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 $70 now. these screens are a bit too small for reading to me but yeah thats a use for them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, i got that. What i meant by "good plans" was "good deals", i should have been clearer.
I guess american craiglist is a lot more packed than the canadian one
(same with best buy for that matter)
Cheapest good one around here is 110$+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.
Related
Okay fellas, I just got back from working my RadioShack Black Friday bonanza and I come with good news for some.
One of our deals this year was a free Polaroid PoGo Printer with the purchase of any of the advertised cameras. If you missed out you can still buy it on Amazon for 30 bucks, though I don't know how long that'll go for.
Anywho it's a portable, battery operated, printer. It's great if you have a PictBridge capable Camera since you just plug in the USB cable and away you go. But we don't care about that, what does that have to do with our TP2s? Well when fiddling with my Tilt 2 I found out, by complete accident (because naturally I don't read labels, instructions, or big bold selling points on the box), that you can print out photos via bluetooth.
It's easy as hell, just go to your Bluetooth manager, add the printer, and in there is an option to print photos. Now I honestly don't know if this is the TouchFlo bluetooth manager or Windows Mobile, so it may not be the case on yours, but it's seriously voodoo magic when it works.
Photos print in less than 40 seconds, and the quality is amazing for a printer that does just that with no ink whatsoever. The paper, although special fancy glazed-in-unicorn-tears paper, is available anywhere for dirt cheap (30 sheets for 10 bucks, 80 for 20 bucks).
I can't honestly vouch for how practical this thing really is, I mean if you're questioning how often you're going to tote it around you're probably going to have buyer's remorse. On the other hand if you're looking for something that invokes amazement and awe when you demonstrate it, no better device.
I like the Flyer - I really do. Along with the pen it is a "working man's tablet" second to none. There is only ONE thing keeping me from buying one.
THE PRICE.
When you add the price of the tablet with the pen, you are looking at almost $600 for a single-core tablet. I can pick up an sweet Asus Transformer for $399.00. The $499.00 price tag (and charging extra for the pen) is just NUTS given the competition. At $399.00 (pen included) they would sell 3 times as many of these (if not more).
C'mon HTC, wake up and smell the competition.
mitchellvii said:
At $399.00 (pen included) they would sell 3 times as many of these (if not more).
C'mon HTC, wake up and smell the competition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, that's exactly my price point, too.
The only thing to consider is that Best Buy will sell you the Flyer on an 18 month, no-interest payment schedule if you want. I may go that path if I get impatient. Also, get the Fujitsu sylus that works with the Flyer. B&H has it for $25.00 shipped:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/772804-REG/Fujitsu_FPCPN36AP_Extra_Stylus_for_Fujitsu_s.html
Flyer Cost
I understand why many people feel the flyer is expensive. Consider the following reason and think again:
1. HTC Flyer is the only Tablet that has a digitizer on it. The usage is unlimited. The problem is that many android lovers are not developing. We are only "MODing". Creating custom ROMs, etc. I you know what that digitizer can do, in terms of application you will know that having a Flyer is worth all the penny spent.
2. Bestbuy now sells the Flyer to you with the HTC Pen. Just tell them you want the HTC before you pay. Tell them the HTC pen must be included.
3. If you have a working laptop or tablet, you can trade it in at Bestbuy to reduce the cost of any device you buy from Bestbuy.
4. You need to try out the Note app with voice recording on the Flyer. The recording is extremely loud. And also, it is synced with EverNotes.
5. If the Flyer meets your needs, go for it. If not, don't go for it.
There used to be a promotion going on where the pen was free. Just tell them that you weren't available to buy the Flyer when the promotion was going on. They gave me a free pen.
mitchellvii said:
I like the Flyer - I really do. Along with the pen it is a "working man's tablet" second to none. There is only ONE thing keeping me from buying one.
THE PRICE.
When you add the price of the tablet with the pen, you are looking at almost $600 for a single-core tablet. I can pick up an sweet Asus Transformer for $399.00. The $499.00 price tag (and charging extra for the pen) is just NUTS given the competition. At $399.00 (pen included) they would sell 3 times as many of these (if not more).
C'mon HTC, wake up and smell the competition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The price point kind of makes it not really a "working man's tablet", does it not? I'm just joking, just thought it was funny thinking of some carpenter sitting there messing around with his little flyer.
1. Pen is WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY overpriced. That is the truth. I got the view and it came with the pen. Had it not, I wouldn't even consider buying it. I know, that the pen is the single most different thing about the tablet, but in all honestly nobody wants to write on a screen until it feels like pen and paper. Apple knew this, that's why they were the first people to realize that a tablet shouldn't be like the older PC's that could be flipped around and used a stylus on. Apple knows what the AVERAGE consumer wants.
2. Single-core, duo-core, quad-core all that crap, just doesn't need to be focused on nearly as much as people think. The real proof is in the pudding. The thing runs fine, and unless you REALLY plan on seriously playing 3D games what does it matter? Everyone is so obsessed with having the most powerful processor, or best video processing... How much time do you actually spend playing those high demanding games? Maybe 1% of your usage of the tablet? And it's not even that the tablet can't play them, it's just that it won't be as FAST as some crazy tegra 2 thing.
3. The thing is awesome for what it is. I walked into a best buy the other day (just to pick up a 40$ bt dongle I needed for a few days, then I returned it, I'm not a sucker) and was tooling about with two other 7" tabs (the fujitsu and some other one) and they were pretty much garbage. They ran like 100$ cheaper. Over the 1-2 year lifetime of my tablet, 100$ is very little. Especially for a device I use so often...
Anyway, sorry about the long post.
sdge said:
1. Pen is WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY overpriced. That is the truth. I got the view and it came with the pen. Had it not, I wouldn't even consider buying it. I know, that the pen is the single most different thing about the tablet, but in all honestly nobody wants to write on a screen until it feels like pen and paper. Apple knew this, that's why they were the first people to realize that a tablet shouldn't be like the older PC's that could be flipped around and used a stylus on. Apple knows what the AVERAGE consumer wants.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sorta disagree. Not that the pen is overpriced (I'm in full agreement with that statement) but that no one wants to write on a screen 'till it feels like paper. I've played with the Flyer/pen combo in BestBuy, and I want it so bad it hurts, LOL!
Seriously, if not for the pen I'd see no reason to trade for my Nook Color. But the pen turns a Flyer into a viable productivity tool. I can totally see myself taking it with me to meetings or when I have to meet with a supervisor and taking notes.
dsf3g said:
I sorta disagree. Not that the pen is overpriced (I'm in full agreement with that statement) but that no one wants to write on a screen 'till it feels like paper. I've played with the Flyer/pen combo in BestBuy, and I want it so bad it hurts, LOL!
Seriously, if not for the pen I'd see no reason to trade for my Nook Color. But the pen turns a Flyer into a viable productivity tool. I can totally see myself taking it with me to meetings or when I have to meet with a supervisor and taking notes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need a Flyer.
I've paid 1000$ to buy it. It deserves because Im using every single option included.
Sent from my HTC Flyer P510e using XDA Premium App
dsf3g said:
I sorta disagree. Not that the pen is overpriced (I'm in full agreement with that statement) but that no one wants to write on a screen 'till it feels like paper. I've played with the Flyer/pen combo in BestBuy, and I want it so bad it hurts, LOL!
Seriously, if not for the pen I'd see no reason to trade for my Nook Color. But the pen turns a Flyer into a viable productivity tool. I can totally see myself taking it with me to meetings or when I have to meet with a supervisor and taking notes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Prepared to be disappointed.
When you write with a stylus on a tablet (not just the flyer/view but also on all the "convertables" running xp from back in the day) it has lag. You end up writing at 80% speed just from the lag. Add in the fact that you are writing on a tiny surface with a low resolution mark means you can fit all of a sentence and a half on one screen (and that's really being generous).
The notes also lack any of the cool features of onenote. Can't copy and paste a section. It is rather tiresome.
The only really useful thing I think the stylus can add is if you are signing a lot of .pdf's or something.
I major in math and economics and HOPED that I might be able to take notes on the view (I tried this on an older 10" xp tablet a while ago) and was very disappointed.
1. When you record the lecture and write, what the person is saying is drowned out by the clacking of your stylus on the screen.
2. HTC has made 0 improvements on the accuracy and the delay of the writing coming from the stylus. Quite disappointing.
BUT it does all come down to preference. Maybe you are find with these shortcomings in light of the brand new ability to actually write on the thing, which I agree is just plain cool.
sdge said:
Prepared to be disappointed.
When you write with a stylus on a tablet (not just the flyer/view but also on all the "convertables" running xp from back in the day) it has lag. You end up writing at 80% speed just from the lag. Add in the fact that you are writing on a tiny surface with a low resolution mark means you can fit all of a sentence and a half on one screen (and that's really being generous).
The notes also lack any of the cool features of onenote. Can't copy and paste a section. It is rather tiresome.
The only really useful thing I think the stylus can add is if you are signing a lot of .pdf's or something.
I major in math and economics and HOPED that I might be able to take notes on the view (I tried this on an older 10" xp tablet a while ago) and was very disappointed.
1. When you record the lecture and write, what the person is saying is drowned out by the clacking of your stylus on the screen.
2. HTC has made 0 improvements on the accuracy and the delay of the writing coming from the stylus. Quite disappointing.
BUT it does all come down to preference. Maybe you are find with these shortcomings in light of the brand new ability to actually write on the thing, which I agree is just plain cool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not disappointed at all. This is your personal point of view. I dont agree with you. The pen is accurate fast and u can use it to write notes (like the physical yellow notes) certainly you will not use it to write the human history!
Sent from my HTC Flyer P510e using XDA Premium App
I agree, though I do not use it at all (even I have enabled the phone features in it s-off), you pay for quality and performance. Another think I like about HTC (I use them from almost 7 years), is the battery. It will last very long...
If anybody interested, I live in Canada and I will be selling it. Let someone enjoy it...
sdge said:
1. When you record the lecture and write, what the person is saying is drowned out by the clacking of your stylus on the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I wouldn't use it to take notes at a lecture. For that it would be inadequate, I agree. But based on my experience playing with it in Best Buy, it should be more than adequate for jotting down a few instructions, perhaps a quick diagram or two.
Many tablets, including the Transformer and Galaxy Tab, have cheap plastic bodies. They don't match the sturdiness, look and feel of the Flyer's aluminum body.
When you consider that, the digitizer for the pen (as already mentioned), and maybe other things, it might be that the Flyer costs more to manufacture, and HTC cannot actually afford to charge less and still maintain a decent margin.
Also, the single core 1.5 GHz CPU is actually faster at most things then the dual core tablets (most of which are 1 GHz). Most applications do not support dual core CPU's yet, so its the raw processing clock speed of one core that counts. The dual core comes into play when multi-tasking, such as running processes in the background and switching between apps. If you compare the Flyer to other tablets, you will find the Flyer is actually snappier and smoother most the time. Honeycomb is inherently laggy at this time, and that's partially to blame. But the single core CPU is part of it, too.
I have to agree that it is a bit expensive but it meets my requirements and I use it all day.
I use Notes in all of my meetings or just to jot things down while walking around campus.
It is nowhere near the feature rich MS OneNote but I hope the next version (if there will be one) incorporates some.
As for speed, I don't see a delay when writing.
HTC Flyer / Tapatalk
It's expensive cause it's good build quality and it's new. Flyer's hard ware is really good: beautiful screen + ntrig digitizer, 1GB ram, Al body,... And HTC has to pay other companies for patent fees, about $50/smart phone. In addition, mobile device market is so HOT now. Remember that the Galaxy tab was also very expensive when it was released. I think we pay most of that money for things we can't see which related to R&D, marketing,... Chinese stuffs are cheap cause they don't pay for those things and they are crap(py).
However from inking point of view, with the "magic" pen, the Flyer is the best in market right now (do not consider Windows devices which are bulky and power hungry). But at the end, thinking about $500-700 laptops, we are definitely overcharged for Flyers. Still love them though.
Don't forget Sense. I think they put a considerable amount of time and money into Sense to make HTC devices distinguishable.
I'm not a huge fan of Sense, but I think the average consumer likes the clean look, and you can only get Sense with HTC, so they can charge more.
I sometimes think it is wise that HTC spends so much time on their UI because that's what the consumer notices.
damn Dollar... i paid 650€ (Germany)for mine -> 950$ ... early adopter
What is wrong with American electronics prices?
Everyting half the price, as else where in the world.
But... still complaing
Maybe its the sign, for a drowning America... low prices are a result of peoples earnings and how much they can afford...
Looks like, they cant afford average world market prices anymore
So before you complain, compare world prices... thank the Germans, Russians Indonesians, Polish, Hispanics, Canadians... even guys in India and Africa that they can afford to subsidy your low priced gadgets through their up to 3 times higher prices... (worst is Dell/Alienware)
Flyer.michael said:
But... still complaing
Maybe its the sign, for a drowning America... low prices are a result of peoples earnings and how much they can afford...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gosh I don't really think so. I think its because things have ALWAYS been cheaper here than overseas. It might also depend on sales volume. There are a lot of people in the US vs some European countries. It perhaps cheaper to market/sell products here vs some more bureaucratic nations. But thats just my guess.
Flyer.michael said:
Thank the Germans, Russians Indonesians, Polish, Hispanics, Canadians... even guys in India and Africa that they can afford to subsidy your low priced gadgets through their up to 3 times higher prices... (worst is Dell/Alienware)
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Click to collapse
So TRUE. And check the oil price, price of almost everything too (of course we have a bit higher tax here in Europe).
The whole world (especially developing countries) is "subsidizing" the US market. Not so much for us in Europe. But we are "trying hard" now to have subsidy from Africa, Asia, Middle East. LOL.
It is cheaper to ship in the U.S. because fuel prices are lower than Europe. We still produce much of our own fuel. Taxes are lower in the U.S.. The number of consumers with disposable income is higher in the U.S.. The highway infrastructure in the U.S. is better than most European countries.
Sum that all up and we get cheaper prices on most consumer goods.
HTC Flyer / Tapatalk
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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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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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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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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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).
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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)
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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.
Has anyone tried this with their tab? I am very tempted to pick it up.
Looks interesting. I was about to buy the Samsung HM5000 bluetooth pen, but this mini phone looks much better than talking to a pen like ur a russian spy from the 1900's.
Lol
But I think carring a tab and a phone is too much. A pen would not be too bad. But talking into a pen would look too lame.
Wonder if there was a way to hack my old xperia mini and turn it into a bluetooth receiver. Anyone?
Currently i'm running the Note 8 N5120 with the Satechi bluetooth mini-phone. But disclaimer, its only been 5 days.
Honestly for a 3 year old product the mini-phone is very nice. I use that to avoid looking dumb by holding up my 8" phone to my head with a call.
For the cost of it, i think its definitely worth giving it a shot to see if it works for you. I've already convinced two people to buy one, as it works for them.
The drawbacks to be aware of i have, are mainly due to the age
- my range is only ~10ft
- caller id does not transfer over (only number, you have to create the names manually in the mini-phone)
- still trying to find how to volume up/down while in a call.
If your actual phone stays on you - purse, pocket, whatever - than the range isn't a big problem. I was originally hoping to leave it on my desk and walk around my office, but i'm still adjusting.
For the cost, honestly its an great product, i haven't seen anything else similar yet. Due to the age of it there are serious limitations that you might want to consider though.
Hi Guys,
Hope you can come up with some suggestions.
I'm needing a computer for my bike (bicycle not motor bike). I've been looking at some normal stuff from Wahoo and Garmin and I think going with an android phone with mount, might be cheaper and better. I'm looking for some recommendations for the following criteria:
Good visibility with direct sunlight
Considerable battery life for always on screen with GPS (battery case might work)
Some water resistance (case might work)
Cheap, second hand, ebay, couple of years old will be fine
Assumptions:
Bluetooth 4.0 (smart) for sensors
Mount will be used that sticks on the back, 'quad lock' is my consideration
Not very interested in a separate battery pack that connects via cable, I want simple no hassle so I'll use it all the time.
My current phone (Oneplus 2), I'm not considering replacing and also cannot find a battery cases for it. It doesn't last long on my rides but if anyone can think of "out of the box" suggestions feel free.
Thanks for your thoughts,
Most sensors use ANT+ for what it's worth. Now all of that being said I looked into this about a month ago myself and figured out the cheapest and most effective was using an iPhone 3gs or 4 with a Wahoo kit that cost $40. By the time I figured out all of the math involved (buying used phone), you are around $125 (if you can find a used iPhone for $80 unless you have one sitting around). That doesn't include the additional for the HRM and Cadence either.
Anyways what I ended up with is a Bryton Rider 310 with Cadence and HRM sensors for $137 on Amazon. Not to crush the idea.
Following this to see what develops.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00A using XDA-Developers Legacy app
No crushing, its whatever is best at the end of the day. So thanks for your input.
Most sensors are ANT+, however my sensors are both ANT+ and BLU. They are also Wahoo, so I'm not restricted.
I'm not really interested in going the Apple route because I have less options for customisation and tweaks like keeping the screen on, tasker, etc. I will check out the Bryton Rider equipment, but from what I've seen Wahoo ELEMNT is £180 and the alternatives from Garmin are much more. Therefore, what I'm looking for is £180 (mines mounts, battery packets, etc.) or cheaper.
Thanks,
Edit: S**t dude these Bryton Rider's look awesome and there not overly expensive. I'm still checking them out but I still want to explore the android route... features 'n' all!
What about a BLU Energy X2? It has a 4000 mAh battery and you could put a battery in a bento bag if needed for longer trips. Screen on time ranks around 7.5 hours.
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