Android Tablets

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Well, I'm a bit behind in my reporting, it seems.

I am currently on my 3rd android tablet as of this writing.

My first was a complete and total bust, and that device is now a paperweight.  It's what I get from buying from an unknown start-up, but the price (I thought) was right at the time.... I won't mention any more about it, apart from it was a roughly 7" tablet, used the old resistive touch-screen (with a stylus) and ran on Android 2x, and cost less than $150.   I had it for a time, used it a bit, then put it aside waiting on updates (that never materialized).  When I attempted to power it up the final time, to use it as a simple bathroom Kindle reader (for which it would've been quite adequate), it had died--- battery'd drained to the point of no return, in spite of being completely shut off when put away.  Oh well, lesson learned.

Next, I purchased a Dell Streak 7, which I loved and still love.  I carried that around, and read many a book (via the Kindle app for Android) on it.  I had purchased two cases, the last one a lovely leather thing which had two parts, and unfolded into a really slick reading-stand, and was protective as heck (for what it was).   I even sprung for a 64gig SDXC card (which was an impulse buy that I almost regretted, but formatting the card within the Streak itself resolved it's read-issues) and took the time to put all my MP3 collection on that.   In short?  I had few complaints, apart from the fact that for a time, Dell appeared to have abandoned the device-- certainly they abandoned the Dell 5" phone device (to the no-doubt dismay of anyone who purchased it).

I had even installed and used a lovely GPS Navigation program (CoPilot premium) quite satisfactorily.  There's nothing like GPS navigation on a 7" screen... unless you've got a 10" one...

But alas, my love-affair with the Streak was to be short-lived.  Oh, Capricious Nature of Personal Electronics!   I found a device which is more elegant, and has stolen my affections.  So fickle is our attachment to Things.



While browsing in a Best Buy, I was looking at the 10" class of Android tablets, specifically the sub-$500 category brands.   They had 3 lovelies next to one another, each running the new, slick Honeycomb (Android 3x, specifically optimized for tablets) OS.

A very helpful sales dude politely asked if I needed any help-- instead of my usual polite rejoinder, "no, but thank you for asking" I said, "What would convince me to purchase this one, instead of that one?" pointing to two of the 3 on display.

He indicated that basically, the all ran Honeycomb (which I had already discovered, but did not point that out), all had the exact same screen resolution, each had similar competitive CPU's, graphics engines, etc.  The bottom line, was the ports they each sported along their respective edges-- some had a plethora-of-ports, others were more modest.  For example, one had not only a full SD slot, but an HDMI (micro), a media-card reader, a couple of USB host-ports (so you could insert USB sticks/drives), and several others I had no idea what they were good for... It was the most expensive of the lot, but not by much.

Then, he proceeded unintentionally to make the sale, by bringing out the trump-card (and explained why he chose the Asus over the others):  a lovely little keyboard-dock, which locked-onto the Asus tablet, transforming it into a little Android-OS mini laptop....

... sold!  (or, I would have, had they had in stock, that lovely dock....)

The dock, in addition to the built-in, 95% keyboard (in that it's 95% of the size of a regular, full-sized laptop keyboard) it had a touchpad (mouse), two USB host-ports, a full-sized SD slot... and... it's own large battery.  Which, when you coupled the two together, would recharge the tablet's battery, greatly extending the battery life of the whole.

That extra battery was the clincher, as my beloved Streak's battery life was, frankly, dismal-- unless I locked it into Airplane mode, the Streak would self-drain (hunting for a non-existent cell signal-- a flaw, To Be Fixed, Real Soon Now) within 2-3 hours.

The Asus tablet, dubbed Transformer TF101 (cute...almost too cute... ) could theoretically go 18 hours before needing a recharge.  I can attest, it easily goes 8-9 hours before needing one, and I have never had the tablet's battery at less than 89% charge (I rarely separate the two-- I love the large, physical keyboard too much).

So the Streak gets put away, perhaps to be sold, and my new best-loved toy is the Asus TF101.  



I may sell the Streak, but not until Dell releases (and I install) the Honeycomb update they promised way back in July.  It's supposed to be out Any Time Now.    Meanwhile, it's full-off, waiting patiently.   I do want to see if their update will repair the busted battery life.  Hope so.

------------

Update:  I did not say, but since Best Buy's buyers apparently could not keep the Transformer's docks in stock?  (I tried-- I did) I purchased from Amazon, and saved more than enough to have it shipped 2 day...

Oh Instant Gratification!  And Yes, dammit, I do want fries with that!  

More later.

[Aggie]

Out of curiosity, what's a dock worth?  
(yes I could search for it, but in the interest of thread maintenance... )

I've never seen the attraction of tablets, myself, but that may be due to my hatred of all things smart-phone-esque.
_{Which reminds me - I need to use the credits I've built up with my cell provider and get another free dumbphone before they no longer stock the things.  Something with a querty keyboard and a SIM card slot, which my current beloved but basic Motorola does not have.}
I do like laptops, though.

[Opsa]

I thought that android tablets were something you take when you feel yourself about to do "the robot".

But seriously, Bob, I'm glad you brought this up. Th'Opsalette worked this summer with the intent of buying herself a laptop. As she is only 13, quite a few dollars she earned managed to slip right through her hands, and she wound up with only $79. Good luck with that!

But one day as a whim we decided to visit our favorite electronics salesman in Sears. This guy has been almost shockingly friendly and helpful to us in the past. We asked him what we could get for $79. and he just happened to have just marked down an android tablet special order that someone had never picked up. And lo, it was marked $79.

Now, I know approximately squat about tablets, but naturally Th'Olette was positively in heaven, and so I chipped in on paying the taxes for this thing. It's a Cruz micro velocity, whatever that is. Anyway, she wanted to play games on it and stuff, but the ports do not match my Mac or our old Dinosaur PC, so I can't upload any Quicktime or similar players that I know of, even if she could.

She claims she is happy just to be able to email and surf a little, but I know she's disappointed. Do you have any advice for us?

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Interesting, my mom wanted a tablet and in the end we settled for the Asus Transformer too. We haven't got the dock but it's a nice option.
---
Opas, tablets are toys, high end toys but toys none the less, something to browse the internet and play casual games while on the couch in front of the TV or to read email/books on an airport. Everyday there are more app(lication)s for them but for now that is their main appeal. Now, certain tools are very nice, you can get apps for graphic calculators, or basic anatomy, or trainers for music, etc, most of which were already available for smartphones, but nice on a larger screen. In the end what matters is battery life and ease of use, and considering that the OS are basically two (Android and iOS) the only other concern is the tech behind the touchscreen. For the last one the only way to be happy about it is going to a Best Buy or similar and play with one (although I don't recommend buying from them, they are quite expensive compared with online options like Amazon and Newegg).

Don't be fooled by the "latest & greatest" mantra, because the differences aren't that great, and remember that prices will be coming down soon enough.

[Aggie]

Hmm... there's got to be some way of matching ports, if it's got some sort of port on it.  There are a lot of flavours of USB port that are intercompatible with the right cable or adapter.

[Opsa]

Ya know, I was looking at my camera cable, and I'll have to see if it fits. Even then, do you think I'd be able to put stuff on her pad for her? I'm a real Luddite. There are no instructions, none online either, for this pad.

[Aggie]

You're asking the wrong person;  I'm sure someone else can address this. 

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Having had Android smart devices for nearly 2 years, I'll try to cover the basics.

Sure, it's a toy, but if you have a physical keyboard*, you can to serious work-- there are several office-type apps for Android (paid and free-- the paid ones are a cut-above the free-- and you get support).  I've used both Polaris (aprox $10us) and Documents To Go (aprox $15us).  Both have strengths and weaknesses-- Polaris is better for word processing, as it has many-many more fine-tuning of what you may and may not edit, whereas Docs to Go is very mature (started way back on the venerable Palm OS) and the spreadsheet function is better.   Both work extremely well at viewing various DOC/XL files created on either Macs or PC's.  And, since you basically need to create a GMail account to make the best of Android, you can send/receive docs via this channel (provided your tablet is within WiFi range, naturally).

So, you can do serious work on these, if you want-- say during your already-overcrowded lunch time?  Catch up on those reports you've been putting off and putting off?  <evil grin>

Of course, all tablets function quite well as an EBook reader-- there's a boat-load of reader apps out there, from free (Kindle, Nook, Sony and others) to paid-and-well-worth-the-price (feature-rich, highly customizable).   Obviously propriatery DRM books require a matching e-reader app (such as Nook or Kindle), but all the top booksellers have at least adequate apps for free, so it's not fatal.

But the latest thing is EPub (an open format) that Libraries all over are embracing as quickly as they can locate funds-- basically, you go into the brick-and-mortar library, and establish your bonafides, to get an on-line ID (yet another password to remember... bleah) then the rest is from the comfort of your easy chair and an internet hook:  you log-in, browse the available titles, and within minutes, you are reading your loaned EPub book right on your tablet!  It automatically goes "bad" when the lending period has expired, and you won't be able to open it after that (but you can delete, obviously).  Most libraries permit re-upping an eBook so long as nobody else wants it.  Painless.  No late fees--ever, and you only have to get out to the library once...

... but as far as I know, you can only borrow a book to a single device-- no reading it on your portable in the car, then on your nice 16" laptop when you're back home (for example).

Games.

What can I say?  Android's games are ... lame (for the most part).  Most are freebies ripped from other sources, and badly ported to the Android platform (basically a highly modified Linux engine, as far as I can tell).  What's worse (besides the bad ports) is most of the freebies insist on fetching you cute little ads that you have zero interest in, right there on the game-screen.

I'd rather pay:  both for a worth-while game, and to be rid of the ads.  Obviously, you can simply disable the WiFi, and no ads... but, as I said?  I'd prefer quality at a price, than junk-for-free.

That being said?  There are a few notable exceptions to this general observation, and several of the world's popular games can be had on Android (Angry Birds, Robo Defence are two I've personally played).   And, if you are in to the old Game Boy or NES consoles?  And you have access to the ROM's from those cartridges?  You can get any of several device-emulators, which simulate the old gaming experience right there on your tablet-- but since I'm not into that, and I already own a Nintendo DSxl thingy, my lust for NES games is easily satisfied via the used game markets.

Oh, and Tetris is back, or so I've been told-- after a sudden and abrupt departure from the market (I suspect lawsuits were filed....).  In fact, many of the old, classic Arcade games can be had for these, from free to a modest fee, such as Pacman, Centipede, and so on.  Or so I've been told-- I didn't like them then, and I still don't like them now.  If only they had the classic BattleZone, in good old green wire-frame....  

......................

Okay, someone asked about the price for the Dock/keyboard.  I paid a little over $130US, and the retail price is $150US, but some places want nearly $200 apparently due to scarcity?  I dunno-- I had zero problems with Amazon's availability-- just make sure you order directly from Amazon, and not a 3rd party (alas their site is full of 3rd party, with unknown returns, etc).   I can, without reservation, recommend the dock as worth the money as an enhancement to Acer's tablet.

Just today, I ordered a new little netbook "briefcase" to put it all in, and to make up the free shipping $25, I added a mini-HDMI cable just for laughs.  Who knows?  I might want to put a short video on this thing someday.

)))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Ya know, I was looking at my camera cable, and I'll have to see if it fits. Even then, do you think I'd be able to put stuff on her pad for her? I'm a real Luddite. There are no instructions, none online either, for this pad.

If your PC is at least XP or later, simply plugging in your tablet via cable and a PC should be easy enough.  Look to the tablet, there will likely be a pop-up message to enable USB, choose "enable" or "yes".

On your PC, the tablet's memory should appear as another drive letter, under the REMOVABLE category.   If you cannot access it on the PC?  Check the tablet's screen for messages-- you may need to drag down a notification, to see the enable option.

If you've enabled it, and you >still< cannot access it from the PC, disconnect it, and reboot the PC, then try a 2nd time.

Once you've managed to connect the two, it's a matter of copy/pasting whatever it is you want onto the device.  Music goes into "Music" folder, Ebooks go into either Books, EBooks, Documents or other pretty obviously-named folders.  Varies with the reader, but typically doesn't much matter, as Android should scan for new media when you disconnect from the PC.

Take care when disconnection, though-- on the PC, right-click the drive-letter and choose "EJECT" to safely remove it (or go into the USB in the Systems section, and use the "safely remove" engine).

Once disconnected, the tablet will likely show another message "Mount Drive" or similar-- say "yes", and let it scan the card/memory for new files.

As for a Mac?  I'm afraid you are all on your own, there... I don't do Macs...   (he says haughtily, with a sniff)



_________________

* most tablets work and play well with BlueTooth keyboards, available from several sources, varying in price from high to really high.... *sigh*  But.  Some brands of 'board simply don't work with some brands of tablets, so I strongly suggest either trying it in the store, or purchasing from an outlet with generous return privileges (such as Amazon/NewEgg).

[anthrobabe]

Bob I always fall for the checking the date of your last web page update-- yeah-- one is born every minute.

Anyway the AB has a cell phone, a Samsung pay as you go phone via Virgin Mobile it calls, texts, takes a few pics and I can actually get on facebook and my neat old lappy (Toshiba-Satellite and don't ask all the other what's it's because that is all I know) that has a dvd/blue ray/cd player/burner, 2 thumb drive slot thingies that I can also plug other USB items into and a few other slots that I just don't know.

And I completely and totally understood every word about the tablets and such you all wrote up above.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

The latest news.

I was wandering around BestBuy, looking for a replacement to my venerable Zune player, who's dock connector seems be starting to fail-- it's kinda flakey.

And I noticed they now sport Android-based MP3 players of various flavors-- basically, these are Android SmartPhones, only without the phone part-- WiFi only, and many don't have a camera either (a bonus in my view).

I almost purchased one that was reasonably priced, when I remembered:  I had a Dell Streak (that I was going to sell) already setup for exactly this thing, and for free...!  

Fortunately, I was able to rescue it from my would-be seller (he had forgotten about it anyhow, just as well) and brought it back home.

I dug around in my Box'O'Parts for an SD card to use-- and found an unused 32gb microSD card with a full sized adapter-- perfect!  My venerable Zune has only 30gb, so this would do nicely.   Sure, it was dead-slow class 2, but so what?  The music will stream just fine from this.  I'm not wanting video while driving.

I had thought I'd connect this using BlueTooth to the van's stereoset, but alas, the bluetooth adapters I could find for this task, are just not up to snuff-- not ready for prime time.  The reviews pretty much all agree, that the music quality of these bluetooth receivers/adapters was sub-par.  

Oh well-- I still have the ubiquitous 3.5 mm stereo jack on the venerable Dell, and that will do nicely-- I was kind of hoping to save the wear and tear on it, by using wireless, but no matter-- this will work.

The nice thing about using the Streak, is it has WiFi...!  I can easily update it, as needed, via WiFi, if I want--- just sitting in my driveway, it'll be within reach of my WiFi signal-- no need to go into the house to load new songs.

Provided, of course, I install a WiFi music sync app-- of which there are a multitude to choose from.  I have not done that, yet, as I rarely purchase new music these days, so simply downloading via USB is more than sufficient for now.

Unfortunately, Dell, in it's infinite quest for greed, had installed 8 or 10 bloatware apps, when I updated to Honeycomb last February.   And I am just annoyed enough, that they must come off...  

So, rooting this is a must... besides, Dell has pretty much abandoned this thing-- no more updates, ever (unless some 3rd party hacker figures out how to put Ice Cream Sandwich-- possible-- and I'll need root for that anyway).

Here I go-- To The Googling!   And about 20 pages in, I decide I'll try the "SuperRootOneClick" program-- why not?  At worst, I'll factory-reset my Streak, and try something else.  

Downloaded program--scan for viruses-- and try it out (after carefully following the instructions on how to setup the Dell's access).

And it Just Worked-- simple, too easy... a quick test, yes, I have rooted the Dell Streak to permit me root access to the filesystem.

Next?  Titanium Backup app, to backup everything just in case-- why not?  It's a freebie (and if it works, I'll cheerfully pay the pro version) and cost nothing to test it.  The XDA developers crowd swear by this one, so TB it is.

Step .. what?  Three?  Four?  I have lost track-- copy the backup file over onto the removable 32gb card, just in case I really do need a factory reset (which wipes out the internal SDCARD memory space).

After that?  Delete-delete--DELETE--delete those offending   bloatware programs!  

Bwha!ha!ha!ha!ha!ha!ha!ha!ha!ha!ha!ha!  I feel like such a rebel...  

_{The nice thing about the backup?  I can restore if I delete too much....}

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

My tablet arrived today. The brand is not widely known (Le Pan) but it gives the biggest bang for the buck, U$280 for a 10" tablet with Honeycomb (3.2.1). It only has 8 GB of internal memory but it has a microSD slot and I had 16GB card around so no problems for storage, besides as long as I have an internet connection I can stream music from google music or amazon cloud drive, so no urgency to put all the music there. For now I'm quite happy about it, I had to wait 3+ weeks to get it because of high demand and low inventories. But it's here now. 

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

My tablet arrived today. The brand is not widely known (Le Pan) but it gives the biggest bang for the buck, U$280 for a 10" tablet with Honeycomb (3.2.1). It only has 8 GB of internal memory but it has a microSD slot and I had 16GB card around so no problems for storage, besides as long as I have an internet connection I can stream music from google music or amazon cloud drive, so no urgency to put all the music there. For now I'm quite happy about it, I had to wait 3+ weeks to get it because of high demand and low inventories. But it's here now. 

Woot!