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Acer Netbooks with Insyde Android

Just got an Acer Netbook that's got Android installed as a bios quickboot OS.
It's provided by InSyde and is truely dreadful.
- No Google Apps or Market
- Icon spacing not fixed to cope with the bigger screen, so icons are about 5 miles apart.
- Some really pants apps added in, such as a hacked firefox that's used to access webmail (i mean, the normal android browser copes perfectly well and looks a lot better) and a really poor file browser.
- doesn't look like it's instructing all apps to run in landscape.
- no decent widgets and what's there is small and also stupidly spaced.
No idea which version it's based on, but it's really unimpressive. I mean, did Acer actually pay them for it?
As it is, I've added in the poor InsydeMarket and copied some apps over from my phone. Launcher Pro makes a decent stab at giving it a decent home screen, but the wallpaper doesn't quite fit and you lose the link to launch windows. Also, apps are hanging all over the place.
Anyway, I'm sure people here could do much better. Has anyone looked at doing a decent rebuild?

I also bought this one, but I have some different thinking points with you.
- The Android is design for X86 platform and it's not easy to porting than your thinking. You can check the android-x86.org for more detail information if interesting.
- The Android Marketplace just only can use on OHA member devices such as smartphone not for tablet and netbook. You may found the Samsung Galaxy Tab is also using their own app market.
- The original android doesn't provided the "File Manager" and USB devices support. It's good for me due to I can access some files from USB storage. Of course, I can root my phone to install the third party app as file manager. But now I don't have do this and got the same function with USB support.
- What kinds of widget you need?? Something like HTC Sense?? Nothing is perfect I think. As I know, most of the widgets are developed by third party not OSV.
Do you use the other Android devices with white box? It's really bad than your thinking.
- Most of phone apps are using lower resolution for small LCD panel display, but this one is using 1024 x 600 for display. As I know, the apps should be re-art design and size for high resolution display.
It's my personal thinking for your reference.

I'm not asking the earth from a current Android on a netbook, but what has been delivered is markedly behind anything else I've seen (and I have 3 different Android phones)
As I said, Launcher Pro already improves the experience dramatically, but it would need a few tweaks to get it to work smoothly. I'm sure other alternative launchers would be able to do the same thing.
My expectations from a quick access os would be:
- switch on quickly (kind of obvious, but Android isn't that good for this)
- set to work in landscape for everything
- nice looking, useful desktop that covers the bases, i.e. clock, calendar, browser, notepad, filemanager. Widgets are good for this because it leaves things out in the open - if you need to wait for an app to open you could likely have got into windows in the same time.
- GMail, Google Maps - i mean, it is Android.
- Market, which can run on pretty much any device, but needs a profile option to restrict the options down to what works. That way you retain the reviews that have been built up. There is no point in doing a different one.
- At least a few video codecs
For your info, a good few of the apps I have loaded work fine. The browser's good, Astro runs fine, and i could go on. The apps pretty much always run full screen, so the screen size doesn't make that much difference. And, if you run web apps with your browser agent not set to Android, those work great. Indeed, I'd be tempted to strip most of this os down and just run things via a decent browser - ie dolphin.
So, going back to my original post, I'd love to see that someone was looking to improve this woeful experience. For now, I'm thinking of scrapping Android for Unity.

New to Transformer, thoughts

I have/had:
* the Ipad 1 32gb
* Motorola Xoom (returned)
* HP touchpad (sold after 2 months after alpha3 crap)
and now the transformer.
1st things first, this is the best of the android tablets.
I thought the HP alpha 3 made a good attempt, but it's nowhere in the realm of the xoom/transformer. The transformer seems almost a clone from the xoom, but with the keyboard dock, just is cooler to lug around. Plus the extras asus has done has helped a bit.
Main complaints.
Email, especially handling multiple accounts.
Web, browser is crap, with keyboard, even more.
weight. awkward weight distribution. I can hold the ipad in widescreen format with one hand, but this feels really unnatural with the asus.
Advantages vs Ipad
styling, keyboard dock style, rear camera, flash, widgets.
Minor complaints
Not really great software available for it yet.
Keyboard dock touchpad is too sensitive. I can't ever finish typing a long url without it going bezerk on me. Also, while android is good at freeing up memory, it does not appear as efficient as IOS5. When i run an app on ASUS that is running slowly, i have to go out and run a task manager to clean up the garbage to speed up the app. I never have to do this with IOS even when i have tons of things running.
Ipad advantages:
when i want to surf the web, i prefer the iPad. most sites now have html5 versions and those versions are usually faster loading and smoother than the flash ones for ASUS. For emailing, i prefer it's built in email to android gmail. This is strange considering i only use gmail. But Ipad apps have very intuitive ways for multiple accounts. whether for facebook or email, the multi user integration is just smoother on ipad.
For games like word with friends, it plays it vertically while the tablet one on ASUS is horizontal with smaller letters. There is also the fact that there are many many more apps i still use, like dragon lords, that i had used freely on my old iphone and they still won't make for android.
So for now, I find I prefer the Old ipad for surfing and emailing. And i'm basically using the ASUS for gaming.
ANyone else have an ipad and asus? what are your thoughts?

2 things. third-party browser, thumb keyboards.
as for the weight I hold it in one hand in landscape and portrait with no problem. maybe because I have big hand.

K9 email, free
Kaiten email, nicer multi-pane view, looks good on tablets
Neither do Exchange
Opera mobile or Dolphin HD browsers, much nicer. There's even a Firefox. And quite a few other alternative ones on the market. Opera mini is great for a phone as it saves tons of bandwidth with its pre-rendered approach.
Root your tablet and get the V6 Supercharger script. Here on XDA. Find the thread, go to first post and download the latest beta. Makes a huge difference to the way the memory management behaves.
Now that you're rooted consider a custom ROM.
Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using Tapatalk

I "thanked" you both for your posts.
I want to make this my primary tablet.
I just got the facebook and ebay updates and was dissapointed to see it not be tablet sized like the ipad one.
I will try the other browsers. I've been trying the firefox and firefox beta and really don't like em much.
thanks.

orateam said:
Main complaints.
Email, especially handling multiple accounts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
orateam said:
For emailing, i prefer it's built in email to android gmail. This is strange considering i only use gmail. But Ipad apps have very intuitive ways for multiple accounts. whether for facebook or email, the multi user integration is just smoother on ipad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What in particular? You switch accounts at the top-left part of the screen. I've never used an iPad though, so I don't know how "intuitive" it apparently is.
orateam said:
Web, browser is crap, with keyboard, even more.
weight. awkward weight distribution. I can hold the ipad in widescreen format with one hand, but this feels really unnatural with the asus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No such thing as widescreen on an iPad.
orateam said:
Minor complaints
Not really great software available for it yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're either not looking hard enough, or not in the right place. Check out http://tablified.com for some good applications designed for Android tablets. And any app in the Android Market will work (that's hundreds of thousands of apps) on a tablet, it just might not be optimized for it yet.
orateam said:
Keyboard dock touchpad is too sensitive. I can't ever finish typing a long url without it going bezerk on me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a common trait with ASUS laptop/netbook keyboards, unfortunately. There's a handy button to disable the trackpad on the keyboard, the fourth key (from the left) on the top row. Use it and love it.
orateam said:
Also, while android is good at freeing up memory, it does not appear as efficient as IOS5. When i run an app on ASUS that is running slowly, i have to go out and run a task manager to clean up the garbage to speed up the app. I never have to do this with IOS even when i have tons of things running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's because iOS doesn't actually manage memory. Your programs aren't running in the background, they just get push services to make them appear like they're running. The apps actually close and restart (think about how a computer hibernates) with your old data still intact.
Android has true multitasking, which means apps are alive and running. It costs a little bit in memory, but modern Android devices have quite a bit of memory to use. If you root your tablet, you'll discover it's much easier to keep things in order, task managers in the Android market can't actually kill apps without root.
orateam said:
Ipad advantages:
when i want to surf the web, i prefer the iPad. most sites now have html5 versions and those versions are usually faster loading and smoother than the flash ones for ASUS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know you can turn flash off, or set it to load on click? Change the Enable Plug-ins setting in the Advanced settings on the browser.
orateam said:
For games like word with friends, it plays it vertically while the tablet one on ASUS is horizontal with smaller letters. There is also the fact that there are many many more apps i still use, like dragon lords, that i had used freely on my old iphone and they still won't make for android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know that you can actually contact developers and ask them to add features (like portrait mode, or auto-rotate, on WWF) or port their app for Android? Some developers will choose to do this if they see users asking for it, otherwise they think people [on Android] are fine without their app.

jordanjay29 said:
What in particular? You switch accounts at the top-left part of the screen. I've never used an iPad though, so I don't know how "intuitive" it apparently is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the gmail app does it nicely. But only for gmail email accounts. If the regular email program, which can handle multiple accounts like yahoo and work would work the same way, would be better. quick question here. In gmail, like ipad mail, there are 2 views: folder view and browse view. In folder view, you see your email folders (most only look at inbox) with only subjects and brief text on the right hand side. In browse mode, you see your email on the left with the full email with images on the right. When i'm in gmail and in browse mode and delete an email, it pops me out to folder mode. do you know any way to stay in browse mode? That's what i'm used to.
No such thing as widescreen on an iPad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sure there is. it's just not as wide, but there is a landscape on it. It seems weighted to allow me to hold it in landscape mode with one hand. This is how i hold it.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
You're either not looking hard enough, or not in the right place. Check out http://tablified.com for some good applications designed for Android tablets. And any app in the Android Market will work (that's hundreds of thousands of apps) on a tablet, it just might not be optimized for it yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, i'll try this
It's a common trait with ASUS laptop/netbook keyboards, unfortunately. There's a handy button to disable the trackpad on the keyboard, the fourth key (from the left) on the top row. Use it and love it.
That's because iOS doesn't actually manage memory. Your programs aren't running in the background, they just get push services to make them appear like they're running. The apps actually close and restart (think about how a computer hibernates) with your old data still intact.
Android has true multitasking, which means apps are alive and running. It costs a little bit in memory, but modern Android devices have quite a bit of memory to use. If you root your tablet, you'll discover it's much easier to keep things in order, task managers in the Android market can't actually kill apps without root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That explains the performance issues a little. But when my now aincient Ipad seems crisper regardless of how many apps are 'running', it does show that android needs a bit better memory management. Perhaps not really mutli tasking like ipad does.
You know you can turn flash off, or set it to load on click? Change the Enable Plug-ins setting in the Advanced settings on the browser.
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Click to collapse
Havent' had any luck with this. I turned it off, but it didnt load the html5 version. Perhaps the stock browswer doesn't come with html 5? when i go to some of my fav sites like http://www.theonion.com on my old ipad, it loads up quickly and the page is super smooth. it's completely html5. when i load it on the ASUS, its flash, even when i turn off the plugins, and loads up with tons of ads that slow the page to hell.
You know that you can actually contact developers and ask them to add features (like portrait mode, or auto-rotate, on WWF) or port their app for Android? Some developers will choose to do this if they see users asking for it, otherwise they think people [on Android] are fine without their app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks again, i will do that more.

orateam said:
Yes, the gmail app does it nicely. But only for gmail email accounts. If the regular email program, which can handle multiple accounts like yahoo and work would work the same way, would be better. quick question here. In gmail, like ipad mail, there are 2 views: folder view and browse view. In folder view, you see your email folders (most only look at inbox) with only subjects and brief text on the right hand side. In browse mode, you see your email on the left with the full email with images on the right. When i'm in gmail and in browse mode and delete an email, it pops me out to folder mode. do you know any way to stay in browse mode? That's what i'm used to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking in the Gmail settings, go to General preferences and then change the Auto-advance settings. Choose either to go to a Newer or Older conversation to stay in the Browse mode, setting Conversation List kicks you back to folder view.
I'm sorry to say I've never used the built-in email program since Android 2.x, when it got support for multiple Gmail addresses. So I have no idea how it works now, I suspect its drastically different than what I would be used to. Sorry.
orateam said:
That explains the performance issues a little. But when my now aincient Ipad seems crisper regardless of how many apps are 'running', it does show that android needs a bit better memory management. Perhaps not really mutli tasking like ipad does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's possible that ICS will resolve some of this, as it has a built-in task manager. Honeycomb is still a bit buggy, though, so this could be influenced by its bugginess.
orateam said:
Havent' had any luck with this. I turned it off, but it didnt load the html5 version. Perhaps the stock browswer doesn't come with html 5? when i go to some of my fav sites like http://www.theonion.com on my old ipad, it loads up quickly and the page is super smooth. it's completely html5. when i load it on the ASUS, its flash, even when i turn off the plugins, and loads up with tons of ads that slow the page to hell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's because the sites aren't loading different versions depending on whether or not you have flash. They're loading different versions depending on the user-agent that the browser displays.
I don't know whether anyone has modded the stock browser to do it yet, but I know that Dolphin Browser HD can change its user-agent string to the iPad version. It's possible that the Cyanogenmod team will do this for Cyanogenmod 9, but that would require rooting your tablet to do.

Welcome to android, where you are not forced to use a specific app for a specific function. We have tons of choices for everything you have been talking about. Browsers, task killers, mail programs, roms, kernels, etc....the choices and combinations are vast.
Also, it really bugs me when people say that the ipad multitasks or that apps are "running" in the background... They aren't, the ipad doesn't mt, they just developed yet another clever trick in fooling people, kinda like how they handle force closes... Sneaky sneaky apple. All crap aside, the ipad is a nice piece of equipment, but with android we have options...start using them if you want to unleash the true potential of these devices.
Try k9 mail program, I have several emails accounts I use for my business,i practically run my company from my email. when I first left apple for android,i noticed the stock email was pretty bad compared to the one on iphone 4. so I started looking around and after a day or so I found k9... Best email ever, better than ios and that says alot... Ios did their email good imo. Check it out, its a sweet app.
I like dolphin browser and opera, I use firefox on occasion.
I run revolver rom with clemsyn kernel, if you haven't rootes and flashed a custom rom, then you have not experienced what this tablet can do, it really turns it into another beast all together.
I hope you can make it work for you, it really is a fantastic tablet, and its strengths lay with the fact that you can change everything to how you want it.
Ps. I have owned an ipad1 and ipad2... The ipad 2 I bought for one of my techs...all my technicians use tablets for work... And when I let him go (fired) I kept it for a week or so to play with it, then I gave it to a friend. I prefer the versatility of android over apple. When people ask me about android vs apple,i sum it into one statement. "if you want a device that simply works well without to much fiddling around, grab an apple, but if you want a device that can be great, easily customized with some work then go for android." Everything I could do on an idevice I can do on my android devices... And then some. maybe not right out of the box, but there is a replacement for everything. In my experience, android does most things better and a few things worse than ios.
Sent from my Infuse... Love it!

so for the keyboard dock giving you issues when you are typing, you can turn off the touchpad by pressing the 4th button along the top row that looks like a touchpad with a line going across it. that way when you type, it wont click anywhere.
really great that asus put that button there
and as far as sensitivity, if i go into settings --> language & input, i can scroll down and theres a mouses and trackpad setting where i can change the pointer speed.
hope that helps you out with the dock
im running the latest revolver rom btw.
i havent used any of the other products on your list but i know that when people use my transformer and they come from galaxy tabs, ipads, or any other tablets, they are absolutely in love.
just bought it this black friday on sale and its alot more useful than i thought it was going to be :]

Opera Mobile is a full grown up browser and totally smokes both the built in Android and built in Apple browser.
Try it... It's really 5x quicker at most things, more HTML5 compliant.
It's worth also playing with the desktop/tablet settings in Opera Mobile, see which setting suits the sites you visit.
You might also try Opera Mini, but it's not really the same, it's designed for really bandwidth limited browsing.

I second opera mobile. Ive gone from stock to firefox to dolphin and I find opera to work the best for me

sounds like no votes for Google's browser or emailer program. Don't you think they should put more emphasis on getting those right instead of forcing people to pay for a better browser and emailer?
I've tried some of your suggestions, and will try more, but i'm finding i'm using the Asus less and less now. Still too slow on browser for my liking and that is what most tablets are used for.
I'm hoping that dolphin browser i have yet to use will be the trick pony.

You're screwed, it's going to be the same fundimental engine as the stock.
Oddly, the only time I find my TF (with Opera) too slow is if I don't already have it in hand. At work, it's practically the only way to get a decent browser speed because it's on a different (and much less croweded) network.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

GTA III works flaswlessy on Tablet

All you have to do is purchase on phone and sideload it, it will let you download data directly from tablet, at 1mb per second, it took about 7 mins for the whole process, 400mb download and data install. Go buy now, best 5 bucks ever spent.
Ps. I bought using my evo 3d, which also runs the game perfectly.
Edit: before you start asking, how to sideload it:
Dropbox, gmail, titanium backup, blue-tooth, etc. It also verifys market, so make sure you buy it.

excellent news, I did download the app, but got error parsing package message. Also says incompatible with my p6200, lets hope for the best for us 3g guys.

chrisrotolo said:
excellent news, I did download the app, but got error parsing package message. Also says incompatible with my p6200, lets hope for the best for us 3g guys.
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Click to collapse
Try downloading with phone, then sideload it. It should work since it works for dell streak, even though it is android 2.3, it is a 7 inch tablet. It worked on my SGT7+ wifi, it should work on Tmobile. Just make sure you purchase it.

Downloaded but seeing quite a bit of lagg. Replacing user data files with GSII files now hoping that they will fix it

Which version do you have? Wifi or 3g? Also did you just sideload apk, and download data from tab, or copy both. Mine has no lag whatsoever with the data download directly to tab. I also have no lag with the data downloaded from my evo 3d. They both work perfectly. I also recommend using the analog steering and driving controls.

I sideloaded the .apk and let it download, had lag, so I replaced the data files with ones for the GSII from a site I found. No lagg now, just had to reset the controls as it aligned them for the S2's resolution. I don't have another Android device so I had to go the less legal route to get the APK, but I have bought the game on the iPad so I don't feel bad about it. Thumbs down to Rockstar for not having the compatibility in order

Cptnodegard said:
I sideloaded the .apk and let it download, had lag, so I replaced the data files with ones for the GSII from a site I found. No lagg now, just had to reset the controls as it aligned them for the S2's resolution. I don't have another Android device so I had to go the less legal route to get the APK, but I have bought the game on the iPad so I don't feel bad about it. Thumbs down to Rockstar for not having the compatibility in order
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Come one bro, dont include those details, as it can get you booted.
Also what type of lag were you referring to?

FPS issues in the entire game, basically. Driving around was very laggy and basically unplayable
The game is great and works better on 7 inches than the 10 inch iPad imho... just hope rockstar gets a grip and fixes compatibility settings. As a new Android user I can't even begin to express how utterly idiotic this issue with erroneous compatibility blocks is

Cptnodegard said:
FPS issues in the entire game, basically. Driving around was very laggy and basically unplayable
The game is great and works better on 7 inches than the 10 inch iPad imho... just hope rockstar gets a grip and fixes compatibility settings. As a new Android user I can't even begin to express how utterly idiotic this issue with erroneous compatibility blocks is
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh ok, mine still seems very responsive, Ill try other data file from other phones i have. Ill post results later. Yup, thats the problem with android fragmentation, but either way any android phone beats an iphone.

No...it doesn't. Believing that is just pure bias as there is no, and probably never will be, an OS that beats the other on everything. That's why I have one of each.

Youre still very new to this community, give it some time, to the infite modifications and freedom android gives you.

Customizing something all the way to Mars is nice, but still doesn't make up for lack of apps. I've been using the iPad in ways that physically aren't possible on Android because of the lack of certain apps and types of apps

give me an example and Ill try to tell which apps are available. I have over 400 apps installed. I go thru the apple catalog and I only see nonsense apps, or social apps, how many of those do you need. But its true there are more apps, but almost all are already in android. Maybe not the market but getjar, amazon market, appbrain and more.

Ok, here's a challenge for you, and if you do manage to find an app, you will be my hero:
One of my most used apps on the iPad is a certain type of note taking app. I say a certain type rather than a specific app as there are quite literally dozens of these available on iOS now. This type of app will let me import documents - minimum requirement is PDF, but more types is better - and write on top of them. So far Android has alternative. Then you get to the most important feature, magnification mode. The way this works in all of said dozen apps is that you have a window at the bottom of the screen that shows a small portion of the screen magnified. This allows you to write big letters and have it be shrunk down. These boxes are resizable and can be set for various zoom levels. They also have auto-advance, meaning that when you get to the end of the box it automatically moves it so you just write from the beginning again. This way you can write sentence upon sentence just as you would on paper, and just as accurately, even with a normal capacitive stylus. Other features that are often in these apps include the ability to insert images, machine text, web clips, audio recordings etc. You will also need to have the ability to export PDF. There are apps on android that can annotate PDF, but not at that level. All semester I've been using the iPad and nothing but the iPad both in lectures and outside, scanning paper documents using Scanner Pro and an external camera, annotating them (this is why just text editing is useless - I need to be able to have 100% control over size, placement, angle etc of the text on a page, underline and make arrows and drawings all over the place, not just write some text down) and storing them for reading. Just had an exam with 900 pages worth of curriculum and notes, all read on the iPad, and created on the iPad to begin with in the case of notes.
That kind of app in particular is crucial, and it has to be able to do exactly what I mention here, no "almost" with missing the magnification mode etc. They even provided all the lecturers with iPads this fall, and they've been using the same types of apps connected to projectors via VGA (try finding a VGA adapter for the galaxy tab, btw ).
This is just the ultimate example though, as it's not only the type of app I've used the most, but it's an app that is 100% productivity. No widgets, games or anything like that - it's a productivity issue, and an issue for Android's usability in settings outside of people who like to watch videos and play with ADWlauncher (which also includes me in my spare time, hence why I have an Android tablet).
Other examples off the top of my head: Splashtop's secondary product, xDisplay. It doesnt exist on Android (yet), and it's an example of an app where I don't care if there are "similar products" - it's the system I'm invested in and missing apps from major services like that is an issue. I could also bring up apps that have some sort of equivalent, but far from anything that works as good. Goodreader on the iPad -> ezPDF on Android, much less powerful app. Scanner Pro -> CamScanner, same thing, and they even broke 7.0 plus compatibility in the last update. There's no direct access app for the educational system my school uses, Classfronter, which isn't really an issue due to browser access but still an issue as it's slower. No good alternative to Reeder either, not that I've found anyways.
Education in itself is an interesting field. There are so many apps that make the iPad a powerful tool for both teachers and students on iOS. How about the ability to annotate documents wirelessly using Syncpad, an app that streams the image on screen to any HTML5 browser that's connected to the internet (not just local wifi)? Used that one a lot. Replaynote, letting you do notes and commentary and have it automatically turned into a video that you can send off to help people. Dictionary apps; when you study ENglish like I do, "a dictionary" isn't enough. You need as many as possible. That's iOS, not android.
Enough productivity. Fun apps. BBE's app has brought a music enhancement technology, that so far has only been licensed to Cowon for portable use, to iOS. There's no comparison to EQs in apps like Poweramp. Flipboard, awesome RSS reader that I use instead of Reeder when I want to relax, not read feeds for work. Tried Pulse, not the same, or even close. Neither is Currents. Zinio is luckily on both OSes though there are several magazines that are only available through Newsstand. Connecting the iPad to a synthesizer via USB and playing around with it on an amateur level is always fun.
Enough examples.
I love my 7.0 Plus. I love how personal the homescreen is after tweaking it, Google Talk on it is awesome, it's the device I reach for to check email in the morning, I love using a Wiimote for games, i use it as a mouse and keyboard for my PC in bed, remote control utorrent, browse the web, as a flashlight at night (LOVE that), video support makes me weep tears of joy, read books that aren't scanned A4 documents (and hence possible to reformat for 7 inches) etc. It's a great device, which is why I have it. However it isn't perfect. There's plenty of room for both OSes in my life, for the exact reason that neither is perfect.

Repligo reader for first, lets you write on top of pdf files (shapes, text,highlight, selections,w/e), I use it in class alot, but also lean to quick office since I just use camera to copy what i dont feel like typing.

Currents instead of pulse, much better. Also with repligo everything should be capable to be done, what ios app are you refering to which can do all that.

splashtop is on android also.

I think I answered what you needed, to long to read over again, while trying to study for nueuro final.

How did you get the GTA apk to your Tab? I tried AppInstaller, but I get an "access denied" error when I try to export it?
*edit* Nevermind. I was able to get the apk using Root Explorer. Can't wait to fire it up!

theundeadelvis said:
How did you get the GTA apk to your Tab? I tried AppInstaller, but I get an "access denied" error when I try to export it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you need root, and you can use root explorer to copy, to sd card. Make sure you click on r/w to be able to write and copy.

[Q] Anybody replace their desk/laptop with a Xoom?

Hey all,
I'm looking into the possibility of using my Xoom as my daily computer and making a current PC more of a home theater setup in the living room. I don't do anything heavy on the computer (besides occasionally gaming but no big deal) it's all mostly web browsing, IMing, Facebook, etc, so I don't see too much of a reason why I couldn't do this.
My question is this: Have any of you done it? Made the switch from the PC (or mac) being your primary computer to the Xoom? If so, thoughts? Anything to pay attention to? If I do go through with this, I will end up getting a bluetooth keyboard and mouse, I'm sure... but I'd rather not waste 100 bucks on something I end up not using often.

i use my laptop just to root my xoom =)

Anything I should pay attention to, or an accessory that will make a huge difference or anything? Besides the bluetooth keyboard/mouse, obviously.

thank you for the reply, but I already have a xoom... just trying to decide if it is feasible to use as an everyday computer.

Advise Only
This thread and the linked thread reminds me of the discussions an older man like myself would have with so called computer sales persons. If I'd listened to all their talk about specs and hardware I'd owned a missile launcher capable of high end mathematical computations !
What I'm saying is my advise is to list your requirements and expectations first. Look at the specs and hardware and decide what you'll need.
I am a retired engineer and I spend most of my time on my Xoom. A properly installed version of ICS, personally like EOS, I have NO problems surfing, emailing, playing some games and yes I even break out a spreadsheet once in a while.
Yes there are netbooks and laptops that can offer more...just be sure to aim those missiles correctly!!

TheRandom1 said:
thank you for the reply, but I already have a xoom... just trying to decide if it is feasible to use as an everyday computer.
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Wow, there was no need for AngryBulleteyeTruth to be so negative. I makes me wonder why he is even lurking the xoom forum if it is no use to him. Anyway.
I use my xoom more than I use my laptop and desktop. It Is wonderful for Im/text, typing documents to later be altered on a laptop/desktop, some games and media. I use my xoom everyday. The battery life is also great. Yes the document editing isn't on par with desktop suites but is an android tablet, not a laptop. The simplicity comes with its drawbacks but the portability, battery and ease of use is unmatched.
Also if you really need to run desktop quality apps you can just use an app like pocketcloud or splashtop hd to vnc into your laptop/desktop and do what you must. The internal 32gb + a 16gb micro sD card is more than enough room for me. You also have cloud storage available. There is even a app called pocketcloud explorer that will allow you to download and upload files remotely from your machines, with the addition of their companion software. AngryBulleteyeTruth just lacks creativity and the will to find a solution. Don't let his negativity drag you down. Also take a look at when he joined. Feb 2012 means he is fairly new to the community and possibly butt hurt by his unrealistic dream of his xoom transforming into a tiny robot and being his sidekick didn't work out as planned.
I love my xoom! With Team EOS nightlys + undervolting + some simple but useful apps to automate certain task at certain locations = WIN for me. I have a 4g xoom so I can pop my sim card from my HTC thunderbolt in there and use all of that unlimited data. Or tether via Bluetooth if I am on the go.
My uses also include: gps, scanning/PDFing documents on the fly, video chat, voip, portable netflix/media play w/ my micro hdmi cable, getting my fix on reddit, sexytime material and more. People are working hard and doing great things with this device. There will also be more to come. The device is an awesome tool but but you can't expect Apple like commercials that spoon feed what you can use it for.
Tips: checkout androidpolice.com and droid-life.com for explanations, news, reviews, tips and tweaks. Lifehacker also has some good android stuff from time to time. I use justreader to subscribe to the rss feeds.
Search YouTube for useful tablet apps.
Check out the Themes and Apps forum sections for other popular android tablets on XDA. I use tapatalk to subscribe to the Samsung galaxy tab 10.1, Asus prime, Asus transformer and nook color Themes and Apps sections.
Finally share your discoveries and leave constructive comments on XDA. This keeps the community going, makes you feel involved and spread the knowledge to others in your situation.
May you and your xoom find happiness.

AngryBulleteyeTruth said:
Did you write it on a xoom or on a netbook?
Just imagine my 50+ tabs on opera working on any xoom browser, and making my 5+ pages documents on it
...not ignoring the embeded video browsing other than you tube
runhopskipjump - I'm not ashamed of being disappointed. That's the point.
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I wrote on a xoom with swiftkeys while eating some carrot cake if you must know. I currently have 23 tabs open in opera from looking at reddit links that I would get back to later. And a couple more in chrome because I am downloading some music from beemp3 and prefer that the native download manager handles it. Yes I have typed 5+ pages with and without a Bluetooth keyboard on Docs to Go. My grammar isn't that shyty that I would require a stronger office suite to highlight the crap out of my paragraphs. You can always embed media at a later point or vnc into a desktop to complete the task as desired.
I hated netbooks. But that is not the point. The OP asked if it was viable to use the Xoom as his main device, not his only device. Yet you saw it fit to run your mouth, blabbering about your opinion, disappointment and flawed understanding of what the device is meant to achieve. I hope this exchange between us will be our last because I am not hear to convince you. You have made it clear that you aren't ashamed by your crys for attention using BOLD red font, linking to your own poorly placed Microsoft Dic-Riding thoughts on another thread and your clear inability to find a solution.
On Ice Cream Sandwich, this machine is a powerhouse. If you can't hang, Get Out. Good day sir/madam.

I feel dirty... like I am standing in the middle of a p***in match.
For what it is worth, I ordered a keyboard today and turned off my monitor to my computer to test this. I installed an rdc app on the xoom, and have done everything on it since I got home. So far, so good. I have a desktop at work I can work with if needed, however, I really do only use my computer for email, web browsing chatting, Facebook and other similar very light duty things. I honestly don't care if i can keep 30 tabs open...because I dont do it anyways. Same for documents. With a keyboard, it should be pretty easy, but I am not in school and do not type long essays, so it doesn't matter. If I have something super long to post, I have other options.
And yes... I typed this post on the xoom. It is on its dock in front of me, and I am using the hunt and peck method of typing on the on screen keyboard.

TheRandom1 said:
I feel dirty... like I am standing in the middle of a p***in match.
For what it is worth, I ordered a keyboard today and turned off my monitor to my computer to test this. I installed an rdc app on the xoom, and have done everything on it since I got home. So far, so good. I have a desktop at work I can work with if needed, however, I really do only use my computer for email, web browsing chatting, Facebook and other similar very light duty things. I honestly don't care if i can keep 30 tabs open...because I dont do it anyways. Same for documents. With a keyboard, it should be pretty easy, but I am not in school and do not type long essays, so it doesn't matter. If I have something super long to post, I have other options.
And yes... I typed this post on the xoom. It is on its dock in front of me, and I am using the hunt and peck method of typing on the on screen keyboard.
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Avert your eyes my child from the darkness and bickering that may arise on these public forums. Lol.
May I suggest that you invest some coin in Swiftkeys Tablet X, Thumb Keyboard and Swype to have a more pleasant on screen experience. You won't regret it.
Also I use Keyboard Manager (only like $1) to automatically change keyboard when you switch from landscape to portrait and back. Swiftkeys Tablet X has a pretty good prediction/auto-correct function but I don't like the way it is displayed in portrait mode. Thumb Keyboard has a better layout (i use it in portrait mode) but the prediction/auto-correct isn't even close to Swiftkeys Tablet X. And Swype is free so why not try it. My experience with the stock keyboard is a dreadful one. All three are worth getting and are a wonderful investment.
Cheers.

I use my Xoom probably 90% of the time when I'm at home. Occasionally I will sit down and use my desktop for other stuff - BUT I already had a desktop at the time I bought my Xoom. If something must to happen to my desktop, I seriously doubt I would replace it. There is an app out there for practically everything now with a little time spent setting the Xoom up like I wanted it, it has almost replaced my desktop (and at some point it will probably replace it). I work in IT on a daily basis and I'm a power user and I'm very impressed with Android and what it can do.

OK then... time to ignore the obvious troll.
Anybody else have an opinion on this?

What Troll?

Looks like I owe you some thanks Andy!

That's what were here for.
Every device forum has them. We just need to keep an eye on them.

sold my netbook and kindle and ipod when i got the Xoom!

Well, I got the keyboard in today and it is awesome... when it works. For some reason keys keep randomly not working, specifically the r, l, g' z and backspace keys. Anybody else ever have this issue?

TheRandom1 said:
Well, I got the keyboard in today and it is awesome... when it works. For some reason keys keep randomly not working, specifically the r, l, g' z and backspace keys. Anybody else ever have this issue?
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What ROM are you running? I had this issue in the stock honeycomb ROM with an apple keyboard. I no longer have such issues on team EOS ICS nightlys.
Tip: swiftkeys Tablet X work great with an external keyboard. I say this because when an external keyboard is present, swiftkeys Tablet X only displays the predictions and auto corrections. Hitting the space bar selects the highlighted word. Is is very convenient and not something people speak of.

I haven't rooted yet, still on stock honeycomb

TheRandom1 said:
I haven't rooted yet, still on stock honeycomb
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Take some time to root it. Trust me, it is worth it. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Backing up apps, settings and game saves with titanium backup is so awesome. Android police has a wonderful set of articles about rooting, why you should do it and essential apps for rooted devices. Droid-life and lifehacker have some articles and pieces on the topic as well. Team EOS ICS nightlys are also one of the most up to date roms I have ever encountered. Rooting is even easier with tools like xoot and cornea, which will take you through the steps with a couple of clicks. I personally haven't tried those methods since I was rooted before they came out but others have been successful with them.

I will probably do that today just to see if the keyboard works better, it's so incredibly frustrating to only be able to type half a word! Hm... maybe I should root my Revo...again...

[Q] First Tablet - Where to Start?

Hi all
just got a shield tablet. first time with Android. Got it for portable gaming, and to explore the many possible ways it could be of use in my life. it seems like an endless horizon.
used Windows and mac OS a fair bit, i like tinkering. but this is new.
iv been exploring structure, it seems to be very open.
Iv been looking around for guides and tutorials for Android, but most seem to be centered toward smartphone users. many of the Apps they suggest seem to be optimized for phones and seems a bit naff on tablet.
on top of that, i'm starting out with Lollipop, which has made it trickier to find applicable tutorials.
I would be grateful if anyone could point me towards an Android/lollipop tutorial geared toward Tablets.
many thanks
pw

Not sure what you mean by tutorials. You should just play around with the settings, see what features the tab has. Try out the default apps installed etc. The stylus is pretty fun to use with the Nvidia Dabbler app. Other than that, try connecting an Xbox controller to it using a USB OTG cable. Works pretty well. Connect it to the TV and try out console mode(I still haven't done that ?)
Setup your Gmail account, since that is central to keeping everything synced on your tab. Email, contacts, photos, etc. It is also required for access to the play store, where you can download apps, games, movies and music.
Other than that I generally do the following with all my devices -
1) Root it - Rooting is just getting superuser permissions for your device(which I personally believe should ideally just be a setting which the user can decide to turn on/off). This allows you to backup/restore your app data, uninstall system apps that you don't need, tweak/add certain features (though xposed is not yet working on Lollipop I think), block annoying ads, etc.
2) Install Titanium Backup and restore my data from my previous/other device. A lot of apps still don't have cloud syncing, so you still have to transfer your data. But since this is your first device, you don't really have to worry about this.
I'd suggest posting specific questions about stuff that you'd like to know, as it will be easier for people to help you.
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app

Couple of app suggestions for you to try -
Nova/Apex Launcher - Has lots of added features, like organizing the app list, swipe gesture shortcuts, customizable icons, etc.
Bring! - Really good shared grocery list.
MX Player - Plays almost all formats. And has swipe gestures for playback and volume/brightness controls. Pretty awesome.
Feedly - Get your dose of the latest news
Soundhound - Great at identifying a song playing on the radio or even one that you're humming!
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app

I'm not sure what you want either
If you have a keyboard you can activate Improved accessibility to reassign some keys.
I have Siderbar Pro, so i can swap and open apps has i want.
Adaptative rotation lock free, i use it to force app to open in landscape mode, useful if you have your tablet in a case keyboard.
Floathing Stickies, i use it to write my ideas while I'm reading or browsing, is a floathing resizable window.
Darker, to low the screen brightness and use a color filter.
Ingles(i speak Spanish), i guess you could find it like English is a Livio english dictionary.
WPS its a word, excel PowerPoint PDF editor.
Ivona Text to speech, is the best i have found
Mouse keyboard 2 touch free, i use it to emulate keyboard keypress as touch points, useful to play with a keyboard, but it didn't reconogize my mouse USB or wireless. I had tried other alternatives but this is which works best. Need root permissions.
Thumb Keyboard, is a very customizable keyboard but it seems that it doesn't have further support.
As you can see there are no limits, but has i said i don't know but you want.

I'm with the people who say explore every aspect of the tablet from start to end. Tapping just about anything in some of the most central screens yields interesting results.
From there you'll just sort of have to decide what you want to explore... the Play Store is still a great place to find apps that do a whole lot of things. Do you, like me, want your phone to be kinda like your desktop? There are office suites and sliding keyboards and a whole lot of apps with cloud functionally and desktop like power under the hood.
Oh, about those keyboards... the Google one treats gliding with extreme respect. Would recommend using it like that,maybe trying Swype or SwiftKey if you want to see what else is out there. Heck, even gestures like sliding from Shift to G or just holding down the shift key work kind of in ways you'd expect.
But that's just me... Android can go in a thousand directions. Maybe one day I'll make a YouTube channel called Android is Awesome and show why.

Like most members said, ROOOT IT. Then your endless horizon will be more like space exploration. Once you root, you can ask those questions on what an android can really do. Using a Nvidia shield too, and theres a lot of bloatware that you probably don't want. If you want to uninstall those, you'll need root! If you want to maximize your tegra k1, you'll need root!