 and I've already seen the battery information incorrect (stuck), freezes, my folders just disappearing after the device becoming frozen, and some other very quirky things. The iPad in comparison was stable. The iPad just feels a bit like driving a Lexus. It doesn't really do much to excite you, but it does what it is designed to do and does it well. The N10 is probably more like a BMW X6. Is it a sports car or an SUV? No one really knows. It does some things that are really neat, but in other categories it sort of falls apart. Just my own silly analogy.
So which will I keep. Based on all the criteria above I would say it is very close and probably a tie in my mind, but I'm leaning toward the N10. I'm not sure why, but I struggle a great deal with going to a closed environment like the iPad is. It feels boring to me and I just think I might enjoy tinkering with the N10 more. If I give it more thought I might change my mind, but for the moment this is where my head is.
I hope all this might help someone. If anyone has any questions about the comparison or the images please feel free to ask.
A lot people seem to crank the brightness even when they don't need it. The N10 with the back light turned up definitely has poor black levels but it's actually pretty decent when below 40%(more comfortable to view also)
I agree. I'm totally unimpressed by the video quality of Nexus 10. Maybe I'm doing something wrong here, but my older Galaxy Tab 2 P3100 had much better video quality than this. The colors are totally messed up and the it just seems bland and boring.
Frankly, I don't think this is an iPad killer in anyway, and I'm not an apple fanboy either. I had to download apps just to get the Volume to a reasonable level eventhough it has stereo. Wow, the ipad claims much less but delivers more, Nexus 10 claims tall but falls short.
Thinking about getting back the iPad 4 if the Nexus doesn't grow on me. Sorry, Nexus. Android has failed you :crying:
JPW1 said:
Most of my other products have something like a 50,000:1 contrast ratio whereas the tablets are around 1000:1, a very big difference.
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The 50,000:1 contrast ratio is actually dynamic contrast ratio. How dark the screen is at it's lowest brightness and how bright the screen is at it's highest brightness. It's really just a marketing gimmick.
The real static contrast ratio could be anywhere between 1000-5000:1. Not a huge difference at all.
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,23137918
Looking at your screenshots I can definitely say you have the brightness set waaaayyy to high on the Nexus 10. Turn it down and the picture will be drastically better.
And for the other little problems you have to wait some time. Most of them will be gone with the first good custom roms/kernels. The device is still brand new.
I tried both the Transformers and Ice Age films streaming from google play, and I thought the video was pretty poor. Wifi signal was strong.
Video quality from all the streaming services I've used on Android have relatively poor quality. If you are attempting to benchmark the device's fidelity then I suggest making a high bit rate rip of a Blu-Ray
The high bit rate 1080p and 1440p videos I've seen look pretty great, but I agree videos from streaming services look pretty awful in terms of both blurriness and contrast.
Also, the hardware decoders like most devices do not have as high of picture quality as some software decoder. For instance, for the same video the hw decoder will look softer than the sw decoder in MX Player
I can't believe Google has chosen a 4:3 display standard which was abandoned when everyone moved away from CRT TV and monitors and to LCDs and LED displays to begin with. Sure some apps and all may seem to benefit from it, but those of us who use it for streaming media will hate to see the black bars on the top and bottom of everything we stream (or suffer distorted video from some sort of stretching). I can't see myself spending exorbitant amounts of money on a new tablet to only lose a good portion of my screen when streaming media (The majority of which is all 16:9 now). Especially when they have other options like what they did with Chrome Sticks that use 3:2 screen ration which can at least comfortably accommodate 16:9 [yes you have to stretch it, but it is still within reasonably and does not result in nearly as bad of a picture].
I will be voting with my wallet in an attempt to show Google not everyone just blindly buys the latest and greatest just because it is new. For another instance I am still happy with my Samsung T-Mobile S2 [T989] that is running Android 5.1 currently even better than any previous version including the official Jellybean 4.1.2 that's the last official release they did for my device. I even run some of the newest apps and games just find and do not feel any need to upgrade still 4 - 5 years after it's release. this also begs the question why Google needs to stop all production of their newer Nexus 7 variant (which was truly a nice upgrade from the original with a tougher case, better sound, and higher definition display). Why not just continue it's production in tandem with the newer 9? Why do they fel the need to pressure their users to purchase this newer better tablet? Why do they feel the need to appear if, if not truly really copying Apple? They have done fine going their own way up until now if I wanted an Apple product with a poorly designed screen I would go buy an Apple tablet.
I just feel the need to post this as a user and consumer of everything tech, I find it extremely unnerving that people seem to be making excuses about how and why 4:3 is better when EVERYONE has taken such pains to move to 16:9 with everything display wise? Why do people just seem to fall in line and buy the newest hardware just because it is newer? Why not look in to things and when it is not a great choice vote with their wallets instead of just posting a couple things online and still buying the "new better" thing even if they may not fully feel that way?
I don't mean to start a full on war either way I am just curious about these things and felt the need to ask. Please do not take any of this as an attack or attempt to flame anyone's emotions either way.
I'm good with it
The 4:3 ratio is maybe not optimal for watching movies. But it is better for playing Hearthstone, most games, and for web surfing. I love my Nexus 7 2013, and it's great for movies in many ways, and reading books, but not magazines or web-surfing. There's no 'perfect' screen ratio. It's always a tradeoff.
We all like different things for me it works really well.
Sent from my Nexus 9 using XDA Premium HD app
I have many complaints about my N9, but the 4:3 ratio is not one of them.
It's one of the best features of a tablet that is intended for productivity. This was never a tablet that had a "media streaming" label attached, far from it.
See, but that is what I don't get, no one has any issues with productivity on a 16:9 computer monitor and nor have I had an issue with it in using a tablet in the same regard. Why is it now attached to being more productive? Seems to me that would come from a better UI design that utilized the screen better if that's the concern and does not need to be tied to the display ratio itself. Again most "productivity" apps such as say office have made the transition rather well on 16:9 computer monitors, so I don't see that being a huge point that drives one to spend as much as they do on these tablets.
Also, to say that this tablet is not designed for media usage is kind of disingenuous as yes you may do some work on it, but generally speaking if productivity is your sole purpose and they wished to cater to that then why not do a productivity model and separate the 2 with different displays, again I still find this point confusing as a 16:9 computer monitor such as the one I am using now does just fine. From what I have seen again imo it would seem to be more of a UI issue in that regard and not the physical ratio of the display. That just seems like a justification made after the fact to me personally as this has been billed as more of an all around tablet line.
It seems to me that the reviewers have affixed the label productivity tablet to it as a justification for the switch to the older ratio that in general EVERYONE has made moves away from and not because that was why it was created to begin with.
ah well it does all come down to opinions really in the end and I appreciate the constructive feedback.
No offence taken here. Everyone is entitled to their own preference and opinion. I was very skeptical of the 4:3 ratio before buying my Nexus 9. I use it mainly as a media/content consumption device and for web browsing and I moved up from a Nexus 7. I know that 16:9 video would be larger on a 16:9 9" device but the black bars have never bothered me. I thought they would, but it really is a non issue for me personally. For web browsing and content consumption however, I have to say that in my opinion 4:3 is far superior. On the Nexus 7 I was always zooming in or turning the tablet to landscape mode because text and pics were so small. This made it feel like I was looking at a small portion of the content through a small magnifying glass. No such issue with 4:3 aspect ratio on the Nexus 9. I really don't think I would like 4:3 on a tablet under 9" as the small size of text and pictures would negate the larger field of view, but for the Nexus 9 at 9" and anything larger, I feel that 4:3 works better for me.
---------- Post added at 04:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:20 PM ----------
I think what they mean by "productivity" is how the spreadsheet or document etc. scales to the aspect ratio of the screen and how that scaling makes you feel like you are perceiving the content you are working on. The way a document scales to a 9"-10" 16:9 tablet in landscape orientation makes you feel like you are only seeing part of the document, even if the text is larger. In portrait orientation it just feels unnatural. You don't have this issue with a 16:9 notebook computer because the screen is typically 11" or larger to which the spreadsheet or document scales large enough to comfortably work with.
The way documents scale on a tablet in a 9"-10" 4:3 form factor in landscape orientation just feels right. You feel like you are seeing most, if not all, of the document you are working on and the text scales large enough to be readable without zooming in constantly. That's my personal observation on the whole "productivity" debate. Does that make sense?
It definitely depends on the use case for it. No one complains about 16:10 and 16:9 monitors typically because they are typically used landscape. The case for 4:3 is that since tablets can be used in multiple orientations, whichever way you hold it for whatever you are doing, you are still getting a decent amount of screen real estate/content in all directions. Here is a decent article on some perks of the 4:3 aspect ratio for a handheld tablet device.
4.3 is much better... My Nexus 10 feels awkward in portrait and in landscape i wish i had more vertical space... Specially since wr have a huge nav bar and status bar...
4.3 "is a good decision imo
It's fine for me
I wouldn't have bought this if it wasn't 4:3
Also 4:3 is awesome for anime
USBhost said:
Also 4:3 is awesome for anime
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It works well with comic/manga apps but anime tends to be 360/480/720p, leaving us with black boxes.
I had a Nexus 10 and, although it was great for watching media, it was unwieldy to use for basic tasks like reading the news, checking email, etc. For these use cases, which are mainly how I use my tablet, the Nexus 9 is a superior form factor.
RealPariah said:
I just feel the need to post this as a user and consumer of everything tech, I find it extremely unnerving that people seem to be making excuses about how and why 4:3 is better
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No need for excuses: 4:3 ist just way better for my typical usage scenarios. Sold my N10 just because I prefer the form factor of N9. If you don't like it, there are plenty of other options on the market...
aren't the new samsung tabs rumor to be 4:3 as well..
I have a couple thoughts here. Let me start out by saying I am a tablet junkie and I currently have 4 at my house / at work. nVidia Shield Tablet, Tab S 10.5, Note Pro 12.2 and the Nexus 9.
While the three 16:9 / 16:10 tablets are all nice for watching movies, other than that I do not find the aspect ratio to be useful. Since I've perhaps watched 5 total hours of movies on my tablets (although I do watch YouTube a lot), I don't consider movie / video watching to be the primary use for a tablet for me. For movies I prefer my 60" TV, and for youtube it doesn't bother me to watch a five minute anything with bars on the top and bottom when needed. But I will give you that *video* consumption is best at this aspect ratio. That said, the N9 and nVidia Shield Tablet are the same basic width except with different aspect ratios and movie content gives you a bit more screen size on the N9. Not much more, but a bit more. So to me there is nothing gained by moving "down" to the Shield Tablet just so the aspect ratio is the same.
I however, use my tablet for productivity and gaming. All of my medical books are either in Adobe DRM format which I use Mantano Reader Premium for, or Kindle format. Since these are all technical books with pictures, graphs, tables etc, none "resize". They are all presented in US book format which is 4:3. When viewing the same book in the same app on my Tab S 10.5 and the Nexus 9 the two screens present the material at the same exact size on screen, the 10.5 (or any 16:9 tablet) displays the book with black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. So while the N9 is considerably smaller and more comfortable to hold in portrait mode for long periods of time, it shows the book at the same size as the 10.5 does. Big win for the N9. For Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets the N9 shows more useful data with the on screen keyboard up. The nVidia Shield Tablet is the same width as the N9 but due to its 16:9 (or 16:10) format shows very little of any document including email when the keyboard is showing. It's basically useless for productivity. Sorry but for real productivity apps 4:3 is just better for me and the apps I use. While 16:10 may work great for books outside the US here where I live and where I work and use the tablet, this content works best in 4:3. Using the on screen keyboard in landscape mode is easy on the N9, the center keys are a stretch of your thumbs when holding the tablet.
Games are not an issue at all on the N9. RR3, DH5, Order and Chaos, Hearthstone and Darkness Reborn are the games I play; and all play just fine and dandy on the N9.
I bought the N9 specifically for the 4:3 aspect ratio as have many others. I know it does not work best for you, but does EVERY Android tablet made have to suit you? Can't those of us who prefer 4:3 actually get a well specced Android tablet? Everyone I work around uses iPads as they are made for reading books, writing documents etc in the US. My screen has always had tons of useless space. Finally one decent 4:3 tablet comes around and I bought it as soon as I learned it's 4:3. Sadly right now it's the only nicely spec'd 4:3 Android tablet as the new Samsung A series is low end specs.
Seriously, 4:3 works for some people better than what you want.
"I will be voting with my wallet"
That's nice, have a nice day
Sent from my Nexus 9 using XDA Free mobile app
Disagree entirely, I'll take 4:3 on a ~9" tablet screen every single time. Any tablet that is widescreen, I won't even consider purchasing it.
I believe the new Galaxy Tab S is suppose to be a 4:3 as well. If that is the case and does actually happen, it would only sound logical that Android companies are starting to see how good 4:3 ratio is for a tablet. I own a N9 and Galaxy Tab S. The 16:10 ratio is great for watching movies, but that's all its great for in my opinion. You also still end up with black bars anyways, although not as big. I still don't mind 16:10, I just feel it's not as useful as 4:3. Especially when using it on a good sized tablet like the Tab S 10.5 I own. Holding the thing in portrait is extremely awkward and everything is smushed. In the 5 6 months I've owned the Tab S I've probably had it in portrait no more then 30 minutes total.
It's funny because I came from a IPad mini 2 last year. Was my first tablet and the reason I moved to the Tab S was mainly because I prefer Android but also wanted something bigger and was tired of those black bars. Now all this time later I find myself missing that 4:3 and end up using my Nexus 9 much more because of it. Don't get me wrong I would still probably buy another 16:9 or 16:10 tablet if it was smaller like the Nexus 7 or Shield and I really REALLY liked the look of it. However for me personally 4:3 is superior and thats coming from someone who watches a ton of youtube content. I still get a great/big enough picture (imo) and when I want to go browse the web or get some things done, I'll enjoy it much more. To eachs own I guess. I still think Google made a good decision on the ratio and I believe we will start seeing more and more Android 4:3's.
16:9 is the worst ratio for a tablet under 12". It's too narrow in either orientation. I've had 3 wintabs so far an hated 16:9. 16:10 is my favorite and hate that monitors have e all gone 16:9. At the same diagonal size you get less screen area. I had to replace all our 24" monitors with 27" just to get the same height.
You guy do realize that watching 16:9 content on a 16:10 device has black bars too? Most android tablets are 16:10.
For what I use this tablet for 4:3 is great. I didn't really think I'd dig it, but I love it and prefer it at sizes under 9". I've stated before, at this size and ratio it's as tall as an 8.4 and as wide as a 10.1 at 16:10 held portrait.