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[Q] Can i replace my netbook with a tablet - work not just eye candy

hey guys;
pretty much as per the title really. I have an aging Acer aspire one 8GB SSD netbook running ubuntu and it has been great for working on while being light and portable. I would really like to move to a tablet but i have to be able to work on the device and not just carry a lightweight media device (which most tablets seem to be at first sight).
I need to be able to work on office (both MS and OO) documents as well as create them from scratch. I have had limited success finding a decent MS office app for my android HD2 and was wondering if the same is true on tablets.
Thanks for any advice you can offer;
Andy

it comes with Polaris Office suite which allows those things.

geekyhawkes said:
I need to be able to work on office (both MS and OO) documents as well as create them from scratch. I have had limited success finding a decent MS office app for my android HD2 and was wondering if the same is true on tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like right now it is. I didn't find any app that can edit OpenOffice (LibreOffice) documents (I don't have the tablet, I was just looking at market.android.com). PolarisOffice edits Ms Office docs but someone reported that the docs it saves doesn't open in OOo. And there are reports that GoogleDocs doesn't work properly too.

To be fair I would wait until Honeycomb problems and glitches have been ironed out by Google. Two reviewers (Android Central & Anandtech) have mentioned that their Transformer crashed during a write up in Polaris Office and because the software doesn't have auto-save feature (yet) they lost 500-1000 words. Now if you are regularly saving your documents then it might not be a big deal but certainly I wouldn't say it is a "stable" replacement just yet. I hope more manufacturers take pointers from ASUS and bring similar tablets with keyboard docks with trackpad integration.
I just hope there are regular updates for both the OS and from ASUS to sort these problems out. The camera video recording glitch seems quite significant and also the lag with HD video playback. These are all software issues (I hope) and should be sorted out in time.

I wouldn't say Polaris office is suitable for work, and Google docs is indeed unusable. So I would say stick to the netbook, for now anyway.

Thanks for the info guys, kind of as i suspected (sadly). I guess give the market a few months to settle down and hopefully someone will port OO (or libre) to android 3 and we will be away!
Although it does slightly make me wonder why the tablet market is so hyped at the moment with so many quality smartfones and most tablets offering little more than the same but larger (at least from a work perspective).
Thanks again

Yes, it's quite disappointing. It looks like every way you would want to use the tablet (no matter - iPad or Android one) there is a problem that makes it much less useful. I'll buy one anyway because am a programmer and want to write apps for Android tablets but I think I will have to write quite a few for myself first.

I think it all depends on your industry. If you're a Data Warehouse developer, then the software is limited to the operating system it was designed for and there is no way around it.
But if you're writing your first book, NO PROBLEM!
If you create spreadsheets for your bookkeeping business, NO PROBLEM. You will probably still need a computer to format the print layout and set headers/footers, etc, and print. How about printing to PDF?
It would be nice if ASUS designed a dual layout platform leveraging it's current Android environment where at a click of a button, the layout changes to a point and click system (using the dock) reflecting a Windows-like appearance. Like a Play/Work theme.
WOW, I just thought of that! Hire me, ASUS, and lets get this developed!

Help Need Powerpoint player not viewer

Hi all, I'm new to the android tablet. I have had an ipad up until 3 weeks ago when my wife had hers stolen so now she has mine and im trying to see how android works out.
Anywayi teach a class once a week and i down load powerpoint presentations for my class. On the Ipad i just run them in keynotes and al the animations and everythng just work fine. I have tried all the office programs i can find and none of them play the powerpoints. They let you vew the slides but dont really run the presentations. Some of them dont even show the slidesin the right colors and the textis not even viewable.
Does any one have any ideas?
I can take the same file and it works great even after conversion on the ipad. I really want this to work or i will end up going back to apple and i would rather not.

Well, they all play the powerpoint. You can start by telling me which one you want to use. I'll tell you how to play it.
I highly recommend office suit pro.
Polaris, the one that comes with it for free, also plays it quite well.
How do I know this? I've done a few presentations with the office apps.
That said, it is my experience that ipad users are completely lost when they try to use android tablets. It's not worth the headache. You should have stuck with the ipad. Android is designed more for flexibility and having options. Instead of having 1 button to do something, you now have 10 buttons. If you're not used to having options, it really is a pain in the butt.
By the way, I've bought all the office apps available.
Quickoffice
Doc2Go
Freethink... or thinkfree (I keep forgetting the order)
Office suite pro
Between these, I can pretty much do everything I need to do. Have even made a few presentations using the TF+dock.

quicks office is great. but i kinda feel that polaris works fine by itself no need to buy any other office apps

ok I'm not lost using the Android. I am a software engineer I have been building and programing computers for 25 years. The Ipad was my first apple product sence my Apple 2e in the early 80's. I have rooted my android phones and put new roms on them and have rooted and over clocked my transformer so I think I'm qualified to use it.
I know the office apps out there will play powerpoint presentations but they play them as slide shows and do not play the animations. If a slide has multiple pictures on it that come and go they just stack them all in right away and show the last one.
Here is a link to the download
http://www.sugardoodle.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2205&Itemid=200015
You will find the download at number 3 on that page. Try it on your PC to see how it should look and then let me know if you can get it do look the same on your tablet. I would be very happy if you can..
They dow have a PDF version of it on there too but so far when I try the PDF version it is super laggy and hard to work with. Also they do not always have the pdf version.
Like I said these run perfect on my ipad but I would rather use my TF.
*****EDIT
I forgot, make sure you look at it on a PC because the android viewer like the mess up the colors and fonts to and make them hard to read.
Thanks for any help you can give.
Brandon

I love that you refer to it as the android
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

Do you need adobe flash installed to view the animations? Just a guess....
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

I know i keep calling it the android because that is what my wife has been calling it.
I do have flash 11 installed so that is not the answer either.
Brandon

Hahaha. Anyone remember when Bush kept calling it "the google"?
You didn't even tell us what kind of animation. Can you post a sample ppt or pptx?

i posted a link to the down load so you can try it out. Maybe if you read my post instead of trying to chastise me you would have seen the link.
The animations are things like words coming in and going away or pictures changing.
I like the fact that i ask a question for help and inplace of helpful answer i get put down because i had an ipad and you assume i do not know anything and i also get compared to Bush because i called it the android.
Thanks for not being helpful

brlowe said:
i posted a link to the down load so you can try it out. Maybe if you read my post instead of trying to chastise me you would have seen the link.
The animations are things like words coming in and going away or pictures changing.
I like the fact that i ask a question for help and inplace of helpful answer i get put down because i had an ipad and you assume i do not know anything and i also get compared to Bush because i called it the android.
Thanks for not being helpful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look, I didn't assume you didn't know anything. My mentor, a leading scientist in concrete engineering, regularly asks me for help with his computing needs. Not knowing how to operate a device says nothing about a person's abilities.
That's why I suggested you stick with the ipad. It's a universal device.
At this point in time, android tablet platform is very much like the early days of linux OS. Back then, there wer3 kinds of people who used linux: (1) the programmers and developers who created and maintained the various linux distros, (2) the modders and enthusiasts who liked to push some boundaries, and (3) the people who went into it thinking they could use it as a windows replacement and ended up going bald by pulling their hair out.
I'm a minimalist. My powerpoint slides almost never contain animations. I think it's just a distraction.
Anyway, I'll take a look at your file there and tell you what I find out. Since I have all the office apps for android, so I'll it with all of them.
Added by edit.
Hang on, aren't you honored to be compared to the president of the United States of America? To quote tea party members, why do you hate this country? LOL

brlowe said:
i posted a link to the down load so you can try it out. Maybe if you read my post instead of trying to chastise me you would have seen the link.
The animations are things like words coming in and going away or pictures changing.
I like the fact that i ask a question for help and inplace of helpful answer i get put down because i had an ipad and you assume i do not know anything and i also get compared to Bush because i called it the android.
Thanks for not being helpful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried it on both Docs to Go and Polaris, but neither of them showed the animations. To be honest, I don't believe animations should be used in presentations, but that aside I have no idea what program to use then.

Well, my thought is to convert it to flash.
I currently do not have access to my TF. Someone is using it hooked up to the TV to watch movies.

Brieflet can convert powerpoint files, I don't know if it keeps the animation, but it's worth trying, I guess.
Ok... I've just bought it, I'll tell you soon how it deals with ppt.

Thanks for testing it. I will be waiting for your report.
I have also emailed one of the office app developers to see if they can do what im looking for as their app is $20 with no free trail on the app store.

Ok I've just tested with brieflet the powerpoint presentation you mentioned earlier : no animations. You can only have animation between two successive slides, configurable inside brieflet parameters.
If you want to keep your animation, you have to create two different slides when you just have to create one with ppt : for instance the first slide
with no image, and the second slide, same as the first slide plus your image. Since brieflet can fade between two slides following each other, it would work.
I tried also your ppt with quickoffice pro hd (not the latest version though, but the 4.5.15), and same story, no animation.
Hope it helps.

Having the same problem here
bro ...
i get your point 100 % because right now i'm facing the same problem like yours and next week i have already do my presentation and it killing me softly that all the animation, hyperlink than i edit not even work either in : Doctogo, Polaris and all the stupid program.
really need BIG ADVICE for this case.
P.S : if you already solve your problem, please let me know.
Regards,
nDorondondo

Something to keep in mind, Microsoft and Apple worked together to bring MS Office to Mac, and most likely iPad/iPhone/iPod. I Microsoft and Apple hate Android and have not shared any of the MS Office secrets therefore every office app for Android has had to reverse engineer the formats and that is not easy. This is why none of them produce 100% compatible results. If you create a new document in a native Android office app I am confident it will do so you ask it to, but to expect it to perfectly replicate a closed source suite's results is inane. Perhaps one day big businesses will all play nicely with each other, but not today.
Sent from my Transformer TF101G using Tapatalk

Why do you still use a laptop?

The mish mash of mobile devices, tablets, notebooks, desktops etc has me interested in collecting some of my thoughts (blogging ftw), now that stuff like Android devices, Chromebooks, and normal Laptops are bluring the lines ever more so. My TF101 is my go-to machine for almost everything that doesn't involve Direct3D/DirectX or Internet Exploder, even at work. I'm going to start blogging about the implications of such a bit more but it also makes me curious about what specifically keep people tied to the old world PC. Mine is only software developers that still target Windows on x86.
Maybe I'm sick of the never ending ICS and Prime stuff on this forum or maybe I've just got to much time on my lunch break. The TF101 and technically Android in general, provide 95% of what I need out of a computing device. We have had a few threads that amount to people asking if they can use a Transformer like a notebook, so I just have to ask why do you still use your notebook? What do you need to do that you cannot use an Android device for.
Between things like the TF's and Android x86, lack of a decent way of typing doesn't count lol.
-> disclaimer: my job involves more programming than editing office documents. I've had fully functional life using *BSD systems, let along needing Windows or OSX.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

Lack of a decent way of typing. Sorry, but the dock keyboard isn't that great. Oops, that does not count.

#1 THERE IS NO ANDROID OFFICE SOFTWARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE THAT WILL REPLACE MS OFFICE. I HAVE TRIED THEM ALL. SIMPLE EXCEL CHECK BOX DOES NOT SHOW UP IN ANY OF THE ANDROID OFFICE SUITS.
If all you do for example is surf for porn then yes, the transformer could replace your netbook, laptop, or desktop.

I find all the good productive software are on Windows, if I was not at home I have to choose between running these software on a x86/x64 architecture laptop natively or running a remote desktop connection back to my home PC to satisfy such needs. The small screen is also a factor when it comes to using it for productivity of any kind. The most downer for Android atm is probably the horrible multitasking for tablets. There is no way to open even two apps side by side, seriously?

What I mean by 'doesn't count', as far as the TF is concerned it is no worse than typing on a netbook or a comparably sized laptop. I should know, I've used laptop keyboards from 12 to 18 hours a day for the last 5, nearly 6 years now. I type and read excessively. For the wider scope of Android, it's more a matter of screen space.
Issues like the stock browser's text area's lagging on the TF or lack of certain keystrokes from Win/GTK/Qt, are purely software artifacts that can be fixed with updated or replaced software, hell maybe even contributing to ASOP! Hardly killer given what can be done (e.g. opera and HC's text selection) to work around, and when it comes to handwriting, there are more options than the typical PC.
If text input is your problem, then why?
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

I have a powerful desktop, a notebook that's a few years old but was top-notch when bought, and now my TF101 with dock.
I use the dock less than I expected to, largely because the keyboard isn't very good. I mostly use the dock as a stand when watching movies, and for very light writing work. (Making quick notes, answering email, Facebook posts, etc.) although I find the stock Honeycomb soft keyboard *almost* as fast to type on, if I put the tablet in my lap.
The other area where the TF101 doesn't come close is for replacing my notebook for work. I need apps like Photoshop CS5, Dreamweaver CS5, etc. for my day job, and short of using MyDesktop I can't get those on my tablet. (MyDesktop works in a pinch, but again the sub-par keyboard means I don't use it as much as I might, and the lack of things like right mouse-button support reinforce that.)
So my Transformer becomes my content-consumption device -- browsing the web, listening to streaming radio, watching movies, checking Facebook and Gmail, maybe playing an occasional light game.
My desktop is my go-to machine for work, and for everything else. Proper gaming, anything where I have to do much typing.
My notebook is now demoted to where it gets used maybe a couple of times a month, when I don't want to be chained to my desk, but need more than my tablet can offer.
Each device has its own purpose, and none will ever fully replace the others for me.

Anything that requires power or precision you need something other than the transformer. For example you like watching movies on the tab but no way can you encode them on it same goes for video editing. You can view drawings on it but you can't create them on it even if you do have a stylus. Tablets are great for consumption but other that text based work, aren't very good at creation. They definitely have a use and I wouldn't be without mine but I need my laptop as well.

v8code said:
You can view drawings on it but you can't create them on it even if you do have a stylus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adobe Ideas begs to disagree:
http://www.adobe.com/products/adobe...m-en-casestudy-creativesuite-design-brian-yap
So does Photoshop Touch:
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-touch.html

why i sometimes still need a laptop or desktop.
v8code said:
Anything that requires power or precision you need something other than the transformer. For example you like watching movies on the tab but no way can you encode them on it same goes for video editing. You can view drawings on it but you can't create them on it even if you do have a stylus. Tablets are great for consumption but other that text based work, aren't very good at creation. They definitely have a use and I wouldn't be without mine but I need my laptop as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It all depends what you need to do, as we can all see. for my wife, it has perfectly replaced her cruddy old laptop, since all she does is faccebook, email, web and the pics/movies etc. she doesnt miss windblows. i dont miss another laptop to douche/clean every year either. i can back it up easy enough, etc etc... me. i have one too, but for the same reasons - light stuff - i can't encode movies/mp3/etc etc - many things a power user cannot do on a tablet lol.. good tab tho, we both love it, the dock is killer - adds so much life to it, we both like it more than the ipad or ipad2 (which we both tried for a week).
thanks!

For me, my laptop is a necessity. I am a grad student, and therefore always seem to be taking notes (both personally and in class) and writing papers. While the tablet can do most things I do okay, it cannot compare to the PC for doing them all at once. I am constantly having to have multiple PDFs of books and various journal articles open, as well as at least two Word documents, in addition to web browsers. The laptop allows me to to all this while virtually anywhere; if I get too restless at home, I can sit outside doing work, or go to a coffee shop, etc. While at home, I can connect a separate monitor to the laptop to have research on it while the paper I'm writing is on my main screen. Printing is important, and while there are some ways of printing with the tablet, nothing as advanced or smooth as on the laptop.
The tablet can't even have two screens visible side-by-side at the same time, which is a major downfall. Also switching between PDFs and documents I'm writing is not at all convenient or smooth.
It's a great little device for doing basic reading and light research, but it has a long way to go before I even begin to consider using it as my primary machine.

I'd have to agree with most of the reasons for still using a laptop as above. Although I don't use my laptop much, my main reason is for the multitasking.
Most of the uni work I do (computer + social science) typically involves me having many windows open for referencing etc. Using a few messengers, social networking sites for communication, PDF viewers + browser windows for research papers, a few more browser windows for API references, Microsoft or Libre office for strict and formally formatted documents, reference software (Mendeley) for references + formatting and maybe an IDE or 2 all at the same time, just isn't possible on android at the moment.
If ICS improves on some of the existing multitasking concept and some more apps begin to realise their potential with regards to presentation of created content, then I'll probably use my desktop and laptop even less.
That's not to say I don't thoroughly enjoy my TF and use it for a lot of other things (mainly lazy content consumption, lectures, and reading eBooks, as well as travelling.)

I still don't find much "serious" software for Android. In specific, if Android had an Adobe Premiere analog I would be so down. I would much also rather do a lot of things on a bigger screen. I have a 15" laptop that is a nice size for most things; I wouldn't like editing video much on a 10" screen unless there was some amazing new interface for doing non-linear editing. I also really like being able to work between Windows 7 and Ubuntu on the laptop. But I'm wondering if the next couple of months won't have us triple booting Win-Lin-Droid. So how about a 15" Android dockable tablet with a full size keyboard and can triple boot the aforementioned operating systems and has about 4 gigs of RAM. With that much space in the full-sized keyboard dock we could probably see 30+ hour battery life, too. My $1000 is waiting for such a monster.

adampdx said:
...So how about a 15" Android dockable tablet with a full size keyboard and can triple boot the aforementioned operating systems and has about 4 gigs of RAM. With that much space in the full-sized keyboard dock we could probably see 30+ hour battery life, too...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. This is what I want too.

Multitasking is a good point, and one which is a major blocking point for me in using Android more (and in my day job).
Say what you like, but what we have now where most programs lack the ability for the user to close them, and can be unpredictably closed by the OS (losing work in the process) when you switch away from them for an indeterminate amount of time is NOT proper multitasking. In my opinion, this is the biggest single area where Android needs to improve. I understand that not everybody wants control over when apps start and stop, but for many of us it is crucial. It should at the very least be an option for the user to override the default behavior and assume full control over which programs are opened and closed.

Laptops are more flexible than Android/iOS tablets. my least favourite thing about getting my Transformer was when I transferred random video files over to it to watch in bed... and none of them worked in any video player I tried. With a Windows/Linux/MacOS laptop, it's just a case of installing VLC and everything works right away.
Then there's the fact that the browser doesn't suck even on my 900MHz Celeron-powered eeePC from three years ago. Even when overclocked to 1.6GHz, the Transformer can feel very very sluggish at times. Not something I want from a Tablet or phone. At least when my trusty old eeePC is being sluggish, there's an obvious reason why.

I still use my Laptop when I have to, I can do most of my work from the tablet but a few online services wont work without popups. and I cant find a browser to handle them.
Firefox will handle our citrix site at a pinch, but requires practice as the screen size is skewed. But its only a matter of time before these things are attended to IMNHO

Spidey01 said:
The mish mash of mobile devices, tablets, notebooks, desktops etc has me interested in collecting some of my thoughts (blogging ftw), now that stuff like Android devices, Chromebooks, and normal Laptops are bluring the lines ever more so. My TF101 is my go-to machine for almost everything that doesn't involve Direct3D/DirectX or Internet Exploder, even at work.
-> disclaimer: my job involves more programming than editing office documents. I've had fully functional life using *BSD systems, let along needing Windows or OSX.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
personally for me, the prime will be my general use item. I can web browse, email, view media, play some games etc and it will become my workaday.
but the tablets are not yet at a place to replace a full blown laptop because I do a lot of graphics work, sometimes with 400-600mb images, so until photoshop can run on a tablet I will still have a main machine.
so. can a prime replace a laptop? no, not entirely, because I still need my main machine to do graphics work, I use my main unit to convert video media to play on the tablet but for my writing and general use, the prime will be excellent.

I have a desktop, laptop, and Transformer.
Desktop is used for primarily gaming, not much more than that.
Laptop is for creating docs, VPNing into work, keeping track of fantasy football team over multiple websites.
Transformer is for quick web surfing, long trips/on the go, various apps, forums such as XDA.
All three devices I have serve a purpose and are all important to me.

knoxploration said:
Adobe Ideas begs to disagree:
http://www.adobe.com/products/adobe...m-en-casestudy-creativesuite-design-brian-yap
So does Photoshop Touch:
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-touch.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By their own examples its a photo touch up editor and not a graphics creator. Sure you could probably do some good stuff but it isn't full photo shop on a 17"/21" monitor and a graphics tablet hooked up to it. You could also do VNC onto a server and do 3D cad if you really wanted to but why. Its just so much easier to do on a full desktop or good laptop.

Cut, copy and past pictures and videos from my cameras is a lot easier on a proper laptop.
Android 3.x won't even allow me to view the vidoes from my cameras - my laptop does with the standard media player.
Creating and editing documents, especially long ones, is easier on a laptop.
Multitasking is far better on a laptop - two programs side by side.
Image editing is far more intuitive and easier on a laptop.
Storage space.
Inking. When you've used a proper Tablet PC you'll realise just how pathetic a modern tablet is.
Voice dictation. My old 1.3MHz Atom laptop can run Dragon Dictate without problems.
Don't get me wrong, I won't be selling my Transformer, but there is no way it can replace a proper computer. The last time I went away on a trip I left my laptop at home and just took the Transformer. Never again.

Dock productivity review?

I have the asus transformer tf700 and I'm trying to decide to get a dock or not. I only need a dock to write lab reports. My report will need images and equations. How productive is the tf700 at writing reports? And which word processing app with support images and equations?

cheater1 said:
I have the asus transformer tf700 and I'm trying to decide to get a dock or not. I only need a dock to write lab reports. My report will need images and equations. How productive is the tf700 at writing reports? And which word processing app with support images and equations?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on the software. In my case the dock was certainly worth its cost - I use my TF700 as my main laptop after installing Ubuntu. I'm mostly programming (lots of typing) so you can imagine how much my productivity depends on the keyboard Well, the decrease wasn't very noticeable.
(Note - don't be tempted to install ubuntu on TF700 if you're not familiar with linux. There's still a lot of rought corners that need to be rounded )

I got my infinity at the beginning of the fall semester, and tried to use it for lab reports. The included polaris office is far less convenient for word processing than microsoft word. And its spreadsheet function is not comparable at all to excel. But now there are options to use microsoft office programs on the tablet, and it is becoming more convenient to use the tablet as a laptop replacement.
My point is that you can use the infinity for what you want it. Your laptop would probably be faster and easier (mainly because of familiarity), but the functionality is right on par.

I use it to write pretty much all of my reports. Polaris office is crap, but Kingsoft (free) works fine, as does Officesuite Pro (not free). Wouldn't want to part with the dock, writing on the screen doesn't work for me. Also, suggestion-typing drives me to near insanity; I hate it. I do 140 wpm on a keyboard, I don't need typing aid. So the Dock is the way to go for me.

pvka13 said:
Depends on the software. In my case the dock was certainly worth its cost - I use my TF700 as my main laptop after installing Ubuntu. I'm mostly programming (lots of typing) so you can imagine how much my productivity depends on the keyboard Well, the decrease wasn't very noticeable.
(Note - don't be tempted to install ubuntu on TF700 if you're not familiar with linux. There's still a lot of rought corners that need to be rounded )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it still dirt terrible slow because you have to VNC to get graphical desktop?
---------- Post added at 03:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:21 PM ----------
The area ive found where the TFs (and android in general) really suffer, is any form of multitasking. The OS is just not made for that. 4.2.2 and GMD gesture control help a bit, but its still pretty miserable.
As far as just enhancing typing? The dock is perfect

pvka13 said:
Depends on the software. In my case the dock was certainly worth its cost - I use my TF700 as my main laptop after installing Ubuntu. I'm mostly programming (lots of typing) so you can imagine how much my productivity depends on the keyboard Well, the decrease wasn't very noticeable.
(Note - don't be tempted to install ubuntu on TF700 if you're not familiar with linux. There's still a lot of rought corners that need to be rounded )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what enviroment are you programming in? what are you running on ubuntu on the tf700?
Thanks in advance, I mostly use eclipse, but I cant seem to be able to run it on rabbit's build.

Office alternatives
tttimmcg said:
I got my infinity at the beginning of the fall semester, and tried to use it for lab reports. The included polaris office is far less convenient for word processing than microsoft word. And its spreadsheet function is not comparable at all to excel. But now there are options to use microsoft office programs on the tablet, and it is becoming more convenient to use the tablet as a laptop replacement.
My point is that you can use the infinity for what you want it. Your laptop would probably be faster and easier (mainly because of familiarity), but the functionality is right on par.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use PlanMaker Mobile, Presentations Mobile and TextMaker Mobile as good replacements for Excel, PowerPoint and Word respectively. I think they cost about $10 apiece and are a great bargain. Add PrinterShare Pro to access printers and you're in business for this kind of application.

efalis said:
I use PlanMaker Mobile, Presentations Mobile and TextMaker Mobile as good replacements for Excel, PowerPoint and Word respectively. I think they cost about $10 apiece and are a great bargain. Add PrinterShare Pro to access printers and you're in business for this kind of application.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am on the same set-up and it works very well for me. Really is worth the investment.Trying to recreate the text fields from an original document just wasn't working well with the others for me.

Non-Android question

Sorry to post this here but I didn't see a forum for this question. My sister is a 3rd grade teacher and she has been thinking of getting a laptop. She specifically wants a Chromebook because they are cheap(and she IS a teacher). The only reason I am hesitant is because she has to use Excel and Word at home doing grades and other teacher-type stuff. I know that I read somewhere that OpenOffice will read and edit MS Office files, I was wondering if anyone knows how reliable they are in this? I know that with other applications sometimes there can be glitches and inconsistencies when opening documents across different apps. I figure someone on this forum is bound to have a Chromebook

Open office works great. if she's passing documents back and forth she'll want to make sure she saves them in an office format. Open office has its own format but you can over ride that.

Landara said:
Sorry to post this here but I didn't see a forum for this question. My sister is a 3rd grade teacher and she has been thinking of getting a laptop. She specifically wants a Chromebook because they are cheap(and she IS a teacher). The only reason I am hesitant is because she has to use Excel and Word at home doing grades and other teacher-type stuff. I know that I read somewhere that OpenOffice will read and edit MS Office files, I was wondering if anyone knows how reliable they are in this? I know that with other applications sometimes there can be glitches and inconsistencies when opening documents across different apps. I figure someone on this forum is bound to have a Chromebook
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OpenOffice is great, but there is also the good ol' Google Docs/Google Drive, which can read and edit word and excel files and is basically a full feature suite.

So in your opinions would she be perfectly fine with a Chromebook, or better off spending another $100 or so and getting a really cheap W8 laptop?

I love Chromebooks. BUT I use a laptop because there is no equivalent to MS Office. Open Office is definitely not a real substitute. That is the only reason I still run Windows 7 instead of Ubuntu full time.
edit: BTW, there is a Chromebook forum on XDA. You might receive more/better responses there. FWIW I sold my Chromebook because I found it redundant with my Ultrabook and Nexus 10. When I start my job in September, they will provide me with a work laptop with Windows. At that point, I'll probably buy a Chromebook Pixel as my primary device and use my work laptop when I need access to MS Office. But I just cannot live without MS Office.