[first post]
I have been promising my mom that if/when high-quality-but-inexpensive tablets became available, I would get her one. So the Nexus 7 breaks onto the scene and hopes are high. Right now she has a netbook hooked up to a 19" monitor, and she does Facebook, YouTube, AllRecipes, Pinterest, Google, Skype, etc. on a daily basis. The N7 will free her to do this anywhere in the house that she wants to. Eventually, I would follow her with my own purchase of a 10" tablet e.g. Asus Transformer Infinity (more ports, higher res, etc).
Suddenly it occurred to me that there was a risk to our plans: what if the small screen size and high DPI made the N7 unusable/painful for her older eyes? Is this automatically-compensated by all these sites going into some some of minimal/high-readability 'mobile' mode? Is it easy to bump up the font size? Sure, a 7" *book* is easy for her to read -- but does this mean a 7" tablet will be as well?
Thanks for any insights you can provide!
For older folks, a 10" is generally better.
It's not just legibility, but the touch areas are smaller on a 7", which means people need to be more dextrous to touch the right spot. Older people may not have that dexterity.
A 7" is better than a 10" for its portability. If we're talking older people using a tablet at home, then that advantage is irrelevant, and a 10" is better.
It depends on the person's use. If she holds it in one hand most of the time, a 7" is better. If she uses it on a supported surface (desk, lap), a 10" is better.
A 7" is best for reading, but your listed uses don't include that.
i cannot guarantee that the Nexus 7 has it But on my Galaxy Nexus under Display there is an option to change the text size. Default is normal, large is about 2.5x the size of default.
This is system wide as well and would probably really help.
Yes, the Nexus 7 has a Font Size changer in Settings > Display
Besides scaling up the fonts, the nice thing about tablets is you can always hold them closer to your face pretty easily.
Through a bit of tweaking, I think you could change the LCD Density to make the screen, basically, smaller. So, everything would appear bigger. I used to do it with my Nook Color
All Android devices have accessibility settings for vision impaired people, so the fonts can be blown up pretty big.
settings > accessibility > extra large text
Locklear308 said:
Through a bit of tweaking, I think you could change the LCD Density to make the screen, basically, smaller. So, everything would appear bigger. I used to do it with my Nook Color
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I suspect this same procedure works, but in reverse; you would increase the DPI to make android think the screen was smaller, then it would render big fonts like with the fone.
I'll hijack this thread a bit since I'm in a similar situation. My mom lays in bed on her iPhone 4 (my hand-me-down) for hours on end and has recently started complaining that it's hurting her wrist to do so. I explained that she's not holding it correctly (ending up using her whole wrist to scroll rather than just flicking finger motions) but she can't adapt. Will a 7" tablet be enough of an upgrade for her to ditch her 10" netbook entirely? Hopefully I can teach her to hold it like you would a book, rather than crush it in her hands like she does with the iPhone.
I would think it would hurt her back and not her wrist, laying on it like that...
Try any 7" tablet with an easy return policy. Barnes and Nobel may have an easy return. If she likes the Nook size, return it and order the Nexus.
Her problems are too specific to her preferences and condition for anyone to advise you; she just has to try a small tablet.
Good luck with it - a good interface to the outside world can make a huge difference to someone stuck in a bed.
B&N has their readers on display right in the store. No need to buy and return.
Hi everyone. I have been fighting with the Galaxy tab 7.7 since I got it over the issue of its design as a tablet and not a "large phone". The 7.7 screen is too small to be usable as tablet and despite all sorts of attempts to change fonts sizes etc, the reality is an endless list of the apps I use are poorly displayed n the screen with items too big or small, check boxes out of place, ridiculously small areas of the screen and other too big or everything just plainly a gigantic mess.Coming from an original Galaxy Tab 7 and now using a newer 7 Plus, both these units display every item on the screen perfectly proportioned and as it should, because they handle everything as large phone display, NOT a tablet.
How can I have the 7.7 behave the same? Originally with Honeycomb all attempts to fix the issue were a disaster and the only thing I was successful was in tweaking the DPI enough to make some items legible but not too much and then loose the bottom task bar that automatically vanishes past it gets a certain size. Now with ICS, the problems seems to be the same.. the 7.7 is still in tablet mode and not in phone mode like its 7.0 siblings.
I tried editing my build.prop, removed the lcd density line altogether, and changed:
ro.build.characteristics=tablet
to
ro.build.characteristics=phone
But still no luck. Can someone guide me to a proper and easy way to covert natively, the display of the 7.7 to phone mode like the 7.0 and 7.0/2 and Plus?
Thanks a lot in advance for the advice
There are many who would agree with you, but there doesn't seem to be a simple answer to increase the size of the fonts in a workable way. I had hoped ICS would fix this issue, but it didn't. Mind you, some people seem to like the small fonts.
But the issue is NOT one of fonts! I dont care about fonts! I care about that in many applications elements are all so displaced and badly proportional that they are unusable. Dolphin browser? Almost cant type on the address bar because of its size and menus! FoxNews? The thumbnails are so small you can hardly select the video you want to see while the rest 80% of the screen space is just white with nothing! CnetTV? Each video selection is millimeters in size while most of the screen is just a black blob of unused space. And the list of apps foes on and on. It just doesn't work and when U compare screen arrangements and filling from a galaxy tab 7, 7/2 or 7/Plus you clearly see something is terrible wrong on the 7.7. Its just disaster to use! This makes no sense.
Screenshots?
Sent from my GT-P6800 using xda premium
have you tried different browsers to view your favorite sites? and also switch between 'mobile' and 'full' site views in each browser till you find one that can be the lesser of the evils.
i believe the stock Samsung ICS browser has a 'force zoom' option for site controlled views too.... might want to try that out.
good luck...
and post your results here too.. keep us updated with your solutions.
thanks.....
VeEuzUKY said:
It just doesn't work and when U compare screen arrangements and filling from a galaxy tab 7, 7/2 or 7/Plus you clearly see something is terrible wrong on the 7.7. Its just disaster to use! This makes no sense.
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Sorry for the off-topic but I am tired of seeing the same topic and hate statement again and again. You should have seen what Honeycomb looked like on this device before buying it. I believe more people agree original GT 7 has had wrong interface, a.k.a. Big Phone. And the GT 7.7's tablet-style interface is correct for this size.
Posting numerous times how un-*****-usable and horrible and trash it is will not change this. Just stop it already or sell your tablet.
Hi,
Have you ever noticed that when you scroll for exemple internet pages there is a little deformation of the image ? Like the text were warping, and especialy in portrait mod.
Take a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4-tKflikYY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Do you know if it's hardware or software problem ?
I was wondering the same thing. It's due to how LCDs refresh, top to bottom, line by line. Given the fact that our display is so dense with pixels, and the GPU isn't extremely powerful (it's a tablet after all), this is bound to happen.
It also happens on iPads, so don't think it's exclusive to the N10.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
I noticed this too back when I had my N10. It was very pronounced when scrolling in portrait mode. I thought it was another flaw until I had to go back to the HP Touchpad (running android) and noticed it too. But it was very hard to see on the Touchpad. Like stated before, its because it is pushing all those pixels.
It's not really disturbing but, i don't know if it could ever be fixed or we just have to deal with it...
I had a little freak out about this when I first got my N10. I had it on my galaxy tab 7+ and thought it was just an issue with that tablet, turns out its the refresh point of the screen and some people are really sensitive to it.
Anyone know if phone screens refresh top to bottom in portrait mode while tab screens refresh top to bottom in landscape mode?
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
I always thought that would be part of the butter project?
Has to do with the combination of a very high resolution screen with a gpu that is not strong enough or optimized to power it. You didnt see this issue at all in the ipad 2 but did see it (albeit slightly) in the ipad 3 due to the huge increase in screen resolution from the ipad 2. The issue is also not in the ipad 4 at all, the increase in gpu performance stopped it from happening. The issue is pretty prevalent in our nexus 10s and I definitely notice it but its not as jarring after awhile.
are google going to "optimise" this then? it is rather annoying
That's pretty weird. I've been using my Nexus 10 since early December, and never saw or experienced anything like this. The youtube video also looks pretty strange to me -- I don't have any of the lag in scrolling that is apparent in that video. In the video it appears that something is really eating up cycles in either the CPU, GPU or both. My own N10 appears to be much faster -- no lag or delay like the video shows, and none of the deforming or skewing that shows on the video either.
What are you guys looking at that "deforms" when you scroll? Do you developer options enabled that might affect video performance, e.g., Transition animation scale modified, Animator duration scale, Disable HW overlays? Having trouble reconciling my own experience with the youtube video and what I'm reading in this thread. I can't duplicate any of it on my end, regardless of the website or document I'm browsing or scrolling over...
Nitemare3219 said:
I was wondering the same thing. It's due to how LCDs refresh, top to bottom, line by line. Given the fact that our display is so dense with pixels, and the GPU isn't extremely powerful (it's a tablet after all), this is bound to happen.
It also happens on iPads, so don't think it's exclusive to the N10.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Its not so much because of the GPU. Its the screen limited by the 60hz refresh rate. This can be seen on a desktop if the monitor is in portrait mode and you can find a page that with scroll @ 60fps.
Hello Note Pro users! Around February 13th, Samsung will launch a new Chromebook that appears to be the successor to our now THREE YEAR OLD TABLET!.
Some of the noteable specs that I found worthwhile.
Amoled qHD Display 3:2 Ratio
2 Type C ports.
ARM OP1 Processor,
360 degree foldlable hinge.
AFAIK, One of the first few chromebooks to allegedly support the google play store!
And of course, the MOST important thing : An s pen.
These specs are hard to find in any laptop under 500$, none of which come with a stylus with palm rejection throughout the entire OS.
You can find more information here
Personally, while the battery life on my note pro 12.2 is the best across any device I have ever used (13 hours of SOT/3 Days without charge), performance has become horrible. I can't have more than 3 apps open simultaneously, opening each of those apps takes ages compared to my OnePlus3, and the screen flickers while the cpu is under high load.
I pre-ordered my chromebook through best buy, 488$ out the door, will you be purchasing the new version? Or will you be sticking with the note pro?
Looks OK. The internal memory is listed at 32GB while my Note Pro 12.2 tablet has 64GB. I still want a tablet that looks like this cromebook and costs like this one but does MS stuff without a hiccup. I have so many work related things that only work on a PC and not doable on this tablet. Maybe someday?
treetopsranch said:
Looks OK. The internal memory is listed at 32GB while my Note Pro 12.2 tablet has 64GB. I still want a tablet that looks like this cromebook and costs like this one but does MS stuff without a hiccup. I have so many work related things that only work on a PC and not doable on this tablet. Maybe someday?
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That's the thing that upset me as well..
32GB internal, probably only 23 will be made available to end user.
Not sure about the 3:2 ratio, I like 16:9 especially for taking notes and watching media..
I think this chromebook might perform pretty well with MS/Google apps. I haven't seen a fast chromebook yet, but I hope 2017 will change that.
when I get mine I'll definitely add some comments here.
It looks nice. I've never tried a Chromebook before. It would be better if it had 64gb or more and it came in black.
I had an Acer Chromebook with the Google Play store. No touchscreen but I got it to see how using Android apps would be. It was ok. Maybe it was my specific iteration (I was using the Beta channel) but it seemed like the Android apps were sandboxed. This meant I couldn't use something like, say, Fake GPS to mock location so that I can play Pokemon Go.
If you are thinking of getting the new Samsung Chromebooks, just know that the Android experience isn't as integrated as you'd think.
No, I am not going to make this change. I have a small 4 year old laptop with an SSD that works just fine when I need a full keyboard device, and for day to day work I just use my 12 inch IPAD pro... I use my Android 12.2 now for the cases where I need to use an android application that needs to use a MicroUSB port... such as my thermal scanner or my SDRs... I had the a note 7, which I miss dearly, and the USB C interface was just not compliant with the hardware devices I mentioned before...
MrWilsonxD said:
3:2 Ratio
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Click to collapse
Absolutely bloody not.
Three reasons:
1) I use this thing for films and series 99% of the time. (I'm not bringing a 40" flatscreen on a train.) Have you tried a 16:9(default size) or 21:9(cinema release) film in a 3:2 window? Go on, try it. Let me know how much you like the big black bars on the top and bottom of your screen.
2) 80% of the world uses the A paper sizes. Not the square B sizes. A-paper is an almost exact match to 16:9. In 3:2 you have to scroll half the page.
3) All websites are designed in 16:9. NOT in 3:2. Half the website will be clipped off.
If I want something that only displays half my screen, I'll could just paste ductape onto my NotePro. Same result, hell of a lot cheaper.
Samsung is trying to be Apple again. Tsk, they still haven't learned.
ShadowLea said:
Absolutely bloody not.
Three reasons:
1) I use this thing for films and series 99% of the time. (I'm not bringing a 40" flatscreen on a train.) Have you tried a 16:9(default size) or 21:9(cinema release) film in a 3:2 window? Go on, try it. Let me know how much you like the big black bars on the top and bottom of your screen.
2) 80% of the world uses the A paper sizes. Not the square B sizes. A-paper is an almost exact match to 16:9. In 3:2 you have to scroll half the page.
3) All websites are designed in 16:9. NOT in 3:2. Half the website will be clipped off.
If I want something that only displays half my screen, I'll could just paste ductape onto my NotePro. Same result, hell of a lot cheaper.
Samsung is trying to be Apple again. Tsk, they still haven't learned.
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I see! You bring up some good points! I have, I had a Samsung 9.7 with the 4 3 ratio, and I loved the in hand feel of it. especially when I was taking notes in class. Squid has infinity zoom, so the aspect ratios for note taking don't bother me. ? (I returned the tablet because I think it had 720P resolution, that screen was awful!! I could see pixelation in pen strokes in s note!)
Movies, I'll have to get back to you on that one! I'm looking forward to seeing things on a larger oled display! I LOVE the size of our screen, but I'm not fond of the ips in this screen.
I thought most websites would simply reflow? They do this with most mobile browsers don't they?
Thanks for your response, it brought good points to light. ☺
No thanks. Look goods, but not worth the money. I think I'll stick with my Note Pro 12.2. Plus, if you try to get MS Office on that, chances are, it'll ask you for a email that has a Office365 subscriptions for it in order to use it.
Due to Samsung's abandonment of the still very capable Note 12.2 tablet they can go screw themselves, so no, I will not be buying the chrome book.
I'll take a look at it when it comes out. Right now I'm very satisfied with my Note Pro running Nougat. That operating system has improved the performance 2 fold. I do like new and shiny things, but this one will have to stand up to my Note Pro.
Chrome is one of those "Hmm... interesting.... but why?" things. Still... Hmm... Interesting.
Here's why I probably won't switch.
First, I *really* like the Note Pro 12.2. I bought mine for under 300 bucks used, and it has served me on a nearly daily basis as email reader / web reader / ebook reader (1000s of title on a handy 128g ext microsd card). Beautiful resolution. Touch screen. And Android.... which despite a few drawbacks, is also endlessly intriguing (yes I rooted my Note 12.2 and run Nougat currently). Did I mention how much I like being able to back the entire thing up in just a few minutes to my ext micro using TWRP? And battery life... even after all this time using it... is great!
Second, I'd have to find a reason to switch. And as one other commenter noted, Samsung's total abandonment of this tablet doesn't lead me to quickly invest in another tablet they make.... because won't they abandon the new one, too, if they don't like sales? If Samsung pledged to update their devices for a longer period of time, it would be more likely I'd (eventually) make the move. Instead, I'd be most likely to save up and buy a Pixel.
Third.... oh, I guess I mentioned that I really *really* like my Note Pro 12.2....
Are you kidding me? A chrome book? To replace the note pro 12.2? Are you kidding me? Did the world suddenly go insane? Did Samsung lose its mind after the last tablet that went with windows 10? And from that debacle, ...they went to chrome? I guess the cleaning dude is running that department now.
Jesus Samsung, you have truly lost your way.
NO:
I want a true tablet!
If i need that form-factor with touch and keyboard, I get a 13 inch Dell XPS ultrabook (i currently own the 15 inch XPS)
I either want a true mobile OS like Android, OR a desktop OS like windows/osx/*nix
I hate ChromeOS. and other power user hate it too, especially the modding scene
Android Apps integration is sandboxed, so forget using for example a Mock-Location android app for the whole device
4:3, are we going back in time? This is primarily a work and note-taking app: I want A4 styled sheets, and I will read Books and PDFs in A4 / A5 / A6 style to annotate them with the S-Pen, this is bull**** on 4:3 and only makes sense on 16:9 or more
The stylus doesn't come with the button on the side. Many functions lost!
Split-Screen (youtube teaching video + note taking app) is bull**** on 4:3
I received my chromebook plus Tuesday, and my goodness, it is fantastic! I like it more than the note pro in every aspect except battery life.
So here's why.
Pros:
The Display and the build quality are excellent! I really disliked watching videos on my note pro because the blacks were so washed out, while the CBP does not have as good a screen as an amoled panel on a phone, it's still much better than the note pro.
This feels like a truly premium device. The hinges are extremely sturdy, and are not easily moved by accident. The screen has a great range, bright enough that I can see it under direct sunlight and dim enough so I can read my notes from class at night without burning out my eyeballs.
Android apps are integrated very well! You can even install apks onto the chromebook Out of all the apps I use, Mobizen screen recorder was the only one that does not work. But given that the whole chromebooks having android apps is a new concept, I'm not surprised by this, I expect it will be compatible sometime in the near future. Meanwhile, I use another screen recording app.
The speakers are actually better than the note pro, which shocked me. The CBP speakers are rear facing, but still, they sound better.
The 4:3 factor? I like it, there is more room on the screen without increasing the size of the device by a large margin. The difference in the total size is hardly noticeable, but the amount of that screen that is dedicated to display is awesome. As far as signing documents are concerned, the width of documents fit the screen regardless if I am using my note pro 12.2 or CBP, but with both devices I have to scroll down to get the entirety of the document on the screen. (Assuming you are on portrait. I almost always use my tablets in landscape.)
The speed of it leaves my Note Pro in the dust. Even when my note pro is overclocked. But not only is it faster, but the CBP is also smoother and far more responsive.
I definitely consider myself a power user when it comes to phones and tablets, up until meeting the latest version of chrome os. I became a power user because I was constantly using devices that I needed or wanted to: remove bloat that carriers/manufacturers installed against my permission, squeeze out more battery life (Via xposed, root, kernels, roms etc,) and to increase system stability. But with the cbp, it's just so simple. I just don't feel the need to do any of the power use activities on it. There's no bloat that you can't uninstall [AFAIK] and performance is fantastic. It's kind of refreshing to take something out the box, use it for a few days, and be satisfied in feeling "I don't need to put cyanogenmod on this device." or "OMG. I NEEDS XPOSED RIGHT NOW!!!" Now, those feelings are dedicated to my phones. Unlike all my Samsung/ZTE/UMI/OnePlus/Nexus devices that I have owned.
The 360 degree gives you way more options of using your device than any of the cases I have tried for the note pro 12.2. It's really nice when tutoring others.
Scrolling is soooper smooth, smooth as my oneplus 3. Smoother than my i7 low end gaming laptop! >__<
Battery life is confusing. With my note pro, I would get HUGE gains when I kept my device off wi-fi all the time, only using it for tutoring others at work in math and taking notes in my math classes. The CBP almost seems invariant in battery life if I am wi-fi or off it the majority of the day. Might be because it's brand new + different operating system, only time will tell, but I'm content to get a full day of use out of a device like this before a recharge. (Especially since I can charge my phone and tablet/laptop hybrid offspring with the same charger again. )
Cons: I'm scared to death to break/drop this thing xD I believe it would survive a fall better than my note pro would, but something about the CBP just makes me afraid to drop it. I've dropped my note pro once in the year and a half of owning it, so knock on wood.
I'm worried about scuffs to the bottom of device (the keyboard) because the keyboard is essentially a stand when it's flipped into quasi-tablet mode, I think over time I might pick up a few scrapes on it. It's lipped so the keys never touch the surface you've set it on, but like I said earlier, only time will tell. (Not particularly hopeful on that)
Button doesn't work. I'm using my full size s pen with eraser (from like 2012) and I can click this thing all I want but nothing happens. Luckily, squid lets you use your finger as a tool also, so I didn't lose much functionality as far as taking notes.
Overall thoughts: For the price and experience, I would definitely suggest giving this thing a look. Our tablet cost almost twice as much at release, was a version behind in android at that, and stopped receiving updates, what, a year later? I've read chromebooks have huge support windows, five years Not even nexus devices get supported that long. Given it's a different operating system, a direct comparison cannot be made, but it's still definitely something worth taking note. The fact that I can be writing notes in math in tablet mode, flip it to type an essay, and set it upside down to watch netflix movies is fantastic.
Any other thoughts I have I will add over time, but a lot of note pro owners have upgraded to this device and have posted some rave reviews on amazon, best buy, and in the chromebook forums. I would definitely giving this device a shot!
globalsearch said:
Are you kidding me? A chrome book? To replace the note pro 12.2? Are you kidding me? Did the world suddenly go insane? Did Samsung lose its mind after the last tablet that went with windows 10? And from that debacle, ...they went to chrome? I guess the cleaning dude is running that department now.
Jesus Samsung, you have truly lost your way.
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I think you should look at some of the reviews of it! A lot of people like it. And google handles the updates from what I understand, I would love more devices with samsung hardware and google software. An s7 edge or note 7 with stock android on it [and oneplus dash charge]? Take my money!!!!
I read they are also coming out with an s3 with an s pen in a 9.7screen, that's likely going to cost north of 800 dollars. If you like touchwiz and have the money to spend on a device I would recommend taking a look at that!
Can you use s-note on the CBP? I have a lot of work notes and I have found I only really enjoy using s-note because of the templates and convert to text function. I don't really like keep at all.
I picked up my Note PRO on release day and I've loved it dearly. It's starting to show its age, now, and I'm looking for an upgrade. The problem is...There hasn't been anything release in the past three years that is BETTER! This chromebook intrigues me, but I agree with other commenters that I just want a tablet.
Probably not unless my phone breaks.
Things I hate:
1. The resolution is worse
2. The aspect ratio is bad for media
3. Doesn't have built-in LTE/GPS
globalsearch said:
Are you kidding me? A chrome book? To replace the note pro 12.2? Are you kidding me? Did the world suddenly go insane? Did Samsung lose its mind after the last tablet that went with windows 10? And from that debacle, ...they went to chrome? I guess the cleaning dude is running that department now.
Jesus Samsung, you have truly lost your way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do know that this Chromebook runs Android apps, right? Whatever the Note Pro does, this one can as well. So it's not a crazy comparison at all and it's understandable if some people consider it a successor of the Note Pro.
(I'm not saying that it is a great device, btw. And my answer to the question is: no. I'm sticking with my trusty Note Pro)