So, the iPad is king, with the iPad 2 rumored to be announced shortly. The 2011 Consumer Electronics Show just ended, and a multitude of new tablets were announced. The Motorola Xoom seems to have gotten universal praise, with the Android 3 (Honeycomb) OS and 4G capabilities. RIM’s (Blackberry) Playbook is also hotly anticipated. There are Windows 7 options coming, and many other competitors. So… if you are thinking about getting yourself one of these devices in the next few months, which are you coveting?
Personally, I’m torn. I’m sure the iPad 2 will have some great new features, and they have the best apps by far at this point. I’d like to see a USB port and Flash support (yes, I DO need it…)
My phone is a Blackberry, so the Playbook is intriguing with its pairing ability and hardware specs.
I was pretty impressed with the Xoom, but would only be interested if it doesn’t require a carrier contract.
Frankly I don’t understand why people want them. It’s like having a huge smart phone without the phone. I can see how a touch screen would be nice but you are giving up a keyboard. How many people don’t use ANY apps that have keyboard input?
If you’ve never used a touch pad for keyboard input except on a smart phone you’re not making a fair comparison. I have been using a Samsung Galaxy Tab for about a week. I bought it purely for development… i want to port something we sell to Android. But since I have it, I’ve been using it, and I have to admit I Really like it.
I was IMing with somebody for about 2 hours while relaxing in a hotel Saturday night with the TV on. The lack of tactile response did get a bit annoying, but I didn’t have any problem tapping the wrong key, like I do on my iphone.
It’s quick and responsive and lightweight and great for relaxing and doing the sorts of things I like to do when not working on a computer - browse, watch video, chat.
To be fair, I would never ever buy it for myself, nor would I buy it for work were I able to expense it. The only reason I bought it is because I think I can make a lot of money if I open up the whole Android market for my company.
The biggest problem I have with this is that it is nigh useless unless you already own a Blackberry phone with the accompanying BB data plan (which I believe is still mandatory on most carriers and not part of the regular data plan? Or has that changed?)
If you don’t have a BB phone to use with it, you have no email or calendar app, among other things.
But most tablets use apps that are designed around a touch-screen. Obviously the Windows 7 tablets are the “odd man out,” since they are ones that will rely more on having a real keyboard and mouse. But all tablets have a software keyboard that pops up so you can type, and tapping on things is akin to a mouse click.
And I don’t know about you, but I love my smartphone and all its apps, and that’s what prompted me to get a tablet (Nook color that I rooted and turned into a full-fledged Android OS tablet.)
What I love about it is ease of use. On my lunch breaks from work, I use it to browse the web or use an app. To do that with a laptop I have to drag it with me (less than a pound vs a couple pounds even for a netbook, which I don’t own, so more like 5 pounds for my 17" laptop.) And then you have to have more space to use it, open it up, etc…I can easily hold my 7" tablet in one hand, and even a 10" one like an iPad is still loads easier to hold and use than even a netbook. Especially if you’re someplace without any kind of table or counter to rest it on. Despite the name, laptops are horrible when used in one’s lap and not a table.
Edit:
Yeah, that thing looks sexy as fuck. But rather than wait and pay more $$, I decided to go the cheap route and get the Nook.
As a counter point, I don’t like my iPhone or any of its apps much. I can appreciate it as a really marvelous piece of engineering and technology but I find using it tedious and annoying. The Galaxy Tab I’ve been using for a week is big enough that I find it usable.
That thing looks cool. It’s interesting too, because I think it’s the first hardware product from an Indian startup. (So far, Indian IT businesses have mostly been outsourcing outfits.)
I received an iPad for Christmas and I really like it a lot. I really hope that some of these other products succeed. It’s really annoying that everyone else seems to play catch-up to Apple, but they really do make nice products.
One of the big features I like about the iPad is that it’s almost “instant on.” With a netbook I have to either wait for Windows to boot or keep it in sleep mode. Sure, that’s a small thing, but it makes a difference. Also, as far as the keyboard goes, the on screen keyboard works fine for me.
Tablet’s don’t have to have a reason. They’re THE FUCHER incarnate.
They’re light, they’re flat and they do all that crap in Star Trek that you wished you had…you know, you folded a sheet of graph paper in 1/4ths and drew a screen and a keyboard…you didn’t? I did. In 5th grade. I would have KILLED for a tablet in 1992 while going to college.
It’s the absolute smallest thinnnest thing you can physically have to access all the information that’s out there.
Well, until they beam it directly into your brain. Then THAT will really be the future.
I just can’t believe my phone makes the Tri-Corder and Communicator from TOS look old and busted.
none of them. They don’t offer me $500 worth of utility over what I already have.
uh, for $500 they damn well better have a reason. It amazes me that in the middle of a deep recession there are enough people who will wait in line to spend $500-900 on a toy.
The amazing thing about tablets (iPad) is that on the surface they really don’t seem all that useful. I totally get all the “I don’t need one” comments. I felt the same way too when the iPad first came out. My sister has one, and I covet it. It’s so much fun, and useful! She brought it on vacation this summer and everyone wanted to use it. Touch-screen games are fantastic. We uploaded pictures onto it so my Mom could see the photos right away… on a decent screen.
Tablets (iPad) are that rare device that are more useful than they seem. Usually one encounters the opposite where something seems useful but really isn’t. Not so fantastic from a marketing point of view, but a wonderful surprise for the consumer.
I’m waiting for iPad2.
Remember when the iPad first came out? Everyone was making fun of the name. No so much of that anymore.
I have no use for the phone part of a smart phone. I use my cell maybe twice a month, on a heavy use month. I could probably use the “smart” part of a smart phone much more frequently, but I’ve been reluctant to sign up for a 300-minutes/month plan when I’m not going to use anywhere near that much phone time.
