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[Q] Can i replace my netbook with a tablet - work not just eye candy

hey guys;
pretty much as per the title really. I have an aging Acer aspire one 8GB SSD netbook running ubuntu and it has been great for working on while being light and portable. I would really like to move to a tablet but i have to be able to work on the device and not just carry a lightweight media device (which most tablets seem to be at first sight).
I need to be able to work on office (both MS and OO) documents as well as create them from scratch. I have had limited success finding a decent MS office app for my android HD2 and was wondering if the same is true on tablets.
Thanks for any advice you can offer;
Andy

it comes with Polaris Office suite which allows those things.

geekyhawkes said:
I need to be able to work on office (both MS and OO) documents as well as create them from scratch. I have had limited success finding a decent MS office app for my android HD2 and was wondering if the same is true on tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like right now it is. I didn't find any app that can edit OpenOffice (LibreOffice) documents (I don't have the tablet, I was just looking at market.android.com). PolarisOffice edits Ms Office docs but someone reported that the docs it saves doesn't open in OOo. And there are reports that GoogleDocs doesn't work properly too.

To be fair I would wait until Honeycomb problems and glitches have been ironed out by Google. Two reviewers (Android Central & Anandtech) have mentioned that their Transformer crashed during a write up in Polaris Office and because the software doesn't have auto-save feature (yet) they lost 500-1000 words. Now if you are regularly saving your documents then it might not be a big deal but certainly I wouldn't say it is a "stable" replacement just yet. I hope more manufacturers take pointers from ASUS and bring similar tablets with keyboard docks with trackpad integration.
I just hope there are regular updates for both the OS and from ASUS to sort these problems out. The camera video recording glitch seems quite significant and also the lag with HD video playback. These are all software issues (I hope) and should be sorted out in time.

I wouldn't say Polaris office is suitable for work, and Google docs is indeed unusable. So I would say stick to the netbook, for now anyway.

Thanks for the info guys, kind of as i suspected (sadly). I guess give the market a few months to settle down and hopefully someone will port OO (or libre) to android 3 and we will be away!
Although it does slightly make me wonder why the tablet market is so hyped at the moment with so many quality smartfones and most tablets offering little more than the same but larger (at least from a work perspective).
Thanks again

Yes, it's quite disappointing. It looks like every way you would want to use the tablet (no matter - iPad or Android one) there is a problem that makes it much less useful. I'll buy one anyway because am a programmer and want to write apps for Android tablets but I think I will have to write quite a few for myself first.

I think it all depends on your industry. If you're a Data Warehouse developer, then the software is limited to the operating system it was designed for and there is no way around it.
But if you're writing your first book, NO PROBLEM!
If you create spreadsheets for your bookkeeping business, NO PROBLEM. You will probably still need a computer to format the print layout and set headers/footers, etc, and print. How about printing to PDF?
It would be nice if ASUS designed a dual layout platform leveraging it's current Android environment where at a click of a button, the layout changes to a point and click system (using the dock) reflecting a Windows-like appearance. Like a Play/Work theme.
WOW, I just thought of that! Hire me, ASUS, and lets get this developed!

[Q] Microsoft Office compatibility

Hey everyone,
I was looking to buying a netbook, but this awesome tablet got me.
The first use will be for me university work: notes, powerpoints, excels.. you know.. that sort of boring student stuff.
So how does the tablet cope with .docx, graphs and powerpoint?
Especially, how good is the compatibility with graphs in excel?
What app do you use? Quickoffice? or the one already installed?
Also I would like to hear some feedback about the keyboard: I'm coming from the awesome one of the VAIO FW. How does it compare to a normal good notebook's keyboard ?
by the way I'm planning to buy the 16GB model + keyboard.
thank you

google docs not ok by you? (Don't mean that in a condescending way, but I think it works pretty well, and it works on android).
EDIT: With what I just said in mind, I have only used google docs for writing papers and doing spread sheets minus graphs. Graphing works but for some reason (maybe just preference, maybe there was a good reason) I kept going to openoffice for the graphs. Haven't tried presentations. However I would assume that google docs is not as powerful MS Office, it is compatible though, but I wouldn't feel right relying on it (google docs) for school stuff beyond the basics.

If you want to write some simple documents or presentations with some pictures and texts, the build-in polaris office is more than capable.. and the keyboard dock works surprisingly well..so you ain't going to miss the VAIO. Also, just tried creating some bar/line/pie chart in polaris office spreadsheet.. no problems at all.. no fancy 3D though..
also you won't find any advanced features like automatic reference in Word, animations/sequence in powerpoint or powerful statistics functions/pivot tables in Excel.
for university work, I won't worry about that too much...Polaris Office is a great office suite and I'm very impressed...
best if you go to your local store and try it out yourself..before you make the decision

Polaris does a better job not blowing up formatting than google docs ime. Of course that only matters if you are continuing on from a previous doc. Shockingly it opened my resume (relatively heavily formatted) just fine.
Presentations are going to be something I can't comment on!

Thank you for the answers.
I found this extremely useful thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=13993341#post13993341
which compares the different Office Suites for Android

It might also be useful to know that 'Citrix Receiver' works well on the tablet. My uni allows students to login with citrix and use the programs of the campus. Simply put, I can kind of run any possible program (as long as I'm online that is).
Possible the place where you will go studying has something like citrix?

Powerpoint Animations
Hi to all,
Has anyone found an app that will run PPT presentations just as they would run on a PC? I'd love to be able to run my prezos with all animations...
Thanks much!

husker71 said:
Hi to all,
Has anyone found an app that will run PPT presentations just as they would run on a PC? I'd love to be able to run my prezos with all animations...
Thanks much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for this..
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App

Don't think that you'll find any software for Android. Android is primary for gaming, not working.
But Excel and Word sheets work quite good with Polaris Office (pre-installed), I haven't tried PPT yet.

It all depends on what you plan on doing. Simple word processing, presentation, or spread sheet would be OK. In Excel for instance if you use macro's you will run into problems. I know that Polaris could read some of my files.
To be honest there are people on here that claim to have replaced their laptop with the Transformer but frankly I don't see how. It is fine for internet, email, & entertainment. It isn't going to replace a laptop that you use for work or school in my view anyway.

Polaris Office work pretty well and is included with the TF (can't beat fee functional software). Just don't expect it to be as functional and easy to use as a real PC.
Honestly if I where using it MS Office apps for school, I'd stick to a laptop. You'll be a lot less frustrated that way. TF would be fine simple office type task or edits in a pinch, but I wouldn't want it to be my main Office device.
Lets not forget tablets aren't true laptop replacements, they don't have that kind of power.

Help Need Powerpoint player not viewer

Hi all, I'm new to the android tablet. I have had an ipad up until 3 weeks ago when my wife had hers stolen so now she has mine and im trying to see how android works out.
Anywayi teach a class once a week and i down load powerpoint presentations for my class. On the Ipad i just run them in keynotes and al the animations and everythng just work fine. I have tried all the office programs i can find and none of them play the powerpoints. They let you vew the slides but dont really run the presentations. Some of them dont even show the slidesin the right colors and the textis not even viewable.
Does any one have any ideas?
I can take the same file and it works great even after conversion on the ipad. I really want this to work or i will end up going back to apple and i would rather not.

Well, they all play the powerpoint. You can start by telling me which one you want to use. I'll tell you how to play it.
I highly recommend office suit pro.
Polaris, the one that comes with it for free, also plays it quite well.
How do I know this? I've done a few presentations with the office apps.
That said, it is my experience that ipad users are completely lost when they try to use android tablets. It's not worth the headache. You should have stuck with the ipad. Android is designed more for flexibility and having options. Instead of having 1 button to do something, you now have 10 buttons. If you're not used to having options, it really is a pain in the butt.
By the way, I've bought all the office apps available.
Quickoffice
Doc2Go
Freethink... or thinkfree (I keep forgetting the order)
Office suite pro
Between these, I can pretty much do everything I need to do. Have even made a few presentations using the TF+dock.

quicks office is great. but i kinda feel that polaris works fine by itself no need to buy any other office apps

ok I'm not lost using the Android. I am a software engineer I have been building and programing computers for 25 years. The Ipad was my first apple product sence my Apple 2e in the early 80's. I have rooted my android phones and put new roms on them and have rooted and over clocked my transformer so I think I'm qualified to use it.
I know the office apps out there will play powerpoint presentations but they play them as slide shows and do not play the animations. If a slide has multiple pictures on it that come and go they just stack them all in right away and show the last one.
Here is a link to the download
http://www.sugardoodle.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2205&Itemid=200015
You will find the download at number 3 on that page. Try it on your PC to see how it should look and then let me know if you can get it do look the same on your tablet. I would be very happy if you can..
They dow have a PDF version of it on there too but so far when I try the PDF version it is super laggy and hard to work with. Also they do not always have the pdf version.
Like I said these run perfect on my ipad but I would rather use my TF.
*****EDIT
I forgot, make sure you look at it on a PC because the android viewer like the mess up the colors and fonts to and make them hard to read.
Thanks for any help you can give.
Brandon

I love that you refer to it as the android
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

Do you need adobe flash installed to view the animations? Just a guess....
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

I know i keep calling it the android because that is what my wife has been calling it.
I do have flash 11 installed so that is not the answer either.
Brandon

Hahaha. Anyone remember when Bush kept calling it "the google"?
You didn't even tell us what kind of animation. Can you post a sample ppt or pptx?

i posted a link to the down load so you can try it out. Maybe if you read my post instead of trying to chastise me you would have seen the link.
The animations are things like words coming in and going away or pictures changing.
I like the fact that i ask a question for help and inplace of helpful answer i get put down because i had an ipad and you assume i do not know anything and i also get compared to Bush because i called it the android.
Thanks for not being helpful

brlowe said:
i posted a link to the down load so you can try it out. Maybe if you read my post instead of trying to chastise me you would have seen the link.
The animations are things like words coming in and going away or pictures changing.
I like the fact that i ask a question for help and inplace of helpful answer i get put down because i had an ipad and you assume i do not know anything and i also get compared to Bush because i called it the android.
Thanks for not being helpful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look, I didn't assume you didn't know anything. My mentor, a leading scientist in concrete engineering, regularly asks me for help with his computing needs. Not knowing how to operate a device says nothing about a person's abilities.
That's why I suggested you stick with the ipad. It's a universal device.
At this point in time, android tablet platform is very much like the early days of linux OS. Back then, there wer3 kinds of people who used linux: (1) the programmers and developers who created and maintained the various linux distros, (2) the modders and enthusiasts who liked to push some boundaries, and (3) the people who went into it thinking they could use it as a windows replacement and ended up going bald by pulling their hair out.
I'm a minimalist. My powerpoint slides almost never contain animations. I think it's just a distraction.
Anyway, I'll take a look at your file there and tell you what I find out. Since I have all the office apps for android, so I'll it with all of them.
Added by edit.
Hang on, aren't you honored to be compared to the president of the United States of America? To quote tea party members, why do you hate this country? LOL

brlowe said:
i posted a link to the down load so you can try it out. Maybe if you read my post instead of trying to chastise me you would have seen the link.
The animations are things like words coming in and going away or pictures changing.
I like the fact that i ask a question for help and inplace of helpful answer i get put down because i had an ipad and you assume i do not know anything and i also get compared to Bush because i called it the android.
Thanks for not being helpful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried it on both Docs to Go and Polaris, but neither of them showed the animations. To be honest, I don't believe animations should be used in presentations, but that aside I have no idea what program to use then.

Well, my thought is to convert it to flash.
I currently do not have access to my TF. Someone is using it hooked up to the TV to watch movies.

Brieflet can convert powerpoint files, I don't know if it keeps the animation, but it's worth trying, I guess.
Ok... I've just bought it, I'll tell you soon how it deals with ppt.

Thanks for testing it. I will be waiting for your report.
I have also emailed one of the office app developers to see if they can do what im looking for as their app is $20 with no free trail on the app store.

Ok I've just tested with brieflet the powerpoint presentation you mentioned earlier : no animations. You can only have animation between two successive slides, configurable inside brieflet parameters.
If you want to keep your animation, you have to create two different slides when you just have to create one with ppt : for instance the first slide
with no image, and the second slide, same as the first slide plus your image. Since brieflet can fade between two slides following each other, it would work.
I tried also your ppt with quickoffice pro hd (not the latest version though, but the 4.5.15), and same story, no animation.
Hope it helps.

Having the same problem here
bro ...
i get your point 100 % because right now i'm facing the same problem like yours and next week i have already do my presentation and it killing me softly that all the animation, hyperlink than i edit not even work either in : Doctogo, Polaris and all the stupid program.
really need BIG ADVICE for this case.
P.S : if you already solve your problem, please let me know.
Regards,
nDorondondo

Something to keep in mind, Microsoft and Apple worked together to bring MS Office to Mac, and most likely iPad/iPhone/iPod. I Microsoft and Apple hate Android and have not shared any of the MS Office secrets therefore every office app for Android has had to reverse engineer the formats and that is not easy. This is why none of them produce 100% compatible results. If you create a new document in a native Android office app I am confident it will do so you ask it to, but to expect it to perfectly replicate a closed source suite's results is inane. Perhaps one day big businesses will all play nicely with each other, but not today.
Sent from my Transformer TF101G using Tapatalk

[Q] Request to Port Pharos to Windows RT

Hello,
I'm new here, but I've visited frequently for rooting instructions and things like that. I'm very impressed by the work that this community has put out, and I figure that I'd ask a favor directly. I only assume that some, if not all, of the members simply mod for fun, nor do I don't know how difficult it is to modify code, but I'm going to ask anyways and hope that I don't come off like an idiot.
I go to school at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and the printing system here allows for mobile printing. The problem is that I traded my old laptop for a Windows RT device, and although my vivotab is jailbroken and does properly run ported apps, it doesn't want to run the mobile print exe. I looked up the problem on google to see if I could fix it myself only to learn that the exe for mobile printing installs a pharos popup client along with the printer drivers and that Ohio State University has an open source club that solved the problem for Linux laptops by installing CUPS.
I don't know if anyone is interested in helping or if this is even possible, but I thought I'd give this a shot. Also it sounds relevant since RT is somewhat catered to the college student, and it looks like at least a handful of universities use the same type of system? I don't know. I'm in over my head, so thanks!

Windows RT - re: Microsoft Leave Us Alone

First off, it is silly that I cannot post a reply straight into the thread, and have to create a new thread in an unrelated area of the forums, as I am a new user (or have less than 10 posts).
Ok, as regards the Windows RT and lock down of the Desktop Applications development, how do the internal programs get past this block? As per many other comments it would appear that Windows RT is a recompilation of Windows 8 and has many like for like .dll's, etc. If the Office 2013 suite can run under the desktop, is it because Microsoft has signed the app with a certificate that is not available to other developers? Does this mean that under the previous EU ruling they are breaching some law in that they are using resources to give themselves an advantage that other developers cannot take advantage of?
I think the only reason they have locked down Windows RT like this is so that this cheap OS does not eat into their regular Windows 8 sales. Certainly I bought a Windows RT device because it is more compatible with my work habits (due to Office 2013) than the Android and iPads I have used in the past. If I could easily use tools like PuTTY, then there would be little reason for me to use a normal laptop or other device.
I doubt Microsoft really watches these discussions in any serious way, but one of the key reasons I chose Windows RT over Android and iPad is because when I need the flexibility of many windows open at the same time and side by side I can do that, but when I want the uncluttered quick environment then New UI does that as well.
Samsung, with Android, is starting to allow a couple apps together, but try to run an Excel Spreadsheet and read your banking web site at the same time to transpose the figures into your budgeting file, and iPad/Android are tedious but Windows RT is a breeze, it is what Windows does best. Microsoft should understand that apart from everything else they do, they provide an OS and should let developers get the most out of that OS, just like Android and iPad developers can push those OS's.

oucarso econcomy
What's more awesome is that new users can't post outside links either. This might be of interest to you www[dot]makeuseof[dot]com/tag/how-to-jailbreak-your-windows-rt-device-and-run-unapproved-desktop-software/

Thanks for the link
My post came as a result of researching the Jail Break idea, I had not seen that page yet. I downloaded the patch and it worked very well. Pity it does not detail why the program goes to the internet the first time it is run, but I assume it is to get the certificate?
Seems like most posters are really happy to have PuTTY working (which is exactly what I wanted). Is it hard to create a New UI App?, maybe someone just needs to compile PuTTY as a New UI app as a terminal emulator should be pretty straight forward.
While I understand that new Intel chips are just around the corner, Surface RT is only $400.00 (64Gb, Touch keyboard) so pretty cheap, so being able to sit on the couch and browse emails, internet and also manage my Linux boxes is really good.
I can do the same thing on my Android TAB, but it is tedious changing screens all the time. New UI has the same problem, always flicking between all the programs. This is what Windows does best, so don't understand why MS would take away from that tried and true model, except they are probably trying to protect their full Windows 8 investment. Instead what they will find is the Windows RT dies a quick death and that is a wasted investment (if that happens they should have just made a New UI only version and got Office to work within that environment if Office is the main reason for the Desktop in Windows RT).