I'm loving it, the browser is nice and fast enough. I also use the miren and xscope browser from the phone and works great. Once I'm done doing what I need I undock the phone and I can continue where I left of.
Wish the price was cheaper but so far its awesome.
I love the laptop dock.
Cost was not a factor for the phone and dock so that takes thie second thoughts out of the equation.
The build/fit and finish were just about perfect and feel very high end like a MacBook pro or think pad from the good old days.
The webtop experience is very useable and great for remote desktop and citrix.
Once the webtop gets more hackable it will be near perfect. I really have to keep reminding myself that this is a phone even though it has nearly the same hardware as the xoom
No regrets here.
I was going to return it today but after playing with citrix. I found some more use for it.
It definitely needs some work:
- better screen. Bad viewing angles, blacks are pretty bad.
- needs better keyboard. I find myself hitting wrong keys because the keyboard is a bit off center.
- needs a built-in 720p cam for video conferencing
- while charging the power light in the corner keeps blinking, what kind of usability genius thought of that.
- better trackpad, just take ques from unibody macbook and move on motorola. No multi-touch???
- needs to be lighter, from the tear down, this hardware is way from being optimized. Again take apart macbook air. They can definitely fit a bigger battery. Seems like a lot of unnecessary plastic.
- the phone needs to have more memory. I open 2-3 browser windows and I get a low memory warning. I would like to android to be more aware of the dock, for example killing browser process while in the dock to shift more memory to firefox.
What I love though is this and I think this is truly revolutionary, is the convergence of the cell phone with laptop. I think through combination of cloud computing and virtualization this could be the future of mobile computing.
Not to mention how cool would be to have a linux webtop vs honeycomb webtop (native no emulation).
What I am hoping is going to happen that other companies will realize that this is just an accessory and that we could have several options for laptop docks. I could see this as a huge market for enterprise customers.
I did not know that the webtop can be hacked? What have you guys hacked so far?
I'm really interested to try it out, but don't know if I can justify the expense. Like a lot of other people have concluded, I'd kind of rather a netbook of equal (or lesser) value along side my phone instead of that. If it was a tad bit cheaper or had a few more features to offer, I might be sold.
CC Lemon said:
I'm really interested to try it out, but don't know if I can justify the expense. Like a lot of other people have concluded, I'd kind of rather a netbook of equal (or lesser) value along side my phone instead of that. If it was a tad bit cheaper or had a few more features to offer, I might be sold.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy it at best buy and try it for a few days. you dont like it take it back, end of story. having a netbook and atrix is like having two devices. atrix and laptop dock is like having ONE device!
If all you do in a laptop is browse the web and email, this dock is for you!
personally, I hate it. It's like working out of a Altoids tin.
JasjarMan said:
Buy it at best buy and try it for a few days. you dont like it take it back, end of story. having a netbook and atrix is like having two devices. atrix and laptop dock is like having ONE device!
If all you do in a laptop is browse the web and email, this dock is for you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To an extent I agree. It's like having one device in the fact that one is entirely useless without the other. So functionally, you have one device. So you have the functionality of one device, but have to carry around 2 devices and pay the price of 2 devices. I can't say I agree with the concept of paying $400 for the laptop dock that requires the phone to work when I could spend that same amount of money to get a netbook with a significantly higher level of capabilities. If I buy a netbook, I get 250 gb of memory, 2 GB ram, built in camera AND a full OS.
Basically, my complaint is: You pay more for the atrix + laptop dock to get less functionality than you could get out of a netbook that costs the same as the dock alone.
If it had the option to utilize additional ram built into the dock as well as hard drive space/flash memory for additional storage then it might be a bit more worth it. Right now, you're paying $400 for a screen, battery, dock, keyboard and track pad that all require an additional device to function.
Don't get me wrong, I love the idea and would love to own one. I have no doubt I would make good use of it. I just see no reason to buy it at that price other than having the extra money and nothing better to spend it on (and I can think of quite a few better things to spend $400 on). It really needs a lower price, more features or a mix of both.
You CAN add more memory like USB flash drives. They work just don't know many MB it will read.....
One thing what the atrix+ laptop dock wins over netbooks is its lighter and another is the battery life which is really really great on the dock and also charges the phone, About a year ago i bought a asus 1201n which is a powerful netbook which has duel core and nvidia ion 12.1in screen pretty loaded which i paid 579$ for it but the battery life sucks on it 3hours too max 4hours if you lower all the power options which makes it slower which is useless like the screen brightness.
With the laptop dock the battery seems too last forever even with the screen brightness on max lol. Hopefully they can make it a bit faster threw a update but i made it faster on browsing which i turn flash off and it ony will work when i click on the ad or video and that made it faster.
Pretty much what you paying for is the build quality metal casing which feels more solid than my 1201n netbook and the screen is also better and the keyboard i really love on the laptop dock.
I paid 299$ for it from qt&t store which was suppose too be 399 than 100$ off threw a 100 rebate but they waive it for me because i had the phone before i bought the dock. But ya for 500 or 599$ regular price that some places selling it for that's too much and i wouldn't pay that much, even at 400$ i was thinking of not getting it.
Would be nice if other company would make there netbooks build quality like this product.
Even with great build quality, I'm still running into that block of it being really expensive for not a whole lot in terms of functionality (compared to what you could get at that price). Even at $300, I feel like I'd rather a netbook of equal cost to pair with the atrix. I'd have to see the dock dropping below $250 to consider it and below $200 to actually decide for sure I want it. Honestly, I'd just love to see it offer slightly improved performance when the phone is connected. That's something I could justify.
CC Lemon said:
Even with great build quality, I'm still running into that block of it being really expensive for not a whole lot in terms of functionality (compared to what you could get at that price). Even at $300, I feel like I'd rather a netbook of equal cost to pair with the atrix. I'd have to see the dock dropping below $250 to consider it and below $200 to actually decide for sure I want it. Honestly, I'd just love to see it offer slightly improved performance when the phone is connected. That's something I could justify.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could see it dropping down too 250$ in the future, But under 200$ i would think maybe in couple years, Sense right now the media dock is even 99$.
But i get what you mean its just a screen keyboard and mouse and battery which was making me hard too decide if it was worth it, But mainly why i got it is so i can take it too work and don't have too worrying about plugging it in too charge anything, Which with my netbook or laptop i had too take the ac adapter and find a outlet were i am at. With this i don't have too worry about that. I also like how thin it is so i can fit it in a small sleeve or case.
I know there's netbooks out there with great battery life too but i got too many laptops/netbooks.. lol
But ya this dock isn't for everyone.
And if i wanted too sell my atrix i would sell the laptop dock too with it and i would get more than what i paid for both of them, And this dock might be universal for motos future phones hopefully that's if i buy another moto phone because so far the atrix boot loaded is lock tight still But it has ony been out like 2weeks ony.
I also hope they release updates too make the docks faster and more customizable.
One problem is i also have a galaxy tab with 3g sprint plan... lol Wish i knew about the atrix and dock before i bought the galaxy tab.. But i did get a good deal on the tab.
I definitely hope they continue this concept because it seems like it will only get more and more useful as these phones get more powerful. If it becomes available on more devices in the future, it will definitely help the pricing as we wont get suck covering the initial development/design costs.
Who's looking forward to the first "tablet dock"?
I love this laptop dock. Most of what I do on my laptop is just surf the web and watch movie, which this does both. This thing is perfect so far for what i need, it's nice being able to access the phone from it and answer text or email, full web browser and most of all close the dock pull the phone off and I have a full charge on my phone. Right now even as much as I like this thing I would never pay $500 for this, I bought the combo and even then it's a little expensive. But now having it I don't regret buying it. I hope after time goes by and other moto phones get this webtop that more applications and tweaking become available. For now, Great video quality, network printing, Complete phone access and full web browsing is pretty sweet....no to mention it looks slick.
JasjarMan said:
Buy it at best buy and try it for a few days. you dont like it take it back, end of story. having a netbook and atrix is like having two devices. atrix and laptop dock is like having ONE device!
If all you do in a laptop is browse the web and email, this dock is for you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you say this like its a good thing...how do you figure its like having one device? do you not have to carry both with you to use them? at least with the netbook i can still use it without my phone...
what i meant is that im using my phone while its docked. so whatever i do on the dock it SEEMS like im on a small laptop. But once i unhook the phone and later i want to access my info i say to myself " i got that info on my laptop" but than i remember its on my atrix! know what i mean?
And no I dont carry the dock around, it sits in my desk and by my bed. I work of my home.
Related
After keeping up with over 8000 posts of trying to get the Transformer, I gave in and spent the extra 50 for the Acer.
1) It was readily available at my local BB.
2) I didn't want to wait.
Im hoping before my 2 week return policy is up, transformers will start showing up and I can get one locally. If not, I have 14 days to decide if I keep the Acer or not.
Bottom line, Acer is nice. We also have an Ipad and NC in our household, and really, as a daily user, I don't see much difference between the Acer LCD and the IPS.
Internet loads faster than the Ipad. I havent tested everything but for what I use it for, its working fine.
My point: Try the Acer from your local BB. It may fit the need for the extra 50.
Or, cross our fingers and maybe Target will have a coupon code to get it sub 400 if and when it arrives May 15.
The acer doesn't look bad until you put side by side with the transformer.
Understandable!
Definitely be interested in hearing your impressions and what you like / don't like about it.
I love my Transformer, but there are a couple things that are pretty neat about the Acer, including haptic feedback and a USB port...
I personally only went with the Transformer because of the keyboard dock.
chay03 said:
We also have an Ipad and NC in our household, and really, as a daily user, I don't see much difference between the Acer LCD and the IPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure how you can say that. I've owned an iPad, NC - had an Acer for about 3 days from BB, and my TF came in a few days ago - world's difference between the IPS and non-IPS screens.
I love the Transformer and would heavily recommend against Acer. In addition to the screen - it's too bulky (yes I know on paper it's 50g but I could really feel it), not a fan of the aluminium back, hardware buttons are hard to get to (the rotation lock button was impossible to operate on 1st try). The pluses are USB host and rear camera flash but I was ok giving those up simply for the screen.
(My 2 cents...)
I'm waiting for my B&H order to come in after May 31st. If Samsung announces that their 10.1 has something other than Tegra2 and that out of the box their Exynos or Orion SoC can play 720p high profile than I'll cancel my order and wait til June 8.
Let me help you out a little:
http://www.nowinstock.net/computers/tablets/asus/
touch screen grid
From what I've heard and pictures i've seen, the touch screen grid is VERY visible on the acer. This would drive me crazy.
Yes, the touch screen grid is visible but you really have to look for it.
Just enjoy the money spent and stop looking for something bad.
I can also agree with the other poster about the Ipad and Acer side by side. Of course you'll see a difference. Ex) G-tablet, very bad screen on its own, but side-by-side to anything else, of course it looks alot worse.
Me perosonally, I wanted it to be slightly thinner as far as holding it in portrait mode. I don't like the wider bezel transformer was taking up. Im using some version of a thumb keyboard that seems to work ok for me.
I haven't tested all the bells and whistles yet. I have downloaded a few apps and suprisingly, no force closes yet.
Now to the dock. Thats up to another 150, so you actually paying 550 transformer with dock before tax. From what i understand, my usb kb and mouse should work, free of charge. Or up to 50 something.
Extra battery life....ok. I can see if you travel alot, its understandable.
But I work 12 hours a day, work with kid's homework and make time for them, so I don't plan on using it hard like others.
Thats just how I see things, it works for me now, but if I do get a chance to play with a Transformer before my 14 days are up, I may switch. Who knows. But im not gonna hold my breath.
And sorry for not knowing how to use quotes...
I had the acer for a while, and yes it was nice. A little bulky (not sure the transformer is any different, I haven't received mine yet), the grid drove me nuts (I hardly ever saw it, but when I did it was really annoying and grabbed my attention).
The screen looked nice, but nothing like the ipad2 screen I saw. I'd still say it's worth the money if you don't care about the keyboard dock or if you need usb right on the tablet. My fiancee played with the acer while I had it, and now she bugs me every day about getting another one.
chay03 said:
Yes, the touch screen grid is visible but you really have to look for it.
Just enjoy the money spent and stop looking for something bad.
I can also agree with the other poster about the Ipad and Acer side by side. Of course you'll see a difference. Ex) G-tablet, very bad screen on its own, but side-by-side to anything else, of course it looks alot worse.
Me perosonally, I wanted it to be slightly thinner as far as holding it in portrait mode. I don't like the wider bezel transformer was taking up. Im using some version of a thumb keyboard that seems to work ok for me.
I haven't tested all the bells and whistles yet. I have downloaded a few apps and suprisingly, no force closes yet.
Now to the dock. Thats up to another 150, so you actually paying 550 transformer with dock before tax. From what i understand, my usb kb and mouse should work, free of charge. Or up to 50 something.
Extra battery life....ok. I can see if you travel alot, its understandable.
But I work 12 hours a day, work with kid's homework and make time for them, so I don't plan on using it hard like others.
Thats just how I see things, it works for me now, but if I do get a chance to play with a Transformer before my 14 days are up, I may switch. Who knows. But im not gonna hold my breath.
And sorry for not knowing how to use quotes...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't enjoy spending more money on a lesser product, it's why I generally don't buy apple
seshmaru said:
I can't enjoy spending more money on a lesser product, it's why I generally don't buy apple
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my thoughts exactly.
toddmp said:
my thoughts exactly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seshmaru said:
I can't enjoy spending more money on a lesser product, it's why I generally don't buy apple
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously?
Because while I am loving Honeycomb, my iPad 2 is killing my Transformer in speed, available apps, stability, interface consistency, size, build quality, speaker quality, battery life, media player quality....
Of course, there is a reason I am trying out Honeycomb... I like new technology!
(And I'd really like a microsd slot, but Steve says no! )
bleclair said:
Seriously?
Because while I am loving Honeycomb, my iPad 2 is killing my Transformer in speed, available apps, stability, interface consistency, size, build quality, speaker quality, battery life, media player quality....
Of course, there is a reason I am trying out Honeycomb... I'd really like a microsd slot, but Steve says no!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had an iPad I now gave to the misses, and it just felt like my 3GS on a bigger screen. Honeycomb feels like an actual tablet OS, even if it has it's flaws. Also the transformers sound is better, no use arguing with that since iPad only does mono sound. App availability is also not completely true, since I can't use iPhone apps properly on my iPad since it just blows em up making them generally look really bad or keeps em in a small box making them not attractive either. However Android apps generally scale to the tablet format well.
Speed can't really tell the difference, I have a custom ROM which might make a difference though. All other points are true though. But you don't buy a transformer at this point to get a finished product, you buy it on potential due to honeycomb needing to mature.
seshmaru said:
Honeycomb feels like an actual tablet OS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree with that one! Being able to connect a hard drive, keyboard, usb stick, etc. That's awesome!
As for app availability I'm finding the actual Honeycomb/tablet apps in short supply while there are many, many tablet specific apps on the Apple App Store.
The speakers on the iPad maybe be mono, but it sounds better to me.
Anyway, don't get me wrong, I love both (well, I will love my Transformer again after a firmware update) but I just thought Apple didn't deserve such a hard knock.
You can hate their computers (I mean because of the price, locked in aspect and some people's dislike of OSX) but their tablets and phones are pretty nice.
bleclair said:
Totally agree with that one! Being able to connect a hard drive, keyboard, usb stick, etc. That's awesome!
As for app availability I'm finding the actual Honeycomb/tablet apps in short supply while there are many, many tablet specific apps on the Apple App Store.
The speakers on the iPad maybe be mono, but it sounds better to me.
Anyway, don't get me wrong, I love both (well, I will love my Transformer again after a firmware update) but I just thought Apple didn't deserve such a hard knock.
You can hate their computers (I mean because of the price, locked in aspect and some people's dislike of OSX) but their tablets and phones are pretty nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I said apple in general, as I stated I owned an iPad and an iPhone 3GS, not everything they make is horribly overpriced, but in general they are.
and my point is that there are a ton of regular android apps that work really well on honeycomb, even though they don't get counted as "tablet apps".
I wasn't specifically knocking the iPad, just apple in general.
kudosmog said:
I had the acer for a while, and yes it was nice. A little bulky (not sure the transformer is any different, I haven't received mine yet), the grid drove me nuts (I hardly ever saw it, but when I did it was really annoying and grabbed my attention).
The screen looked nice, but nothing like the ipad2 screen I saw. I'd still say it's worth the money if you don't care about the keyboard dock or if you need usb right on the tablet. My fiancee played with the acer while I had it, and now she bugs me every day about getting another one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I compared them side by side, weight was one of the major issue for me but that probably just me.
I wan't to buy a Transformer, but I can't find a way to justify the six hundred bucks for the whole package, keyboard and all. What sets an android tablet apart from my Samsung Captivate? This isn't bashing on it at all, I just don't want to buy another android phone with a bigger screen sans the talking functionality. What I would reaaaaally love is to have an android tablet capable of running fully both windows and android. I would be waiting fairly far down the line to get this tablet as I'm currently saving up for a car. If I could get an alternate operating system to make the tablet into a laptop of sorts that would absolutely make the purchase, even though I'll be getting a second and infinitely better laptop for a graduation present the coming year.
tl;dr : I want a transformer but can't justify buying a phone with a bigger screen minus talking capabilities, convince me.
Looks like you don't really need convincing. If you did your research and it's not for you so be it...
If you have more specific questions to figure out if a good fit for your needs don't hesitate to ask!
Joel.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Running Windows 7 on it? Not possible.
What you're asking for, the ability to run dual operating systems on a tablet like this and at this price range is nigh impossible. The only one I know of is the Viewsonic tablet and that was incredibly poor in terms of implementation.
You might as well save your money and get a really good laptop if you're going to get another laptop anyway and demand dual booting.
Maybe you shouldn't try justifying a cost of $600.00 and instead, buy the tablet only at $400.00. This would be your lightweight mobile media consumption device but then again the "mobile" part is almost a misnomer due to the lack of 3g or 4g. Maybe ten years later when the U.S. is covered in public high speed wireless.
At least you can watch your movies, listen to your songs, use the GPS, lounge around on your couch and do other nifty things. This would fill a role you still wouldn't with a humongous Core i5 laptop or something. The point being, spend less on the tablet, spend more on the laptop later and you'll have two devices each with its own role.
Hmm. After doing half a second more research I realize that ubuntu is running on the transformer, That rather makes my day to be honest, and most likely made a sale. If they can get that running anywhere near 100% I'll have a tablet thats easily converted into an ultraportable. However I have concerns about word processing, doing basic things that can translate into using this laptop in relatively simple school situations.
How expandable is the storage?
Is Honeycomb all it's cracked up to be? It looks absolutely awesome to be honest, almost like a PC operating system on a small scale.
How's battery life with the keyboard dock? and does it vary from unit to unit? Serial numbers seem to be an issue.
If i were to buy one what serial number grouping would I want? (if I have a choice)
LIght leaks, how common are they, and is it viable to return for such a problem? Estimate of how many units per... say every 20 units would have light leak issues?
will edit with more ?'s as i can
its a matter of preference, either you really want to get a new gadget and play wit a touch screen or perfectly fine with a netbook/laptop...cant really go wrong either way especially 500 is a nice chunk of money
x3phyr said:
Hmm. After doing half a second more research I realize that ubuntu is running on the transformer, That rather makes my day to be honest, and most likely made a sale. If they can get that running anywhere near 100% I'll have a tablet thats easily converted into an ultraportable. However I have concerns about word processing, doing basic things that can translate into using this laptop in relatively simple school situations.
How expandable is the storage?
Is Honeycomb all it's cracked up to be? It looks absolutely awesome to be honest, almost like a PC operating system on a small scale.
How's battery life with the keyboard dock? and does it vary from unit to unit? Serial numbers seem to be an issue.
If i were to buy one what serial number grouping would I want? (if I have a choice)
LIght leaks, how common are they, and is it viable to return for such a problem? Estimate of how many units per... say every 20 units would have light leak issues?
will edit with more ?'s as i can
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's a big mistake trying to replace a laptop with a tablet. Even a tablet with a keyboard, it's still a 10 inch screen and a tiny keyboard. Word processing just won't be fun. Tablets won't replace laptops. Save that $150 and put it towards a laptop if you don't have one yet.
It supports micro SD cards up to 32GB. You can expand the storage infinitely if you don't mind swapping the micro SD cards.
I'm not a fan of Honeycomb. I think it has quite a few performance and stability issues. I've returned my Honeycomb tablets and am currently waiting on Android 4 coming this fall.
I've had 3 Transformers, all had some backlight bleeding. Though with them all, it was never bad enough that I'd really notice it if I wasn't in a dark room looking at a dark screen.
Transformer is a cool tablet for $400. I'd skip the keyboard.
But if you aren't in a big hurry, I think Android 4.0 this fall should be worth the wait. Honeycomb is Google's rush job to get a tablet OS out to compete against Apple. And it's not that pretty. This fall, besides a new Android, we should also have tablets with better processors. The Tegra 2 in the current tablets doesn't impress me much either.
However if do want something now, and I couldn't blame you for not wanting to wait 3 months... the Transformer is a really good deal.
x3phyr said:
I wan't to buy a Transformer, but I can't find a way to justify the six hundred bucks for the whole package, keyboard and all. What sets an android tablet apart from my Samsung Captivate? This isn't bashing on it at all, I just don't want to buy another android phone with a bigger screen sans the talking functionality. What I would reaaaaally love is to have an android tablet capable of running fully both windows and android. I would be waiting fairly far down the line to get this tablet as I'm currently saving up for a car. If I could get an alternate operating system to make the tablet into a laptop of sorts that would absolutely make the purchase, even though I'll be getting a second and infinitely better laptop for a graduation present the coming year.
tl;dr : I want a transformer but can't justify buying a phone with a bigger screen minus talking capabilities, convince me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In short get a Windows 8 Tablet, if you're so against the TF which is amazing. Also you don't have to buy the keyboard dock right away so then it's only $400 dollars.
I have a Xoom WiFi only. What an amazing peice of kit. But it's crippled by the fact that Motorola or Google or whoever can't actually use the devices they make. I'm almost ready to throw mine in the bin it's so unusable.
- I had hoped I could use my Xoom on site rather than run round with my laptop, except I can't get files onto and off it easily. SyncToy won't play ball. I don't want to have to manually drag and drop each file in turn. Waste of time.
- Bluetooth and WiFi file transfer is just a missed opportunity
- SD card doesn't work
- Can't print reliably
- Simple features that are present on my HTC Desire are missing, like scheduling peak times for email polling so the wife doesn't get woken up at three in the morning if I forget to turn it off.
- Stupid stupid stupid stupid charger. No USB charging, which is supposed to be the universal standard. The charger is huge and the connector is so thin it'll break the first time someone trips over the cable.
- The Motorola Folio case is uggggggggly. Have these people not seen the Smart Cover for the iPad?
- I can stand the Xoom up in the folio case, but I can't charge it, because the charger connector is on the bottom. A poor attempt to get me to fork out more money for the charging dock I assume.
- Word, Excel etc, sort of work, but if you have headers and footers or anything like an automated spreadsheet, it ain't gonna work properly on Docs to Go or anything else for that matter. Good God, do these people not use the World's most dominant software?
It's great for games, and stuff though, but you CANNOT use it as a business tool; you'll spend all the time you were hoping to save in wrestling with the bloody thing.
The moral? Don't be an early(ish) adopter - I thought 6 months would be enough for Motorola to have this sorted.
TL;DR?
Rant over.
Sdcard is readable in 3.2 or u can simply root to make it fully usable
Usb charging is slow. The charger makes us can let our xoom fully charged super quiclly
The case for many ppl is nice
My bro bought it for business n he is quite happy with it
Have a lager and calm down, friend. I feel your pain.
However, you can save yourself a lot of grief by understanding that no matter what the marketing people say, a tablet is not a full laptop replacement yet, not even the iPad. You need to make some compromises if you intend to make full use of your Xoom while on the job.
First of all, lets discuss the charger. Moto opted not to allow the device to trickle charge simple because it would take far to long to fill the battery via a standard USB cable. Therefore they went for the dedicated charger which was a good choice under the circumstances. I agree I have worries to about the very thin connector, but they were working hard not to make the device too thick. THus far I have not brought the charger to the office because I have not had to charge the Xoom except for overnight. The battery can make it through a day pretty easily, so feel free to leave the charger behind and see how you do.
Next, Office apps. I agree, they are limited and are the same on pretty much every non-laptop you will try to work on. Key features are missing, other features work strangely...it gets ugly out there. Therefore, I try to restrict my Office app work on the Xoom to reading and making notes. I wouldn't try to actually create a document on the Xoom at this point, unless it was very short and/or I would be able to edit on my laptop later. I use the Polaris app that was provided with the Asus Transformer, which you should be able to find in the Xoom Apps forum here, and it actually does pretty well.
I have had good luck with Bluetooth transferring files, but it can take a while. You should try using the OTG connector in conjunction with a flash drive for larger files. It adds a step in the transfer but it works perfectly for me.
The folio case? I agree, ugly as sin. Therefore I go without a case during use since I really like the looks of the Xoom anyway. I put it into an iPad Exo Sleevecase from Waterfield (great company, great case) before putting it in my gear bag and it does just fine.
The Xoom is a fine business tool in my opinion, it just has its limitations. All tablets currently available are still at the stage where you are best off thinking of them as an extension of your laptop or desktop computer, not the whole shebang. Use it for the tasks it is suited for, and be creative with how you apply it to those tasks which are a bit beyond a tablet's skillset at the moment.
Remember, we went through a decade of clunky, useless TabletPCs before we suddenly had a burst of innovation (thanks Apple) to get to this point in mobile computing. We are still at the early stages...just think where we will be in a couple years. THAT is when tablets will really shine, and at the moment you are ahead of the curve, devising business use cases for tablets out of sheer necessity. That is not a bad place to be.
rschenck said:
Have a lager and calm down, friend. I feel your pain.
However, you can save yourself a lot of grief by understanding that no matter what the marketing people say, a tablet is not a full laptop replacement yet, not even the iPad. You need to make some compromises if you intend to make full use of your Xoom while on the job.
First of all, lets discuss the charger. Moto opted not to allow the device to trickle charge simple because it would take far to long to fill the battery via a standard USB cable. Therefore they went for the dedicated charger which was a good choice under the circumstances. I agree I have worries to about the very thin connector, but they were working hard not to make the device too thick. THus far I have not brought the charger to the office because I have not had to charge the Xoom except for overnight. The battery can make it through a day pretty easily, so feel free to leave the charger behind and see how you do.
Next, Office apps. I agree, they are limited and are the same on pretty much every non-laptop you will try to work on. Key features are missing, other features work strangely...it gets ugly out there. Therefore, I try to restrict my Office app work on the Xoom to reading and making notes. I wouldn't try to actually create a document on the Xoom at this point, unless it was very short and/or I would be able to edit on my laptop later. I use the Polaris app that was provided with the Asus Transformer, which you should be able to find in the Xoom Apps forum here, and it actually does pretty well.
I have had good luck with Bluetooth transferring files, but it can take a while. You should try using the OTG connector in conjunction with a flash drive for larger files. It adds a step in the transfer but it works perfectly for me.
The folio case? I agree, ugly as sin. Therefore I go without a case during use since I really like the looks of the Xoom anyway. I put it into an iPad Exo Sleevecase from Waterfield (great company, great case) before putting it in my gear bag and it does just fine.
The Xoom is a fine business tool in my opinion, it just has its limitations. All tablets currently available are still at the stage where you are best off thinking of them as an extension of your laptop or desktop computer, not the whole shebang. Use it for the tasks it is suited for, and be creative with how you apply it to those tasks which are a bit beyond a tablet's skillset at the moment.
Remember, we went through a decade of clunky, useless TabletPCs before we suddenly had a burst of innovation (thanks Apple) to get to this point in mobile computing. We are still at the early stages...just think where we will be in a couple years. THAT is when tablets will really shine, and at the moment you are ahead of the curve, devising business use cases for tablets out of sheer necessity. That is not a bad place to be.
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I have found the Xoom to be a great substitute for a laptop out in the field. I just email the files to my work pc, or use my Passport HDD or thumb drive to save...I use dropbox for some non-secure files. Cloud print works fine if you run Chrome on your pc. My work network is locked down tight but I use Splashtop HD to sync with and remotely access my home pc, so I can use full MS Word, Excel, PP etc. I use my Moto BT keyboard and an MS BT mouse if I need do do intensive writing/editing, otherwise Tablet Keyboard Pro or FlexT9 work great. I have the WiFi only Xoom but use my Clear 4G mifi hotspot for connectivity most places I need to be.
This can work. Rooting helps--gives you a few more tools. The battery life is great, especially if you set your screen to minimum necessary brightness and set a battery-saving screen-off profile in SetCPU.
Ok, I will admit that Xoom(as with many android devices) has some bugs to work out, but Android 3.2 has done a lot of fixes that you are talking about....And as for stuff like file managers it matters what one u use.
Some good responses here, I have been on a couple of business trips and left the laptop at home, taking just the Xoom. Sync with and use of Exchange email is brilliant (as it should be). What I had hoped to be able to do is modify spreadsheets while walking round sites, I have some great Excel sheets with drop downs and the like but that is not going to be happening any time soon.
I have found Memento, a great database app that will be my work around for this, but I shouldn't be working around...
I included the iPad in the "tablet computing is sucky" title.
My issue with Bluetooth, a technology that has been with us for years, is that it insists on asking me to OK every file - if I take 100 photos on a site survey, I want them to come over to my laptop with one approval, not 100. It can take a hour, that's fine, just stop asking me if it's OK...This has been a problem for as long as I have been using a smartphone (except my Nokia N73, that had great Bluetooth.)
My frustration remains that I have been able to see the potential of mobile computing and now we have powerful enough devices to deliver it, but the software just isn't there - as usual its the back room hobbyists providing the real world solutions, the paid for software falls very short of the mark.
You talk of 3.2, I have a work device so rooting is not possible and Motorola don't seem in any rush to update me. Any ideas?
66mustang said:
Some good responses here, I have been on a couple of business trips and left the laptop at home, taking just the Xoom. Sync with and use of Exchange email is brilliant (as it should be). What I had hoped to be able to do is modify spreadsheets while walking round sites, I have some great Excel sheets with drop downs and the like but that is not going to be happening any time soon.
I have found Memento, a great database app that will be my work around for this, but I shouldn't be working around...
I included the iPad in the "tablet computing is sucky" title.
My issue with Bluetooth, a technology that has been with us for years, is that it insists on asking me to OK every file - if I take 100 photos on a site survey, I want them to come over to my laptop with one approval, not 100. It can take a hour, that's fine, just stop asking me if it's OK...This has been a problem for as long as I have been using a smartphone (except my Nokia N73, that had great Bluetooth.)
My frustration remains that I have been able to see the potential of mobile computing and now we have powerful enough devices to deliver it, but the software just isn't there - as usual its the back room hobbyists providing the real world solutions, the paid for software falls very short of the mark.
You talk of 3.2, I have a work device so rooting is not possible and Motorola don't seem in any rush to update me. Any ideas?
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If you're taking pictures with your xoom, have it connected to a network (via a wifi network or phone tethering) you can use the auto upload feature that google+ has. That way you can access those pictures on your laptop as well by going to your google+ account.
I love my Xoom, even if my love for Motorola is waning, but I do have to agree to a point.
When I bought the thing, I had dreams of an all-in-one device... something that I could use as a laptop replacement but that I could also use to make phone calls.
Well, I can make phone calls using GrooveIP, but I would be lying if I said I was satisfied with this solution. GrooveIP works fine but generally kicks me out of Google Talk, which is pretty annoying given that I communicate more through chat than phone calls, so keeping it resident makes chat iffy. And speaking of GrooveIP, what's going on with the official Google Voice app for Honeycomb? I never imagined it would take Google so long to get it released.
The result? I finally decided to give up the dream and buy a new phone.
In a lot of ways, the Xoom has replaced my laptop for web surfing, but it doesn't make for a great word processor. I've purchased a few of the word processing apps available for Android, and they really aren't that great and lack key features such as auto-save. I still think that Google's official Google Docs app is the best of all available word processor apps, but even it is really mediocre on the Xoom. I think I gave it three stars in the market, and that might be one star too generous. I dislike Apple greatly, but iWork on the iPad is superior to anything available for Honeycomb. A native Google Docs Honeycomb app that doesn't rely on WebKit would be absolutely killer.
I still use my Xoom for most of my word processing, but it is a less than perfect solution. I love the size, and the tablet+bluetooth keyboard are still much more lightweight than my laptop, which makes them a more ideal travel companion. In fact, these days, the Xoom has replaced my laptop for about 85% of all my tasks, but it's still not a true laptop replacement.
I think it was unrealistic of me to expect my Xoom to be anything other than a tablet.
The first mistake was expecting it to replace your laptop + be productive as a business tool from the day you purchased it. Some things you mentioned the iPad 2 can't even do so it is what it is man.....
BUT if you use your xoom for play and your laptop for work then you won't have to worry about being stuck on your laptop charger all day long.
66mustang said:
- I can stand the Xoom up in the folio case, but I can't charge it, because the charger connector is on the bottom. A poor attempt to get me to fork out more money for the charging dock I assume.
Click to expand...
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Easy solution: turn the Xoom upside down. There is no dedicated button, dedicated top or bottom for most applications. In that case power connection is in the top, easy to charge, easy to work on the tablel. Xoom works well for me as a laptop replacement.
I won't get into a long explanation as to why uninformed people should not be posting such a thread. Here is what I will say:
True... tablets cannot fully replace a laptop or PC just yet in terms of raw power, RAM, graphics, gaming, or features. Windows has been an OS for computers for a loooong time now. Honeycomb for tablets has not been around for that long. There is a HUGE difference between a tablet, and a desktop/laptop. I'll make this very clear for you so that it's easy to understand:
[Words of wisdom]
A desktop is a powerful computer that is meant to stay in one place at all times, a laptop is less powerful desktop computer that is portable, meanwhile a tablet is essentially an even more portable laptop with less power. It's not supposed to fully replace a computer in the first place, but rather work right along side it instead. Thus, one should not say tablet computing is "sucky". Apples and bananas as they say... cannot be compared. Don't even attempt to do such a thing.
[/End Words of wisdom]
Tablets are catching up fast in terms of overall specs to match computers, it's very impressive. They are currently working on beast quad core tablets. That's a lot of power for a small lightweight device.
Re: Charging - The Xoom uses a 7.4V/24.1Whr battery, so can't use USB charging which is only 5V. The iPad2 has a 3.8V/25Whr battery, so it can. (All current HC tabs AFAIK use 7.4V batt.)
The iPad2's USB wall-wart is 5V/2A, and users report it takes 3-4 hrs for a full charge. Based on this, charging from a PC's 5V/0.5A USB port would take a long time (charge time isn't linear to current level, but we're simplifying). So practically, you'd still have to lug along an AC charger for the iPad, although PC charging exists as an emergency measure.
Re: Charge adapter - Moto Mobo is a phone vendor. The Xoom is its first tablet, and it's likely that some components were common-sourced from existing phone parts. The smallish charge adapter plug is likely one. Ergonomic issues should be ironed out for the Xoom2, which undoubtedly will be thinner and lighter.
Re: Tablet as productivity device - It'd be interesting to see how much app support ICS gets, as HC didn't get much love from devs, or consumers for that matter. The major thrusts for ICS are phone+tablet convergence and cloud computing, at least as inferred from Google I/O '11. Productivity wasn't mentioned. It'd be a step up for Gbread phones, but I don't see a big improvement for current HC users.
On the flip side, if ICS is indeed incremental, then it should be here relatively soon after 3.2. My SWAG says Oct, which would be enough time for holiday shopping. If true, vendors would likely hold their 2nd-gen tablet offerings until that time. Else, we'll see the second wave starting in Sept. Moto's Xoom2 will serve as a bellwether.
Speaking of the Xoom2, my money is on it having the TI OMAP 4460, with the 7" probably using the 4430. Both are a big step up from the Tegra 2 wrt multimedia support, and the 4460's 1.5GHz speed will make for easy marketing pitch ("it's 50% faster!"). Pricing will likely be the same as current, ie USD$500 for 32GB wifi base model, and probably $400 for the 7".
I bought a really expensive power drill but it's terrible at hammering nails and useless for painting my walls.
I'm mad and posting about it.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
hi_its_ryan said:
I bought a really expensive power drill but it's terrible at hammering nails and useless for painting my walls.
I'm mad and posting about it.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
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Click to collapse
lol, did u try applying the paint to the drill before using it on ur wall
hi_its_ryan said:
I bought a really expensive power drill but it's terrible at hammering nails and useless for painting my walls.
I'm mad and posting about it.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
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+1 +1 +1 +1 +1
I think a tablet pc would be great OP?
my fav part of the gripe is about not using the worlds most dominant microsoft software... Of course they are not going to use it... Microsoft competes with android... Its the same as crying that your iphone cant run flash or windows programs...
I know it sucks but a tab is not a direct replacement for a laptop just yet... Theres a lot of ways to get around some of your gripes.. Like dropbox app for posting and syncing all your files to all your devices.. Docs to go.. It aint perfect but it helps... Etc...
My only gripe where I agree with the OP is the charger and not being able to charge when in the folio case...but when you consider that the battery lasts at least 24 hours with normal usage it's really not s big deal. I can get a good 5 work days when I use it to stream Pandora or Slacker over WiFi without needing to recharge.
Remote control your PC from your tablet. Then you have the best of both worlds.
brandogg said:
My only gripe where I agree with the OP is the charger and not being able to charge when in the folio case...but when you consider that the battery lasts at least 24 hours with normal usage it's really not s big deal. I can get a good 5 work days when I use it to stream Pandora or Slacker over WiFi without needing to recharge.
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Umm... someone already mentioned it, but... there is NOT a "correct" way to hold the Xoom, or any Honeycomb tablet for that matter. The soft keys are located on the screen itself, and will follow the screen when rotated, meaning you can hold it any way you want. Just unlock the screen rotation option, and then rotate the Xoom to position the charging port to the way that fits your needs. That is what sets Honeycomb apart from the rest. If the OP has this "complaint" he should think again before opening his mouth. It's called rotation... it's a feature. The Honeycomb developers want you to hold and position your tablet however you wish, not force you to hold it one way. Look it up, or better yet... use it.
its interesting to see the posts we have here...
personally i think a tablet is pretty close to becoming a laptop replacement... for some...
now... my laptop at the moment will probably crush many many desktops out there by a long shot (i definitely moved from desktops 5 years ago) but in saying that my battery life is HORRIBLE... i cant even go through 1 class and my charger is the size of a house brick lol but personally i love how i could whizz through a thousand, tabs, programs, music whatever with not one instance of lag and it dual boots like a boss and the 18 inch screen is amazing..
my xoom i bought it to hopefully be able to replace the aspect of taking my laptop to uni as we have alot of classes with just a powerpoint and we can type our own stuff from there (i just received my hk cheapo folio keyboard case today; as i dont see paying $50+ for one with a wire i would have preferred a bluetooth with trackpad or something) and i think im going to try and leave my laptop at home next time.. i agree the word compatible apps are sometimes uses, i cant find one where i can edit the notes section of a powerpoint but what i would really love is too have 2 programs open side by side on the one screen as this would be even easier to multitask but i will be finished uni before these will be met and then simply put my needs now/future are minimal in the 'business' area.. but this will NEVER replace a laptop for me im on it everyday for 6+ hours easy and the necessity for ease of access, large screen, etc for me negate the tablet switch for sometime if at all
for those who require specified proprietary programs your needs may never be met and if so they may only be met in the apple arena for sometime to come.. apple is the in thing at the moment and for the average joe as we all know cant understand alot of techno-babble (this may be a good argument for proprietary stuff to come out on the more tech android, but in business there are alot of people with their head in the sand)..
as for the OP i say this...
1. really consider rooting/flashing a custom rom you can always revert back to stock for warranty (i purchased mine overseas so i have NO warranty, im a poor uni student and saved for mine and honestly it was cheaper than my phone but yeh)
2. get an OTG cable (i got mine for $3 from hk) and use your flash drive for everything you want from the tablet/computer transfers (get a 32gb if you really need a large one).. that will remove alot of file transfer issues with bluetooth, etc and if you need to have constant backups then copy the file to the sdcard of the xoom to be super safe
3. have a better look in the area of printing.. i can wirelessly print from my android devices and they come out great (not good for photos) but documents come out pretty clear
4. burn the folio case, dance around it and move on try something else (if so inclined lol)...
5. the battery life is awesome.. absolutely awesome... i can go 2 full days without charge and using it all day on the train, music, wifi, internet.. bla bla
sorry for being long
As much as I really want the nexus 10 I'm having second thoughts... for the 500 + shipping I could get a really bomb ass tv.
I'm conflicted.
I know people on here will say go for the tab... and i really do miss having a tab since I sold my tf700... but should I get a tab since I already have a cell phone? I mean it's nice to have, but at the same time I'd really only use it when I'm traveling which isn't too often...and even then i've got my cell phone with games on it. ugh. what to do, what to do...
dcninja said:
As much as I really want the nexus 10 I'm having second thoughts... for the 500 + shipping I could get a really bomb ass tv.
I'm conflicted.
I know people on here will say go for the tab... and i really do miss having a tab since I sold my tf700... but should I get a tab since I already have a cell phone? I mean it's nice to have, but at the same time I'd really only use it when I'm traveling which isn't too often...and even then i've got my cell phone with games on it. ugh. what to do, what to do...
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Well, i think it depends on how often you travel? From my point of view i'm kinda in the same boat, with the added thing of having a young boy who gets bored in the car quite quickly, I was debating if I should buy one or not for the same reasons, then thought, well I can get a holder for the car, then the boy can use it to watch Nemo over and over and over and over again! lol, or play games or do whatever.
So do I want to pay £150 ish to get a half decent DVD player for the car, or can i justify a tablet? I can justify, between me using it when traveling, the missus, and the boy, then yes its worth it.
I think you know if you want it or not, if your racking your brain trying to find a reason to buy it, you don't need it. save your money. When it comes down to it, this is gunna change the tablet market with Android, all the other makers are gunna have to react, in 6 months, with the tegra 4 chips and everything else then their will be better out their. so wait.
I'm actually thinking what do I use a tablet for that my phone doesn't do? Not much. I do game on them if I'm traveling, but I don't travel that far for more than a day or two very often. I actually had a nice gaming laptop that I gave my wife because I never really used it when traveling. lol
nexus 7 AND a tv is looking like a better option right now... or maybe just a really nice tv.
Or get a really nice tv and stream your phone screen to the tv instead.
dcninja said:
I'm actually thinking what do I use a tablet for that my phone doesn't do? Not much. I do game on them if I'm traveling, but I don't travel that far for more than a day or two very often. I actually had a nice gaming laptop that I gave my wife because I never really used it when traveling. lol
nexus 7 AND a tv is looking like a better option right now... or maybe just a really nice tv.
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Yeah but what can a 7" tablet offer what a mobile phone can't? Neither is as comfortable for browsing and media consumption as a print quality 10" tablet, and this is why I have no interest in 7"-ers. A phone and a 10" tab. Phone and convertible. Phone and ultrabook. Phone and desktop computer. Phone and... a slightly bigger phone? Meh.
If you're unsure, hold out, it can be a lot of money to some people. Wait at least until some solid reviews are out and make a decision.
You should only be an early adaptor if you can justify spending the cash on something you really don't need.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
ya I want another tablet for sure, but the infinity kind of burned me with the horrible io performance. i will wait until i'm in a better financial place after the holidays and see what third party tablet makers put out since the nexus 10 will obviously be a big influence for them if they want to compete.
dcninja said:
ya I want another tablet for sure, but the infinity kind of burned me with the horrible io performance. i will wait until i'm in a better financial place after the holidays and see what third party tablet makers put out since the nexus 10 will obviously be a big influence for them if they want to compete.
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I'm still expecting Google to make a price/storage adjustment in a couple months, just like they did with the N7. Don't think I mean that the base price will drop below $399 tho.
Vertron said:
Or get a really nice tv and stream your phone screen to the tv instead.
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Mmhm.. and you'll get about half the usability of a tablet. Same virtual real estate as a phone, scaled up to a big and beautiful 40". Nice.
Personally, I'm planning on both the 4 and the 10 from the Nexus line. I see the phone as a more portable substitute for the 10 if I'm not hauling my bag around, plus it's quicker to just pull out of my pocket. But if I'm on a train or otherwise waiting/chilling in one place (like on my bed or something), I'd rather I had the tablet. That's why I haven't considered a 7-inch tablet, either.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
It depends on how much you use your phone. I was convinced that tablets are gimmicky and useless until I bought a galaxy note and started using it for all my media consumption, games and Web browsing. Recently I even started to get annoyed with how small my note was (desktop websites look cramped) so I pulled the trigger this week and got my first tablet.
Long story short, if you don't feel like you absolutely need a tablet (or if you really need that tv) then hold on a little bit.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
I've got a 4.3" phone, a 4.7" phone, a 5.3" phone, four (count 'em, 4) 7" tablets, an 8.9 inch tablet, used to have a 10.1 (and next week I'll have a N10).
Different horses for different courses. Phone is always with me, so it gets a lot of use by default...when I'm not at home. Once I get home, it goes on the charger and unless I get a call or text, I don't use it. It's an inferior entertainment/consumption device compared to a tablet.
My 7" tablets also travel with me quite a bit, often coming to work with me, and I'll whip out my current favorite, the N7, when I'm on a longer trip by plane, train, or automobile instead of my phone. It'll move about the house or hotel room with me as, mostly for ebook reading and light surfing. Biggest benefit is much better battery life than my phone so no in-flight charging worries, and it's damned near perfect for books (and light surfing).
My 8.9/10" tablets are more for home use, and usually hang out near the couch. I'll bring one on a trip if it's for more than a few days, but it never comes to the office with me. At home though, it gets used a LOT. Besides the couch, it's my bathroom Netflix/DLNA weapon of choice, it's a better surfing and magazine experience, and in some cases a better gaming experience as well. Plus hands-down it's better for productivity tasks (documents and spreadsheets) than a phone or a 7" tablet.
So I have a use case for all my various sized Android devices, and there's no one-size-fits-all device in that collection. But if I had to cut my devices down, I'd be able to get by with just the phone and a 8.9-10" tablet. The 7" is nice, but a bit more narrow-focused (and I could probably sub my N7 out for a good Kindle or Nook eInk device, if it came to that, since it's mostly used as a reader).
got a nice 42 inch sharp aquos 120hz tv... but i still have the void that a tablet should fill. LOL I think i'll wait not only due to money reasons, but to see if a 64gb comes out, or if I really would even use one... I think a 7inch phone is what i'm holding out for one portable device i can use on the couch, the bed, or anywhere and it'll have enough screen real estate... but the nexus 10 looks oh so good. If sprint had the 7 on mobile contract i'd buy it.
After soul searching for a few weeks I decided to sell my 12.2. I really wanted a one device replacement for my tablets and laptop. As much as I tried, this just did not fit the bill. I was also surprised at the lack of any development on this tablet.
It is a solid device but needs a dock in my opinion and can't quite service all my needs in one device.
Bye bye 12.2. It was fun for a while.
Yeah I don't know if you're like me but as much as I wish for it there will never be a true "laptop replacement" other than a laptop itself lol. I always cringe a little when new users come to the note pro forums here or on Android Central and ask if these devices would serve them well as a laptop replacement. Truth is they do for some use cases but not all.
Sorry things didn't work out for you. It's too bad about lack of development too. Taking matters into ones own hands by using things like xposed gives some relief but it's not the same as true custom roms.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
So, what you end up getting?
Moderate Replacment ?
Mike02z said:
After soul searching for a few weeks I decided to sell my 12.2. I really wanted a one device replacement for my tablets and laptop. As much as I tried, this just did not fit the bill. I was also surprised at the lack of any development on this tablet.
It is a solid device but needs a dock in my opinion and can't quite service all my needs in one device.
Bye bye 12.2. It was fun for a while.
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muzzy996 said:
Yeah I don't know if you're like me but as much as I wish for it there will never be a true "laptop replacement" other than a laptop itself lol. I always cringe a little when new users come to the note pro forums here or on Android Central and ask if these devices would serve them well as a laptop replacement. Truth is they do for some use cases but not all.
Sorry things didn't work out for you. It's too bad about lack of development too. Taking matters into ones own hands by using things like xposed gives some relief but it's not the same as true custom roms.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
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petercohen said:
So, what you end up getting?
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Im looking to use this as a light laptop replacement for school. I have a large 17.3 inch laptop that I lug around and i commute so its starting to be a pain. I want to use this for notes, writing in class , going over power points and light work. I will leave the serious stuff for my laptop at home. I will probably buy a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Do you think the device can cover these areas well ?
I went with a big i7 Surface 3. I had a lot of Amazon gift cards. With the dock, I'm thinking it *may* be my one device solution. Time will tell....
naruto.ninjakid said:
Im looking to use this as a light laptop replacement for school. I have a large 17.3 inch laptop that I lug around and i commute so its starting to be a pain. I want to use this for notes, writing in class , going over power points and light work. I will leave the serious stuff for my laptop at home. I will probably buy a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Do you think the device can cover these areas well ?
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Click to collapse
"Well" is subjective, particularly when it comes to generalized requirements. Take an existing powerpoint done on a computer that has complicated transitions and embedded objects and all bets are off as to whether or not the tablet will handle it "well" if at all.
I'm an engineer so I always err on the side of conservatism so I can't go on record telling you it will fit your needs perfectly. That said I think in general yeah you should be okay provided your specific requirements with regards to office file compatibility are not too high.
naruto.ninjakid said:
Im looking to use this as a light laptop replacement for school. I have a large 17.3 inch laptop that I lug around and i commute so its starting to be a pain. I want to use this for notes, writing in class , going over power points and light work. I will leave the serious stuff for my laptop at home. I will probably buy a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Do you think the device can cover these areas well ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It varies from person to person. I've used it for that in my last year and it served it's purpose well. (With a Logitech K810). As for if it will work for you, I can not say.
Mike02z said:
I went with a big i7 Surface 3. I had a lot of Amazon gift cards. With the dock, I'm thinking it *may* be my one device solution. Time will tell....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really like the idea of the Surface. It's just such a shame they had to use a 1990's level GPU. You get an i7, 16GB RAM.... and an Intel HD 4000. If there was ever the definition of a bottleneck, it's an Intel HD. That piece of junk is not worth 2000 quid. Not worth 800, either. 150, maybe.
I require a dedicated GPU for my day to day usage of a laptop (Design/Gaming).
If the Surface 4 gets an Nvidia, now that will be worth considering.
I do no gaming and no graphic design work so it seems to be just want I needed. So far, so good.
I don't think the Surface 3 Pro is advertised anywhere as a gamer machine.
Mike02z said:
I do no gaming and no graphic design work so it seems to be just want I needed. So far, so good.
I don't think the Surface 3 Pro is advertised anywhere as a gamer machine.
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I know. And if you're happy with it, don't let me stop you. (no really, I mean it. This is just my opinion, you don't need my opinion to enjoy your device )
I just don't think it's worth the price it sells for. Not in terms of hardware.
My laptop has an IntelHD 4000 and an Nvidia 740M. (That requires some managing as a gamer.) Inside is the same range of an i7 and 16GB RAM. When I select the IntelHD as the device to play a 2k film, it freezes every few minutes, botches up the render of several shot switches and if it's 4K, simply doesn't even get past the very first frame. The sound plays, but the video simply can't be rendered.
That's how weak an Intel HD is. Now tell me, is that worth 800 quid? Let alone 2000?
I like the idea, I really, really do. And if they add an Nvidia, I will absolutely buy the top-tier one.
But I can't understand why people would pay so much for such outdated and lousy tech.(But then, I feel the same about Apple users.) Or why companies are so utterly stupid in adding them. It's bloody difficult to even find a decent laptop below 8000 quid that doesn't have one of those useless Intel HD's. Intel HD should've been banned from the market year ago since the Family 4.
I recently had the Surface Pro 3 and it really was a solid device. I actually returned my Wi-Fi GNP12.2 to get it. But for what it cost, I really expected more. That device needs broadwell. Thermal issues and such really prevent you from taking advantage of it's higher potential performance capability. It ended up being a basic media and light productivity device, for which I found the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 to be fully capable of doing, for considerably less money.
I decided to go back to the GNP12.2, except this time I went with the SM-P907A as my "small notebook replacement" device. Add in the solid Samsung keyboard case, S Mouse, and I'm ready to roll. The Snapdragon still does it's thing better than the Exynos, I've got LTE everywhere (love that feature), and with the right apps, it really has been able to do everything I need out a portable computing device. I mean, it's light, excellent battery life, crisp screen... the list goes on.
Keeping in mind, I do have a more powerful 15" Ultrabook and high-end fixed workstation for more demanding tasks. But for the day-to-day mobile stuff, it's been working great for me. Well, at least until something more interesting comes along. With that said, I do agree it's not for everybody. Nothing ever is. But probably at least worth giving a shot for many. Either way, good luck! :good:
Mike02z said:
I went with a big i7 Surface 3. I had a lot of Amazon gift cards. With the dock, I'm thinking it *may* be my one device solution. Time will tell....
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Hey man I am in the same boat. I just went through Dell Venue 8 pro-->11 pro--> Note 10.1 2014--> note pro 12.2. All in the matter of like a month.....
I have this to say about them all.
Dell venue series I bought out of a desire to try and stay cheap but still have an active digitizer. I am trying to digitize all of my notes for my masters program so that when I write my thesis it will all be accessible in one place. Venue 8 was too small, 10 was underpowered and the active digitizer on both was crap, I mean really bad. The note 10.1 was great but I wanted some more real estate so I went with the 12.2 for a week or so. Since it is the thread I am writing in I will make a few observations
1. Great tab overall, well powered but overwhelmed by Samsung TW UI, easy to take care of with root/greenify and what not.
2. For importing the pdfs and ppts from lecture it just took forever, I played with some different note taking apps and I always ended up with the S-pen app which is awesome, but it would not handle my 1000+ page books at all. I don't know how long I waited for snote to import it and then it crashed. What a shame because it was a champ otherwise.
3. One thing both the notes had for me was the multiwindow function, watch a lecture and take notes at the same time, but I noticed when I was streaming lectures that were in HD I would get some lags from the Snore and Spen. Again shame because I know the tab has the power to run it but I am guessing that its the TW issues again.
4. Why I ended up going elsewhere.(surface 3 i3)
- I want to get rid of carrying around my old 09 MBP and become a little more streamlined. I am relinquishing my MBP to be a home desktop/server since I dropped an extra 4gigs of ram and a 1TB HD in it through the years. This tab just didn't do it for me. It was soooooooo soooooo close but it just didn't quite get there from a productivity standpoint FOR ME.
5. I am a flashaholic with my phone sooooooo having something to run Odin/LGflashtool on when I am on the go would be nice so that I don't have to worry about ending up in bootloops and not have a phone the rest of the day.
Note to Samsung if you are reading this.
First, bravo on a great tab, seriously it is an awesome machine but
Second, get out of the way of the android experience a little(read a lot) more and let the hardware shine. I would love to see the android L update on this tab with a minimized TW UI so that you can really see the beast that is in the tablet.
I have gone from cheap to some of the best hybrid tablets you can go and I have this to say. The Note pro may be for you because its awesome but know what you need and what you don't. If you are trying to replace a laptop then the Note pro may not be for you unless you are talking about partial replacement to just carry around during the day and then use the big laptop back home, it may work then. BUT, if you want a true laptop replacement, like leave your old one to collect dust it may not be right for you.
Just trying to prevent so many open box items at my local best buy........
-Ice3186
I too use this tablet for school and for the price ($416 on ebay) it's a miracle device. I tried the surface pro 3 and the handwriting was not as good which was a deal breaker for at its price ($999 for the i5). I chose to just acept that ill have to carry around my toshiba a little while longer. snote is a underpowered app with frustrating lag when navigating through different ui but still the best there is. As a side note, I'm not sure why to would want to import pdfs into it when you can multi window them in a reader.
Tsk_Tsk_Tsk said:
I too use this tablet for school and for the price ($416 on ebay) it's a miracle device. I tried the surface pro 3 and the handwriting was not as good which was a deal breaker for at its price ($999 for the i5). I chose to just acept that ill have to carry around my toshiba a little while longer. snote is a underpowered app with frustrating lag when navigating through different ui but still the best there is. As a side note, I'm not sure why to would want to import pdfs into it when you can multi window them in a reader.
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GOOGLE LECTURE NOTES it's what snote should be
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Even as a power user, I have had no problem using the NP12.2 as a primary enterprise device. I travel a lot for business, do presentations and lecturing and so forth. My demands are quite high and I have loved the 12.2. On the occasion that I have needed something more powerful, the use of one of the remote apps (I like PhoneMyPC and have used it for years) works just fine as long as I keep my laptop at home, powered on, and connected to the internet. Then, when I need a file or something from the PC, well... that is what Dropbox is for. Couple the NP12.2 with a bluetooth keyboard case (and mouse if you need it) and it has been the best tablet that I have ever used, and I owned the first 10.1 android tablet two days after it came out.