After using the three main competitors in the tablet market, I’ve made some interesting observations in regards to each the pros and cons. I spent a good three months with my HP Touchpad, a good week with my parent’s iPad and a few days with my new Xoom. I’m not really comparing the hardware. All tablets have dual core CPUs, the iPad and Touchpad have IPS displays and the Xoom a good LCD (although I do miss the viewing angles of the IPS).
Overall, I feel that Honeycomb has the most potential, if it solves some basic issues. WebOS would be great if there were more Apps.
iOS Pros:
Huge App Store
Ease of use
Easy to transfer music to and keep playlists
Music player is set up like a desktop iTunes so its easy to browse music
iOS Cons:
Lack of customization (widgets etc)
Restrictions on types of media that can be played
Semi-multi tasking
WebOS Pros:
Ease of use
True multitasking
Media player set up like iTunes so it is easy to browse
Best on-screen keyboard I have ever used
WebOS Cons:
Lack of Apps
Lack of customization (widgets)
Restrictions on Media
Media can be hard to transfer over and keep playlists
Battery seems to randomly drain: sometimes 15-20% overnight for no reason
Honeycomb Pros:
Customization galore
Ability to sideload apps that Google doesn’t approve
App Store has many apps
Custom ROMS
Transfer music using WMP seems to keep playlists intact
Cloud Music
True Multi-tasking
Honeycomb Cons:
No Lock Screen Widgets for Music Player
Music player “looks” nice, but is extremely hard to navigate in comparison to WebOS and iOS. Wish there was a “text” only version instead of displaying album art
Not as many tablet apps yet
Hard to tell Tablet apps from phone apps in market
Sometimes doesn’t seem as smooth as it should be, given the hardware inside
Wait until ICS comes out on the tabs, then hopefully you can tell us your thoughts on that.
good job guy
Musicmaster said:
After using the three main competitors in the tablet market, I’ve made some interesting observations in regards to each the pros and cons. I spent a good three months with my HP Touchpad, a good week with my parent’s iPad and a few days with my new Xoom. I’m not really comparing the hardware. All tablets have dual core CPUs, the iPad and Touchpad have IPS displays and the Xoom a good LCD (although I do miss the viewing angles of the IPS).
Overall, I feel that Honeycomb has the most potential, if it solves some basic issues. WebOS would be great if there were more Apps.
iOS Pros:
Huge App Store
Ease of use
Easy to transfer music to and keep playlists
Music player is set up like a desktop iTunes so its easy to browse music
iOS Cons:
Lack of customization (widgets etc)
Restrictions on types of media that can be played
Semi-multi tasking
WebOS Pros:
Ease of use
True multitasking
Media player set up like iTunes so it is easy to browse
Best on-screen keyboard I have ever used
WebOS Cons:
Lack of Apps
Lack of customization (widgets)
Restrictions on Media
Media can be hard to transfer over and keep playlists
Battery seems to randomly drain: sometimes 15-20% overnight for no reason
Honeycomb Pros:
Customization galore
Ability to sideload apps that Google doesn’t approve
App Store has many apps
Custom ROMS
Transfer music using WMP seems to keep playlists intact
Cloud Music
True Multi-tasking
Honeycomb Cons:
No Lock Screen Widgets for Music Player
Music player “looks” nice, but is extremely hard to navigate in comparison to WebOS and iOS. Wish there was a “text” only version instead of displaying album art
Not as many tablet apps yet
Hard to tell Tablet apps from phone apps in market
Sometimes doesn’t seem as smooth as it should be, given the hardware inside
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree web os is really "down"
I still feel androia good
Good writeup.... iOS, however, can suck it. I hat my wife's new ipad 2.... I still prefer to use my evolution over it.
Sent from my HTC EVO 3d using Taptalk
agree too web os is really down and ios is at downside ... if they dont work upon there os really fast and make there strategies more good then i am not surprised if they got out of the market really soon..
As a PRO for HP Touchpad, might want to consider adding the ability to also install Android (CM7) right along side and dual boot to even further expand on the utility. I love dual booting my Touchpad. I find I spend more of my time in Android though...love the ability to customize the UI with themes and widgets that I can not do in WebOS.
I was wondering the same thing.
Your research is great for people who want to buy a smartphone
its simple,
IOS = for people who are simple and do not like to bother the operating system to operate
Android = 100% the opposite of the IOS
I think it
I just got my tab two months ago, and I have been trying to find any app that best suits this gadget. So far, I almost got what I want, so I decide to write them down, and maybe this can help some other newcomers like me.
player:
1.BSplayer. It has a very nice ui and an functional LAN mode(you can stream from any smb server within a LAN). It's currently introduced a hw acceleration method, which I think is as good as the one that Diceplayer has.
2.Google Music. Very cool UI with a nice widget. A must-have app for anyone who likes google's music streaming service.
Google Reader
HD Reader Since I rely on google reader to subscribe rss feeds, google reader app is definitely a essential reading tool on my tab. But I really don't like the google's version(it's just a phone app). After several days of app-hunting, I found this one, it supports 3 different theme, and many essential settings such as on/off line mode, font family, cache, image downloading, etc. it's ui design is just visually appealing. Plus it has a transparent widget which is also configurable.
Podcast download/streaming
Beyond Pod. This one is definitely the best choice if you listen/watch podcast on daily basis. the ui is optimized for tablet, and transition is quite smooth. It provided all the basic features of a podcast receiver app.
Ebook Reader
Mantano I tried a lot of ebook reader's but eventually settled with Mantano reader. It has a very nice ui which is optimized for tablet. It supports epub as well as pdf. The reading experience is excellent.
Ezpdfreader. Probably the best pdf reader I could find.
Facebook/twitter
Wizz widget for tablet. this applet is just enough for basic usage of facebook/twitter. so I don't need other apps for these. Anyway,you can try Friendme/Friendcaster, and tweetcomb. These individual apps are all optimized for the tablets.
My Recommended Apps For Tablet - From Galaxy 10.1 WiFi
Player
1) PlayerPro. It is about the only player app that gave me the opportunity to edit the album art for each one of my songs. Another cool thing of it is the ability to install and use personalized Skins. Pretty Nice looking interface, to me this is my Music Player Winner. My library looks so organized with this app.
2) Google Music. As hilltruange states, this is a must-have app for anyone who likes google's Music Streaming service. I also like the fact that it kind of connects your music experience with the new market Music feauture.
3)AudioGalaxy. This is the winner when it comes to a low capacity of storage on your device!. AudioGalaxy allows you to stream ALL your music from home straight to your personal device in just a few SECONDS! This app is kind of like Google Music nevertheless it does not upload it to the cloud but instead it streams it using the internet connection. Must-have as well.
Ebook Reader
I personally go more for the cool looking interface - Flipping pages like a real book rather than what the app itself can do. Ive had my Galaxy 10.1 Tab for about 4 months now and Ill have to admit that i havent found anything really better than the Ebook.apk app that came with my Task650 - ROM. It does the job just great! In my opinion this app really makes the reading feel like if you were reading a real technological book. I personally use online EPUB converters so that i can enjoy my PDF's with the "Flipping pages" feature.
Just for the record, Ive tried Mantano and dont get me wrong. The app is awesome but just the fact that it only does scrolling effect on the pages really bugs me. :-(
Live TV/Movies/Sports/Streaming
So far my Number One app for live Tv streaming is Veetle.apk. I've personally used Veetle for about 2 years now and trust me it is great!. It is about the only app out there that allows you to stream hd movies at a very nice quality on your Tablet!. I also have NETFLIX which also does the job for me.
Android Launcher
ADWLauncher Ex. I understand that the Stock Android Launcher looks pretty descent but the ADWLauncher Ex just turns your Android Tablet experience to a whole new level! Take a look at my Google+ TNDG page:
h t t p s : / / p l u s . g o o g l e . c o m / u /0/b/103728314829341153863/#
In there i have some of my tablet screen pics using ADWLauncher Ex.
WiFi Calling! For Free
Groove IP. If you have a WiFi ONLY tablet then you should really get yourself a Google Voice account and download GrooVe IP from the market!. Groove IP tuns your WiFi Tablet into a Phone. Must-Have if you want to make phone calls for free.
OoVoO. Number ONE Video conference app WAY better and HD quality compared to Tango. If you have Google Talk and most of your friends are on it then you should be fine using the Talk Video feauture. Nevertheless, if you want to experience something different but with the same quality as Google hangouts then i strongly recommend to download OoVoO.apk.
Sound Equilizer
EQualizer. EQualizer from Google Music takes the quality of your tablet sound to a whole new level!.
Best Keyboards
SwiftKey Tablet X. SwiftKey Tablet X is in my opinion the best when it comes to a nice looking neon easy to use keyboard experience!.
HD Tablet - Video Games!
Riptide GP - HD
ShadowGun - HD
Pinball for Tegra - HD
Ocean Bubble - HD
Light Racer 3D - HD
GOF2 THD - HD
Block Breaker 3 - HD
Stardunk - HD
Heave Gunner 3D - HD
Hero of Sparta - HD
Asphalt 6 - HD
UNO - HD
BackBreaker Tegra2 - HD
AirAttack - HD
WaveBlazer - HD
CrazySnowBoard - HD
N.O.V.A. 2 - HD
Radio Services
Pandora
Jango
TuneIn
hilltruange said:
I just got my tab two months ago, and I have been trying to find any app that best suits this gadget. So far, I almost got what I want, so I decide to write them down, and maybe this can help some other newcomers like me.
player:
1.BSplayer. It has a very nice ui and an functional LAN mode(you can stream from any smb server within a LAN). It's currently introduced a hw acceleration method, which I think is as good as the one that Diceplayer has.
2.Google Music. Very cool UI with a nice widget. A must-have app for anyone who likes google's music streaming service.
Google Reader
HD Reader Since I rely on google reader to subscribe rss feeds, google reader app is definitely a essential reading tool on my tab. But I really don't like the google's version(it's just a phone app). After several days of app-hunting, I found this one, it supports 3 different theme, and many essential settings such as on/off line mode, font family, cache, image downloading, etc. it's ui design is just visually appealing. Plus it has a transparent widget which is also configurable.
Podcast download/streaming
Beyond Pod. This one is definitely the best choice if you listen/watch podcast on daily basis. the ui is optimized for tablet, and transition is quite smooth. It provided all the basic features of a podcast receiver app.
Ebook Reader
Mantano I tried a lot of ebook reader's but eventually settled with Mantano reader. It has a very nice ui which is optimized for tablet. It supports epub as well as pdf. The reading experience is excellent.
Ezpdfreader. Probably the best pdf reader I could find.
Facebook/twitter
Wizz widget for tablet. this applet is just enough for basic usage of facebook/twitter. so I don't need other apps for these. Anyway,you can try Friendme/Friendcaster, and tweetcomb. These individual apps are all optimized for the tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the suggestion of Reader HD, that's the kind of RSS program I've been looking for! Love the theme unification with Gmail!
hilltruange said:
I just got my tab two months ago, and I have been trying to find any app that best suits this gadget. So far, I almost got what I want, so I decide to write them down, and maybe this can help some other newcomers like me.
player:
1.BSplayer. It has a very nice ui and an functional LAN mode(you can stream from any smb server within a LAN). It's currently introduced a hw acceleration method, which I think is as good as the one that Diceplayer has.
2.Google Music. Very cool UI with a nice widget. A must-have app for anyone who likes google's music streaming service.
Google Reader
HD Reader Since I rely on google reader to subscribe rss feeds, google reader app is definitely a essential reading tool on my tab. But I really don't like the google's version(it's just a phone app). After several days of app-hunting, I found this one, it supports 3 different theme, and many essential settings such as on/off line mode, font family, cache, image downloading, etc. it's ui design is just visually appealing. Plus it has a transparent widget which is also configurable.
Podcast download/streaming
Beyond Pod. This one is definitely the best choice if you listen/watch podcast on daily basis. the ui is optimized for tablet, and transition is quite smooth. It provided all the basic features of a podcast receiver app.
Ebook Reader
Mantano I tried a lot of ebook reader's but eventually settled with Mantano reader. It has a very nice ui which is optimized for tablet. It supports epub as well as pdf. The reading experience is excellent.
Ezpdfreader. Probably the best pdf reader I could find.
Facebook/twitter
Wizz widget for tablet. this applet is just enough for basic usage of facebook/twitter. so I don't need other apps for these. Anyway,you can try Friendme/Friendcaster, and tweetcomb. These individual apps are all optimized for the tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had my tab since August, and I've spent a lot of time trying out different apps and bouncing around.
I still stick with Stitcher for Podcasts, having tried BeyondPod and a few others and just not being that impressed. I'm hoping Stitcher will get more tablet-optimized soon.
For an RSS reader, I hadn't seen HD Reader before -- it looks pretty slick. I've been turned off by all the apps like Pulse which turn my daily news-reading into a huge multimedia experience; I much prefer the simplicity of the standard Google Reader app to that. HD Reader looks like it might be a nice merging, though, and I'll give that a try.
MoonReader+ works well for epub reading, but I think I'll give Mantano a try.
DicePlayer was one of the first apps I bought for my tablet for videos, and I haven't regretted it.
Reddita is great for browsing and posting to Reddit. I have Reddit is Fun for my phone, but Reddita is just perfect on tablets.
I prefer Thumb Keyboard | Tablet over SwiftKey X for Tablet, but it's pretty close. I use Hacker's Keyboard occasionally when I'm doing terminal sessions. Speaking of, Better Terminal Emulator pro is the only option for SSH sessions!
Make sure you browse around Tablified.
news360 is my favorite news app for the tab so far, but I'll have to checkout HD reader.
thank u so much guys...these lists were needed a long ago but its never late.
i agree that these lists are awesome and this thread must be sticky so that newcomers can take advantage.
Music
TuneIn Radio - Ha! Who needs an FM antenna? I can get all my favorite radio stations from everywhere I've ever lived, oh and that cool one from Germany. I haven't even bothered putting MP3s on my tab because of this app.
Ebook
FBreader - No fancy graphics, just customizable and simple epub access. Quite possibly the most opened app on my Tab.
TV
Crunchyroll - Mmmm anime. I've been tempted more than once to invest in the premium access.
Keyboard
Thumb Keyboard - Very fast, and has an awesome Tron-styled theme.
HD Reader is amazing, I've been using it since the first day I got the tab. it is the best Google Reader that I've seen
SamerBerjawi said:
HD Reader is amazing, I've been using it since the first day I got the tab. it is the best Google Reader that I've seen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for me justreader better than hd reader.
mynewuser said:
for me justreader better than hd reader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
will try that out now... thanks
Data counter apps
Hi Guys,
Need your 2 cent of advice for data counter or data monitor apps, currently all the apps related program to capture our data in and out is not working well for my tab 8.9 only wifi.
any suggestion
thanks in advance
My Recommended Apps
I am an engineer, a designer, a developer, editor and a computer enthusiast
i have these tools on my tab to work on
adobe creatpdf
touch retouch
smart tools
touchnote
photofunia
google reader
money lover
andromedia
adobe kuler
sketch n draw
think free office tablet
ps touch
pixlr o matic
qr droid
mobile biz pro
electrodroid
tape machine
sketch book
super note
---------- Post added at 02:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:45 AM ----------
abima80 said:
Hi Guys,
Need your 2 cent of advice for data counter or data monitor apps, currently all the apps related program to capture our data in and out is not working well for my tab 8.9 only wifi.
any suggestion
thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
use this
this is the best one
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.carl.trafficcounter
Is their a way to increase font size in mantano reader?
I just tried Stitcher and I love it so far, I think that is my media news (podcasts/video/news radio) and Goggle Currents has been nice so far for reading.
So my favorite apps are:
Podcasts: Stitcher
News Reader: Currents, Pulse
Launcher: ADW
Browser: Dolphin w/ LastPass & Xmarks
Voicemail: Google Voice
Media: Pandora, Plex, 8tracks
DLNA: Skifta
Remote Desktop: PocketCloud
Other:
Evernote
Read It Later
Dropbox
someone recommended reddita for reddit, while it is good, i prefer f5 for reddit on tab, and on the phone, bacon reader( also for redit)
I use Pulse and I really like it, some times Currents too but one big issue is offline reading i have 32gigs on my tab and i dont care how much it takes to download all news everyday from about 100 sources. but I want to read full articles with images offline when im on the road..
I would be greatful for any advice
Just had my wifes replacement tab arrive today, boy its gonna be fun getting into this thing!
I've seen a lot of great suggestions here, but was wondering if there are many launchers optimized for tablet?
I saw ADWlauncherEX suggested, i already own that on my phone so i will definitely try that first.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Mirmensky said:
Just had my wifes replacement tab arrive today, boy its gonna be fun getting into this thing!
I've seen a lot of great suggestions here, but was wondering if there are many launchers optimized for tablet?
I saw ADWlauncherEX suggested, i already own that on my phone so i will definitely try that first.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about launchers designed for tablets, but I use ADWex and have had no issue at all with it.
On a side note, Mint just optimized their finance app for tabs and it is great. If you're a stickler about managing your expenses, I find this app to be incredible.
Anybody know pdf readervthat is quick to open not so complex docs and pdf, mostly meeting notes. Ccurrently using ezypdf and polaris office, both is quite slow and for polaris after many pdf docs will force close.
Sent from my GT-P7500 using Tapatalk
biggiebro said:
Anybody know pdf readervthat is quick to open not so complex docs and pdf, mostly meeting notes. Ccurrently using ezypdf and polaris office, both is quite slow and for polaris after many pdf docs will force close.
Sent from my GT-P7500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Repligo reader
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk
Hi,
Seen as this is my first android tab, I would like to know what apps people recommend for it, I use things like facebook/twitter etc but know they dont have official clients.
I have friendcaster and tweetcaster installed but if there is anything else that would be handy.
Also heard of Dice player? Is the stock one not good enough?
Anything else as well really.
Thanks
Kevin
kevinm2k said:
Hi,
Seen as this is my first android tab, I would like to know what apps people recommend for it, I use things like facebook/twitter etc but know they dont have official clients.
I have friendcaster and tweetcaster installed but if there is anything else that would be handy.
Also heard of Dice player? Is the stock one not good enough?
Anything else as well really.
Thanks
Kevin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dice player is really nice. The only player I found which can play 720p/1080p movies with 5.1 AC3/DTS sound.
All other players just don't have any sound with those files.
You might get more info in the Themes and Apps section here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1415
kevinm2k said:
...
Also heard of Dice player? Is the stock one not good enough?
Anything else as well really.
Thanks
Kevin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock player can't play that many file formats. Dice player plays nearly every file you throw at it. Plus it is (as far as i know/tested) the only player that uses real hardware decoding on the prime. So your videos run a lot smoother and it drains less battery power.
Also i like to use wifi analyzer to check if my prime can keep up with my smartphone when it comes to wifi signal strength.
If you like solitaire i can recommend "klondike" solitaire to you. It's addictive
Thumb keyboard is the best. You type with just your thumbs since the keyboard is split up. No more reaching for middle keys.
Every Google app:
Catalogs - browse tons of catalogs and purchase items on the spot
Reader - for rss feeds
Cloud print
Pulse - awesome app that displays top stories from a lot of websites on categories like entertainment, news, technology, sports etc. It's displayed very nicely.
The games in tegra zone are nice:
Shadowgun, hockey, siegecraft
MX video player
Fruit ninja on tablets is awesome. The multiplayer mode is fun.
Officesuite PRO for excel, powerpoint, word, etc
And believe me I've virtually tried them all, or at least the best of the bunch.
You get users who praise apps that really only trim video files, and add very basic effects. No, I'm talking about a proper video editing apps with a scrolling 'timeline', with realtime rendered playback preview of effects, texts and transitions.
The only one's that come remotely close are 'VideoPad Pro' and 'Clesh', Clesh is a great cloud editing system but it's a little basic but I'm sure this will improve. VideoPad feels the closest to a PC type UI, but seems to struggle slightly playing back in realtime on what is a powerful Sony flagship phone, 'TrakAx MovieExpress' is a known PC editing suit, but it's Android UI clunky, and not intuitive, also realtime playback is really bad.
The Android original 4.3 version 'Video editor' is also not a smooth candidate, but it has a few effects, transitions and a basic text feature.
Basically they all suffer very limiting 'title' and 'text' functions, some allowing a single font style, some with no text manipulation at all.
So those video editing software developers out there, come on, start producing something in the realms on iOS I Movie, and Reel Director, Android phones should well be able support apps of this quality.
Just needed to have this moan..... After all. it is Christmas.
Happy Christmas
Regards
Livio
Try MAGISTO