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My Dad is a editor and is thinking about picking up a tablet. I have a few questions, hopefully someone may be able to help me.
1. Could you draw/make changes to a word document? The same as using a pen to edit a paper - you get the idea.
2. Would you be able to save that document and all the changes made?
Any information would be extremely helpful.
As an editor, I can say "yes" you can do all those things.
Also as an editor I can say definitively that you don't want to. It's slow, buggy, and the software is expensive and doesn't do half the things you're used to in the full versions. I tried doing work on my xoom (with a mouse, keyboard, and dock) for about an hour before I realized that it's just not there yet; the tech is too new. Get a laptop for work. Touch interface is great for navigating an OS, fun for games, OK for web browsing, but it sucks for any type of word processing or real productivity.
I say this even though I really like my xoom, but I'd never use it for productivity. The tech is still too young to be optimized the way that windows7 or a mac are. At some point there will be a 15.6" touchscreen windows7 laptop with a removable screen (like the transformer). If your dad really needs a machine for productivity but wants a tablet, this is what he'll want (it's what I want!)
Thanks for all the information. I'll be sure to let him know everything you've said.
Laptops aren't an issue, we have plenty of those lying around here. My parent's have been traveling a decent bit lately, going out of town for a week or so at a time every few weeks and he had been complaining about having to carry around large manuscripts all the time.
I figured the technology may be too new, but it really could have been great for mobility and potential money savings with not paying for paper, toner, and shipping.
That laptop sounds pretty sweet. Is it just in a conceptual phase and several years from production? I'll definitely pass on this information too.
How does this work as a laptop replacement in a school environment? Taking notes, web experience, etc. I'm looking to replace my laptop for at school.
How does it do rendering blackboard ?
Any help would be appreciated I might pick one up tomorrow with the keyboard. Is it responsive to type documents on?
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As a direct laptop/desktop replacement, I do not believe it will do that. However, if you are looking for something that is light, takes notes with a stylus, web surfing, movies, music, etc... Then it would be perfect. I am a college student, and have used an iPad and now this for school, and it fits perfectly into my daily life.
With the keyboard dock, this thing would seriously be a netbook type device, so typing on one I would not know. I use the Transformer by itself.
Hmmmm, I have found the best solution for my studies (masters in education) was a touchscreen laptop like the fujitsu lifebook using OneNote. I have the keyboard dock for the transformer and I simply love it. I am currently forcing myself to use this instead of my lifebook simply to see the abilities of this in the classroom. This machine falls a bit short of being the perfect companion, thats pretty good. No OneNOTE, but with printershare that makes up for it a bit.
The lightness of it is huge ofcourse, its sturdy as well. Internet is less cumberson than on a windows based machine. There are several apps that can be used for office, or you could use google Docs. Also, once rooted, you can download any file type and with the USB ports on the dock you will be able to move files at your whim.
ON THE OTHER HAND... (And this point just came to me as I was typing this) I have not used my laptop since I purchased this machine a few weeks ago and currently about to finish my last class. So maybe it is a good solution.
Give me sme real world applications (how you want to use it) and maybe I can give you some suggestions.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
boglwe said:
Hmmmm, I have found the best solution for my studies (masters in education) was a touchscreen laptop like the fujitsu lifebook using OneNote. I have the keyboard dock for the transformer and I simply love it. I am currently forcing myself to use this instead of my lifebook simply to see the abilities of this in the classroom. This machine falls a bit short of being the perfect companion, thats pretty good. No OneNOTE, but with printershare that makes up for it a bit.
The lightness of it is huge ofcourse, its sturdy as well. Internet is less cumberson than on a windows based machine. There are several apps that can be used for office, or you could use google Docs. Also, once rooted, you can download any file type and with the USB ports on the dock you will be able to move files at your whim.
ON THE OTHER HAND... (And this point just came to me as I was typing this) I have not used my laptop since I purchased this machine a few weeks ago and currently about to finish my last class. So maybe it is a good solution.
Give me sme real world applications (how you want to use it) and maybe I can give you some suggestions.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
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Click to collapse
thanks in advance you are really helping me out. Well some apps i'd like to use would be:
-an office-like application to edit/compose word docs or essays.
-view pdf files
-i have used evernote in the past, but i also like using powerpoint to take notes in the notes pane under slides....(i think with google docs i can toggle speaker notes which may solve this issue)
-another thing on taking notes, can u insert bulleted lists/ numbered lists/ indents to keep notes organized on any notetaking software for the transformer?
-as far as music goes, how does it handle multitasking with music. FOr example, playing audio in the background while i study.
-ease of copying/pasting.
I am thinking it may just suffice and have that 'wow' factor too. I do have a desktop at home, so for anything real intensive i am sure i could use that (which i have been neglecting lately).
Im familiar with rooting/flashing devices as i've come from a captivate and now use a atrix. I feel like im rambling, but the more i type the more it sounds like a viable solution for taking notes in class.
one last thing, i have seen a few threads about some keyboard lag...is this a serious issue? is there a fix? I saw that there are several iterations of the keyboard, is there one i should try and get when i go shopping over others?
i just dont want to have to wait for the keyboard to catch up if i'm taking notes in evernote.
I think i may just pick it up tomorrow and try it out for a few weeks since school isnt until august 29th...but i could use any insight on it i could get!
August 29th... semester system?
I've not used it to take notes yet (summer research), but for school life, entertainment-wise, since I've had it, I haven't used my laptop much for anything other than the occasional Netflix (and I've stopped since I finished BSG ).
I'm using my laptop right now to play some game, but really, the TF has almost replaced everything I need it. The typing lag does kind of suck so if you're some kind of student with a major that will require lots of typing..
asdfuogh said:
August 29th... semester system?
I've not used it to take notes yet (summer research), but for school life, entertainment-wise, since I've had it, I haven't used my laptop much for anything other than the occasional Netflix (and I've stopped since I finished BSG ).
I'm using my laptop right now to play some game, but really, the TF has almost replaced everything I need it. The typing lag does kind of suck so if you're some kind of student with a major that will require lots of typing..
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how bad is the typing lag? i dont do a TON of typing, but i am taking an online class so i may need to type into a forum style system box to submit.
edit:
i see that it is only an issue with SOME apps? have you used thinkfree office?
domin8 said:
how bad is the typing lag? i dont do a TON of typing, but i am taking an online class so i may need to type into a forum style system box to submit.
edit:
i see that it is only an issue with SOME apps? have you used thinkfree office?
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Click to collapse
It is not too bad but not like iPad fast either,it lags but catches up easily on everything you type.
It catches up for short typing sessions. When I typed up a document for my parents, it was really noticeable in a bad way though.
The keyboard lag is NOT all the time; I mostly see it in the browsers and its actually rare but when it happens, you know it. A few things to note regarding using this machine for serious work...First there are several apps that can be used for Office (documents to go, and polaris, that latter comes with the machine, but I have yet to find one that has auto-save, and that can be scary when writing those long papers. If the machine is rooted you can copy paste ANYTHING, without root, its kind of a hit and miss.
You can play music in the background, so no worries there. most music apps attach to your task bar in any ways.
The way I find myself using this device many times in in conjuction with my own desktop now or at the school library computers and have this next to me at all times. It is an amazing resource to share information point blank with peeps and youself. There is also a thread somewhere here talkin about a Onenote alternative for android using a stylus, I have yet to try one of these apps.
PDF files are easy enough, here are tons off apps to do this.
Something else to remember is that these pads are getting TONS of attention right now from all kind of devs and apps are being made DAILY, its really just a matter of time for an app to show up to do EXACTLY what you need. IMHO
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
Yeah, he's totally right about the apps showing up. Now... all I need is... STRATEGY RPG LIKE FINAL FANTASY TACTICS! (Who's up for making/porting one?)
Anyway, I like my TF for what I've used it for so far. Just grab one and try it, and return it if it doesn't work for you ?
I'm pretty much in the same boat as you bud. I bought the TF foreseeing that I would hopefully be able to us it for school and I was very pleased with my decision in the end.
To answer your questions...
It is a very viable (and in most case preferred) option to do basic school work on, especially simple stuff like note taking and editing documents. The included office app (Polaris) is actually a very nice feature and includes just about everything you would need to type an essay such as indentations, points/dots/whatever they are (as you were looking for), also includes numbering, double spacing, different font sizes and colors. Now it's not a full Microsoft Office replacement, but it definitely has all the basic features you'd be looking for.
You can also find a handful of microsoft office editors in the Android market. I haven't personally tested any of them yet (but will use them when school comes around) however from my knowledge they seem capable of editing word, powerpoint and couple other office applications--which is good enough for me.
To address the keyboard lag. I can speak from experience, when typing in most apps (especially apps like colournote, AKnotepad, Polaris or anything else that allows you to take notes or write extended paragraphs/papers) there is absolutely no lag with the keyboard. Once you get the hang of it, you will be typing at a decent wpm rate and you won't tell the difference between the tf dock keyboard and any other. There is however a noticeable lag when using the stock browser but from my knowledge this is due to having flash enabled and has nothing to do with the dock/keyboard itself. Also, the knew dolphintab browser seems much better at cleaning up any lag in the browser and I feel with the net couple updates it will be a near perfect option for tab browsing. That aside, I would like to reiterate the fact that the keyboard does not lag when using things related to note taking or Polaris office. It is for the most part a browser specific issue.
As far as highlighting words and copying and pasting, that is the one thing the tf doesn't really excel at. You can still copy/cut and paste pretty much anything you want but it is just not as fluid as using a pc.
So there you have it. The transformer is pretty much a nice fit for doing basic school work BUT it is not in any means a complete replacement for having a desktop/full size laptop. There will definitely be times when you will come across things that you just have to have a pc to do, but for the most part, especially when it comes to basic stuff like note taking and writing papers, the TF is perfect.
I would also like to note that there are some apps out there that let you control a pc from your android tablet/phone such as phoneymypc or logmein. I highly suggest taking a look into those as they are great tools that you can have at your disposal with the TF and will make being away from you pc all the much easier.
Like I said, i'm pretty much in the same boat as you. I'm an MIS major and I often get annoyed at having to lug around my laptop just to take notes and do basic remedial things that something much lighter and more compact such as the TF can do wonderfully....
One more thing (wow this is a long post). You can easily find top notch netbooks (which offer the productivity of a pc with the portability of a tablet) for the same or even lesser than the TF. This was one of the things I took into consideration before I got my TF. I had to ask myself am I getting this thing solely for school, or do I want it for the other things android has to offer (entertainment wise). Overall I decided that i'd go with the TF because to me it had the best of both worlds as I am a huge android fan and have been an early adopter since the days of the G1, so the TF was a perfect fit for me...Just something to keep in mind.
boglwe said:
The keyboard lag is NOT all the time; I mostly see it in the browsers and its actually rare but when it happens, you know it. A few things to note regarding using this machine for serious work...First there are several apps that can be used for Office (documents to go, and polaris, that latter comes with the machine, but I have yet to find one that has auto-save, and that can be scary when writing those long papers. If the machine is rooted you can copy paste ANYTHING, without root, its kind of a hit and miss.
You can play music in the background, so no worries there. most music apps attach to your task bar in any ways.
The way I find myself using this device many times in in conjuction with my own desktop now or at the school library computers and have this next to me at all times. It is an amazing resource to share information point blank with peeps and youself. There is also a thread somewhere here talkin about a Onenote alternative for android using a stylus, I have yet to try one of these apps.
PDF files are easy enough, here are tons off apps to do this.
Something else to remember is that these pads are getting TONS of attention right now from all kind of devs and apps are being made DAILY, its really just a matter of time for an app to show up to do EXACTLY what you need. IMHO
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
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Click to collapse
wish i'd of read this post before I spent 10 min typing mine up... I suck at making things compact, lol.
To the dude asking about rpg games. You absolutely HAVE to buy battleheart RIGHT NOW. It's not ff but it is an amazing rpg game and hands down the best you will ever find for android. (I haven't played them all so I really can't say that, but it is freaking awesome.)
Best of luck to you OP.
I'm used to use a 15" HP ProBook at school, but I do feel that my transformer can replace it...
But I guess I have an advantage as IT Professional, I run some servers at home (one of them has serveral types ov VPN on it, in case one is blocked by any firewalls), so I can access my desktops, and just use Office 2010 or Sony Vegas on a Core I7 (video editing), there is pretty much no limit for me...
But even if I was not able to make it this easy for me... I really love the Android OS, and it grows so fast in a short period of time... I wonder where it is in another 5 years... If Android goes on liek this, I think it will replace Windows (for regular users, not for companies)...
When I go back to college in 4 weeks )), I'll leave my laptop at home for the first week to see if I miss it for my everyday tasks...
I've used it for school and managing my work.
As a photographer it is needed that I have seemless integration of the sd card slot and a good device to support it, the transformer can handle it with ease!
The polaris office (or whatever its called) lets you make documents, excel sheets and powerpoint.
With a good stylus you would be able to take notes in like drawfree for example.
It handles music quite fine as it lets you multitask between apps and music.
And while Im doing all of this I can still get in touch with my friends because of the social part of the transformer that updates my status once in awhile ! ^-^
Its not a full fledged netbook but a nice replacement so far!
asdfuogh said:
Yeah, he's totally right about the apps showing up. Now... all I need is... STRATEGY RPG LIKE FINAL FANTASY TACTICS! (Who's up for making/porting one?)
Anyway, I like my TF for what I've used it for so far. Just grab one and try it, and return it if it doesn't work for you ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already exists, playstation one emulator or gba emulator. They redid fft on gba.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
domin8 said:
How does this work as a laptop replacement in a school environment? Taking notes, web experience, etc. I'm looking to replace my laptop for at school.
How does it do rendering blackboard ?
Any help would be appreciated I might pick one up tomorrow with the keyboard. Is it responsive to type documents on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use it for uni, and it seems to function quite well.
As a notetaking tool in lectures, it works fantastically, and it's so much better than lugging my Dell laptop around with me all day, which would just be a pain. If you've not got the dock or a bluetooth keyboard, it might be a bit of a hassle- I found that on the touch screen keyboard, hurriedly jotting down notes meant that I had to constantly backspace to correct formatting, punctuation, or spelling mistakes.
Polaris Office also tends to be a bit weird with me, though- sometimes files that I make on the transformer refuse to open using Microsoft Word on my computer, and vice versa. If you're doing a project with heavy formatting, you should probably stick to your desktop as Polaris tends to screw all that up for me.
It renders BlackBoard very quickly, and is great if you want to sneak a peek at a document that a teacher has uploaded there.
I'd say that you shouldn't use it as an all out replacement for your laptop where all school work is concerned- but as a device to take notes on, get quick snippets of information on, and access the web, it's perfect. Plus it helps that I can play Angry Birds if a lecture gets especially boring...
My semester just started again last week and I've been trying the TF (with dock) out as a netbook replacement for a week now.
I've been using freenotes to take notes in lectures and it's worked wonderfully. The built in email/gmail apps have worked wonderfully for email use and I use Dolphin for web-browsing and it's all been a real delight to use. Reads pdfs fine and I've got all my textbooks on internal storage (best thing ever).
The only annoying thing is coding on it. Doing a few Java projects this semester and as I'm still getting to terms with this language, I like to be using a full IDE for auto-correction etc. Anyway, I've been using vi via the terminal and this has been fine so far for code editing.
So yeah, after a week it's proved to be a pretty nice netbook alternative. Plus everything's nice and speedy unlike my clunky atom based netbook, plus it doesn't run hot on my lap and I've got no fans blaring constantly. Best thing about ARM from an end-user point-of-view
EDIT: I've also purchased a stylus for my TF last week, so I'm going to see how that goes for taking quick notes during lectures on my TF. Will report back if it's any good or if the keyboard is easier.
If you're looking for a more "desktop"-like experience, install Ubuntu on the internal storage. It's working wonderfully now (apart from a few small things) and you've pretty much got a full x86 laptop replacement in a nice lightweight ARM tablet.
this is why i love XDA, you guys have really answered all of my questions thoroughly! I am going to try and use that staples coupon that's floating around since it expires today and pick one up thanks so so so much guys, I plan on sticking around the transformer forums just as much as i do the atrix forums now
so it works! im glad i found this. this was my original plan to buy a tablet of some sort tablet with a dock (atrix with lapdock was my failed attempt) cuz i dont plan to carry my 17 inch laptop around. lol.
So I've had the Transformer for about 4-5 months now and too be quiet honest due to the lack of apps I cant really say it was a justified purchase. Sure its cool and all that and its useful when you just want to kick back and browse the web.
I love android been a huge fan of android since the longest time I used to own an iphone but I quickly got rid of it cause i wanted functionality/customization more than i wanted a whole array of apps.
However, somewhat opposite is what it seems I want with the tablet. So though i really like honeycomb and its looks (none too different than ICS) and i love ICS capabilities to fully take advantage of the tablet. Are there any apps that do the same? i mean i came across a couple like Google Catalogues, Books, pretty much mainly google made apps.
Now my question is that do people have any apps that takes advantage of the tablet. not a big fan of gaming on the tablet. But i guess if you guys can post me some names of Apps to check out i'd appreciate it. Also by posting here you guys can share with those who also have a similar problem.
edit: When i say take full advantage of the tablet, not only do i mean that its useful and fully performs the function you desire but also that the presentation of the app is elegant has some depth and quite nice/enjoyable to use.
edit: Thanks everyone for your input some of you guys are correct there is a whole thread for tablet optimized apps here is the link given by woodrube http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032381
also there are two apps you guys can download in the marketplace that i hope will in the near future bring to our attention even more better fully capable elegant apps. They are free downloads called "Tablified Market" and "Tablet Market". I see that many of you guys aren't pointing out Apps but rather are telling me how i can use my tablet lol, thank you for that but i was just having a hard time finding Apps i liked for the tablet and thought you guys may have known a hidden gem or two. But im just going to keep looking through the two apps i mentioned and possibly the thread.
the thread served its purpose for me and i hope for those that had similar thoughts there's some good insight in here for those that aren't to sure how to use the tablet once the "honeymoon" period passes.
How about these.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032381
What do you want it to do? I use mine for just about anything. School work, text books, notes, word documents, taking photos, Netflix, music, for video game hints when I have time to play. I think you have to have a use for it, it won't create functionality out of thin air. I don't have a use for a smart phone, to me they are too small. I can't imagine using a smart phone after having a tablet first. Watching Netflix must be torture on a small screen, office apps and such seem meant for tablets.
Kingsoft office
Ez Pdf reader
PowerAmp
Polaris office
Writepad Stylus
Splashtop HD
Balance my checkbook
Sygic Naviga
I came from a rooted nook color before this, and have never regretted it. It also was not an impulse purchase. I knew with the dock I would get close to 20 hours of battery life, with my laptop I get 4.5 brightness all the way down. I have never been keen on Apple products and for 500 bucks I have a NetBook/32 gb tablet with expandable storage.
I will admit it seems that Apple does have the edge a far as gaming goes, but that edge will diminish with time. I would like to see more graphic intensive games from these devices, like Dead Space, GTA, NOVA, and such. Again, in time we will see this evolution.
Sent from a KRAKD out Tranny
MCRHAZ said:
So I've had the Transformer for about 4-5 months now and too be quiet honest due to the lack of apps I cant really say it was a justified purchase. Sure its cool and all that and its useful when you just want to kick back and browse the web.
I love android been a huge fan of android since the longest time I used to own an iphone but I quickly got rid of it cause i wanted functionality/customization more than i wanted a whole array of apps.
However, somewhat opposite is what it seems I want with the tablet. So though i really like honeycomb and its looks (none too different than ICS) and i love ICS capabilities to fully take advantage of the tablet. Are there any apps that do the same? i mean i came across a couple like Google Catalogues, Books, pretty much mainly google made apps.
Now my question is that do people have any apps that takes advantage of the tablet. not a big fan of gaming on the tablet. But i guess if you guys can post me some names of Apps to check out i'd appreciate it. Also by posting here you guys can share with those who also have a similar problem.
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Click to collapse
I've had the transformer for about 6 months now and I must admit at first I was the same. I was instantly impressed with how much more system level stuff I could do (e.g. download a file and SAVE it somewhere - outrageous) but I couldn't help but resist the thought of "this is like my pc, but a bit crappier"
Something I found quite interesting was that as I bought it with the dock I had the tablet tied to the dock 95% of the time- In my head I was like "more battery, extra ports and a keyboard, heck yes" and as I'd paid extra for the dock it seemed silly to just leave it sitting around. I'm not sure what happened, but one day I evolved to taking it out of the dock. Once I did it became a mobile entertainment system that could follow me around the house, it was fast, powerful sleek and could hang out in the lounge room, go to the ****ter and take to bed.
Once that realisation took hold, I felt alot more able to just use it for whatever I was doing. This was MASSIVELY helped by the android 10 billion download sales where I picked up airtwist (an itunes music syncer), ezpdf reader (great for books) and some cool games. Suddenly I could easily play music that my iphone used to do, read books, write shopping lists, control the dvd player etc. etc. etc.
In a large part my iPhone 4 had cornered this aspect of my life but I soon learned that the tablet did everything better. Now the iphone just feels too restrictive so I'm hanging out for a Galaxy S3 or something similar.
Basically, get the apps that suit your lifestyle, take it out of the dock (if you have one) and just go nuts!
wafflestheclown said:
I've had the transformer for about 6 months now and I must admit at first I was the same. I was instantly impressed with how much more system level stuff I could do (e.g. download a file and SAVE it somewhere - outrageous) but I couldn't help but resist the thought of "this is like my pc, but a bit crappier"
Something I found quite interesting was that as I bought it with the dock I had the tablet tied to the dock 95% of the time- In my head I was like "more battery, extra ports and a keyboard, heck yes" and as I'd paid extra for the dock it seemed silly to just leave it sitting around. I'm not sure what happened, but one day I evolved to taking it out of the dock. Once I did it became a mobile entertainment system that could follow me around the house, it was fast, powerful sleek and could hang out in the lounge room, go to the ****ter and take to bed.
Once that realisation took hold, I felt alot more able to just use it for whatever I was doing. This was MASSIVELY helped by the android 10 billion download sales where I picked up airtwist (an itunes music syncer), ezpdf reader (great for books) and some cool games. Suddenly I could easily play music that my iphone used to do, read books, write shopping lists, control the dvd player etc. etc. etc.
In a large part my iPhone 4 had cornered this aspect of my life but I soon learned that the tablet did everything better. Now the iphone just feels too restrictive so I'm hanging out for a Galaxy S3 or something similar.
Basically, get the apps that suit your lifestyle, take it out of the dock (if you have one) and just go nuts!
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Click to collapse
I appreciate your guys's comments. I'm sorry i should have been more precise in my rant though lol. What I meant to say was that sure the functionality is there and i love that that's great. But I end up not using it because the apps look so ugly lol and rather then just do it on a laptop. So what I do want are those apps that have the functionality there but also the elegance in the app. An example of this would be cooklet or Catalogues these two apps really impressed me in their depth and elegance, not much an actual catalogues type person or a cook (apart from eggs and toast) but i just go into the apps cause they look so good lol. other than that i tried using it as a essay writer as i do have the dock but the keyboard is too small to be comfortable for hours on end of writing. Also, i tried getting into it being a main music/media hub bought hdmi cable and everything but the music player on it is really crap lol for movies its good but again i dont really use it as much as i can just use my ps3. I do see myself using it more and more if there are better and better apps built for it. for starters a better gallary/music/video player youtube is good but would love to have the capability for it to play more than one video at a time. Maybe a nice agenda app? So if you guys know any great apps that may replace the ones currently or in general that have functionality and elegance and beauty let me know. Or show me videos that show how to make apps lool i'd be total game for that once my semester is done.
Woodrube said:
How about these.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032381
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Thanks dude will be checking these out...there's a lot of em didnt realise it as much. i've had two apps on my tablet that show me tablet apps "tablified market" and "tablet market" but this list seems to surpass those.
There are more than enough practical and useful apps, you just need to figure out what they are for you. For example..i travel and go to college. For traveling, iuse media apps for watching movies and listening to music on the go. Also games for killing time. For school purposes,i use the kindle app and buy ebooks for required reading . Like mentioned above, i use splashtop desktop which is a remote desktop app that i use to connect to my pc at home to access my files and for other tasks. I am also a news junkie so i use the app pulse which allows u to subscribe to many different news sources. You have to find out what works for you. If you absolutely cannot think of anything,then my advice is to spend some time browsing the market for something you can use.
cavsoldier19d said:
There are more than enough practical and useful apps, you just need to figure out what they are for you. For example..i travel and go to college. For traveling, iuse media apps for watching movies and listening to music on the go. Also games for killing time. For school purposes,i use the kindle app and buy ebooks for required reading . Like mentioned above, i use splashtop desktop which is a remote desktop app that i use to connect to my pc at home to access my files and for other tasks. I am also a news junkie so i use the app pulse which allows u to subscribe to many different news sources. You have to find out what works for you. If you absolutely cannot think of anything,then my advice is to spend some time browsing the market for something you can use.
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...?i know, i stated that i do have the useful apps but there presented in such a way that i don't feel like using them because even though I'm studying to become an accountant I'm an artistic sort of person who likes to see elegance in things because that also shows passion and not just something you whipped up because its useful and will get you many downloads/sales. Maybe you guys don't like that and don't have any aesthetic standards, if i can say without being rude, but me I pay'd a hefty sum, for being a university student, and I would at least want apps that i can enjoy looking at while doing the function I need to. Maybe its too much to ask right now, maybe I have to wait more to find such apps and thank you guys for trying to help i appreciate each comment.
There might be different reasons you got that impression.
First thing is, as you stated, you simply overlooked the good ones. That's pretty easy to happen in the crowded android market, and so that's what this thread is for.
Second possible reason: The apps you are looking for are not that popular, that the developers care to make a special tablet layout. When I think about accounting I think of functionality over design, or simple "boring offices". Maybe that influences the apps tailored to those topics. (Don't get me wrong, don't want to sound rude, I'm a economics student myself, but I never really enjoyed things like accounting )
Third possible reason: The apps are properly designed but the look doesn't appeal to you that much. The overall iOS design is based on buttons that seem to scream "push me, push me" like those buttons on the packaging of electronic child toys. Everything is a bit shiny, a bit glossy and a bit 3D. You can simply enjoy it without thinking about what you're doing. The (current) android design however is a bit more on the techy side. It has a clear and functional layout, with few but important design rules. If you're not sure, which parts of the UI are intended and which are simply bad style please refer to Android Style ( developer.android.com / design / index.html No links due to low post count). Maybe the overall android look is not that appealing to you.
Coming back to the original question: The two apps for finding tablet specific apps are a solid source of tablet apps - I'm using them as well, keep them going!
Another good source for tablet apps is keeping an eye on Androidpolice. There is a loose series of posts called "The n Best Android 3.0+ Apps For Honeycomb Tablets From The Last n Weeks". It doesn't come out on a regular basis, but every now and then, and always provides me with some good hints for good apps.
I haven't got my tablet at hand right now, as I'm in the office, so I can't check whats installed on it to give you tips (might come back later), but I remember the IMDB App having a nice tablet interface. And I love reading my Google Reader feed via the app "feedly" which is a magazine style app, that allows browsing your feeds like some glossy magazine, with a nice gesture based interface.
This was the tips part of my post.
Now to continue the rant I can understand your point, with spending 400$+ for a device and then having few apps available that make use of that extra screen estate. I see myself using apps, that are good, but designed for phone, every day. Compared to the iPad where there are ****loads of tabletoptimized apps available this is kinda sad... BUT I also see myself doing things with my tablet everyday, that an iPad owner can never imagine, like connecting USB drives, sharing URLs and text between apps, manipulating wifi networks, using sd cards or simple things as downloading a file. So for me the price, which is about the same as the iPad's price, is absolutely ok! I'm still happy for every new tablet optimized app that launches, though.
OK, that has been a tl:dr post, but nevermind, happy weekend for everyone!
There is a Tablet Market app here somewhere...either in the development section or the apps/themes section. All the apps in it are supposed to be tablet optimized.
Swyped using my Pinky
Get an ipad.
Hey guys. I have a question that is on my mind. I will hopefully start university in approximately 2 months or so. I bought my Xoom kinda cheap (246€ with lots of accessories, case, dock, OTG cable etc) and I was wondering if it could be useful for my studies or should I buy a netbook or a laptop? At the moment I am using it only for surfing, checking e-mails, youtube, and some gaming. I haven't checked for some useful apps that can be used for school but I saw some (Quickoffice, Evernote) when checking the market quick. So what are your thoughts, should I sell it and get a laptop or keep it? I will probably start law school and there will be a lot of writing, I suppose
thanks
Dude, keep it.
It's perfect to write (i think this way).
I use it here in school, and i love it.
Very fast, stable and beauty.
I recommend you stay with him, is an easy and mobile way to store your classes.
(Sorry my bad english, i'm from Brazil)
eyriiii said:
Hey guys. I have a question that is on my mind. I will hopefully start university in approximately 2 months or so. I bought my Xoom kinda cheap (246€ with lots of accessories, case, dock, OTG cable etc) and I was wondering if it could be useful for my studies or should I buy a netbook or a laptop? At the moment I am using it only for surfing, checking e-mails, youtube, and some gaming. I haven't checked for some useful apps that can be used for school but I saw some (Quickoffice, Evernote) when checking the market quick. So what are your thoughts, should I sell it and get a laptop or keep it? I will probably start law school and there will be a lot of writing, I suppose
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That depends.
I don't write digitally and I usually don't bring my laptop.
I do use my Xoom for slide show annotations, PDF annotations, etc while following my courses.
If you don't plan on using it at university, you'd better keep it anyway, since it's still a great device for gaming purposes, etc.
Of course all of this is subjective.
Hope my opinion helps
eyriiii said:
Hey guys. I have a question that is on my mind. I will hopefully start university in approximately 2 months or so. I bought my Xoom kinda cheap (246€ with lots of accessories, case, dock, OTG cable etc) and I was wondering if it could be useful for my studies or should I buy a netbook or a laptop? At the moment I am using it only for surfing, checking e-mails, youtube, and some gaming. I haven't checked for some useful apps that can be used for school but I saw some (Quickoffice, Evernote) when checking the market quick. So what are your thoughts, should I sell it and get a laptop or keep it? I will probably start law school and there will be a lot of writing, I suppose
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i personally would keep it - i find my xoom very useful and run basically run my business from it - laptop is just gathering dust
eyriiii said:
Hey guys. I have a question that is on my mind. I will hopefully start university in approximately 2 months or so. I bought my Xoom kinda cheap (246€ with lots of accessories, case, dock, OTG cable etc) and I was wondering if it could be useful for my studies or should I buy a netbook or a laptop? At the moment I am using it only for surfing, checking e-mails, youtube, and some gaming. I haven't checked for some useful apps that can be used for school but I saw some (Quickoffice, Evernote) when checking the market quick. So what are your thoughts, should I sell it and get a laptop or keep it? I will probably start law school and there will be a lot of writing, I suppose
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Quick Office (or Office Suite Pro which I like even better), Cloud Print, Evernote, various meeting/class recording apps (I think one even transcribes for you), really, just about everything that you may need for school can be done on the Xoom. You can use wifi, (mobile data if you have the data enable model), and even ethernet connectivity. If you don't want to type on the Xoom screen, get a wireless keyboard and mouse.
I don't want to be the odd duck out in terms of opinion, but I think it depends on how much you have and are willing to spend.
For something like studies, the xoom makes a great companion for taking quick notes, and entertaining yourself. However, in my opinion, for school/work related stuff, it doesn't quite replace a computer (-yet).
If you want to get some serious work done, you should probably get a netbook or small laptop. Office suites on mobile devices haven't worked as well as Microsoft Office or OpenOffice at least in my opinion.
I personally use both my laptop and my xoom. I take my xoom everywhere I go because it is much more compact than most other computers, and it can handle much more than the basics. However, when I need to get some real work done (long hours of papers and presentations), I would much rather type on my computer than my tablet.
Now, if you had the money to keep both, I would definitely say, keep both.
Just my humble opinion...
If you've already got it, keep it.
I've been looking for something to replace my Xoom with but theres nothing out there that gives me enough new stuff to warrant spending money, same with my DHD...
I'll be keeping my Xoom until the Win8 Tablets come out..
I have a pc, a laptop, a nook tablet, and a Xoom.
I am an engineering student. I took with me to school a single paper notebook and my Xoom/nook. I also have the motorola bluetooth keyboard.
I think I used about a quarter of that notebook for notes; the rest were done on my xoom. Also, being able to watch movies, play games, browse all very comfortable in a lounge chair in the library in between classes without the battery dying was pretty great. I plan to continue this in the upcoming semester.
Keep it. I have had others and has by far been the best.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA
I have been wrestling with the issue of usefulness in a college situation, note taking, researching etc. It is quite a large investment and I wanted to make the right choice.
Two Questions:
1. Do you love your tablet?
2. Is it better than or does it replace a laptop?
I'm sure this thread has been made before, but the search function for the xda app is horrific.
Thanks!
1. Do you love your tablet?
Yes, no homo.
2. Is it better than or does it replace a laptop?
Depends on what you want. I don't have a laptop so I don't have a choice. If you want something powerful to run workstation type programs, then you need a laptop. If you only want to watch movies or edit documents, a tablet would be a good idea.
1. Do you love your tablet?
Yep! first tablet (had the prime, but its the same thing basically!) and so far its working really well...may not be as fluid as ipad (my other choice) but nevertheless very versatile and gets the job done (of taking notes)
2. Is it better than or does it replace a laptop?
It can replace a laptop depending on what your using for....i had a laptop for taking notes in skool but i upgrade to my custom build desktop and got the transformer instead. Did it replace the laptop for me? yep, easy to take notes with and is half the size and weight. not to mention you can play angry birds when your bored in class. But is it better than a laptop? Maybe not in terms of multi-tasking. but its still kick a** for a portable device that last up to 10 hours in battery life.
bottom line is if the transformer suits your needs. For me, it def did.
As to "love", that is purely subjective. I do enjoy it if that helps.
As to which is better for your situation, that is going to depend purely on your needs. Not a knock on the Infinity, but if you get the dock station keyboard, that make the cost $650 to $750US. You can get a pretty decent laptop, non-apple. Although, there are plenty of apps that can handle most things people want to do, tablets, at this point, are just not as robust as a laptop with say, Windows 7.
If you're just taking notes in class, writing papers, surfing the web, maybe some research on the net, probably be fine. If you're a computer science major and need to do code, not likely.
I've owned laptops for about ten years. Have used them in the class room setting. Been using PCs for a little under twenty years. I graduated college a little thirteen years ago. I've only been using Android for about a year and half on a Evo 4G--email, IM, media, writing notes using Dos2Go, using spreed sheets in Docs2Go, games, rooted, and so forth. Only got the Infinity a few days ago myself. Despite not being well versed on the Infinity, I think I may have an decent idea.
On top of that, make sure the school doesn't have some kind of requirements in regards to the PC you may be able to use. Some may have requires because of how homework is turned in or exams are done.
The infinity (or any of the Transformer models) is great for taking notes because of the keyboard dock. The device is super thin, super light, has a keyboard dock, long battery life, completely silent and pretty damn powerful! I use my Infinity for all note-taking at work. I use an app called "Classic Notes + App Box" - it does everything! You can type in your notes, attach sketches, attach pictures, etc. You can even do stuff like look up zip codes, convert measurements, etc. Really powerful app.
And the really nice part is that it's 100% searchable! If I need to look something up in my notes, I just search for whatever I'm looking for and shows me all of the matches almost instantly. It has tons of other features and the author provides the best support that I've ever seen. Want a new feature? Let him know and if it makes sense, it will be there shortly!
Highly recommended..
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
upstandingcitizen said:
I have been wrestling with the issue of usefulness in a college situation, note taking, researching etc. It is quite a large investment and I wanted to make the right choice.
Two Questions:
1. Do you love your tablet?
2. Is it better than or does it replace a laptop?
I'm sure this thread has been made before, but the search function for the xda app is horrific.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes I like it a lot.
2. It depends. When I'm at home I use mostly my PC or the Infinity depending on what I want to do. When I'm travelling <3 weeks I take the Infinity with me because it's light and has a good battery life.
However if I would've to travel for a longer time (+3 weeks) . I would definitely take my laptop with me but I haven't done that for over a year now so my laptop is now collecting dust which is a shame because it was quite expensive.
So I would say if you have a PC get the Infinity if not buy a good laptop.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium
1.) I rely heavily on Jorte calendar to keep me headed in a straight line. I've given up on my companies outlook calendar and simply transfer meetings over to google calendar (Jorte pulls in google calendar) at work. This along makes me depend on this tablet. I don't "love" this tablet, as any similiar device would do, but I would be at a big loss with out it. I keep HDMI cables in my bag so I can watch movies on my hotel TV while traveling and when the kids are with me on the road they can watch Cars or other toons while I take care of other things.
2.) No it absolutely does not replace my laptop. Never could. But I would never expect it to. Everyones different, so if you do alot of reading on your laptop and basic web surfing it may work fine for you. Even the occasional paper being written would be ok. But for me I rarely sit down and type anything other then email and forums that is less then 5+ pages. Windows is my "get stuff done" OS. Android is more of my assistant, entertainment, makes life easier OS.
i love my tablets and have more tablets than either desktops or laptops (but not combined, lol).
tablets are better at certain things than a laptop. you can get better battery life without spending over a grand on an ultrabook. plus the portability, instant on, touch interface (i can't stand track pads, but somehow the transformer trackpad seems to work well). For portable entertainment, it's hard to beat.
that the only laptop that the tablets have replaced was my "netbook." actually an acer 12" timeline. it was far better spec-wise, but not as portable.
upstandingcitizen said:
1. Do you love your tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far I really like my tablet. This is kind of a nonsense question...of course we love our tablets.
upstandingcitizen said:
2. Is it better than or does it replace a laptop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simply? No. Of course not. But it can be better in some situations like note taking, as you suggested. I'm personally planning on using this thing for note taking and simple tasks, but more powerful tasks will be done on my laptop. My suggestion is to have a laptop or desktop around to do more power-hungry tasks, but for most simple cases it should work just fine.
upstandingcitizen said:
It is quite a large investment and I wanted to make the right choice.
Two Questions:
1. Do you love your tablet?
2. Is it better than or does it replace a laptop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
________________________________________________
1. Ummm...I like my tablet
2. In no way does it replace a notebook
$500.00 can buy a pretty decent notebook.
My last notebook has the AMD Vision quad core APU with 16 GB of RAM.
It handles Photoslop CS5, MAYA and PoserPro 2012 like a champ.
When Android tablets are able to run desktop graphics 3D rendering stuff like these they will no longer be toys for the gadgeteer!
1) Yes
2) As others have said, its highly dependent on both what your needs are and how much you're willing to tinker with things to get it doing what you want. Simple web browsing and lightweight document editing? Sure. Photo editing or software development? Maybe. Anything more than that? Probably not.
Chief Geek said:
1.) I rely heavily on Jorte calendar to keep me headed in a straight line. I've given up on my companies outlook calendar and simply transfer meetings over to google calendar (Jorte pulls in google calendar) at work. This along makes me depend on this tablet. I don't "love" this tablet, as any similiar device would do, but I would be at a big loss with out it. I keep HDMI cables in my bag so I can watch movies on my hotel TV while traveling and when the kids are with me on the road they can watch Cars or other toons while I take care of other things.
2.) No it absolutely does not replace my laptop. Never could. But I would never expect it to. Everyones different, so if you do alot of reading on your laptop and basic web surfing it may work fine for you. Even the occasional paper being written would be ok. But for me I rarely sit down and type anything other then email and forums that is less then 5+ pages. Windows is my "get stuff done" OS. Android is more of my assistant, entertainment, makes life easier OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This ^^ pretty much sums up my usage, except I use Touch Calendar and Work Calendar (hospital shifts). The 700 is a great appeaser as far a small kids (I have a 4- and a 2-year-old) go.
1. Yes i love my tablet
2. Yes and no it will all depend on the person and your personal usage. I find no need whatsoever to have a big and bulky laptop when i can have my Tab with me when i need to be mobile. When I need a lil more power I use my gaming rig back in my dorm
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app
I was planning to replace my laptop; but the inability to connect to monitor over DVI puts a crimp in my plans. All my monitors are DVI only, and the TF700 won't work with any of them using the DVI/HDMI adapter. It's a pain to code on the 10" screen.
I got this thing 2 days now and I love it. It is a replacement for my old laptop wich I used to edit text and stuff like that. surf a little. And watching movies with that old thing was a no go anyway. Now with this I can even use AirPlay to play stuff on my TV or something else. I love it
So to 1 a defenite YES.
And to 2, for me it is a yes. But I use my desktop for the heavy stuff. like gaming and all that crap.
And to have a touchscreen and a keyboard, I never did stuff this fast and nice. I love it. And the batterylife on this is 4 times longer then my old lappy.
1. This is my first tablet and so far I really like it. It is very light which makes it easy to bring to class and you are able to do most of your class work with it.
2. Currently, I do not think it will replace a laptop. There are numerous reasons as to why and I am sure people before me have mentioned it. But if you have a tablet and laptop, you could look into RDP (Remote desktop) to access your desktop through your tablet. There are a bit of issues with it, but it gets the job done (depending on what you do)
All in all, 500 dollars is a big investment and not to mention that you will probably buy accessories too. I would really determine what you will be doing at school and in your leisure time. After, weigh each pro and con for each device and go from there. I hope this helps
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app