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!
Hey everyone,
I was looking to buying a netbook, but this awesome tablet got me.
The first use will be for me university work: notes, powerpoints, excels.. you know.. that sort of boring student stuff.
So how does the tablet cope with .docx, graphs and powerpoint?
Especially, how good is the compatibility with graphs in excel?
What app do you use? Quickoffice? or the one already installed?
Also I would like to hear some feedback about the keyboard: I'm coming from the awesome one of the VAIO FW. How does it compare to a normal good notebook's keyboard ?
by the way I'm planning to buy the 16GB model + keyboard.
thank you
google docs not ok by you? (Don't mean that in a condescending way, but I think it works pretty well, and it works on android).
EDIT: With what I just said in mind, I have only used google docs for writing papers and doing spread sheets minus graphs. Graphing works but for some reason (maybe just preference, maybe there was a good reason) I kept going to openoffice for the graphs. Haven't tried presentations. However I would assume that google docs is not as powerful MS Office, it is compatible though, but I wouldn't feel right relying on it (google docs) for school stuff beyond the basics.
If you want to write some simple documents or presentations with some pictures and texts, the build-in polaris office is more than capable.. and the keyboard dock works surprisingly well..so you ain't going to miss the VAIO. Also, just tried creating some bar/line/pie chart in polaris office spreadsheet.. no problems at all.. no fancy 3D though..
also you won't find any advanced features like automatic reference in Word, animations/sequence in powerpoint or powerful statistics functions/pivot tables in Excel.
for university work, I won't worry about that too much...Polaris Office is a great office suite and I'm very impressed...
best if you go to your local store and try it out yourself..before you make the decision
Polaris does a better job not blowing up formatting than google docs ime. Of course that only matters if you are continuing on from a previous doc. Shockingly it opened my resume (relatively heavily formatted) just fine.
Presentations are going to be something I can't comment on!
Thank you for the answers.
I found this extremely useful thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=13993341#post13993341
which compares the different Office Suites for Android
It might also be useful to know that 'Citrix Receiver' works well on the tablet. My uni allows students to login with citrix and use the programs of the campus. Simply put, I can kind of run any possible program (as long as I'm online that is).
Possible the place where you will go studying has something like citrix?
Powerpoint Animations
Hi to all,
Has anyone found an app that will run PPT presentations just as they would run on a PC? I'd love to be able to run my prezos with all animations...
Thanks much!
husker71 said:
Hi to all,
Has anyone found an app that will run PPT presentations just as they would run on a PC? I'd love to be able to run my prezos with all animations...
Thanks much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for this..
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
Don't think that you'll find any software for Android. Android is primary for gaming, not working.
But Excel and Word sheets work quite good with Polaris Office (pre-installed), I haven't tried PPT yet.
It all depends on what you plan on doing. Simple word processing, presentation, or spread sheet would be OK. In Excel for instance if you use macro's you will run into problems. I know that Polaris could read some of my files.
To be honest there are people on here that claim to have replaced their laptop with the Transformer but frankly I don't see how. It is fine for internet, email, & entertainment. It isn't going to replace a laptop that you use for work or school in my view anyway.
Polaris Office work pretty well and is included with the TF (can't beat fee functional software). Just don't expect it to be as functional and easy to use as a real PC.
Honestly if I where using it MS Office apps for school, I'd stick to a laptop. You'll be a lot less frustrated that way. TF would be fine simple office type task or edits in a pinch, but I wouldn't want it to be my main Office device.
Lets not forget tablets aren't true laptop replacements, they don't have that kind of power.
People,
I don't know about you guys, but as an engineering student I use a lot Latex to produce documents (articles, presentation, reports, etc...). However seems that a good app to latex edition is lacking in the android world. The hard time to deal with a latex document is having a high number of files and sub-files, and need to be compiled in order to get the final result, a pdf ou dvi file.
Testing alternatives, I found that the compile part is easy, since, as done in the iOS, the best alternative to the 1GB program needed is a remote compilation in a server. Some schools have it, some web applications already use it, and even verbetex (the only LaTex app, besides its limitations) use this approach. For instance I leave you a great project, but a little bit stoped this days..
http://dev.latexlab.org/
The main limitations all the apps and web-service present is file manipulation and text editing. Neither can be good in both, wich is essential. The project I showed could be great if, besides google doc integration (allowing cooperation), I could easily manage the file as its possible in http://www.scribtex.com/. However, the best integration in file manager would be using dropbox, where easily one can add files from desktop, or web browser, editing in normal Latex tools, or in the fly in our tablet or webservice.
Besides a webservice seams a good alternative in desktop, android browser is still not so easy to use. So a dedicated interface, wich allows multiples tabs, to edit multiple files, syntax highlighting, files manipulation with integration and sincronization with dropbox, and some other text edition addons with the possible to online compilation in a remote server would be a very nice app for our android, and mostly for TF since it have a dock.
I don't have for now programming knowledge to promote this type of project. Figuring current available apps using dropbox, remote servers, and text manipulation, I assume necessary tools are available, so I let year a challenge to the brilliant guys in XDA, offering me to test, and when finished to buy it (if it would be a generic code editor for differente languages, allow dropbox and ftp integration, for sure that 10 bucks or more would be a good price for start).
Hope some one respond to my call!
I can think of another use for Latex..........
SORRY! HAD TO SAY IT!!!
I also happen to be a student who regularly use LaTeX for academic purposes. In my opinion, the best solution that exists now on the Transformer is using Vim for editing the tex files, and using sftp to upload it to a server and then ssh to compile it. The later parts can be put into one shell script, and can be executed within vim each time you want to compile the file that you are editing.
As to the editor itself, vim is exactly what I use on my regular laptop for LaTeX editing. I can hardly think of any editor better suited for the job (though some might suggest emacs, but that is another story). Someone has compiled vim for android and you can find it by googling "vim android". I have tried it myself and found it quite usable with the dock. You can even use the excellent vim-latex plugin to help you simplify the editing of latex files.
Vim is too hardcore for me I have it already setup, but not all latex guys like to do it in the terminal
Hi guys, I'm hoping to hear some better setups than I have come up with, so let me have um!
Here is the deal, I would like to start using my transformer1 and dock much, much more - and hopefully leave my laptop behind.
What I'm looking to do- I program in various languages, some heavy, some light, but I spend all of my time in linux and most of it on remote systems editing in vi. Seeing as how there are multiple ssh apps, and vi-ISH editors, one would think this would be easily accomplished.... not so much for me. I have found that developing on the tablet is a major pain, and sometimes there are cases I can't find a work around for. It has been over a month since I've tried, but from what I remember, various vim editors and ssh apps give me problems with the shift key, the escape key, typing numbers in various spots, and some instances the Control key..
I realize the more time that passes the easier all of this will become, but have any of you found a setup that allows you to leave your pc behind to get some work done in the command line?
Thanks in advance for the ideas
What I do
What I do when I need to use the command line is remote desktop into one of my servers and then putty from there. The remote desktop keyboard overlay works just fine for everything that I do.
Have you tried a normal keyboard via BT?
I do know they make software Programmer Keyboards that have the function keys (F1-F12) and CTRL, ALT, etc.
I don't know what that would translate to a hardware keyboard or VI
Can remote desktop work useable with Adobe products like Photoshop? Adobe suite is the ONLY tie I require with a Windows PC these days and would love to cut that too lol
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.
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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.
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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...
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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.