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Hello XDA!
I managed to get my hands on a Galaxy Tab to review. I'm an avid android user and I know what I would want from a device like this. Thing is, I want to know what YOU, dear XDA members, would like to know about the device!
Kindly leave me questions that you wish to be answered in the video review of the Galaxy Tab.
The sooner I get the questions the sooner I'll be able to post up a video.
Note: Kindly note that I cannot root the device nor change the flash version of android that runs on the device.
Firmware version: P1000XXJH1
Specs of the device as per Quadrant Advanced:
Quadrant score: 1,000
CPU: 1437
MEM: 1684
I/O: 791
2D: 201
3D: 886
Linpack score: 13.877
Total memory available: 435MB of which 174 is used on fresh boot.
System information(via Quadrant Advanced).
htt p://img215.imageshack.us/i/20101005100755.jpg/
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htt p://img697.imageshack.us/i/20101005100848.jpg
htt p://img411.imageshack.us/i/20101005100911.jpg
htt p://img34.imageshack.us/i/20101005100927.jpg
(Apologies for the low quality photos)
It would be nice if you describe display quality - viewing angles, panel type (is it IPS) how it performs in sunlight. Is minimum brightness good for reading in dark conditions? Thanks!
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
vitalij said:
It would be nice if you describe display quality - viewing angles, panel type (is it IPS) how it performs in sunlight. Is minimum brightness good for reading in dark conditions? Thanks!
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
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Viewing angles are a subjective issue, personally when i pick up my mobile device and look into it, it's always straight in front of me, so that's all i want, but if you have a viewing angle of over 45 degrees like the Tab, all you get is people on the bus, train or plane looking sideways to see what you're looking at
I'm based in England at the moment, they don't have that much sunlight and even less direct sunlight
First impressions, it feels to plasticky, not like it's price suggests that it should, not as bad as an X10, but almost.
checkbox111 said:
Viewing angles are a subjective issue, personally when i pick up my mobile device and look into it, it's always straight in front of me, so that's all i want, but if you have a viewing angle of over 45 degrees like the Tab, all you get is people on the bus, train or plane looking sideways to see what you're looking at
I'm based in England at the moment, they don't have that much sunlight and even less direct sunlight
First impressions, it feels to plasticky, not like it's price suggests that it should, not as bad as an X10, but almost.
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Click to collapse
How is the call quality/ease of use.. Does the tab "feel" swift?
Hello guys,
Thanks for the initial question. I will cover this question in the video review.
I need more points of focus for the review.
MOARRRR
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
Like if you have had chance to use the ipad, maybe like how does it compare value wise? As I think how much it costs £599 is putting me off, but if it is worth it compared to other tablets then I would consider it more
Phen0m said:
How is the call quality/ease of use.. Does the tab "feel" swift?
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Click to collapse
Wouldn't know about call quality as it's only owned by an engineer that comes into our office, he doesn't have any problems as far as i've heard, but as with other threads here just don't expect it to fit into you jacket or trouser pocket, one it's to big and another it's to heavy to be comfortable.
You may have visited the dell streak forum, or heard of how fragile the dell streak lcd screen is? because of it's large size the body flexes but LCD's by their very nature cannot flex and they snap. Well just look at the size of the LCD on the Tab, and the body of the Tab is made of plastic and (not titanium as per streak) to save weight, this by it's very design will make it more suceptible to breakage, (the body will flex under pressure the LCD will not) = ££££££
sebbo90 said:
Like if you have had chance to use the ipad, maybe like how does it compare value wise? As I think how much it costs £599 is putting me off, but if it is worth it compared to other tablets then I would consider it more
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Click to collapse
Well the ipad and the Tab are two completely different entities, one is a bookreader trying to be a netbook pc, the others a smartphone with obesity problems. They shouldn't be compared IMO.
checkbox111 said:
Wouldn't know about call quality as it's only owned by an engineer that comes into our office, he doesn't have any problems as far as i've heard, but as with other threads here just don't expect it to fit into you jacket or trouser pocket, one it's to big and another it's to heavy to be comfortable.
You may have visited the dell streak forum, or heard of how fragile the dell streak lcd screen is? because of it's large size the body flexes but LCD's by their very nature cannot flex and they snap. Well just look at the size of the LCD on the Tab, and the body of the Tab is made of plastic and (not titanium as per streak) to save weight, this by it's very design will make it more suceptible to breakage, (the body will flex under pressure the LCD will not) = ££££££
Well the ipad and the Tab are two completely different entities, one is a bookreader trying to be a netbook pc, the others a smartphone with obesity problems. They shouldn't be compared IMO.
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Click to collapse
Thank you. Do you have any questions that you would like answered about the device?
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
Halulz said:
Thank you. Do you have any questions that you would like answered about the device?
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Similar to all owners i would think! why did samsung insist on utilising such a large bezel around the screen? therebye turning a 7' screen device into one more akin to a 10' without any benefits of a 10'?, and adding nothing to the looks of the device at the same time.
Well the ipad and the Tab are two completely different entities, one is a bookreader trying to be a netbook pc, the others a smartphone with obesity problems. They shouldn't be compared IMO.
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Click to collapse
Lol yeah I get the point, what I was more curious was in relation to the size, like is 7" too small to get a full web experience? Is it too big to carry round yet too small to use around the home? etc
sebbo90 said:
like is 7" too small to get a full web experience?
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Click to collapse
No, because the 5" dell streak isn't to small for that!
sebbo90 said:
Is it too big to carry round yet too small to use around the home? etc
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Click to collapse
As in other posts! you will not carry this around on your pocket, unless you want to break it! You might try a large overcoat with a very wide collar, if the pockets big enough and you want to look like the FBI everywhere you go.
https://www.urbantool.com/hq/laptop-cases/show-pocketbar
checkbox111 said:
Troll
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Click to collapse
Thanks for trolling another thread entirely off the rails.
To the OP:
A few things that I'd like to see discussed. Firstly how does it feel to type on it ? I've seen in a few first-impression pieces that it feels good (like a galaxy S in landscape) but it'd be great to get the feelings of a regular user. Also, some shots of the keyboard in action would be nice.
Secondly, can you toss some 720p video on there and show us how it looks. It never looks the same in video as in person, but it'd give us an idea of how the screen does as far as contrast and colour vibrancy is concerned.
Finally, how does the device feel to you ? Does it feel to you like you could carry it in a pocket all day ? Does it meet your expectations for speed/ease of use ?
GL with the video, hope to see it soon!
It is maybe off topic, but ... here goes :
- What release of Android is running ? Same as the one on Galaxy S device ?
- Does this android release supports multiple Exchange sync accounts (like HTC Desire & Desire Z do) ?
- Does it have 2 SIM card slots ? (saw that somewhere, don't remember ... where). If so, is it one for voice plan, second one for data plan ?
- Does it come with a USB host port (or the hw to take care of it) ?
Thanks.
Does it play 1080p files (mkv & flash) or does i only output 1080p..?
I got my hands on this last week to try out for a good half hour, and i loved it. The size was great, and great to watch movies on.
Looking forward to it. Release in Norway is 21. okt )
could it be confirmed if the Tab is going to require Kies in the same way as the Galaxy phones, e.g. for firmware updates
i assume that there will be no difference between this and their phones, but as Kies is software that i truly dislike, i am living in hope that it does not.
johnnewhouse said:
could it be confirmed if the Tab is going to require Kies in the same way as the Galaxy phones, e.g. for firmware updates
i assume that there will be no difference between this and their phones, but as Kies is software that i truly dislike, i am living in hope that it does not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is confirmed by Samsung already. In their official site, it says in the "PC connectivity" section "KIES". Sorry. I know, I hate that application with a passion myself...
If you have time, it would probably interest many people if you'd manage to try some popular apps from the market and see how they act with the increased resolution. We all probably have out own top10 lists for software, but I think browsing appbrain for most popular and trying a few of them would give people some idea how far that compatibility is.
(I, personally, would love to see how WidgetLocker, Beautiful Widgets and Launcher Pro work on that, but unfortunately at least the first two ain't free.
But more generally, how do widgets work on that screen? What I've gathered from the pictures is that the Tab has a FIVE column display (instead of the traditional 4) on the homescreen. How do widgets work with that? does a 4x4 widget scale to full size, or does it live a "column" free. Also, how many rows does the screen have?
EDIT: oookay, I don't know why these two posts became separate, this was supposed to be an edit to that earlier...
Actually thats a good idea.
I even forget that widget locket etc are even apps these days! But yes that'd be good to see if they scale up or still work properly on the big screen.
I imagine beutiful widget and switchpro you could make them bigger with launcherpro+ if they won't scale up by themselves, same with any other widgets, but it'd be good if they did it for free! However I think the 'grid' on the Tab is bigger anyway, so 4x2 widget would cover more space, but then it appears to have more rows too, so they might still appear small
Anyways, if you have any paid for apps on your main smartphone, you should be able to put the same market account on the Tab and download them again, so that's one way around paying twice just to demo them.
A few things I'd like to see:
- Spotify in action if possible.
- Proper comics and hos they scale to the screen and if it's easy or hard to read them (The Walking Dead for example.)
- A bit more on reading eBooks in different lights.
- In-depth look at the calendar and how flexible it is.
- If possible, how the accessories (like the keyboard) work.
- How it handles different resolutions of video.
Thank you for accepting suggestions!
I was beginning to get the Transformer itch earlier this week. I kept thinking about how tired I am of reading my news sites (slashdot) on an iTouch and my ever building animosity towards Apple doesn’t help either. Then I started to consider how the dock could really make this thing exactly what I need for at the motocross track. I’ll be able to log and calculate all sorts of information on my bike’s performance like I would on a netbook and also when I am kicking back in the pits I can watch movies or do various other things. Sixteen hours of battery sweetness pretty much sealed the deal. Yesterday I overnighted the Transformer and now I have about 3 hours on the thing. Since I have no tablet, android, or any smartphone experience: here are my unbiased and uneducated thoughts.
I guess it’d be best to go over the common defects that are everywhere. There is a small amount of light bleed on the bottom of the screen. It is not significant, but it is noticeable on dark screens if you look for it. The speaker imbalance is not present on this tablet. No charging issues to note, yet. Bezel width is very comfortable. It isn't small by many standards but its perfect for my grip, non interrupting of viewable screen space. I have zero issue with the plastic body. It isn't aluminum, granted, but the quality feels plenty sturdy and it bothers me none.
Keeping in mind I only have 3 hours on the Transformer so far, here are some things I really like about the Transformer. The screen image is very crisp. The IPS panel does not disappoint. The Android interface is very sleek, and very smooth, I like it a lot. The built-in GPS and ever advancing Google Maps combo is great and I know it’s going to be extremely useful for me this summer. The background shift while you scroll different screens is pretty slick, I thought. The live backgrounds are cool, I checked out a few galaxy imitating live wallpapers off the market. Touch screen responsiveness is fantastic. Web pages are rendered very crisply and are easy on the eyes even during extended paragraph read-through’s.
And for some things I’m not quite digging: Speaker quality is a definite low. In low lighting the camera pictures are not very good, and the color reproduction is a bit low-end (haven’t tried in good lighting yet). No Netflix client. Application processes seem to build up with no obvious way to end them. All the talk about trojans hitting the Android Market has me fairly reluctant on freely trying apps and games. There is plenty of room for improvement in Polaris Office and I strongly hope that comes.
With everything said so far, it is truly exceeding my expectations. It’s a breeze to work with and I believe it’s going to be fantastic for what I need it for and more. I’m absolutely sure I’m going to start using it for work as well.
I hope this quick new comer’s write up is useful to other’s that are eyeing this gem, just as I was a few days ago. I plan to get my mandatory 10 xda posts in over the next week or so, then you’ll mostly see me in the developer’s section as I begin my own rooted work. See you on the other side
Brandon
brandon... said:
I was beginning to get the Transformer itch earlier this week. I kept thinking about how tired I am of reading my news sites (slashdot) on an iTouch and my ever building animosity towards Apple doesn’t help either. Then I started to consider how the dock could really make this thing exactly what I need for at the motocross track. I’ll be able to log and calculate all sorts of information on my bike’s performance like I would on a netbook and also when I am kicking back in the pits I can watch movies or do various other things. Sixteen hours of battery sweetness pretty much sealed the deal. Yesterday I overnighted the Transformer and now I have about 3 hours on the thing. Since I have no tablet, android, or any smartphone experience: here are my unbiased and uneducated thoughts.
I guess it’d be best to go over the common defects that are everywhere. There is a small amount of light bleed on the bottom of the screen. It is not significant, but it is noticeable on dark screens if you look for it. The speaker imbalance is not present on this tablet. No charging issues to note, yet.
Keeping in mind I only have 3 hours on the Transformer so far, here are some things I really like about the Transformer. The screen image is very crisp. The IPS panel does not disappoint. The Android interface is very sleek, and very smooth, I like it a lot. The built-in GPS and ever advancing Google Maps combo is great and I know it’s going to be extremely useful for me this summer. The background shift while you scroll different screens is pretty slick, I thought. The live backgrounds are cool, I checked out a few galaxy imitating live wallpapers off the market. Touch screen responsiveness is fantastic. Web pages are rendered very crisply and are easy on the eyes even during extended paragraph read-through’s.
And for some things I’m not quite digging: Speaker quality is a definite low. In low lighting the camera pictures are not very good, and the color reproduction is a bit low-end (haven’t tried in good lighting yet). No Netflix client. Application processes seem to build up with no obvious way to end them. All the talk about trojans hitting the Android Market has me fairly reluctant on freely trying apps and games. There is plenty of room for improvement in Polaris Office and I strongly hope that comes.
With everything said so far, it is truly exceeding my expectations. It’s a breeze to work with and I believe it’s going to be fantastic for what I need it for and more. I’m absolutely sure I’m going to start using it for work as well.
I hope this quick new comer’s write up is useful to other’s that are eyeing this gem, just as I was a few days ago. I plan to get my mandatory 10 xda posts in over the next week or so, then you’ll mostly see me in the developer’s section as I begin my own rooted work. See you on the other side
Brandon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About your issues with the processes, get a task killer for it as there isn't an in built task manager into HC
Look at the reviews or get an antivirus for free apps if you're scared
(I use lookout mobile as it has an inbuilt scanner and locator if you loose the tab)
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
brandon... said:
I was beginning to get the Transformer itch earlier this week. I kept thinking about how tired I am of reading my news sites (slashdot) on an iTouch and my ever building animosity towards Apple doesn’t help either. Then I started to consider how the dock could really make this thing exactly what I need for at the motocross track. I’ll be able to log and calculate all sorts of information on my bike’s performance like I would on a netbook and also when I am kicking back in the pits I can watch movies or do various other things. Sixteen hours of battery sweetness pretty much sealed the deal. Yesterday I overnighted the Transformer and now I have about 3 hours on the thing. Since I have no tablet, android, or any smartphone experience: here are my unbiased and uneducated thoughts.
I guess it’d be best to go over the common defects that are everywhere. There is a small amount of light bleed on the bottom of the screen. It is not significant, but it is noticeable on dark screens if you look for it. The speaker imbalance is not present on this tablet. No charging issues to note, yet.
Keeping in mind I only have 3 hours on the Transformer so far, here are some things I really like about the Transformer. The screen image is very crisp. The IPS panel does not disappoint. The Android interface is very sleek, and very smooth, I like it a lot. The built-in GPS and ever advancing Google Maps combo is great and I know it’s going to be extremely useful for me this summer. The background shift while you scroll different screens is pretty slick, I thought. The live backgrounds are cool, I checked out a few galaxy imitating live wallpapers off the market. Touch screen responsiveness is fantastic. Web pages are rendered very crisply and are easy on the eyes even during extended paragraph read-through’s.
And for some things I’m not quite digging: Speaker quality is a definite low. In low lighting the camera pictures are not very good, and the color reproduction is a bit low-end (haven’t tried in good lighting yet). No Netflix client. Application processes seem to build up with no obvious way to end them. All the talk about trojans hitting the Android Market has me fairly reluctant on freely trying apps and games. There is plenty of room for improvement in Polaris Office and I strongly hope that comes.
With everything said so far, it is truly exceeding my expectations. It’s a breeze to work with and I believe it’s going to be fantastic for what I need it for and more. I’m absolutely sure I’m going to start using it for work as well.
I hope this quick new comer’s write up is useful to other’s that are eyeing this gem, just as I was a few days ago. I plan to get my mandatory 10 xda posts in over the next week or so, then you’ll mostly see me in the developer’s section as I begin my own rooted work. See you on the other side
Brandon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's definitely a sweet device. My Nook Color is in it's box awaiting it's new owner
Check out splashtop..awesome. I also like the DLNA feature. I can sit outside and connect to my Seagate network drive and watch a movie(s) I've ripped over the past year. After a long day at work, I like to wind down with some Fruit Ninja baby!
MurfsHTC said:
It's definitely a sweet device. My Nook Color is in it's box awaiting it's new owner
Check out splashtop..awesome. I also like the DLNA feature. I can sit outside and connect to my Seagate network drive and watch a movie(s) I've ripped over the past year. After a long day at work, I like to wind down with some Fruit Ninja baby!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Splashtop is sweet, thanks for the recommendation! I am interested in streaming blurays from my home server to the tablet probably downscaling a bit, there any popular methods of doing this yet? Maybe play on has something,I'll look into that
MurfsHTC said:
I can sit outside and connect to my Seagate network drive and watch a movie(s) I've ripped over the past year. After a long day at work, I like to wind down with some Fruit Ninja baby!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
So, are you playing the network drive movies via a desktop, and using the remote desktop to see the video? Or are you streaming the video files directly to your tablet? Are the video files pre-processed for a scaled down resolution?
I'm wondering because the stock video app and one I downloaded (mobo) doesn't seem to support streaming. I have ES Navigator to navigate to a windows SMB share. I can view files on the windows share, but when I try to open a video file, the tablet saids it can't stream - must download the entire file before it'll play.
Sorry to hijack the thread - but MurfsHTC commented on exactly what I wanted to be able to do.
Thanks.
coachclass said:
Hi,
So, are you playing the network drive movies via a desktop, and using the remote desktop to see the video? Or are you streaming the video files directly to your tablet? Are the video files pre-processed for a scaled down resolution?
I'm wondering because the stock video app and one I downloaded (mobo) doesn't seem to support streaming. I have ES Navigator to navigate to a windows SMB share. I can view files on the windows share, but when I try to open a video file, the tablet saids it can't stream - must download the entire file before it'll play.
Sorry to hijack the thread - but MurfsHTC commented on exactly what I wanted to be able to do.
nks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
basically I rip my dvds using ripit4me, dvd shrink & dvd decrypter. From there i combine the .vob files into one .vob and then convert them. Initially, I was using Divx and streaming thru the xbox 360. I also experimented with Sothink Converter and Handbrake. Sothink has many conversion options but I prefer handbrake. For some reason the Transformer will not load a .divx , .mp4 Itunes movie(.m4v) or .wmv file thru MyNet. it'll do .mp4 (via Handbrake). In a nutshell, I open MyNet, click on the seagate folder and it streams right to the Transformer. I did try mobo and haven't had much luck either. I use the Seagate GoFlex Net 1TB. Plug into your router, load the software and setup your user account. you can also access the drive thru a web browser. Google Chrome doesn't seem to work. Hope I didn't confuse or rattle on.
Well progress is being made on VLC for Android. That will certainly help.
droid_does said:
About your issues with the processes, get a task killer for it as there isn't an in built task manager into HC
Look at the reviews or get an antivirus for free apps if you're scared
(I use lookout mobile as it has an inbuilt scanner and locator if you loose the tab)
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is absolutely no need to get a task killer app. Let the OS manage that for you. You could even be slowing down your TF by closing apps. There are posts here (In the ultimate TF guide stickied) that detail why.
One of the best uses so far has been a rather reasonable music playback device, if you have quality headphones for it.
Enjoy the the TF Android adventure, it only gets better. Mine is three weeks old, and I have already taken the plunge and rooted, custom Rom, and overclocked mine.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Garf123 said:
There is absolutely no need to get a task killer app. Let the OS manage that for you. You could even be slowing down your TF by closing apps. There are posts here (In the ultimate TF guide stickied) that detail why.
One of the best uses so far has been a rather reasonable music playback device, if you have quality headphones for it.
Enjoy the the TF Android adventure, it only gets better. Mine is three weeks old, and I have already taken the plunge and rooted, custom Rom, and overclocked mine.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
only for the transformer I've heard
I dont' use task killers at all, but for HC I've read that you could.....just putting it out there
Brandon,
Glad to hear you're enjoying your Transformer. I know I am.
On the volume issue, there's an app: volume+ $1.44 at Amazon that made all the difference in the world after I did the 3.1 update, when it became lower.
About a week or so ago there was a thread on it, if you want to search for volume+. Seems a lot of people were pleased with it. I know I was, now I can't turn my volume all the way up.
Have fun!
sunsetbay said:
Brandon,
Glad to hear you're enjoying your Transformer. I know I am.
On the volume issue, there's an app: volume+ $1.44 at Amazon that made all the difference in the world after I did the 3.1 update, when it became lower.
About a week or so ago there was a thread on it, if you want to search for volume+. Seems a lot of people were pleased with it. I know I was, now I can't turn my volume all the way up.
Have fun!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the looking out but I am in fact having no volume issues
Also i edited the op with two more items I wanted to cover but forgot at the time: bezel width and plastic body. Word to big bird
MurfsHTC said:
It's definitely a sweet device. My Nook Color is in it's box awaiting it's new owner
Check out splashtop..awesome. I also like the DLNA feature. I can sit outside and connect to my Seagate network drive and watch a movie(s) I've ripped over the past year. After a long day at work, I like to wind down with some Fruit Ninja baby!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was going to sell my Nook Color but decided to keep it as I enjoy watching Netflix on it, there's no working Netflix app yet for the TF.
Well a few too many beers tonight at baseball practice, came home and neglected a few steps during my first venture into rooting, ha! Didn't take but 10 mins to fix, but I am now rooted and on the prime rom. Will be checking it out for the next few hours
@Geekbabe: I think I read PlayOn supports Netflix to Android now. Granted you need to run the PlayOn server on a PC on your network, but it's something.
EDIT: Now running Prime on top of the netformer kernel. So fun.
Just curious, and figured since we've obviously been deemed a niche community by Samsu--err, I mean -- the Market, we might as well get to know each other.
I had a few questions that might shed some light on topics that samsung has been less than forth-coming on. For example, sales; how many of theses are there out there? first amoled tablet; was super amoled+ display the primary driver for your purchase?
Anyway, two questions to start:
What did you get your tablet for?
What are the sales like in your region?
I'll answer first:
1). I'm an artist, and have done digital work using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Corel Painter with a wacom stylus for about a decade. I got real excited getting my first laptop because I thought it would liberate me from working inside all the time...BOY was a wrong. There was no way I could work out in daylight with any real access to a color palette. The screen was just too dim. I've waited on buying a tablet for the past three years just because I knew there would be one closer to perfect available if I just held out...--and here I am, happy as a lark with my gTab7.7 and I had no idea it would open up huge metaphysical problems in contemporary color theory!!! --feel free to ask me more about that one, I'm in WAY over my head. I'm thinking Jeans Jacque Rousseau, Benedict Spinoza, Leonardo DanVinci, David Hume and Aristotle.
Oh, and so I use this thing as a sketchpad. I'll post some for interested parties, but the forum only allows jpgs (ACK!!), so I'll up a zip file of pngs of the work I've done on this device with Autodesk Sketchbook Pro, Infinite Painter, and Adobe Photoshop Touch.
I also use this as my phone, e-reader, music device and for watching movies (duh!). Oh, and SNESOID ROCKS!!! the color from those old 16-bit games..;;
2). I've seen noone else with the gTab7.7, in the Dallas/Ft Worth area in Texas, though when I briefly had the LTE version I had to call three different stores before I found one that had them in stock. I returned it because here (in the US), the device is USD$750 off contract, and $550 with a 2yr service agreement. It was just too much, but I fell in love with it! In May, I bought a "used--in mint condition", the importer said it was a demo model, but when I got it, it had SU still installed, but didn't have root. OBVIOUSLY not a demo model.--- thanks to this forum, I returned it to stock and its running beautifully.
Anyway, I see about 100 people a day through work or more, and they all have ipads, or transformers. Not a single other person with this device.
What are sales like in the rest of the world? Is there any country where this device is more popular?
The indefinite microcosm becomes the indefinite macrocosm in a definite manner and by definite means...and vice versa.
Uses:
Phone, gps, browser, tv ( now that the Euro Championships are on i watch them via Watch ESPN app ), larger viewfinder for my Nikon DSLR with Mophoto (beats the small lcd screen on the back of the camera ) and e-reader.
I am in NJ and i dont know of anyone that has this tab (internanional 3g+wifi).
Would love to see your work,i am not a heavy photographer but i am thinking of getting Photoshop Touch but at the same what is holding me back is the lack of a usefull stylus (ala s-pen from the G Note). Amtel has a Maxstylus Mxst100 that is supposed to work with our tab, but no release date or price.
Sent from my GT-P6800 using xda premium
I keep tearing rubber styli. I've gone through 2, and spent maybe 100-200 hours drawing and sketching so far? I'm switching to the iFaraday for now. Its a capacitive stylus made out of fabric, so its washable, and it shouldn't drag across a clean surface. The rubber stylus requires a layer of fingerprints to NOT drag and stutter. VERY annoying when you're trying to cross-hatch with a 3px brush and you have to account for wobble and imprecision already... It was the screen real estate i preferred ultimately over the gNote, but boy was it a tough decision. I SO wanted the wacom digitizer to be in the gTab7.7... Do i wish I'd gotten the gNote? Sometimes. But for now, the larger viewing and operating surface was the deciding factor for me. But all three apps, Sketchbook Pro, Infinite Painter, and Photoshop Touch SUPPORT pressure sensitivity...
Here is a zip with some of what i've been doing:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B5eM4rH3azruckFYWk93VUFnOTA
--Cheers!
-----------
The indefinite microcosm becomes the indefinite macrocosm in a definite manner and by definite means...and vice versa.
got the tablet for watching tv shows/movies on the 40min commute to work, also reading comics/manga and ebooks. games are pretty good too but i already have 3ds and vita.
i live in london and i have seen no one else with it or no one i have shown the tablet to has even heard of it. Its seriously a ipad-fest here, and i want to strangle those who say "oh...so its like a small ipad!"
also its really expensive at the local shops and online in the uk, so i got mine for LOADS cheaper from a hong kong seller on ebay.
Much like adinis78 I use this as a large Screen for my Photography. I also use this as my main phone now (With a Bluetooth) and for playing games or web use.
This tablet is also a great E-book reader.
I live in the San Antonio, TX area and I only know one other person with this tablet. They have the wifi model and I am using the wifi/3g Import.
We have a lot of Ipad users here, but I have seen some Acer and Asus android users as well.
On a side note, I am trying to build a rom for this device in Linux. I am no Dev but I will give it my best shot and see if I can make something useful
FateZero said:
Much like adinis78 I use this as a large Screen for my Photography. I also use this as my main phone now (With a Bluetooth) and for playing games or web use.
This tablet is also a great E-book reader.
I live in the San Antonio, TX area and I only know one other person with this tablet. They have the wifi model and I am using the wifi/3g Import.
We have a lot of Ipad users here, but I have seen some Acer and Asus android users as well.
On a side note, I am trying to build a rom for this device in Linux. I am no Dev but I will give it my best shot and see if I can make something useful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay so, so far Texas has the highest device penetration density on the planet.... and HK wholesalers bought up a bunch from the manufacturer and is now undercutting local markets to have them imported directly from Hong Kong...
Now I am tempted to buy a batch if 10 and see what's up on ebay.....
Now a question for you photographers: HDRi viewing is INCREDIBLE due to sAMOLED contrast ratio and expanded 30% larger color gamut. Is an rgb value of 255/255/255 my whitepoint at 250 nits and screen mode set on "dynamic" and at 100% brightness? Does anyone have a calubration device or run across a sAMOLED+ icc profile?
as OP I wanna stay as OT as possible, but at the same time, I'm now getting what I was hoping for: professional people who bought these devices to check their productivity potential.
I use this beauty as a phone through BT, using it intensively for mails with its form factor, is an ideal device for me as a Sales Manager.
I live in Cairo, Egypt and this device is very popular here & getting an increasingly market share, have it for around 4 months now and have seen around 10-12 users having this tab, it is sold for around 550$ for the GT 6800 .
I use it to study, and do tests with vce mobile.
Also browse web! Using it as my primary phone till i get an infuse again!
1, Comic book reader,
2, Web, online streams,
3, Apps & games
Just love how the colours pop out when reading comics,
Only downside I get is 2 heads on my shoulders when I'm reading a comic on the tube...
acid123 said:
1, Comic book reader,
2, Web, online streams,
3, Apps & games
Just love how the colours pop out when reading comics,
Only downside I get is 2 heads on my shoulders when I'm reading a comic on the tube...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check ot some of the stuff i'm working on above--just a link to png files instead of posting a jpg inline on here, they always look horrible.. they're supposed to be viewed on our screens, full brightness in dynamic color mode.
and do you know anybody else in your area who owns one?
In order of priority:
1. Surfing the web and yotubing
2. Watching TV (I use pay-tv on it)
3. Using photoshop touch and viewing/showing off pictures
4. Games and fun apps
I live in vienna and never saw another 7.7 on the streets. Although it's easily available here and not too expensive.
Making and editing pr0n.
Its my main mobile media device.
Use it in the car to play/stream tunes, Navigation and Maps
Use it to listen to listen to music at work, web browse on my lunch.
I would consider it for phone use as well if it was possible and i woulda dumped my galaxy nexus eventually but damn Verizon nerfed phone capabilities
Sent from my SCH-I815 using xda premium
burhanistan said:
Making and editing pr0n.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol that post made my day :laugh:
Gilbot said:
Its my main mobile media device.
Use it in the car to play/stream tunes, Navigation and Maps
Use it to listen to listen to music at work, web browse on my lunch.
I would consider it for phone use as well if it was possible and i woulda dumped my galaxy nexus eventually but damn Verizon nerfed phone capabilities
Sent from my SCH-I815 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should have gotten the international version
Sent from my GT-P6800 using xda premium
adinis78 said:
Should have gotten the international version
Sent from my GT-P6800 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No way!
Verizon LTE blows At&t and T-mo speeds away and I have unlimited LTE through vzw. Not worth it. I have the ability to swap my sim from my Galaxy Nexus to the Tab if i really wanted to though I typically just tether the Tab via my Nexus.
Movies, video clips, mp3, call, sms, mms, video call, XDA-ing, share my works to my clients, web browsing, download ROM and Kernel customization, chat and facebook.
Sent from my GT-P6800 using XDA Premium HD app
Gilbot said:
No way!
Verizon LTE blows At&t and T-mo speeds away and I have unlimited LTE through vzw. Not worth it. I have the ability to swap my sim from my Galaxy Nexus to the Tab if i really wanted to though I typically just tether the Tab via my Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was saying because uou said you would consider the tab as your phone
Sent from my GT-P6800 using xda premium
For work I do fengshui with it. Of course I can't use its compass for fengshui calibration, but it can assist me in calculating fengshui and life spreads for fengshui design and fortune-telling. Also it helps keeping fengshui profiles and records for my easy reference.
It is lighter and more useful than a notebook for my work.
I'm boring and i just use it for watching tv shows/movies and reading books/manga. I guess i read a magazine on it from time to time. Engadget distro works well on it.
Mobilize Your Life with the Kreyos Meteor!
Works with iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 8
Nice watch i found it online
feature :
voice control
gesture control
flexible
Official Link
Backer List
1. DDDmp4
2. ukkopaha
If anyone does pledge and doesn't mind using my referral link, it'll be greatly appreaciated! Thanks.
http://igg.me/at/kreyos/x/3035858
I backed them amount of one Kreyos watch + two accessories + shipping to EU.
Can't wait until November
Referrals are not allowed on xda
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
updated your name
Good watch ?
I think the most intriguing feature is that it's waterproof. Not bad at all Kreyos!
I am a backer as well. Looks like a really promising device, I have high hopes for this for sure.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
I love it!
Enviado desde mi GT-I9505 usando Tapatalk 4
I'm surprised there isn't more discussion about this device. I can't wait to get my hands on mine.
Sent from my EVO using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
SecretAgentHam said:
I'm surprised there isn't more discussion about this device. I can't wait to get my hands on mine.
Sent from my EVO using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once the campaign is over, discussion stops until device is available Keep in mind, after Kreyos you had HOT watch and Omate, and new Sony SW2, Samsung Gear, etc. Too much in the news which takes attention away, and people forget about Agent and Kreyos...
Here is something Kreyos mentioned that has me a little worried:
"only one 3rd party watch app can be downloaded to the watch at one time. Whereas we have default Kreyos watch apps already built into the Meteor itself. We can hold 20 watch faces."
Not sure how many 3rd party apps there will be, but still, one seems like a big limitation.
BBowermaster said:
Here is something Kreyos mentioned that has me a little worried:
"only one 3rd party watch app can be downloaded to the watch at one time. Whereas we have default Kreyos watch apps already built into the Meteor itself. We can hold 20 watch faces."
Not sure how many 3rd party apps there will be, but still, one seems like a big limitation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's a memory limitation, hopefully they will have a way to off-load some native apps to allow more 3rd party ones. It is kind of alarming because it would be a disaster to rely purely on native apps. If I learned anything from my use of MetaWatch, if it wouldn't be for Noah/Community edition and other custom user stuff, I would probably give up on using it with "native only" support which is at a very slow pace.
Btw, I still haven't seen any indication if they are on track with shipping schedule. I know they are talking about survey letters being send out and making a really big deal out of it, and taking attention away from the main concern of shipment date.
Wearing a pebble right now... Also a backer for kreyos. Can't wait to get it
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
My main concern with the Kreyos is thickness. If I don't like it once it comes, I think I'll go for the agent watch just because it most looks like a normal watch. Unless something better comes along.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app
BBowermaster said:
My main concern with the Kreyos is thickness. If I don't like it once it comes, I think I'll go for the agent watch just because it most looks like a normal watch. Unless something better comes along.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is something I am worried about also. The pebble is pretty damn perfect in size... May change out the watchband but the kreyos just looks bulkier from teh pictures... Have to wait til november to find out.
Not officially posted, but here is their latest video:
http://vimeo.com/76443374
You can see the reduced logo compared to their previous prototype.
My fingers hurt watching that.. hopefully they're not but it looks like those really squishy buttons that take mad force to get a reaction... it's probably just the way the person is pressing them, making dramatic button presses =P
speedyink said:
My fingers hurt watching that.. hopefully they're not but it looks like those really squishy buttons that take mad force to get a reaction... it's probably just the way the person is pressing them, making dramatic button presses =P
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... or just a part of workout for your fingers since its targeted as "activity" watch. Actually, I think that was an awful video. After such a long silence they should have released a video demonstrating it's smartwatch functionality instead of handful of awful looking watchfaces and a general functionality as a smart-stopwatch. I'm not knocking Kreyos down, those guys are the real deal and ran a good crowdfunding campaign. But looking at it now after seeing what Omate and SW2 can do - it looks so bulky and limited, based on that video alone, not general description of functionality. They should have produced a better video.
They posted an update saying the buttons have been fixed since that prototype (they were testing the waterproofing) and claim that engineer's wrist/arm is unusually small. I still think its going to be bulky, but its the same thickness as the Omate. They also admitted the video sucked.
I think they are unfortunately giving in to the impatient people on their page and shot a real quick video. I hope they don't continue to 'give in' to comments on their page and do a rush job.
Hi all backers,
We received many comments and email regarding the video, so here are some FAQs regarding the video:
1) Buttons issue
This is one of early prototypes, the buttons are very tight because we are testing the waterproof solutions for the watch. We have since fixed the issue.
2) Why is the screen not clear/sharp?
If you look closely, the camera's focus isn't on the screen, therefore it might look "blur-ish" or unclear. The Kreyos Meteor uses Sharp's Memory LCD, which is one of the best LCDs that's available in the market. Pebble, Agent and Nike's GPS watch are all also using the same LCD. We will do a better job when filming the next video.
3) Size
Jason, our engineer in the video has a very small wrist. If it is worn on someone with a regular wrist size, it won't look as bulky. Another reason might be because the video is done up close to the Meteor.
4) Final Product?
NO, this is NOT the final product, we just wanted to show our backers a quick demo video of a working prototype. More videos will follow once its ready.
5) Voice, Gesture, Apps
We are working on finalizing the last few UIs and also the Kreyos App, once that's done we will post new pictures and video updates.
6) Quality & Lead Components
Even though the Meteor is assembled in China, Kreyos Meteor is built using the best components (80% imported lead components). We are very focused on building a great quality product and we are very confident that our backers will feel the same when they received the Kreyos Meteor.
We cherish all feedback and comments from all backers, but please do not include rude comments with it. Kreyos is a new startup with grand visions, your pledge gives us the opportunity in building the Meteor, rest assured it will not be taken for granted.
If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to email us at [email protected]. Once again we like to thank all backers for your support and patience.
The Kreyos Team
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wrote some remarks regarding this device in various places so ill condense them here for any users perusing the forums before making a choice.
My once sentence review: dont bother unless you want to watch video.
1. Design
Its great, though im not convinced by the buttons, both being on the back surface and being recessed - this clear design flaw is a mistake made by people who dont actually use tablets of this type, but do talk about them a lot in boardrooms. The lines and build are great, no creaks, no cracks, solid.
2. Firmware
Horrible unless youre a Prime user. The os was built for making maximum use of amazons services. As a result you get none of the nice things about android, but lots of nice pictures of your books. No wallpapers, adverts in the lockscreen (the ads cant be disabled outside the us, and the lockscreen itself cant be disabled anywhere).
No root means your browsing experience is going to be much affected by ads. For me a deal breaker. One of the few reasons to have root on a big screen tablet is getting rid of ads in your browser.
For amazon customers its a boon of course, as all their prime videos can be easily streamed on a very nice screen. But i have no need of that. Doesnt help much that prime video is not available at all outside the us, so unless your only travelling locally and watching these movies on the bus, its a waste of money.
3. Display
The display is gorgeous. Mine has excellent viewing angles, good colors and very little gradation. With the backlight at minimum, a slight shift to grey is noticeable along the portrait vertical. The backlight is weak however, partly because of the pixel density and the display technology (the crystals seem to absorb more light than usual in white mode) i find myself browsing indoors at around 65%.
The video processing is excellent, with sharp rendering of lower-than-native 1080p video playing perfectly at arms length or less. The display is one of the best ive seen. Certainly on a cheap device like this.
4. Battery
The battery life is generally good (on my wifi 8.9 device). Im getting 4 to 5 days use listening to 1 hour of podcasts, doing 1 hour of browsing (65% brightness) and 2 hours reading (20%) per day. Not bad for a large LCD display.
5. XDAness
There is currently no root method and its not likely one will come. Amazons bootloader is locked down, and at the moment of this writing there is no (realistic) way of preventing automatic updates, even with root. Device sales are low, judging by the recent price cuts and general availability, meaning that few are interested in taking up development. What happens remains to be seen, but personally im not optimistic.
Love my 8.9", it's quite responsive and functional. Have a Nexus 10 as well, which I think has a higher build quality, but the lightness of the Kindle Fire HDX is great, makes it much more comfortable for extended use.
The glossy bezel on the rear (where the speaker ports, camera, etc, reside) is my only complaint, as my fingers tend to find where the edge of the glossy bezel meets the rest of the tablet (most noticeable on the edge of the tablet just above the power button), which irks me.
The recessed buttons work fine for me, as they seem intended for someone holding the tablet for reading or watching, for which the recessed buttons are perfect.
I'm a US customer, so the Prime service is available and works great. The ability to store Prime videos offline for later viewing is nice. I also installed VUDU, Plex, Netflix, Hulu, of which I use Plex the most (esp w/ offline media sync), all work great. Excellent devices for media playback. Speakers are of surprising quality for a tablet, and have a good loudness without distortion.
I bought the 64gb variant, so it doesn't strike me as an inexpensive tablet for that reason, but still it was well worth the $$. Do wish we had root on the latest updates though. I don't care to change the interface, but I do want to get Play Store and other Google services installed (without errors) so I can make use of my standard Android application purchases...
I'm sick of Amazon-made gadgets. With absolute zero ability but only a large desire to match up Apple and to maintain a closed-eco system in an open android system. I call them crazy. Wish these things move away from any reach of sight asap. I believe they are the best company to sell a paper book and anything more to expect from them should not be deem realistic. Remember their boss is a book seller.
Kindle Fire HDX 7" Review
hewweii said:
I'm sick of Amazon-made gadgets. With absolute zero ability but only a large desire to match up Apple and to maintain a closed-eco system in an open android system. I call them crazy. Wish these things move away from any reach of sight asap. I believe they are the best company to sell a paper book and anything more to expect from them should not be deem realistic. Remember their boss is a book seller.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kindle Fire HDX is perfect for work or play, with the fastest processor on a 7" tablet, the latest graphics engine, world-class Dolby audio, and a highly portable form factor.
ali770 said:
Kindle Fire HDX is perfect for work or play, with the fastest processor on a 7" tablet, the latest graphics engine, world-class Dolby audio, and a highly portable form factor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol what are you a 1-post amazon bot? That sounds like you copied it right out of the press release...
Lol was thinking the same thing
Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk
murso74 said:
Lol was thinking the same thing
Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk[/QUOTE
Good point. The hardware is awesome. Fire os is tolerable but I want options, which we currently don't have. Someone will find a root soon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rootcid said:
Lol what are you a 1-post amazon bot? That sounds like you copied it right out of the press release...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I copied that. What's wrong here?
A1) The edge buttons necessitates some sort of trim and flimsy buttons. I have phones like that... lost the trim pieces. I rather like the idea of back buttons. They are not always convenient, but why keep back a blank slate?
A2) There are no Amazon ads in browsing... Unless you're talking about AdBlocker / AdAway? Different problem. You can load Xposed module to block ads, you know.
And yes, there is root. There's just locked bootloader, and latest firmware had not been rooted, but previous version can be flashed... If you get it to ADB. And plenty of folks have contributed to create a dual use... I run BOTH Amazon and Google Play together.
A3) Display is lovely, yes.
A4) Battery life is okay. Just remember to close the cover / shut down the screen as games can prevent the game from timing out.
A5) Don't be so pessimistic.
kschang said:
A1) The edge buttons necessitates some sort of trim and flimsy buttons. I have phones like that... lost the trim pieces. I rather like the idea of back buttons. They are not always convenient, but why keep back a blank slate?
A2) There are no Amazon ads in browsing... Unless you're talking about AdBlocker / AdAway? Different problem. You can load Xposed module to block ads, you know.
And yes, there is root. There's just locked bootloader, and latest firmware had not been rooted, but previous version can be flashed... If you get it to ADB. And plenty of folks have contributed to create a dual use... I run BOTH Amazon and Google Play together.
A3) Display is lovely, yes.
A4) Battery life is okay. Just remember to close the cover / shut down the screen as games can prevent the game from timing out.
A5) Don't be so pessimistic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Re the buttons - its just because people actually use tablets lying on tables a lot. Simply prevents the convenience of not picking it up. The unorthodox lack of a 1 min display timeout feature is also typical of boardroom discussions. Possibly in some sort of attempt at shaping content use? Or just for kicks?
Another thing thats become incredibly annoying is the lockscreen ads for mens products and other useless junk, opn a huge display i have to manually unlock. I never really noticed it till i had to reset my kidle and lose the old wallpaper add disabling by freeze of files. Its much worse than my original comments would indicate lol.
I don't know what you bought that brought ads for men's products. I only get ads about TV shows and movies.
kschang said:
I don't know what you bought that brought ads for men's products. I only get ads about TV shows and movies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the cheap wifi version abroad. I dont have a us address, so im not eligible for the free ad removal service when residing abroad.
Amusingly only us residents, are allowed to remove ads from their kindles when abroad because, of course, people who bought their kindles without a us billing address are likely to buy us products available wherever they are).
Much as i respect the kindle path, i revile the legalism. Books at market price and ads? No way to pay $20 to get rid of them? There are millions all over the world who dont want to steal. Who buy the books. Sometimes more than once because they have three or more devices. And they must open their kindles as they lie in bed... to luxurious toilet paper with their night cap? No thanks. And imagine buying one of these for your kid outside the us, where theres no targeted ads.
A while back i used the help feature and tried to get it done. There was hassle with the management. They seemed to find it amusing. They seemed very nice about it. BTW - they can see your screen, so when you type in your password using most keyboards they will know what it is. Hmm, change it afterwards.
This is why i will never buy another android kindle. Screw them for screwing with me. Ive spent thousands of dollars on amazon. My account is like 10 years old. And ill keep my books. But ill stick to the app.
rootcid said:
I got the cheap wifi version abroad. I dont have a us address, so im not eligible for the free ad removal service when residing abroad.
Amusingly only us residents, are allowed to remove ads from their kindles when abroad because, of course, people who bought their kindles without a us billing address are likely to buy us products available wherever they are).
Much as i respect the kindle path, i revile the legalism. Books at market price and ads? No way to pay $20 to get rid of them? There are millions all over the world who dont want to steal. Who buy the books. Sometimes more than once because they have three or more devices. And they must open their kindles as they lie in bed... to luxurious toilet paper with their night cap? No thanks. And imagine buying one of these for your kid outside the us, where theres no targeted ads.
A while back i used the help feature and tried to get it done. There was hassle with the management. They seemed to find it amusing. They seemed very nice about it. BTW - they can see your screen, so when you type in your password using most keyboards they will know what it is. Hmm, change it afterwards.
This is why i will never buy another android kindle. Screw them for screwing with me. Ive spent thousands of dollars on amazon. My account is like 10 years old. And ill keep my books. But ill stick to the app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know you mentioned using the help feature to try and get it done, but I remember reading someone here who posted about living outside the US and having Amazon remove the ads by just calling them up. Maybe the help feature (I'm assuming you are referring to Mayday) is more tech support whereas the ads could be considered "Sales Support"? Try giving them a call if you haven't already done so. Since you have no option to pay for the removal, they may do it just by asking. Worth a shot.
icedtrip said:
I know you mentioned using the help feature to try and get it done, but I remember reading someone here who posted about living outside the US and having Amazon remove the ads by just calling them up. Maybe the help feature (I'm assuming you are referring to Mayday) is more tech support whereas the ads could be considered "Sales Support"? Try giving them a call if you haven't already done so. Since you have no option to pay for the removal, they may do it just by asking. Worth a shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess ill give it a shot, you might be right. But i was surprised when the mayday girl seemed to have no idea why she couldnt see the option to remove them.
Well, I knew exactly what the Kindles HDX was when I bought the 64Gb 8.9" version. I also PAID to have the ads removed, because that was clearly explained on the Amazon website I ordered it from & I have no desire or need to try & rob them of the $15 dollars I agreed was okay when deciding to purchase the device.
Granted, my device is rooted with the latest 2.3.2 framework & apps from the recent OTA (sorry, not releasing anything, no time for troubleshooting or fixing any more bricks right now), but even if it was not rooted, I'd still be okay with it. I am a prime member & Amazon services is EXACTLY what I purchased the thing for.
Frankly, I am nearly 100% certain the device is rootable & while people have lost root, this can be avoided without blocking anything or without sacrificing your data or wifi connection. Why isn't it rooted? Time & numbers. There are so many devices out there & the devs like jcase & beaups are going to spend their time focusing on the devices that generate the most requests, which is clearly not the Kindle family.
As for the build, it is not perfect, but it is preferential to the Nexus 10 for me. I hated the Nexus 10, it's horrible SoC & the terrible GPU. The HDX 8.9 just runs circles around the N10. I like the button placement, which is perfect for most people that use it for reading & watching videos while traveling. I do not ever watch anything with it laying flat on a table, nor does anyone else I know. The only thing that I think was a bit under-thought was the Oragami case, which will not work for volume or power with the device raised into the viewing position, where the speakers are elevated above the case, but that is why Amazon added a volume control to the AVOD app I guess.
One thing to consider is that the era of easy root for every Android device is over. For whatever reason, carriers and manufacturers think it's in their best interest to keep things locked down. It's still possible to root almost every device, but the effort required makes only the most popular devices worthwhile.
I bought my HDX knowing it's limitations but feeling that the hardware was so desirable that it would soon be rooted, and it was. I was one who thought I had updates blocked, but got my root access removed. After a while the limitations started bothering me. So I bought a Nexus 7 to compare. The only things I can't do on the Nexus that I can on the HDX is download videos for later viewing and the Kindle Lending Library. While nice to have, these aren't deal breakers.
The HDX hardware is clearly nicer than the Nexus, the screen, the form factor, even the button placement, but the usability for me is more important. I have since gifted my HDX to someone who loves the heck out of it and uses it as Amazon intended. I keep checking in here every once and a while to see the progress, and when root is achieved and I can easily put GAPPS on, along with some other functions, I will probably buy another one.