[REQ] Interactive Whiteboard Apps - Android Apps and Games

I work for a university trying to find an app/software combination that would allow our faculty to use a tablet as an interactive whiteboard. I tried a couple of options and can't find very much. This might even be a nice area for someone to develop for as there isn't much competition (hint hint).
What I've found:
Most of the apps I've seen are just whiteboard apps on the tablet. Draw on the tablet screen, record it, share it, collaborate with others live. It's a nice idea, but not what I'm looking for.
What I am looking for:
Splashtop Whiteboard or Doceri (issues with both will be discussed below). These apps act as remote desktop apps with annotation and drawing tools. Think SMART Board, but without the need to be at the board.
Splashtop problems: I personally saw nothing wrong with this app/software. It is expensive, but it worked great. The problem existed with the way their software work. I don't know much in this area, but others in my department more familiar with programming expressed concerns over security and privacy. So we decided to keep looking. What I loved was that this was cross-platform, though.
Doceri problems: Well, other than the fact it's limited to iPad, no issues at all. The software concerns found in Splashtop weren't there with Doceri. We don't have one dominant platform on campus, so to adopt an iPad only solution doesn't feel right. I'd like to find something comparable to Doceri that works on Android as well, preferably on both platforms. Doceri is more expensive than Splashtop, but what it is capable of is well worth the price (cost is on software side, app is free).
Now here's the real head-spinner. When I asked Doceri about their plans with Android, I was told that they felt they had no market on Android and would more likely develop for Windows 8 instead. I understand the iPad is the dominant tablet in education, but they're not the only one there either. I would also like to point out that this response from Doceri had come to me a couple of months ago, their position could have changed since then.
Does anyone have any alternatives? Or the very least, help me show Doceri there is a market for them. If you would use their app, let them know. I know it isn't for everyone and is more of a niche for education. Or if you're feeling up to the task, to develop something to compete with both of these companies would be awesome and please keep me informed of progress. I could present that app to our faculty.
Thanks for anyone who does decide to help or at least takes the time to read this. I know it's long, but it's also a need that education needs to be filled.

Related

InterRupt - App dev freedom :-)

I'm not here to only promote my app. I'd prefer to open a much broader discourse re the freedom app development can bring, about the Android platform and development framework and other such things. I'm new to the XDA forums... you'll understand why if you keep reading.
I crafted my first Android app over the past few months. I've got a couple of old skool Symbian apps - one of which stayed in the Ovi store top 30 for well over three months (although that's not too impressive really). I really enjoyed learning Java and Android. I'm a (embedded) C++ geek and have never bothered with Java before now.
I gotta say I like it. I found both Java and Android easy and the development cycle fast. Not saying I've mastered it or anything like that it as I've only spent a couple of months working on the platform and language so far. I think the results are pretty impressive considering the effort (link below).
The story of my app creation might be interesting for a couple of reasons but it might also might bore you to tears... developing apps can bring freedom from the office cubicle. You can leave those Dilbert days behind And I don't mean swapping the office for a bedroom. I coded this app (and others) from a hammock on the beaches of Asia.
I live and work in Europe, on contract, in Spring/Summer/Autumn and beach bum in Winter. I've been doing this for years (missed 4 years in 14) and I'm always surprised how few other I meet on the road. I meet lots of fishermen, builders and tradespeople who take off annually - work in winter can be scarce. The coding profession lends itself pretty well to this lifestyle (I know this lifestyle isn't for everyone) but very few do it. I've met a handful of Israeli coders who traverse the beaches of India during the winter but that's about it.
Starting a app without internet access on remote beaches can be challenging but the samples in the Android SDK are pretty good. I used these as the base for my code. The documentation provided me with a reference for everything else I needed. I gotta hand it to Google, they've done a great job here.
I like to think the app stands out from the crowd in a couple of ways (but maybe I'm like a delusional parent ;-)). I like my UI. I paint and used to create my own comics as a kid. I've had a couple of "wow, what's that?" comments while testing it on the road. Also, there's no other app on the market that does the same thing; no competition.
I know this is kinda controversial and say the Android UI framework is just OK. When I compare it with something QT it's lacking. I guess that I believe that the test of framework is how easy it is for a coder to mould into whatever they desire. A great framework is like virtual plasticine. The Android framework is good but not great. I'd suggest the QT framework is great but I can only compare against what I've used previously. By the way the old Nokia frameworks were terrible.
So what does my app do? InterRupt measures the background noise and when a noise breaks (is louder than) the background noise it routes it through to the headphones. You can decide how much greater the noise has to be before you hear it in your headphones. It makes cycling and jogging safer when listening to music/podcasts/internet radio/etc. And it's a good solution for listening to music at work (read hammock)... which I do all the time. I can now hear my colleagues (other beach bums) speak to me ;-).
You can test my app on the market. There's a free trial - search for InterRupt.
I'm happy enough with it. But I guess like every coder, I see the faults in my own work and what I would do differently. Now, it's onto the challenge of promoting the app and this is where I don't have a clue. Any advice would be welcome. I'm now back in Europe and have internet access again.
I really like the idea of this.
Sent from my glacier using XDA App
Any advice on promoting an app?
Dude, it's a crowded market. So much so that it's no longer a meritocracy.
It seems dev's launch apps into oblivion and gotta find a way of bringing it to life - not an easy ask.
My app now disappears so far down the list that it takes literally five minutes to scroll to the app in the Audio category... ouch! That's after one week.
I've added a trial version and I've contacted some bloggers and Android sites that accept apps for reviews. A couple of guys have contacted me from these sites... really nice guys I gotta say.
How do most Android dev's get noticed in the crowd?
Should I choose another category? Is Audio more crowded than most?
All options and thoughts are welcome. Thanks dudes.
First of all, i have to say this is a very interesting app...i'm gonna try this as soon as i finish this reply.
i think xda is an amazing place to get started and to receive good feedbacks about how to really improve your app before advertising ....
and as for ideas.... i think a cool minimalistic website. Make sure your friends "Like" it... and that should atleast get you started ...
Thanks for the SolidKundi,
I haven't added InterRupt to my website, I had planned to do it this weekend. But it still doesn't help get word out there... people need to know the site. It's kinda the same problem.
Is it worth doing a PR launch? It seems expensive and I'm not sure if it'll get lost in the haze. I guess it might get some Google news rankings. Has anyone tried this before?
Paid apps are not allowed unfortunately.

Using Transformers in High School

Hello everyone. Im a student from a high school in Costa Rica. (Sorry if I make some mistake writing, english isnt my native language ) Me, some friends and a teacher made a group called "Artech", for promoting the use of art and technology. Im the tech part.
I have been using my transformer as a notebook all this year, and it has been really useful. I use it for all the assignatures. Everything with polaris office, math, chemistry and physics with supernote (really awesome).
School's principal has been very happy of how we use tabs/pcs as notebooks. So we decided to take the project to a higher level giving everyone a tab/pc for school use.
As people around here know A LOT of things i actually dont know, id like to ask some questions:
- TF101 w/ dock might be a good replacemt for books/notebooks? Is there some economic tab better than this?
- You now any other apps we can use for this? We are currently using: Splashtop for viewing everything from the virtual boards, supernote for math and all those things, box for shaing all the documents from teachers to students and viseversa and polaris.
Any help, comment, oppinion, etc, would be really apppreciated thanks!
having first hand experience with the transformer for the use-cases you're interested in, aren't you equally (if not more so) an expert on your own questions?
but from my point of view, definitely yes. note-taking, reading ebooks, etc, tablets definitely are perfectly suitable. for things like taking notes for math equations and stuff, maybe not so much. but i guess if the entire school is going digital, the teacher might just digitize the notes, and distribute an ebook or whatever. (although you miss out on the actual act of taking notes, which some consider help in memorization)
in terms of cost, there's a new tab coming out, the nexus tablet which is supposed to be on par hardware-wise with the prime, but around the price-range of kindle fire. so i'd say do research on that, and wait. it will be made by asus so it's possible that it will also have a keyboard dock, but i'm not sure.
kindle fire is also an alternative, but no keyboard dock.
no offense, just curious: but how is your school paying for these? are you in one of those private international schools?
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2
finalhit said:
having first hand experience with the transformer for the use-cases you're interested in, aren't you equally (if not more so) an expert on your own questions?
but from my point of view, definitely yes. note-taking, reading ebooks, etc, tablets definitely are perfectly suitable. for things like taking notes for math equations and stuff, maybe not so much. but i guess if the entire school is going digital, the teacher might just digitize the notes, and distribute an ebook or whatever. (although you miss out on the actual act of taking notes, which some consider help in memorization)
in terms of cost, there's a new tab coming out, the nexus tablet which is supposed to be on par hardware-wise with the prime, but around the price-range of kindle fire. so i'd say do research on that, and wait. it will be made by asus so it's possible that it will also have a keyboard dock, but i'm not sure.
kindle fire is also an alternative, but no keyboard dock.
no offense, just curious: but how is your school paying for these? are you in one of those private international schools?
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply.
Yes, I am. But obviously, school isnt going to pay 400 TF without gaining something. It just like for persons that still doesnt have its onw pc/tab, or parents that dont allow their kids to take their laptops/tabs to school cause its too dangerous. How are we planing to get them??
Well, lets say that the TF is like 500$. Every month, we need to pay for staying there. So, when people do all the registration stuff for staying on school, there will be a contract, saying that you will be paying some extra bucks per month for having the tab. It will be like 40$ more per month.
Why parent will accept buying tabs instead of buying books/notebooks every year? Isnt more expensie? Well, No. If you count all the money you spend buying materials and notebooks in 2 year it will be more that having a tab, and the tab last longer.
Sorry f i did a mess writting all the info, im not really good at english, so..... And im not the best writter ever.... actually, this is my 1st post/comment, etc on xda. So...If you got any question/sugerence im here
Ugalde97 said:
Thanks for the reply.
Yes, I am. But obviously, school isnt going to pay 400 TF without gaining something. It just like for persons that still doesnt have its onw pc/tab, or parents that dont allow their kids to take their laptops/tabs to school cause its too dangerous. How are we planing to get them??
Well, lets say that the TF is like 500$. Every month, we need to pay for staying there. So, when people do all the registration stuff for staying on school, there will be a contract, saying that you will be paying some extra bucks per month for having the tab. It will be like 40$ more per month.
Why parent will accept buying tabs instead of buying books/notebooks every year? Isnt more expensie? Well, No. If you count all the money you spend buying materials and notebooks in 2 year it will be more that having a tab, and the tab last longer.
Sorry f i did a mess writting all the info, im not really good at english, so..... And im not the best writter ever.... actually, this is my 1st post/comment, etc on xda. So...If you got any question/sugerence im here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tranquilo Mae. Your English is fine.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
off topic: i'm glad kids in your country are making an effort to learn and use tools like the TF. kids at my high school would just play angry birds all day lol
Being in university, I find the transformer useful. But not as good as it could be. The only issue I have with it is not having a pen. I have a few capacitive pens (adonit Jot, and a generic rubber tip), but they're not as good as something with a dedicated digitizer.
I'm always keeping an eye out for something with a digitizer, and the ones I've seen are the Xoom 2, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, HTC flyer (I wouldn't get this as the screen is too small)
This is coming from the perspective from studying engineering. There's always symbols, diagrams, and equations that are used all the time, thus my need for a pen. But for highschool, an android tablet should be sufficient. It's waaay easier to carry around one tablet than 3 textbooks.
That's my only issue.
As for reading and making notes on PDF's I use two apps, Repligo and EZPdf.
EZPdf is great for making notes, I would say it's better than Repligo in this aspect because you can pan while writing.
However, Repligo is better when opening large PDF's. I constantly open 300+ page pdfs in the form of text books, and I've never had issues with them.
I also use Andie Graph as a calculator if needed (that said, it's still not as good as my ti-92)
There's also a new physics app called ForceEffect by autodesk. I haven't had a chance to really play with it, but it seems useful for basic static physics problems if you're having trouble understanding.
Hope that helps
I suggest Adonit Jot with LectureNotes. There is a trial version of LecureNotes on PlayStore.
xun3 said:
Being in university, I find the transformer useful. But not as good as it could be. The only issue I have with it is not having a pen. I have a few capacitive pens (adonit Jot, and a generic rubber tip), but they're not as good as something with a dedicated digitizer.
I'm always keeping an eye out for something with a digitizer, and the ones I've seen are the Xoom 2, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, HTC flyer (I wouldn't get this as the screen is too small)
This is coming from the perspective from studying engineering. There's always symbols, diagrams, and equations that are used all the time, thus my need for a pen. But for highschool, an android tablet should be sufficient. It's waaay easier to carry around one tablet than 3 textbooks.
That's my only issue.
As for reading and making notes on PDF's I use two apps, Repligo and EZPdf.
EZPdf is great for making notes, I would say it's better than Repligo in this aspect because you can pan while writing.
However, Repligo is better when opening large PDF's. I constantly open 300+ page pdfs in the form of text books, and I've never had issues with them.
I also use Andie Graph as a calculator if needed (that said, it's still not as good as my ti-92)
There's also a new physics app called ForceEffect by autodesk. I haven't had a chance to really play with it, but it seems useful for basic static physics problems if you're having trouble understanding.
Hope that helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks everyone for the reply! I havent cheked xda lately because of exams.....
Well, the pen may not be an issue because, as every teacher have its own computer in class, they just give us their doc and we take notes while she/he explains the theory and all that stuff. This is a lot faster and efficients that retyping everythign again. So all we need to do is write on the document section "notes". The pen will be only used for math and somethimes chemistry/physics. But everypen will work, even the finger, at least for me, isnt uncomfortable.
EZPdf might be a really good program, thanks for the recomendation. As we will buy virtual licenses instead of books, a good programs might be good, and the taking notes parts looks awesome.
ForceEffect looks really good but, looks kinda complicated so ill be playing with it for checking if it will work. Thanks very much for the reply, im very happy and for the other people to.
And again, sorry for my bad english.
chatch15117 said:
off topic: i'm glad kids in your country are making an effort to learn and use tools like the TF. kids at my high school would just play angry birds all day lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, thats something you can see ALLWAYS. Thats why we are making teachers to monitorate all the computers on class. So, every person that is on fb, playing or making dirty stuff, will be punished
I think there is nothing like this but, is there any way every TF can, like connect to the internet, and get monitored?
Check Evernote - for me the best note taking and sharing app. It also has desktop version. You might instead like Springpad, they're quite similar, it's just the matter of taste and needs.
Ugalde97 said:
Hello everyone. Im a student from a high school in Costa Rica. (Sorry if I make some mistake writing, english isnt my native language ) Me, some friends and a teacher made a group called "Artech", for promoting the use of art and technology. Im the tech part.
I have been using my transformer as a notebook all this year, and it has been really useful. I use it for all the assignatures. Everything with polaris office, math, chemistry and physics with supernote (really awesome).
School's principal has been very happy of how we use tabs/pcs as notebooks. So we decided to take the project to a higher level giving everyone a tab/pc for school use.
As people around here know A LOT of things i actually dont know, id like to ask some questions:
- TF101 w/ dock might be a good replacemt for books/notebooks? Is there some economic tab better than this?
- You now any other apps we can use for this? We are currently using: Splashtop for viewing everything from the virtual boards, supernote for math and all those things, box for shaing all the documents from teachers to students and viseversa and polaris.
Any help, comment, oppinion, etc, would be really apppreciated thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Galaxy Note 10.1 that comes out in a week will include support for the Wacomb driven S Pen (a professional graphics level digitizer), and the operating system and software will be built entirely around the use of the stylus. If you do a Google or YouTube search for "Galaxy Note Premium Suite Review", you'll be able to see what kind of support and features are built in to the device and the possibilities of using such a device for school. While the galaxy note is a phone, they're releasing a tablet version. It will have all of the features the Galaxy Note has, plus more! And it will be built around a large form factor, with superior math, image editing, drawing, and handwriting support (which will be good for those who are not used to a combination of touching and typing. Being that its an android tablet, you can pair it with a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse, and use it just like a laptop.
So you could write on it during the day, and pair it with a keyboard to type the really long papers! And its much much faster than the transformer, and software like splash top still works!
Search in youtube for the "galaxy note 10.1" and "galaxy Note premium suite" so see a demo. You can also search for "s note Demo" to see the built in math software, and note taking application. It's extremely powerful, and the software even includes handwriting recognition.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium HD app

First Time Post

Hello all. First time post. Let me start off by thanking you for accepting me into this fine community.
I had to chuckle while reading some excellent posts on the good and bad points when it came to some of the performance and features of the Infinity.
The reason for the chuckle was because I had this forum opened in one tab of my browser, and Amazon opened in another. I had actually been looking over the contents on my shopping cart. In it was one(1) ASUS Infinity tablet. I placed the item there a few days ago, but for some reason I couldn't get myself to hit the "Submit Order" button. Something just didn't feel right about the purchase. The decision over which tablet to choose is becoming more and more confusing. With talk about what may or may not be available in the not too distant future re: New iPad, Windows 8, etc etc really has me hesitating at this juncture.
My two daughters each purchased the new iPad so at least I have an opportunity to get a feel of what that product has to offer. Unfortunately, detaching them from their new toy has been a struggle all its own. One of the main reasons for my looking at products other than Apple is that their products seems SO proprietary.
In any case, I think that I will keep visiting this forum for a while longer before I make a final decision as to which tablet to choose. My apologies for the long-winded post. Peter
Hi Peter,
Deciding what Tablet you want for yourself is a very personal decision. If you really don't care about the environment (iOS vs Android) and are just a casual user - I do have a recommendation. At the risk of being flamed, I would say to get an iPad.
It comes down to this: Apps make the ecosystem. While android is gaining in applications and games, and just put out a huge checklist for Tablet developers, apple has a better application and gaming experience for the average user. You are absolutely subject to the proprietary OS, but most people don't care. It's good enough.
I love android (and I suspect that many others do as well) for a few reasons. It's mine. It's fully customizable and I can but really cool community built OS's Recovieries, etc on it. I've learned a lot about how devices work and the things most people don't see. That said, I've had my share of problems too. Many users don't know enough and brick their devices trying to do something that sounds cool but they don't fully understand. If you're a casual user there is no need to get caught up in it. Apple does in fact set the standard for hardware and Android will briefly surpass it, but it's always a tight race. Also, there are a lot more accessories for the iPad then any tablet device. I also love it because I enjoy pushing the envelope and making things better. Finally I love the community around android. It's awesome that I see the same usernames popping up across our little section of XDA helping each other out, supporting each other, joking around, and disagreeing even. It's fun.
Also, for the casual user you can go to a nearby apple store and get your issues fixed if you mess something up.
The first decision you make should be an ecosystem/environmental one. Also, if you don't have itunes there is a bit of a learning curve. I don't think that Apple products have that "intuitive feel" everyone claims. Android just seems harder because there is more customization that can take place.
Before I get flamed - I'm not advocating for Apple or the iPad, but I am advocating for really thinking about what kind of device you want and what you want to get out of it before you make your decision.
Good luck and if you have you have more questions, we're happy to help!
Osteele said:
Hello all. First time post. Let me start off by thanking you for accepting me into this fine community.
I had to chuckle while reading some excellent posts on the good and bad points when it came to some of the performance and features of the Infinity.
The reason for the chuckle was because I had this forum opened in one tab of my browser, and Amazon opened in another. I had actually been looking over the contents on my shopping cart. In it was one(1) ASUS Infinity tablet. I placed the item there a few days ago, but for some reason I couldn't get myself to hit the "Submit Order" button. Something just didn't feel right about the purchase. The decision over which tablet to choose is becoming more and more confusing. With talk about what may or may not be available in the not too distant future re: New iPad, Windows 8, etc etc really has me hesitating at this juncture.
My two daughters each purchased the new iPad so at least I have an opportunity to get a feel of what that product has to offer. Unfortunately, detaching them from their new toy has been a struggle all its own. One of the main reasons for my looking at products other than Apple is that their products seems SO proprietary.
In any case, I think that I will keep visiting this forum for a while longer before I make a final decision as to which tablet to choose. My apologies for the long-winded post. Peter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are welcome here, whatever you decide, but if you go with another tablet or OS, please don't come and tease us about how much better/faster/cooler yours is than ours. that really gets on my nerves, lol!
But I'm sure you would never do that.
I would advocate that if you are interested in customising your tablet, the Infinity is a good one. First of all, it has a beautiful screen, will continue to receive firmware/OS updates and is finally starting to be well supported by some of the best developers in the Android ecosystem. Personally, I don't care about iOS on any level. It's far to closed a system for me, too limited. My Infinity , running CleanROM v1.3 with TWRP 2.3.0.0. recovery absolutely flies. It is super fluid and very powerful. I keep it connected to its keyboard dock and I take it off the charger at 5:30 a.m. and never have to charge again though 17 hour day of almost constant use. Much of that use is internet browsing and with the CleanROM tweaks, the stock browser performs incredibly well. I also have a flawless tablet and dock. Never any problems. I also take care of it, but nothing out of the ordinary...just keep it in its case...don't drop it or spill on it.
I've been using it instead of a laptop, and it just about replaces my desktop. Browsing is actually faster on the Infinity, and watching videos is a lot nicer. I haven't used the HDMI port, so I can't comment on it, but having the micro sd, the fullsize sd and full size USB ports means I never have to worry about not having enough storage...my 750GB WD Passport works perfectly in the USB port. That's a lot of movies.
Well, I know some people are worried about unlocking and voiding their asus warranty in order to flash custom software, but I found that a 2 year square deal warranty with accidental damage coverage works better for me anyway. It cost me $99, but I found out later that with a coupon I could have saved $30. Oh well.
Anyway, good luck with your decision!
wolfman87 said:
Hi Peter,
Deciding what Tablet you want for yourself is a very personal decision. If you really don't care about the environment (iOS vs Android) and are just a casual user - I do have a recommendation. At the risk of being flamed, I would say to get an iPad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for the quick response wolfman87. I wish that I could say that you've helped me move closer my ultimate decision. But of course you are absolutely right about that decision being a very personal one.
I suppose that there are so many factors that one may have to consider. It's so bizarre because I have been in IT for quite a while now and whenever a client asks for a quote on a new piece of hardware for example, the first question that I ask is: What exactly do you plan on doing with this new piece of hardware?
A liitle bit about myself:
Spend most of my time in a Windows client / server environment. (For better or worse my clients have dictated my skill-level)
Which is probably the reason that I am always looking to learn new things. Lately that has been:
Ubuntu desktop and server.
Virtual PBX (freePBX and Asterisk and PIAF)
Video Tutorials. Everything from Linux, jQuery, ASP .NET, Visual Studio, javascript.
Some of the things that I would like for a tablet to be able to do for me:
Receive and send email. Multiple Microsoft Exchange accounts required.
Connect remotely to client machines.
Browse the internet (many sites still require Flash)
Read all of the epub and pdf material that I now have sitting on my HP laptop
Would like to use a SIP client in order to dial thru my home based PBX with a secure VPN tunnel.
I enjoy recording music on my SSL Soundscape DAW.
Things that I found interesting about the Infinity:
Connectivity eg. HDMI - External storage - Dock
So far, I do not think that the iPad can offer any of these things. Unless I am wrong of course !!!
Once again, let me apologize for this long-winded response as well.
I thank you so much for your time and input. It is greatly appreciated.
Peter
okantomi said:
You are welcome here, whatever you decide, but if you go with another tablet or OS, please don't come and tease us about how much better/faster/cooler yours is than ours. that really gets on my nerves, lol!
But I'm sure you would never do that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are absolutely right okantomi, I would never come back to do such a thing. By the way, thank you for the great response. I suppose that some of the negative stuff that I read in certain sections of this forum got me a little nervous. I should know better. We don't live in a perfect world, and no ONE item is going to please everyone. This phenomema is what brings about change and improvement.
I will give it another day or two, discuss the purchase with my better half, then see what we come up with.
Have a great weekend. Peter
Here's my two cents... Above, someone mentioned apps... Basically, an iPad is just that - an interface to run apps. On the other hand, Android does so much more. Besides running apps, the OS itself is actually useful and a great productivity tool. The widgets that run on your desktop are simply awesome. Just by looking at my home screen, I can see my upcoming appointments, the time, the date, the weather, my Gmail account and my work email account (exchange). I can do all of that simply by turning the device on! When you turn on an Ipad you see icons - that's about it.
Add to that the features of the Transformer series, such as a keyboard dock with an extra battery, a trackpad, memory card readers, HDMI-out and a USB port and I think you can see just how powerful a Transformer running Android can be. I actually started out with an iPad 1 (as it was basically the first tablet available) - it was a great device - until I stumbled upon Android and the Transformer line! You really can do so much more with a Transformer than you can with an iPad. Hell - even this post - just try typing this on an iPad - it would take forever with the on-screen keyboard!
Like had already been stated - it all depends on what you want the device to do. For me, the iPad is just way too limiting. It may have more apps (for now - although that's beginning to change), but that is literally all that you can do with it - runs apps. There are no widgets. There is no way to expand upon the hardware (I.E. extra ports). It's very "basic".
Anyway, good luck deciding - I have a feeling that we'll be seeing you around these parts soon enough though!
By the way, don't let the "complainers" in this forum scare you off - it's mainly just so same few posters complaining over and over again. Or, it's folks that don't even own the TF700! It is deceiving - there are *many* happy TF700 users out there!
Sorry for the long post - it's just so easy to get long winded when you have a real keyboard to type with!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
Osteele said:
Thank you so much for the quick response wolfman87. I wish that I could say that you've helped me move closer my ultimate decision. But of course you are absolutely right about that decision being a very personal one.
I suppose that there are so many factors that one may have to consider. It's so bizarre because I have been in IT for quite a while now and whenever a client asks for a quote on a new piece of hardware for example, the first question that I ask is: What exactly do you plan on doing with this new piece of hardware?
A liitle bit about myself:
Spend most of my time in a Windows client / server environment. (For better or worse my clients have dictated my skill-level)
Which is probably the reason that I am always looking to learn new things. Lately that has been:
Ubuntu desktop and server.
Virtual PBX (freePBX and Asterisk and PIAF)
Video Tutorials. Everything from Linux, jQuery, ASP .NET, Visual Studio, javascript.
Some of the things that I would like for a tablet to be able to do for me:
Receive and send email. Multiple Microsoft Exchange accounts required.
Connect remotely to client machines.
Browse the internet (many sites still require Flash)
Read all of the epub and pdf material that I now have sitting on my HP laptop
Would like to use a SIP client in order to dial thru my home based PBX with a secure VPN tunnel.
I enjoy recording music on my SSL Soundscape DAW.
Things that I found interesting about the Infinity:
Connectivity eg. HDMI - External storage - Dock
So far, I do not think that the iPad can offer any of these things. Unless I am wrong of course !!!
Once again, let me apologize for this long-winded response as well.
I thank you so much for your time and input. It is greatly appreciated.
Peter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This might be a jumble of thoughts - sorry in advance:
That's really good information actually. From the first post it sounded much more casual. Since the needs that you have are more technical I would lean towards the Android side of things (I think that there are more IT based applications for Android). You can definitely set up exchange accounts (not sure how many, but I know you can). You can also remote into other machines (VPN, I think RDP, etc.). Of course web browsing comes standard, even on the base model
If you are going to be doing a lot of emails the dock absolutely is worth it. for ~$100 (if you get the 201) you get basically a netbook KB and the extra battery life. I have a friend who uses a bluetooth KB for his iPad and it lasts a while itself, but doesn't increase the tablet uptime.
Also a few people are working on getting a distro of linux up on this. It's harder since the bootloader isn't the same as the older models, but I don't think that it's something you can do on the iPad.
If you aren't running any iDevices right now it makes sense to stick with Android/Windows as an ecosystem. My other advice is go to play.google.com and look around at the apps, specifically for what you want to do: (for example: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=SIP&c=apps). This will help you get a feel for what is out there and what you can do.
For hooking up to HDMI - I actually may have blown the port on mine recently - I still haven't tested it again. But I got the Square Trade warranty through amazon (2 years plus accidental damage) for about $75. They're a solid provider and while I hope I don't have to use them, they don't care if you voided your ASUS warranty with unlocking, etc.
If you you and your better half will be using the tablet, I would say to stick to the infinity since the screen is super crisp (I assume that for emails, PDF's, remote PBXing, you aren't worried too much about the resolution) and it gets bright in the outdoors (IPS+). I have an iPad 2 for work and it really is much better than even that screen. Not as good as the iPads, but the best on the market for android.
If you really don't care about the screen, there are other good models out there. The Infinity rocks in terms of horsepower and as I mentioned the screen. Those are probably the two BEST things about it. I figure (for me) it will last at least 2 maybe 3 years. (hopefully more)
Oh, as a note - try before you buy. The headset jack is a bit weird and if you do a lot of audio it takes a bit to get used to holding it closer to the top.
Oh, and no need to apologize for being long winded
To all you great folks who have taken the time to respond to my lenghty posts, my heartfelt thanks. I have to be very honest, and I hope that this doesn't come off sounding strange, I am not a huge APPS kinda guy. Maybe I am not up to speed with that whole apps thing, but I just can't see why some folks put so much emphasis on the procurement of apps. Let's face it, how many are you really going to need / use. Once you find the ones that do exactly what you need for them to do that should pretty much do it.
Well, that's just me talking of course. Perhaps it has a lot to do with the fact that most of the time I am using my machines for work and not so much for play.
Have yourselves a safe and enjoyable weekend!
Thank you
Peter
Osteele said:
I wish that I could say that you've helped me move closer my ultimate decision.
[...]
It's so bizarre because I have been in IT for quite a while now and whenever a client asks for a quote on a new piece of hardware for example, the first question that I ask is: What exactly do you plan on doing with this new piece of hardware?
[...]
Ubuntu desktop and server.
Virtual PBX (freePBX and Asterisk and PIAF)
Video Tutorials. Everything from Linux, jQuery, ASP .NET, Visual Studio, javascript.
Some of the things that I would like for a tablet to be able to do for me:
Receive and send email. Multiple Microsoft Exchange accounts required.
Connect remotely to client machines.
Browse the internet (many sites still require Flash)
Read all of the epub and pdf material that I now have sitting on my HP laptop
Would like to use a SIP client in order to dial thru my home based PBX with a secure VPN tunnel.
I enjoy recording music on my SSL Soundscape DAW.
Things that I found interesting about the Infinity:
Connectivity eg. HDMI - External storage - Dock
So far, I do not think that the iPad can offer any of these things. Unless I am wrong of course !!!
Once again, let me apologize for this long-winded response as well.
I thank you so much for your time and input. It is greatly appreciated.
Peter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If web browsing is a must -- and for most of us, it is -- then pretty much any Android machine wins over any iDevice because of Flash support (even with the support detracted on JB devices, you can still sideload the apk and it will still work).
Shell connection has several (free) apps available. I do that from home, mostly, so I do not have really extensive experience with them.
EPub and PDF -- Mantano all the way (I use it for both technical reading (medical and biochemical literature, mostly) and leisure reading (although that is non-fiction as well, mainly (astro)physics, quantum dynamics, archeology -- the high resolution screen REALLY helps in that corner, for it renders formulae, graphs, tables, and such just beautifully!).
To me, given both private and work use, TF700 hands-down, but as has been said oftentimes on this thread already, it's your choice. And indeed you are welcome in here anyway.
Osteele said:
[...]I am not a huge APPS kinda guy. Maybe I am not up to speed with that whole apps thing, but I just can't see why some folks put so much emphasis on the procurement of apps. Let's face it, how many are you really going to need / use. Once you find the ones that do exactly what you need for them to do that should pretty much do it.
Well, that's just me talking of course. Perhaps it has a lot to do with the fact that most of the time I am using my machines for work and not so much for play.
Have yourselves a safe and enjoyable weekend!
Thank you
Peter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does make a major difference whether you use the 700 for work alone or also for leisure activity. I have two kids, aged 4 and 2, and they love tablet -- and they're ever handier than me. :S The app thingy is an ongoing search for the best-performing launcher, the best-performing office application, etc. -- and a lot of it is hoarding (I have enough games purchased-but-not-played-yet to last me for the next decade-and-a-half, hahaha!).
(Oh, and sometimes, an app is really good for all things it does, but it doesn't incorporate a feature you need. You then find another app that does, but that one either has a clunky interface (preventing everyday use) or misses some feature the other app did provide... and so on, and so on. )
Jtrosky already tackled this, but I wanted to emphasize it a bit: currently, only a small minority has devices that display major faults. Don't let the few posts about them detract you from trusting the TF700.
I was one of the many that noticed low I/O performance, which is the one issue that is faithfully reproducible, I guess -- and although not eliminated entirely, it has been greatly improved upon by recent updates. I was one of the instigators of the "I/O pressure" -- I unashamedly admit -- and I think we did the right thing in being so vocal. I love my 700, though, and I am easily standing up against the many friends carrying iDevices around (with regards to both screen quality, battery life, physical keyboard, and connection options (main USB, (micro)SD cards)...
Have a good and merry weekend yourself as well!
MartyHulskemper said:
If web browsing is a must -- and for most of us, it is -- then pretty much any Android machine wins over any iDevice because of Flash support (even with the support detracted on JB devices, you can still sideload the apk and it will still work).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good morning Marty, and thank you for your valuable input. Undoubtedly, you seem to be getting the most out of your trusty tablet. I am happy to hear that.
I am going to take in all I can about tablets in general this weekend. I know that can probably set me a back a while. I am currently delving into a little .NET programming. So, there is always WIndows 8 tablets.
Came across this article last nite:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2010050/leaked-windows-8-tablet-pricing-suggests-asus-is-targeting-big-spenders.html
Will most likely add to my confusion though. No one is holding a gun to my head, right?
Have a wonderful day wherever you may be!
Peter
Osteele said:
Good morning Marty, and thank you for your valuable input. Undoubtedly, you seem to be getting the most out of your trusty tablet. I am happy to hear that.
I am going to take in all I can about tablets in general this weekend. I know that can probably set me a back a while. I am currently delving into a little .NET programming. So, there is always WIndows 8 tablets.
Came across this article last nite:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2010050/leaked-windows-8-tablet-pricing-suggests-asus-is-targeting-big-spenders.html
Will most likely add to my confusion though. No one is holding a gun to my head, right?
Have a wonderful day wherever you may be!
Peter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, no, you're only in as much hurry as you put yourself in -- that Intel-based ASUS tablet is priced outrageously high -- 1399 dollars for a tablet? Meh. The people that would pay that )to include the dock accessory) would rather pay 1100 dollars for a really good laptop instead. I'd that swell, and I'd gain Windows gaming in the process (Borderlands 2 on the train commute ftw, hahaha! ) and a crapload of ecosystem apps that have been refined over many years instead of the 2 years we have had Android tablet apps and 0, nada, zilch for Windows 8 tablet apps.
If they price it lower, though, it might even be very tempting (especially when they do not break compatibility with Windows 7 applications -- I haven't been paying much attention to Windows 8. I guess I have some catching up to do...
And as far as your catching up goes: yes, I'd expect you to be busy reading for a week or two, at least. As we say in Holland: it will, at the very least, keep you off the streets.
MartyHulskemper said:
Oh, no, you're only in as much hurry as you put yourself in -- that Intel-based ASUS tablet is priced outrageously high -- 1399 dollars for a tablet? Meh.
If they price it lower, though, it might even be very tempting (especially when they do not break compatibility with Windows 7 applications -- I haven't been paying much attention to Windows 8. I guess I have some catching up to do...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello again Marty. I was under the impression that the pricing was somewhere in the vicinity of:
Pricing for Asus' Vivo Tab RT will start at $599
As was mentioned here as well:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/12/3495334/asus-vivo-tab-rt-pre-sales-begin-first-windows-rt-tablet-starts-at
IT's going to take more than a tablet to keep me off the streets. :laugh: :laugh:
Have a wonderful day. Peter
Osteele said:
Hello again Marty. I was under the impression that the pricing was somewhere in the vicinity of:
Pricing for Asus' Vivo Tab RT will start at $599
As was mentioned here as well:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/12/3495334/asus-vivo-tab-rt-pre-sales-begin-first-windows-rt-tablet-starts-at
IT's going to take more than a tablet to keep me off the streets. :laugh: :laugh:
Have a wonderful day. Peter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Peter!
Yes, it did say that in the article, but the RT versions of Windows 8 are the versions that carry ONLY the Metro interface, and are able to run ONLY apps that have been specifically programmed to run on that particular version (although I might have understood all that totally wrong, in which case somebody will undoubtedly be so friendly as to point me to my errors. The more usable versions will cost you significantly more, and the dock will set you back even more...
MartyHulskemper said:
Hi Peter!
Yes, it did say that in the article, but the RT versions of Windows 8 are the versions that carry ONLY the Metro interface, and are able to run ONLY apps that have been specifically programmed to run on that particular version (although I might have understood all that totally wrong, in which case somebody will undoubtedly be so friendly as to point me to my errors. The more usable versions will cost you significantly more, and the dock will set you back even more...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aha !!! Gotcha. Thanks to you, I will be going to bed a little smarter this evening. Thank you. Peter
Update
Well folks, I just wanted to stop by to let you know that I took the plung today at approx 18:00. After spending a considerable amount of time scouring the internet and reading reviews ad nauseam, I finally decided upon the Infinity. Should arrive in a few days and I must say that I am excited. Nice to feel like a kid again.
There is a good possibility that I may have a few questions once I have spent a little time with the unit. Hope you all don't mind if I post those questions here on this forum.
Thank you all again for being so helpful. I hope that I have made the right decision.
Peter
Osteele said:
Well folks, I just wanted to stop by to let you know that I took the plung today at approx 18:00. After spending a considerable amount of time scouring the internet and reading reviews ad nauseam, I finally decided upon the Infinity. Should arrive in a few days and I must say that I am excited. Nice to feel like a kid again.
There is a good possibility that I may have a few questions once I have spent a little time with the unit. Hope you all don't mind if I post those questions here on this forum.
Thank you all again for being so helpful. I hope that I have made the right decision.
Peter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bring it on bro.....We are waiting!!!
buhohitr said:
Bring it on bro.....We are waiting!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you Sir. I really appreciate that.
Congrats! Welcome to the club
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Welcome to the Infinity family.
As a .NET Developer myself, I find this device comes in handy sometimes with the supernote it saves alot of papers and keep them all in one place. I use Supernote for writing pseudo code, brainstorming, UML diagram etc. Maybe you will find this method useful or maybe not. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the infinity!
Cheers
Osteele said:
Well folks, I just wanted to stop by to let you know that I took the plung today at approx 18:00. After spending a considerable amount of time scouring the internet and reading reviews ad nauseam, I finally decided upon the Infinity. Should arrive in a few days and I must say that I am excited. Nice to feel like a kid again.
There is a good possibility that I may have a few questions once I have spent a little time with the unit. Hope you all don't mind if I post those questions here on this forum.
Thank you all again for being so helpful. I hope that I have made the right decision.
Peter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope so, too, Peter -- you'll find out soon enough, I guess. ; ) It does come pretty sudden, so after your initial resolve to wait it out and inform and inform and inform. I know the feeling of waiting, however, mostly gets the best of me -- I guess us gadgeteers are not the most resilient to marketing and spec sheets. Hahaha!
Welcome to the club, and don't fret about posting your questions. It's not your type of user we get fed up with, and to be honest, I think you'll be fine with the guides that have sprung up -- at least as far as unlocking woes, Nvflash, custom recoveries and custom ROMs, etc. go. It's going to take a fair bit of Play Store scavenging to find apps that suit your needs and style optimally, but we'll get there. Relish the kid feeling, and don't lose the fun in finding your way.
By the way: I assume you ordered it with the dock?

[Q] I'm looking for a generic app for car salesmen

A friend of mine is a car salesman and is looking for an app that he can use to quickly access information about cars on his lot while talking to customers. He asked me if I could "throw something together".
I recently started doing android development, and I've gotten about as far as doing the Hello World and a couple of other tutorials, and this sounds a little beyond me. But it seems to me that there must be something like that already - only when I google terms like "cars sales app" and so forth, I get a lot of free apps that were built for specific dealerships, for selling to their customers. Not so helpful.
What I have in mind is just a simple catalog of the current inventory - a big picture of the car, a screen full of details the customer would be interested in, a screen full of technical information for mechanics and salesmen.
If something open source exists, that's similar to this, which I could modify as needed, that would be ideal. If the exact thing I'm describing exists, that would also be awesome. If nothing remotely similar exists, then I hope one of you can make a million dollars building it, because it'll probably be a few months before I'm at that level myself.
Any ideas?
Why not just create a spreadsheet with all the details in and use one of the many document viewers to access it?
Or build a very basic internal website he can browse from his phone?
Anything else seems to be overkill to me.
Maybe he could just use an already-existing database app ? Sounds close to what he wants and they already exist. You know, if he wants to spend as little money as possible.
A web-site could also do the trick, do they not already have one ? Do they already have inventory on-line or not ? Where is the database for their inventory even housed and how is it updated ?
It seems like overkill to me to have and have to maintain two databases. Is that what they actually want to do ? Are they okay with that extra work ? Who is going to be updating it ?
Do they really want an app that can use data from an existing website or database et cetera ?
Honestly, it sounds like he's asking you to "throw together" something that would cost him (possibly tens of) thousands of dollars to have personally developed otherwise. Why doesn't he just go for a service that already exists ? Like this (no idea if it's any good, just Googled). In that situation they've already developed the app and interface and just need to plug you in - so most likely less expensive than developing something totally custom.
I think this is probably out of your reach unless this guy really wants to maintain two databases just so he can have one on his phone - that's him or another employee constantly updating this thing with all that information you're thinking of putting in for each car. Do they have the time, desire, or manpower to do that ? How did you, when you wrote the OP, envision this "app" being updated to keep inventory current ? Would YOU be the one doing that ?
I know you're new and don't value your skills highly (and at this point for legitimate reasons - you don't have the skill to do anything you want right now and that's okay) - but I'm just going to put in my two cents and say that I think you're getting used. Cool if he just wants you to set up a frame work and is cool with maintaining it himself - that's awesome - but I'd think an existent database app would work just fine if that's the case.

[Q] Having trouble finding music creation apps like Garage band

I really don't like Apple at all because of their proprietary and self obsessed tendencies. You can't do much of anything that they don't allow you to do. I have been on an Android platform since it came out years ago. That being said I am now producing music and I have been seriously considering getting an Ipad because they have several top notch synth apps and DAW's like Garage Band. The only thing I can find for Android is things that you hit a button and it makes a sound. You can't record into the program or do much of anything. Am I missing something? I would love to stick with Android, but Apple is beckoning me after all these years.
Obviously I am new to the forums, I was discussing this with a guy who told me to come here and if there was a DAW type app you guys would know about it or at least know what is in the works or why it is not coming out.
As a sidenote I have been following this thread on the android Google support forum about this very issue.
If you look up in the android code developers board at code.google dot com /p/android/issues/detail?id=3434 (won't let me post outside links so I had to separate a bunch of stuff .. just fix it to go to the link. it isn't a nefarious link it is google.
Open_Carry said:
I really don't like Apple at all because of their proprietary and self obsessed tendencies. You can't do much of anything that they don't allow you to do. I have been on an Android platform since it came out years ago. That being said I am now producing music and I have been seriously considering getting an Ipad because they have several top notch synth apps and DAW's like Garage Band. The only thing I can find for Android is things that you hit a button and it makes a sound. You can't record into the program or do much of anything. Am I missing something? I would love to stick with Android, but Apple is beckoning me after all these years.
Obviously I am new to the forums, I was discussing this with a guy who told me to come here and if there was a DAW type app you guys would know about it or at least know what is in the works or why it is not coming out.
As a sidenote I have been following this thread on the android Google support forum about this very issue.
If you look up in the android code developers board at code.google dot com /p/android/issues/detail?id=3434 (won't let me post outside links so I had to separate a bunch of stuff .. just fix it to go to the link. it isn't a nefarious link it is google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No suggestions yet?
Weather you need to make music entirely on phone or you have a studio and you just need more functionality with android devices, I think these two apps can help you.
I'm pretty sure you must have heard of FL Studio Mobile, I've been using it for a long time now and I can say it is the best DAW for Android. It has all the features that you will need as a producer. If your phone is powerful enough then you can produce any genre, there's a few things missing though, like orchestral instruments (there's a very few of those), also synths are not like top notch but they does the job if you are skilled, also Auto-Tune isn't that good yet.
Or you could also try Cubasis 3, it has a free demo version on play store, known as the Cubasis LE. This one is way better and powerful in terms of features but the only reason I wouldn't say it as the best one is that
1. It's not available for all devices.
2. It's really expensive.
But if that doesn't sound like much of a problem, you can try Cubasis, it has more orchestral instruments, better synths, better visuals.

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