Android Honeycomb Tablet OS is official. This does not suck! (1 Viewer)

[Hanson]

Originally Posted by DaveF

For that you have to wait for the after-market steering-wheel mount

I want someone to make that just to see the apoplectic reactions. It would make a great gag gift.

 

[Sam Posten]

Yay for openness!

http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/03/01/the-mother-of-all-android-malware-has-arrived-stolen-apps-released-to-the-market-that-root-your-phone-steal-your-data-and-open-backdoor/

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Yay for being app hounds!


_Man_


PS: Alright, maybe the earlier, blunt comment was unnecessary -- and any of us can get a tad over-excited about any little tidbit, whether truly meaningful or not, from the fanboy-infested blogosphere -- but still, it ain't fun trying to figure out what really matters and what doesn't for those of us genuinely interested in finding out more in order to make the best decisions for our individual wants/needs...

 

[DaveF]

For what it's worth, I suggested that a "Battlefront" thread (or even forum, in the model of Ars Technica) be created for these sorts of ...uhm...energetic discussions ...and allow reviews or feature discussions to proceed in peace. I still think it's a good idea.

 

[Sam Posten]

You are welcome to your opinion of my motives but I remain unwavering in my philosophy: I am financially committed and 'all in' on the Apple ecosystem Apple has more faults than I can count Apple needs viable, successful competitors to keep them honest So far the also rans aren't doing a good job of it Honeycomb was the first release in a while that had promise They've squandered even that

 

[DaveF]

Samsung Galaxy to be revised based on iPad 2 announcement


http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/04/samsung-finds-parts-of-galaxy-tab-10-1-inadequate-compared-to/

[iPad 2] has led to Samsung, purveyor of an Android 3.0 tablet by the name of Galaxy Tab 10.1, to look more closely at its own hardware and pricing model and, according to executive VP Lee Don-Joo, "improve the parts that are inadequate." We don't know what those are, specifically, however he notes that "Apple made [the iPad 2 very thin" and also goes on to say that Samsung will be rethinking its pricing strategy with the Tab 10.1. It was originally going to cost more than the 7-inch Galaxy Tab, but in light of Apple's new product, Samsung might have to cut [pricing]

 

[DaveF]

And the view from the other side:

http://blogs.computerworld.com/17907/motorola_xoom_versus_the_ipad_2_the_xoom_is_a_clear_winner

Apple's revamped iPad, the iPad 2, is certainly an improvement over the original iPad. But when compared head to head against the Motorola Xoom, the Xoom still wins. Here's why.

 

[DaveF]

http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/03/wifi-only-motorola-xoom-appears-at-sams-club-bearing-539-pric/


Xoom possibly for $539 at Sam's?

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Nice to see the Android side already considering some price slashing in light of the iPad 2 launch. Wonder if Costco will follow suit w/ Sam's Club.



Anyone know if any of the WiFi-only tablets, including iPad 2, will actually have enabled, built-in GPS hardware (regardless of whether one would actually use it for driving purposes)?


In the past, seems like all WiFi-only devices are either missing the GPS hardware *or* have it disabled.


I know some folks here are considering WiFi-only (whether for iPad 2 or an Android tablet) -- and that includes myself (even though I'm intrigued by Google Maps Nav on a tablet) -- but I haven't seen any mention about this aspect of WiFi-only devices in these discussions. I guess this issue is very minor for most, but maybe it'd be one extra, worthwhile bullet point to consider when deciding between WiFi-only and 3G, et al. Having owned a 2nd gen iPod Touch for a good while, I'm quite aware there are some interesting apps that make use of built-in GPS hardware (besides Google Maps).


_Man_

 

[DaveF]

What I've read is the iPad 2, like the iPad 1, only has a GPS chip in the 3G model. I presume the wifi model can do wifi-localization, allowing some crude use of mapping and location software.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Hmmm... Didn't realize the Samsung 10.1 would be notably lighter (than Xoom and old iPad) -- but it also lacks USB(?) and HDMI(?). Wonder how plasticky it'll actually feel though...


As I look at these things some more, makes me wonder if they shouldn't spend the $ (and design efforts) elsewhere rather than that rear-facing camera. If people think 10" for driving GPS (and whatever other combined, in-car uses) is ridiculous, then how ridiculous is it to shoot actual photos, let alone videos(!) w/ it?!?!


_Man_

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Originally Posted by DaveF
What I've read is the iPad 2, like the iPad 1, only has a GPS chip in the 3G model. I presume the wifi model can do wifi-localization, allowing some crude use of mapping and location software.

Yeah, except most(?) such apps still seem to require actual GPS for that aspect, IIRC, eg. star gazing type apps (unless you wanna hand-input your own location coordinates, maybe using traditional means or some other WiFi-to-coordinates app, which I don't recall seeing in the App Store, at the "nearest" hotspot possibly many, many miles away). I'd think WiFi-localization would be good enough in many such cases (maybe even for star gazing despite the logistics of that), but other than Google Maps, most other 3rd party iOS apps don't seem to accommodate that the last time I checked ~1/2 year ago -- maybe the popularity of WiFi-only iPads (on top of iPod Touches) might change that I guess.


I wonder if the same is true for the Android side -- or maybe the point is moot if the WiFi-only Android devices do include GPS hardware anyway...


_Man_

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by ManW_TheUncool

To reveal my biases again: whereas everyone else seems to stick cameras in their devices to meet spec-list requirements, Apple appears to be providing a holistic solution. They have a user and use in mind and are solving that person's problems, giving then the all-in-one film-makers solution. The launch suggests it's being sold as an all-in-one video studio for the hobbyist. On an iPad 2, you can both shoot 720p video and edit down to the final film. I won't say that 720p is the end all, but for home use, it's good enough, and still almost overkill for YouTube.



So this isn't meant for me. And it's not a camera for photographers. But when I was 14, I would have been ecstatic for this sort of thing! Someone's going to concoct a functional tripod stand for the iPad 2, and kids will go crazy making silly videos.

 

[Hanson]

The iPad2 appears to have the same camera that's in the iPod Touch 4. It's 720p, but it's 960 X 720p, not 1280 X 720p of true HD video. Plus it's pretty grainy looking if my wife's iPod Touch (and the previews) is any indication.

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by Hanson Yoo

The iPad2 appears to have the same camera that's in the iPod Touch 4. It's 720p, but it's 960 X 720p, not 1280 X 720p of true HD video. Plus it's pretty grainy looking if my wife's iPod Touch (and the previews) is any indication.

I knew it wasn't as good as in a Flip, but I'd forgotten it wasn't true 720p. That's unfortunate. Still great for the kids and hobbyists. But not a feature I'm concerned about pre-purchase.


I think the iPhone 4 as a video camera starts to be competitive with the quality of a Flip. Even so, I use the Flip for things like Toastmasters because of its tripod mount and trivial use. And I'm chronically low on iPhone storage space

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Originally Posted by DaveF


_Man_

 

[Hanson]

Well Man, the iPhone 4 has a 5 MP sensor that does very good quality 720p video capture and photos. Better than your DSLR? Of course not. But good enough to replace your P&S for a lot of people. One of the big disappointments with the iPod Touch 4 was the much lower quality image sensor. It's really just a 960 X 720 video imager that happens to take pictures. It's well too grainy to be anyone's primary camera.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

So I guess there are no rumors/news of a 7-8" Honecomb tablet then?


Maybe the Android camp should consider ditching the 10" form factor and go w/ 7-8" and 13-15" instead rather than compete head-on w/ the iPad. Surely, there's enough interest in something smaller (for portability, perhaps higher pixel density and screen quality, perhaps lower cost, and maybe the GPS thing and maybe even rear-facing camera gimmickry philosophy of "choice" and "openness", would probably make more sense to have more variety in form factor anyway...


_Man_

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by ManW_TheUncool



I guess so although what kid would actually own an iPad, but not an iPhone (or something similar enough) to do the same thing better -- and then just quickly transfer the still or video over to the iPad, if desired. I still gotta think a smaller device would be far more suitable for the actual image capture. And for truly casual point-and-shoot stuff, you probably wouldn't need anything comprehensive for editing, etc. anyway -- I'm sure some simple app on the iPhone, etc. would do.

The kids who own iPads but not an iPhone


Seriously: not all parents buy their kids cellphones, iPhone or otherwise, but do let them have computers of various sorts. A coworker comes to mind: his kids have an iPad and an iPod Touch, but no iPhone in the family.


Your point is taken: if a kid is so excited to do film editing, they likely have or would buy a Flip for easy video recording.


Nonetheless, the iPad (and other tablets) do offer a $499 all-in-one film studio. Perhaps imperfect, but quite the sales pitch.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Originally Posted by Hanson Yoo
Well Man, the iPhone 4 has a 5 MP sensor that does very good quality 720p video capture and photos. Better than your DSLR? Of course not. But good enough to replace your P&S for a lot of people. One of the big disappointments with the iPod Touch 4 was the much lower quality image sensor. It's really just a 960 X 720 video imager that happens to take pictures. It's well too grainy to be anyone's primary camera.

That reminds me. How are the cameras on the Samsung Galaxy phones and Motorola Droid whatevers compared to the iPhone 4? I've just been assuming they're all comparable enough for my wife's purposes.


On these mobile phones, I can certainly see the appeal of shooting quick, casual videos on top of the occasional snapshot although memory storage is another issue (as Dave pointed out). I have a 16GB microSD in my BB Tour, but I could actually use >=32GB instead even before considering shooting anything w/ it -- yeah, in my case, it's pretty much all eaten up by music files (and I could probably use another 8GB or more for that).


_Man_