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Poll

What should I buy that is currently available?

ipad
8 (27.6%)
PC tablet
8 (27.6%)
Netbook
7 (24.1%)
Other (please specify)
3 (10.3%)
monitor arms + tweed suit
3 (10.3%)

Total Members Voted: 29

Last post Author Topic: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?  (Read 99156 times)

Stoic Joker

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #50 on: August 09, 2010, 06:47 AM »
Quite true, most of the basic phones are the old people style low vision phones that are positively hideous. I've currently got the plainest (Nokia) clamshell phone I could find and even it has a host of nonsense "features" that annoy the hell outa me. 4 music stores, 3 GPS mapping programs, shopping apps, and a bunch of nondescript hipster crapware that does I have no idea what.

It's a phone. ...that works poorly as a phone because I have to sort through all the crap to get to the phone features.

superboyac

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #51 on: August 09, 2010, 09:26 AM »
I really think you're dramatically oversimplifying. Or at the least, not accounting for the sacrifices that are made when you take something that has extreme design requirements and try to make it very flexible. Remember the iPhone 4 antenna issue? Imagine the issues that would come up if people had the choice of whether or not a GPS, Wifi, whatever was in their phone, and how you'd have to change antenna design(s) to accomodate.

There are also semi-customizable laptops, see http://www.powernotebooks.com/ for example. And Dell allows some amount of customization even, on certain models. Are people clamoring for more? Not really. Even power users? Yep, even power users.

Hobby computer building was probably born out of the general hobby mindset of the 80s, where you could get e.g. a "theramin kit" or any other electronic gadget in a built-it-yourself kit. Now these things are still generally available, but back then it was like everyone wanted them, even your grandma. And hobby system building may have even somewhat predated the fixed system, at least in some sense. I don't know why really, but I do think the PC form factor and purpose is more suited to custom builds (and more needing of it). I just don't see a significant need with phones, and this is coming from someone who builds his own computers and has done for the past 15+ years. Do *you* see a need for this? Can you explain what *you* would do if you could "build your own phone"? I can all but guarantee that a phone exists that does pretty much what you want. The only difference might be that it's not on a carrier you want to use. Which brings us right back to the carrier lock-in issue, and says to me that *that's* the real issue.
Yeah, you might be right.  One thing is for sure: people are definitely NOT clamoring for custom built phones or laptops.  That much is true.  Am I oversimplifying?  I may very well be, I don't know enough to say for sure.  I know it's hard to build something with such a tight fit, but is that really the reason why?

xtabber

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #52 on: August 09, 2010, 09:55 AM »
The Samsung Galaxy Tape is another option that may be available by September, if rumors are to be believed:

http://www.pcworld.c...blet_hype_begin.html

Supposedly it will have a screen res of 1024 X 600 (iPad is 1024 x 768) on a 7" diagonal Super Amoled screen. That's quite adequate for reading and viewing, in a substantially smaller package than the iPad, and with the advantages of Android rather than the closed iOS environment.


wraith808

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #53 on: August 09, 2010, 10:36 AM »
Personally, I don't want anything smaller than 1024x768.  I've tried it several times, and that extra 168 pixels makes a lot more difference than it seems on paper.

superboyac

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #54 on: August 09, 2010, 11:24 AM »
Personally, I don't want anything smaller than 1024x768.  I've tried it several times, and that extra 168 pixels makes a lot more difference than it seems on paper.
I'm with you there.  in fact, when I was thinking about this yesterday, i realized that I don't like portable computing simply because the screens are too small for me to do anything that I'd normally like to do.  All these devices would eventually degrade to glorified mp3 players after a while to me, if the screen wasn't big enough.

I just love screen real estate.  I have two 24" monitors at home, and I love it.  It's almost like I can't go back to anything less than that.  I might even add a third.

Renegade

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #55 on: August 09, 2010, 06:51 PM »
Personally, I don't want anything smaller than 1024x768.  I've tried it several times, and that extra 168 pixels makes a lot more difference than it seems on paper.
I'm with you there.  in fact, when I was thinking about this yesterday, i realized that I don't like portable computing simply because the screens are too small for me to do anything that I'd normally like to do.  All these devices would eventually degrade to glorified mp3 players after a while to me, if the screen wasn't big enough.

I just love screen real estate.  I have two 24" monitors at home, and I love it.  It's almost like I can't go back to anything less than that.  I might even add a third.

So are you still leaning towards the Dark Side? :P :D
Slow Down Music - Where I commit thought crimes...

Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. - John Diefenbaker

wraith808

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #56 on: August 09, 2010, 07:13 PM »
So are you still leaning towards the Dark Side? :P :D

Don't underestimate the power of the Dark Side.  :o

Target

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #57 on: August 09, 2010, 07:24 PM »
So are you still leaning towards the Dark Side? :P :D
Don't underestimate the power of the Dark Side.  :o

just so we're clear here, the dark side is the white side, right?

superboyac

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #58 on: August 09, 2010, 07:55 PM »
ha!  I'll tell you what...I came as close as I ever have in my life.  I couldn't do it!!  The force is strong within me!

If I ever get a chance to become an advocate for UI for Sony or any major large corporation than continually screws that up, I'll do it.  I'm sick of Apple always having the better interface, yet I know that it's practically impossible for me to buy Apple.

wraith808

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #59 on: August 09, 2010, 09:21 PM »
So are you still leaning towards the Dark Side? :P :D
(Don't underestimate the power of the Dark Side.  :o

just so we're clear here, the dark side is the white side, right?
not this time- Apple can't do white!  ;)

grapeshot

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #60 on: August 14, 2010, 07:50 PM »
Heh.  Several years ago I got suckered by all the Mac hype, and bought one - a Mac mini.  I quickly came to regret it, and now, despite all the raves and hoopla over iPhones and iPads, I just cannot bring myself to even consider getting any Apple product ever again.  (Oh, and I positively LOATHE iTunes.)

I can't make any recommendations for what you, or anyone in your shoes, should do.  It seems to me that your choice is extremely personal, and depends on what your daily activities are, and what you expect from these devices.  I love my Asus eeePC, and you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands before I'll give it up -- even though, yes, the screen is small and the processor is underpowered.  It boots up faster than my other PCs, and it does whatever I need for it to do.  But then, I don't game, and I don't do graphics intensive work.  Whenever I'm on the road, the netbook is with me, and I have used it at friends/ and relatives' houses to kill time.  I use a pay-as-you-go mobile broadband plan, which limits my monthly data expenses, and which I believe is not an option with the iPad.  I like it for blogging, for writing projects, for surfing, and as a convenient way to dump my pictures from my camera.  I also use it a lot for doing work related stuff while on the road, which involves MS Office (fortunately, we're still stuck back on Office 2002, so it doesn't especially overtax my netbook.)  Since I touch-type, A regular QWERTY keyboard is also a must.  Even if I wanted to buy an iPad, it just couldn't do these particular things well, and that's a deal breaker for me.  

I am also in the process of moving from a Palm T|X to a Blackberry.  This isn't by choice, but is being dictated by work.  I must say that although the old Palm was long in the tooth, I am shocked to discover the paucity of apps for the Blackberry.  It's been around for a long time, yet there doesn't seem to be much variety among available applications.   Although the Blackberry is better at the "internet-y" stuff (twittering, surfing, instant messaging), it's much worse at the things that I loved about my old Palm: note taking, memo's, database, and profession-specific applications.  (Where's the resistor color code app? The steam tables app? and how come I can only find one scientific calculator?)  I was also surprised that the old Palm provided me a better user experience with its native email, contacts, and calendar apps.  Really, the "crackberry" has been somewhat of a letdown.  (Google Mobile Apps, however, are awesome.)

Since my day job dictates that I have a netbook and a Blackberry, and between them I get most of my portable electronic needs met, something like the iPad would only add more weight to my bag without any noticeable benefit.  Although I've been intrigued by the thought of a portable tablet, I'm not convinced that one can take the place of both a laptop and a phone.   If I were in your shoes, and had an extra $700 to spend on something, I think I'd get myself a Wii and, with that stupid ol' Mac of mine finally biting the dust, a small form-factor desktop (Win7, thank you) to act as a media server.
.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. - Groucho Marx

pyrohacker

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #61 on: August 17, 2010, 03:52 PM »
I was very intrigued by the iPad when it first came out.  An instant-on portable computer seemed like a gift from heaven to me.  Slap on a Bluetooth keyboard and you're set.  Then I started thinking.  And the more I thought about it, the less I loved the iPad.  I'm a coder, and not one on a high budget, so I can't afford to buy more than one computer.  The iPad wouldn't let me do any type of code development at all, and that cleared the hype-vision.

One thing that really caught my eye afterwards (and that I haven't seen mentioned here) are 'netvertibles'.  Remember way back when companies (predominantly Fujitsu, I think) were offering laptops whose touchscreens could swivel around and basically become tablets?  Well, the concept fell from the face of the earth (or at least the public eye), but with the rise of the netbook, we've seen the same type of idea floating around, but using a netbook form factor (10" screen, smaller body) instead of a traditional laptop one.

This idea seems great for me, and it's 1/2 Google's fault.  My plan is to use a netvertible with two OS's - A 'full-featured' OS such as Win 7 or Ubuntu, and Chrome OS.  Because Chrome OS can boot within about 7 seconds and is planning to offer a tablet interface, it would fullfill the part of instant-on computer.  Any task that can't (or shouldn't) be accomplished using web apps would be handled by the traditional OS.  This enables me to have a quick touchscreen computer for reading and browsing, and a regular (albeit underpowered) computer for coding.  And most netvertibles hit right around the $500 price point.  Though the Viliv S10 Blade is an exception, since it appears to be a much higher-end device.

This fits for me, but it's not the universal solution.  Everyone has different needs, and should fulfill them in the best way possible.

Funny that programmers chose the phrase "Hello, World" while most of us are introverts.
« Last Edit: August 17, 2010, 03:54 PM by pyrohacker »

wraith808

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #62 on: August 17, 2010, 03:58 PM »
Oh... my.

http://laptops.toshi...retto/W100/W105-L251

http://www.gottabemo...let-hitting-the-u-s/

And my bonus will be hitting soon... decisions, decisions...

superboyac

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #63 on: August 17, 2010, 04:46 PM »
Oh... my.

http://laptops.toshi...retto/W100/W105-L251

http://www.gottabemo...let-hitting-the-u-s/

And my bonus will be hitting soon... decisions, decisions...
oooo.....drool.

parkint

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #64 on: August 17, 2010, 08:44 PM »
I bought a MacBook Pro.  It just arrived today.
And I must say the entire 'presentation' (the way it is packaged and presented when you unpack it) has impressed me.  There is also a lot of evidence of attention-to-detail.
As a first-time Mac owner, I am impressed.
Since I was using a laptop as my primary machine (with a docking station) and had it dual boot with Ubuntu I thought, "With a MacBook I get the best of both.  It is native Linux and a kick-ass Intel processor".  So my next PC  is this MacBook.
I am in a bit of a 'learning curve' with the UI.  But I think I am going to like it.
My major objection (inability to run a few 'essential' apps that are available only for Windows) has been overcome with VMWare Fusion!

wraith808

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #65 on: August 17, 2010, 10:38 PM »
Oh... my.

http://laptops.toshi...retto/W100/W105-L251

http://www.gottabemo...let-hitting-the-u-s/

And my bonus will be hitting soon... decisions, decisions...
oooo.....drool.

Already sold out :(

sri

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #66 on: August 18, 2010, 12:38 AM »
<a href="https://sridharkatakam.com">My blog</a>

superboyac

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #67 on: August 18, 2010, 08:43 AM »
Just found this blog post: http://techpp.com/20...random-observations/
His points sound reasonable, i like that review.

Stoic Joker

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #68 on: August 18, 2010, 10:46 AM »
Just found this blog post: http://techpp.com/20...random-observations/
His points sound reasonable, i like that review.
Stay the course man, don't weaken...

 :D

superboyac

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #69 on: August 18, 2010, 12:36 PM »
Just found this blog post: http://techpp.com/20...random-observations/
His points sound reasonable, i like that review.
Stay the course man, don't weaken...

 :D
Ha!  I know...
The points that resonate with me are the beauty of the display and the effectiveness of that virtual keyboard.  These are two issues that I predict the PC tablets will be worse at.  I've noticed that the apple displays seem to look better than other displays.  This is not scientific, just first glance kind of impressions.  But I've consistently noticed it.

Secondly, the virtual keyboard thing.  I haven't tried the ipad, but I've tried the iphone and various other non-apple virtual keyboards on phones.  The apple one is always much better.  I tried blackberry, i tried that big HTC one, and some other ones.  This is what Apple excels at.

All the apple-competitors need to really really pay attention to the little things like that.  They must, or they will continue to lose ground.  The PC people, what they usually do is put together a device that may have more capabilities than the apple, but they don't give these little things as much attention, and in the end, your day-to-day experience is not as enjoyable as the apple.  The PC tablets will have a more flexible OS (Android, Windows, etc.) they will have more programs that work on it, it will be able to DO more than the ipad, etc.   BUT...I will bet money that the virtual keyboard will not be as good.  That's my prediction.

wraith808

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #70 on: August 18, 2010, 02:14 PM »
The points that resonate with me are the beauty of the display <snip />  These are two issues that I predict the PC tablets will be worse at. 

<snip />

It doesn't *have* to be that way, though.  The tc1100 has a glass display just like the iPad- and while I'm not *sure* that this makes a difference, my wife did notice it the first time she looked at it, and actually commented on it.  And she's a photographer, so she pays more attention to that kind of thing that I do.

superboyac

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #71 on: August 18, 2010, 02:55 PM »
The points that resonate with me are the beauty of the display <snip />  These are two issues that I predict the PC tablets will be worse at. 
<snip />
It doesn't *have* to be that way, though.  The tc1100 has a glass display just like the iPad- and while I'm not *sure* that this makes a difference, my wife did notice it the first time she looked at it, and actually commented on it.  And she's a photographer, so she pays more attention to that kind of thing that I do.
It's a lot of little things like that, though.  Glass display, display size, resolution, etc.  Apple always seems to get those combos right for the most part (I'm not trying to start a debate here, I understand some people prefer matte displays vs glass, etc.).  For example, when I was considering the ipad, I looked at the screen size, resolution, and just the general crispness of it.  Then I looked at the various alternatives out there.  A lot of them simply had a significantly smaller screen, which I wasn't too thrilled about.  Then, others had a large screen, but the resolution was significantly lower than Apple's.  And so on.  I just don't get the approach.  if Apple is your enemy, and you are trying to compete, you have to offer a better product.  I'm not saying resolution is the end all be all argument, but a lot of people like me see the lower resolution and are immediately dissatisfied.  I'm like, No! I want the big resolution.  Then a lot of PC apologists will say it's not the resolution that matters but this and that about the graphics capabilities, etc.  Anyway, once again, my point is to other companies to get with it and do the things necessary to compete with apple, if that is indeed their goal.

JavaJones

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #72 on: August 19, 2010, 12:36 AM »
I've seen the iPad in person and I wasn't at all wow'ed by the display. Is it nice? Sure. Nicer than my Eee? Maybe. But enough that I care, or anyone else should? Not IMHO. The overall design of the device *shows off* the display much better, yes. But I don't think the screen technology is actually that much superior. That being said Apple does use IPS LCD displays in many of its laptops and desktop displays, and these are basically the best LCDs you can get for proper color reproduction and viewing angles, so there *is* something to the "Apple displays look nice(r)" thing.

Edit: Yep, the iPad uses IPS: http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/

As for the keyboard, think about this: on a PC this will be something you can change. Once touch devices supporting open source OSs become popular enough, there will be open source keyboard apps, and they just might give Apple a run for their money, on any platform you wish to use them on (and that is supported, of course). And then there's always this:
http://singularityhu...board-of-the-future/
Which should be available on iOS, Android, etc, etc. in the near-ish future. So no need to pick a device based largely on a piece of software at this point - the software can always improve, the hardware won't, and the lock-in isn't likely to either (in the case of Apple).

- Oshyan
« Last Edit: August 19, 2010, 12:39 AM by JavaJones »

tomos

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #73 on: August 19, 2010, 04:29 AM »
IPS is a big deal IMO - well, the difference between IPS (or comparable) and a regular screen is a big deal.
It just looks great from most viewing angles. Personally I'd prefer a matt display though... :-\
Tom

JavaJones

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Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?
« Reply #74 on: August 20, 2010, 01:23 AM »
Yes, IPS is nice, basically the best larger-format (i.e. above 4") display you can get. But IMO the difference is not "night and day" or "lightyears better" or any of the other superlative descriptions Apple's products tend to get...

- Oshyan