Recent Posts

3651

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 06, 2010, 06:24 PM »

Thanks for the links, wraith.  They are very helpful.

I just ran across the Sony one today as well.  i love Sony products, I'll always try to get them if i can afford it and it's a decent user experience.  Sony always finds a way to ruin a product by screwing up the UI, or some little feature here and there that frustrates you to death.  They tease you by always having the best technology and well-built products.  But they ALWAYS find a way to screw up the user experience.  It's exactly the opposite of Apple, who has mediocre products but excellent user experiences.

The N5 is small, that's for sure.  But that's not that big of a deal.  it's a tradeoff. I like the idea of being able to hold it in my hand and stick it in a (large) pocket or bag.  On the other had, I like the large ipad screen, but I know it will be significantly more awkward to carry around.  Once again, I am more of a UMPC kind of guy than an ipad kind of guy, I can tell from reading the way people write and think about things.  That's a very strong indicator for me.

[edit] for the UMPC's, I also like the idea of being able to install other OS's on it like Linux and playing around with that.  Honestly, there is a very good chance that I'll get bored of my new gadget.  So, in that case, at least having an generic gadget like a UMPC will allow me to experiment with it and be creative.  With an ipad, I'm locked to it's use.  It's not hacker friendly.  a UMPC is basically like a barebones pc computer without the ability to change the hardware.  So you can do a lot more creative things with it.  I like that.

3652

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 06, 2010, 04:56 PM »

The N5 has been getting really good reviews.  I watched a couple of youtube videos and it seemed to be fine to me.

The other thing I've just run into is an RDp app for the ipad.  if I set up my home computer for an RDP connection, could I use this app to do that?  Actually, regardless of an addon app, would it be possible somehow to use an ipad to connect to an RDP computer at home running XP or win7?  Seems like an intriguing possibility.

But I like the idea of being able to play with the device like a full-fledged computer.  I'm even interested in the people trying to put linux distros on the N5.  If this stuff works well enough to be a satisfying experience, I might just do it.

The UI and experience of the ipad is lovely to me.  But every time I get more into it, I get more turned off by its limitations.  My brain is really really used to Windows and doing whatever I want with it.  I'm very very particular and I sometimes tweak every little setting.  i don't know how well I'll be able to temporarily suspend my mentality away from that.  Heck, I even meticulously tweak my taskbar clock display.

I think the real question for me is this:
What device do i want to get now while I wait for the tablet, UMPC, or ipad-killer market to fully mature.  The answer so far is the N5 I think.  but I am changing my mind by the hour!

3653

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 06, 2010, 03:34 PM »

Hmm!!  I've just been reading around and i think i've found the product that suits me best.  They are called UMPC's (ultra mobile PC).  The one I am eyeing is the Viliv N5.  Perhaps this is the best solution for someone like me.

To me, it seems like all the non-apple tablets are still in the very premature phases.  meaning, the OS's aren't even built for tablet use, they are just being shoe-horned to work that way.  Also, I find that they way people who use use UMPC's speak about things is more in line with what I like and do.  The Apple people and smartphone users are different kind of users than I am.  i think that's a big indicator of the right device for me.  All the UMPC seem to be thinking like me.  That tells me I'm on the right track.

I like the idea of running Win7 full on a little device, and have instant-on and relatively long battery life (compared to a laptop).  I've always liked keyboards over touch stuff anyway.  I think I found my item.

3654

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 06, 2010, 02:39 PM »

Now I'm considering using some of the money to buy an X-series walkman from Sony, and using the rest to get some other kind of tablet....or just save it for getting a nice tablet later on.

3655

General Software Discussion / Re: What's up with Android versions and upgrading?

« Last post by superboyac on August 06, 2010, 01:10 PM »

Hey! That's a business idea...

Yeah ... now get the telecoms to buy into it  .

-barney (August 06, 2010, 01:05 PM)

That's the great part.  It would be like a big F-U to the phone companies.  If we can build it, we tell the phone companies that all we want from them is their service.  If it becomes popular, they would have to submit.

It would be exactly what Dell did to get huge.  let the consumer build his own cell phone, and just buy the service from the phone companies.  Whose idea was it to tie the phone and service together?  Time Warner doesn't give me a computer when I buy their ISP service, why should phones do it?  We don't think about it because it's so normal for us.  Mark my words, someone is going to become the Dell of cell phones and they will become very rich for it.

3656

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 06, 2010, 12:13 PM »

I'd planned to use my jungle disk account and dropbox for the heavy lifting where file storage is concerned

-wraith808 (August 06, 2010, 11:46 AM)

You know what I use for this stuff?  HFS.  I set up my own file server at home and use the web interface.  I really like it.

however, one day my next big project is to create my own personal server with really fast speeds.  My ISP has slow upload speeds, as do most isps.  One day, i want my own commercial grade server to put all my websites, shared files, file transferring, etc.  I want to have control over all of that eventually.  The only thing I don't want to control, nor can i, is the grid access.  I want a fast line for uploading/downloading/traffic and all the hardware, web space, servers, etc. is under my control.  I don't like committing to any cloud services.  I'd much rather set up an application myself on my own hardware, and simply use the isp to access it from anywhere.  This is my goal eventually.

3657

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Review/Tips: "Scanning - VueScan and Associates" Pt.I: Intro & Bookscanning

« Last post by superboyac on August 06, 2010, 12:03 PM »

This is an epic review.  Well done, really.  I love stuff like this.

3658

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 06, 2010, 11:22 AM »

Well, i do plan to carry it around all the time.  I also want to use it in other people's living rooms when I am bored.  I don't need much from it.  Email, notetaking (simple, Evernote-ish), web browsing, music listening, video watching.  I'd like to be able to stick a usb drive in and browse the file contents also and even transfer some files back and forth.  That's pretty much it.  I save all my heavy computing for my home computer.

The other weird thing about me: I don't have a smartphone.  A lot of people who know me think I do, but I don't.  I have a Blackberry pearl with NO data plan.  I don't text.  I have 5 minute conversations max.  I don't like to do anything like that when I'm out and about, especially with people.  There are only a handful of people in the world who have seen me answer my cell phone in front of them.

3659

General Software Discussion / Re: What's up with Android versions and upgrading?

« Last post by superboyac on August 06, 2010, 11:17 AM »

I see, edbro. I was just reading a little about it.  It sounds like I take Windows for granted.  Windows is designed to be upgradeable, and it's not normal for an OS on a device to be so easily upgradeable.  i think that's the situation with Android.  Unlike PC's, Android is being used on a variety of devices with a lot of parts and components inside that are not open and standardized like the stuff we stick inside a pc.

It really makes me appreciate how far along we've come with pc's.  The fact that I can go to the store and buy any of the video cards, or hard drives, etc. and just stick it in and have it work.  imagine if phones or laptops were that way.  We pick the screens, keypads, inside chips, memory, and put it together ourselves.  Hey!  That's a business idea...

3660

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 06, 2010, 10:35 AM »

I may...MAY...wait for the Notion Ink Adam to come out next month.  If it gets favorable reviews, I'll wait until December to get the 10" version.

3661

General Software Discussion / What's up with Android versions and upgrading?

« Last post by superboyac on August 06, 2010, 09:23 AM »

I'm reading about Android, and one issue keeps coming up that puzzles me:
People are talking a lot about Android versions (2.1, 2.2, etc.)  But they make a big deal about the versions.  Like, this device is running 2.1, but 2.2 may be available later.

My question is, why can't people just go and install the latest Android version as soon as it comes out?  That's how it is with all software.  All the software I use I just upgrade to the latest version.  It's a non-issue.  i don't get all the talk and fuss about it.  Is it not simple to upgrade Android?  Shouldn't it be?  Why should anyone be running 2.1 when 2.2 is out?  I'm not understanding something here.

3662

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 06, 2010, 09:03 AM »

wraith!  Thanks for posting those pictures.  We actually had one of those models years ago in my first company.  We didn't end up using it much because of a lot of reasons.  It's amazing how time flies!  I still find it shocking that apple, several years after the tablets started coming out, was able to implement in a form that made it usuable.  Not that the Hp is not usable.  But that whole instant-on, lightweight, minimalist design.  It's the same thing with the ipod...mp3 players were out for years, yet apple grabbed that market with the ipod by doing it in a way that appealed to more people.  Sony should have never let that market go.  They had it way back in the early 90's when they invented the discman.  But they never had the proper vision.

-superboyac (August 06, 2010, 08:42 AM)

What I find shocking is that using the iPad vs using the HP... other than weight, battery life, and the instant on factor... isn't *that* much more advanced than the HP.  And I'm tackling instant on and battery life next.  From what I've read, upgrading to an SSD (which is what the iPad has over the HP) makes a world of difference to battery life and the time to resume from standby.  And I've also read that adding Windows 7 makes it that much better, and I have a copy around here somewhere that I never used...  

-wraith808 (August 06, 2010, 08:51 AM)

I like your idea a lot.  The only thing holding me back from that is the weight.  It's too heavy, that thing.

See, now I'm moving away from the ipad again.  I was just reading about this on the ipad forum:

The version of iTunes I have installed is one i downloaded from itunes.com a few days ago, and it was a fresh installation. The account is the same too. It really doesn't matter though, cuz the iPad is out of my hands, so I can uninstall this POS.

Anyway, I updated iTunes on my dad's machine today, and set it up to manually sync, because my stepmom has an iPod and my dad doesn't want her music synching to his iPad. I then tried to sync the iPad. It says that the iPad can only be synced with one iTunes library and wants to erase everything on the iPad, presumably because I had previously synced it to my own computer. GRRRRR!!! (Oh, and did I mention that I HATE iTunes? It is the bane of my existence. This kind of stupidity is a prime example of engineers who deserve to be beaten to death.) So I found a link on the Apple support site that shows you how to right click on the device and transfer purchases, which I did, but it's still prompting me to erase the contents of the iPad when I try to put anything on it, even though the computer is authorized. Now I don't know what to do

With my Android phone, I plug it in via USB, it shows up as a drive letter, and I just copy over what I want... no software required. Why is this so complicated? Don't get me wrong... I'm not an Android fanboy and really like the iPad, but iTunes has got to go. It's a lot like an airplane - it works fine as long as you leave it on autopilot, but if you need to take manual control for some reason, you'd better know what you're doing, or else you're going to run it into the ground.

When is the earliest decent android tablet coming out?

3663

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 06, 2010, 08:49 AM »

I am very certain that the Android tablets to come will offer an experience just as smooth as an iPad's. But I seriously doubt that any of these will be available as soon as October. So go ahead and buy an iPad (or wait till October to buy one). I'm sure you will not regret it .

-phitsc (August 06, 2010, 02:18 AM)

i think i will.  Like I said, if something really nice comes out in the next year or two, I'll get that also.  Besides, if i don't like the ipad or use it much, I'll give it to my mom and take her laptop, which is a little newer than mine and can do my gig musician software (whereas my current laptop cannot handle it).  So that's the secret plan!  I think my mom would really like the ipad.  My little sister already fell in love with her new iphone.

What I'm really waiting for is the thing mouser mentioned here a while back: an 8.5x11 (viewable) tablet with a lightweight, slim design and instant-on features, and long battery life.  That's the one I'll get for sure.

3664

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 06, 2010, 08:42 AM »

wraith!  Thanks for posting those pictures.  We actually had one of those models years ago in my first company.  We didn't end up using it much because of a lot of reasons.  It's amazing how time flies!  I still find it shocking that apple, several years after the tablets started coming out, was able to implement in a form that made it usuable.  Not that the Hp is not usable.  But that whole instant-on, lightweight, minimalist design.  It's the same thing with the ipod...mp3 players were out for years, yet apple grabbed that market with the ipod by doing it in a way that appealed to more people.  Sony should have never let that market go.  They had it way back in the early 90's when they invented the discman.  But they never had the proper vision.

3665

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 05, 2010, 10:16 PM »

Superboyac, I don't own an iPad and have no plans to buy one, but I came upon an article today entitled "Five iPad Applications I Can't Live Without...and Why" that I thought you might find useful.  It was on the ProfHacker blog at http://chronicle.com/blogPost/5-iPad-Applications-I-Cant/25907/. 

-cyberdiva (August 05, 2010, 10:55 AM)

Thanks!  I love the descriptions of those apps.  I was moving away from the ipad, but now I want to try those out.  I think I've pretty much figured out what I want from my new device:
--$1000 max ($700 preferred)
--very fast boot or "on" time.  If there's any significant delay, I'd just prefer to use my fully featured laptop
--Simple on-the-run applications: notetaking is a must (evernote, I was thinking), web browsing of course, file viewing and reading (pdf's, ebooks, text files, usb or files explorer), music/video playing for when bored or on the toilet, wifi mandatory but I don't need any cell phone services at all.

I have an uber computer at home, a good work computer, and a laptop.  I need something else that is an instant-on cell-phone-like device, but with a bigger screen.  The ipad is really just the thing.  The only problem is it being an Apple product.  i'd much prefer a more customizeable environment.  But that's the tradeoff.  I don't believe I can have everything that I am used to on a pc (and I have LOTS of stuff) and expect to have all that on a tablet.  i really want it as my out and about toy.  That's all.

The other thing is that I don't want to wait too long because then I'll just wait forever.  if something great comes out later, i'll get that also regardless of whether I have an ipad or not.  And the money is a gift, and though I can invest it like a "smart" person would, I wouldn't be following the intent of the gift.  I want to get an unnecessary item...a luxury...an absurd/expensive toy.  I'm far too boring and practical 99% of the time.

I think I have settled on the 32gb or 64gb ipad (wifi, NO 3g).  That's either $600 or $700.

I'd much prefer to get an Android thing.  But one thing I want to experience for ONCE in my life as a pc user is a super-duper-smooth interface.  i don't want any hint of klunkiness.  And we can all agree that Apple is the king when it comes to that.  The android tablets, from everything I've heard, still don't offer the smoothness of an ipad.

Believe me, I hate the thought of buying an Apple product more so than anyone.  But I'm sticking to my guns: i want a pleasure-filled, super smooth, no tweaking necessary interface just once.

I'll wait until October, maximum.  Then I'm buying.  october is my birthday anyway.

3666

General Software Discussion / Re: What is your preferred font?

« Last post by superboyac on August 05, 2010, 09:58 PM »

Whew, now I tried to live without gdipp for some hours and noticed that I don't like it anymore. (Running 0.8.2 here.)

-Tuxman (August 05, 2010, 08:31 PM)

I did really like what gdipp did to the fonts.  But it was causing almost all of the computer's programs to have errors.

3667

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 05, 2010, 09:34 AM »

OK, now I'm sort of leaning towards a new laptop...11-13" range.  i don't know.  I do kind of want a tablet.  Something I can carry around with me to do light computing.  I already have a laptop and it's not easy to use for light computing.  If you want to just browse the web for 5 minutes, you hesitate to open the laptop, boot it, etc.  With a tablet, you'd just quickly do your thing and that's it.

I'm also hearing that Android tablets may not be as smooth as the ipad, as far as UI, because the Android is not officially a tablet OS.  It can be "hacked" to be used as one, but it's not designed for that.  Is that any cause for concern?  Should I just get an ipad?

3668

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 05, 2010, 08:58 AM »

If I had $700 to spend (which I have not) and wouldn't want to wait until early next years arrival of Android-based competition (which I probably will) I'd buy an iPad. I think it's a nice device for what you (and me, and everyone else ) want to use it for. My main complaints with it: somewhat restrictive concerning data-syncing (iTunes etc.), price and weight. I don't mean to say that the price would not be justified, or that it's too heavy to use. I'd rather like both of these attributes to be a bit lower

-phitsc (August 04, 2010, 09:24 AM)

Let's say i wait...how long until Android tablets are available?  Would Android be better than a Win7 tablet, like the HP Slate?

Admittedly I'm not as well informed on the issue for my opinion to be of much value to you, but assuming similar hardware specs (to the iPad), I'd go for an Android tablet.

-Deozaan (August 04, 2010, 11:34 PM)

Sounds good to me, I just want to know how long I have to wait.  There's a cutoff point.  if it's like next August, I can't wait that long.

3669

General Software Discussion / Re: Experiences selling digital downloads?

« Last post by superboyac on August 04, 2010, 01:01 PM »

I'm VERY interested also.

My criteria would probably be similar to many of you:
--secure purchasing

--simple, elegant website...professional looking

--easy to setup, minimize the need for a programmer or full-time administrator, something a non-programmer can manage (assuming he is comfortable with computers in general, like I am)

--Hopefully, it doesn't LOOK like a blog.  I don't want a purchasing website where it's so obviously a shoehorned blog theme.  Even if it's on wordpress, I don't want the blog-look to be obvious, if possible.

3670

Circle Dock / Re: Change of Licensing from Version 2 (Cancelled)

« Last post by superboyac on August 04, 2010, 12:56 PM »

I really feel for the software developers who try to offer good freeware.  Especially since joining this forum and getting to know developers, I really value the work you guys (and gals!) do.  I have no problem happily paying for good software.  I've never understood how freeware authors can sustain the development of their programs without charging for it.  I'm not a programmer, but I know that it's too much work to not get paid for it.  i don't understand that at all.

I wish mouser would take my money for his software that I use every single day.  I wish some of you guys would charge $20 or so for your stuff.  It just doesn't make any sense to me any other way.  People in this world are getting paid a lot of money for doing a lot less.

I have a hard time understanding how the freeware model can sustain itself.  I can't justify working that hard, putting out a quality product, giving up hours of your life that you can be getting paid for doing other work...and in the end just get by on donations.  If people can get it for free, they will.  There's no way around that.  You have to force them to pay, even if they are like me and they will pay graciously.

I understand that you want to be charitable and offer free stuff for everyone out there, out of the goodness of your hearts.  But it frustrates me because I don't want the situation being described here to happen.  I don't want the developers to feel like they are not being appreciated or feel frustrated.  I want you guys getting money for this work, it's good work.  You need to get rewarded financially for this stuff.  There's so much crappy software out there that people are paying for, you can't do it for free.  I feel like those other developers are laughing at you.  They do shit and get paid, you guys work hard and produce awesome software, and you only get a few little donations.  Please make us pay you!

Anyway, I really feel for you all.  I love software.  I love these little tools that make my life so much easier.  I love it a lot.  The service you guys provide is something I always will appreciate.

3671

Living Room / Re: My iPad Quest

« Last post by superboyac on August 04, 2010, 09:14 AM »

Interesting.  Yes, I remember those first tablet days.  you're right, there were no alternatives at the time.  But I'm going to get something before December.  I don't want to wait for something that's coming further away than that.  I think I may wait for the HP Slate, which is supposed to come out in October.

3672

Living Room / Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 04, 2010, 09:05 AM »

I have about $700 to spend.  I was initially going to get an ipad to do some computing on the run.  basically, just act like a notepad, some internet browsing, some reading.  I'm not expecting too much else.  I'm not planning on using it to do a lot of work on it.  For that, I have my super PC at home.

Like I said, I was going to get an ipad, but then I started reading around here and the web and there are some other alternatives.  I like the idea of a Linux or Android tablet because it probably means I can customize it for my needs better.  But I do want to easy and very nice interface of the ipad.  I don't want some klunky windows tablet, like I remember years ago.  Say what you want about apple, but the user interface is very smooth and I like it.  Of course, i've seen some android phones that are smooth also.  All I'm saying is that I do care about that.  i don't want a really powerful tablet that doesn't respond well to the finger movements and so forth.

3673

Living Room / Re: My iPad Quest

« Last post by superboyac on August 04, 2010, 08:45 AM »

As I said in another post, I have been really considering getting an iPad.  I've just been holding off as I do when some new tech captures my attention- to do some due diligence and such.  That quest is over now... and I'm not getting an iPad.  
 (see attachment in previous post)
When I saw the image above, I decided to instead gett a tc1100 to see how it stacks up.  I'm chronicling my quest and how it turns out on my blog.

-wraith808 (July 27, 2010, 06:42 PM)

Hmmm...this makes me think twice about my ipad.  What's the best altertnative out there right now?  I'm guessing it's something that runs Droid?  But I suppose Win7 works also.

3674

Living Room / Re: Honestly, who here actually owns an iPad? be honest!

« Last post by superboyac on August 03, 2010, 09:46 PM »

I'm THIS close to getting an ipad.  Am I going to be the first DC member with one?  What if I turn into an apple fanboy?  Oh man...you guys are in for it!

3675

General Software Discussion / Re: What's the best software uninstaller tool?

« Last post by superboyac on August 02, 2010, 02:54 PM »

And the fact it's a portable app makes it a good candidate for inclusion on an all-purpose tech tool USB key.

-40hz (May 28, 2010, 07:09 AM)

I love my USB toolkit.  My first job in college was a troubleshooting computer guy for the campus.  I used to take a backpack sized bag with me as my toolbox.  It had a zip drive in there, all types of cables, some floppy disks.  On the zip drive were the installation files for certain programs I might need.  It's great to have that all on a keychain now, and nothing to install, but run directly from the usb.  As a bonus, I have my amazing LBC menu for the portable programs.  one of my favorite mouser creations.