Take that, iPad! (2 Viewers)

[DaveF]

Not a tablet. Not touchscreen. Not a competitor to the iPad.


For that you need a "Take that, generic cheap netbooks!" thread

 

[Sam Posten]

Originally Posted by Ken Chan

What, no love for Chrome OS?

What Dave said. But of course I love Chrome OS. I have been using it since Hexxeh built his first flash drive release (and long before Google, wisely, hired him).


I signed up within seconds of the link going live to test the CR-48, wish me luck =)


Looks like some early registers are getting their CR-48s today, hoping i get one! Will start a new thread for it.

 

[Ken Chan]

Originally Posted by DaveF

Not a tablet. Not touchscreen. Not a competitor to the iPad.

I dunno about that last one. For people in the market for a zero-configuration, zero-headaches kind of device to "check their email and Facebook" -- plus it has a keyboard. Several other important differences of course.


Since Sam has started the other thread, I guess we can continue there, if anyone really cares. But there seems to be a lot of "don't get it"/"don't care" among the tech blog commenter types.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Originally Posted by Ken Chan


In the grand scheme, yeah, I agree those are actually competitors of iPad/tablets too since most(?) people are only looking to get one or the other, not both. Certainly, I have no interest in getting both -- and neither does that other person I mentioned.


If we're talking about fullsize laptops, etc. then that might be different...


_Man_

 

[Kazz]

I was thinking about getting the Ipad. Now, I will wait until I can do a thorough research on all the tablets out there.

 

[DaveF]

For now, there's still only the Galaxy Tab (ignoring Windows Tablets which have been around for a decade and no one cares about).


The demo'd Google tablet is only a prototype with no release date or pricing yet. RIM's Playbook doesn't have a release date; sometime next year is all they've said. If you were going to buy this year, it's between the iPad and the Tab. If you're thinking about it for next year, perhaps there will be additional tablets when you're ready to buy.

 

[Hanson]

The difference between the two, functionally speaking, is the form factor you're looking for. A 10" tablet like the iPad is a laptop replacement, but it requires setting down for most input and is large and fairly heavy at 1.6 lbs if you want to hold it for an extended length of time. The 7" Tab is around half the weight but light enough to hold for extended periods, and since the screen is small enough, you can thumb type in portrait mode without needing to set it down on a desk or lap. My example of real world use is this:


I was on the train the other day and pulled my Galaxy Tab out of my coat pocket and played Angry Birds using my thumb to catapult the birds as I was holding it like a PSP. At the next stop, a woman sat down next to me and pulled an iPad out of her bag and set it on her lap to play Angry Birds using her forefinger to operate the catapult. I switched to a movie and held the Tab in one hand while checking my Evo for emails with the other. She opened Vanity Fair in the magazine app, and craned her neck whilst hunched over to read it, never lifting the iPad from her lap. When we hit Penn Station, I walked out to the street with the Tab in hand to finish what I was watching. The woman had to stash the iPad back into her bag.


The size of the iPad is nice and all, but it's not much more portable than a laptop. The Galaxy Tab is Kindle sized and much more portable than a laptop. If you want/need the screen real-estate, go for the iPad. But if you're looking for something more portable, then the Tab is a better choice. And the Tab's dimensions allow me to run remote desktop with the full desktop on top and virtual keyboard on bottom in portrait mode. Because the iPad has squarer in dimensions, the keyboard would always obscure the screen somewhat.

And BTW, the woman was playing Angry Birds without zooming out, so she was only scrolling left and right and catapulting blindly. I couldn't tell if she was doing it for the challenge or if she didn't know how the game worked. Either way, it was all I could do to keep from telling her.

 

[Sam Posten]

Originally Posted by Hanson Yoo


The size of the iPad is nice and all, but it's not much more portable than a laptop.

Crazy talk =) I might agree with you on two conditions:

-1 you don't have it in a cover. I use the official apple one, it's great.

-2 you keep it stored in a bag


Treat it like what it is, a book, or as it's name implies, a pad and it is emminently portable. Keep it in a bag and it becomes much more like a laptop.


If I had a 7" tablet I wouldnt wear cargo pants to carry it around in, and if you are keeping it in a jacket pocket what will you do in the summer?

 

[Hanson]

I think you and I are quibbling about what constitutes "portable".


If by portable you mean that it's light and easily carried from one place to another, then yes, the iPad is portable. But you can't really use it without setting it down on a desk or a lap. If you're brave and fairly coordinated, you could balance it on one hand and pack at it with the other, but even then, holding it with your arms without any support is fatiguing.


The Tab has a portability of use -- I can walk down the street and use any of its functions. I don't need a desk or table or have to sit. That's a level of portability that the iPad cannot handle due to it's size.

And believe it or not, the GTab fits into my front jeans pocket, provided I don't sit down. That's how I intend on transporting it from Penn Station to my desk when the weather turns nice.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

What you really need is a 6-oz tablet that can shapeshift (and adjust everything) at will from ~5" upto ~20" at exponential increments while offering 10x the processing power of the Galaxy Tab, 5G XYZ wireless data capability, 256GB on-board flash memory and enough juice to run video and games 24/7 for 7 days straight.


_Man_

 

[Hanson]

And under $300 off-contract.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Originally Posted by Hanson Yoo


_Man_

 

[Hanson]

Maybe a generously cut fanny pack will do the trick!


Just as an FYI, the glass on the Tab is undoubtedly much hardier than the glass on Palm Pilot circa 1999. It completely shattered one a week after I paid $350 for it after carrying it around in a backpack. I had to clean out shards of glass from the bag. To this day I don't understand how it happened.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Near as I can tell, that Palm Pilot actually died from excessive jostling. Nothing was externally visibly broken. The display did get a bit flakey before completely dying. And this was one of the better made Pilots, not the flimsy ones. Plus I had a decent leather case w/ flip-lid for it.


Anyway, I can't see risking the Galaxy Tab (and its 2-year contract) running around w/ it in the pants pocket.


_Man_

 

[Sam Posten]

Double ouch!

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/31/dell-streak-7-review/

 

[davesmith]

yikes, thats not the result they were hoping for, not that I pay much attention to what engadget thinks.

 

[Sam Posten]

To be fair, this was before Engadget went to hell.

 

[davesmith]

fair enough! didnt realise how old that post of yours was. Its like reading a tabloids tech section these days

 

[Sam Posten]

Yup, I can't wait to see what Topolsky and crew come up with, in the meantime there is:

http://thisismynext.com

 

[DaveF]

Sounds like they're doing sports reporting next. Which for me is Zzzzz...