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why in the world did you buy a tablet to begin with? im sure most xda members have at least 2 computers in the home.
these tablets are kinda a useless toy more than anything LOL.
personally i have 1 main laptop, 2 extra laptops (one running linux that i have no clue about and another with no power cord and no idea if it even works (got them for free from an abandonded house) and 2 desktops and one of them is in the garage thats used mostly for resarch on vehicle repairs...this tablet is kinda just a extra toy but since these hp touchpads were 100 bucks on black friday locally i snagged 2 of them (one as a gift for the 12 year old) and one for me as it may be easier to use when working on my car instead of using a laptop which is bigger....which was really the only reason why i think i would use it...pictures and wiring diagrams and web searches related to it and at a 100 bucks for a good powerful unit it makes sense if it gets a little greasy or dirty lol.
what was your reason for getting a tablet? just another geek toy or for a real purpose. for my wife these tablets are almost useless in terms of productivity as these programs are for entertainment and games more than business at least for real estate anyways.
im just curious what the hype is over these things
Because laptops suck for mobile computing, they take forever to startup and the battery is something you always have to be conscious of. With a tablet I can have access to my calendar, the web, games, music, video, maps and pictures wherever I go.
My phone is too under powered and screen to too small for it to be much of use other than taking and placing calls.
My tablet is much more than a toy, I use it to configure routers and lookup solutions to computing issues, I have remote surveillance camera apps, remote desktop apps, FTP, email, etc...
The Touchpad is turning out to be one of the best and most practical purchases I've ever made.
joenathane said:
I have remote surveillance camera apps, remote desktop apps
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Click to collapse
got my attention on those! care to share details what you have?
I got a touchpad to replace my aging netbook. Its for use in bed while watching TV. I have a few computers too, but most of the time all I want is web browsing.
We constantly use that netbook and the battery has broken twice now, this time out of warranty. So all we want is a compact long lasting web browsing experience. I want something bigger than my phone. Enter the tablet.
Heres the long story: I had actually forgotten the Touchpad and didn't know the full specs. On Thanksgiving day I had a kindle Fire in my Amazon cart, waiting to see if by some miracle on black Friday they would discount the new device. I mentioned this to a friend, and he suggested the Touchpad. After some research I knew that's what I really wanted. I liked webOS, but not a pre, I wanted 10" screen, but not for $500, I wanted quality product, not the crap you see all over for $100. Again I was ready to pull the trigger on a touchpad at $229 on eBay. The same friend told me about a black Friday ad for a furniture store not known for electronics, touchpad for $99. So I stood in the freezing cold for hours, just to be one of the first to not get one. I managed to get one on the way home for $195. I happily paid that price. Its still cheaper than a new netbook. (I know a battery is cheaper, but I don't want to keep getting batteries)
Now its on my shelf waiting for Christmas, taunting me each day. I am thoroughly excited to give webOS another try. And the icing on the cake is CM7 or ICS or Windows 8.
Just like people use computers for different things, myself I would not bring a computer or tablet into the garage for car repairs, I can't afford to risk breaking something that costs $200. For that I have a $10 haynes manual. With my phone I could easily give up one big feature: the ability to make phone calls. I use <100 minutes a month, but I use 700+ texts, and 7GB of data. Everyone has their own usage habits. For me the touchpad looks perfect.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
tackleberry said:
got my attention on those! care to share details what you have?
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Click to collapse
Remote desktop:
2x Client
androidVNC
Splashtop
Remote camera viewing:
IP Cam viewer lite
SuperCam_Pro
tinyCam Monitor
Also I use Google Voice, so I can review my voice mails and text from my tablet.
I have an iPhone 4S, HP TouchPad, Alienware M15x laptop and a custom made desktop with watercooling and I asked myself this very same question. Then I realized that I have one for reading books and browsing the internet easily without having to really worry about battery power. My laptop is a big and bulky gaming laptop and it's just not the right thing to take everywhere I go. It has it's place but for somewhere I just want to read a book or do some light browsing/Facebook/Twitter, my tablet almost always gets priority. This might change a little when I buy a Macbook Air next year (since it's small, thin and very light) but probably not too much unless I want to do something like play an online game or do some programming.
It's kinda wierd when you say that getting 1 tablet is a useless toy when you have 3 laptops (1 main, 1 linux [that you don't know how to use], and 1 dead/powercord-less) and 2 desktops.
The one tablet will replace your 2 extra laptop + one of your other desktops (if you feel the need to have 1 dedicated laptop and desktop.
But in essence, it's simply because startup time is instantaneous. It does all the basic functions that you would do when you are outside. It lasts longer (my laptop lasts 2-4 hours depending on how much i screw with it.) and ofcourse, it's much much much smaller therefore more portable and less to set up.
I personally thought I had no use for a tablet as well, but when I finally got one, it actually allowed me to go in and out of places faster and without hassle as compared to opening up my laptop, waiting for it to start up, and after i'm done using, wait for it to shut down.
tackleberry said:
why in the world did you buy a tablet to begin with?
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Click to collapse
Bought it to play with, now that I have it my 17" laptop and my 12" netbook are hardly ever switched on. It's not something you can really understand until you try it for yourself.
L33t Masta said:
I have an iPhone 4S, HP TouchPad, Alienware M15x laptop and a custom made desktop with watercooling and I asked myself this very same question. Then I realized that I have one for reading books and browsing the internet easily without having to really worry about battery power. My laptop is a big and bulky gaming laptop and it's just not the right thing to take everywhere I go. It has it's place but for somewhere I just want to read a book or do some light browsing/Facebook/Twitter, my tablet almost always gets priority. This might change a little when I buy a Macbook Air next year (since it's small, thin and very light) but probably not too much unless I want to do something like play an online game or do some programming.
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Click to collapse
I'm in the same boat with the behemoth gaming laptop (asus g73)....it's powerful for running games and my engineering programmes but not as portable and quick to access as a tablet, especially when with the HP touchpad i can remote access the laptop ...for £115 i won't argue on it's merits
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Like others, I bought mine to (somewhat) replace my laptop. Its far ligher, smaller, gets slightly better battery life in Android and far better battery life in webOS. Its great for web surfing and email. I'm really hoping a decent office suite shows up soon, but for now Quickoffice is ok. Remote desktop sounds like it would be great but I can never get them configured right so they've always been unusable sluggish for me.
Paired with a bluetooth keyboard and the right software, a tablet can be an amazing productivity device.
I also got the Touchpad to replace my laptop for books and internet. My experience is like others, the battery life and small size (relatively) are what got me. It also works well for the kids when we go on trips. It is much easier to get out the TP than the laptop in the car. I am completely satisfied with my purchases.
On top of just liking tablets, I keep vpn and RDP clients on it so I always have access to my servers at work, as well as the security cameras there.
Also, it's funny you say all tabs are useless, and then name all these useless PC's around your house, lol.
Sent from my Touchpad using Tapatalk
I got my tab to replace my dying laptop, temporarily. I picked up a TouchPad partly because of price, and partly to try webOS. My plan was, and still is, to get an ultrabook next year and the TP is doing a great job bridging the gap I needed.
Depending on how well linux will run natively on one, I may not need to get a laptop at all.
Sent from my very "non-stock" TP.
Media, annoying bringing my laptop to work sometimes.
Sent from my HP Touchpad using xda premium
I just wanted to be cool
Seriously though, I always wanted a more portable laptop (ie. a touchscreen tablet). It's just very intuitive. Yes, it's kind of redundant if you have both a laptop and a smartphone already, but even a few inches of screen real estate can make a big difference. The TP or any tablet is great as an e-reader and general purpose web browser or media viewer. You can also do light gaming too. They work well to read or surf the internet laying in bed or while sitting on the couch. Basically, to me they kind of replace netbooks. I couldn't see using one as your only computer, but as a 2nd or 3rd machine, they're convenient.
ponyboy82 said:
I just wanted to be cool
Seriously though, I always wanted a more portable laptop (ie. a touchscreen tablet). It's just very intuitive. Yes, it's kind of redundant if you have both a laptop and a smartphone already, but even a few inches of screen real estate can make a big difference. The TP or any tablet is great as an e-reader and general purpose web browser or media viewer. You can also do light gaming too. They work well to read or surf the internet laying in bed or while sitting on the couch. Basically, to me they kind of replace netbooks. I couldn't see using one as your only computer, but as a 2nd or 3rd machine, they're convenient.
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This is exactly how I feel. The tablet to me fills that hole between computer and phone. I have a 4.3" phone, plenty big, but the 10" seems perfect for lap use. I don't need USB ports for peripherals, for that I have my laptop (that I use a desktop).
The touchstone dock is very tempting for me. To be able to just set it down when done, and not fumble for cords seems like the perfect use case.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
I found that I was using my laptop, which at the time was my only computer, pretty much only for e-mail and web browsing and thought that a tablet would be useful, but paying $600 for a Xoom (which I really wanted) wasn't very appealing. So when I found out about the firesale on day 1 I went to Wal-mart (no luck) and then my local Staples (32GB score!). I used it for about two weeks and found I never used my laptop in that time period. So I sold my laptop for $750.
In that same time period I bought a new Alienware Aurora R3 desktop which fulfills my "real computer" needs, which other than gaming are few and far between since I can't take my work home and I'm done with school permanently (MS is enough for me).
phobos512 said:
I found that I was using my laptop, which at the time was my only computer, pretty much only for e-mail and web browsing and thought that a tablet would be useful, but paying $600 for a Xoom (which I really wanted) wasn't very appealing. So when I found out about the firesale on day 1 I went to Wal-mart (no luck) and then my local Staples (32GB score!). I used it for about two weeks and found I never used my laptop in that time period. So I sold my laptop for $750.
In that same time period I bought a new Alienware Aurora R3 desktop which fulfills my "real computer" needs, which other than gaming are few and far between since I can't take my work home and I'm done with school permanently (MS is enough for me).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kinda the same story here.... within a few months I went from a 12" iBook and dumphone, to a big smartphone, tablet and 17" gaming laptop
---------- Post added at 10:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:10 PM ----------
quarlow said:
This is exactly how I feel. The tablet to me fills that hole between computer and phone. I have a 4.3" phone, plenty big, but the 10" seems perfect for lap use. I don't need USB ports for peripherals, for that I have my laptop (that I use a desktop).
The touchstone dock is very tempting for me. To be able to just set it down when done, and not fumble for cords seems like the perfect use case.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The touchstone is pretty cool. It's nice to not have to futz with a power cord, and at least on my TP, the microUSB port is a little finicky so I have to angle cords to get them in. That said, the 3.0.4 update changed something with the Touchstone sensitivity, so I can no longer charge with the HP case on it and the flap folded back, like I used to. Otherwise it seems ok. At this point I could definitely live without the TS, but it is nice for grab'n'go usage.
First off, we can all agree that laptops are too clunky and short batter life for what 90% of us all do: e-mail, web browse (facebook, google+, ebay, etc) , watch videos, watch netflix, light gaming (some with Flash). I used to use my HTC EVO 4G to do all that stuff, but with such small screen it wasn't the best. If I were stuck on an Island, I wouldn't hesitate to bring my phone as my primary device. But, the future happened and now we have tablets. They don't do what laptops/netbooks do, but they do what 90% of us do with much longer batter life and being less clunky. I wouldn't have thought about it, but I use my tablet about 80-90% of the time while I'm at home. I just turn my laptop on to do programming or major gaming. Otherwise, there would be no easier way to re-watch all of DS9 on Netflix if it were not for my tablet. It is very easy to read while on the couch, laying outside in the yard, before going to bed, right after waking up in the morning, or in the restroom.
I got my HP TouchPad for $99, and even though the Asus Tranformer Prime is around the corner and I want it, I can't justify spending a couple of hundred of dollars for what I already have.
Summary: Get a tablet, you won't regret it.
I tried to figure out what the big deal is myself....then I got one.
For 99, I think I have the best of everything for the price.
Sure this device could have expansion slots, Back Facing camera, etc.
But I don't go plunk down Chevy money and expect a Cadillac...
A lot of us use Email, browse the web and look at forums, Facebook, pictures.
This device does this perfectly...
Battery lasts forever compared to most laptops, and about 1/4 the weight/thickness on average.
WebOS' built in VPN client actually works out of the box connecting to work with my older Cisco VPN hardware (Concentrator...not ASA series)
Now that WebOS has a good Remote Desktop Client (I use Splashtop, but I'm not putting the streamer on my servers, etc.) it is very useful for work.
As long as I have a WiFi connection (which...I have a T-bolt...tethering) it is a great resource for work.
Would I type out a novel on it? No....a LONG drawn out email? no...
If you got a TP at or near firesale prices, IMO...you got the holy grail of 2011 in geekdom.
This is merely a curiosity thread. I have pretty much no interest in the dock aside from the extra battery life. I figure if I need a keyboard I could use a BT one or just use my laptop etc. Is it really a draw for people looking to replace a netbook with a tablet?
I feel the same way like u about the dock....don't need it...
No interest in the dock from me.
I like the form factor, weight, build quality, performance, connectivity, and asus updates.
May want a dock later, but has no influence in my desire to own the prime right now.
If I'm going to sit down to do a bunch of e-mails or work on a document of some sort, the dock is going to come in very handy.
I had the dock for the original transformer. The typing was so laggy that it wasn't worth it.
If you need to type, use a laptop/pc. Plus, it didn't have spell or grammar check. (polaris office)
I think the docking experience is overrated and over-hyped. The dock was also a bit bulky so there was no sense in carrying it around. All it did was collect dust.
Tablet was great though.
I use my Transformer for quite a few things, and one of them is taking notes during meetings and for writing rough drafts. I often do the latter late at night and in bed, and so the ability to pop the tablet on the dock and use the combo without worrying about grabbing a laptop tray of some kind is nice. An important aspect of the TF+dock is that it generates no heat, so no worry about covering vents or burning a hole in one's nether regions. I also know of no Bluetooth keyboards or "docks" that can be propped on a lap and be sturdy enough to comfortably type on.
It's also faster for my ad hoc ramblings--no need to grab the notebook, grab a tray, arrange them on my lap, wait for the notebook to boot up, open the right app, etc. Just grab the dock, pop my tablet in it, hit the new note button on the Evernote widget, and start typing. It's faster and much more convenient.
Also, for taking notes in all-day meetings, nothing beats the combo. I've often been at seminars and meetings where folks were fighting for available power sources. Not me--my TF+dock easily lasts an entire day, with an evening to spare. The Prime+dock will only be better.
Nope, for me, the dock is the saving grace. I'd be less likely to buy a tablet without it, or rather I'd save some cash and get a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet. The only other uses that don't involve heavier writing is ebook reading, and either of those would be fine for the purpose.
It's the sole reason for me focusing on a Transformer. The reason I want the Prime instead of the original is simply better specs. If someone other than Asus made one with a similar keyboard dock, I'd probably dump waiting on the Prime.
my reason is the typing, but never had the first transformer. and the usb port is a big reason for me
the dock came in quite handy for my on my tf101, so i'm 100% going to get the dock for the prime, but i'm going to wait until i get a deal on it, as it's not crucial, but just handy and useful to have.
plus, the wow factor when you break your netbook in half and use the screen around people is too good to pass up
Well since I'm a student it can be pretty useful at school, however the problem in Holland and Europa I suppose is that we get 2 versions: 32GB with dock (€599) and the 64GB without dock (€599). Since I don't need the extra 32GB (64GB) I will buy the 32GB with dock, and hope I get used to it..
If I can use a gamepad via Bluetooth, I'll have no reason to get the dock.
I have the transformer and the dock and for me it's a pretty big deal.
For me it's not just a keyboard and a battery. It s the ultimate accessory. Look at how many different accessories there is for the other tablets. Screen protector, bt keyboard, extra battery, extra port converters, docking station, cover, protection case, sd reader... You can't have all those with you all the time.
But the keyboard dock is everything in one sleek package you can carry out with your transformer. And that the beauty of it
Sent from my HTC Desire using xda premium
I bought it with my pre-ordered Prime. It's always nice to have more inputs than just touch. Also, if nothing else, it's the best possible tablet stand you can have, not to mention it prolongs the battery life/charges the tablet.
I plan on using this a ton when I am working out, putting it right in front of my treadmill (have a stand that is perfect height) so being able to dock it in and not having to prop it up is key for me.
I'm not interested in the dock either but I will buy one if not in the next like 6 months definitely at blackfriday if they have a sale
For me it is very important. I am using this as a laptop replacement. The few times I have to do work out of the office it is some light word, excel, or email stuff. the keyboard is going to come in really handy.
I got my Prime yesterday and there are no docks available and it's driving me crazy. It is the only reason i didn't go with another brand tablet. I want it to act as a stand on my lap, as a screen cover while in my bag and an extra battery when i'm out and about. Without the dock i don't want the tablet. I hope I can find one soon....
In my country atm you can only get either the 32gb + dock or 64gb version. The 32gb is not sold separately. So i'm getting the dock anyway and i have to say its the reason i'm getting this Tablet. It just adds so much to the Tablet. Full USB port, SDcard, BatteryLife. These are all great things. And those are just the bonus. Writing stuff is something i do all the time when using computers. URLs, comments, emails, notes and other text etcetc. So it improves one of the major activities for which i use a device like that. I think its a no-brainer.
Its about the same thing with gaming on touch screen devices for me. It works with touch screen most of the time and some games are awesome with touch. But lets be honest many games just totally suck. So its just great to have the ability to plug in a Gamepad and have real gaming controls (especially emulators). Another plus for the dock and its usb port...
clouds5 said:
In my country atm you can only get either the 32gb + dock or 64gb version. The 32gb is not sold separately. So i'm getting the dock anyway and i have to say its the reason i'm getting this Tablet. It just adds so much to the Tablet. Full USB port, SDcard, BatteryLife. These are all great things. And those are just the bonus. Writing stuff is something i do all the time when using computers. URLs, comments, emails, notes and other text etcetc. So it improves one of the major activities for which i use a device like that. I think its a no-brainer.
Its about the same thing with gaming on touch screen devices for me. It works with touch screen most of the time and some games are awesome with touch. But lets be honest many games just totally suck. So its just great to have the ability to plug in a Gamepad and have real gaming controls. Another plus for the dock and its usb port...
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Click to collapse
Agree with this, same in Holland with the 32GB + dock or 64GB without dock.
One of the primary selling points for the Prime was the dock so I'd say it's very important thus a must buy for me. BUT since I just picked one up and no dock was available at Gamestop, I can deal with waiting for the dock. Just hoping that it's not too long a wait.
It's really the main reason I'm getting it. It adds a ton of functionality for me and I doubt I would buy a tablet at all if it wasn't for it.
OK... i know here are already like 3 threads on why or why not to get a dock... but i dont think there is one witht he kind of perspective I can provide... since I did not want to get a dock in the first place... and I am even considering returning my prime cause some of the defects. Anyways, for starters... who is this writer (The Perspective)
I own a prime, with slight light bleed... I believe the wifi is kind of weak, I am concerned of the possible BT wifi dropout (yet have not tested), and am bummed that a possibly better transformer has already been announced.
I work on The IT field, use a very heavy laptop (alienware m17x) cause i am a gamer. I have had to work while on the road, a cruise ship, even at disneyworld (dont ask). I have had to sue my cellphone to do work as well. In fact, part of the android tablet allure is to help with work while on the road... yet again, i already got gadgets to help with that.
So why a transformer prime? Pure and simple.. processing power and games... end of story.
Anyways, i though the concept of the keyboard was dumb. Heck the Android onscreen keyboard is good enough. Why go get one?
Well, my first temptation was during a wordcamp meeting (is a web designer thing), where I saw a guy taking notes in a macbook air, and i tried to do the same on my tablet... and it was impractical. In fact, after 30 minuted f trying to take notes on a lecture, I gave up... i just could not keep up... and nope, even with swipe it sucked.
Then I though, damn, i bet the keyboard makes the tablet alsmost like a mac air... but for 150 bucks..damn!!!! But then came second temptation (the USB adapter for the prime is like 50 bucks, a good bt keyboard at least 35 bucks, a protective case is 35 and one of those charge it on the go enlarged batteries like 40 buck), so it was not such a bad deal.... besides i had something I had ore credit, so I only needed to shell out 40 buck... so I bit the bullet.And this is what I have learned.
Having the keyboard makes it really easy to do work with the prime. in fact typing this is ALOT easier. Having arrow keys too edit what I misspell is golden... just arrow back and edit. I bet with splashtop it will be awesome as well. And by the way, whne you blug a mouse on the USB port, web surfing is incredible... its really good to be finally be able to hover over a pop up menu and see the options!!!! and to just roll the mouse wheel to scroll down a page. And since the dock and tablet combo is so slim, i can see it coming with me on my next vacation.
NOW, dont take me wrong. I know that everything I have mentioned are exactly the reasons why you get a laptop... not a tablet! But lets be honest. I use my tablet while siting on the couch in the living room, or next to my bed, or to play games.... but if I ever decided to do real work with the tablet (trust me, my heavy laptop is not practical all the time or that, plus powering up, etc... takes forever)... the normal tablet form factor is lacking and that is the truth.
So I can see why I would in the end get a dock. In fact, I got one thinking that if i dont ike it,ill return it with my prime... and perhaps later the the t700 or else an ipad 3. But now, after the dock experience, I can say I dont think I would be happy with an ipad 3 if it had no dock. And in fact, now i am even struggling with the fact of returning my partially defective prime (light bleed, weak wifi, and useless gps). I know I only paid 40 bucks in the end (yet I could have spent the credit on something else). But if the dock is strong enough to make me EVEN consider not returning the prime...then there is something to be said about it.
I still do not know what I am going to do. All I know, that from a person who at first thought the DOCK was Junk, Now I think differently, and truly understand what the transformer was meant for... not to be just a good tablet, but something more.
Let the trolls roll in
ricard2798 said:
Having the keyboard makes it really easy to do work with the prime. in fact typing this is ALOT easier. Having arrow keys too edit what I misspell is golden... just arrow back and edit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How's this part working out for you?
j/k
A keyboard to go with your screen really is incredibly useful which is why there are so many 3rd party keyboard options for the iPad.
The fact that Asus makes one that nearly doubles battery life, adds a USB port & SD Card slot, protects the tablet screen when closed and acts like a stand when watching a movie is just incredible. I don't understand all the keyboard hate related to this device, if you don't want a keyboard don't buy one.
ricard2798 said:
OK... i know here are already like 3 threads on why or why not to get a dock... but i dont think there is one witht he kind of perspective I can provide... since I did not want to get a dock in the first place... and I am even considering returning my prime cause some of the defects. Anyways, for starters... who is this writer (The Perspective)
I own a prime, with slight light bleed... I believe the wifi is kind of weak, I am concerned of the possible BT wifi dropout (yet have not tested), and am bummed that a possibly better transformer has already been announced.
I work on The IT field, use a very heavy laptop (alienware m17x) cause i am a gamer. I have had to work while on the road, a cruise ship, even at disneyworld (dont ask). I have had to sue my cellphone to do work as well. In fact, part of the android tablet allure is to help with work while on the road... yet again, i already got gadgets to help with that.
So why a transformer prime? Pure and simple.. processing power and games... end of story.
Anyways, i though the concept of the keyboard was dumb. Heck the Android onscreen keyboard is good enough. Why go get one?
Well, my first temptation was during a wordcamp meeting (is a web designer thing), where I saw a guy taking notes in a macbook air, and i tried to do the same on my tablet... and it was impractical. In fact, after 30 minuted f trying to take notes on a lecture, I gave up... i just could not keep up... and nope, even with swipe it sucked.
Then I though, damn, i bet the keyboard makes the tablet alsmost like a mac air... but for 150 bucks..damn!!!! But then came second temptation (the USB adapter for the prime is like 50 bucks, a good bt keyboard at least 35 bucks, a protective case is 35 and one of those charge it on the go enlarged batteries like 40 buck), so it was not such a bad deal.... besides i had something I had ore credit, so I only needed to shell out 40 buck... so I bit the bullet.And this is what I have learned.
Having the keyboard makes it really easy to do work with the prime. in fact typing this is ALOT easier. Having arrow keys too edit what I misspell is golden... just arrow back and edit. I bet with splashtop it will be awesome as well. And by the way, whne you blug a mouse on the USB port, web surfing is incredible... its really good to be finally be able to hover over a pop up menu and see the options!!!! and to just roll the mouse wheel to scroll down a page. And since the dock and tablet combo is so slim, i can see it coming with me on my next vacation.
NOW, dont take me wrong. I know that everything I have mentioned are exactly the reasons why you get a laptop... not a tablet! But lets be honest. I use my tablet while siting on the couch in the living room, or next to my bed, or to play games.... but if I ever decided to do real work with the tablet (trust me, my heavy laptop is not practical all the time or that, plus powering up, etc... takes forever)... the normal tablet form factor is lacking and that is the truth.
So I can see why I would in the end get a dock. In fact, I got one thinking that if i dont ike it,ill return it with my prime... and perhaps later the the t700 or else an ipad 3. But now, after the dock experience, I can say I dont think I would be happy with an ipad 3 if it had no dock. And in fact, now i am even struggling with the fact of returning my partially defective prime (light bleed, weak wifi, and useless gps). I know I only paid 40 bucks in the end (yet I could have spent the credit on something else). But if the dock is strong enough to make me EVEN consider not returning the prime...then there is something to be said about it.
I still do not know what I am going to do. All I know, that from a person who at first thought the DOCK was Junk, Now I think differently, and truly understand what the transformer was meant for... not to be just a good tablet, but something more.
Let the trolls roll in
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly I own a powerful gaming desktop and a really old heavy 17inch hp laptop which I would never bring to school ever.. I have wake on lan setup on my desktop and splashtop works wonderful (it will be better when splashtop thd is released) so I can access my desktop anywhere anytime and if I do not have Wifi I can tether with my HTC evo 4g (soon to be galaxy nexus)
These 3 devices will satisfy every need of mine
Desktop for gaming ect.
Prime for web browsing and more gaming /notes in school
Phone for tethering being lazy and texting!
3 devices work for me I was in the same boat I did not want the dock I originally bought it only to sell it on ebay for a profit but I was tempted and had to open it
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Lets be honest. these are not android phones. they have evolved past that. They are quite litterally PC's. or PPC's to be more accurate.
They are Portable Personal Computers and they are amazing.
With this rash of new and inevitably more coming "CHEAP" yet powerful android powered portable PC's coming out such as the $30 score and $50 vitality and PLENTY for under $99
suddenly things that were silly before or just too expensive are suddenly viable.
I WOULD LOVE to make this a HUGE threat for coming up with creative non phone uses (IE no celluar plan) for these amazing little devices.
I am going to dedicate the first few posts to listing in one place the great ideas you guys come up with. I will start off with just a few of the ideas we have come up with to use these phones for and links to software examples to do such with them.
Please ANY idea don't care what it is post it. Let's see just how much we can do with these amazing little devices.
I don't care if its free or paid software.
the only condition is it has to be useful without a cellular connection.
Most of these idea's are not mine but were posted by others in the $30 and $50 android threads. some where mine hehe
IPWEBCAM
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...lt#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5wYXMud2ViY2FtIl0.
This program turns your droid into a streaming webcam. you can access it from anywhere on your network and with some port forwarding and convenience from say dyndns anywhere in the world.
Combine with "tinycam"
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...t#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5hbGV4dmFzLmR2ciJd
and you can watch up to 5 at a time live from your other android phone anywhere.
works VERY well. I plan to try to rig one up with a solar panel and external battery for wireless convenience.
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Lapse It
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS51aS5MYXBzZUl0UHJvIl0.
WONDERFUL WONDERFUL software. turns your droid camera into a "timelapse" camera. this takes a picture at "intervals" that you can later combined into a "video" (you can do it on the phone but it obviously takes along time at higher resolutions)
I have done 1080p timelapse films with it. this is the primary reason I got all these devices (I have 7 of them)
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Motion Detector Pro
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...HJvaWQubW90aW9uZGV0ZWN0b3Jwcm8uYWN0aXZpdHkiXQ..
This one has a running internal video stream and when enough pixels "change" at once (ie "motion" is detected) it snaps a picture and e-mails it to you and stores it on the sd card.
right now its stream resolution 480x320 I am hopeful of a higher resolution version can be found! its free too!
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Navigon (with permissions denied tweak)
$40 cheap full feature GPS without a network connection. GOod quality maps and good quality routing most of the time (like any other gps I am pleased)
You just have to permissions denied disable the license check since it checks EVERY single time you start even though it downloads the maps to the SD card. which means no data connection SPLAT it crashes out.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...vbS5uYXZpZ29uLm5hdmlnYXRvcl9jaGVja291dF9uYSJd
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Navionics
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=navionics&c=apps
Very nice just like navigon but for Nautical Charts for boating !! very very nice. I can't wait to try it out this summer when I get the boat going.
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Digital Dash for your car
I love Ulysse Speedometer its gorgeous and feature rich. there are LOTS of other options many free but I always come back to Ulysse
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...wxLDEsImNvbS5iaW5hcnl0b3lzLnNwZWVkb21ldGVyIl0.
it (and many others) can also do HUD inverted to project the info on your windscreen at night.
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Slacker and Pandora when in WIFI for streaming music.
if you pay for slacker premium $4 a month you can also CACHE stations to your SD card and now you can use it anywhere. whenever your in wifi it will "sync" adding new songs etc.. Very very nice.
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MP3 Player. I Love poweramp. you can shove a 16 or in some of them 32gb card in them and have a Media Player that will make an ipod cringe in envy.
Also works fine for netflix youtube etc.. when in WIFI. Most will also play many other video formats but the small screens tend to make them less desirable for this.
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Do you 4wheel? LOTs of neat apps for this.
I plan to mount 3 or 4 of these on my visor shelf when I 4 wheel
one will run Ulysse one will run TOPO software once I find a good one
another will run Inclinometer software
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=inclinometer&c=apps
once I pick the one i like.
really love the brain laboratories one but it crashes when the tilt alarm goes off (which is why I like it so much) turn off the alarm and its fine hopefully they can fix that.
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Car DVR - record what happens as you drive think "dash cam"
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5kYWlseXJvYWRzLnYiXQ..
is just one example.
I use a dedicated dash cam but here is a droid option.
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Have a 96 or newer car with OBDII onboard ?
get one of these 260827956350 (ebay) for under $20 and now you can use software like for example Torque to read your codes from your car or live data.
PLENTY of other "car" things you can do.
This is my preferred program for recording my tank fills up and tracking my fuel economy and my car expenses
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...wOSwiY2guc2ltb25tb3JnZW50aGFsZXIuZnVlbGxvZyJd
Plenty of other software like this too.
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HeyTell
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.heytell&feature=search_result
PTT Push to Talk. Think Walkie Talkie for you droid. works great over wifi. I ALSO confirmed it works in conjunction with IPWEBCAM so now if you SEE someone on your webcam you can "talk" to them via heytell. (you hear them via ipwebcam just enable audio)
Very cool. if you have windows mobile and BB users use LOUDTALKS (zello) since that one has Winmo and BB clients.
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Unit Conversion
Convertr
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...S5tYXRocGFkLm1vYmlsZS5hbmRyb2lkLnd0LnVuaXQiXQ..
plenty of others. convert literally any unit to any unit. very neat
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Talking Timer
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsInNwaW5uaW5naGVhZC50aW1lciJd
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Calculators. Just search the market their are OODLES of them
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Reserved for the wonderful idea's you guys come up with
Reserved for the even more of the wonderful idea's you guys come up with
Put all the music on a SD card.
Portable music player.
heck yeah and amke ipods cry
Tethering
You could use yor phone as modem for your PC.
ahh would that not require a cellular connection?
My ZTE Score has a hardware GPS so I can load topo or road maps on it and have a nice portable GPS unit. For only $30 it was cheaper than other portable gps units.
Imagine having this hooked up in your car multitasking as a GPS unit and MP3 player if you don't have or want to use your regular phone.
Cheap devices are also a great way to learn about the hacking side of Android. You can get experience rooting, flashing CWM and ROMs (if available for your device) without the worry of bricking your primary phone. I learned how to build desktops by tearing down and rebuilding older computers where there was no risk if I broke something. Think of cheap phones as the same thing. Once you master them you'll feel more comfortable flashing a ROM on your new $500 phone.
have you found any really good user friendly topo mapping software? trails software? (offroad and hiking)
what software do you use?
theres a neighor of mine living next door who's got 4 laptops.. and i'm thinking about breaking into his house and stealing them. then selling them all on ebay..
an ebook/comic and a divx reader, for me.
And a marvelous one at that, that can do a lot more than a 100$ kindle or a *input stupid amount of money*$ ipod and the such.
Even if unfortunately for me, being in Canada, i couldn't benefit from the Zte Score at 30$ and Samsung Vitality at 50$ good plans.
I'm curious bout the "PLENTY for under 99$" sentence, tough?
I saw 4 or 5 on the shelf for under $100 at best buy including the samsung vitality ($99 with speaker) I think vitality alone was $79.99 the ZTE Score was $49.99 and the ZTE Chorus was $69 IIRC.
I think the boost "warp" was either $99 or $119.
and that was just what I saw at best buy. metro has plenty in that price range as well.
and on craigslist its not hard to find a droid for under $100 even pretty nice ones. all 3 of my EVO 4G's I paid under $100 for and thats a kick butt droid.
I even found EPIC 4G for $100 a pop once (pair of them $150) I should have bought them. dumb me.
its amazing how much "hardware" you can buy for $99 or less now. though the $30 range is what REALLY made these things delicious. almost an impulse buy at that price point.
remember the point of these is not to buy a phone plan but to use them as little PC's
little computers to "DO" interesting things with.
you can get a pretty decent eink reader 6" for lower than $70 now. these screens are a bit too small for reading to me but yeah thats a use for them.
nerys71 said:
remember the point of these is not to buy a phone plan but to use them as little PC's
little computers to "DO" interesting things with.
you can get a pretty decent eink reader 6" for lower than $70 now. these screens are a bit too small for reading to me but yeah thats a use for them.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, i got that. What i meant by "good plans" was "good deals", i should have been clearer.
I guess american craiglist is a lot more packed than the canadian one
(same with best buy for that matter)
Cheapest good one around here is 110$+taxes for a Lg Optimus One with a prepaid card.
I'll check again, but i doubt you can find something (not broken) for 50$ here in canada, unfortunately.
Oh, and i find it pleasing enough to read on a 3.5"-4" device, resizing is pretty easy and efficient.
Of course, i can't deny it is more pleasant on a bigger, dedicated ebook reader, but then again, what can these things do beyond reading ebooks?
maybe you should start shopping in the US hehe seriously hit ebay.
you can get votalities for $50 to $70 shipped (without the bt speaker of course
as for reading. I am a book whore. I have an issue with reading. I can never have enough.
I have 2 kindle DX's so if something happens to one I never have to be without my books. I am a voracious reader.
my eyes KILL me after even 2 hours of reading on an LCD screen not to speak of the battery consumption and weight (tablet computer)
I am even eyeballing that new COLOR E-Ink device ($500 !! ouch) so I can read my magazines without a backlight.
For me its no option got to have an ereader.
but some have no issues reading an LCD.
Here is a NIB ZTE Score for $55 SHIPPED
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-Z...0990516405?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item3cc43f3cb5
and there are TONS of them $60 and under. $55 is lowest "buy it now" I could find with free shipping
For the Vitality (a better device in my opinion) just search ebay for samsung vitality and click " cell phones" on the left to get rid of all the accessories from the results
TONS of them for $60 to $70 buy it now free shipping.
fun around long enough you could snag one for $50. all perfectly good in fact brand new. most do not include the bt speaker but some as low as $85 include the speaker with free shipping (well worth it the speaker is flat out amazing)
nerys71 said:
maybe you should start shopping in the US hehe seriously hit ebay.
you can get votalities for $50 to $70 shipped (without the bt speaker of course
as for reading. I am a book whore. I have an issue with reading. I can never have enough.
I have 2 kindle DX's so if something happens to one I never have to be without my books. I am a voracious reader.
my eyes KILL me after even 2 hours of reading on an LCD screen not to speak of the battery consumption and weight (tablet computer)
I am even eyeballing that new COLOR E-Ink device ($500 !! ouch) so I can read my magazines without a backlight.
For me its no option got to have an ereader.
but some have no issues reading an LCD.
Here is a NIB ZTE Score for $55 SHIPPED
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-Z...0990516405?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item3cc43f3cb5
and there are TONS of them $60 and under. $55 is lowest "buy it now" I could find with free shipping
For the Vitality (a better device in my opinion) just search ebay for samsung vitality and click " cell phones" on the left to get rid of all the accessories from the results
TONS of them for $60 to $70 buy it now free shipping.
fun around long enough you could snag one for $50. all perfectly good in fact brand new. most do not include the bt speaker but some as low as $85 include the speaker with free shipping (well worth it the speaker is flat out amazing)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That auction is for shipment in the us only, i had seen it
Anyway i get the point, thanks
As for reading ebooks on my phone, i must confess that while i do like reading, i'm not reading as much as you, so a 3.5" screen is enough for me.
Anyway, i'm off to the classifieds again to find some cheap android phone to have fun with!
If the phone has hdmi out you could hook it to a tv and use it with a bluetooth keyboard/mouse as a computer - some of these phones can even run ubuntu linux for a full pc experience
nice idea! none of the "cheap" ones have that function yet (hdmi) but you can get used droids sometimes under $100 if your vigilant that do.
Found some new software!!
Converter software. convert from any unit to any unit. they have some GREAT software available to do this !!
Talking Timer. I will absolutely get a use for this. I use talking timers when flying competition rocket gliders. we have to fly 15 minutes and land at zero so we use talking timers (radio shack) so we can sync our landing.
they are rather hard to find and now I can use my droid to do it. sweet!
Scientific Calculator. lots of neat apps for this!
come on I know you guys have to have some idea's !!
That's marginal, but as an avid boardgames/cardgames player, i personnaly also use it for dice and counter apps.
Oh, and the timer is useful for that purpose too.
So I'm getting the AT&T G Note I in a couple of days from a rep that saved me from canceling 4 lines. I haven't been really checking into anything about the device because it wasn't on my radar at all. I recently got the SII Skyrocket and I'm pretty pleased with it, well, I was before the ICS update, but that's a whole other story.
As far as the Note I was wondering how many people do really use the S Pen, I use my stylus/keyboard almost exclusively on my tablet. I will admit that I have smaller hands and I have trouble with one-hand operation with the Skyrocket at times. I'm not a power texter though, I mostly surf, and will be doing a far bit of note taking for school and I tend to jot notes frequently in a small journal I keep in my purse. For my tablet (ASUS TF300) I use a Rocketfish stylus I got out the discount bin at Best Buy, and the only thing I don't like about it is not being able to draw fine lines, and a lot of times it gets in my way. However after trying out several others, I've decided that for about as much as I want to spend I have the best that I'm going to get. That brings about the second part of my question, my stylus has the heft, weight and fits in my hand like a really expensive fountain pen, so I've been wondering if I should pull the trigger on the S Pen holder kit, 60.00 ( have 50% off promo code though) at Samsung and 40 at Amazon. Both of which are quite expensive to me for something I'd probably lose. But since my right hand is still healing from 5 fractures, and I type all day for work, I'm usually in pain at the end of the day, and if I use the Note as much as I think I will the investment may be worth it. So I'd like to hear from heavy users of the Note, do you use your stylus a lot, and do you have or would get the stylus holder kit? If you use another that will work well with the S Pen apps, especially those for note taking I'd like to hear about those as well.
Welcome and hope your fractures heal soon. I've had my note for about 4 months now and really don't use the stylus that much. Others may have a different take. I do use a swype like keyboard which really cuts down on the typing aspect of things.
As for note taking, I am more of an emailer but there is an app called floating note (I think) that is really good. Handwriting notes on it is easy and it stays on top of your screen until you cancel it. Really well done and might be of assistance to you.
All in all, I would wait to plunk down the dollars for another stylus until you have used your note for a while to see if you even need another one.
Again, welcome to the Note section of XDA.
Thanks for the warm welcome. I think I'll do as you suggested try it out first then see if I'll need the pen kit.
The healing is going slow but I'm making progress, or so they say.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app
Hello geekygirl!
I got the official Samsung S Pen holder thingy and find it to be too top heavy honestly. The lower half of it is all plastic while the top half is all metal. Makes it awkward to use in my opinion.
I will tell you that since the digitizer used on the Note is of the Wacom variety I've read (but have never tested) that MOST if not ALL Wacom pens will work with the Note. So you might want to look into getting a standard Wacom pen. It should be much cheaper, easier to handle, and you can always keep your S Pen in your Note so you'll never lose it.
As far as note taking goes I would say I have medium to large hands and I still haven't found a proper way to hold the Note comfortably enough to actually WRITE with it efficiently. Unless I feel like burning some time and just doodling little drawings here and there I rarely ever find myself actually using the S Pen functionality. Obviously this isn't the case for all. It's just that in my case, the 5.3" screen is amazing and sight to behold. Makes everything you do seem better and more awesome, however, I still find it too small to actually comfortably use for note taking and drawing. 7" screens are the smallest I can go to actually write and draw effectively. Considering your smaller hands though you might not find this to be the case.
Also using S Memo and S Note I've noticed that the software tends to put a "tail" on the end of the lines when drawing...doesn't seem to want to be 100% accurate with your actual input...it likes to add its own little flare.
As far as the size of the Note goes do keep in mind that it IS definitely made to be more of a two handed device, ESPECIALLY with those that have small hands. I have found that the extended battery/battery cover from Tmart (link) not only doubles the battery life of the Note (which needless to say isn't all that great to begin with) but the hump from the battery cover makes it 1000x easier to hold and handle over all. Plus it's only $10!
Overall though I LOVE my Note and honestly would not and could not go to a smaller phone anymore. Surfing the web, watching videos, reading books are all just leaps and bounds better over "other" phones. Even the Galaxy SIII seems small to me now!
Either way, I hope you learn to love your Note, it really is the best phone out there in my opinion, seconded only by the Note 2!
geekygirl74 said:
I tend to jot notes frequently in a small journal I keep in my purse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is precisely how I use my Note: as a small journal. That and grocery lists, taking notes while on calls, etc.
Don't bother with the stylus holder. Just buy a stylus for a Wacom tablet. I use the one from the Fujtsu Lifebook T4220. You can turn it over and the back automatically functions as an eraser. I also replaced the plastic nib with a felt tip for a more realistic writing feel.
Hi, AndroidVageta ! Thanks for the advice, and I'm the same way about smaller screen phones/ tablets. I had the Kindle Fire 1st gen, an iPod touch (the geek in me had to check it out) that's 3 years old, and an Metro PCS LG Esteem until a couple of months ago. I made the switch to AT&T and got the Skyrocket because of the screen size, and got the ASUS TF300 tablet for school, since then, I haven't used the iPod except for an Alarm Clock and occasionally hook it up to my speakers to play music, sold the phone and I gave my techno illiterate mom the KF who thinks it's awesome . I can't go smaller any more, I need the real estate. I believe I'm going to love the phone way too much. I've been searching out all sorts of info about it since Monday when they offered it. I can't wait, should be delivered tomorrow \o/
bigmout, I was wondering about the Wacom styli, I've been wanting a drawing pad for a couple of years now, but really have never been able to justify the costs since it was just for creating custom content for a game. I've priced quite a few threw Amazon, but have never seen any with the felt tips, that does intrigue me, I like fine tips, even with physical pens. That's the only irking thing about styli IMHO. I've just popped open a tab to search Amazon for the stylus and felt tip nibs now.
OMG GEEKY!!! YOU'VE NEVER SEEN THESE HAVE YOU?!
Monoprice Graphics Tablets
Got a 8x6 inch tablet a few months ago...$40 to my door. Awesome. 1024 levels of pressure, GREAT software and drivers (much less problematic and more customization than Wacom), and GREAT build quality. They work perfectly with all drawing and design programs including Photoshop and AutoCAD among others that I've tried.
Only issues is that the pens are battery powered (but last forever, have the same Ultimate Lithium Energizer in mine that I put in when I got it, and I use it every day, and I've owned it for at least 8 months now) and they only have TWO pen styles...the standard stock pen and the Graphic Drawing Tablet Pen. The pen in the link is the one I use, really a good one. But its the only good one they have. Also there aren't any different tips...just the plastic ones. However, they last forever and it still feels good when using it.
Either way...just thought I let you know about these...just incredibly cheap for something that's basically an off brand Wacom at like 1/4 the price if not less than that.
Here's a good review if you doubt them:
http://frenden.com/the-little-monoprice-graphics-tablet-that-could/
EDIT: Just wanted to add for you and anyone else that might see this that the tablets are produced by a Taiwanese company called UC-Logic. They have different styles of stylus that Monoprice doesn't carry. Actually glad I found this!
Awesome info indeed, 40 bucks I can afford. Btw got the Note and it rocks, the text input is pretty cool, and I believe with time I'll perfect it. I honestly don't think I'll use it much for taking notes for school. I'd be way too tempted. And a quick bench mark test scored this darling right under the TF201. I'd say that's pretty impressive. All smiles over here.
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