Hi all, it's been a long time since I've been around here! As the title says, I'm attempting to move from the iPad 2 to the transformer. I'll miss the thinness and the weight, but there are several reasons why.
I've been thinking of a switch to android for a while, and I think it may be mature enough now. Of course we will see what apple has going tomorrow. Maybe a wow, maybe not. If this move goes well, I'll be passing my iPhone 4 down to my gf and getting a sgs2
This was getting too long so let me cut to the chase:
Which browser? I use atomic and icab now, the former is faster the latter is more full featured. I need web form upload.
Does the android marketplace designate which apps are made for honeycomb? I looked but didn't see anything that stuck out.
What about photo management and development. I'm using filterstorm pro on iPad 2 but I'm guessing there's nothing like that for android?
Any good video editing, simple like iMovie but preferably support avhcd lite?
How's the native rss reader? I use reeder at present and I love it. I don't care for pulse and flipboard newspaper readers.
Native rdp any good? Better solutions?
I use mynzb (I can still use on iPhone but I prefer not just hitting web interface if possible for sabnzbd)
At the end of this I'm really wanting to give it a solid go, but have limited time to see if it works out (and ensure I don't have any potential build issues) so I appreciate your bearing with me and the help!
Anyone else switch from iPad to transformer? Tips?
Thanks again!
Hello, hope this helps:
h00ligan said:
Hi all, it's been a long time since I've been around here! As the title says, I'm attempting to move from the iPad 2 to the transformer. I'll miss the thinness and the weight, but there are several reasons why.
I've been thinking of a switch to android for a while, and I think it may be mature enough now. Of course we will see what apple has going tomorrow. Maybe a wow, maybe not. If this move goes well, I'll be passing my iPhone 4 down to my gf and getting a sgs2
This was getting too long so let me cut to the chase:
Which browser? I use atomic and icab now, the former is faster the latter is more full featured. I need web form upload.
Dolphin HD Beta (you have to side load this one)
Does the android marketplace designate which apps are made for honeycomb? I looked but didn't see anything that stuck out.
It's not as easy to figure out which are honeycomb optimized. You have to look in the app details. But most apps automatically stretch to full screen. So it's mostly not an issue.
What about photo management and development. I'm using filterstorm pro on iPad 2 but I'm guessing there's nothing like that for android?
Any good video editing, simple like iMovie but preferably support avhcd lite?
You're most likely not going to get any imovie level movie editor. There's the stock video editor that comes with 3.1, but it's really basic.
How's the native rss reader? I use reeder at present and I love it. I don't care for pulse and flipboard newspaper readers.
THere are two good ones, Feedly (uses google to sync Rss) and pulse
Native rdp any good? Better solutions?
I use mynzb (I can still use on iPhone but I prefer not just hitting web interface if possible for sabnzbd)
At the end of this I'm really wanting to give it a solid go, but have limited time to see if it works out (and ensure I don't have any potential build issues) so I appreciate your bearing with me and the help!
Anyone else switch from iPad to transformer? Tips?
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll have to look up side loading! Thanks for the advice.
I also just moved from an Ipad 2 to transformer.
Right away, I noticed a few things:
1. There is no native honeycomb ebook reader.
2. You cannot play video in full screen because the status bar is always sticking out there. Seriously????
3. 16:10 is terrible for read books. however, I admit that it has some advantages for viewing wider webpages.
4. Zinio. I used to have zinio on my ipad 2... man... that thing was smooth...However, it is not the case on the transformer.
5. Newspapers: where is my businessweek on honeycomb? or the daily?
6. No home button. No lock rotation button. Everytime I try to unlock it I have to make sure it's not upside down so I can find the damn power button. Don't tell me that apple has patented the home button and rotation button.
7. Market: I was astonished when I open the market and found out the main page apps are actually not made for tablet.
8. Porn: now works. still not in full screen though (God, I hate that status bar)
So are you sticking with it?
Seems really odd that status bar won't hide! I thought kindle for android existed?
Porn...well..there was always that one or three sites that worked with iPad - don't know the site policy so I'll refrain from specifying Heh.
If you are used to some apps in iOS, you'll find that a lot of those unfortunately have no Android counterpart. However, given you have decided to try Honeycomb for a drive, I'd recommend you to have a look at the nearest alternatives.
For an E-reader, try Google Books, Amazon Kindle or Zinio for it. Zinio is still new to Android so definitely expect lag and bugs. There's no capable video editor sadly, but RSS readers are aplenty; there's Minimal Reader widget right here at XDA, and there's also Feedly as someone already said. Best browsers to go for that combine speed and features are Skyfire, Dolphin HD and Opera, though Opera has no Flash yet due to lack of source code.
I wanna add that is there a way to skip the lock screen at all? seems quite odd to me that you have to go for an extra step because the power button is already really really..really...really hard to press. There is no way I am pressing it on accident!!
Btw, thanks for the all the app suggestions. I am trying them out as right now.
As far as I can tell, the default lockscreen cannot be disabled, sorry. If you have any more questions regarding Honeycomb or the Transformer, just ask us.
OP, here's the thread with all the compatible apps so far for our tablet:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032381
unquick said:
I also just moved from an Ipad 2 to transformer.
Right away, I noticed a few things:
1. There is no native honeycomb ebook reader.
2. You cannot play video in full screen because the status bar is always sticking out there. Seriously????
3. 16:10 is terrible for read books. however, I admit that it has some advantages for viewing wider webpages.
4. Zinio. I used to have zinio on my ipad 2... man... that thing was smooth...However, it is not the case on the transformer.
5. Newspapers: where is my businessweek on honeycomb? or the daily?
6. No home button. No lock rotation button. Everytime I try to unlock it I have to make sure it's not upside down so I can find the damn power button. Don't tell me that apple has patented the home button and rotation button.
7. Market: I was astonished when I open the market and found out the main page apps are actually not made for tablet.
8. Porn: now works. still not in full screen though (God, I hate that status bar)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. What do you mean by Native? Aldiko works perfectly in high resolution. Asus even included their own book reader.
2. I'll give you this. But only because I haven't tried all the video players on the market.
3. I think its fine. And its actually perfect for comic and magazine reading unlike the ipad.
4. Zinio works well enough for me.
6. Eh, there's a soft home button obviously. No hard button because... this is honeycomb and not gingerbread or any older flavor. And you can lock orientation. Click on the clock then again. I've always found the ipad's hardware lock switch redundant and dumb.
7. The top section of the market's main page clearly says featured tablet apps... thats right. It's there. Click on it and you'll see more. The ipad had quite a head start so obviously you can't compare the number of apps just yet.
8. Yes! Adobe Flesh!
So yeah, the ios is smoother because if obvious reasons. But HC is already very good and useable. I have both and I find myself using the TF a whole kit more often.
PS: the most reeder-ish reader is Newer. And its free!
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
2) the ipad has the home button. the status bar in honeycomb is the equivalent of that to the ipad. without it, you can't go home. honeycomb doesn't have a hardware home button. it's not technically part the screen.
I don't need a signature.
Also best ebook reader app is nook. Try it and u will never miss ibooks again.
Sent from my Samsung Epic
Thanks for the input. I saw the tablet section but see apps mentioned that are not listed in there, so that was a bit confusing coming from the segregated iPad/iPhone layout with plus signs for universal
Any additions welcome. Thanks!
jjsoviet said:
As far as I can tell, the default lockscreen cannot be disabled, sorry. If you have any more questions regarding Honeycomb or the Transformer, just ask us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can. Look under security. I disabled mine the first day.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
Zinio in market is great.
Kindle honeycomb version hides status bar buttons as dies the native YouTube and video buttons.
Other book readers work fine but status bar information shows.
As more apps get updated to work with 3.1 honeycomb which was just released more will use the lights out feature and dim out the status bar.
I'm very disappointed with what the 3.1 updated did to the browser. It's basically unusable for me now because the keyboard lag is so bad. I'm using Opera Mini, I think it's a great browser, it's so fast. The only complaint is it doesn't let you change the user agent string, so you always get mobile versions of websites. Grrr. Hope Opera fixes this. Dolphin HD is pretty awesome too. Firefox should be beaten with a rubber hoses for what they released.
Android Market does a piss poor job identifying Tablet optimized applications. They have a "Featured Tablet Apps" section, however there are other apps that are tablet optimized that aren't include. And after seeing how crappy Zombies vs Plants looks on a tablet, I definitely want to know before hand which games are optimized for tablet screens. Android needs to fix this.
One other small complaint about the Market. Why does it only work in landscape mode? I do like holding my tablet in portrait mode a lot, and it sucks this Market doesn't work that way.
The status bar always showing up during most video play back doesn't bother me. The screen is 16:10 and the videos are usually 16:9, so there is still a little unused space at the top and bottom anyway. And the native Google video player does dim the status bar so you barely notice it. I'm fine with this, though would like to see other video players be able to dim the status bar like the native one does.
No home button doesn't bother me. Sure there are times I grab the tablet upside down and can't find the power button immediately. And as someone that has used an iPad for a year I sometimes even instinctively move my thumb towards where I think it should be. But overall I think I like the clean front glass with no buttons. Kinda wish it has no logo either, but oh well.
My main complaint about the Transformer vs iPad is the comfort. Holding my iPad just feels so much more comfortable and I imagine the iPad 2 is even more so with it being lighter and thinner. The Transformer has lots of edges, especially when held in portrait. While this makes it looks better aesthetically when docked with it's keyboard, it is a sacrifice to it's comfort as a tablet in hand.
But it's $100 cheaper, lighter than most other Android tablets, and I like Android more than iOS. So I think I'm happy.
Well it arrived today, here are a couple of tidbits and quick first impressions
Pros:
Not as heavy as I thought it would be
Screen is very nice. Comparing to iOS devices, it's more iPhone than iPad.
Battery seems to charge pretty quickly
I like some of the customization choices
It plays flash but (see below)
Love the gmail client
The font, once getting used to it, is more crisp than apple's offering on the iPad.
Cons:
wifi is a disaster, the radio power must be soooo low or drivers not optimized.. anything to do to boost it? Given I have numerous other devices connecting way better, I'm not tearing part my network because one can't power a radio or optimize drivers. I get virtually no connection in a room where my iPad connects at 100-130.
Opera, dolphin, stock browsers all feel incomplete and slow to do anything (maybe wifi related)
Steep learning curve for privacy options with the google auto sign in stuff, this is down to me.
Android marketplace is kind of a mess.
Fwiw, mine came shipped With 3.0.1. I don't notice any glaring issues in an hour's use..but havent checked for bleed, balance, etc. And I may not.
Right now, tbh, things are going to have to get a lot better for me to replace an iPad, or even a netbook with this device, but I just started...so I recognize these thoughts are premature and my have a lot to do with lack of familiarity. The wifi issue would be a huge deal breaker if I can't do anything other than reposition routers..it will go back.
unquick said:
I also just moved from an Ipad 2 to transformer.
Right away, I noticed a few things:
1. There is no native honeycomb ebook reader.
2. You cannot play video in full screen because the status bar is always sticking out there. Seriously????
3. 16:10 is terrible for read books. however, I admit that it has some advantages for viewing wider webpages.
4. Zinio. I used to have zinio on my ipad 2... man... that thing was smooth...However, it is not the case on the transformer.
5. Newspapers: where is my businessweek on honeycomb? or the daily?
6. No home button. No lock rotation button. Everytime I try to unlock it I have to make sure it's not upside down so I can find the damn power button. Don't tell me that apple has patented the home button and rotation button.
7. Market: I was astonished when I open the market and found out the main page apps are actually not made for tablet.
8. Porn: now works. still not in full screen though (God, I hate that status bar)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. Funny how in your 3rd point, you mentioned 16:10, but your 2nd point contradicts it. Since you know the screen is 16:10 (1280x800), you should know most videos are 16:9 or 4:3 right? So if the menu were to disappear and you get to "full screen" your video, it'll only stretch it and make the stuff look long and skinny.
O, I'm feeling more optimistic. I had forgotten the update is to 3.1 not 3.0.1 and the slowness may have been the update DL in the bg... It's installing now, wish me luck
@frosty, I think he just doesn't want the distracting light, not necessarily the aspect.
frosty5689 said:
2. Funny how in your 3rd point, you mentioned 16:10, but your 2nd point contradicts it. Since you know the screen is 16:10 (1280x800), you should know most videos are 16:9 or 4:3 right? So if the menu were to disappear and you get to "full screen" your video, it'll only stretch it and make the stuff look long and skinny.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am OK with 16:9 videos. However, the status bar actually shrinks 4:3 videos.
@ravizzle, where can I find this Nook app?
@knx2, thanks for info. I had it disabled. It made me a lot happier.
Related
Title says it all, what doesn't live up to your expectations? We've seen in the reviews that the screen isn't viewable in daylight and the buttons get stuck. Have you experienced this? What else?
I've only had it for a half hour or so but the display seems no different than my iPad that I had before it (in terms of visibility in different lighting conditions).
What buttons get stuck? I only see a power button on the back...
Anyways, I have no dislikes at the moment aside from the lack of microSD support right now.
bogatyr said:
I've only had it for a half hour or so but the display seems no different than my iPad that I had before it (in terms of visibility in different lighting conditions).
What buttons get stuck? I only see a power button on the back...
Anyways, I have no dislikes at the moment aside from the lack of microSD support right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Engadget's review said the volume buttons would get stuck from time to time. Also said the power button got stuck, forcing a shutdown.
Please compare and contrast with your iPad. Does the pixel density look worse? Have you tried reading a book on it? Have you seen it in direct sunlight (some reviews say it's completely unusable in direct sunlight)? Are the speakers bad, being on the back side and all?
It's cloudy out today so I doubt I'll be able to check in sunlight. My iPad was unusable in direct sunlight.
Reading a book in portrait mode works wonderfully (I use Kindle, not the google app). Worked great on my iPad as well.
Pixel density... seems about the same as the iPad visually. If I look for them, I can see pixels... though I have to stick my face within a foot of it to do so.
As I'm at work, I'll check the speakers later... I can't compare them to my iPad since I never used them before. I use a bluetooth headset for everything (phone, laptop, tablet).
I played with the volume and power buttons a bit, but I couldn't get them to stick.
No serious problems so far, though in some ways, the GMail client is less intuitive than I had hoped. For example, on the web, my priority inbox will move read emails to my inbox, but on the Xoom, they stay in my priority inbox, just marked as read. It makes for more clutter than I prefer.
But I'm an early adopter. I expect stuff like this.
No button issues at all.
don't like power button placement, other than that very happy with it so far, the size adn shape and screen ratio is great
great so far here with a few issues.
Power button placement doesn't make sense.
Browser loads mobile sites by default, with no option to change the user-agent (that I can find anyway)
no ad-hoc support, but I knew this from the start (hopefully can be patched soon)
and on a side note, the screen seems a bit on the lower quality side, BUT I have not yet removed the plastic film, it looks crystal clear, so I cant imagine it will have much of an impact, but it could just be me.
Button placement for sure. Trying to learn my way around it, doesn't feel as intuitive as my ipad but I am learning Also hate the power cord situation.
Speaking of power cord I don't get that either I mean WTF Moto looks like they stole a charger from Nokia...
The d!ck who spent 20 minutes trying to sell me other sh!t I didn't need at the VZ store.
[UPDATE]
Guess I'll encounter that d!ck again because i'm noticing a slightly discolored band running down the edge of the screen on one side so I'll have to take it back! Fudge!
agonzalez1010 said:
The d!ck who spent 20 minutes trying to sell me other sh!t I didn't need at the VZ store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is why I'm waiting outside for costco to open. They don't push as hard.
Just got home with my new Xoom...
Display - Pretty good but not nearly as great as the iPad's.. nor is it as bright as the iPad. Pixel density looks A LOT like the iPad.. I can't really say the Xoom is any sharper than the iPad.. Whites look much better on the iPad.. they definately have a much higher color gamut and contrast ratio on the iPad. This is disappointing considering how much the Xoom costs off-contract. The Xoom screen looks nearly identical to what Samsung uses on their Galaxy Tab 7". Viewing angles are "decent" but again, not as good as iPad. I would say they are using a cheap PVA type panel, not IPS on this unit. PVA is still much better than TN at least.
Weight - Same weight as iPad.. so to me, it feels too heavy for it's size... but I think the Xoom is much easier to hang onto/hold because of it's widescreen nature'd body.
Speed - Depending on apps I guess.. or how optimized they are.. Angry Birds Seasons (the tablet version) runs like crap compared to Angry Birds on my Galaxy Tab.. not sure why.. Web browsing is a real treat.. Definately renders web sites faster than the iPad.. content is ready to explore at a much faster pace.. However, scrolling isn't as nice as it is on the iPad.. I don't know why Android can't get scrolling anywhere near iOS's Safari. Scrolling is choppy and clunky depending on how many pictures are needed to be shown on the screen at one time. Quadrant scores LOWER than my Galaxy Tab.. Could be Quadrant's not optimized well enough for the Tegra2 platform.
Battery Life - I will have to edit this in later.. my Xoom came out of the box with 77% life..
Interface/UI - I actually like Honeycombs UI.. the quick-softkeys are delightful to use.. especially to multitask with.. Flying between apps is instantaneous and snappy.. much faster than iPad's multitasking.
I'll post more later.. going back to playing with the Xoom.
Edit: Created a new thread on my thoughts so that people can ask anything they want to know.
Power button placement is pretty bad. It's especially an issue with the Moto Portfolio case. That thing, although well manufactured, is poorly designed (covers all the charging/usb ports.)
The system is a little laggy in some parts.
Very few tablet specific apps. So, Kindle app for example, looks fine but isnt utilizing the extra resolution. Ipad version will show two page layout, Honeycomb wont (for now.)
I don't see where people are getting the menu lag from, i've had absolutely none so far. The power button placement is PERFECT, are you guys kidding? The device was designed for optimized landscape view and when you hold it with both hands, it's right there ready to be pressed without having to readjust. This may be different for portrait but I don't plan on using it much.
Connectivity issues with android market as usual but thats typical, they need to fix that, asap.
Angry Birds Seasons is NOT laggy, again, don't know where you're getting that from.
And i'm looking at my Ipad and the xoom side by side and the screen quality on the Ipad is not "considerably" better. Slightly, if even that.
One big negative, lot's of force closes when I try to multi task a lot. This is VERY disappointing, and if it continues, i'll be returning the device.
The screen brightness/quality/angle view is not as good as the iPad, it seems heavy for its size, although the screen is bigger then the iPad it seems smaller because of the aspect ratio. Battery seems to drain fast, maybe it needs to be conditioned. Occasional lag in the UI.
On the plus side the speaker is pretty loud.
To summon it up: currently not overly impressed.
I hate that the browser shows mobile sites. I don't see an option to change the user agent. It's stupid to have to install a different browser, but I guess that's what I gotta do.
jasbur17 said:
I hate that the browser shows mobile sites. I don't see an option to change the user agent. It's stupid to have to install a different browser, but I guess that's what I gotta do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to: "about:debug"
You won't see anything. Then go into the settings and there should be a debug section where you can change the user agent to desktop. Someone posted this in another thread, worked well for me.
bogatyr said:
Go to: "about:debug"
You won't see anything. Then go into the settings and there should be a debug section where you can change the user agent to desktop. Someone posted this in another thread, worked well for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! The setting in debug is called uastring. Took me a while to realize.
Love the general feel and speed, mostly, of it. Most apps are faster than my X. Still playing with them.
Sling player (one of my favorite apps on my X) is useless, dial-up would work better, freezes and jumps. Video/audio NEVER in sync. Sometime emits a loud screech when un-freezing. (w/3G and all bars)
YouTube is terrible (same video compared to PC), like its always out of focus, contrast levels WAY off.
Hate the placement of the ports. Have to hold it upside down to use when charger is attached. I would have done this when placing it in the portfolio case (cheep and clumsy feeling) but then you cant get to the power button! DUMB, DUMB, DUMB design.
Cant find the setting to get the display to not time out when it on charge!
Cant get into my company website (can with my droid x) I think the new browser has TLS security set and I need to turn it off.
Generally I like it and will come up with work-arounds for most of the issues it's the first one out and both xoom and 3.0 need work and will mature with time. I do thin I will keep it.
bogatyr said:
Go to: "about:debug"
You won't see anything. Then go into the settings and there should be a debug section where you can change the user agent to desktop. Someone posted this in another thread, worked well for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
I remember doing that on my phone. I don't like that it loses that setting on a reboot.
Returned my G-Tab today, and bought the Xoom. I think I am having 2nd thoughts though.
I love the G-tab's size, and GUI (go figure). But saw the Xoom at Best Buy, and it was too irresistable to pass up. However, the xoom's size reminds me too much of the Ipad, and I just can't seem to get use to the Honeycomb GUI yet.
I guess the Xoom may just take some warming up to.
Anyone else feel my pain?
Guess I am just looking for some support.
nealwheels said:
Returned my G-Tab today, and bought the Xoom. I think I am having 2nd thoughts though.
I love the G-tab's size, and GUI (go figure). But saw the Xoom at Best Buy, and it was too irresistable to pass up. However, the xoom's size reminds me too much of the Ipad, and I just can't seem to get use to the Honeycomb GUI yet.
I guess the Xoom may just take some warming up to.
Anyone else feel my pain?
Guess I am just looking for some support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never had a Galaxy tab and would not want one (at least the current 7" model). I need more screen real estate. I already have an Android phone to cover the smaller screens. I don't like panning and zooming everything.
i love my xoom more and more everyday. I love the hardware accelleration in the browser but I don't like the lack of flash or. Lack of tablet optimized apps at the moment one thing to always remember is updates will always come sooner on a Google eperience device
android_geoff said:
i love my xoom more and more everyday. I love the hardware accelleration in the browser but I don't like the lack of flash or. Lack of tablet optimized apps at the moment one thing to always remember is updates will always come sooner on a Google eperience device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And we already know those are coming, just takes patience. Good point about the Google Experience. Hopefully we will see some updates in the coming weeks.
yes I've seen alot of demos for new apps so I know there on there way. Its weird though if you go to the market and click apps for tablets there's only 16. Half of which are games but if you go to games for tablets section there are more
android_geoff said:
yes I've seen alot of demos for new apps so I know there on there way. Its weird though if you go to the market and click apps for tablets there's only 16. Half of which are games but if you go to games for tablets section there are more
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of my wish list items for market improvement.
I had the Tab and it was a neutered Android phone. Xoom is the way to go...give it some time.
ur serously saying that u liked Android 2.2 on a tab more then honeycomb?
I had a Gtab originally. I got rid of it because the service through TMobile was spotty and the screen was too small. I however love my xoom. Especially since I found a good converter program for all my movies. Once we get SD card support ill be golden
nealwheels said:
Returned my G-Tab today, and bought the Xoom. I think I am having 2nd thoughts though.
I love the G-tab's size, and GUI (go figure). But saw the Xoom at Best Buy, and it was too irresistable to pass up. However, the xoom's size reminds me too much of the Ipad, and I just can't seem to get use to the Honeycomb GUI yet.
I guess the Xoom may just take some warming up to.
Anyone else feel my pain?
Guess I am just looking for some support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As an owner of the Tab and the ipad.....I have realized that 10 inches is for home and vacation use. 7 inches is portable and can be taken anywhere. I have an Evo which I thought was huge before I got the Tab....now it seems tiny.
I might buy the wifi Xoom if it is priced right but I already know from experience with 10 inches that it will stay at home.
Sent from my SPH-P100 using XDA Premium App
I sold my Galaxy Tab yesterday, I'm so gald to get rid of it. It was incredibly slow even after overclocking and 2.2 was NOT meant for tablets.
2.2 may not be meant for tabs, but at least it runs flash and all the apps work without being buggy.
mitchweight said:
2.2 may not be meant for tabs, but at least it runs flash and all the apps work without being buggy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ran flash incredibly slowly, and the browser crashed all the time... sure.
Bauxite said:
Ran flash incredibly slowly, and the browser crashed all the time... sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
really? I haven't had any problems with Flash or Dolphin. I watch more videos on the Tab than on my iPad (of course...lol).
Haven't rooted the Tab either (but rooted my Evo almost immediately after getting it)....haven't felt a need. The speed is fine for me.
Though I enjoyed the greater screen real estate (versus my EVO), the Galaxy Tab really is (as someone else already mentioned) just a neutered Android phone. After using the Xoom for several days, and using apps designed for Honeycomb, the difference is remarkable (just try Pulse, YouTube, CNN, or any of the games optimized for 3.0).
I do miss flash in my browser a bit, but that will come soon. I definitely do NOT miss the capacitive buttons on the bottom (a requirement for pre-Honeycomb devices)...it was terribly annoying to be enjoying a video or reading a document and having to be careful with the way I held so as not to accidentally press one of those buttons.
Also, the location of the stereo speakers on the Xoom is so much more sensible than the speaker on the G-Tab, where, once again, if you weren't holding it 'just-so' the sound would be muted by the palm of your hand.
**I have yet to significantly miss the SD card or flash. I do wish we could permanently set the UA string on the stock browser though, and I'm looking forward to the Citrix Receiver being updated for Honeycomb**
For me, flash, UA string, and Citrix will make this device a real killer, and it's good to know they will all be coming very soon.
khov07 said:
Though I enjoyed the greater screen real estate (versus my EVO), the Galaxy Tab really is (as someone else already mentioned) just a neutered Android phone. After using the Xoom for several days, and using apps designed for Honeycomb, the difference is remarkable (just try Pulse, YouTube, CNN, or any of the games optimized for 3.0).
I do miss flash in my browser a bit, but that will come soon. I definitely do NOT miss the capacitive buttons on the bottom (a requirement for pre-Honeycomb devices)...it was terribly annoying to be enjoying a video or reading a document and having to be careful with the way I held so as not to accidentally press one of those buttons.
Also, the location of the stereo speakers on the Xoom is so much more sensible than the speaker on the G-Tab, where, once again, if you weren't holding it 'just-so' the sound would be muted by the palm of your hand.
**I have yet to significantly miss the SD card or flash. I do wish we could permanently set the UA string on the stock browser though, and I'm looking forward to the Citrix Receiver being updated for Honeycomb**
For me, flash, UA string, and Citrix will make this device a real killer, and it's good to know they will all be coming very soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. It's definitely a neutered Android phone...but it stills does everything I need it to do for a portable device. I would probably feel different if it was my only tablet and I didn't already have an iPad for the past year that's had Pulse, the new CNN app, plus too many games that I have spent a fortune on!
Is Word with Friends optimized for the Xoom? A friend brought her husband's Xoom in for me to play with and we downloaded it and the letters were cut off. i thought it was under the tablet optimized section.
I am eyeing the wifi Xoom simply because I prefer Android to iOS but not having Netflix, Hulu, and my games might be too much to give up. Hopefully we'll see more advancement with the Android tablets.
The Transformer is one of the first wifi only honeycomb tablets. I received mine on Friday and here are my thoughts, coming from the ipad and ipad 2.
The build quality is terrific. The textured back is convenient for gripping the tablet. The bezel is thing and not too wide, meaning its perfect for holding the edges while watchng a movie or browsing the net. The Transformer isnt as thin or light as the ipad 2 but its about the same as the original ipad, which was just thin and light enough. Lets just say the weight and thickness is definitely not an issue, and i was more impressed than i thought it would be.
The screen quality is very good. It is bright enough and high res enough as well. Its pretty great. The Transformer uses the same IPS technology as the ipad, and I cant tell a difference.
This is my first experience with Honeycomb as well. No major complaints. It takes a little getting used to, but thats because its not exactly the same as android on the phone, like the ipad is exactly the same as the iphone. Not saying its good or bad, just different. The notifications system is excellent. Its nice that when i get a Words With Friends notification, that it doesnt interrupt everything Im doing and force me to click out to resume. Just a pop up in the bottom right. Love it. Overall i like honeycomb very much. It could use an update or two to improve the speed marketplace layout, and maybe small bugs here and there.
Its nice to have the option of using flash. You can run it on demand so the flash content doesnt load unless you want it too. This means you get all the speed of html5 like the ipad, and you get the versatility of flash when needed. Its nice to have options. Speaking of flash, the browsing experience is top notch. I love the tabbed browsing, it makes browsing so quick. I also like the Chrome sync, which syncs my bookmarks over the air.
Multitasking on the Transformer is very fluid. Once I got used to the multitasking button, i couldnt go back to the ipad way. When you press the multitasking button, you get a thumb view of your most recent apps, instead of just an app icon. The only thing i wish you could do would be to scroll down to see more than five recent apps.
The live widgets on honeycomb are really cool. I especially like the gmail, calendar and bookmarks widgets, where you can scroll through the content without even opening an app. Its a much easier way of getting information than actually opening the app.
The built-in apps like gmail, maps, and gallery are excellent. I instantly found myself actually using gmail like i do on the desktop, instead of having to manage on the ipads email app. You can do all the things you can do on regular gmail, like star, labels and more. Gallery syncs with picasa automatically, so i dont have to put any photos on the internal storage.
Polaris Office apps that come with the Transformer are surprisingly good. I wrote this whole review in the document editor. The MyNet app is a dlna client. I streamed my video from my mac to the Transformer without a problem.
There arent too many honeycomb apps available but more come everyday. The app that are optimized for honeycomb are mostly terrific and i have no doubt that more will come and they will be good as well. Even the non-optimized apps run decent. Its not like the ipad 2x mode at all. You cant even tell that some apps arent optimized in some instances on honeycomb.
I really like the Transformer. The 16gb version is only $399, and its not cheap on build quality. The reason I ditched my ipad 2 for the Transformer was mainly price, but I came away very impressed. Battery life is not an is not an issue. Been using the tablet for a good 5 hours and watched parts of a movie, browsing the web, and stand at 64%.. While the ipad still holds a slight edge for the average consumer, it is no longer a clear cut choice. If you want a cheaper tablet, yet one that doesnt disappoint, the Transformer is the one. Its good enough and there is so much potential in honeycomb, that i am excited to be a part of android on tablets, and this Asus is a winner.
Video to come.
Thanks for the in-depth review it is really going to help me with my decision and now I'm amped to get one
I'm been using android for about a year (first phone was myTouch 3G) and I have been impressed with the openness of it, you can customize so much which fits me perfectly (when I was younger I took things apart just to see how they worked). That's why I'm going to school to become an engineer.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App
So I was looking for a tablet for me to use as a PDF reader for book and for browsing the web.
The first one that came to mind was the iPad 2 which I know is great at it.
Then I thought of this one, but I remembered reading that because it's shape is a little more rectangular than it feels a bit heavier to hold in portrait mode.
Please comment on this statement
So my actual question is:
How good is this as a browsing / reading device? (how is the amazon kindle app on it?)
Is it worth getting over an iPad 2 as a reading / browsing device?
Thank you
matanc1 said:
So I was looking for a tablet for me to use as a PDF reader for book and for browsing the web.
The first one that came to mind was the iPad 2 which I know is great at it.
Then I thought of this one, but I remembered reading that because it's shape is a little more rectangular than it feels a bit heavier to hold in portrait mode.
Please comment on this statement
So my actual question is:
How good is this as a browsing / reading device? (how is the amazon kindle app on it?)
Is it worth getting over an iPad 2 as a reading / browsing device?
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How good is it? That's kind of a personal opinion. I'm enjoying it a lot for browsing and reading. Still searching out the best browser, they all have plus/minuses, but the experience itself is fine. Aldiko reader is good, very readable in both orientations. I find portrait has too much text per screen, doesn't quite give you the 'book' feel, but that's a personal quibble.
I'll always say anything is worth getting over an ipad But I definitely think this is worth it. The form factor just seems to make more sense on the tab, plus I can actually hold it with one hand, which I can't with the ipad (for more than a couple minutes anyway).
If you're really just looking for basic reading/surfing, you could consider something like the nook color, just as a though. But I'm really enjoying my tab, and looking forward to seeing what the dev's here can get out of it!
edit: clicked thanks by accident...
I have a kindle for reading, and nothing comes close to it for every day reading, especially sunlight and ease of viewing, battery life, etc. If you want an eReader, get a kindle, lol. If you want a multimedia device that does apps, videos, music, and videos... then a Galaxy tab is the way to go.
iPad is designed for 5 year old or a 95 year old to pick up and figure out. That's great, but the downside is with that comes a dumbed down OS in line with that. People like android because if they want to change the way the icons are laid out on the screen they can.
Check out Google Books and Kindle for Android Tablet, both are great options for someone wanting to use the tablet as a book. However, nothing is going to compare to the pure reading experience of a Kindle....
... but a Galaxy tab is waaaay more fun.
And PS - iPad sux... u can't even view flash, lol... how you going to browse the web without flash? Might as well go back to dialup internet and a VCR. hah
bella92108 said:
I have a kindle for reading, and nothing comes close to it for every day reading, especially sunlight and ease of viewing, battery life, etc. If you want an eReader, get a kindle, lol. If you want a multimedia device that does apps, videos, music, and videos... then a Galaxy tab is the way to go.
iPad is designed for 5 year old or a 95 year old to pick up and figure out. That's great, but the downside is with that comes a dumbed down OS in line with that. People like android because if they want to change the way the icons are laid out on the screen they can.
Check out Google Books and Kindle for Android Tablet, both are great options for someone wanting to use the tablet as a book. However, nothing is going to compare to the pure reading experience of a Kindle....
... but a Galaxy tab is waaaay more fun.
And PS - iPad sux... u can't even view flash, lol... how you going to browse the web without flash? Might as well go back to dialup internet and a VCR. hah
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The flash is the main reason why I'm asking.
But again, I'm looking mainly for PDF files which I want to read(which I've found from using eReaders that they have a problem displaying PDFs with pictures) and for browing (which I think both the android and the iPad will do fine except that the iPad doesn't have flash).
But once again, no one really answered my question about reading on it:
I want to know if it'll be uncomfortable reading on it (if my hand will start hurting after 10 min of holding it).
Another thing, does it get warm?
matanc1 said:
The flash is the main reason why I'm asking.
But again, I'm looking mainly for PDF files which I want to read(which I've found from using eReaders that they have a problem displaying PDFs with pictures) and for browing (which I think both the android and the iPad will do fine except that the iPad doesn't have flash).
But once again, no one really answered my question about reading on it:
I want to know if it'll be uncomfortable reading on it (if my hand will start hurting after 10 min of holding it).
Another thing, does it get warm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Regarding PDF, you can install native Adobe Acrobat Reader on Android, so you can actually read (and edit even) as indented... so not sure what the remaining concern is. Seems like you're trying to come up with excuses not to get it. Yeah eReaders have issues with PDF, but eReaders don't have Adobe's Acrobat PDF Reader installed, hehe.
Regarding comfort, that's not really a question someone can answer. Many people say getting tattoos aren't uncomfortable, but many would disagree. I think if it hurts to hold a 1 pound object, then you'll have to stick to books under about 300 pages anyhow, so it's somewhat a moot point, hehe.
You can always try, and if you don't like, return or sell online. It's not really something someone can answer for you, since it's a personal issue that varries from person to person. My Kindle weighs about 1.8th of a pound and it is still uncomfortable to hold for extended periods... so I just hold it on the desk or airline tray table, or whatever... it's not a big deal.... with any device.
No it does not get warm.
I reviewed a bunch of reader apps on the GT10.1. I looked at FBReader, Moon+ reader, Nook, Kindle, Google Books, Alkido and a couple of others.
My favorite is Nook. I base that on:
1) integrated shopping experience. Some of the other readers, like FBReader, and I think Moon+ required to you download a book somehow, then put it on your SD card, etc. Or the shopping experience sucked. Kindle/google/nook all had a good in-app shopping experience
2) The page turn. This might not be your highest priority, but I found the page turn experience to be very important to me. Google books and Nook both have a 3d page turn that I liked. nooks is slightly better because it reacts in a more realistic way.
3) Notes/highlighting/bookmarks. Nook wins out over google books.
bella92108 said:
Regarding PDF, you can install native Adobe Acrobat Reader on Android, so you can actually read (and edit even) as indented... so not sure what the remaining concern is. Seems like you're trying to come up with excuses not to get it. Yeah eReaders have issues with PDF, but eReaders don't have Adobe's Acrobat PDF Reader installed, hehe.
Regarding comfort, that's not really a question someone can answer. Many people say getting tattoos aren't uncomfortable, but many would disagree. I think if it hurts to hold a 1 pound object, then you'll have to stick to books under about 300 pages anyhow, so it's somewhat a moot point, hehe.
You can always try, and if you don't like, return or sell online. It's not really something someone can answer for you, since it's a personal issue that varries from person to person. My Kindle weighs about 1.8th of a pound and it is still uncomfortable to hold for extended periods... so I just hold it on the desk or airline tray table, or whatever... it's not a big deal.... with any device.
No it does not get warm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thing is, I don't live in the U.S. I can't buy it and return it.
So I can either go with the iPad 2 or the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
The software isn't an issue (there are tons of PDF reading / editing apps on the market). I'm just asking for someone to compare it to the iPad 2 from the design point of view (mostly putting the focus on holding it for an extended period of time).
In other words:
Does it do a better job of reading / browsing than the iPad 2 (in the non software sense)
matanc1 said:
Does it do a better job of reading / browsing than the iPad 2 (in the non software sense)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Browsing I think will be a little better on the 10.1 based on the Flash issue. I haven't used an ipad for internet browsing but I would imagine that would get a little annoying.
Reading is six in one hand half dozen in the other. I think the aspect ratio of the ipad was designed with reading in portrait orientation in mind. That being said, you should be able to read text larger on the screen (in portrait orientation) before having to scroll left and right to see the beginning and end of the lines respectively. That's not to say that this is a major issue on the 10.1, but if your eyes require larger text it may be a problem.
Both the iPad2 and 10.1 are incredibly thin, light devices. I don't really think holding one over the other will cause significant arm strain. you could go into a store and try holding each for 10 minutes. Considering you're willing to drop $500 on something, you should definitely be sure.
Tab is lighter, and IMHO, more comfortable to hold than the iPad2 (a few of my co-workers have iPad's)
The screen resolution is higher on the Tab, it is easier on my eyes (your eyes might react differently), and my co-workers agree for the most part.
lqaddict said:
Tab is lighter, and IMHO, more comfortable to hold than the iPad2 (a few of my co-workers have iPad's)
The screen resolution is higher on the Tab, it is easier on my eyes (your eyes might react differently), and my co-workers agree for the most part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So the galaxy screen's width being smaller would be a problem if I wanted to read on it in book like font sizes without having to scroll to the sides all the time?
One more thing: Is it hard reading in landscape mode then?
Do the kindle / nook readers have that option?
matanc1 said:
So the galaxy screen's width being smaller would be a problem if I wanted to read on it in book like font sizes without having to scroll to the sides all the time?
One more thing: Is it hard reading in landscape mode then?
Do the kindle / nook readers have that option?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just looking at one of the default books that comes on it, it looked fine portrait orientation. The text displayed larger than typically print text without having to scroll left and right. Like I said though, its worth a hands on test for yourself.
I'm sure kindle and nook have landscape options, especially on a tablet. I've been reading a technical text book (with exercises to follow along with) in landscape mode for the most part, however, I'm using whatever is the default pdf reader.
nook works in landscape mode, as does aldiko. I've been reading on it the past couple nights in both orientations and it's fine.
The resolution definitely makes a difference reading - on the ipad, text at my preferred size always looked slightly blurry, just enough to be annoying.
matanc1 said:
So the galaxy screen's width being smaller would be a problem if I wanted to read on it in book like font sizes without having to scroll to the sides all the time?
One more thing: Is it hard reading in landscape mode then?
Do the kindle / nook readers have that option?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope you don't need to scroll left/right in portrait mode, it scales the text to fit the screen width.
No issues using Google Books or Kindle app in landscape or portrait - I do prefer portrait for reading, but landscape for browsing.
matanc1 said:
Thing is, I don't live in the U.S. I can't buy it and return it.
So I can either go with the iPad 2 or the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
The software isn't an issue (there are tons of PDF reading / editing apps on the market). I'm just asking for someone to compare it to the iPad 2 from the design point of view (mostly putting the focus on holding it for an extended period of time).
In other words:
Does it do a better job of reading / browsing than the iPad 2 (in the non software sense)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've always been down the middle. I suppose I can give honest feedback as I owned iPad 1, and got rid of it because it was too heavy and cumbersome to hold, then I got iPad 2 because in order for iPad 1 to be useful I had to jailbreak it, then on iPad 2 there's no jailbreak available (yet). even so, the screen quality on iPad 2 is so bad... so grainy, you can see every pixel. Then I got the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and it's neat being able to customize, widgets, flash etc. Where it falls short is media.... it's a pain in the ass a) finding a media file that will actually play without having to convert 10x, and b) managing a sync between device and computer... so for me that's where iPad wins... their sync management is just great.
But at the end of the day, Galaxy tab wins by a decent margin because it's open... I can put my icons where I want, customize the hell out of it, and don't have to live within the confines of "take it or leave it" when it comes to the way I use it. It's just so nice to be able to go away for the weekend and just take a tablet knowing it'll handle any website I can throw at it. Ipad I couldn't even use some travel websites because of the flash issue.... that and their multitasking was a joke.
I use tthe GT10.1 and the nook app, I have not tried the ipad but reading on the tab is great in either orientation. With the nook app you can adjust font size easily so should be fine for any age of eyes in any orientation.
Good luck
I'm just curious - with tablets as popular as they are - and with nice big screens, do you think there is any chance Android will provide any sort of windowing system in the future (so you can see more than one app at a time)? I think that would be awesome on tablets...
Any thoughts??
There is always that onskreen thing that is being developed... i heard conflicting sides to why it's not available on android, but itsounds like google is trying to displace apple instead of overwhelming it by showing that tablets can be more than entertainment..
Hmm, haven't heard of Onskreen - I just looked it up and it looks awesome! Has any OEM actually used it yet?? It says that it IS for Andorid, from what I read!
Well, there are several reasons why onskreen cornerstone is having a hard time launching. But here are the main reasons.
(1) Onskreen wants to make a lot of money out of this. So, they want to go through the formal route of having google and tablet manufacturers incorporate this in the updates.
(2) Unfortunately for onskreen, google and tablet manufacturers are not convinced that people would want this feature on their tablets.
About #2, look at the success of the ipad and ipad 2. And you couldn't even multitask on the ipad. Yet, apple is selling them by the tens of millions. Google and android tablet manufacturers think people don't want multitasking on their tablets. These mega companies are trying to catch up to the ipad's success by tailing it. And that means copying how ipad works.
Last there was any info on the development of cornerstone, google and some manufacturers were making onskreen take surveys to prove that anyone at all would like this feature on their tablet. It's sad, really, that these mega companies are perfectly happy tailing apple instead of trying something new to beat it.
If my tablet had a twenty inch screen I would want Xmonad, never mind that. At 10.1 inches Android is good enough at multi-tasking. Maybe if Android overtakes Windows PC someday in the next billion years, we'll get windowing.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Spidey01 said:
If my tablet had a twenty inch screen I would want Xmonad, never mind that. At 10.1 inches Android is good enough at multi-tasking. Maybe if Android overtakes Windows PC someday in the next billion years, we'll get windowing.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No way... imagine being able to watch a YouTube video while browsing Tapatalk. Or open GTalk while watching a movie. A tiling window manager for our TF would be really awesome. Not to mention I hook my TF up to a 24" monitor or 40+" TV for doing development work on (ConnectBot SSH'd into a VPS running vim), which would really really benefit from this.
Sent from my Transformer TF101
Gary13579 said:
No way... imagine being able to watch a YouTube video while browsing Tapatalk. Or open GTalk while watching a movie. A tiling window manager for our TF would be really awesome. Not to mention I hook my TF up to a 24" monitor or 40+" TV for doing development work on (ConnectBot SSH'd into a VPS running vim), which would really really benefit from this.
Sent from my Transformer TF101
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 - my thoughts exactly!
Unfortunately it seems running eMMC Ubuntu is the only solution to this at the moment, and without hardware accel it's definitely not the quickest solution.
That being said, I run a full dev environment (with VPN) on my Transformer and it's incredibly convenient.
Also, battery life in Ubuntu is incredible! Surprisingly so for me anyway..
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
Gary13579 said:
No way... imagine being able to watch a YouTube video while browsing Tapatalk. Or open GTalk while watching a movie. A tiling window manager for our TF would be really awesome. Not to mention I hook my TF up to a 24" monitor or 40+" TV for doing development work on (ConnectBot SSH'd into a VPS running vim), which would really really benefit from this.
Sent from my Transformer TF101
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a _very_ heavy multi tasker and overloader, as in making my laptop want to halt and catch fire kind of multitasking. At a minimal we're talking code compiling, music streaming, and 3+ IM tabs. while surfing the web. If I have a 24" or 40+" to work with, I'll want them each arranged in tiles automatically like XMonad can.
Over the years I have used the following: 15", 19", 22" wide, 10.1" wide, and 15.4" or w/e the wide format is. Resolutions from SVGA to HD. You know what I found when I was using a 10.1" netbook? Most of the time ALT+TAB was more effective with so little screen space. Whether I was reading or writing, watching or chatting, there just wasn't enough screen screen space for more than 1 and 1/3 programs on a 10.1" at 1024x600. I'd rather ALT+TAB than use smaller windows. The TF101's resolution on the 15.x" laptop wasn't so much better, that I would expect the same resolution on 10.1" to be a serious improvement. To be honest I never notied that big a serious gain until I hit 1920x1080 on a 22" wide screen!!!
At work, I run tmux locally (it's like screen) and connect to dtach'd shells on the development server; at home I skip the SSH part. Chrome and Pidgin being the primary GUI needs that matter and corrisponding to Opera Mobile and IMO+jTalk on my TF101.
So I don't really miss adding the 20" Dell on my desktop to it most times. It is a short comming that I can't hook up my TF to my 22" wide at home and have xterm and chrome side by side, the way my netbook and laptop could, and being able to use xrandr to choose if I wanted a mirror or a second screen, or even to make the big screen the only screen. But hey, I can't really complain because most of the time I would just be filling it with a huge ass xterm. For most people that use a tiling wm, probably the same. Regular users have more need of it and regular users are not going to use their TF the way I do.
It was a nice to have feature not a requirement -- because if it was, I wouldn't have been using anything less mobile than my desktop PC to start with! I just don't need that to be productive...maybe if I spent my job in photoshop instead of vim, idk.
edit: if it was to a vote, I'd rather have better access to things like Chrome's debugging tools than multiple windows. Then I wouldn't need my workstation every now and then!
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
But remember - as with any windowing system, you would always have the option to run any app in full screen mode.... It would just be nice to have the option to view mutiple apps at once in certain situations... I don't see any drawbacks - just advantages!
The biggest problem I currently have is that when I go back to the home sceeen from some apps, the app actually closes, so there is no way to multitask.... If I had multiple windows on teh screen at once, I wouldn't have that issue...
Currently, I guess it's up to the app to determine if it stays open when going back to the home screen?? It just seems like I don't have the option to multitask all apps....
jtrosky said:
But remember - as with any windowing system, you would always have the option to run any app in full screen mode.... It would just be nice to have the option to view mutiple apps at once in certain situations... I don't see any drawbacks - just advantages!
The biggest problem I currently have is that when I go back to the home sceeen from some apps, the app actually closes, so there is no way to multitask.... If I had multiple windows on teh screen at once, I wouldn't have that issue...
Currently, I guess it's up to the app to determine if it stays open when going back to the home screen?? It just seems like I don't have the option to multitask all apps....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get an ipad.
goodintentions said:
Get an ipad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh? I have an iPad - it's even worse than Android at Mutlitasking!
Back to the question - what determines if an Android app is multitask-able? Is it up to the author of the app?
Thanks!
jtrosky said:
Huh? I have an iPad - it's even worse than Android at Mutlitasking!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But... but... according to engadget the ipad is perfect at everything. Surely, the best, most powerful tablet in the world (personally created by St. Stephen and distributed by the Holy Apple Church) would be perfect at multitasking.
goodintentions said:
But... but... according to engadget the ipad is perfect at everything. Surely, the best, most powerful tablet in the world (personally created by St. Stephen and distributed by the Holy Apple Church) would be perfect at multitasking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Too funny! I would like the option as well to view both programs similar to cascade in windows. The only thing close I have ever seen is the dual browser whcih is ok but obviously only for internet pages. I truly think android needs a couple more software iterations. However I also don't think eclipse would let u do half of a screen for example because they have specific dimensions and sizes built in. Much like compatibility mode, if the app could default to a smaller size then it could be possible but probably wouldn't look natural.
Fascinate CM7 Stable
jtrosky said:
But remember - as with any windowing system, you would always have the option to run any app in full screen mode.... It would just be nice to have the option to view mutiple apps at once in certain situations... I don't see any drawbacks - just advantages!
The biggest problem I currently have is that when I go back to the home sceeen from some apps, the app actually closes, so there is no way to multitask.... If I had multiple windows on teh screen at once, I wouldn't have that issue...
Currently, I guess it's up to the app to determine if it stays open when going back to the home screen?? It just seems like I don't have the option to multitask all apps....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't really see the development efforts and the major headscrew for the user expirerence as being worth it until we have the Android PC where most people have a Dell or an eMachine on a desk. Maybe someday if Windows 8 flops but not today w/o a freaky fork of Android.
A great plus of Android to me, I have almost all the power my BSD and Linux based systems have, everything I need (personally) to be productive, some useful propritary apps I might not get with FreeBSD, plus it is so easy to use that my mother can use Gingerbread and Froyo. We have had computers for nearly 20 years and she has used Windows XP since 2001 ---- and still struggles with multiple windows, copying and pasting, browsing/saving files, etc. Holy crap, I think it took 7 years for her to stop asking me, "Left or right click". Google has done an awesome job IMHO.
That is just an awesome combo, plus I could probably use x forwarding/vnc magic and get a 1280x1080 GNU/Linux desktop on my big screen, and use a local VNC connection when getting up to go. Maybe even resize it after rather than scroll around. So I can technically have it if I wanted or needed it for productivity, just not with Android apps.
@the multitasking part, usually you can use the copy buffer as an accumulator when that happens. I tend to use Home or the "Multitasking" buttons / ALT+Tab depending on what I'm doing, and rarely have a problem unless I take too long to switch back or launch something memory intensive. Also another reason I switched from TexTab to Tablet Talk, hehe. Most apps that I use don't cause me troubles and those that do on occasion (TeamSpeak) wouldn't if designed properly for the life cycle of an Android application. Then there are some where the activity just dies out, like MoboPlayer lol.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Spidey, fact is, I'd get a lot of use out of a tiling wm on Android. I know we can go without it, certainly, that's why I'm still using my TF for development! The TF offers so many advantages over a traditional notebook that the loss is worth it, but that doesn't make it useless. There are many, many uses for it, especially for IM and video. I suppose we could probably get IM working with window fragments... I'll have to look into it for my #1 l33t IM app! Also tiling things like connectbot and the browser would be great, for so many reasons. It may not be perfect on such a small screen, but it would be useful most of the time.
jtrosky said:
Huh? I have an iPad - it's even worse than Android at Mutlitasking!
Back to the question - what determines if an Android app is multitask-able? Is it up to the author of the app?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He tells that to everyone that even hints at Android not being perfect.
Android sends a signal to an app when you leave it, telling it that you left. It sits there for a while, and if you don't enter it again for so long, Android sends it a destroy signal, and it's up to the author of the app to save the current state so it can be resumed next time it's opened. If it doesn't behave like this, then yea, it's because of the author of the app (or it's too complicated an app to save/restore the state... eg imagine a 3d game).
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Gary13579 said:
Android sends a signal to an app when you leave it, telling it that you left. It sits there for a while, and if you don't enter it again for so long, Android sends it a destroy signal, and it's up to the author of the app to save the current state so it can be resumed next time it's opened. If it doesn't behave like this, then yea, it's because of the author of the app (or it's too complicated an app to save/restore the state... eg imagine a 3d game).
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Thanks for the info! What I've been noticing thuough is that when I try to multitask certain apps, they wont even show in my recents list at all (like tthere is NO chance for multitasking...). From what your saying, it sounds like all apps shoudl be able to multitask to some point, but that's not what I'm seeing... I'm wondering if it's just an issue with the custom ROM/kernel I'm using...
Thanks again! Obviously, not a huge deal, but kinda annoying sometimes.
Regardless, I would NEVER even think of switching back to Apple devices (gave the iPad to the wife) - Android really is so much more powerful!
jtrosky said:
Thanks for the info! What I've been noticing thuough is that when I try to multitask certain apps, they wont even show in my recents list at all (like tthere is NO chance for multitasking...). From what your saying, it sounds like all apps shoudl be able to multitask to some point, but that's not what I'm seeing... I'm wondering if it's just an issue with the custom ROM/kernel I'm using...
Thanks again! Obviously, not a huge deal, but kinda annoying sometimes.
Regardless, I would NEVER even think of switching back to Apple devices (gave the iPad to the wife) - Android really is so much more powerful!
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The only time I've seen this happen is because of launching one app from another. eg if you click a web link within an app and it opens the browser, it won't show both the originating app *and* the browser for some reason, it only shows one (I forget which).
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Gary13579 said:
The only time I've seen this happen is because of launching one app from another. eg if you click a web link within an app and it opens the browser, it won't show both the originating app *and* the browser for some reason, it only shows one (I forget which).
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Ok, thanks for the info. I can't even remember which apps were giving me issues off-hand - I'll have to start paying attention to this again to see if my system is working properly or not.
Thanks again.
Gary13579 said:
Spidey, fact is, I'd get a lot of use out of a tiling wm on Android. I know we can go without it, certainly, that's why I'm still using my TF for development! The TF offers so many advantages over a traditional notebook that the loss is worth it, but that doesn't make it useless. There are many, many uses for it, especially for IM and video. I suppose we could probably get IM working with window fragments... I'll have to look into it for my #1 l33t IM app! Also tiling things like connectbot and the browser would be great, for so many reasons. It may not be perfect on such a small screen, but it would be useful most of the time.
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I never said it was useless but short of the Android PC on almost everyones desk, I don't see that happening; because I can understand why Google hasn't really done that. And I think we will just get refineme ts on what we already have for multi-tasking by Android 6.x.
jtrosky said:
What I've been noticing thuough is that when I try to multitask certain apps, they wont even show in my recents list at all (like tthere is NO chance for multitasking...).
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Click to collapse
This is most probmatic when one activity lauches another, for example openning a PDF in Polaris via Opera. I hope the mukti0tasking button gets better in ICS, since I need the dock to use the okd one.
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