What kind of tablets do you have?

[Miss Chicken]

I have an iPad2 and I really love it. It is the first Apple product that I have ever owned. It is great to have it when I am bedridden as it is much easier to use when I am in bed than any other device. I use it mainly as an eReader, to browse the Internet, to play games and I have also started to draw and 'paint' on it though my artwork isn't very good.

Miss Chicken, what apps do you draw/paint with?

I think Sketch Pro is probably the best but I have only recently downloaded it and have yet to use it much. I do like Inspire Pro because I can save my favorite colours in the color picker. 8 am also playing around with Auryn Ink and Wasabi Paint.

 

[Witterquick]

Why do I have to go through jailbreaks and all sorts of apps just to be able to transfer any files I want to the ipad?

I can transfer whatever I want to my iPad without jailbreaking it.

The situation here is pretty simple. The iPad is the best tablet. End of story. You can debate different kinds of phones or laptop brands and come up with several good options, sure. But as of right now there's no competition in tablets.

But you've read those reviews and you still want to cling to the fear-mongering misinformation of the bloggers who don't like Apple. So I don't know that anything else we say can convince you. It sounds like you've made up your mind to go with something else no matter what the facts tell you.

So I suggest going out and buying something like the Jetstream. It sure seems to have a lot of specs. Sure, it costs quite a bit more than the iPad (and requires a contract) but that's the kind of sacrifice you have to pay if you want to cling to an anti-Apple ideology in the tablet market.

No I've not made up my mind. Not by far.

I think you do have to jailbreak to access the root in order to transfer non-media files (eg. PDF, or non Apple supported ones like MKV - you might also have to jailbreak to play mkv with non-apple endorsed apps but I'm not sure) via their camera connector.

I haven't done much research into it for the latest stuff so it's very possible I'm wrong and if so, I would most likely be getting an Ipad. Another thing stopping me is that I might hold out for the next generation ipad.

As I said, none of the non-Apple tablets are nearly as mature and it shows...

Yep, that's exactly it. Although I prefer the functionality of some non-Apple tabs, they're just not as mature and well-supported right now. The popularity of Apple products is a huge advantage in itself because of all the internet geeks developing all sorts of hacks and apps for it.

I believe that if you don't want an iPad then the reasons you have are probably reasons that should push you towards a laptop (or a smartphone).

I want something light and compact that has much of the capabilities of a laptop. Though I don't need to work on it so professional software aren't as important. What do you want from your iPad? I doubt it's very different from what most people want. Don't you want it to serve you as best it's hardware/software allows? Ipad certainly has the potential to be as good as a laptop but Apple restricts certain functions because it's Apple.

 

[Candlelight]

I believe that if you don't want an iPad then the reasons you have are probably reasons that should push you towards a laptop (or a smartphone).

The Blackberry Playbook is a far better option, with Flash support and an HDMI port which the iPad doesn't have.

I've yet to see a person that doesn't fit that description. I'm just saying that the trip "away from an iPad" doesn't end up stopping at another tablet.

The Russian government would disagree with you.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Can't people just transfer PDF files to their iPad using Dropbox?

 

[Witterquick]

Can't people just transfer PDF files to their iPad using Dropbox?

You're talking to an Apple novice here! So I could buy the USB camera connector and I would be good to go? I can transfer any files I want from my flash drive to the Ipad? It doesn't have to recognise the file type?

At this point, I don't think I care too much anymore. I think it would be simple enough to jailbreak. Leaning towards buying one. Just trying to decide whether to wait for the latest model to come out (or a better option from a competitor).

 

[propita]

Atenolol, Triamterene, Lisinopril and Amlodipine for blood pressure, and Metformin for diabetes. And plenty of OTC ibuprofen.

Oh, not that kind of tablets.

I asked Hubby about the four bp meds, as he's a pharmacist. You take all four? Your bp must be pretty high. He hopes that, if you're taking all four, they're low dose. Btw, I take equivalent of three of them, all low dose. Hypertension sucks, huh?

As for the other kind of tablet, we have an iPad. It was a thank-you gift. I LOVE it.

 

[backstept]

I've got a NookColor
Fantastic little thing. got it rooted, so I can have facebook and netflix and all the fun stuff on it
half the price of the old ipad, just as fun
it's smaller, lighter, excellent battery life, and it actually has a microSD slot

 

[Lindley]

One of the things about the iPad that bothers me a bit is the lack of a transparent filesystem. Individual apps get space allocated for their own files "behind the scenes", but there's no Finder-like file view.

For the most part this isn't a problem, but I do think it probably limits things a bit.

 

[backstept]

One of the things about the iPad that bothers me a bit is the lack of a transparent filesystem. Individual apps get space allocated for their own files "behind the scenes", but there's no Finder-like file view.

For the most part this isn't a problem, but I do think it probably limits things a bit.

yeah, if you want to put anything on it, it's gotta be pictures, music or video, and you have to sych it with itunes which takes forever
or else you have to buy a USB/SD adaptor which is silly

 

[Sean Aaron]

For the most part this isn't a problem, but I do think it probably limits things a bit.

It's a media consumption device, not a general purpose computer so I don't see any need for a filesystem view myself.

 

[Lindley]

For the most part this isn't a problem, but I do think it probably limits things a bit.

It's a media consumption device, not a general purpose computer so I don't see any need for a filesystem view myself.

I don't either, but it's still a limitation. Just because we can't come up with a good reason doesn't mean there isn't one.

 

[Sean Aaron]

I don't either, but it's still a limitation. Just because we can't come up with a good reason doesn't mean there isn't one.

Well, I'd regard having a reason as being the definition of a limitation. If you're not experiencing a loss of utility as a result, then I don't see how you're limited.

OS X has no root account out of the box unlike say, Solaris; there's no limitations in functionality as a result of this.

 

[Small White Car]

Ok, lots to go over here:

1) There are tons of 'file' apps that let you put whatever you want on an iPad. PDFs, Word docs, Excel files, MP3s. Whatever.

You can open and view some, but not all (it delends on the app you got), But you can certainly use your iPad as a USB drive.

And I did mean "as a USB drive." No, you can't hook a flash drive up TO an iPad. (That converter thing only does cameras.) You can either plug the iPad into your computer using USB or you use Dropbox and copy over the Internet. (Both to the Dropbox app or another that supports it.)

I use Dropbox 90% of the time and I use the USB cord when I have really large files.


2) Not having a file system doesn't mean you can't use files.

When I'm traveling I capture RAW photos from my camera to my iPad using the basic photo app. Then I open them in Photogen and edit them. Then I use a 3rd party Flickr app to upload them there or I put them on Dropbox if I only want 1 person to download them.

Point is, I'm moving these photos all over my iPad doing whatever I want to do with them. Anyone who says they can't live without a file system hasn't actually tried it, I think.


3) There are some apps that play alternate movie files, I think, but I'm not sure because they're battery-killers which is why Apple isn't natively supporting the codecs in the first place. I prefer to convert my video and not deal with that.


4) Anyone recommending the Playbook needs to point out that it only does e-mail THROUGH a Blackberry phone. If you have one, great. If you don't, not so great.


5) I believe that this will be the first real iPad competitor:

http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/02/amazon-kindle-tablet/

I didn't say it was impossible, just that I hadn't seen one yet. Now I think I have.

 

[Witterquick]

Thanks alot Small White Car. You answered my biggest question. So I can transfer files to the Ipad via a USB cord? That certainly makes things easier. Quick question - is the 30-pin to USB cord provided out of the box? The same one for charging from a computer perhaps?

I've got a NookColor
Fantastic little thing. got it rooted, so I can have facebook and netflix and all the fun stuff on it
half the price of the old ipad, just as fun
it's smaller, lighter, excellent battery life, and it actually has a microSD slot

Now I regret getting a Kindle instead! With the nook color, I could certainly get a mobile router and use it to get net access while travelling. Forgot the specs for it - does it play video?

Yes, I agree with Lindley. Certainly I would prefer a more transparent file system for me to manage my files.

 

[Small White Car]

Thanks alot Small White Car. You answered my biggest question. So I can transfer files to the Ipad via a USB cord? That certainly makes things easier. Quick question - is the 30-pin to USB cord provided out of the box? The same one for charging from a computer perhaps?

Yes, it's a 30-pin to USB cord that connects to the included wall-charger (plug on one side, USB on the other) and it connects to a computer USB port.

Be warned that not all computers will charge an iPad. The thing is more like a laptop and thus needs more power. Some computers provide enough power to charge it and others don't. My older Mac Pro provides enough power to charge it while it's sleeping OR to run it without charging. Not both at once like the wall charger does. More newer computers can do both, but not all.

There are many apps for files, but I use 3:

- Dropbox
- Stash Pro
- Files HD: Document Reader

I find each has different strengths and I use them for different things. I just remembered that some of these also transfer over wifi (not internet, but just local wifi, so you can do it even without a net connection). So that's 3 ways to move files: Local Wifi, Internet, & USB.

 

[backstept]

Thanks alot Small White Car. You answered my biggest question. So I can transfer files to the Ipad via a USB cord? That certainly makes things easier. Quick question - is the 30-pin to USB cord provided out of the box? The same one for charging from a computer perhaps?

I've got a NookColor
Fantastic little thing. got it rooted, so I can have facebook and netflix and all the fun stuff on it
half the price of the old ipad, just as fun
it's smaller, lighter, excellent battery life, and it actually has a microSD slot

Now I regret getting a Kindle instead! With the nook color, I could certainly get a mobile router and use it to get net access while travelling. Forgot the specs for it - does it play video?

Yes, I agree with Lindley. Certainly I would prefer a more transparent file system for me to manage my files.

I don't know if the Nook shell has a video player as it's primarily a book reader, but there certainly are video players for Android which the Nook runs on
and of course Netflix (which requires some light 'hacking')