Tablet Suggestion for My Use - General Questions and Answers

I was looking at the Samsung 10.1" tablet, looks nice. I'm looking to replace my netbook with a tablet. I'm currently running Windows 7.
My general needs are:
Office
Expression Web
Photoshop
Secure CRT (ssh client, commercial)
Ring Central (voIP software)
Any way to run Windows programs within Android? Any suggested tablet stand and external keyboard, portable enough to carry with you in the tablet case and bring to the bookstore/coffee shop?
Thanks

AFAIK there's no way to run windows apps on android. For what you have listed there I would recommend and Asus Transformer with keyboard dock and then some kind of remote control software. For speed you can't beat splashtop, but logmein is more fleshed out/feature-full.
At least this is what I do. I use google docs for any native creation of documents that I do and when I absolutely must use office, I remote to a windows PC.
I haven't used any ssh clients for android, though I see there are many on the market.
Hope that helps,
-Fiend

Related

[Q] Future G Tab developement

I am still new to using the android system and just bought the viewsonic g tab and I must say that this is a real good toy and has some oportunity for future developement. Looking at the replacement ROMs they all seem like all you get is a phone instead of a true replacement operating system that acts like a computer.
Is there anyone working on something like windows 7 for these or even anything close?
notsob2002 said:
I am still new to using the android system and just bought the viewsonic g tab and I must say that this is a real good toy and has some oportunity for future developement. Looking at the replacement ROMs they all seem like all you get is a phone instead of a true replacement operating system that acts like a computer.
Is there anyone working on something like windows 7 for these or even anything close?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the android operating system. The release of honeycomb will give you a more tablet look but what is it you want to do that you cant with this OS?
I have a convertible Windows 7 Tablet PC. Most days it sits at home, even more so since I got my G-Tab. Why? Because it is not designed to be used with a touch interface, and doing things that SHOULD be simple like rotation can become a big issue. Plus if you want one that runs all day, you are going to add an extended battery with all sorts of extra weight to go with it.
FWIW, Windows won't run on an ARM chip or Tegra, so Windows 7 won't be ported to the G-Tab. You might (?) be able to get Ubuntu or another Linux running if you want the desktop experience, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
As has already been pointed out in the thread, there is very little that you could do in Windows that you can't do in Android - and most of those things are because of the physical limitations of the device, not the OS.
My .02 worth anyway.
Yeah I hope we get honeycomb ,that would be great.as for windows 7,I love it on my pc not on my tablet.Android rocks you can even send a fax with filesanywhere for free through the internet!
Plus ive already invested in skinomi and a cool android decal.
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0B5.1 using Tapatalk
snipestech said:
Yeah I hope we get honeycomb ,that would be great.as for windows 7,I love it on my pc not on my tablet.Android rocks you can even send a fax with filesanywhere for free through the internet!
Plus ive already invested in skinomi and a cool android decal.
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0B5.1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't know about Filesanywhere and the ability to send faxes for free. Thanks a lot; that's awesome.
Thanks for the FAX trick! I love my g, my laptop blue screened and crashed, couldn't have happened at a better time.
thebadfrog said:
what is it you want to do that you cant with this OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought allot about this last night after playing with the GTAB and downloading a few free aps. I'm not knocking the android system maybe just the way it's current UI seems geared more to people used to smart phones. Maybe that's the whole idea and I'm not getting it as I'm too used to using a computer and don't use a smart phone. Hopefully Honeycomb will make it be more of a tab and the update will be made available to current GTABs like mine.
I still think the thing is great for surfing the web while waiting for my coffee to brew in the morning and I found a app to let me open office documents to I should be able to use it for some of my work files.
Honeycomb may give you less of a phone experience. You could also install the GAdam rom for more of a tablet feel
I would love a bi modal interface. One interface that works as a tablet when the machine is in tablet mode and another where it goes into netbook mode when it's plugged into a dock. This would definitely make the machine more useful for me. I could do some remote development on it (via ssh) or download a pdf document for reading on the couch or something.
I was really hoping for something like meego to take off and perhaps offer something like this. Oh well....
I just read that SAP is working on a BI for android . What would be great now if a usable VPN client and Lotus notes could be used.
windows 7 is been ported to tegra 2 says CEO of microsoft(i read somewhere). But it will be a long time before all the drivers are up and running.
Hmmmmm........now that they are with a phone company maybe we'll see something happen with tab
development for dual usability, work and personal use?
Pazzu510 said:
windows 7 is been ported to tegra 2 says CEO of microsoft(i read somewhere). But it will be a long time before all the drivers are up and running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, M$ is back in the business of porting their primary OS to other CPU archs, but it'll likely die again as noone will want to hobble their devices with a windows version.
In any event, you realize that you won't be able to run the vast majority of windows sw right? (i.e. it'd be essentially useless unless you actually like windows look & feel...) It's ALL been compiled for x86 arch, and I find it unlikely that ARM version of many apps would ever be available unless something highly unlikely happened and windows for ARM actually got off the ground...
Hello all,
I find the gtab is much more than a toy. With my gtab I can access my company's network via VPN. My gtab can RDP to Windows servers at work. I can also access NTFS file shares on these work computers with my gtab. Access to my work LOTUS notes email and calendars is through IMAIL via the gtab and Dolphin HD browser. Any Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, or PowerPoint presentations I have for work can be read, modified, or created on my gtab. Reading PDF files is a snap on the gtab.
Whenever it is time to read the latest Preston / Child's or Dean Koontz novel I download it from Barnes and Noble and read it on my gtab. I can access my home network and stream media files from my NAS to my gtab. My gtab can access the Internet over wifi at home, work, restaurants, stores, anywhere there is a wifi hotspot. This includes my rooted myTouch 3g's ad hockey wifi hotspot. My gtab can play several audio and video formats. If I am in the mood for radio or TV I can stream full episodes or albums from Internet TV or Internet radio sources to my gtab.
My gtab has system tools that can be used to update its operating system kernels and ROMs, access and manipulate filesystems, and backup applications and data. I have utilities to monitor and benchmark the processes that run on my gtab. I am able to connect to my personal Windows 7 laptop or myTouch 3g phone via Bluetooth connection and access and manipulate their files and directories from my gtab.
I use my gtab as a remote control for my XBMC application on my Windows HTPC. My gtab can use the GPS on my phone to create a larger screened GPS. Sometimes I play Angry Birds on my gtab.
My personal calendars and task lists are kept current and meaningful with several of the calendaring and task apps available for the gtab. Current weather and news is but a click away on my gtab. Banking, credit card, and financial apps on my gtab let me monitor my finances. Shopping apps on my gtab allow me to peruse online catalogs and order merchandise from the likes of Target, Kroger, Best Buy, Amazon, and Newegg. I am able to access insurance records and medical records for my family / pets with apps on my gtab.
These are a few of the little things that I do with my gtab. I find the gtab to be quite versatile and consider it to be a quite powerful little ( size wise ) computer powered by the Android 2.2 Froyo OS. My gtab seems quite stable and I am able to address any issues that arise with the aforementioned system utilities.
Thanks to the incredible support that the gtab gets from the XDA developers and the Android app development community I believe the gtab has matured beyond toy status and has arrived as a useful tool equal to the challenges of everyday life.
Bob
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0b5.1.1 using Tapatalk

[Q] Remote Desktop and Handwriting Recognition

I was thinking about mobile computing, mostly current tablets, and how they really have a limit in computing power.
I found some apps that let Android users control their desktops remotely. I know W7 has a pretty good handwriting recognition software. I also know that running videos and audio usually does not translate to the mobile device well (or are there newer apps available).
The point being, I was wondering whether it would be possible to use the remote desktop to use a tablet and write on it. The writing, would ideally transfer and save to the desktop. I know most tablets do not have adequate capacitive screens to handle stylus input well, but I was mostly wondering whether software was available.
Thank You.

[Q] getting MS office installed on the eee pad transformer

Hi everyone,
I would like to get an eee pad transformer. However, with my previous laptop, I bought a legal version of MS office 2010, and would be a shame to loose it now.
I could find the files to create a dual boot with ubuntu on that device.
I found on a few topics that qemo could help emulate a x86 system, even on an ARM tablet.
Then I read that wine could enable installing MS designed softwares on Ubuntu.
Do you think following the 3 steps above could let me install Office 2010 on a eee pad transformer?
This would be critical for me to finally decide to buy it.
Thanks a lot for your help
Chris
I doubt it very much, there is a moderately working version of Ubuntu that moderately runs on the TF - but installing WINE and running MS Office, not a hope.
There are a few different versions of Android Office's you can install - none are anything like MS office though
Amazon, today (just a few more hours) has Documents To Go, free. I have been using it for a long while and it is very compatible with Word, Excel and Powerpoint. If that helps.
Thanks for your quick and honest answer. That sounds like a very bad news for me.
Unfortunately I can't go for Android designed office as for business purpose, I often develop some VBA programs, and I strongly doubt those are supported and possibe to edit under those softwares...
Thing is I am really looking for a good Android tablet (avoid Windows at all costs) on which I could use this only MS soft... Any solution could work for me (dual booting, emulation...)
Any idea then?
To be honest I don't think the processors they put in tablets are going to do a great job running a desktop OS (such as ubuntu) AND running emulation on top of it. Wine runs pretty clunky and buggy at best on a desktop processor. I can't imagine it's going to be a wonderful experience on a tablet, especially running Office 2010 or for developing VBA programs. Perhaps in the upcoming iteration of processors you might be able to but we won't know until they're out. Even then, it will probably still be fairly slow and buggy.
Ok so as a conclusion I should rather buy a windows tablet and emulate honeycomb using Android SDK.
Does it give the same experiance as an android tablet?
Any tablet to advise me?
There are rumors that the transformer 2 (Prime) will be able to run Windows 8
But it is only a rumor at this stage, and would be ARM based not x86 anyway
There are a few Windows 7 tablets if you Google for such, but from the video reviews I have seen they are slow and laggy at best
Maybe a touchscreen laptop / netbook would be more suited for your needs
Then when Windows 8 is released you will have the tiled Metro touch interface that is designed for touch.
You can get some touchscreen notebooks that allow swiveling of the screen, so it basically closes with the screen side facing up, giving the feeling of a tablet
Where Polaris Office fails to deliever what you need, I suggest you just switch to a Windows box for MS or Libre Office as needed. You can also use SplashTop (better than VNC IMHO) via MyNet and access your PC from your TF, that should work.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
This last solution gives me hope!! Splashtop could actually solve my issue.
Thanks a lot for your help!
As long as you don't need to track the mouse cursor's movements, SplashTop is very handy but can take getting used to. My own use of it, is mostly web surfing and video that requires a Wintel (e.g. XFinity).
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
I figured out I could connect to a NAS in my company. It is using Windows server 2008. Does it work with splashtop?
chris-france said:
I figured out I could connect to a NAS in my company. It is using Windows server 2008. Does it work with splashtop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just use 2x RDP client its freeand works great for remotedesktop
Some hope for you...
Microsoft is in the process of making their Windows 8 ARM compatible, which is the architecture "mobile" gadgets run on. I will probably find a way to run Windows/ Ice Cream Sandwich dual boot, similar to what I've done in the past on laptops. Windows is your only chance of running Office. That said, the functionality offered by Google Docs, Documents To Go, and other "Lite" Office apps should provide plenty of functionality for you. This is a tablet, not a laptop. It's a great product in it's class, but not a PC replacement. Asus makes the Eee Slate EP121 (played with one, very cool!) if you want a Windows Tablet, but for $1000, it's a product without much demand. Hope this helps.

These Android apps for WP7???

Hi guys, today I saw Nokia WP7 Lumia 800, before myself.
No doubt WP7 looked Beautiful. I mean Android is far better in definition of smartphone, for e.g. True multitasking, etc. but I never found Android OS beautiful.
I had Android in my hand (CM7 with complete ICS look, also ICS status bar), and my friend had WP7, and WP7 looked amazingly beautiful.
Personally I would love an OS which is beautiful, since I look at it (the OS), and I'm not a huge app user. Also I'm not a user who does not need apps running in background. Here are the apps that I use on Android (only these apps)----
1) App Lock - Prevent unauthorized access for any person to any of my apps (Very useful)
2) Calculus Tools
3) Handy Calc
4) Concise Offline Dictionary (Very useful)
5) Moon Reader (epub reader ebook reader) (Very Very useful)
6) MX Player (Very useful, plays any video format)
7) Opera Mini & Opera Mobile (Very useful, saves data cost, but IE10 does same, opera saves 97% how much IE10?)
8) USB Tunnel (Reverse Tether, very useful)
So, I want to ask, are these apps ( or there replacement apps )are available on WP7 market, or WP8 market???
I'm looking forward to buy WP8 in future. Please reply if you know these apps or replacement apps are available for WP7 orWP8?
Also, Windows is major PC OS, and I'll always have Windows ( Mac never ), and Windows PC has many software, so there is great possibility that WP8 will see many new apps in market, ( WP8 ports of the PC softwares ). Also looking for full integration with my PC. ( like iOS and MAC).
"App Lock" sounds like something that should be provided by the OS. On WP7 you can easily set a PIN or password, and configure the phone's lock behavior in other ways. That said, I don't know of a way to lock apps without also locking the rest of the phone (although some behaviors, like taking pictures or placing calls using voice, can be enabled even while the phone is locked if you want them to be).
The calculator that comes with the phone is very good, but if you want something more like a graphing calculator (or otherwise intnded for calculus) you'll need an app. I don't know how good they are, since I just tend to use the Scientific and Programmer calculator modes (which are built in), but such apps do exist.
There are a number of offline dictionary apps, for sure. English is well-supported, but quite a few lenguages are in the offline dictionary app list.
There are many Ebook reader apps. I personally use the Kindle app (which takes minor hacking to use with ebooks not from the Kindle store, and uses .MOBI or .PRC files) but there are several free apps for EPUB as well.
Not sure about media player apps. Most of them just support the codecs built into the phone (which are a good selection, but hardly all-encompassing). Apps are allowed to implement additional codecs, but I have never personally used any that do. Zune software on the PC can transcode most codecs to something the phone can read when you sync the files from your PC, though.
Opera (mini and mobile) for Windows Phone is currently only available on fully-unlocked custom ROMs, though it may be made to work on root-unlocked stock ROMs soon. I don't know about the data savings of Windows Phone IE.
USB Tunnel is for letting the phone connect through the PC's Internet connection? That feature is built into the OS. When the phone connects to the Zune software on the PC, it automatically enables Ethernet over USB.
Please bear in mind that nobody knows anything much about what will be available for WP8 right now. It was ony just announced, is still months from release, and there's very little meaningful and reliable information about it available yet.

Surface RT w/ 8.1

Hey everyone. Looking at trying to pickup a Surface RT during the black friday sale. I primarily want to use it for taking notes in class. What do you all think of the original RT with the 8.1 update? Worth getting it, or should I spend my money on something else?
On a side note: It's between a Surface RT (at black friday prices), a chromebook, and the Nvidia Note 7. I can see the pros and cons of all the devices, but a) I am entrenched in google's ecosystem (gmail, google keep, google drive, google music, etc) and b) I am going to school for computer engineering.
So what do you all think?
Sent from my GT-P7310 using Tapatalk 4
It will work great for notes if you get the Type Cover, there is no active pen support. But it's not that great with Google services. You will have a much better experience using Outlook, OneNote och Skydrive with the Surface.
Sorry I'm not much help here, never used a chromebook nor the Nvidia =).
I used my RT for note taking for a few months before moving on to the pro model, and it was a pretty good experience. I would have a notes doc open in reader and copy/paste stuff from it into one note and type additional info in various combinations. If you are interested in using google docs on the RT, that may dissuade you, as it's quite laggy. I had no such issues just using the office software for that sort of thing. For google apps, the only workaround I really had to look for was a google voice app, the rest of what I use was just fine via browser and the built in mail app.
I ended up moving to a Pro due to a few limitations that I ran into:
- inability to run the e-testing software we use on the RT (lockdown browser and a security.exe file)
- desire to do more pen writing for some notes (really just chemical reactions and such, things that don't lend themselves to typing)
If you have a laptop as a backup for any software you need on your course then yeah. Chances are on a computer engineering course it will be useless for anything other than a glorified pen and paper replacement (as would the other 2 choices).
As long as you are ok using Google Apps in a browser only, an RT can work well enough (I can't comment on the rest of your use cases). My employer uses Google Apps for Education as our primary email so I've done it. If a jailbreak is released for RT 8.1 I am curious how well (or not) Outlook RT will work with gmail, especially since I won't be able to run the sync software Windows 7 and previous could (I don't know if it works with Windows 8).
domboy said:
As long as you are ok using Google Apps in a browser only, an RT can work well enough (I can't comment on the rest of your use cases). My employer uses Google Apps for Education as our primary email so I've done it. If a jailbreak is released for RT 8.1 I am curious how well (or not) Outlook RT will work with gmail, especially since I won't be able to run the sync software Windows 7 and previous could (I don't know if it works with Windows 8).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have always been able to add IMAP accounts in outlook and GMail offers full IMAP support.
MS Office can save in open document formats (ODT instead of doc/docx etc). Google docs also use these formats under the hood or can at least attempt (albeit poorly) to import .doc and .docx etc anyway. Could certainly download your file, open it in MS Office, save it in open office formats, re-upload to google drive. In my experience MS Word outputting to ODT works better than google docs or libre office importing DOC and DOCX
SixSixSevenSeven said:
If you have a laptop as a backup for any software you need on your course then yeah. Chances are on a computer engineering course it will be useless for anything other than a glorified pen and paper replacement (as would the other 2 choices).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My original plan was chrome book + chrome remote desktop to my gaming PC at home, but the surface and tegra note 7 wouldn't provide that. Then again, the surface is a bit stronger in the notes department and portability, and the tegra note would excel at math notes (its a math and physics heavy degree)
Unfortunately, my budget is very limiting, and I cannot get multiple devices. I have an old netbook loaded with my sata2 ssd, and mint Linux right now, but the performance is meh, and the resolution is abysmal...
My desktop should suffice for specialized software, but I am really needing a device for notes (I write slow, but type fast, at least with a real keyboard).
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
bluefalcon13 said:
My original plan was chrome book + chrome remote desktop to my gaming PC at home, but the surface and tegra note 7 wouldn't provide that. Then again, the surface is a bit stronger in the notes department and portability, and the tegra note would excel at math notes (its a math and physics heavy degree)
Unfortunately, my budget is very limiting, and I cannot get multiple devices. I have an old netbook loaded with my sata2 ssd, and mint Linux right now, but the performance is meh, and the resolution is abysmal...
My desktop should suffice for specialized software, but I am really needing a device for notes (I write slow, but type fast, at least with a real keyboard).
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Surface would do remote desktop just fine. Windows RT being a near straight port of windows 8 to ARM (minus the desktop lockdown) does include RDP support which is the default windows remote desktop software, although there are 3rd party RDP servers for OSX and linux too. RDP is very effective.
You also have VNC as an alternative to RDP. There are VNC clients and servers for most major platforms including android and jailbroken windows RT devices (this does limit to windows RT 8.0, although looks like the 8.1 jailbreak isnt far off).
Although in all honesty. I wouldnt rely on remote desktop access.
Will you be returning home each day and can you also use the machines at university? You may be able to get away without bringing your own full x86 machine. Otherwise I would seriously be considering a laptop or x86 windows tablet. There is the ASUS T100 for £350 which is a windows 8.1 10" tablet with a proper keyboard docking option too and using intel bay trail, but at £350 you can get a laptop with a bigger screen (also important) which is morepowerful too.
There are people on my course that bring surface RT's (and a few pro's too) and take notes in lectures, but they all end up fighting for lab computers the rest of the time and I dont think you can rely on remote desktop always being available or having a low enough latency, not to mention some university or college firewalls blocking it.

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