no love for lenovo? - Thinkpad Tablet General

no love for lenovo? - Thinkpad Tablet General

lenovo is a great company and their tablets have competitive specs. why do their tablets have such little dev support compared to the other major android tablets?
I ask because the lenovo tablets coming out this year look very nice, but I hesitate to buy a tablet that won't have good dev support.

I'm on the same boat man. I got the tablet as a christmas wish from my gf... now I found out from timmyDean and other sources that the K1 will not have its bootloader unlocked. Not sure if there will be a way to hack it anytime soon.
I'm going to see if I can sell this thing to buy a transformer prime. Ill be calling lenovo to express my concerns as well. I have a laptop from them with high DPC Latency. Sent it in and came back with same problem and a wiped system with an extra partition.
No more lenovo for me.
If someone somehow manages to hack this thing, then I guess I'll keep it. For now I'm planning its resale value to pick up a different brand.

theoilman said:
lenovo is a great company and their tablets have competitive specs. why do their tablets have such little dev support compared to the other major android tablets?
I ask because the lenovo tablets coming out this year look very nice, but I hesitate to buy a tablet that won't have good dev support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can give you my opinion. We develop software for commercial clients and government and we write drivers for these devices. Unfortunately, most of our business clients want an application that cannot be removed by employees and has all the social networking stuff removed. My NDA does not allow me to say exactly what. But, let me give you an example: Lets say a hospital was looking for a hand held device for reading and signing medical records with an interface to medical equipment. Or traveling salesmen, a delivery driver having someone sign for a package. An application you load on your teenagers device to determine how fast they are moving, etc. Anyway, the list goes on and this is just the business side of it. But you get the picture.
Now, I have a real business need to root every tablet on the market therefore I can tell whomever buys our application that they can buy any tablet they want. Some applications only require root so we can install it so it cannot be removed and we delete the stuff the company doesn't want employees using (like Netflx, Facebook, etc). Or, if the software needs to interface with a particular piece of hardware, we flash a new ROM with custom hardware drivers in the kernel to interface with a particular piece of medical equipment.
So, myself along with other programmers working the business side of it stay away from Lenovo because from the start they lock the bootloader making it difficult to develop for. So we tell ever business to stay away from them.
Then you have individuals like myself that program on their own and I want to tweak something myself. So, when I look around for a tablet to develop on, I look for one that makes it easy to flash(or root). For example, currently my favorite is Motorola Xoom (not the FE) because you can simply unlock it.
So, everyone I know writing business applications stays away from Lenovo or anyone looking to develop a custom ROM as well. Lenovo did come in and meet with management, last year, and what they wanted to sell us was a custom solution. So, they were more than happy to work with us to build a solution. But, we cannot sell something and then tell the buyer that they have to buy a special tablet from Lenovo.
story:
So, what started all this for us, was we were working on a big sale to a Fortune 500 Insurance company and they wanted to use Lenovo. Their IT person loved them. Management in a haste, bought me a K1 to load and play with (mostly because it was cheaper than the TPT or ignorance I guess). So, when I got it, I loved it. And at first it was unlocked. Then the real horror started.
I told management how great the K1 was and within days we had the K1 loaded with the insurance application. They came in, we sold them, I got a bonus and life was good. Then we took an OTA, and the Insurance company started ordering K1's and TPT and to our surprise NOTHING WORKED because Lenovo went to a locked bootloader (Note: The org K1 had root(#) access by default when you connect to it via adb shell and we had not tested it on the TPT).
As you can imagine all hell broke loose. That's when we discovered Lenovo's position on things. During the meeting, I asked them why they locked it. They replied, because they are offering a consumer solution with the K1. It is not just hardware but software (in other words they want to make money off all the bloatware they load) and that the TPT was their business solution. If we partnered with them, we could do what we wanted on a secure platform (then they went on and on about how we really need their solution because you cannot root it, it's secure, blah blah blah).
Anyway, I had to fly out (along with the suits) to the insurance company. I personally meet with their CIO and convinced her that 'Lenovo' could NOT be trusted and if she insisted on using the TPT that we would now have our hands tied to Lenovo. I showed her several other tablets that were just as good and cheaper. She put a pencil to it and realized that she could be the hero here saving the company money. So, she kissed Lenovo good buy and went with another tablet.
Anyway, my story, take with it what you want.
TD
---------- Post added at 05:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:41 PM ----------
Let me further add something. A Kindle Fire is a great little tablet, but it is designed specifically to access Amazon. It is an extension of Amazon's business. There are others too. But, the Kindle is the most known.
So, these are NOT really tablets being designed to run everything. They are designed to sell services. For example, the Kindle Fire is to sell and expand Amazon services.
The Lenovo products are the same thing. They are designed to expand Lenovo's services. They want you coming to their Marketplace, using their services. In other words, they want to make money not only off selling the hardware, they want to make money off the software and services.
You can read some articles on the net about company's saying there's no money in hardware sales. This is why HP stopped making tablets and wants to become a software solution provider. This is what Lenovo is trying to do. If they sell you a tablet and make $10 profit it's not the same as $10 plus another $30 for applications you use.
That's what's going on here. It's not that they are evil not wanting you to brick your device, void your warranty, and then you want them to fix it. They are going after the services and they believe that's where the money is. Locking the boatloader is just their attempt to keep you locked into their services.
History lesson: If you believe you should learn from history then if you go back to the late 70's and early 80's, you will see the same thing. If you had bought brand xyz then you had to only buy xyz's printer, if you wanted to print. I remember buying floppy disks just to find out that they weren't compatible. Can you imagine that happening today? You buy a blank thumb drive and discover it doesn't work on your Lenovo, it only works on HP.
What changed all this was MS. So, if you're a believer in history repeating itself then Windows 8 will revolutionize the tablet and phone market. Google has realized the threat and is why they are pushing ICS and trying to stop the fragmentation. However, this does not stop Lenovo locking the bootloader and forcing you to go to their Marketplace. However, under Windows 8 this is going to be harder to do.
TD

I've got a TPT, got it for free from Lenovo, but it doesn't force you to go to Lenovo's market, essentially you can uninstall it and just use the regular market.
That being said, even with the optional external keyboard (that rocks), I mainly use my Samsung Galaxy from work, since I have it rooted and can do what I want with it.
And really not being able to root the TPT is why I'm glad I didn't actually buy it. I definitely wouldn't buy a tablet that I can't root.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium

well locked bootloader is a deal breaker. too bad lenovo, you won't get my business. it's a shame, they looked great.

I have the TPT since September now. I have HTC's Sensation as my phone. I have root and a custom rom on my Sensation. So I do know the advantages.
I don't really miss root on my Tablet. Most apps don't need root. One thing that requires root I miss though. Titanium Backup or some other backup-solution. I just don't get why Lenovo does not provide one. Besides Adblock and Titanium Backup I can't think of any other program that requires root, that would provide any real advantage in using my tablet.
It is actualy quite good not too have root and custom ROM's. I'm a kid at heart and I put on new ROMs on my phone like I put on new clothes...
PS: You can lock down the tablet for users with the Mobility Manager. Just google for it.

Awesome post by jimmyDean.
I have a Thinkpad and that post explains alot of how Lenovo is thinking. Its a shame since the Thinkpad can be one great device with its digitizer and stylus if it wasn't so locked down. I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and accept that they won't change their position.
It will be the last Lenovo I will own though that's for sure.
TS

Very good read read. Disheartening, to say the least. I really like my TPT, but my next tablet will be either a transformer prime or the next nice sized tablet to offer an integrated pen solution with Tegra3. I wont swear off Thinkpad notebooks though, my x220 is a BEAST, and I have been using Thinkpads since my parents got me an IBM T61 in college.
But yeah, tablets from Lenovo is out of the question. Its a shame though, I don't think they've realized they've doomed their fate in the consumer tablet market. Sony realized this and righted the ship in 2011 line of devices. One can only hope that Lenovo smells the coffee and wakes up.

I hate to be the dissenter but all of these companies are out to make money and while Lenovo's model (and amazon's, barnes and noble's, apple's, etc, PS3/Xbox/Wii's, etc.) is a bit duplicitous but it isn't out of the norm. I'd love to have a transformer or a xoom with an unlocked bootloader but I've never seen those anywhere near the $250 I picked up the K1 for. I'm not saying I'm going to support that business model but I will use it to my own advantage (ie, pick up the device on the cheap and find a way to do what I want while paying as little as possible). Lenovo will likely have to shift out of this model because there's no reason to use their market instead of the android one and they have nowhere near the sort of exclusive content that the others using this model have.
The Nook Color was a shining exception, both cheap and completely unprotected but B&N corrected that mistake in the Nook Tablet that replaced it.
In the end, we have to decide if we're willing to pay more to leave the walled garden. Given how US consumers have condemned themselves to it in the console gaming and cellular phone markets (both in choosing the iphone and in long contracts for free phones), it's not that clear that they won't choose to give up control in order to pay less upfront.

Wow thanks timmyDean, that clarified a lot of things... I'm going to need a tablet with a decent stylus soon, and I've been looking at TPT for some time now... but root is also very important to me, already because I don't trust Lenovo to bring OTA ICS update for it... I think I'll tough it out with my old tablet PC until something better comes along. HTC flyer is just too small (and with old android).
Anyway, I've been hearing some rumors that Samsung might come up with a stylus solution (S-Pen) in the next Galaxy Tab, perhaps in the MWC 2012 in at the end of february. It's the same tech as in the new Galaxy Note. Hopefully it's also a 12" tablet! It's interesting to note that Sammy's allied with Wacom, while TPT and Flyer use n-trig.

IfIf you ask me. this is the best Android tablet on the market. I took chance and sold my galaxy tab 10.1 and have had nothing but positiv things to say. Love the stylus and once you pick up the MyScript app, this is just perfect! All other tablets feel like toys compared to thrsp

siggehandf said:
IfIf you ask me. this is the best Android tablet on the market. I took chance and sold my galaxy tab 10.1 and have had nothing but positiv things to say. Love the stylus and once you pick up the MyScript app, this is just perfect! All other tablets feel like toys compared to thrsp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't get the thinkpad tablet, but the ideapad K1. For the price I got it at, US$400 for 3G version, it was a good US$150 cheaper than the nearest similarly speced 3G android. For the price, no complaints!
Next up, unlocked bootloader please!

I'm working in Marketing and was looking into tablet devices for eDetailing for our company. I personally compared every Android device that was available in our country: Motorola Xoom, Acer Iconia A500, ASUS Transformer, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and also Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet. I was very eager to get my hands on the Thinkpad Tablet, as connectivity (USB host etc) and the digitizer seemed like a huge advantage. But soon, I was very disappointed; in comparison to the other tablets, there are some MAJOR shortcomings:
- software: the firmware is buggy and seems unfinished
- performance: the TPT clearly reacts slower to input than other tablets; this seems to be confirmed in benchmarks
- locked bootkloader: that was the death blow! I don't blame Lenovo that the Citrix Receiver won't accept "untrusted" certificates. However, installing missing certificates is just one of the many things I expect from a decent device; there's plenty of other good reasons you need root access and it was a "must have"
As Lenovo has only delivered minor firmware updates that don't really address the issues mentioned above, I have abandoned the device completely.

Root has just been received and we are just verifying it over in the ThinkpadTablet forums. There should be a instructions for it soon enough. Hang tight.
btw the bounty is now up to $800
TS

With root on the way....
Bootloader also unlocked?
---------- Post added at 07:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:37 PM ----------
When Root is enabeled i try to write a script to remove all the bloatware stuff

Can someone clarify on the bootloader/nvflash issue?
Is the bootloader locked or not, and if not, can we now put custom ROMs on it or not?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1231771
From this we can see that ThinkPad Tablet's bootloader ISN'T locked.

Nice. So who will be first to build an ICS ROM?

I'm going to try

Related

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 or iPad 2?

I want to buy a tablet and I'm hesitant between the 10.1 and the iPad 2. I'm no expert and they both seem somehow identical to me, in your opinion what are the main differences and your recommendations. Thanks in advance!

Asus Transformer Prime
I'm just a junior member here, too, so I'm hoping not to get flamed on this one, but...
the biggest difference between the SG Tab 10.1 and the iPad2 is going to be the OS. Android vs iOS, the age-old debate.
I personally prefer Android, due to the possibility to delve into the innermost workings make adjustments, tweaks and change stuff to the way I like it. iOS is a bit cleaner, and faster, but without some serious hacking you can't change very much of the inner workings. Its like buying a Lambo or an old muscle car (a GTO for example), they're both going to be fast...but chances are, if you want to modify or adjust something, its going to be a hell of a lot easier on the muscle car (Android). Whereas when you open the Lambo's (iOS) hood, you only see plastic housing which hides all of the real machinery.
Sure, the hardware specs are also going to vary a bit, but that's misleading because Apple products can do a lot with a lot less. But they're both going to be fast tablets, that basically have the computing power of an average notebook (excluding enterprise or gaming laptop).
But the reason I wanted to reply, is to suggest that you wait a month (or a couple of weeks) and check out the Asus Transformer Prime. The hardware specs are sic, and (again, on paper) dwarf the SGTab and the iPad. Don't get me wrong, I wanted a SGTab until about 2 weeks ago, too. But the Asus will beat them both, if my assumptions are correct.
The biggest advantage of the Asus...quad-core processing (with an alternate 5th) and the latest version of the Android OS. Ice Cream Sandwich. (disclaimer: you could probably load ICS onto the SGTab, but in doing so you might void a warranty)
My advice, hold out a few more weeks and investigate all options (read: Asus Transformer Prime).

Not sure why you would come to a Samsumg Tab forum to see if people would recommend the iPad... But seriously, there may be other places on the web where you would get a balanced view. I love the Samsung.
Jim

When people ask me for a recommendation the first questions I ask are, "Do you have a Smartphone and what OS is it, iOS or Android? How invested (paid apps) in your OS are you?" and, "Exactly what are you planning to use the tablet for?"
Once they answer those questions then I can give them an honest opinion.
Me? I was looking for something to replace my 11.6" netbook for travel and general email/internet use. My 10.1 is perfect for my needs. Spent a week in NYC with my Tab and didn't miss the netbook once. (plus getting it for $100 off at Staples didn't hurt either)

Please google the following, it might give you some help on your research:
Tech supremacy blogspot (Why Android)
It just talk about Android OS and Apple's iOS and it applies on both Phones and Tablets.
Regards
Sent from my GT-P7500 using xda premium

sean is here.
I have checked the Asus on GSM Arena and the specs are great but does not make much difference to me compared to the SG Tab 10.1 and the iPad 2.
Jay Evans
I have a Samsung Galaxy Ace phone with Gingerbread. I have very few paid apps on my phone. I plan to use the tablet for entertainment and simply being online; emailing, Facebook... etc
So, what do you recommend?

tommydorsey
I just trust the forum here, and I thought many who had already purchased the SG Tab 10.1 and considered the iPad 2 as well, and would have some good pointers.
Willy318is
I read the article, it's helpful, thanks man!

So you will basically just buy the tabled and use it as is.. you dont care about modding or anything like that.
I would recommend the ipad then.

sean is here. said:
I'm just a junior member here, too, so I'm hoping not to get flamed on this one, but...
the biggest difference between the SG Tab 10.1 and the iPad2 is going to be the OS. Android vs iOS, the age-old debate.
I personally prefer Android, due to the possibility to delve into the innermost workings make adjustments, tweaks and change stuff to the way I like it. iOS is a bit cleaner, and faster, but without some serious hacking you can't change very much of the inner workings. Its like buying a Lambo or an old muscle car (a GTO for example), they're both going to be fast...but chances are, if you want to modify or adjust something, its going to be a hell of a lot easier on the muscle car (Android). Whereas when you open the Lambo's (iOS) hood, you only see plastic housing which hides all of the real machinery.
Sure, the hardware specs are also going to vary a bit, but that's misleading because Apple products can do a lot with a lot less. But they're both going to be fast tablets, that basically have the computing power of an average notebook (excluding enterprise or gaming laptop).
But the reason I wanted to reply, is to suggest that you wait a month (or a couple of weeks) and check out the Asus Transformer Prime. The hardware specs are sic, and (again, on paper) dwarf the SGTab and the iPad. Don't get me wrong, I wanted a SGTab until about 2 weeks ago, too. But the Asus will beat them both, if my assumptions are correct.
The biggest advantage of the Asus...quad-core processing (with an alternate 5th) and the latest version of the Android OS. Ice Cream Sandwich. (disclaimer: you could probably load ICS onto the SGTab, but in doing so you might void a warranty)
My advice, hold out a few more weeks and investigate all options (read: Asus Transformer Prime).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The big question is what does that quad core get you. It is no easy task coding a thread efficient app. gods it took like 6 years before any core advantaged apps came out for the pc and those are still far n few to this day. Reality is most of your android apps in the next 2 years will be single threaded which means all things being equal frequency not core count is your performance driver. You might get some advantage in multitasking but that remains to be seen how the os takes advantage of the cores
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

I used to have an iPhone 3GS and a iPod Touch 3G 64GB. After moving to an Android device (phone), and later on getting the Samsung Galaxy 10.1" wifi model, I am extremely happy that I switched to Android. It's so much less locked down, and the flexibility is there to do just about anything.
* Manage the filesystem
* Live wallpapers
* Widgets
* Arbitrary device <--> device bluetooth transfers
* CPU overclocking
* Install custom ROMs with root access
* Custom recovery ROM (make full system images)
* etc.?
The only major complaint I have is User Interface (UI) performance, however I am confident that Ice Cream Sandwich will be solving much of that with GPU UI rendering. I really can't wait to get a solid build of ICS on my Galaxy 10.1 ... it's going to be incredible! The hardware is *perfect* except for the lack of a SD card slot -- either way, that doesn't bother me too much. I can store a full season of TV shows on the smaller 16GB size.
tl;dr Get the Samsung Galaxy 10.1"!

pcgeek86 said:
...the flexibility is there to do just about anything.
* Manage the filesystem
* Live wallpapers
* Widgets
* Arbitrary device <--> device bluetooth transfers
* CPU overclocking
* Install custom ROMs with root access
* Custom recovery ROM (make full system images)
* etc.?
tl;dr Get the Samsung Galaxy 10.1"!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats why I got the gtab 10.1
But from what M_Shaaban said he doesn't want to do any of that with his device. He just wants to read email.. facebook and browse the internet.
Dont you think the ipad will be a smoother experience for him ?

jfassad said:
Thats why I got the gtab 10.1
But from what M_Shaaban said he doesn't want to do any of that with his device. He just wants to read email.. facebook and browse the internet.
Dont you think the ipad will be a smoother experience for him ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For right now, probably yes. If you think longer term, once he gets a tablet, he may end up wanting to do more with it, once he realizes what it's capable of.

IMO, the iPad is nice and easy because Apple just blew up an iPod. With the same restrictions, the biggest is still having to rely on outside sources provided by apple. So if your on a plane you wont have access to documents and other such files that an iPod would not support.
Galaxy Tab using Android can run completely independant. And I think that's how people get confused. Trying to make it work like an old palm or apple device. ”How do I make it work with my computer”. My answer is always , I don't! Except to transfer large volumes of media or documents. Free music downloads? Yup. Torrenting? sure. Document viewing, editing and creation and stored locally? Done. If you want a cloud service you can choose from a variety of sources for that. And the best part for me? Using Gmail syncing, my tab, RAZR, and even my BlackBerry and N8 are in sync OTA (meaning cross platform abilities). My computer is literally for storage these days. Or flashing Odin or other hacker style stuff.

iPad vs SGTab
I didn't mean say that the quad core will make all the difference. Point well made, to multi-threaded apps. I've only been coding for about 3 years, and have only been recently introduced to multi-threading. I say 'introduced' because I've basically only seen it in a classroom environment as basically a proof of concept. We never got into the useful aspects of it. But I would think that multi-cores could dramatically improve multi-tasking. But again, I'm a layperson in these respects and not ashamed to admit that I'm in this conversation over my head.
I think the biggest advantage (aside from weight, dimensions, and aforementioned computing power) of the Asus over the SGTab is ICS. ICS does have some pretty cool features and although the Asus is being shipped with Honeycomb, its upgrade ready. This could be better for a novice user in that he could receive the upgrade without having to root brand new hardware.

For your requirements of facebook, email and internet, I recommended an iPad 2. It's simple, easy to use, and pretty much works out of the box. No tinkering required (or allowed). It has a better GPU, too, if you decide to do a little mobile gaming.
If eventually, you decide you want more out of tablet than what iOS can offer, you can always sell it and get an android tablet. Apple products are easy to sell and have, generally, a higher resale value compared to android devices.
As for me, I'm immensely enjoying my Galaxy Tab 10.1. I thought about waiting for the Transformer Prime, but I realized that for my needs, the Galaxy tab is more than capable. Email, internet, books, comics, movies and the occasional wind-up knight.

M_Shaaban said:
I want to buy a tablet and I'm hesitant between the 10.1 and the iPad 2. I'm no expert and they both seem somehow identical to me, in your opinion what are the main differences and your recommendations. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To help you understand more about two tablets I would suggest that you give the community a bit more information on what you gonna do with the tablet?
Is it just for basic stuff? (Internet,Email,Videos)
Or are you going to use it more for gaming?
Pretty sure that once you clarified that, people would start helping you properly.

I needed a tablet, to write, surf, multimedia device, etc. As I also needed a new phone I wanted them to link easily.
I purchased the GT 10.1 3G 16GB for about USD 650/- and added to it Samsung Galaxy Y for about USD 125. The screen resolution of the phone is not the greatest, but I don't care as I carry normally in any case the tablet.
For less then USD 800, I got an in my opinion excellent phone and a great tablet, which do everything I need. Had no problems with Norton rings, or any light leakage worth mentioning. Market is great. Even Adobe Touch applications came earlier on Android market then the Apple App store. This maybe tells something about what the future holds.
Apple is known for selling outdated tech for outrageous prices. So, if you are not a diehard apple fan, I would think thrice, before I dump my money into something which is not only expensive for the tech offered, but also limits my choice for the simple reason, that the former CEO of Apple, believed that all customers are complete idiots who can not make a choice for themselves.

Ipad is so limited, no Widgets, no flash support, even email is limited to attach photos only unless you use a third party application to send a document file for example, if you received a wmv file by email for example you cannot play it because it's not supported by apple...
Android is simple to use and you can do everything you need.
Sent from my GT-P7500 using Tapatalk

I appreciate all the valuable input. I need to ask about gaming, how about the graphics and available games? Does the Galaxy Tab 10.1 offer a good gaming experience and HD games?

If you like being told what to do, go for the iPad.
If you like being in control of what your device does, go for the GT10.1.

[Q] General Question on Acer Customer Service/Realiability

I am just coming off 2+ weeks of frustration with the Transformer Prime. I was lucky enough to get mine from Amazon so I returned for a full refund. Despite all the frustration, I realized that an android tablet is a handy gadget that I really would like to own. I am beginning the process of researching for my next purchase and now that I have dealt with Asus, I have a better idea of what I need to figure out before I make a purchase. I am looking into Acer and toshiba.
Can anyone who's owned an Acer tablet answer the following:
I have read Acer is coming out with the A700. Anyone have any thoughts on it?
Do Acer products typically have good quality? Do they last?
How is Acer's RMA process? Do they require you to pay for shipping if the problem is due to manufacturer defect?
Is Acer customer service easy to work with?
How frequent does Acer provide firmware updates?

As with all companies, the quality of the support depends entirely on which country you're in, as well as local legal requirements. Some countries have far better consumer protection than others (UK vs US, for example).
Updates are kinda hit and miss, Acer tend to lag behind some other OEM's.
I generally find build quality to be fairly good, certainly had no complaints on my two tabs.

The above post is exactly true in all ways.. Acer support in the us is outsourced. and that STINKS.. COMPUTER COMPANIES CAN LEAR FEW THINGS BY TALKING TO OR FALLOWING HP Support.. i send them a email of my issue. they call me within a few hours with a answer. I Had a issue with this notebook im typing on. It was a problem with compatibility with a win 7 update to usb. CAMERA ISSUE. A Microsoft tech called me on behalf of hp.. two days later they issued a global wide fix. apparently i was the first to have the issue . I was treated like a person with tech experience not like a dumb customer..
I TO LOVE MY A500. THERE UPDATES When we do get them seem to not break things as with other devices. And less over all issues. With that said who knows when or why they send them.. there is no logic to there update system. I Just wish they would give us the choice to unlock this device or not..
sorry for being so long winded

I found my A501 to be a near-perfect piece of hardware... My main criteria were UMTS and USB HID support, fastboot (for easy recovery if bricked) was a secondary criterion. This tab has all of these (I don't know of any others that do). Also, the device's shell is fairly robust (I have it with me at university almost every day)... The main point of criticism about the HW would be the somewhat weak WiFi antenna (though there's a good remedy for that, search the forum).
About the software... Acer tend to take their time to get things right on the first update, which means that they are somewhat slow to release updates. Then again, I'd rather have something that actually works later than something that doesn't work now...
Customer support is fairly expensive via phone (haven't tried the other options), but friendly and competent here in Germany... Way better than some others I had to deal with.

Thinking about getting TPT. Few basic questions.

Hey all,
I'm sick of waiting around for the Samsung Note 10.1" and I really want a device with great stylus support. I have owned ThinkPads in the past (when they were IBM) and from the reviews it seems like most peoples problems with this device were software, not hardware related. I've owned 3 other android devices, always rooted and loaded custom ROMs on them but I am seeing a lot less development activity and choice here. So some questions:
1) I will probably order from Amazon, 32GB w/ stylus. Not sure if it will come with ICS aka 4.0.3 aka OTA3 (I think?). If it does there is currently no way to root it correct?
2) I see there are a few rooting methods, packages, apps, etc. I am getting really confused about which ones are for which device & image (K1, TPT, ROW, JP, etc). Is there a "go to" guide for this specific device?
3) Are there any AOSP ROMs available? If not, how much junk/bloat comes with Lenovo's images?
4) I am looking to use this for business, mostly note taking and diagramming. The stylus input is the *biggest* factor for me and I want it to be smoooooooth. Am I making the right purchase?
I have experience rooting and loading custom roms via CWR on the Nexus One and SGS2-Tmo. I'm just trying to do my homework and see if this device is going to meet my needs before dropping a few hundred on it.
Thanks

I think from what you've read on the forum YOU know you are making the wrong purchase but you're sick of waiting. Then Of course by all means pls get a tpt. That impatience of yours will be tested when you have to send the tablet for a few weeks to repair the broken usb/power button/volume button. The pen is NOT smooth-it develops a mind of its own after writing for a few mins. I'm also sorry to say that development on this tablet is DEAD. There were gallant efforts by koshu and Co but lenovo has proved that they are against development of any kind. Even updates from lenovo are a pain in the backside especially if u somehow had root or Cwm recovery. It's very difficult to learn from other people's mistakes until you make yours then you'd wish you been patient and saved a few hundred dollars

darkhandsome18 said:
I think from what you've read on the forum YOU know you are making the wrong purchase but you're sick of waiting. Then Of course by all means pls get a tpt. That impatience of yours will be tested when you have to send the tablet for a few weeks to repair the broken usb/power button/volume button. The pen is NOT smooth-it develops a mind of its own after writing for a few mins. I'm also sorry to say that development on this tablet is DEAD. There were gallant efforts by koshu and Co but lenovo has proved that they are against development of any kind. Even updates from lenovo are a pain in the backside especially if u somehow had root or Cwm recovery. It's very difficult to learn from other people's mistakes until you make yours then you'd wish you been patient and saved a few hundred dollars
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I was basing my impressions of the pen from this video: http://youtu.be/prqFXRFHbPE It looks like it has some quirks but for the most part these are software issues. I know I am running a risk buying something that is already out-dated, but I feel like the device still has potential with the right software and a price tag under $400.
I appreciate both of your replies but I guess I am no closer to figuring this out and should put off my purchase for another few months to see what else is in the pipeline. I wish there was more video and coverage of the stylus input on the new windows tablets.
I have been waiting *years* for the right tablet with pen input to come along. I do not understand how people deny that a market exists for these devices. I'm not even in school anymore (been hoping for this type of device since my first year of university) but if I was, as a science major the ability to draw and sketch ideas and diagrams, not to mention annotate PDFs/reading material, and have digital copies of my textbooks... it just all seems so obvious. As a web developer I am still constantly sketching out ideas and concepts and *cannot* take notes with a keyboard. I am a visual and tactile learner and the subtle underlines and annotations of my notes make all the difference.
Ok sorry for venting. Thanks for the replies.

ac251404 said:
Hey all,
I'm sick of waiting around for the Samsung Note 10.1" and I really want a device with great stylus support. I have owned ThinkPads in the past (when they were IBM) and from the reviews it seems like most peoples problems with this device were software, not hardware related. I've owned 3 other android devices, always rooted and loaded custom ROMs on them but I am seeing a lot less development activity and choice here. So some questions:
1) I will probably order from Amazon, 32GB w/ stylus. Not sure if it will come with ICS aka 4.0.3 aka OTA3 (I think?). If it does there is currently no way to root it correct?
2) I see there are a few rooting methods, packages, apps, etc. I am getting really confused about which ones are for which device & image (K1, TPT, ROW, JP, etc). Is there a "go to" guide for this specific device?
3) Are there any AOSP ROMs available? If not, how much junk/bloat comes with Lenovo's images?
4) I am looking to use this for business, mostly note taking and diagramming. The stylus input is the *biggest* factor for me and I want it to be smoooooooth. Am I making the right purchase?
I have experience rooting and loading custom roms via CWR on the Nexus One and SGS2-Tmo. I'm just trying to do my homework and see if this device is going to meet my needs before dropping a few hundred on it.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to the TPT forums!
First of all, this tablet has a very low dev support hence you might have to wait for a long time to be able to root your device and load custom roms. As for now, there is a user who has compiled AOSP jelly bean on his TPT which is partially working. So my point is that things are happening in the dev center but at a very slow pace.
If you are buying this tablet to make diagrams and sketches then I would highly recommend it. The plus points of the TPT is that the hardware is really solid. I unfortunately dropped it a couple of times (well my friends dropped it) from a considerable height and there are no scratches or dents and the tablet works just great hence its pretty well built. Having a full sized USB is a great deal maker for me, being a university student, helps me rally data to old systems real quick.
As far as pen capabilities are concerned, there are quite a few apps that will make great use of it. Like the apps named quill,lecture notes etc will definitely be great for the device. I personally take notes on quill and i must say that the tablet lives upto my expectations. I have virtually replaced pen and paper with it. After the ICS update, the device is pretty snappy and the general UI experience has improved great folds from the honeycomb times.
I never rooted my tablet and never felt the need of doing so, cause like I said, after the ICS update the device is much faster thanks to custom launchers and disabling certain vendor apps. The main reason why i bought this tablet was to take notes and it has surpassed my expectations.
So if sketching is the main use instead of multimedia experience, then go for it. It is a practical device.
Hope that helped, let me know if i can assist you any further.
Cheers
Vito

Hey there, just a quick summary of what the different versions mean:
US,ROW,WE etc is the region of the device.
TPT is the thinkpad tablet
K1 is an entirely different Lenovo tablet, with no pen support. As far as I can tell, the two are not compatible (ROMs etc.) I'm pretty sure that K1 activity is routed here because there is no dedicated forum for it.
I hope to write a guide for the device shortly. There is not much development going on but that does not mean it is dead. Devs are working on various (very alpha) ports of CM9 and AOSP JB, and the official lenovo update is apparently very nice (including making the pen even better to use )
In terms of bloat, lenovo does add quite a few annoying apps, but luckily most can be uninstalled without root.
I bought a 32GB ROW (because I'm in canada). I have been using NVflash and am able to flash roms without the use of CWM, which could turn out to be our salvation. It looks like US tablets have NVflash disabled. I don't know if this means all ROW tablets are unlocked, but I haven't heard of anyone with an ROW tablet not having NVflash access. ( I also haven't looked very hard)
Stay tuned, I have a feeling there will some nice breakthroughs on this tablet eventually

ac251404 said:
1) I will probably order from Amazon, 32GB w/ stylus. Not sure if it will come with ICS aka 4.0.3 aka OTA3 (I think?). If it does there is currently no way to root it correct?
2) I see there are a few rooting methods, packages, apps, etc. I am getting really confused about which ones are for which device & image (K1, TPT, ROW, JP, etc). Is there a "go to" guide for this specific device?
3) Are there any AOSP ROMs available? If not, how much junk/bloat comes with Lenovo's images?
4) I am looking to use this for business, mostly note taking and diagramming. The stylus input is the *biggest* factor for me and I want it to be smoooooooth. Am I making the right purchase?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Probably you will get Honeycomb version. I do not believe there is anyone upgrading the stock. And probably no ICS loaded devices were made (seems like production stopped some time ago).
2) Hard to tell, as it is unclear which version Amazon is selling. But generally if you have some basic experience, you will make it.
3) There is no working aftermarket ROM. But after upgrade to ICS the situation is a lot better. Using alternative launcher ignoring the Lenovo SW can make the job.
4) I bought it for the same reason. More than HW you fight the SW looking for the best app to make your notes. The Lenovo SW is not usable. And every alternative I tried has some issues.
I clearly understand your dilemma. I doubt that waiting for Samy Note tablet will satisfy you, as this will be the first Samy experience with pen ... I expect a lot of problems, which Lenovo somehow solved till now with ICS release.
I was buying it as replacement for old Lenovo Windows tablet with pen. Especially in combination with OneNote it was great tool ... but it was old, heavy and broken by years of use.
After some time, I got used to this tablet, and I do not use notebook going to client. There TPT can make the job. For other more demanding work I have standard "big" PC.
Of course ... if you buy TPT you will have to accept some "features" like slow charging without full power off (and cold boot after charge), or sometimes frozen unlocking touch till you do not pull the pen of. I don't know how you, but I can live with these problems .
Generally. There is NO device with ANY operating system, which can satisfy needs of me and probably you. Having electronic alternative for paper and pen.
Anyway I'm more satisfied with current status than with lot of papers, where I usually I was not able to find the note I needed
If you need such device, go for TPT a use to live with it. Not perfect, but probably the best available.

Galaxy Note 10.1
Woohoo, the galaxy note 10.1 has been officially announced for release later this month. If you have waited this long, a couple of weeks shouldn't bee too much. As for me, I'm simply salivating at the specs - Quad core processor, wifi+3g versions, 7000mAh battery, 1200 x 800 display; weighing in at approx 600g (way lighter than the ipad). Oh and you can bet that samsung's pen will be far better than the horrific stylus on the thinkpad (just ask galaxy note users). Having had a galaxy s2/s3, I know that samsung products are extremely easy to root, mod update, etc; unlike the thinkpad where even updating is a pain. All in all, I'm elated that I can finally toss out this piece of garbage that lenovo put out. Infact, if someone offers me 100pounds for my thinkpad, I'll toss it to them with some change.
http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/ipad-and-tablets/samsung-galaxy-note-10-1-review-50007108/

how do you like it

Not very impressive resolution for the price.

Official Nook HD/ HD+ Discussion (thoughts, tweaks, and hacks)

Just wanted to know if you guys are still rooting for Barnes & Noble and it's product development efforts.
Check Engadget's hands-on videos here:
Nook HD
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/26/barnes-and-nobles-nook-hd-7-inch-android-tablet-hands-on-video
Nook HD+
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/26/barnes-and-noble-announces-nook-hd-9-inch-tablet-we-go-hands-on/
I personally thinking about getting the Nook HD which looks really great... but then again, the Nexus 7 has a front-facing camera. I'm still thinking about it.

Looks awesome, if you're a tinkerer. Assuming it's rootable and there are good ROMs for it. I don't think it's going to do so well with the average consumer though. B&N just doesn't have the clout to provide the best user experience. The price alone is pretty compelling though. Yes, having no camera is sad, how often do you really use it though? Plus the Nook has an SD Card slot which is so cherished by many.
I'm considering purchasing my first tablet, and I'm on the fence between the Nook HD+ and the Kindle Fire HD 8.9. The biggest influencing factor for me is how much/often it gets quality ROM releases, which is impossible to predict. If I knew the Nook would get good ROMs, the price would be the deciding factor. I would jump on it instantly. Right now I'm leaning toward the Nook, and hoping the ROMs will come.

The HD+ looks great! Lets hope for an unlocked bootloader. the $269 for a 16GB model makes it a winner in the 9" category.
{I do hope that they 'll make available to European buyers this time}

Pluses for me:
1) Price - both the HD and HD+
2) Relatively light weight
3) Expandable micro-SD storage
Minuses:
1) (and a big one) proprietary connector!
2) +/- locked bootloader (probably like Nook Tablet). Not impossible to work around, just harder.
Lack of front-facing camera (on the HD+ especially) is a meh for me. Would make sense if the Nooks had a built-in Skype-style app.
Just my $0.02.

New BN Tablets
A Mighty "Hooray"!!!
I actually cannot believe that my long wait for an affordable HD tablet with an 8.9 (actually 9 inch) screen is now here courtesy of BN!
Having a screen that was the size equivalent of a "trade paper (back)" has always been my goal for both reading and video purposes.
Under $300., with excellent performance stats, and with at least ICS 4.0 makes my mouth water. No camera is simply not an issue for me and with my Galaxy Nexus, tethering is a breeze for those few times when I might need cellular access.
I cannot imagine what a rooted version with JB would be like. I would want at bare minimum to have this be dual bootable, especially in light of the "potential" of the new BN video service.
Of course one needs to see some thorough reviews first but this is the first unit to meet all of my internalized criteria to move me off of my original and rooted (dual boot) NC. Hardware "dreams" can all too frequently become major disappointments!
I am currently running both 1.4.2 and CM 7.2 with both dual booted from the internal eMMc. I do almost all of my book reading with it. It is a tolerable form to use (size wise) in terms of my personal reading experience (also video). Have never liked it for magazine viewing or browsing.
9.7-10.1 have always been larger than I wanted to tote around and this new HD+ now has nailed my personal "sweetspot"!
Looking forward to seeing how it performs in the real world and how quickly it can be rooted and modified.

I was just getting ready to step up tot he table when I saw the emails today.
Now I just don't know, I think I will wait and see if it can be rooted. I use my Kindle app way too often
to not have it anymore. My rooted Nook Color will have to suffice, I'm sure that the devs will get on this one soon!
I don't want to give up my Nook Color case though! LOL

It has the same weak point as the previous Nooks (which I have been happy with for 2 years)
How hard is it to add a Microphone (for Skype, Free Phone Calls, Voice Search etc)?
That would make it perfect, without a need for another device.

traumadog said:
Minuses:
1) (and a big one) proprietary connector!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
B&N claims the proprietary connector lets the tablet charge faster, if that eases your conscience. But we all know it's just a way to get people to spend on accessories.

my only qualms is the lack of a camera....
if they are truly trying to target Amazon and try to compete they need to include a Camera on the tablet at least....not necessarily the HD but c'mon...9" tab without a camera....a lot of people won't buy it simple because of that...i'm not one of those people but it still will deter customers...
other than that...price and looks and specs are all top notch imo and if i do upgrade to a bigger tablet i will probably go with the HD+

foshoshin said:
B&N claims the proprietary connector lets the tablet charge faster, if that eases your conscience. But we all know it's just a way to get people to spend on accessories.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only positive of this one is that the previous super-duper multipin connector broke so easily that heck, I'm happy to try another type of connector if it actually might not break off after a few weeks of use.
Overall though...if the boot loader can be cracked (presuming there is one, which I suspect there will be since B&N just doesn't get they'd be a lot better off incentivizing people to buy product rather than attempting to force them to when they just don't have the inventory to compete) $299 for a 32 GB 256 DPI is somewhat ridiculous. Glad I haven't bitten on the Nexus 7, and we'll have to see how the big Kindle with the small data plan looks, but B&N may have just done it again on the performance/price point game even if this is never going to appeal to the plug it in and turn it on market.

What's a chance of this thing getting a CM10? I want a good high res 9inch android tablet with sd slot for a while now. Well I would prefer SDXC over microSD though. If this one have lock bootloader, then what can we expect? Decrapified ICS maybe?

Bluetooth?
Anyone know if any of the new Nooks have BT - seems that they will be missing a lot if they do not. Samsung, IPad, Google, etc. mostly all have Bluetooth.

docfreed said:
Anyone know if any of the new Nooks have BT - seems that they will be missing a lot if they do not. Samsung, IPad, Google, etc. mostly all have Bluetooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many sources I found are saying that they do indeed have bluetooth.

Unless you had developers mad scrambling to code up a new locked bootloader, I would assume the new nook tablet HD will come with the same bootloader as the one on the nook tablet that is already out now, which has the bootloader already cracked. If that is the case then it would be ready for customizing with a custom firmware as soon as it is released.
From the way some of the developers are working away with the cyanoboot app for the nook tablet I would assume the new nook tablet HD will come with the same bootloader, their has been lots of activity up in the nook tablet XDA forums recently with that app.
I am seriously thinking of getting the new nook tablet HD when it comes out here in a few months just for the hardware specs.
~~~~~~~~~~~
If you guys want to try to get cyanogenmod endorsed for this upcoming device I made a few threads up in the cyanogenmod forums at these links here you should start bumping. http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/59466-nook-tablet-discussion-thread/
And this thread here too. http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/59468-request-cm-10-and-cm-11-for-the-nook-tablet/
~~~~~~~~
Bumping those threads over in cyanogenmod showing some interest in getting a forum up for the nook tablet and the new nook tablet HD would help get things rolling for this new device. I feel this new nook tablet HD has lots of potential with others helping out to become the next new device to develop on, like how the nook color took off last year.

Who doesn't love car analogies?
I'm guessing u-boot (the bootloader) on the Nook HD will be locked down, just as the NT was, and that they will have made bauwks' hack impossible. I think the security tends to improve (from their point of view) with each iteration, so I assume bauwks' bootloader bug-fix will have been undone.
I happen to believe the N7 is a far, FAR superior tablet option for just about everyone. IMO, the Nook and KFire are a bit like selling you a sports car with the tires removed and brake pedal welded down and marketing it as a four seat, five-speaker CD-player (that only plays BN and Amazon CDs). And Amazon's "radio" plays ads when you turn it on.
This is the reason I've never bought (indeed, never used) a NookTablet, and have no intention of buying or using a locked KFire either. I find the artificial restriction to use the product to its full capability to be extremely condescending and cynical to the customer. And I see the locked bootloader as a major design flaw. Yes, Amazon and BN need have to have a business model to make money, and I support their right to do so. But notice that Google actually trusts its customers -- even encourages them-- to experiment and push the boundries of what they think you can do with YOUR computer that you bought with YOUR money. It's almost like Google actually believe in themselves as a company... trusting that they have a good software experience and content offerings that beat the competition. And they may be right. Because, it's funny-- with all the hackers out there, I haven't yet heard of any N7 (or any device) owner who elected to "close down" their tablets with an effort to try to run BN's or Amazon's OS so they can experience the fully-limited, tightly-controlled e-book experience.
Anyway, the above is just my opinion at the moment. Who knows, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised and the Nook HDs will be unlocked... but I doubt it.
meteorrock said:
Unless you had developers mad scrambling to code up a new locked bootloader, I would assume the new nook tablet HD will come with the same bootloader as the one on the nook tablet that is already out now, which has the bootloader already cracked. If that is the case then it would be ready for customizing with a custom firmware as soon as it is released.
From the way some of the developers are working away with the cyanoboot app for the nook tablet I would assume the new nook tablet HD will come with the same bootloader, their has been lots of activity up in the nook tablet XDA forums recently with that app.
I am seriously thinking of getting the new nook tablet HD when it comes out here in a few months just for the hardware specs.
~~~~~~~~~~~
If you guys want to try to get cyanogenmod endorsed for this upcoming device I made a few threads up in the cyanogenmod forums at these links here you should start bumping. http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/59466-nook-tablet-discussion-thread/
And this thread here too. http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/59468-request-cm-10-and-cm-11-for-the-nook-tablet/
~~~~~~~~
Bumping those threads over in cyanogenmod showing some interest in getting a forum up for the nook tablet and the new nook tablet HD would help get things rolling for this new device. I feel this new nook tablet HD has lots of potential with others helping out to become the next new device to develop on, like how the nook color took off last year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Fattire just erased all my doubts about getting the N7. My mind's made up! I'll go and get the N7!!!
Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk

fattire said:
I'm guessing u-boot (the bootloader) on the Nook HD will be locked down, just as the NT was, and that they will have made bauwks' hack impossible. I think the security tends to improve (from their point of view) with each iteration, so I assume bauwks' bootloader bug-fix will have been undone.
I happen to believe the N7 is a far, FAR superior tablet option for just about everyone. IMO, the Nook and KFire are a bit like selling you a sports car with the tires removed and brake pedal welded down and marketing it as a four seat, five-speaker CD-player (that only plays BN and Amazon CDs). And Amazon's "radio" plays ads when you turn it on.
This is the reason I've never bought (indeed, never used) a NookTablet, and have no intention of buying or using a locked KFire either. I find the artificial restriction to use the product to its full capability to be extremely condescending and cynical to the customer. And I see the locked bootloader as a major design flaw. Yes, Amazon and BN need have to have a business model to make money, and I support their right to do so. But notice that Google actually trusts its customers -- even encourages them-- to experiment and push the boundries of what they think you can do with YOUR computer that you bought with YOUR money. It's almost like Google actually believe in themselves as a company... trusting that they have a good software experience and content offerings that beat the competition. And they may be right. Because, it's funny-- with all the hackers out there, I haven't yet heard of any N7 (or any device) owner who elected to "close down" their tablets with an effort to try to run BN's or Amazon's OS so they can experience the fully-limited, tightly-controlled e-book experience.
Anyway, the above is just my opinion at the moment. Who knows, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised and the Nook HDs will be unlocked... but I doubt it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well spoken. The only thing that holds me back from getting a Nexus though is the limited storage space. But others might not be so picky on storage. I just love the additional storage space on the nook series and that they give you that microSD slot. 64 GB storage on top of the 8 GB on the nook color I have right now.
I am the kind of kid that needs at least 100 full music albums and 20 or so more movies on the go, and riding on the school bus does not supply wifi for that cloud of theirs. Yet I know I am the minority. Give me moar storage, lol. I know lots of others living in rural areas and/or traveling in parts of the world not covered by wi-fi also find that extra storage given by the included microSD card slot is a must have. And that is TONS of people.
~~~~~~~~
So nexus 7 is also trying to shut out a part of their business to others by limiting storage on their top devices, and not including an internal storage slot. I am sure they know that or they would of released a device to include more additional storage for others.
Thanks for helping develop for us in any case <fattire> I hope to see you develop on the nook tablet too. { Non cynical comment of course }
~~~~~~~~~~
You are right on that locked boot-loader, did not think of that. I am sure they will submit a patch on that locked boot-loader to defeat that hack. Such a shame. There might be some tablet being developed right now by Google that will give others the option to add storage and the newest android builds, I just do not understand why its taking so long or if they are deliberately holding back on releasing such of a device to force others into "cloud" use. I am sure it does not cost that much to implement that hardware on a device, I would buy it even at a few dollars more.

docfreed said:
Anyone know if any of the new Nooks have BT - seems that they will be missing a lot if they do not. Samsung, IPad, Google, etc. mostly all have Bluetooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it will have Bluetooth. Here is a specs list straight from B&N, LINK, section 1.2 - 1.5 is all most people will care about.

meteorrock said:
There might be some tablet being developed right now by Google that will give others the option to add storage and the newest android builds, I just do not understand why its taking so long or if they are deliberately holding back on releasing such of a device to force others into "cloud" use. I am sure it does not cost that much to implement that hardware on a device, I would buy it even at a few dollars more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe it's the 2nd one. Google purposely trying to force customer to use cloud storage. The problem here is that we also have greedy telecom on the other side that will nickle and dime your for every GB if they could and they have no incentive to improve their network capacity & coverage. We also have a weak FCC that don't do much. FCC should have done away with itself license spectrum and force the telecom to be a dumb pipe and every one just be like MVNO. That way we end up w/ more competitive market rather than oligopoly market. Sure if we have affordable unlimited LTE everywhere right now, then cloud storage make a lot of sense. And that if we aren't gonna saturate the bandwidth. Imagine even if everyone pulling movies and music over the LTE network in metropolitan area, the network would suck so hard that everyone will be pulling less than 1mbps. I don't think Google will have a new tablet anytime soon or w/ removable storage for that matter. Not until google realize that they are fighting with the wireless telecom and they have to be a telecom themself.

doubtful
meteorrock said:
Unless you had developers mad scrambling to code up a new locked bootloader, I would assume the new nook tablet HD will come with the same bootloader as the one on the nook tablet that is already out now, which has the bootloader already cracked. If that is the case then it would be ready for customizing with a custom firmware as soon as it is released.
From the way some of the developers are working away with the cyanoboot app for the nook tablet I would assume the new nook tablet HD will come with the same bootloader, their has been lots of activity up in the nook tablet XDA forums recently with that app.
I am seriously thinking of getting the new nook tablet HD when it comes out here in a few months just for the hardware specs.
~~~~~~~~~~~
If you guys want to try to get cyanogenmod endorsed for this upcoming device I made a few threads up in the cyanogenmod forums at these links here you should start bumping
~~~~~~~~
Bumping those threads over in cyanogenmod showing some interest in getting a forum up for the nook tablet and the new nook tablet HD would help get things rolling for this new device. I feel this new nook tablet HD has lots of potential with others helping out to become the next new device to develop on, like how the nook color took off last year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HIGHLY doubtful! they'll update the bootloader just like they did with the tablet, and, if you think otherwise, no offense, don't kid yourself
also... nook tablet has been out for almost a year and STILL only has nightlies (let alone a beta). again, no offense, but i'm seriously losing hope of EVER seeing a final version of cm10 (with a working 3.0 kernel (let alone bluetooth, mic, hw video accelleration) :\

Is this tablet a good Buy?

I'm debating on getting this tablet Android version or getting the Asus transformer mini(T102HA) Windows version.
Is the yoga book worth $399 or should I look into the ASUS?
As for usage I just need to be able to take notes, watch videos (YouTube, FreeflixHD,Koko time, ECT) check emails and web Browsing.
It would help to get some input from real users of the yoga book to help me narrow it down some..
Thanks in advance for your help..

That's an "apples and oranges" question, the answer to which depends how you feel about Android vs. Windows.
Speaking personally, I find the Windows tablet interface to be *horrible*; add in the much higher screen resolution on the YB, and I'll take the YB any day.
If you have to do any "real" work, however, I would prefer Windows (using the desktop interface, not the tablet interface) for the much wider range of software available and compatibility with peripherals such as printers.

Im leaning more towards an Android tablet or 2 in 1 like the the yogabook simple because I can do everything I need on a Android Device.

kratos313 said:
Im leaning more towards an Android tablet or 2 in 1 like the the yogabook simple because I can do everything I need on a Android Device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to lug around in a 14.1 inch windows 10 notebook, but it got too heavy as the day went on. (I work out in the field)
Then I moved to a windows convertible netbook, and when I got the Yoga Book android, I have sinced used it on a daily basis, as I have migrated all my reports over to Google Docs so the interface on that is the same whether I'm on a Windows device or an android device as you use a browser anyways.
For quick local documents, Office for Android does its job. Though I admit, it is a bit easier on the netbook with physical keys and the familiarity of some windows apps (like paint and paint.net for example), but the portability is more than enough to make up for it, not to mention the proper layout of apps on the tablet interface of Android as compared to the Windows one.

I just saw the Android model YB1-X90F at Walmart for $249. Almost tempted to buy a second one at that price but it may go even lower considering Lenovo didn't properly push this to market which makes consumers think it is essentially no better than most other devices. I love mine. It is a tad heavier than most tabs but the Halo keyboard once you get used to using it seals the deal imho. Really like being able to take notes and draw on it as well. I cannot play my "Shield" only games (Nvidia Lightspeed Studio stuff) on it but for me that was a small price to pay to have an Android tablet that I can keep updated without losing major features. Otherwise it is powerful and plays everything else I enjoy without a hiccup.
Personally I played with the Windows version of this tab once and felt for the price the experience was less than stellar. Admittedly I didn't fuss to long.
One item to note for both, this is another personal preference item, but I despise the glare of the screen and immediately after buying this device installed a matte finish protector, much better.

MarkAllen said:
I just saw the Android model YB1-X90F at Walmart for $249. Almost tempted to buy a second one at that price but it may go even lower considering Lenovo didn't properly push this to market which makes consumers think it is essentially no better than most other devices. I love mine. It is a tad heavier than most tabs but the Halo keyboard once you get used to using it seals the deal imho. Really like being able to take notes and draw on it as well. I cannot play my "Shield" only games (Nvidia Lightspeed Studio stuff) on it but for me that was a small price to pay to have an Android tablet that I can keep updated without losing major features. Otherwise it is powerful and plays everything else I enjoy without a hiccup.
Personally I played with the Windows version of this tab once and felt for the price the experience was less than stellar. Admittedly I didn't fuss to long.
One item to note for both, this is another personal preference item, but I despise the glare of the screen and immediately after buying this device installed a matte finish protector, much better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow that's a great price I just saw it at my local Walmart for $399 but they may have not put up the correct prices as the sticker said the Android version was $499 and the Windows was $599 but then they had a bland tag that said $399? Confused yes

I have one still - couldn't get anyone to accept it from me as a gift (Lenovo has a poor rep around here). Went back to my sammy s10.5. BUT I take the yoga with me travelling: it's light and unobtrusive, good enough screen for airport video, and the sound is expecially good. Good for notes, except be careful with the keyboard if there is any movement: easily miiss keys.

Was this pricing online or in store?
MarkAllen said:
I just saw the Android model YB1-X90F at Walmart for $249. Almost tempted to buy a second one at that price but it may go even lower considering Lenovo didn't properly push this to market which makes consumers think it is essentially no better than most other devices. I love mine. It is a tad heavier than most tabs but the Halo keyboard once you get used to using it seals the deal imho. Really like being able to take notes and draw on it as well. I cannot play my "Shield" only games (Nvidia Lightspeed Studio stuff) on it but for me that was a small price to pay to have an Android tablet that I can keep updated without losing major features. Otherwise it is powerful and plays everything else I enjoy without a hiccup.
Personally I played with the Windows version of this tab once and felt for the price the experience was less than stellar. Admittedly I didn't fuss to long.
One item to note for both, this is another personal preference item, but I despise the glare of the screen and immediately after buying this device installed a matte finish protector, much better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

05GT said:
Was this pricing online or in store?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In store is where I saw it, actual device (at least two of them still) and price. I also can look up online and plug in my local store which does show the price of $249 but online states it is out of stock.
https://www.walmart.com/store/2694/...&dept_name=Electronics&query=lenovo+yoga+book

Search here:
https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker/?sku=106607294

$249 and you are doubting? Seriously?
Don't buy it, let others enjoy it...

jamespmi said:
$249 and you are doubting? Seriously?
Don't buy it, let others enjoy it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The price is really good. Just gotta find a store in my location that has them? Too bad Best Buy doesn't have it..

IMO I would skip it. It's utility is decent but there is minimal support from Lenovo and if you run into problems, your only option is to warranty repair it or factory reset. If you can't fix it with a reset, you can't fix it. Lenovo has not provided the necessary tools to reimage the device and start fresh. Not saying it's going to happen but if it does, you're out of luck. I would get a tablet from a manufacturer that is willing to invest at least some of their resources into supporting it. The update for Nougat isn't even scheduled until AFTER Android O drops. And I'm guessing given Lenovo's attention so far, that will probably be where the updates end.

Notasaurus said:
or factory reset
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Name ONE manufacturer handling it differently... ONE

jamespmi said:
Name ONE manufacturer handling it differently... ONE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nvidia and Huawei

jamespmi said:
Name ONE manufacturer handling it differently... ONE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Off the top of my head Samsung, HTC, Google, all of them have software that allow you to re-image from a stock image. A factory reset won't fix corruption in the boot sector, or some types of malware. Right now I'm dealing with this very specific issue on mine. The latest update won't install because it failed the first time and now says there is something in the boot partition that doesn't match the old checksum. Sounds to me like it wrote the new boot and failed on the system update. But without a tool like Samsung Kies for my S7, I can't flash a clean image. Have an issue on my Pixel, phone or tablet and I can fastboot flash a nice clean image.

That's why I got the Windows Version. I don't see Android on Intel Motherboards. The hassle with a cropped Insyde Bios etc...
Notasaurus said:
something in the boot partition that doesn't match the old checksum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Write it new. Use Fastboot to rewrite the boot image...
Get one of the ROM's here in XDA, unpack it and flash each image manually so you can see if something goes wrong during the flashing...
This is are the steps I use on my Lenovo Tab. The boot image the last one to make sure none of the previous write on it...
Fastboot flash cache (cache.img)
Fastboot erase splash
Fastboot flash splash (splash.img)
Fastboot flash system (system.img)
Fastboot flash recovery (recovery.img)
Fastboot flash userdata (userdata.img)
Fastboot flash boot (boot.img)

That's the plan, and I can then understand if you have the windows version why you would recommend it. Honestly I was solidly behind even the Android version when I first got it. It's not until I ran into firmware issues that I realized how little effort Lenovo has put into support for the Android version. I have to pay $15 to Easy Firmware to get the software image. With the windows version all your updates will be handled by Microsoft and the system will be supported until it can't run the latest version of windows. And in that case I would recommend it as well.

Notasaurus said:
I have to pay $15 to Easy Firmware to get the software image
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try the ones listed in this post?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=72781619&postcount=6
I got the Windows Version mainly because as mentioned I don't see android on Intel Based Mainboards. I wanted a Wacom replacement for on the go. Networking with Android is just bull****. Yes I know there are solutions, but why the headache? I interchange data between the different Workstations to often so I avoid having all the hassle. Even tough everyone praises the Cloud, interchanging data with Windows is so much faster and comfortable... As soon as I have time I will even publish a trick how to use the Halo surface as external Wacom replacement over the network.

[/COLOR]
rabilancia said:
Search here:
https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker/?sku=106607294
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I can confirm the link. I just picked a brand new yoga book for 249 at Wal-Mart after reading your post.

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