You can tether the ipad to a DX. Also, there are apple keyboard docks and 3rd party docks and full size keyboards for the ipad.
But can you do it for free?
Remember when choosing that with Apple products you will have to use iTunes at some time, also that anything bought from iTunes will stay on iTunes and will not be transferable to anything not made by Apple. It is one of the ways Apple locks their users into the Apple ecosystem. You can still buy songs, games and books from other vendors and transfer them to iTunes but anything bought from iTtunes can't be transferred to anything that is not an Apple product.
With Android anything bought from Google app market can be transferred to any device you want.
All true except for Music. Music has been DRM free for a few years now. iTunes can even convert them into other formats for you.
All true except for Music. Music has been DRM free for a few years now. iTunes can even convert them into other formats for you.Remember when choosing that with Apple products you will have to use iTunes at some time, also that anything bought from iTunes will stay on iTunes and will not be transferable to anything not made by Apple. It is one of the ways Apple locks their users into the Apple ecosystem. You can still buy songs, games and books from other vendors and transfer them to iTunes but anything bought from iTtunes can't be transferred to anything that is not an Apple product.
With Android anything bought from Google app market can be transferred to any device you want.
I'm iTunes free and it's wonderful. I use Media Player and have no issues with it.
/what bugged me about iTunes was, in order to change your file type you had to dig through several tab and menus before you got to it. That was lame.
All true except for Music. Music has been DRM free for a few years now. iTunes can even convert them into other formats for you.Remember when choosing that with Apple products you will have to use iTunes at some time, also that anything bought from iTunes will stay on iTunes and will not be transferable to anything not made by Apple. It is one of the ways Apple locks their users into the Apple ecosystem. You can still buy songs, games and books from other vendors and transfer them to iTunes but anything bought from iTtunes can't be transferred to anything that is not an Apple product.
With Android anything bought from Google app market can be transferred to any device you want.
Did not know they changed policy, I stand corrected.
Yeah, I use VLC Media Player (on my notebook) to play the music I buy through iTunes. Apple stripped out the DRM on music files a while back. I think movies/tv shows, apps, and books purchased through iTunes still have the 5 machines limit though.
---
If Samnell, or anyone else, goes with Android, Amazon offers free (normally paid) Android apps regularly through their own App Store.
---
And for those iOS users, from now through March 11th, you can get the amazing ArtRage paint program at a discounted price: $0.99 for iPod Touch/iPhone and $2.99 for iPads.
1. At last count, The App Store has over 250,000 applications so listing the ones that you don't have on the Android Market isn't something that's going to happen in a post. I know about the apps you've mentioned, I've got a couple of them on my Android phone, which I plan on switching to an iPhone on my next update. The Android market also doesn't have anything even close to resembling ITunes University which is a major deal for me, especially with the overhall it got in January. And it's free.
So, you can name one app? I haven't been in an eductional setting in over a decade, so I know nothing about iTunes University or any comparable Android apps. But again, this number of 250,000 is useless (and way low, by the way--Apple passed that mark nearly two years ago I believe). At present, Google is noting 450,000 apps for the market and I believe Apple is about 10% higher. So, both markets have, for all practical purposes, the same general volume from any real user perspective. Nobody needs 100,000+ apps. Heck, I don't know anyone that has more than 200-250. So, any comparison of apps between Android and Apple should be based on something other than this simple numbers game. Talk about quality, functionality, UI, etc. but pure volume is irrelevant in general so long as it's large enough to ensure a robust development community.
2. When your bulk of your system memory is on an SD card, you are prone to connect and disconnect issues with that memory. I've heard lots of reports of Android users who have had major issues with this especially on cheap hardware. I have this problem frequently on my phone if I listen to music for more than a half hour at a stretch.
So, don't use cheap hardware...
I've used this approach for over a year now on the Adam and have no problems. And to be clear, we're not talking system memory specifically, at least from a technical perspective. System memory (at least to me) covers your boot, recovery, and system files. It's what is necessary to make the device function. Everything outside that pretty much is storage space. Storage space should be inexpensive and near-infintely expandable from my perspective considering the great advances in this tech over the last several years.
The Apple tablet especially with the new refresh is simply the best hardware in it's class on the planet for the money you pay. There's simply no contest at the point. And sites like Ipadhacks and AppleTVHacks are ample proof that you can tinker with Apples hardware to your hearts content, if you're driven that way.
That's an easily argued perspective--I view Apple devices generally as grossly expensive in comparison to the hardware specifications. They are superior in ease-of-use for casual users, but those users pay a premium for that convenience. Of course the iPad 3 is huge right now, but it's also costly. It will be overtaken by competitors in very short order from a cost-to-specs comparison. Compare the iPad 2 costs and specs to the Asus, Samsung, and Acer devices noted in this thread. All three have significant hardware advantages for the cost. And my Adam beats them all out ($375 for Tegra 2, 10.1" screen, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB internal with microSD expansion, standard headphone jack, 2 USB 2.0 ports and HDMI). Now, the Adam is a bear when it comes to the software side, which is why I always say it's not for the casual user.
It's this lack of perepective in seeing both the strengths and weaknesses of Apple that I find so odd. Of course, I know hardcore fans for other devices can exhibit the same behavior so it's not unique. And folks that hate Apple "just because" equally confuse me.
Thanks again everyone for the advice. Of the two I think I like the Asus Transformer a bit more than the Galaxy Tab, but my small town only has the Galaxy to grope with my fleshy gamer fingers and get a feel for. Bit of a pain there. Might have to see about a shopping trip, since I hate the thought of buying something I'd plan to handle often without feeling it up first.
|
For what it's worth, my wife has a Motorola Xoom and I have an HP TouchPad, and I like both of them.
The Xoom's hardware is very nice, and Motorola has done a good job of supporting it -- the device officially supports being rooted, so it's easy to install any custom OS on there that you want, and Motorola has consistently released official upgrades to the latest version of Android. The battery lasts a <i>long</i> time, my wife uses it pretty lightly on average (maybe 30 minutes to an hour per day) and it can go a week without being plugged in; it can probably take 8-10 hours of use with the screen on.
I picked up a TouchPad back when HP had their fire sale, and it's very nice. WebOS is awesome, but has the drawback of having very few apps available for it compared to iOS or Android. It's great if you're just concerned about using the apps that are available, though. I also hacked mine and put Android on it, and it runs pretty well, although there are a few hiccups; some hardware doesn't work (camera, microphone) and the battery life isn't great, it only lasts maybe 2 days when sleeping. Still, it's very stable overall, and it's fun to play with if you like hacking your hardware. The price is also a great deal for the tablet's hardware specs.
I definitely recommend trying out store demo models, though, so you can at least get an idea of how different models feel in your hands.
And note that the Spells app is available on Android as well. I like it, along with Pathfinder NPC Gallery, Summoner, Spellbook - Pathfinder, and PFRPG RD.
That's cool, a few months ago, someone who had an android tablet asked which app that was and couldn't find a version on their market. Since I had been using the app since I got my ipad (almost 2 years ago) and the creator was just one guy, I figured it probably wasn't getting ported over any time soon.
Overall, I don't think there's any major technological advantage of the ipad over other tablets. For a non-techie, access to the apple walled-garden can be nice, but it's well proven that you can step outside of it when needed as well. I only know enough about computers to really, really screw them up, so sometimes a little handholding or the system stopping me from making the huge errors is nice. That way I can only crack it open for the tasty gooey insides when I actually figure out what I'm doing.
I'm using first generation ipad, I'm not bothering to upgrade until they add some easy method of physically accessing extra memory (SD cards or whatever).
The saga continues. I went on a shopping trip to get my hands on the tablets I was considering and got to compare the Galaxy Tab and Transformer side by side. The lady at Best Buy was very knowledgeable and helpful, enough so to convince me that I was willing to pay almost exactly my target price for an ASUS Transformer Prime. Which she did not have in stock. Neither did any Best Buy in that half of the state. Nor was it in stock on their website. Anywhere I went online had it for about the same price but out of stock or wanted considerably more. Ok, this can wait a month or two.
The next day I got up and on a whim checked. Staples had it back in stock. I ordered and they claimed that my free shipping would have it in my greasy hands in two days. That was Tuesday afternoon.
The UPS man brought it today. I'm still in the cooing at novelty stage. "Look how it zooms right in on my location! Perfect for the orbital death rays!"
It's made a very favorable first impression, though. I've already gone and gotten the PF Spells app for it and now it's chugging through a firmware update.
Just be wary of the reality distortion field.
Cool, and hopefully this was an overall helpful thread. Do come back around with other questions/suggestions as you continue the tablet journey!
For what it's worth, my wife has a Motorola Xoom and I have an HP TouchPad, and I like both of them.
The Xoom's hardware is very nice, and Motorola has done a good job of supporting it -- the device officially supports being rooted, so it's easy to install any custom OS on there that you want, and Motorola has consistently released official upgrades to the latest version of Android. The battery lasts a <i>long</i> time, my wife uses it pretty lightly on average (maybe 30 minutes to an hour per day) and it can go a week without being plugged in; it can probably take 8-10 hours of use with the screen on.
I picked up a TouchPad back when HP had their fire sale, and it's very nice. WebOS is awesome, but has the drawback of having very few apps available for it compared to iOS or Android. It's great if you're just concerned about using the apps that are available, though. I also hacked mine and put Android on it, and it runs pretty well, although there are a few hiccups; some hardware doesn't work (camera, microphone) and the battery life isn't great, it only lasts maybe 2 days when sleeping. Still, it's very stable overall, and it's fun to play with if you like hacking your hardware. The price is also a great deal for the tablet's hardware specs.
I definitely recommend trying out store demo models, though, so you can at least get an idea of how different models feel in your hands.
I also put Android on the Touchpad, although I went back to webOS anyways. Much better multi-tasker than Android. I usually have a dice rolling app, several PDFs, a word processor, d20pfsrd, a game (for when something is going on that my character isn't present for), a sports app (for checking scores), Google Talk, the Canucks game on one of the streaming sites (if I'm playing while the game is on), usually one or two other things open and Android not only makes it awkward to do all that stuff, but really bogs down whereas webOS seems to perform just as well with 1 window open as it does with 10.
It's a shame HP gave up so quickly on webOS. Time and money would've made it a real competitor, IMO. Hopefully the community can revive it now that it's mostly open source, although my hopes aren't up.
|
Just remember that Apple's Walled garden has about 100 x the applications available in the Android Market. And given your status, you really don't sound like the person who's going to be coding your own.
Actually if you look now, the Android apps are fairly abundant and pretty much caught up with the amount of Apple apps now and by June/July they will surpass it at this rate.
Also keep in mind that since Google doesn't do the hard inspection of the apps on the Market to the extent of the App Store, you may find that a fair number of Android apps come with some nasty undocumented features.
This is part of the "Walled Garden" that the OP was referring too. While Google does not do the "Hard" inspection that Apple does, it DOES have a reporting system that will have it removed if it gets enough of the bad reports that some have. Android has done well overall with the App management that they have right now and it gives us a form of open source that Apple does not allow at all. To me Open Source is way more important to support in my book than a brand name and brand popularity with the iPad.
The bottom line is that I suggest that you make your choices on a basis other than tech political slogans or bandwagons.
Your kidding right? The iPad is the biggest marketing slogan out there. Most people jump on the bandwagon because other people might think them cool if they have one. Android is the little cousin that no one seemingly wants to play with if you are an owner of an iPad.
|
I have a Transformer TF201 (newest one but the 300 is coming) I saw a side by side of the TF101 to the IPad review by techies and the TF101 actually kicked the snot out of the IPad 2. the ONLY thing IPad had over the TF101 wa the amount of apps at the time of the review. Speed the TF101 was faster, the screen was actually better. Out of the 4 or 5 things they compared on Applied won 1, tied on 1 and the rest went to the Asus. Then the TF201 came out and it really hammered the IPad2 and even the IPad 3 is not really better. The TF300 that is coming while faster, has better GPS and camera is not as fast as the TF201. When you add in the keyboard accessory for the TF's they rock and rock hard.
When it gets down to my TF201 the ONLY thing apple has it beat on now is the GPS function, but my tablet is not for GPS. If I want GPS I will get a dedicated GPS that is unmatched by any tablet
The TF201 BTW is hard to get, they sell out as fast as they come in to sales points like Bestbuy, they simply cannot keep them in stock.
I normally use my tablet when I game. I remote into my PC running Herl Lab and other tools and it communicates as fast as if the tablet where the PC.
An Air Force friend was so impressed with my tablet he bought his own with the keyboard. Even the IPad2 user in our group just gulped when he saw what the TF201 did.
And granted while there may not be as many apps for the Android as the IPad, apps are not everything and what is out for Android is good stuff.
|
I have a Transformer TF201 (newest one but the 300 is coming).
TF201 Rawks.
The TF300 is imminent, if not already released. According to reviews the plastic case does indeed fix the GPS problems of the TF201. But this comes at a slight loss of rigidity (also observed on the keyboard). What with that, and a display that isn't quite as bright (an issue if you try and use the tablet outside on a sunny day), I'm happy with my 201 - having more reliable GPS isn't much use if you can't read the screen! (In any case, I use my phone for GPS; the tablet is for the PFSRD :-).
I did consider waiting for the TF700 (1920x1280), but 1280x800 on a 10" screen looks pretty darn good.
(In any case, I use my phone for GPS; the tablet is for the PFSRD :-).
Can't recommend the Spells app enough. $0.99, you get everything OGL from Paizo:
-Spells
-Feats
-Monsters
-Items
-rules
This includes the AP's, the various player's guides, the race and faith books, as well as the Ultimate's, APG, Core and all 3 bestiary's... for $0.99. If your group only uses certain books, you can turn off the alternate sources. If you're playing a sorcerer, you can mark the spells on your list and display only that list (unfortunately the mark is binary, so less useful for a wizard unless you never memorize duplicate spells).
The only bad part of the app is the rules section. It's a little unwieldy to find what you're looking for, in that part the PFSRD app is much better. For the other stuff though, Spells is hands down the winner.
|
|
(In any case, I use my phone for GPS; the tablet is for the PFSRD :-).Can't recommend the Spells app enough. $0.99, you get everything OGL from Paizo:
Spells is on my wife's phone (she's got the spell caster). I've got the PFSRD on the tablet (two different apps, each with their own good and bad points; one of them lets you build multiple custom spell lists).
For in-game play we still mostly use character sheets printed out from HeroLab, although I'm eager to see any tablet version.
|
|
Sorry if this necro's the thread a bit, but since no one mentioned it - my Android devices have two app stores on them: Play and Amazon. That ends the argument for me right there. I can choose who gets my business, and I like that very, very, very much.
Also, currently anyway, Amazon lets me buy the app once and apply it to all of my Android devices. My family has five - two Motorola Atrix, one Asus Transformer, one HP Touchpad (CM9), and one Samsung Galaxy. If we had ten, I don't think it would make a difference. Though I accept that this could change at any point.
My brother has the same setup with iPads/iPods, and I'm pretty certain I get more mileage out of my devices.
For gaming, especially, Android has a better selection of pdf readers than Apple. Or did, last I checked. In fact, about a year ago, I couldn't get my mom's ipad to open the secured pdf files without purchasing an app, period. No such thing as Adobe in Apple land. Not sure if that's changed.
Also, currently anyway, Amazon lets me buy the app once and apply it to all of my Android devices. My family has five - two Motorola Atrix, one Asus Transformer, one HP Touchpad (CM9), and one Samsung Galaxy. If we had ten, I don't think it would make a difference. Though I accept that this could change at any point.
You can do the same with Google's Play Store.
Yes you can but most of the specialty keyboards are small and designed to travel with you easily.
|
|
You do not need a special keyboard BUT with the TF101 and 201 and 300 they keyboard gives you extra battery life. From 9 Hours to 17. What other keyboard can do that? None. Not to mention it does have a built in mouse which is OK, not the best
Well, not a mouse, but a trackpad.
My biggest problem is that there's no way (at least none that I've found) to disable the trackpad, so every now and then I accidentally brush my thumb over it while typing and the cursor jumps to somewhere else on the screen. My solution has been to cut out a piece of thin protective material (scraps left over from a non-stick oven liner) that fits along the front of the keyboard, and is held in place by the Minisuit case I'm using. It's a fairly close match in appearance to the Amethyst colour of my TF201, and it only takes me a second to pop it out when I'm using the trackpad.
For me it will be price of the device and a keyboard. Weight isn't an issue for me. Evidently the local Wal-Mart carries neither, but the closest Best Buy has the Asus Transformer.
Speed that it loads a pdf is important. Page turning speed and number of bookmarks available is also.
|
|
Sorry if this necro's the thread a bit, but since no one mentioned it - my Android devices have two app stores on them: Play and Amazon. That ends the argument for me right there. I can choose who gets my business, and I like that very, very, very much.
Also, currently anyway, Amazon lets me buy the app once and apply it to all of my Android devices. My family has five - two Motorola Atrix, one Asus Transformer, one HP Touchpad (CM9), and one Samsung Galaxy. If we had ten, I don't think it would make a difference. Though I accept that this could change at any point.
My brother has the same setup with iPads/iPods, and I'm pretty certain I get more mileage out of my devices.
For gaming, especially, Android has a better selection of pdf readers than Apple. Or did, last I checked. In fact, about a year ago, I couldn't get my mom's ipad to open the secured pdf files without purchasing an app, period. No such thing as Adobe in Apple land. Not sure if that's changed.
How do you set it up so that each android device can use the same apps that you bought? You would have to have them all set up on the same account and I think that is NOT what was intended for when you were setting the account up for either Google Play and or Amazon. Their terms of service agreement would say the same thing. :)
Just to let you know.
|
|
You do not need a special keyboard BUT with the TF101 and 201 and 300 they keyboard gives you extra battery life. From 9 Hours to 17. What other keyboard can do that? None. Not to mention it does have a built in mouse which is OK, not the best
Do not forget about the USB ports that come with it and the extra Micro SD slot :)
The keyboard is not a Bluetooth keyboard, it works more like a dock... you plug it in and then the tablet becomes a netbook almost :)|
|
For me it will be price of the device and a keyboard. Weight isn't an issue for me. Evidently the local Wal-Mart carries neither, but the closest Best Buy has the Asus Transformer.
Speed that it loads a pdf is important. Page turning speed and number of bookmarks available is also.
The Transformer operates well in both cases for me :)
I'm still thinking about which one to buy. Not going to make a snap judgement on this one.
As for keyboards, small ones... don't like small width keyboards, left to right width I mean.
One I saw on walmart's web site, for the iPad, had the sd card slot, and usb ports... I just don't see the 180 dollars being worth it.
|
|
I'm still thinking about which one to buy. Not going to make a snap judgement on this one.
As for keyboards, small ones... don't like small width keyboards, left to right width I mean.
One I saw on walmart's web site, for the iPad, had the sd card slot, and usb ports... I just don't see the 180 dollars being worth it.
The difference between the keyboards for most if not all other tablets and the transformers keyboard is that they are are all bluetooth white the transformers keyboards docks physically with it. It is also not a mini board but a fairly decent size though (this is my opinion though). Not saying you should snap something up without researching it but I do suggest not doing bluetooth unless you absolutely must because it is not nearly as reliable in my humble opinion.
|
|
The benefits of the dedicated Transformer keyboard are the second battery, the touchpad, and the USB & SD card slots. You can also use it in places where wireless transmission is not allowed (such as on board most aircraft).
Weight that against the extra cost (about double the price of a bluetooth keyboard), and the fact that it pretty much locks you into having the tablet in landscape mode when using the keyboard.
I looked some more today at Asus Transformer and Samsung Galaxy 10 reviews.
If the keyboards were cheaper, it would make for an easier decision. I noticed a few reviews state that some tablets are top heavy and can fall over with a docked keyboard.
It kinda bothers me that here is only 1 gig of ram. Does that afect performance ?
|
|
I looked some more today at Asus Transformer and Samsung Galaxy 10 reviews. It kinda bothers me that here is only 1 gig of ram. Does that afect performance ?
That's pretty much the standard for high-end tablets today (that's what the new iPad has). The Transformer has the edge on the Galaxy for performance (a faster clock speed, and more CPU cores), but both should have enough for regular everyday tasks. I don't expect my tablet to keep up with a top-of-the-line gaming machine, but it's a heck of a lot easier to carry around :-)
|
|
Have to agree John. While my TF201 has 32MB ram i added 32 more in the micro slot and then I can use SD cards as well in it. I use it for quick photo uploading and viewing, not to mention Pathfinder remoting into my desktop running Herolab with zero performance issues.
You're thinking storage. RAM is something different.
The most RAM any tablet has right now is 1MB.
Oops, Yeah GB not MB.
Okay, if 1 gig is okay, then I won't angst about it.
Uhm, my first home computer was a Sinclair ZX-81 with a 1 kilobyte chip, with the OS in a 8 Kb ROM. I later bought the 16 kilobyte ram pack. The audio cassette player/recorder method of loading and saving programs was a bit painful though.
I found an ASUS TF300T 32 gig for $399, refurbished. Not sure I'll get it though. Probably wait for the October new hardware holiday releases to buy a slightly older one.
All three have significant hardware advantages for the cost. And my Adam beats them all out ($375 for Tegra 2, 10.1" screen, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB internal with microSD expansion, standard headphone jack, 2 USB 2.0 ports and HDMI). Now, the Adam is a bear when it comes to the software side, which is why I always say it's not for the casual user.Even with the latest advances, 1 gig internal memory plus a 64 gig SD card is not equivalent to a unified 64 gig of internal RAM.
I'm not sure what you mean? RAM and the SDCARD memory are two separate factors, as noted by others, in considering a tablet. RAM is necessary for running programs, while the SDCARD is for storage. More RAM equals more programs running at once, and/or more memory-intensive apps running. More SDCARD equals more "stuff" on the tablet in general, be it apps, music, movies, or Paizo PDFs.
My biggest beef with the iGadget line is Apple's resistance to adding a simple microSD expansion slot rather than making a units cost go through the roof for higher storage space. I can't see buying a tablet any time soon that doesn't allow for storage expansion. I'm in China now, and I've got two 16 GB cards and an 8 GB card. Between them, I've got all the music my wife listens to, all the games for my son, and every Paizo PDF. That's at a fraction of what a hard-wired storage option would cost in a tablet.
Hm. Anyone have any opinion/first hand knowledge with this?
Le Pan TC 970 9.7-Inch Multi-Touch LCD Google Android Tablet PC
I'd love something to peruse pdf books with during gaming (and save my poor back the pain of lugging them all around) but most of the prices are just too high for me to justify. That one on sale is tempting but wanted to hear thoughts/opinions if anyone had them.
I've ordered a new ASUS FT300T 10.1" Ice Cream Sandwich with 32 gigs, $399. It will be here at my home next week.
Since I am very busy at work until mid-June, may have to weekends, I may have to wait for deep explorations of it.
|
|
Hm. Anyone have any opinion/first hand knowledge with this?
Le Pan TC 970 9.7-Inch Multi-Touch LCD Google Android Tablet PC
I'd love something to peruse pdf books with during gaming (and save my poor back the pain of lugging them all around) but most of the prices are just too high for me to justify. That one on sale is tempting but wanted to hear thoughts/opinions if anyone had them.
I have no personal experience with it, but I can tell you its not running a tablet optimized OS.
Hm. Anyone have any opinion/first hand knowledge with this?
Le Pan TC 970 9.7-Inch Multi-Touch LCD Google Android Tablet PC
I'd love something to peruse pdf books with during gaming (and save my poor back the pain of lugging them all around) but most of the prices are just too high for me to justify. That one on sale is tempting but wanted to hear thoughts/opinions if anyone had them.
It's only running Android 2.2 (Froyo), That's two iterations out of date. I would't get it unless you intend to root it and flash CyanogenMod 9 on it it. At least that way you'll be using Android 4 (ICS).
So, assuming my new Nexus 7 actually ships soon (finger's crossed), what does everyone recommend as "essential" apps (free or paid). I'm looking specifically for:
- an mail client that will handle multiple email accounts, not just Gmail
- an PDF reader
- a mid weight-duty word processor
But I'm sure there are other apps I'm not thinking off. Any recommendations on what works for you, and just as important, what you definitely don't recommend?