Related
Hey ppl well ok I was talking to my friend yesterday and was telling me about he's fone that can run a ps2 emulator or the game itself. And then again this files were downloaded as torrents so yeah and this file are rar/zip .... now my idea is if there was a way to convert rar/zip files into apk format cuz this is pretty we can use on the fone and those jar those other ones .... but yeah that's wat I was think ... aslo for full movies I mean I have full dvd on my microsd but its in parts so yeah ... welll if anyone has something like or idea idl hit me up at [email protected] thanx and yes I'm noob I'm new but I had already 2 G1s both modded rc30 and rc33 1gig lol lates
Hate to burst your bubble, there's no phone out there that I know of that can even remotely run PS2 games... The pandora http://www.openpandora.org Might be able to run ps2 games (at a push), but it takes significantly more processing power to emulate a system (and more RAM)
Not to mention, a ps2 is a strange thing, it has a 128bit processor, the G1 has a 32bit proccessor (to the best of my knowledge), which is why it's hard to emulate a ps2 on a system with a 2.3Ghz processor and 1GB RAM (which is the last machine I ran a ps2 emu on) It would be insanely difficult to write a ps2 program in java, which runs dog slow (In my opinion) compared to C or Assembly.
After doing a little research, looking at the current development cycle, your friend would have some difficulty playing PS1 games on his phone, and currently no ps2 emulators run on ARM architecture (assuming he's using a windows mobile/iPhone/G1) although I'd be interested to know what phone he has to research this further.
The fact that the files were torrents does not change anything (Not to mention it's illegal to download games, whether you own them or not, and making backup copies of them is questionable)
rar and zip are just compression formats, which enable large files to be made smaller. An example, instead of writing out 7777777777 you could say 7(10) which is smaller. That's a very basic understanding (If anyone wants to correct me feel free)
apk is also a type of compression format with other things added onto, it's more like a .deb file for debian or ubuntu (look it up for more info). There would be no way to "Convert" rar or zip to apk so it would work... it'd be asking if there was a way to make a banana into an apple, they're both fruit but that's all they really have in common.
It's completely possible, however to have a full DVD on your microsd if you want to. I use a program called SUPER to convert my videos to a usable format... I don't see any reason for your movie to be in parts on your phone unless again, you downloaded it from a questionable source. I freely admit to converting my DVD's to a format I can use on my phone (namely mp4 for me)
If you want any advice at not being a "noob" then hopefully the following points are useful. Keep in mind that I don't wish to patronise you or make you feel like an idiot (I've seen far worse questions/comments before)
Spelling is key, Take a few minutes to type things out properly, such as phone as apposed to fone, thanks/thanx, people/ppl etc. A lot of people on the internet will refuse to help you, as they (and I) know that "words" such as "ppl, thx, gr8, hya, ty" and suchlike, were invented to shorten text messages, which obviously cost people money. On the internet, there are no such limits, and so that language is considered "lazy". This is not me having a go at you, this is just me stating the facts (you seem like a nice enough person to me)
Also, one of my gripes, is lack of research. Please don't just post on a forum for a question, and especially if you're not willing to hang around/periodically check for answers (hence giving me your email), i'll send you an email containing this exact text anyway.
Anyway, if you managed to read through this epic piece of text, i'll take the time out to compliment a fellow Muse fan on his taste in music (I recognise the two song titles in your username and email)
Sorry I can't be of anymore help
omg someone better sticky this post this is classic !
I must say Obsidiandesire you desire a gold medal for that reply bravo my friend bravo
Hahaha PS2. Let's work on getting SNES or even NES fully working before trying that, okay?
lol this is brilliant
Obsidiandesire said:
Hate to burst your bubble, there's no phone out there that I know of that can even remotely run PS2 games... The pandora http://www.openpandora.org Might be able to run ps2 games (at a push), but it takes significantly more processing power to emulate a system (and more RAM)
Not to mention, a ps2 is a strange thing, it has a 128bit processor, the G1 has a 32bit proccessor (to the best of my knowledge), which is why it's hard to emulate a ps2 on a system with a 2.3Ghz processor and 1GB RAM (which is the last machine I ran a ps2 emu on) It would be insanely difficult to write a ps2 program in java, which runs dog slow (In my opinion) compared to C or Assembly.
After doing a little research, looking at the current development cycle, your friend would have some difficulty playing PS1 games on his phone, and currently no ps2 emulators run on ARM architecture (assuming he's using a windows mobile/iPhone/G1) although I'd be interested to know what phone he has to research this further.
The fact that the files were torrents does not change anything (Not to mention it's illegal to download games, whether you own them or not, and making backup copies of them is questionable)
rar and zip are just compression formats, which enable large files to be made smaller. An example, instead of writing out 7777777777 you could say 7(10) which is smaller. That's a very basic understanding (If anyone wants to correct me feel free)
apk is also a type of compression format with other things added onto, it's more like a .deb file for debian or ubuntu (look it up for more info). There would be no way to "Convert" rar or zip to apk so it would work... it'd be asking if there was a way to make a banana into an apple, they're both fruit but that's all they really have in common.
It's completely possible, however to have a full DVD on your microsd if you want to. I use a program called SUPER to convert my videos to a usable format... I don't see any reason for your movie to be in parts on your phone unless again, you downloaded it from a questionable source. I freely admit to converting my DVD's to a format I can use on my phone (namely mp4 for me)
If you want any advice at not being a "noob" then hopefully the following points are useful. Keep in mind that I don't wish to patronise you or make you feel like an idiot (I've seen far worse questions/comments before)
Spelling is key, Take a few minutes to type things out properly, such as phone as apposed to fone, thanks/thanx, people/ppl etc. A lot of people on the internet will refuse to help you, as they (and I) know that "words" such as "ppl, thx, gr8, hya, ty" and suchlike, were invented to shorten text messages, which obviously cost people money. On the internet, there are no such limits, and so that language is considered "lazy". This is not me having a go at you, this is just me stating the facts (you seem like a nice enough person to me)
Also, one of my gripes, is lack of research. Please don't just post on a forum for a question, and especially if you're not willing to hang around/periodically check for answers (hence giving me your email), i'll send you an email containing this exact text anyway.
Anyway, if you managed to read through this epic piece of text, i'll take the time out to compliment a fellow Muse fan on his taste in music (I recognise the two song titles in your username and email)
Sorry I can't be of anymore help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*stands up and claps*
There's no way even the Pandora will be able to run a PS2 emulator. PS1/N64 era max, not even Dreamcast. Your friend was lying or mistaken.
Actually, the G1's processor runs about the same speed (clock speed alone) as the PS2's Emotion Engine. You can effectively emulate something when you have efficient code and a speed factor of about 10x.
Obsidiandesire said:
Hate to burst your bubble, there's no phone out there that I know of that can even remotely run PS2 games... The pandora http://www.openpandora.org Might be able to run ps2 games (at a push), but it takes significantly more processing power to emulate a system (and more RAM)
Not to mention, a ps2 is a strange thing, it has a 128bit processor, the G1 has a 32bit proccessor (to the best of my knowledge), which is why it's hard to emulate a ps2 on a system with a 2.3Ghz processor and 1GB RAM (which is the last machine I ran a ps2 emu on) It would be insanely difficult to write a ps2 program in java, which runs dog slow (In my opinion) compared to C or Assembly.
After doing a little research, looking at the current development cycle, your friend would have some difficulty playing PS1 games on his phone, and currently no ps2 emulators run on ARM architecture (assuming he's using a windows mobile/iPhone/G1) although I'd be interested to know what phone he has to research this further.
The fact that the files were torrents does not change anything (Not to mention it's illegal to download games, whether you own them or not, and making backup copies of them is questionable)
rar and zip are just compression formats, which enable large files to be made smaller. An example, instead of writing out 7777777777 you could say 7(10) which is smaller. That's a very basic understanding (If anyone wants to correct me feel free)
apk is also a type of compression format with other things added onto, it's more like a .deb file for debian or ubuntu (look it up for more info). There would be no way to "Convert" rar or zip to apk so it would work... it'd be asking if there was a way to make a banana into an apple, they're both fruit but that's all they really have in common.
It's completely possible, however to have a full DVD on your microsd if you want to. I use a program called SUPER to convert my videos to a usable format... I don't see any reason for your movie to be in parts on your phone unless again, you downloaded it from a questionable source. I freely admit to converting my DVD's to a format I can use on my phone (namely mp4 for me)
If you want any advice at not being a "noob" then hopefully the following points are useful. Keep in mind that I don't wish to patronise you or make you feel like an idiot (I've seen far worse questions/comments before)
Spelling is key, Take a few minutes to type things out properly, such as phone as apposed to fone, thanks/thanx, people/ppl etc. A lot of people on the internet will refuse to help you, as they (and I) know that "words" such as "ppl, thx, gr8, hya, ty" and suchlike, were invented to shorten text messages, which obviously cost people money. On the internet, there are no such limits, and so that language is considered "lazy". This is not me having a go at you, this is just me stating the facts (you seem like a nice enough person to me)
Also, one of my gripes, is lack of research. Please don't just post on a forum for a question, and especially if you're not willing to hang around/periodically check for answers (hence giving me your email), i'll send you an email containing this exact text anyway.
Anyway, if you managed to read through this epic piece of text, i'll take the time out to compliment a fellow Muse fan on his taste in music (I recognise the two song titles in your username and email)
Sorry I can't be of anymore help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, just... wow.
Well done sir.
Obsidiandesire said:
I freely admit to converting my DVD's to a format I can use on my phone (namely mp4 for me)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you are aware that ripping DVD's from their DVD-Video format into MP4 removes the copy protection on the video, violating the US DMCA 1201.
It is COMPLETELY illegal to rip any newer DVD-Video into any file format (MP4, AVI, et certa). Do not go around shouting about the illegalities of downloading movies when you yourself are in clear violation of US laws.
coolbho3000 said:
Actually, the G1's processor runs about the same speed (clock speed alone) as the PS2's Emotion Engine. You can effectively emulate something when you have efficient code and a speed factor of about 10x.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not true. If you're using the exact same processor, or a very close code base, you can get pretty nice speeds.
As an example, let's take the Playstation Portable. It runs a 333 MHz MIPS CPU. The SNES runs a 3.58 MHz Ricoh 5A22 (16 bit, ewww). The N64 runs a 93.75 MHz NEC VR4300.
Now, it only makes sense that the PSP could emulate the SNES faster than the N64, right? Wrong. The N64's CPU uses an assembly language very close to what the PSP uses, making it much easier and more efficient to write an emulator for it.
According to you, you'd need a 900MHz-1GHz CPU to emulate the N64. The PSP was doing it at 222MHz with 30 FPS.
CPU type matters a ton more than clock speed.
As said earlier by obsidiandesire there is no possible way to play any ps2/3 or xbox/360 games at full speed or with the best graphics so it is impossible and therefore him not knowing what he was talking about. Even if he does have a ps2 game on his phone then it's completely useless as anything other than that.Take the quake proof of concept video for the g1, watch it, and read all about what was really done to actually get it to play. But in lamens terms it was basically the g1 without any software on it or anything else that takes up memory or ram. Have you even seen him supposedly play it. even if you did did you make sure that it wasn't just a video he was watching and had memorized the correct movements to fool you into thinking he was.
You should come back with a clear video of it running and post it for everybody to see and step by step instructions on how he did it in exact details with screen shot.
Since you're a noob i'll give you a small piece of advice. Don't come onto a website for tech people and start talking all that bull without the evidence to back you up.
As said earlier by obsidiandesire there is no possible way to play any ps2/3 or xbox/360 games at full speed or with the best graphics so it is impossible and therefore him not knowing what he was talking about. Even if he does have a ps2 game on his phone then it's completely useless as anything other than that.Take the quake proof of concept video for the g1, watch it, and read all about what was really done to actually get it to play. But in lamens terms it was basically the g1 without any software on it or anything else that takes up memory or ram. Have you even seen him supposedly play it. even if you did did you make sure that it wasn't just a video he was watching and had memorized the correct movements to fool you into thinking he was.
You should come back with a clear video of it running and post it for everybody to see and step by step instructions on how he did it in exact details with screen shot.
Since you're a noob i'll give you a small piece of advice. Don't come onto a website for tech people and start talking all that bull without the evidence to back you up.
I really don't think he will be back y'all ripped him up and down..lolbut movies on my g1...sounds pretty cool time to start my reasearch( I too consider my slef kinda noobish so plz I mean please)
I give a couple of years max, maybe sooner if Nvidia Tegra is released anyime soon =]
http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_tegra_apx_us.html
*note that NVIDIA is part of the OHA alliance. And here is a snippit from the above link:
NVIDIA Tegra APX Series
Enabling a compelling user interface and high-definition video playback for the ultimate low-power, visual experience, the NVIDIA® Tegra™ APX 2600 and 2500 applications processors are the key to building next-generation Microsoft Windows Mobile, Windows CE, and Android-based devices, including smartphones, portable navigation devices (PNDs), and portable media players (PMPs).
I got a friend who knows this guy thats dating his sisters ex sister n law who saw some lod over in China playing Gears of War 2 with a PS3 controller on the Google G2 cell phone!! If the G2 can do it, why couldnt the G1 play PS2 roms? /sarcasm end/
reply
Well yeah true thanx for the lesseon its awsome to something new everyday and sorry if in my last post I offened someone but I never do only if I do .. back to the subject umm well I got a message and my friend told me he did on the NOKIA N71 idk if he hacked it but yeah that's what he told me and he a nice guy and I told him if he can get some screens shots or a video of it and and that's what he told me I took he's word that's all ... and **** yeah muse ****ing rocks lol my fav band and I'm a mexican myself in amerika .. and yeah I came to this site to get answer not get e-bullied or whatever .. call me whatver u want it dosent hurt me its just words and yes I admit I'm a NOOB. Idc and yes ill try ASAP in here and I can just email as soon my friends gets at me and. Yes I post my email to see or hear sum fast questions that's all I'm a member so that's why I'm here ?? Right ?? And yup I'm a friendly guy that's all lol but hit me up if u wanna chat or whatever peace tech friends. Thanx for the re
Gary13579 said:
I hope you are aware that ripping DVD's from their DVD-Video format into MP4 removes the copy protection on the video, violating the US DMCA 1201.
It is COMPLETELY illegal to rip any newer DVD-Video into any file format (MP4, AVI, et certa). Do not go around shouting about the illegalities of downloading movies when you yourself are in clear violation of US laws.
If your making a back up of your own dvd's is ok as long as you dont distribute is ok to do with your dvd as you like but as long as you have the dvd it self. Unlike me that i have seven pounds, bejamin button, valkyrie on my phone now that is illegal cause i dont own the dvds yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my personal experience, at least over here in the UK (Where laws are different to begin with) then while it may be illegal to make backups of movies you own, it's never considered much worse than say not indicating at a junction, unless you start giving other people the movies etc.
Thanks for all the great comments though!
As a previous owner of an N71, which runs symbian on a fairly slow processor, then I can tell you for a fact that it's bull. I'm sorry but that's just the truth. I don't mean to bully you in any way although as I said in my previous post, because of the way you say things, make no effort in your next post (even though i gave you very clear advice) you'll probably get it worse now.
Just for a little information, I remember on a PSP forum, somebody asked for a PS2 emulator for the PSP, it was revealed that Sony's emotion CPU runs just a tad slower than the PSP (I think it's 299Mhz on newer models), with the Graphics chip at 140Mhz. The PSP uses a (32bit?) processor at 333Mhz, the G1 has an ARM9 Processor at 520Mhz (Clocked at 300 something for various reasons)
All 3 are different architectures and probably fairly different assembly code.
As a final note, I "Stumbled" accross this whilst writing this post, thought it'd be a fair (serious) thing to point out to our fellow Muse fan.
Clicky Clicky
It's even Microsoft certified (which is Ironic, considering I'm posting this on a Kubuntu box)
Once again, the comments are much appreciated!
Obsidiandesire said:
Hate to burst your bubble, there's no phone out there that I know of that can even remotely run PS2 games... The pandora http://www.openpandora.org Might be able to run ps2 games (at a push), but it takes significantly more processing power to emulate a system (and more RAM)
Not to mention, a ps2 is a strange thing, it has a 128bit processor, the G1 has a 32bit proccessor (to the best of my knowledge), which is why it's hard to emulate a ps2 on a system with a 2.3Ghz processor and 1GB RAM (which is the last machine I ran a ps2 emu on) It would be insanely difficult to write a ps2 program in java, which runs dog slow (In my opinion) compared to C or Assembly.
After doing a little research, looking at the current development cycle, your friend would have some difficulty playing PS1 games on his phone, and currently no ps2 emulators run on ARM architecture (assuming he's using a windows mobile/iPhone/G1) although I'd be interested to know what phone he has to research this further.
The fact that the files were torrents does not change anything (Not to mention it's illegal to download games, whether you own them or not, and making backup copies of them is questionable)
rar and zip are just compression formats, which enable large files to be made smaller. An example, instead of writing out 7777777777 you could say 7(10) which is smaller. That's a very basic understanding (If anyone wants to correct me feel free)
apk is also a type of compression format with other things added onto, it's more like a .deb file for debian or ubuntu (look it up for more info). There would be no way to "Convert" rar or zip to apk so it would work... it'd be asking if there was a way to make a banana into an apple, they're both fruit but that's all they really have in common.
It's completely possible, however to have a full DVD on your microsd if you want to. I use a program called SUPER to convert my videos to a usable format... I don't see any reason for your movie to be in parts on your phone unless again, you downloaded it from a questionable source. I freely admit to converting my DVD's to a format I can use on my phone (namely mp4 for me)
If you want any advice at not being a "noob" then hopefully the following points are useful. Keep in mind that I don't wish to patronise you or make you feel like an idiot (I've seen far worse questions/comments before)
Spelling is key, Take a few minutes to type things out properly, such as phone as apposed to fone, thanks/thanx, people/ppl etc. A lot of people on the internet will refuse to help you, as they (and I) know that "words" such as "ppl, thx, gr8, hya, ty" and suchlike, were invented to shorten text messages, which obviously cost people money. On the internet, there are no such limits, and so that language is considered "lazy". This is not me having a go at you, this is just me stating the facts (you seem like a nice enough person to me)
Also, one of my gripes, is lack of research. Please don't just post on a forum for a question, and especially if you're not willing to hang around/periodically check for answers (hence giving me your email), i'll send you an email containing this exact text anyway.
Anyway, if you managed to read through this epic piece of text, i'll take the time out to compliment a fellow Muse fan on his taste in music (I recognise the two song titles in your username and email)
Sorry I can't be of anymore help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You sir, are my hero. Where do you live, because I want to buy you a beer.
sethrd said:
You sir, are my hero. Where do you live, because I want to buy you a beer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately my friend, I live across the water in the UK
I may buy myself a beer on your behalf... If I was of legal age (Just 11 more months)
I'll take a swig of coke/coffee for you though XD
OK ps2 emu was funny, dual core PC's cant play ps2 games all that well.
As for "full movies" I was thinking have an andoid appp that contains mplayer (since mplayer seems to work fine in debian/vncserver) it would offer the largest amount of file formats anyway
A key feature that I'm hoping the HD2 does well is emulation. Running morphgear on my Touch HD worked alright. You couldn't really get audio to sync or work right and framerate wasn't that great either. Now with the HD2 you got multitouch support and better hardware, so it should be an awesome experience. Has anybody tried running any emulation apps on the HD2 yet?
Also the TG01 plays PSX games flawlessly check out these links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q9qAB7ADB4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR2e1Mep2b0
Anybody test this out on the HD2?
I dream of being able to play PSP games on the HD2
FpSECE should run like a charm on this monster (also without any bluetooth gamepad due the enourmous screen size). I think there are going to be alot of capacitive-scree-like-games for windows mobile now also. Pfff can.t wait to get my hands on this baby )
snowblindd said:
FpSECE should run like a charm on this monster (also without any bluetooth gamepad due the enourmous screen size). I think there are going to be alot of capacitive-scree-like-games for windows mobile now also. Pfff can.t wait to get my hands on this baby )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you think that most of developers are going to make capacitive-like-games for windows mobile when only one device support it instead of putting their efforts on games for the iphone and android, you are going crazy.
^^ Second that! Don't keep your hopes up for any Multitouch based games for atleast another year.
Windows Mobile 7 might change that. But till then, its no use dreaming
I remember when xtract (or whatever it was called was released), this was such a fantastic game and showed what could be possible on the WM platform.
sadly, the popularity of the iphone means that most developers are working on apps for that phone instead. The main reason behind this is that every developer knows almost exactly what he will have to work with on an iphone. With WM there are too many variations of screen resolution to consider, memory restrictions etc
in addition, the relatively high cost of apps on WM (compared to the thousands of 0.59p for iphone)means that they don't sell quite so many and the demand isn't there.
it's sad, but this is perhaps the reason that WM is dying as a platform.
I saw an article the other day that said that itunes had hit the 100,000 mark for apps. I think that's an increase of about 25,000 apps in a single year. WM cannot even get close to that figure..
Well, out of those 100,000 apps 99,900 are useless fart apps and such, not the kind of games we are talking about here. App Store allows you to sell whatever you want and since there's no return policy you can have people paying for your app, no matter if it is good or not.
This is not to say there are no great games for the iPhone of course! Yet the mere number of apps there isn't really an indicator of quality.
you're right ( I question your accuracy though )
but the point is, that people are spending time creating 'useless' apps for the iphone....very few people are creating anything for WM
twisted-pixel said:
it's sad, but this is perhaps the reason that WM is dying as a platform.
I saw an article the other day that said that itunes had hit the 100,000 mark for apps. I think that's an increase of about 25,000 apps in a single year. WM cannot even get close to that figure..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we do need to make some difference between a big number, and quality programs... How many programs are not just total useless "fart" and other idiotic crap programs.
Its easy to claim that they have 100.000 programs, when most are close to useless.
SnooPPP:
You forgot to post a more recent one. This one showes the touchscreen in action on the TG01, with the overlay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MHCQiT6e54
Its actually kinda playable just using a Single Touch Resistive screen.
A quick look at the forum of the FpseCE emulator shows that people are interested in the HD2.
People here question if its useful for developers to create games for a single platform. But, the specs for WM7 are know. They know that every device in the future will have at minimum, the same specs as the HTC HD2, to be compatible with the WM7 OS. So, for many developers the HTC HD2 will probable be a nice development / testing platform for the future.
Also, when looking at the PSX emulator, that now on a Snapdragon can play about every PSX game... This is a game library of? How many hundred games? Including hits like FF7, etc ...
What about the N64 emulator that they are porting for the openPandora project, on a TI OMAP 3430? When the source is released and recompiled for WM, you can expect to also that game library...
This is what im really excited about, FpSECE on the HD2 will be amazing, it just needs either multitouch support or we need a controller we can use with the HD2.
twisted-pixel said:
but the point is, that people are spending time creating 'useless' apps for the iphone....very few people are creating anything for WM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, why wouldn't they spend time? If you put a fart app in App Store, chances are, somebody will pay for it by mistake, and won't be able to claim money back.
loomx said:
This is what im really excited about, FpSECE on the HD2 will be amazing, it just needs either multitouch support or we need a controller we can use with the HD2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In fpsece 0.1 there are overlays so no need for a controller(and it supports multitouch if I recall correctly).
Meh, regarding an entertainment perspective, I never really understood why games should be on phones. Sure the usual, patience or bubble breaker is nice, but if you really want to play games, I suggest getting an xbox360 or ps3, it's what I use mine for anyway.
KrewCial said:
Meh, regarding an entertainment perspective, I never really understood why games should be on phones. Sure the usual, patience or bubble breaker is nice, but if you really want to play games, I suggest getting an xbox360 or ps3, it's what I use mine for anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't travel much, do you?
PSP then?
KrewCial said:
PSP then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Carrying around two devices is just too inconvenient.
Could the HD2 even handle PSP Game's graphics??
Toss3 said:
Carrying around two devices is just too inconvenient.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Meh, when I travel, I don't mind carrying another device with me. Playing games on your phone only drains the battery even more, leaving less juice to make business calls.
KrewCial said:
Meh, when I travel, I don't mind carrying another device with me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a bit like arguing that there's no point in putting a camera into a phone because, when you travel, you don't mind taking a camera with you. That may be true as far as it goes; but having a camera in your phone becomes useful in situations where you didn't know in advance that you were going to need a camera and then suddenly realise that you do - conveniently, you just happen to have one with you because it's built into a device that you automatically carry with you at all times. The same applies to gaming on a phone: it's useful in situations where you didn't know in advance that you were going to want a gaming device.
You also have to ask: even if you are willing to pack a separate portable console, are you willing to pack a portable games console, a phone, an MP3 player, a mobile web browsing device, a mobile email terminal, a dedicated satnav device, and a portable video player? That's quite a lot to fit in your trouser pockets. There's a lot to be said for combining multiple devices into the same box.
Shasarak said:
are you willing to pack a portable games console, a phone, an MP3 player, a mobile web browsing device, a mobile email terminal, a dedicated satnav device, and a portable video player? That's quite a lot to fit in your trouser pockets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You forgot to mention all the chargers too
It's not like chargers take that much space... it's just one small bag. Besides, nowadays there are these universal extensions and what not if I'm correct if you really mind taking multiple chargers with you. Furthermore, if you have one device which you use for everything, you're gonna need to charge it more often, while this is not the case when using multiple devices, just to make clear that having an all-in-one device is not as heavenly as it might seem (or you're gonna have to take ALL those multiple batteries with you ).
Also, comparing taking a picture and gaming with and on a phone is not entirely just, because when one wants to game, he/she has to sit down and put time into gaming, while taking a snapshot is almost instant. What I'm trying to say is that when someone is playing a full blown 3D game (which is what is actually discussed here instead of patience, minesweeper or whatever), that person wants to put in time to focus on the game. In this case it's much better to use a dedicated device and not some emulator on a phone to play ps1 games while draining your battery life. And yes, if someone wants to take beautiful high resolution pictures, that person will take a quality camera with him/her.
Eventually it all comes down to preference I guess...
I like the tablet , but it has limited power next to a laptop or pc ,let me rephrase the power comment , it cant do what can be done on a pc ! I see it being using for many applications , however tablets sit bulky in the hand , as an embedded device for certain functions it will be a desirable device , like for schools or doctors, mechanics ,portable device functions , but it lacks in everything compared to the pc ! Im refferring to pc (macs are the same , I suppose desktops would be better) !
Dont get me wrong I like the Iconia , I just dont see it taking the place of the desktop as the crApple fan bois would like us all to believe , they couldnt come up with the the netbook , so they copied a tablet !
I almost agree with you. The iPad is a great example of a device that'll never handle true desktop productivity. That said, I just upgraded my phone to the Evo 3D and discovered it came with the capability to print to my WiFi printer from most apps that I would want/need to. I can print emails, many attachments, photos, contacts, calendars, web pages, etc.. I believe that system-wide printing will come standard in IceCreamSandwich. Android 3.1 and 2.3.3 already support keyboards and mice, and other input devices too. I'm WiFi scanning capability away from being able to use a modern tablet as a desktop replacement in my university teaching role. Some of the things a tablet can do well the old desktop couldn't do at all, so for me the tablet can be a more productive tool than my desktop was. One more generation will put quad-core processors in these tablets. That's 3 cores more than my last desktop had, and it served me fine. Android, unlike iOS, is moving close and closer to being a workhorse OS. I love it!
It really lacks the heat and noise of my gaming rig when i just want browse the web. Tablets are more in compitition with netbooks. Only fools would walk into a store thinking that this ten inch device would say rip bluerays and convert while playing rounds on tf2. Otherise cool story bro
Even the steve jobs said you will always need a truck to handle the workload and thats a anaolgy for desktop and such
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
No one who doesn't actually have an agenda would claim that tablets are going to replace desktop computers, but they sure do replace netbooks and laptops for many people. Often people buy netbooks and laptops because they want to be able to read their favorite websites, stay in touch with others via e-mail and just generally to have a way of reaching information on-the-go should the need arise, and a tablet literally shines in such situations.
My laptop replaced my desktop years ago. And as of a few weeks ago, my Dell Streak 7 has replaced my laptop. Replaced as in I sold my laptop. I am a writer, I do video blogging, internet security consulting, and I'm a minister. My tablet has replaced all of my media devices except for the tv, and that even gets replaced by my tablet if I am the only one watching. The only thing I need a pc for now it to flash a new ROM onto my tablet, and rip CDs to mp3 so they can be transfered to the tablet. And to back up my tablet storage in case of failure.
I know that most people will not be going to a tablet as their only computing device any time soon, but I can assure you, it is doable, and quite enjoyable. My only agenda is having my entire digital life in my pocket. And an android tablet does that perfectly.
Sent from my awesome HoneyStreak HD7
In my opinion, the tablet market right now is starting to evolve to replace laptops/netbooks. We are still in the early stages and I won't be surprised if a few years from now, netbooks and tablets will be marketed as a single device (Windows8 has the biggest potential for this IMHO). Want to use it casually in bed? Remove it from its dock, Want to be a power user? Dock it and have a complete kb-mouse-monitor package (akin to the transformer).
I myself use my Iconia more than my netbook already. I only open up my netbook when I need to write something or do photoshop - which is more often than not a handful of times a week. It's just plain more comfortable to watch/read stuff with a tablet especially in bed.
What would be really great is a dual core atom netbook with wifi (yes, I know that's standard), AND a good gps biult-in, two usb host ports and a usb mini slave (for connection to full PC).
I'd buy that for $5 - 700, 2G ram or more, 80 - 120G SSD..
WorkingOnWise said:
My laptop replaced my desktop years ago. And as of a few weeks ago, my Dell Streak 7 has replaced my laptop. Replaced as in I sold my laptop. I am a writer, I do video blogging, internet security consulting, and I'm a minister. My tablet has replaced all of my media devices except for the tv, and that even gets replaced by my tablet if I am the only one watching. The only thing I need a pc for now it to flash a new ROM onto my tablet, and rip CDs to mp3 so they can be transfered to the tablet. And to back up my tablet storage in case of failure.
I know that most people will not be going to a tablet as their only computing device any time soon, but I can assure you, it is doable, and quite enjoyable. My only agenda is having my entire digital life in my pocket. And an android tablet does that perfectly.
Sent from my awesome HoneyStreak HD7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are a minister and you are running a DELL?!?!?! REPENT!!!!
Interesting conversation.
At first my Nook Color and now my Iconia have replaced my personal laptop. i have a somewhat powerful work laptop and I am not a big gamer so if I need some heavy lifting done, which is rare, I can do it on my work laptop.
The Acer is much better than my laptop for reading, watching movies, and surfing the web and it is the perfect size for commuting.
WorkingOnWise;15209560My only agenda is having my entire digital life in my pocket. And an android tablet does that perfectly. :-)
[/QUOTE said:
Sir, you have very large pockets if you're keeping an Iconia in them!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol! My son gets this for graduating boot camp in February, when I will get whatever the hotrod dual or quad core 7" android device is out. I like this tablet, but Dell made so many needless compromises with it, I don't see myself buying another Dell. Is that enouth repentance?
Sent from my awesome HoneyStreak HD7
still not quite there,
But I think with the power these devices will soon have. Tablets may be the next console device for gaming. Just look at the partnerships that have developed. Sony already has a phone that pretends to be a PSP. And they will soon have a tablet too. Couple years from now, I could see these tablets running console style games, maybe even a ps4 tablet that omits the stay at home console box. Dock and play, or undock and play on the go. Plus look at all the people trying to link ps3 contollers to run with their emulators. I know others have mentioned the rumors, just give it a bit of time.
As for PC replacement, I am already there. It does not replace my desktop rig for burning bluray. It DOES eliminate my laptop in every way. Web, basic games, email, video chat, can even use torrent services. The future just looks better, even if that means another brand tablet, but love iconia for right now.
For me, the Iconia is perfect as a mobile solution, since I am frequently on the train. Much more handy than a netbook or laptop for when you are actually on the move and you have lots of stuff with you, so every extra kilo is precious. Laptops are rather bulky for watching a movie on the go and even netbooks now feel quite bad in comparison (same screen size, double the weight, half the battery time).
On the other hand, I also have my gaming rig at home, where I can do my movie converting, store my music collection etc. Iconia (or the next generation of tablets) certainly can't replace all that for me. But I can easily see it chomping at the laptop share of the market.
sittin here at work... thinking... I gotta start that batch conversion when I get home... wait! I have splashtop... I can load my pc's desktop on my iconia and do my batch right now... then I can run netflix and watch something or maybe txt my wife to put the other dvd/blueray in the drive so I can start that rip from here...
although I haven't replaced my desktop at home... I certainly have eliminated the need to be there to operate it... I love my iconia!!!
Tablets aren't replacing desktops anytime soon for people on these forums.
But, think of this - what about the mom's, grandmoms and others who just want to check email and browse the web? Why would they NEED anything more than a tablet?
My wife uses a tablet almost exclusively now. Only when she needs to print something does she go to the desktop, and that's very rare (school forms, etc.) And if they can ever get printing built into Android it would go a long way towards doing away with need for a desktop for a lot of people.
At least half of my employees could easily replace their home PC with a 10" tablet and be better off for it.
Of course the people on these forums are more the desktop PC experts and techies and we will never be able to do away with our desktops.
For work, we're investigating replacing some employee laptops with Honeycomb tablets and a special app we are writing. It would provide better mobility for those specific job functions than a laptop ever could, and allow us to better control the devices, spend less on them, and ensure the data security better. Because most of our desktops are used for massive data entry, a tablet doesn't make sense there, but a tablet with a docking station, HDMI screen and keyboard might make sense in the future for some employees...
If only Google would put out a real tablet Docs app...
great conversation
I have been a avid computer user since the late 1980's and holding this a500 in my hands still amazes me after nearly a month owning it.
The only reason I find myself sitting at my IBM desktop machine is when I need to pull some files from a DVD/CD or need to print something, or have spare time for some gaming.
This thing has replaced 90%+ of what I use a desktop for - and just think - the tablet market has barely gotten started. Imagine what these will be like in ten years
On a side note; no chance 3.1 can use a USB based external dvd-rom drive, is there?
Ok, so here's my dilemma. I want a convertible tablet pc. Problem is though, I think all of the ones on the market are poop. They either run android (I don't see the point still) and iOS, or are clunky and rediculously expensive. But I had a extremley bright idea. Buy whatever laptop I like, slap a touchscreen on that *****, and be happy. Keep in mind that as a poor college student with no job, I will probably never be able to afford this
1. Take apart laptop completley, Rip out the green bullcrap.
2. Mod case to be suitable as a convertible...or just look cool.
3. Rverse USB port to face inside
4. Close USB off from the outside
5. Get a USB Touchscreen conversion kit, which im sure come in many different flavors (Capacitive, Multitouch, Resistive), or better yet use a connector designed for computer internals, making #3 and #4 useless.
6. Add 3rd party accelerometer for Poitrait/Landscape orientation
7. Find a suitable hinge (or make one) and replace it
8. Boot laptop, install drivers for touchscreen and accelerometer
9. Pat myself on the back for custom making a tablet PC?
In my opinion the hardest part would be modding the case to be suitable as a convertible tablet, which can't be too hard. I have access to MIG/TIG welders, sheet metal cutters, grinders, ect. and I know people who know how to use them, so working with metal shouldn't be too dificult. In fact, I probably could just build a case myself from scratch. I also have alot of experience with plastic, so that's not a problem although I'd prefer to use metal for structural parts.
Touchscreen conversion kits seem to be all over the internet with a quick google search, and it shouldn't be too hard to find high quality capacitive touchscreen panels.
Walcom Bamboo Stylus because I'm a G
Accelerometers that work with windows I don't know about, but it cant be too hard Amirite? You can find ANYTHING for sale on the internet.
If I do do this however it will probably be in the summer (when I have a job). The only probelm I might have is the internals, seeing as I've never handled computer internals before. My brother did build his computer though, and I have a friend who also builds computers. It dosen't seem too hard compared to the other stuff like modding the case. While the laptop is dissasembled I'd probably put the parts in ziplock bags to keep them away from dirt and debris while I'm not using them. As long as I'm careful I don't thinkim going to mess anything up.
Good idea or no?
Good idea. Just keep in mind that the whole thing would be much heavier than a regular tablet, so holding it in hand would be difficult.
I have seen an EEE PC modded with a touchscreen, but the keyboard part was still there.
Just get a transformer lol...
What is wrong with Android? What is it you need to do that it won't?
My other idea would be to tell you most android devices are capable of running linux too?
Sounds like alot of work..and there are suitable models on the market, but if you wanna do it?
By the time you get around to it I wonder where technology will be...
PS ziplock bags? NO! Get some static bags..ziplocs are crazy static-charged! Honestly though, sounds like you are a good deal away from being able to deconstruct and reconstruct a laptop..the integrated circuits are ridiculously small and fragile..
PPS The hardest part might be actually getting the accelerometer sensors to function..which is where android comes in..you have to actually write some code into your operating system that will recognize and react accordingly withing the right parameters in your code..devs on this sight have problems with accelerometers that otherwise worked on a stock rom on OEM machines, god knows what it would take to get one working on a machine that never intended to have one by design?
That is all
What's old is new again
It's funny we did something similar a few years ago to build PC's into cars and trucks. For that application and at that time it made sense. Today we essentially just make custom docks for COTS tablets so that they integrate with the car.
If you're opposed to Android and other mobile OS's my suggestion is to start looking around craigslist for convertible tablet/laptops like those from HP and Dell or look for a cheap HP slate. I've seen gently used Slates going for around $200-300 and they run windows 8 reasonably well. I've seen convertibles close to that price as well.
Unless you are just dead set on a fabrication project i'd strongly suggest taking advantage of off the shelf hardware and mass production pricing and spend your extra time and money learning how to get the most of of those components.
If you do go ahead with this then weight and cost will be your biggest issues. I think a better twist on this would be to figure out how to make a transformer type of dock for other popular tablets. If you can make them well and make them cheap then sell a few and buy what you really want.
The reason I don't like android is because It's not a desktop OS. I'll be building this tablet-y thing for graphics/image editing, word processing and a little bit of gaming in between and I'm not 100% sure about android graphics programs. I like to keep it simple and use MS Paint, then GIMP if i need a more powerful program. I'm also a windows fanboy and it's what I've been using ever since I was 2... I also like to build things.
I hate the transformer prime. I want a convertible tablet, not a tablet and a little dock thingy...won't serve my purposes.
I didn't know Ziplock bags are staticy by nature. Thanks for the tip.
As far as the accelerometer, I don't know much about them but if it's super difficult I'm probably not going to bother with it. I'll maybe install a switch?
It's hard to beat windows for functionality but you might check out paint.net as a free replacement for paint.
Over all though I get the idea that you're a little in over your head on this.
Sent from my HTC Flyer using XDA App
LexusFman said:
I hate the transformer prime. I want a convertible tablet, not a tablet and a little dock thingy...won't serve my purposes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you seen the Eee Pad Slider?
Also, Adobe photoshop for android = $10
https://market.android.com/details?id=air.com.adobe.pstouch&hl=en
LexusFman said:
The reason I don't like android is because It's not a desktop OS. I'll be building this tablet-y thing for graphics/image editing, word processing and a little bit of gaming in between and I'm not 100% sure about android graphics programs. I like to keep it simple and use MS Paint, then GIMP if i need a more powerful program. I'm also a windows fanboy and it's what I've been using ever since I was 2... I also like to build things.
I hate the transformer prime. I want a convertible tablet, not a tablet and a little dock thingy...won't serve my purposes.
I didn't know Ziplock bags are staticy by nature. Thanks for the tip.
As far as the accelerometer, I don't know much about them but if it's super difficult I'm probably not going to bother with it. I'll maybe install a switch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, I've got photoshop, an office suite, and tons of games, I'd never have to touch a PC again..I am a graphic designer by trade! I can even watch hulu (something not supposed to be capable of on android platforms), I've got a nice stylus and a full qwerty keyboard and mouse- I'm working on the OG transformer not the Prime, as far as I can tell the Prime was pushed too quickly and has issues with all of it's radios due to the metal shell..the TF101 does not have these issues, and the TF700 (basically the prime with the GPS and radios fixed and better resoultion) is available if you don't want to go for the OG transformer.
Seriously sounds like you're trying feverishly to open a can of worms to get a windows tablet when in reality there is no need and windows is given a run for it's money with the new ICS android on the way. Trying to unlock a windows phone after unlocking a whole bunch of Android devices would quickly turn you off of Microsoft as an OS IMO, that's what made me an Android fanboy (I was a windows guy previously, now I'm leaning more and more towards linux/android for their open source code user-friendly programability). But, if you are determined to do something the hard way = the expensive and labor/time-consuming way, no one is going to stop you
Just remember- in the world of technology things are done: Right, Cheap, and/or Fast. BUT, you can only choose two..
I've done this already with a eeePC 700.
1. The resistive touchscreen. You'll need a stylus for that.
2. Typing with a stylus is horrible.
3. It was heavy. Even when it was only 7inch screen. The battery made it heavy. (but I had 9hours of battery life)
4. You couldn't navigate the boot menu (without an external keyboard)
5. Resistive touchscreen is crap for drawing, because you still want to support your hand on the screen while drawing, which you couldn't do.
6. Moving Items around sucked (no drag and drop)
and many more.
I used it in my bed, for browsing. was good enough, until the touchscreen cable snapped. (I didn't have an external keyboard, so I had to open the tablet, connect the keyboard, and navigate the boot menu when I had to)
Hope this helped. Though it was fun to build it and use it, it's not what you would call an 'every day' tablet
romitkin said:
Good idea. Just keep in mind that the whole thing would be much heavier than a regular tablet, so holding it in hand would be difficult.
I have seen an EEE PC modded with a touchscreen, but the keyboard part was still there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it would be much heavier, in fact I think the idea is perfect for modification of a netbook. It would probably be cheapest. since so much case modding is required and so many enclosure fabrication resources are handy, to put together a frankenstein out of 2 or 3 broken netbooks. Find someone who smashed the screen of one netbook, another one who fried the board of theirs, find a total-loss broken tablet PC (like dropped in lake michigan level of total loss so it will cost pennies) and get the ribbon cable and swivel element from there. I think if this idea is applied to a netbook it would be excellent in size and weight as well as functionality. And with the x86 version of android's progress, it could even be running android like a tablet in screen out mode, and change to webtop mode when its swiveled. Put a netbook mobile broadband card in there, many netbooks have open card expansions under the screw-out panels underneath, if not you would have to choose between wifi or taking the wifi expansion out in favor of a mobile broadband card, and certainly make sure that the card is supported by your wireless provider if you choose to go the mobile broadband route. With verizon or sprint you will most likely have to acquire a mobile broadband card out of a netbook that was originally sold by the company, but be sure to check and make sure the MEID is clean before paying anything for one, if the seller defaulted on a contract they used to acquire it, you might as well flash the thing to cricket or metroPCS and use them as your mobile broadband carrier. With either wifi or mobile broadband, as well as bluetooth, don't forget the antenna! yeah that thing you have to unhook from the other side of the card to take it out, you need that. (oh yeah, bluetooths are included as expansion cards sometimes too, if so you could always remove this to make room for the mobile broadband if you don't use bluetooth. I sure don't and probably wont until they drop the rediculous prices of non-audio bluetooth interfaces to acceptable and competative levels.)
That project actually sounds pretty freakin cool, the type of thing I'd do if I wasn't already swamped with projects. Definetly keep us posted if you decide to go through with it, as I pointed out, if you build it from netbook parts it should be well within your budget, netbooks run much cheaper then notebooks already, but a netbook is comperable in power to most current android devices and thus is suitable to handle most things you'd use a tablet PC for, just not high powered stuff like compiling code or rendering animation or playing 3d online games.
Edit: I'd like to add and point out that as a regular user of an acer netbook running ubuntu, it is wise to refrain from excessive multitasking, the atom had to sacrifice a bit of things we've become accustomed to in notebooks to meet the low power consumption and operating temperature requirements, and a lot of those things are things that mostly benefit multitasking. You will not be happy if you try and run a jillion programs at the same time.
That being said ubuntu's new primary UI, I forget what it's called evolve or something like that, it is an excellent UI for netbooks, perfectly space-optimized, especially in the vertical range which gets filled quick on lil netbook screens. I'm not sold on it and prefer to go with gnome or xfce on desktops and normal-sized notebooks, but it is top-notch on a netbook. I'd also recommend not messing with the accelerometer at first and including it later as it may be a pain to implement correctly in comparison to the limited amount of functionality it brings to the table. I'd rather have something that works personally that I can make additions to then pull my hair out trying to throw everything in the first time right.
---------- Post added at 10:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:47 AM ----------
Will_nonya said:
It's hard to beat windows for functionality but you might check out paint.net as a free replacement for paint.
Over all though I get the idea that you're a little in over your head on this.
Sent from my HTC Flyer using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to LMAO @ this comment. If users would ever actually push developers to release for the linux platform, especially hardware manufacturers (which is ridiculous since all they would have to do is release their code open source, or even just parts of their code and the community would do the rest. Doesn't matter much tho, it's mostly crappy chinese hardware that isn't supported by linux, and their HQs more then likely don't speak enough english to be able to request anything, beleive me I've tried to contact MSI before.... most hardware worth running is fully supported tho)
But point is, I feel like it is extremely cumbersome whenever I'm forced to use windows, apart from trying to use unsupported hardware or cross-platform software (although wine and mono have made GIGANTIC leaps in usability). I pretty much never have to deal with drivers, updates to all software happens automatically, it's become so self-maintaining that I'm ashamed of how lazy of a linux user I've become. When I actually do have to do something even remotely advanced I have to think for a minute about it. Usually the only thing that really requires a lot of getting under the hood that I ever have to do is when I set up my audio-production setups which is even a lot easier now that they have dedicated repositories for them, and when set up correctly the real time preemptable kernel will run circles around any windows or OSX setup latency-wise. I was pulling lower latency with computers recording with ardour, and sequencing/synthesizing/sampling with seq24 amSynth, and qsampler, 5 years older then any PC I would test it against running windows with Reason and Protools. the Jack audio drivers that allowed software to plug audio inbetween applications directly across the PCM was just icing on the cake.
Windows is good software, but linux has certainly surpassed it by leaps and bounds. Windows still rules for gaming because of directX and industry unwillingness to port to linux, but the period of time right after Microsoft declared it was removing directX support from XP on further releases saw linux catch up with windows for a little while as they rushed wine to support the newest directX making it actually possible to actually run new releases under windowsXP even. Curses microsoft, foiled again! And off topic, but furthermore, I can't believe people still pay so much money for that god damn talking paper clip, openoffice.org ftw!
As I said windows isn't bad software, I said before in these forums actually that if windows ran a microsoft controlled repository to distribute all software for windows through, like linux, it would have similarly non-existant problems with viruses. Having people go around the wild-west of the internet downloading and installing programs from there without even thinking about it is just asking for the malware and adware problems windows experiences. Windows is good software, linux is just much better software.
Too complicated...
On a second thought how about moding a cheap Tablet with better parts. Is it even possible like are the parts such as a processor, camera, or the radio chip available for tablets and phones.
Why dnt you get a transformer?
In my opinion, it would just be better to settle for an table, prices are gonna drop really soon. The market for Eee PC's alike has diminished since the release of the ipad.
This is a wonderful opinion. The things mentioned are unanimous and needs to be appreciated by everyone.
A lot of things to doo, better start with a simple tablet and try to upgrade it if possible... dont know if its possible btw.
I did something almost like this.
Took apart a dirt cheap acer aspire one with a small 8 GB SDD.
Small 280 Atom 1.6GHz cpu and cheap intel GMA gpu.
Inverted the screen
Added a extra 512MB ram and inserted a 16GB SD card.
My battery however did not stand up to the task so i ordered a 9 cell pack.
It ran quite stable with 6 days standby or 12hours of heavy usage.
The lack of a accelerometer however made it a pain for quite a few games.
But i did have a vague plan to get value's from it into the android OS using a AVR and a few other cheap parts.
Many manufacturers still produce cheap atom notebooks like these.
But hardware specs have gotten better and better, so you should be able to pick one up for cheap still.
http://www.axiotron.com
Soooo 2008...
I'm doing this with an old pentium 3 thinkbook. I know its not really that great of a computer but it at least redeems it as a usable device.
sounds interesting will looking forward for it....
Good Idea!
My main, 4-5 year old macbook pro, seems to slowly be dying. HDD making weird noises, dead pixels on edges, power randomly turning off all the way, the works. I know some of this stuff is fixable, and I'll probably come around to it later, but right now I'm looking into getting a new computer, preferably a windows 8/ windows 8.1. While looking around for what my replacement would be, I know that some tablets, such as the surface pro, run windows 8. I think it would be cool to have a computer i could develop on and then go to class and turn it into a tablet and take notes on it. I don't know much about development, since I am a noob at it, and I'm going to collage in computer science next year, I don't know much about computer specifications for development. So, what would be a good choice for a tablet pc for developing? I do understand that a laptop or a full on PC would probably be better, but I'm just looking at options right now.
The main criteria for serious development (note: nothing you do in the first year or two of a CS curriculum is likely to qualify, unless you're going to MIT or something) are:
A) High-resolution display (1920 x 1080 is what I'd consider to be the bare minimum for a dev box) with a large enough screen that you can read it easily at default DPI. This is needed so you can have multiple code views, or code + documentation, open at once.
B) A pretty good supply of RAM. Depending on the languages and IDEs you're using, and the size of the code bases you're working on, just what is *enough* RAM will vary, but I wouldn't want to use anything less than around 8GB in a dev box. That lets me have multiple IDEs open, and a ton of browser tabs and history (for documentation), all at the same time without swapping.
C) SSD if you can afford it; the performance boost on stuff like compiling is substantial. You'll want to make sure you have plenty of space, though; source code even for large projects is only occasionally into and rarely much past single-digits of gigabytes, but the full repository history for a long-running project can be huge, and you will probably want to have room for virtual machines too (which are literally full additional OS installations) so you can test on different systems, or learn to develop for both Windows and Linux on the same machine, etc.
D) A really good keyboard is a must. You'll spend a long time using it, and you'll use a lot of weird keys that you aren't used to hitting right now. You want a full keyboard (no missing keys; did you know that there are actually times when Scroll Lock is useful? No joke...) with full-sized key-spacings (a cramped keyboard will slow you down and be uncomfortable really quickly). What type of "feel" you want to the keyboard is up to you, but most people really like the Lenovo keyboards for laptops, for example; your basic cheap membrane keyboard is probably *not* going to be pleasant to use.
Surface Pro 2 might work, if you got the Type Cover, but I wouldn't really recommend it. You want a bigger display on a dev box, usually, and the keyboard is optimized for everyday use but not for development.
Different people have different preferences for development machines. However I think GoodDayToDies suggestions are all good ones.
I am currently a first year computer science student at the university of northampton. I went with just getting a laptop rather than a tablet hybrid of some sort. Ultimately settled on the HP Sleekbook 14. Its only an intel core i3 @1.8ghz with HD4000 graphics and 6gb of RAM, but for everything you do in first and 2nd year (and potentially 3rd if there is a 3rd year not really sure how things work in the US) thats actually plenty powerful. It isn't a solid state drive, which would have been nice. There is only one criticism with it for programming and that is the screen resolution, at 14" the physical size is fine, but it is only 1366*768 which I can fit my stuff onto but it would be much nicer to have a higher res screen as with a higher res you can fit more code on without having to decrease font sizes or hide task bars in your IDE or whatever (I decrease font size and unpin the solution explorer and toolbox etc in visual studio, eclipse I dont unpin anything because I am still trying to get used to it, its only when you use something else that you realise how good visual studio is).
I did computer science as one of my A-Level subjects. I didn't bother with getting a laptop for that, I used the school machines in lesson, took bus home, used my desktop PC at home (and seeming as I commute to northampton daily from home instead of staying on halls, I can still do the same, but for convenience sake I use the laptop still, with my setup its more comfortable). I did have a friend though that didn't have a desktop PC at home or anything, his only computer was a 10" netbook, 1.3ghz dual core atom on 1gb of RAM and one of those really sucky 600p displays. He did his entire A-Level computing coursework on it, didn't use the school machines for anything other than testing and viewing documentation (as in that school we weren't allowed details for the WiFi which also had a hidden SSID, even if we did connect to the network via wifi or plain old ethernet, there was a proxy server nobody had details for either, so no internet for unauthorised machines). He was perfectly happy to bash out code on a tiny keyboard and only see a few lines of it at one time, I really wouldnt recommend it though. Visual studio was also perfectly happy to run on that machine (albeit with about a 10 minute load time when first opening it), compiled and debugged ASP.net applications perfectly fine too.
Under default settings in eclipse and with the console window thing pinned open at the bottom of the display. I can fit 28 lines of code on a 768 pixel tall screen.
Tablets for taking notes dont last long. Only people still doing that since the beginning of term are either using a surface with touch cover and typing yet still having a pad of paper for drawing diagrams or there are 2 people with surface pro's who use the digitiser stylus. Under lecture note taking conditions capacitive pens and virtual keyboards dont cut it. Also seen a small handful of people using bluetooth keyboards with iPads. One of the 2 surface pro guys does also use the surface in lab sessions for doing his work, the other switches to a uni machine. If your fine with a small keyboard then yeah, you might be able to do devwork on a surface pro, but there are @"keys"^Which>'R'|arely {if ever} get touched during daily usage; They are often placed on smaller buttons on smaller keyboards, much harder to hit. If your going to spend a few seconds trying to hit shift+2 to type a " (I'm british, our keyboards arent the same) then its going to slow you down considerably, my mate with the netbook didn't have a problem with this, I couldnt do it though. I have used the apple wireless keyboard and can type reasonably well on that (even though its about netbook size), but I cannot use it for programming, although in my case thats because apple are morons who don't know what a british keyboard looks like so the symbols are in the wrong place for me (their idea of a british layout keyboard, because they do sell one, is slap a £ sign on the 3 key and give us a double height enter/return key, that is it, all of their changes), that wouldnt effect you in the US.
I would say anything with a core i3/i5 or even i7 will have the CPU horsepower to get your work done.
For first year stuff I highly doubt more than 4gb of RAM will be needed. but I will recommend 6-8 anyway for future proofing.
Unless you are doing a specialised pathway with graphics or gaming, don't bother with an integrated GPU, you won't really need it.
1366*768 screen res should be the absolute bare minimum, 1080p highly recommended though. When this machine is replaced one day, I will definitely be going 1080p.
You need a keyboard which is comfortable to use. Go to best buy or whoever else sells computers out there, use a few machines, see what features you do or do not want.
I cannot recommend something 10" in size for most people. I use 14", I wouldnt go smaller than 13". For that reason I wouldn't recommend a convertible. If you were to go convertible, at least go active digitiser to make up for it. Some of my lectures I just type up, most I just go old fashioned with active digitiser mk1 (also known as pen and paper).
I am however looking at either the dell venue 8 pro or the EVGA tegra note tablets as a note taking tool. Can't really justify the expense though on something that would purely be that, a note taking tool.
4 GB of RAM should be enough unless you plan to use emulators. If you use emulators, you might wanna boost that up to 8.
A video card is also useful, regardless of how "weak" performance it has in gaming. If you use a CPU built-in one, you will lose up to 1 GB of RAM depending on what you do.
The display is probably the most important of them all. You will spend lots of time looking at it trying to figure out what is going wrong, and if your eyes do not agree with the display, you will find your efficiency greatly reduced.