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Well, I have all the stupid little things that are wrong with the Athena. They keyboard is often commented on, I have no idea why the Athena wasnt better...
Well, here it is, the Shangri-La (9500)
http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news_pics/14201/HTC_2.jpg
Read it and weep.
Mind you, no way im fitting a 7" lcd in my pocket! the Athena is bad enough.
is that 7" in your pocket or are you pleased to see me?
Pyrofer said:
Well, I have all the stupid little things that are wrong with the Athena. They keyboard is often commented on, I have no idea why the Athena wasnt better...
Well, here it is, the Shangri-La (9500)
http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news_pics/14201/HTC_2.jpg
Read it and weep.
Mind you, no way im fitting a 7" lcd in my pocket! the Athena is bad enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Too big, man. The Athena is significantly smaller.
it is not a PDA-Phone
it is an UMPC
7" Is just way to big
No weeping here they can keep it.
That is the HTC Shift. it has been well known for quite a while there are even much better pictures than that available. Areas of contention:
-Resolution was reported to be better specked than on your link
-Unconfirmed if it will run WM6, seems unlikely HTC would license 2 O/S for one device, ie costs to them and than users.
Looks very interesting. However, I don't find it appealing to me the same as way Athena. Portability factor is not as attractive as Athena. I prefer no keyboard (I like a tablet) and size no bigger than Athena. I like the storage capacity though. I don't know if running Vista on it would be sluggish and taxing on the battery, so let's wait and see. I wonder how easy it is for the phone to respond to incoming calls under Vista.
yea dude...thats the htc shift...that piece of crap is tooo darn big for a pocket...
Is this not like the cPC thing that flopped on a major level? With a dual boot between standard Windows and Mobile Windows?
Although, the fingerprint thing would be interesting for me with some of the software I'm using, but not for a major price increase........
Pyrofer said:
Well, I have all the stupid little things that are wrong with the Athena. They keyboard is often commented on, I have no idea why the Athena wasnt better...
Well, here it is, the Shangri-La (9500)
http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news_pics/14201/HTC_2.jpg
Read it and weep.
Mind you, no way im fitting a 7" lcd in my pocket! the Athena is bad enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who says I can't have both? I have two pockets. Just have to make one pocket bigger than the other. ;-)
I'm trying to decide if I want to order one or not. My deciding factor was the built in GPS. Since I see that the Shift may have built in GPS, it's becoming more attractive to me. Just soooo damn big. 7" screen. I have a PVR that has a 7" screen with a 100gig HD and it won't fit into my pocket. Just too big. I leave it in my back pack. I don't want to carry my back pack just because my new phone is too big. Still deciding.
Carrying the Athena? (let alone anything bigger)
With respect to size, even the Athena is plenty big. I still haven't found a solution I like for carrying it with me. If I'm wearing pants with large pockets, that sort of works except for looking kinda freakish. And it really won't fit in some pockets.
I have also tried a camera bag that clips onto my belt. That lasted about 30 minutes. Just too dang bulky. So much of the time I carry it around like a little purse, which irritates me because I'm always afraid I'll forget it. (How do women do this??)
None of the commercial cases I've looked at have seemed like they will do what I want. The best solution I saw was a metal frame that hooks on to the stock case with a belt clip that this guy posted pictures of, but he hasn't responded to my inquiries about making me one!
-> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=1311287&highlight=lasers#post1311287
So... what are the rest of you doing? Any great ideas?
wgary said:
With respect to size, even the Athena is plenty big. I still haven't found a solution I like for carrying it with me. If I'm wearing pants with large pockets, that sort of works except for looking kinda freakish. And it really won't fit in some pockets.
I have also tried a camera bag that clips onto my belt. That lasted about 30 minutes. Just too dang bulky. So much of the time I carry it around like a little purse, which irritates me because I'm always afraid I'll forget it. (How do women do this??)
None of the commercial cases I've looked at have seemed like they will do what I want. The best solution I saw was a metal frame that hooks on to the stock case with a belt clip that this guy posted pictures of, but he hasn't responded to my inquiries about making me one!
-> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=1311287&highlight=lasers#post1311287
So... what are the rest of you doing? Any great ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My sentiments exactly! I need to carry it so I can have both hands free, ALWAYS. That means a belt case. My latest addition (3rd attempt) was a nintendo DS lite case. Guess what, it doesn't fit! Maybe we could persuade that guy with the metal clip to have a go for us, and give us a quote?
Abram said:
My sentiments exactly! I need to carry it so I can have both hands free, ALWAYS. That means a belt case. My latest addition (3rd attempt) was a nintendo DS lite case. Guess what, it doesn't fit! Maybe we could persuade that guy with the metal clip to have a go for us, and give us a quote?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He hasn't responded to PMs and his email is hidden. Hopefully he'll check back some day and notice we're looking for him! For me, this might be the best approach. I really like the stock case (know I'm a minority there), but it does work for me. For example, sits flat for tabletop typing, EZ in/out of case to use it in tablet mode, keyboard pops right into place while still in the case, etc... EXCEPT for the missing belt clip.!!
I have absolutely no issue in carrying the unit around. This is what I have. I can either bring the keyboard with me or leave it behind.
http://forum.mypdacafe.com/viewtopic.php?t=14690&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=360
The device is well protected. Not a single scratch until now. The unit still look brand new.
The issue of Athena's size has been raised on many threads, and I had always said that size is a non-issue for me. I would like HTC (if they are reading this) to keep the 5 inch screen size in future models as realVGA is only meaningful on screen of this size. The question is how do we carry this? Some has said that it is only possible with a backpack, which I had disagreed.
I had distinquished betweeb devices which are travel friendly (this includes SHIFT, eee PC, etc) that cannot be with you 24/7 from those which are "body portable", meaning we can have the device on our body without feeling it. I believe that I had achieved "body portability" with Athena.
This is a photo showing how I'm doing it. I post this in order to also help people who are struggling with the size issue, and hopefully it helps us to enjoy the device as much as I do.
Cheers.
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I think you would agree that on the left photos, nobody would notice that I'm using the belt pouch. Ive shown a variety of scenarios, from very formal ones where a business suit is worn, to semi formal ones where only a business shirt is worn, to very casual ones.
When I'm at home, I sometimes don't wear a shirt. But I never take the belt pouch off even in my house. It is comfortable.
athena replaces my laptop 4 days a week
The athena fits well in my jeans or slacks. A bit heavy with the stock leather pouch and keyboard but it's fine once you get used to it. I'm a heavy user of the athena because it replaces my laptop whenever I'm in the office. The built in word and excel though bare compared to the desktop versions are in fact quite handy. I don't mind the bareness. I just transfer the files for reformatting when needed. The 5 inch screen is a sight for sore eys compared to using my atom. With real VGA at 128 dpi installed I can view my files with ease(20/20 vision).
Though battery is an issue, I just plug it whenever wifi is on and unplug it when I'm done.
The athena is a device definitely not for everyone. Just those serious enough to maximize it's power, patient and brave enough to experiment with different softwares to make it more powerful. It took me a week to find the right combination of applications to install and the system of manually installing them. I'm now reaping the benefits of all my experimentation. I now bring my laptop only if necessary which is around twice a week as opposed to 6 days a week.
Portability is not the issue. The advantages for me, outweighs the size factor.
eaglesteve said:
The issue of Athena's size has been raised on many threads, and I had always said that size is a non-issue for me. I would like HTC (if they are reading this) to keep the 5 inch screen size in future models as realVGA is only meaningful on screen of this size. The question is how do we carry this? Some has said that it is only possible with a backpack, which I had disagreed.
I had distinquished betweeb devices which are travel friendly (this includes SHIFT, eee PC, etc) that cannot be with you 24/7 from those which are "body portable", meaning we can have the device on our body without feeling it. I believe that I had achieved "body portability" with Athena.
This is a photo showing how I'm doing it. I post this in order to also help people who are struggling with the size issue, and hopefully it helps us to enjoy the device as much as I do.
Cheers.
I think you would agree that on the left photos, nobody would notice that I'm using the belt pouch. Ive shown a variety of scenarios, from very formal ones where a business suit is worn, to semi formal ones where only a business shirt is worn, to very casual ones.
When I'm at home, I sometimes don't wear a shirt. But I never take the belt pouch off even in my house. It is comfortable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This goes from the sublime to the ridiculous!
If only i had known I could have put it in a pocket all my problems would be solved ............madness!
The shirt pocket looks stuffed and stretched and on a sweaty day would be a heavy nightmare
The jacket you wouldnt see it but it would still be there weighing you down
The holster just looks gay!
Why not just get a bigger pocket for a EEE or SHIFT or a ****ing huge one for a DESKTOP
Or strap an EEE or Shift to your waist
If you dont mind the weight you coould carry a brick with you all day
Your attempts to show how portable this phone/pda is and the fact that it has a specific weight and dimensions is hilarious
For my next trick see how i turn a portable TV into a wristwatch!
You are a nutter dude.......priceless
Perhaps a few shots of you in your speedos with the Athena down the front should be next!
honestly i have to show some people at work this tomorrow
spacecat said:
This goes from the sublime to the ridiculous!
If only i had known I could have put it in a pocket all my problems would be solved ............madness!
The shirt pocket looks stuffed and stretched and on a sweaty day would be a heavy nightmare
The jacket you wouldnt see it but it would still be there weighing you down
The holster just looks gay!
Why not just get a bigger pocket for a EEE or SHIFT or a ****ing huge one for a DESKTOP
Or strap an EEE or Shift to your waist
If you dont mind the weight you coould carry a brick with you all day
Your attempts to show how portable this phone/pda is and the fact that it has a specific weight and dimensions is hilarious
For my next trick see how i turn a portable TV into a wristwatch!
You are a nutter dude.......priceless
Perhaps a few shots of you in your speedos with the Athena down the front should be next!
honestly i have to show some people at work this tomorrow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I fully expect such stupid comments to come from Spacecat. He has nothing but ****s in his brain, he talks ****s, breath ****s, eat ****s.. He made the most stupid move of changing to PC eee and seeks to assure himself that he has made the smartest move on earth by trying (very unsuccessfully)
to get people to agree with him that eee's portability is the same as Athena's. Is he going to repeat all the bull**** about why he thinks viewty and eee is the best choice in his next post once again?
newuser888 said:
I fully expect such stupid comments to come from Spacecat. He has nothing but ****s in his brain, he talks ****s, breath ****s, eat ****s.. He made the most stupid move of changing to PC eee and seeks to assure himself that he has made the smartest move on earth by trying (very unsuccessfully)
to get people to agree with him that eee's portability is the same as Athena's. Is he going to repeat all the bull**** about why he thinks viewty and eee is the best choice in his next post once again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your gay mate if you think putting an Athena in your pocket or a holster MAKES IT SMALLER or your just plain retarded.
Whats stupid about going from WM6 to FULL XP, 5 inch screen to 7 inch screen , video that works etc etc for similar portabilty and then carrying a phone that out performs your precious turd in so many areas.
The Athena has barely sold, how many people do you know who has one? apart from those here. The reason being because it is Neither ONE thing or another Its a ****ty phone and a ****ty laptop combined
Your a fanboy, and you blew your money on a poorly implemented device GET OVER IT!
spacecat said:
Your gay mate if you think putting an Athena in your pocket or a holster MAKES IT SMALLER or your just plain retarded.
Whats stupid about going from WM6 to FULL XP, 5 inch screen to 7 inch screen , video that works etc etc for similar portabilty and then carrying a phone that out performs your precious turd in so many areas.
The Athena has barely sold, how many people do you know who has one? apart from those here. The reason being because it is Neither ONE thing or another Its a ****ty phone and a ****ty laptop combined
Your a fanboy, and you blew your money on a poorly implemented device GET OVER IT!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is just getting ridiculous. I have stood largely in the background watching this develop in a number of threads. Spacecat - I have no difficulty with you being on the forum despite not being an Athena user. But I really don't see the point of wasting everybody's time with your abusive posts and and unbalanced threads - that's really not what xda-devs is about.
I know you're going to flame me for this - but that will rather prove my point, I suspect......
Here spacey kitty kitty kitty. Try this -- http://www.forum.nokia.com/
UMM! It tastes good! Why not give it a try?? Go pee on someone else's shoes for a while. I'm sure there's plenty of people Mr. Macho Man Space Kitty could call gay over on the Nokia Forum! And maybe they really are!
Seriously, to EagleSteve -- Thanks for posting the pics. I'm with you on the 5" screen. Maybe scale down the thickness (think MacBook Air) and weight, better keyboard. Then I'm 100% happy. OK, throw in a faster processor and bigger battery too. Then I'm 150% happy.
I do the pocket thing, which is OK. Haven't found a pouch that I'm really happy with that isn't too small so it's hard to retrieve it easily or else too huge so that it gets in the way. What pouch are you using? I've already bought about 8, I think.
Note that I now use the stock case w/ keyboard. I did have the holder with pocket clip which was OK except it didn't seem stable plus it kept breaking--not the best with an expensive device. Lots of times, I carry it like a planner, but I have a tendency to then walk away from it.
Maybe I'll post a picture where I am carrying it so Space Kitty can say it looks like a purse and get all hyperexcited. You know, EagleSteve, Space Kitty probably printed out your pictures and put them up on his wall. What do you think?
For the abusive *****
Hey space kitty, try to abuse someone else. We do not come here to confirm our beliefs about our athena. We come here to maximize it.
Don't flaunt what you have there. For all we know, you are the one who is gay that's the reason why you kept using that word. Hmmm... I wonder... Eow!!!
Anyway if you don't have an athena or don't appreciate the fact that we love our athena, cut yourself some slack and keep your mouth shut. Your meows are not appreciated here.
A dog might hear you and give you a nice shuddering chase.
wgary said:
Seriously, to EagleSteve -- Thanks for posting the pics. I'm with you on the 5" screen. Maybe scale down the thickness (think MacBook Air) and weight, better keyboard. Then I'm 100% happy. OK, throw in a faster processor and bigger battery too. Then I'm 150% happy.
I do the pocket thing, which is OK. Haven't found a pouch that I'm really happy with that isn't too small so it's hard to retrieve it easily or else too huge so that it gets in the way. What pouch are you using? I've already bought about 8, I think.
Note that I now use the stock case w/ keyboard. I did have the holder with pocket clip which was OK except it didn't seem stable plus it kept breaking--not the best with an expensive device. Lots of times, I carry it like a planner, but I have a tendency to then walk away from it.
Maybe I'll post a picture where I am carrying it so Space Kitty can say it looks like a purse and get all hyperexcited. You know, EagleSteve, Space Kitty probably printed out your pictures and put them up on his wall. What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm totally with you on the thickness and weight aspect. I hope future models address that. HTC, if you're reading this, please listen to the users here.
As for the pouch, I use a DIY that I made myself, but that was because I couldn't find a suitable one at that time. Now there are options. In fact, You can have it custom made for a very reasonable price of $29.95. Check my posting today under "have you tried this case" in the accessory main thread. edit: here it is: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=1838445#post1838445. Because you are the one specifying the internal dimension, I suppose your issue of finding it too tight or too bulky is not there with this product.
I had long ago learned not to take spacey kitty seriously, as he is really impossible to discuss anything with without going crazy.
As you, Yetdy, newuse888 and many others pointed out in more than one ways here as well as in other threads, we're here to share ways to better use this device, not to engage in pissing contest. I'm not a moderator, so I can't stop him from pissing around in the Athena threads. He makes a real fool of himself, but he says he is enjoying it. What can we do? Sigh...
"Concealed Weapon"
Nice pics, eaglesteve. These kind of remind me of an article I saw in Handgun Digest magazine wherein Masaad Ayoob, concealed weapons expert, showed how he could conceal at least half a dozen handguns wearing jeans and a t-shirt. In the proper hands, the Athena can be just as powerful (or dangerous!)
I don't often get sucked into flame wars, but I am also getting sick of spacecat's bs...
Let's all just leave him alone so he'll get bored and go away...
Its Ok freaks this is real entertainment value believe me!
Its like talking to scientologists!
I love how you all convince each other of some of the most dubious merits of a device which is fair enough i guess.
But trying to say its SMALL simply because you can stuff it into a SHIRT POCKET is SELF DELUSION taken to the limits.
If you think my name is stupid I guess:
EAGLEsteve
Yetdy
toyFREAK
adp
newuser888 (what happens when you are no longer a NEW user do you change your name to OLDuser999!)
Are examples of balanced grown up minds!
I am physically capable of carrying a Plasma TV .. Now if i can just balance a DVD player on my head maybe it could be used as a personal MEDIA CENTRE.
Seriously your all ****ing NUTS .. though Eagle is the head NUT!
The best thing about Eagle is that he says he is SO BUSY doing important consultancy work ..travelling everywhere and YET he still finds time to not only post every few minutes but to actually take PICTURES of himself in VARIOUS SNAZZY OUTFITS and post them here as examples of his DELUSIONS ............................utterly priceless
Guys at work are gonna piss themselves when i show them this thread... please keep up the good/MAD work
Wow, Spacecat,
I've never come across anybody as detached from reality as you are. Are you still okay? Your arguments are so absurd, childish, unreasonable, completely lacking in credibilty, and so sadly naive. How could you deny what is obviuosly the case, that Athena is really very easy to carry around? You behave almost like you're demon possessed! Go and see a shrink.
Next, you're going to add me to your long list of nuts. You better get a thick book for that. The rate you're going, everyone on the forum would have to get on your list pretty soon.
Why can't you just say, "I've made my case, and I stand by my viewpoint. I'd respect your own view.". Why do you have to spill poisons on whoever disagree with your very warped view?
We need to move on and go back to our constructive discussion instead of having you charging into the forum ****ting everywhere to everyone on anything that contradict your narrow minded opinion.
wgary said:
Haven't found a pouch that I'm really happy with that isn't too small so it's hard to retrieve it easily or else too huge so that it gets in the way. What pouch are you using? I've already bought about 8, I think.
Note that I now use the stock case w/ keyboard. I did have the holder with pocket clip which was OK except it didn't seem stable plus it kept breaking--not the best with an expensive device. Lots of times, I carry it like a planner,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi wgary,
I think your post deserves a bit more discussion.
Before Athena, I also had carried around fairly large devices in my trousers pocket. These devices include HP Jordana 680 and 690. They were a lot bigger and heavier than Athena. I did find it too heavy as it really pulled my pocket down. Fortunately, Athena is not heavy enough to cause this problem.
Then, just before Athena, I had a Mio 168 and a Nokia Phone. I also wore a belt pouch for my Mio168 since my left troubsers is used for carrrying the phone and the right pocket is for my bunch of keys.
For both belt pouch (for Mio and Athena), I was paying special attention to the ease of slipping in and out of the case one handed because I used them to play golf, when my other hand is needed to push to buggy. Therefore it is important that when you place your order you do not make it a tight fit.
When I placed my order mentioned, I've allowed for 21 mm depth, 90mm wide. This is to be used without keyboard, where the internal dimension is 89mm x16mm. If you carry keyboard and leather case, then you should measure them carefully and add about 2 or 3 mm depending on your preference.
Also, I prefer flap cover with Velcro fasterner. I also like a belt loop rather than clip. A belt loop is more hardy I feel.
I'm not into hard leather. I prefer it to be soft as it is more comfortable to my body, especially when I sit down. Another advantage of soft material is that I sometimes keep it in my pocket when the social condition call for (for example, when I want to tuck in my shirt, and I don't want to be seen having a pouch hanging on my belt).
My present DIY pouch is made of very soft bag lining of an old notebook carrying bag. I always face my screen inward so screen protection was not a worry.
8 pouch are many. You must have spent a little fortune on them. I hope your next purchase will be the right one. Cheers.
You guys should check the SKPad I just got and discuss about in the following thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=303364&page=4
at the bottom of the page. After trying MANY a case for the Athena, this is by far the best I've had, and is practically perfect.
HeartOfDarkness said:
You guys should check the SKPad I just got and discuss about in the following thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=303364&page=4
at the bottom of the page. After trying MANY a case for the Athena, this is by far the best I've had, and is practically perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks a a very snug fit. Can you slip in and out with one hand? It looks very nice.
Yep, you can, albeit with a little practice, of course (but very little ).
Very snug indeed. As I said, the Athena almost looks small inside it, lol: yesterday, I took it out at a meeting and my colleagues and I chuckled on the fact that they were surprised to see the Athena, which they think is "quite big for a phone", coming out from under my vest that way, since they hadn't had a clue I had it with me. So I guess it IS extremely discreet.
And the screen's protection's practically bulletproof (with two layers of aluminium protections).
HeartOfDarkness said:
Yep, you can, albeit with a little practice, of course (but very little ).
Very snug indeed. As I said, the Athena almost looks small inside it, lol: yesterday, I took it out at a meeting and my colleagues and I chuckled on the fact that they were surprised to see the Athena, which they think is "quite big for a phone", coming out from under my vest that way, since they hadn't had a clue I had it with me. So I guess it IS extremely discreet.
And the screen's protection's practically bulletproof (with two layers of aluminium protections).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds great!
BTW, since we're on the topic of being discreet, is wearing the bluetooth headset around the neck also concealable? Can the shirt's collar cover it without producing noise to the mic?
Yep, it is concealable, and the collar of the shirt will not cause any disturbance.
But maybe you could ask that same question in the dedicated thread (in the GENERAL accessories section, not the Athena accessories) so I can answer and elaborate on it, and have this info more centralised and readily accessible ? ;-)
Oh happy day, notice that spacecat has been banned. Take a look just below his name on all of his posts now.
Seems simple as they are almost the same we should go for cheaper one...but...
is getting Samsung really a better deal?
Your thoughts? Which hybrid with Atom is the best choice and why?
I own the Samsung 500t. What I like about it besides being $200 cheaper, is the rotation lock button, full sized USB port, and a slot to store the s-pen. What I don't like is the glossy slippery plastic back, the weak speakers, and lack of second battery in the dock.
The TF810 looks like it has better build quality with mostly aluminum and some plastic, shouldn't be slippery, I think the "Quad-Speakers" are probably going to sound better. It's got a brighter Super IPS+ screen which helps if you need to use the tablet outside. And it has a second battery in the dock. Oh and it is just better looking too.
The Atom is okay, but it's video playback kinda sucks. It seems many of these Atom tablets have various driver quirks that are still being worked out. Things just don't seem to be quite ready yet and I'm already second guessing the wisdom of spending $750 on the Samsung. So I definitely wouldn't pay $950 for the ASUS (with dock).
I'm looking at the HP Envy X2 also. HP has it on sale for $750 (not sure how long this sale will last), that includes the dock. I really like the all aluminum build and the latch mechanism doesn't stick out as much as other tablets. It's also get a second battery in the dock, but has no stylus or a Wacom digitizer (apparently uses some cheaper digitizer). And some day the keyboard isn't that good either.
Seems like all the Atom tablets have some downsides that we have to figure out which ones we can accept.
I'm also thinking about just giving up on the whole keyboard docking thing and saving some money and getting a 10 inch ASUS VivoTab Smart. At least it'll make a better tablet being lighter and easier to hold. And I can prop it up in a stand and use a bluetooth keyboard. And lastly I won't feel so bad spending so much money to be a first generation Windows 8 tablet guinea pig.
Lenovo Lynx is looking pretty good too. $600 for the tablet, $150 for the dock.
http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/tablet/ideatab/lynx-k3011/?menu-id=learn&ref-id=learn
Being a Lenovo that means the keyboard should be pretty good, and the keyboard dock has a battery. Built quality looks quite nice overall, and a textured back appears grippy and finger print resistant. It has no pen though. And what really makes me nervous is the specs say the micro SD slot supports up to 32GB. No SDXC in 2013, seriously? I'm really thinking that's got to be a mistake, but I'm not sure. It's definitely a deal breaker if it isn't a mistake.
Ravynmagi said:
I own the Samsung 500t. What I like about it besides being $200 cheaper, is the rotation lock button, full sized USB port, and a slot to store the s-pen. What I don't like is the glossy slippery plastic back, the weak speakers, and lack of second battery in the dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a true downside. I got Galaxy S3 and I have dropped it few times beacuse back has no grip at all , I suppose laptop/tablet will be less mobile than phone but still it should allow me to carry it in safety.
Ravynmagi said:
The TF810 looks like it has better build quality with mostly aluminum and some plastic, shouldn't be slippery, I think the "Quad-Speakers" are probably going to sound better. It's got a brighter Super IPS+ screen which helps if you need to use the tablet outside. And it has a second battery in the dock. Oh and it is just better looking too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thoughts exactly. So fat I have only seen 500t in reality as Vivo Tab is not in shops yet... but I just like the way it look.
One more downside of Asus in Poland is TERRIBLE warranty service. Services are being run by small companies that have agreement with Asus Poland and in most cases they blame user for everything - standard reply is "Seal was broken/tempered with - warranty void" even having pictures of it before send for repairs is not helping .
Ravynmagi said:
The Atom is okay, but it's video playback kinda sucks. It seems many of these Atom tablets have various driver quirks that are still being worked out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What exactly are your issues?
This device that I will buy has to be able to play (smoothly) most video formats, most popular being .mkv 720p.
If this has similar problems to "old" Tegra 2 devices (remeber?) than it is a BIG PROBLEM.
On the other hand I used to have old Asus 1201n netbook with dual-core Atom 300 and first gen. Nvidia Ion onboard and it played everything without an issue (12" screen with 1366x768).
So... what is going on here?
Ravynmagi said:
I'm looking at the HP Envy X2 also. HP has it on sale for $750
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Saw it... don't like it either. Had HP/Compaq in the past and always had problems with them.
Since hardware of HP and 500t is the same I would go with Samsung in this one (I guess).
Ravynmagi said:
Seems like all the Atom tablets have some downsides that we have to figure out which ones we can accept.
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More details, please
Ravynmagi said:
I'm also thinking about just giving up on the whole keyboard docking thing and saving some money and getting a 10 inch ASUS VivoTab Smart.
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I was considering it, but in my case size of screen matters . When I write texts I work with few windows an 10" is just to small .
What's the difference between the tf810 and the tf810c? Is there a tf810 with LTE or any cellular connectivity?
Also the Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device from Samsung. Avoid
If its possible, I'd say wait another season or two for more competition.
If not, go TF810.
WingCero said:
What's the difference between the tf810 and the tf810c? Is there a tf810 with LTE or any cellular connectivity?
Also the Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device from Samsung. Avoid
If its possible, I'd say wait another season or two for more competition.
If not, go TF810.
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Can't wait I am waiting last 2 year to replace iPad with something that will do what I need.
I need Windows to work, I need mobile device to work away from home during weekends ( yes I know)
And I dont want just laptop as I has to be entertainment device as well.
Why do you say: Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device...?
galtom said:
Can't wait I am waiting last 2 year to replace iPad with something that will do what I need.
I need Windows to work, I need mobile device to work away from home during weekends ( yes I know)
And I dont want just laptop as I has to be entertainment device as well.
Why do you say: Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device...?
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In terms of the Samsung device, its build quality looks to be just as bad as it's phones. Samsung laptops are probably the best in the world (Series 9) To see the ATIV coming from them is a clear sign that they didn't really put much thought into it, especially when you compare it to DELL and ASUS' hybrids.
Looks like we're in the same situation. I cannot wait either :-/
I just posted this so maybe you'll find some help alongside of me.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2093981
Thanks for link.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
I have a TF810C and it's beautiful, the battery life is quite incredible. I consider this device perfect, except for the downsides:
-Slightly visible pixels at normal viewing distance, due to lowish resolution screen
-The pen bugs out when drawing 1cm near the edges of the screen
-The pen lacks drivers, and so does not work for Photoshop or nearly anything else. It works with some Windows 8 apps and both desktop & metro OneNote. When it does work, it works really well.
-Tinny speakers that are situated at the back of the tablet. They get a little bit distorted.
-No complex gestures for the touchpad. I like to tap on the right click area instead of pressing down, but the drivers for the tablet don't allow this!
-Dodgy, dodgy chipset drivers. Expect a BSOD every 2 days, sound that completely breaks until you reboot once a day, stability problems, unresponsive touchpad when waking from sleep, etc. These can happily be fixed by installing Samsung/HP/Acer drivers.
-No ASUS support at all. Drivers are not being updated, and the website doesn't even list the device correctly.
-The CPU can't handle fast-moving 720p 10bit .mkv files in VLC Player. Media Player Classic works, but it breaks for complex subtitles. Thankfully, a kickstarter for Windows 8-style VLC Player has been funded, and may offer better performance.
...And that's pretty much it for the problems. Every last one of them.
The tablet is thin, light, shiny, has a colourful and bright display, well-balanced with the keyboard dock, brilliant in every other way.
I can definitely recommend it, and hope that ASUS will eventually get around to fixing these problems rather than making users depend on other devices' drivers.
galtom said:
What exactly are your issues?
This device that I will buy has to be able to play (smoothly) most video formats, most popular being .mkv 720p.
If this has similar problems to "old" Tegra 2 devices (remeber?) than it is a BIG PROBLEM.
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It's fortunately not as bad as the Tegra 2. I'm not sure if it's a hardware issue or maybe just a driver issue. I have trouble playing back some 1080p videos, there are noticeable frame drops. Stream HD video from Amazon Prime or YouTube gets choppy sometimes (not referring to buffering issues) as it's dropping frames. The ABC Player app in the Windows Store also drops frames. The Netflix app however seems to work flawlessly. And if I download 1080p YouTube videos and play them back with VLC that seem to work fine usually. 720p MVK files work most of the time, think I've had some higher bit rate ones that got choppy sometimes.
I have a smoother and more reliable video playback experience with my Kindle Fire HD. I'm hoping this is just a driver issue and things will get smoothed out soon.
Other driver issues...
Wireless sometimes has trouble reconnecting to an access point with bluetooth is being used. Some have also mentioned dramatic slows with wifi using bluetooth, though I haven't done any file transfers while using my bluetooth mouse yet, so haven't seen that first hand yet. If I disable the bluetooth the wireless never seems to have trouble reconnecting, only with bluetooth on.
The keyboard/trackpad don't seem to go to sleep when the tablet does. With the tablet in the keyboard dock, if I close lid this often causes the tablet to wake back up, even the screen will come back on. And it make stay on. I've also found that apps I didn't open will open up after I close the lid. I the tablet coming within close proximity of the trackpad while it's close is causing it to register clicks or interaction and wake up and run apps. I now have to manually press Fn-F5 to disable the track pad before closing the tablet lid on the keyboard. This seems to help a lot and now the tablet will go to sleep most of the time. Hopefully a driver update will make the keyboard/trackpad also sleep at some point.
However I don't think the keyboard/trackpad is the only issue preventing the tablet from going to sleep. Seems like if I have some applications running it has trouble sleeping as well. So if it doesn't sleep I may need to close some apps or go back to the Windows Start screen.
The audio is inconsistent. Sometimes the volume sounds good and sufficient and other times I have a real hard time hearing it. It's different on an app by app basis. Hopefully this can be improved through drivers.
galtom said:
More details, please
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I seem to run into big cons with each tablet I look at...
Samsung 500T, slippery back, no secondary battery.
ASUS TF810, expensive, no pen silo.
HP Envy X2, No pen, poor keyboard.
Acer W510, Too small, poor keyboard.
Lenovo Lynx, No pen, 32GB SD limitation.
Lenovo Tabet 2, No keyboard dock.
Dell Latitude 10, No keyboard dock, too small.
Pick your poison. I'd prefer a keyboard dock that converts the tablet into a clamshell laptop design (so I'm not a fan of the Surface kickstand and type cover design). 10 inch tablets mean the keyboard is going to be too cramped, so the W510 is too small (and the Dell is too if it had a keyboard).
Originally I didn't care about a pen, however after using the Samsung 510T for a while, I'm starting to realize the pen is pretty nice to have. It helps with desktop apps, such as when I want to highlight some text in the browser, which seems to be impossible to do by finger. I don't ink on my tablets, so the pen is just to make working with the desktop apps easier. And I need to be able to store the pen in the tablet otherwise it'll be hugely inconvenient. This is probably the one con I can overlook, I think I could live without the pen, it's just something I'd really like to have.
Seems like on the Lenovo Lynx has the 32GB micro SD limitation. I already own a 64GB microSD card and I got to be able to use this with my tablet. 64GB is going to already be cramped on the tablet (only about 32 to 40GB is available depending on the size of the recovery partition). I'm hoping the 32GB limit is an error in the specs list, but it's mentioned more than once in different places.
Lack of secondary battery is more an annoyance. So far I've been able to get through an entire tablet with my Samsung 500T despite not having a second battery. I'm also not using the tablet constantly all day long, but I do use if frequently through out the day. And the battery life of the Atom is already impressive. So it's disappointing there is no second battery, but it's not a deal breaker.
A slippery back on a tablet almost is a deal breaker. While I don't feel like there is any danger of dropping it, it's so huge, so it won't slip out of your hands that fast. But it does make holding it even more awkward than the weight and size already make. Fortunately this potential deal breaker issue is somewhat solved with a skin I put on the back from Decalrus. The skin is smooth, but it is still a decent improvement than the glossy plastic of the tablet. It doesn't feel slippery anymore.
At this moment I'm probably going to end up keeping my Samsung 500T. If the Lenovo Lynx supported 64GB micro SD then I'd be highly tempted to switch to that. However if the sleep issues with the Samsung keyboard keeps bothering me, it's possible I just may give up on a tablet+keyboard=laptop dream and just go with a pure 10 inch tablet without keyboard and get an ASUS ME400 (VivoTab Smart) and save myself $250. And wait for the Bay Trail tablet at the end of the year.
---------- Post added at 08:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:38 AM ----------
One positive thing about the 500T. Despite some driver issus with the wireless, it seems like Samsung has been doing a good job with driver updates. And the tablet has been quite stable. I've never had a bluescreen of death and don't need to reboot it.
Ravynmagi said:
A slippery back on a tablet almost is a deal breaker. While I don't feel like there is any danger of dropping it, it's so huge, so it won't slip out of your hands that fast. But it does make holding it even more awkward than the weight and size already make. Fortunately this potential deal breaker issue is somewhat solved with a skin I put on the back from Decalrus. The skin is smooth, but it is still a decent improvement than the glossy plastic of the tablet. It doesn't feel slippery anymore.
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It seems a couple people posted about the slippery back of the Samsung ATIV 500T. I have owned this tablet for about 3 weeks now and I have had no issues at all with the material on the back of the tablet. Honestly I dont even feel like it is slippery. Its not like my fingers glide across the back when I am gripping it. Or I have never set it on a surface and feared that it would glide to the other end and fall to the ground. Just my opinion.
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knlmwq said:
It seems a couple people posted about the slippery back of the Samsung ATIV 500T. I have owned this tablet for about 3 weeks now and I have had no issues at all with the material on the back of the tablet. Honestly I dont even feel like it is slippery. Its not like my fingers glide across the back when I am gripping it. Or I have never set it on a surface and feared that it would glide to the other end and fall to the ground. Just my opinion.
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The back is smooth glossy plastic. When your hands are perfectly dry there is no issue. Unfortunately for us humans, up to 60% of our body is water and most of us have a little bit of moisture that forms in our palms. So unless you are constantly rubbing your hands dry and wiping the back of the tablet with a cloth, it's going to get slippery for most people.
I have no fear it's going to just pop out of my hands like a wet bar of soap. But it's difficult to hold in the palm of one hand while interacting with the screen, because it keeps slipping.
This back is one of the big reasons I'm returning mine. It's just too much of a hassle.
In all those devices with 64GB SSD - how much space is left for user?
A base Win8 64-bit install will use ~15GB, counting pagefile, hiberfile, etc. (size highly variable on the amount of RAM installed, among other things). Adding things like Office and the legacy .NET frameworks will drive that up somewhat. Realistically, If there's a recovery partition (likely), it'll probably be at least 5GB and possibly as much as 15GB (if there's a ton of pre-loaded crap) but that just depends on where you get it from, and you can create external recovery media (flashdrive or similar), nuke the recovery partition, and extend the main partition into the space. Realistically, I'd say you should expect to have 30-40GB of fully usable free space - you can go higher than that, especially if you disable hibernate, but it will slow things down if the storage gets too full.
Thanks for the info - that is all I needed to know.
As far as I understand there will be no problem in moving recovery partition to USB drive/NAS disk/ or even to cloud (Skydrive) just for storage?
galtom said:
Thanks for the info - that is all I needed to know.
As far as I understand there will be no problem in moving recovery partition to USB drive/NAS disk/ or even to cloud (Skydrive) just for storage?
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You can move it to a USB flash drive, it needs about 8GB of space. I probably wouldn't put it in a cloud drive since if you actually need it it'll need to be on a USB flash drive anyway.
BTW, with my Samsung 500T, I sometimes had to reboot twice before it would recognize the USB recovery drive (USB boot is weird on this thing).
Hi Guys, I had both the Ativ 500t and now the TF810. For me the 500t seemed slower and seemed to freeze. so I returned it and last week I got the TF810 for my Bday. It is so much better quality and performance. I also had a huge problem with the keyboard disconnecting on the 500t. The keyboard is soo much better with the TF810 and the battery adds atleast an additional 8hours. All this aside I ended up winning a contest at work and will receive the surface pro when released so I will probably sell the TF810 and throw in the Keyboard for free. It turns out we just missed out on the extended return with Amazon holiday because Adorama is only 15days into the new year.
Out of the 2 the TF810 for me was the far better machine. Granted I have only used it for a week but everything from the Pen on is so much better.
Great to hear that my decision to spend more and get Tf810 was/is a good one
Before you sell the TF810, it would be interesting to observe your comparison with the Surface Pro. I have the Surface RT and love it, but I'd like to see some comparisons of the x86 options. The Surface is very tablet-y; it can be used as a laptop (I have the Touch Cover, which works but is not perfect) but even with the kickstand and all, it feels a bit more natural as a tablet. I'm worried that Surface Pro may try a little too hard to be a tablet (despite its disadvantages in weight, thickness, etc.), and end up being good at neither.
If I still have it when the Pro comes I will do the comp video. But right now it is on EBay with keyboard included for only $799 so I doubt it will last long. As it is priced to sell.
Hello all,
I wonder if I may ask your collective opinion. I've been an HTC user since the Desire and have had a One X for the last 2 years. I'm due to upgrade in a month on EE 4G in the UK and have decided to go down the Note 3 route.
I have a varied lifestyle which means I can be in a variety of quite different environments with different use profiles for my devices (how's that for jargon?).
I'm looking for some advice around the best options to protect and power my phone.
I run an industrial and agricultural engineering business, as such my working environment can change from extreme to office boardroom on a daily basis. Extreme can involve outside in the Scottish winter so cold and wet. Industrial means drop risk and impact and screen protection, scratch protection, solvent and oil protection. We also restore old land rovers so mineral oil on hands is a frequent risk as is scrabbling around on dirty garage floors. I need to protect the phone from this environment but also retain full functionality.
However, I also find myself in the corporate boardroom where I need smart and sleek and unobtrusive and don't really want an oil stained lump of rubber in the table or desk.
In addition, at home I have two young children who have sticky fingers, accident prone (I've replaced my wife's iPhone screen and case 3 times now, who help themselves to phones and tablets to play games etc. I don't mind thus too much as it keeps the little buggers off my alienware M18.
At work we frequently find ourselves in remote locations where signal can be patchy and offer away from power sources for a while so I'm also looking to iccassionally beef up the battery. The remote locations can gobble up battery with roaming increased and whilst I know you can adjust settings, it can be a pain in the butt to remember to do this.
Strikes me I need a rugged, oil proof case and screen protector with the option of an extended battery capacity both of which can be removed to return to stick when in the office/socialising etc. Something with a holster would be good as well so I can pick up without rummaging in pockets which all too often contain knives, screw drivers etc.
What would you recommend? I've seen a few different options but am getting to the confused stage!
Secondly, I've recently developed osteoarthritis in my left hand, this makes using a phone the size of a One X with one hand tricky so the Note 3 will be even more of a challenge. So annoying and painful is this I very nearly opted for an iPhone 5s and breaking my vow never to own an apple product as Jobs was the antichrst and I can't stand Apples hypocritical, smug, controlling, 'aren't we just so wacky and cool', twat, Bollox corporate image- just because it is skinny enough to be easier to hold in my left hand when used as a phone or thumb texting.
I then recalled...just a minute, these days there are a plethora of solutions for this problem, there is no need to sacrifice my deepest principles!
Now I'm not a huge fan of Bluetooth ear sets they don't sit well with helmets, goggles, spectacles etc. So I have been interested to see the Galaxy Gear watch which looks like it might be an option despite the fact that I don't necessarily want to be bothered by phone and text all the time...sales calls, the bank, irate customers etc....
Question is...is the current GG watch worth getting or am I better waiting six months for the new one? I'm not sure if the latest one is waterproof and shockproof as most reviews tend to be about its gadgetry rather than its construction as a watch.
Lastly, I do a lot of miles behind the wheel in different vehicles, from family and work cars to vans and classic cars. Is there a decent generic vehicle dock avaliable for this phone, one which can be moved between vehicles easily and which allows me to easily access the phone as well as spotify and audible. I've gone back to my Garmin sat nav as in the uk anyway, Google maps app went from brilliant to utter push about six months ago. I've list count of the cash I have wasted on various phone mounts for cars and given the huge size of the Note 3 am thinking about somthing specific.
Thanks in advance for wasting valuable time pondering the best way forward for my hectic lif. I'm determined not to trash thus phone and secondly, to actually get the best out of its productivity as I'm getting busier and busier and need to use the devices smarter, one if the reasons I don't is the environment challenges.
Cheers
Rich
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk
The smallest Ara endo is shockingly small, supposedly 100mm tall x 40mm wide. It's actually smaller than my Blackberry Pearl Flip at 101mm x 50mm. It could make a killer flip phone. Some advantages of a smart flip phone are 1) rugged, extra pocketable clamshell protection for the screen 2) better speaker and mic positioning during calls 3) if you carry a second phone for work, you may not want two 6" behemoths 4) though not well suited for games or info dense apps, the phone would still run google voice and a variety of other necessary and popular communication apps.
The concept I have in mind would model itself off of the Motorola Ming, attached below. That is, rather than having two screens, it would have one screen and the cover flip would be either entirely transparent (like the ming) or partially transparent (like various flagship quick covers that give you a small window to display info like time and caller ID--if the screen is AMOLED, this would save power). The transparent lid/speaker could hinge off the screen module itself, taking advantage of the additional stability posts on the front of the endos for strength and producing a relatively svelte device.
I'd love to convince someone to make a screen that turned the small Ara into a flip phone. I think having an actual concept drawing might help this module get made. Anything from pencil sketches to full on 3d renders would be amazing. This challenge is for someone fascinated by Ara, interested in a challenge, and willing to accept payment in gratitude and artistic credit. The completed render/drawing would be tweeted at various Ara people and any companies identified as working on modules and to blogs that have covered Ara and tweets would ID you as the artist. You could also sign the image itself and I and perhaps other crazy flip phone fans would be promoting your skills for free.
I know convincing someone to do some sketches is itself unlikely, and getting the module even more so, but android flip phones actually are popular overseas and I think there is a niche market here as well, perhaps especially for people who carry multiple phones. So I decided it is worth asking. Thank you kindly
I would note for the record, that at today's ATAP presentation at Google IO, the Ara lead showed off, among other things, the concept drawing of the flippy pad Samuel Herb did. There is some potential for recognition for interesting concepts.
You also get to see Ara make to the boot animation, although not quite to the homescreen as they'd hoped. It's an exciting geek moment.