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Hi,
Well, people are asking me what I want for christmas (already) and since I know i'm going to be grabbing an XDA II, I'm asking for accessories. Does anyone know of a folding keyboard (not thumb style - can't stand those) that would work with an XDA II?
Thanks.
YES!
http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=PA870U
targus has this GREAT fold keyboard, almost full size (more like laptop size) hard case, and uses IR to connect, no direct connect...
so basicaly, you can use it on ANY pda/xda... via the InferRed
Consumer IR
I read something about the XDA's infrared not being "Consumer" IR (i.e. you couldn't control your tv with it as remote). What exactly does Consumer IR mean, and would that effect this keyboard?
thats not true!!
tho it may not have the same RANGE as a regular remote control
i use it to control my tv, vcr, sat ....
and, i use the keyboard as well!
u DO have to disable the RECEIVE ALL BEAMS from control panel.
but that dont effect the keyboard OR the remote control programs
@ntabikha
What software do you use to control tv, vcr.........
Where can I get these software?
Thanks
Delfin
I'm curious if anyone is using their tablet for note-taking (like a notepad). If so, what pen do you use and is there any digitizer software available that you'd recommend.
It sounds like I'm in the minority in actually wanting to use a tablet in this manner (even though I believe that was the original concept of the tablet), just curious if anyone has tried it.
AsSiMiLaTeD_77 said:
I'm curious if anyone is using their tablet for note-taking (like a notepad). If so, what pen do you use and is there any digitizer software available that you'd recommend.
It sounds like I'm in the minority in actually wanting to use a tablet in this manner (even though I believe that was the original concept of the tablet), just curious if anyone has tried it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use SktechPad by Autodesk for drawing quick skteches..
And I use InkPad NotePad to make notes for shopping list, and jotting down some quick info.
I don't use a stylus for the sketchpad, and for notes I have swype installed so taking notes is really fast for me
I use my Gtab for class every day. Note everything lets me do typed notes, voice notes and drawn notes. My lectures are in PDF format so I will read along then hit the home button to access my note everything widget and select the type of note to make. Make note then hold home key to to bring up recent apps and select acrobat reader which takes me back to the exact spot I was at. I continue with home key long presses to switch between drawn notes, typed notes and my lecture notes.
It works perfect for my biology and chemestry classes where drawn and typed notes are made daily.
I Use the app Genial Writting, It's great and saves documents in your own handwritting, just as you've written it, it's a little slower then writing with an actual pen and paper, but you can save all your notes for different classes in individual "digital notebooks". I also bought the stylus from best buy for 19.99, not sure what brand but it's in the ipad section and it's the only one they carried at the time, it works great.
The transformer priced at 399 looks interesting,
But what's the point of a trackpad/ keyboard with android ?
I could see if when you docked it , it became a win7 netbook, and models like that are coming, but why the interest in a trackpad/keyboard for honeycomb?
For extended text entry using the polaris suite of apps and also for the extra battery life.
I don't plan on bringing the keyboard dock with me everywhere but I definitely see me using it when I'm out of the office with work or on a client site.
I plan on using VNC for applications I use for composing music - precision is very important in them, so trackpad should be very useful. I don't care much for they keyboard dock though - if not for the USB ports and battery I would probably settle for bluetooth mouse and keyboard.
Netbooks are mostly only used for the internet and typing up documents, both of which honeycomb is fine for. The transformer gives you the functionality of both a tab and a netbook in one device.
For me the main use is when using RDP to remote desktop into server.
You can use the onscreen keyboard for this, but it's a pain in the proverbial. I could use a bluetooth keyboard (and do with my Galaxy Tab from time to time), but this has the advantage of being pretty much full size and the extra battery/ports wouldn't go amiss either.
Regards,
Dave
I think its a good idea because now you get to make programs that will use the trackpad. Good for all of us.
I want a good MMo/Rpg's or FPS's that utalizes the trackpad. For example a good gameloft game like Sandstorm...
Hmm this is a good point, I just assumed honeycomb would have cursor support. Is this not the case? I'd like to be able to use a cursor in the OS when it's docked.
I've found the Xoom to be good for everything but long-form writing. I do a great deal of that late at night and in bed, and with my HP Envy notebook (which is overkill for just writing) I need to position a tray, listen to the fan running, etc.
With the Asus, I'll have a device that's good for long-form writing, lasts 16 hours (or probably much, much more with less intensive work), has essentially a hefty portable battery for recharging the tablet on the go, is absolutely silent and runs very cool, doesn't necessarily need a case to protect the screen because the dock serves that purpose, etc.
I'm pretty darn excited about it. I think Asus has hit on a very powerful combination.
It's confirmed that Trasnformer has a normal mouse cursor when you attach a mouse. On videos it shows a point instead of cursor when you use trackpad.
I am looking to acquire this tablet for use at school. Bought a 17" ASUS in 2007, just too big to lug around campus.
What I will need it to do is the following:
- Note taking with a stylus (I presume a capacitive stylus would work?), possibly some app with organization of those notes would be nice too.
- Is it possible to do HW assignments (with stylus) and print them out?
- Is it easy to print or get files to computers on campus for work/print?
- An app with full Excel functionality (would google docs do this too?)
- Possible MATLAB or comparable functionality in an app.
- Does it work well with tethering? I have seen threads here that say you might have to change some setting in files to get it to recognize adhoc networks?
- Will the problem with not being able to charge the dock and laptop simultaneously prevent me from using one or the other if either of the batteries are dead?
- I've read the threads about the dock not charging, but don't quite understand what the issue is? Please explain.
I truly hope this is the right solution for what I need! I got my first Android phone in April (Epic 4g) and am learning new stuff everyday.
I'm not sure about your other questions but I do know about the dock/tablet charging. You can charge both of them at the same time if you have the tablet docked, just insert the charging cable into the dock and it will charge both. Also, you can keep the tablet docked to the keyboard forever if you wanted to.
Basically, the dock charges your tablet until it reaches 100%, then doesn't charge it unless the tablet battery gets below 95%. The tablet draws power only from the dock until it reaches 3%, then it starts taking power from it's own battery.
Hope this answers your questions about the dock+tablet functionality
EDIT: also check this thread to see which office app is best for excel: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1085173
i2IDIUM said:
I am looking to acquire this tablet for use at school. Bought a 17" ASUS in 2007, just too big to lug around campus.
What I will need it to do is the following:
- Note taking with a stylus (I presume a capacitive stylus would work?), possibly some app with organization of those notes would be nice too.
- Is it possible to do HW assignments (with stylus) and print them out?
- Is it easy to print or get files to computers on campus for work/print?
- An app with full Excel functionality (would google docs do this too?)
- Possible MATLAB or comparable functionality in an app.
- Does it work well with tethering? I have seen threads here that say you might have to change some setting in files to get it to recognize adhoc networks?
- Will the problem with not being able to charge the dock and laptop simultaneously prevent me from using one or the other if either of the batteries are dead?
- I've read the threads about the dock not charging, but don't quite understand what the issue is? Please explain.
I truly hope this is the right solution for what I need! I got my first Android phone in April (Epic 4g) and am learning new stuff everyday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Trust me you wouldn't want to use stylus to write down stuff. It's more efficient to type notes.
- The office software that comes with eee pad doesn't have print option, but I've seen apps on android market that let you print.
- Not sure about 100% full functionality, but there is a nice excel alternative that is part of the office package.
- no MATLAB
- I connected to ad-hoc networks just fine. Didn't use them for sharing internet though.
- Both charge at the same time just fine.
- Some docks were sold with broken charging. But most of them charge just fine. It even charges without tablet part.
For printing needs check out PrinterShare on the market it is not free, but it works very well.
I am not gonna lie to you, TF is a great piece of hardware, Honeycomb it the best Tablet OS outhere, but for studying you will be limited with the office applications compare to a regular Windows/mac notebook... apart from that I don't see a problem as you can have all sorts of compatibility with regards to http, ftp exchange etc.. other stuff commonly used on campus.
Thanks for the input.
My final question is where is the best place to but it? The way I see it I have two options.
Newegg. No sales tax, saves me ~$40
Best Buy (brick n mortar). Sales tax, but also ability to get a full refund it not pleased within 14 days.
Any suggestions on this?
On where to buy it, this may be of interest to you:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1177461
According to that thread, some other shops will also accept the coupon thanks to some kind of "price match" system.
i2IDIUM said:
What I will need it to do is the following:
- Note taking with a stylus (I presume a capacitive stylus would work?), possibly some app with organization of those notes would be nice too.
- Is it possible to do HW assignments (with stylus) and print them out?
- Is it easy to print or get files to computers on campus for work/print?
- An app with full Excel functionality (would google docs do this too?)
- Possible MATLAB or comparable functionality in an app.
- Does it work well with tethering? I have seen threads here that say you might have to change some setting in files to get it to recognize adhoc networks?
- Will the problem with not being able to charge the dock and laptop simultaneously prevent me from using one or the other if either of the batteries are dead?
- I've read the threads about the dock not charging, but don't quite understand what the issue is? Please explain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Typing would be much faster
- If by HW you mean writing up simple papers and doing online research, then yes.
- There are few Android apps that lets you print to network printers, but not sure what kind of file types they support or if they work well on honeycomb
- There are office apps with spreadsheet support, but they are no where close to MS office, don't expect to draw fancy graphs n stuff
- No MATLAB, and I don't think you'll see any scientific simulation tool for honeycomb anytime soon.
- Adhoc tethering has problems, but there are workarounds.
- Dock always charges the tablet, so I dont think there is going to be any issues with not being able to charge the dock and the tablet at once.
- I dont have a dock, so cant explain more.
Bottom line : you are better off with a regular notebook (12~13”) or even a netbook for that matter. Right now, I cant recommend an android tablet for a technology/science major student.
to respectfully disagree with some of the above.
you can print from TF. Google cloud print works great. Plenty of apps for note taking.
Polaris or gdocs for excel....
TF is great option for a student
I will say with a stylus you do get the handwriting experience, I use it for taking notes down during meetings and works great. But for classes yes typing might be better unless you need to draw out a diagram or word problem or something like that then stylus would be nice to have.
I believe you can do everything you need to with a transformer, it has definitely bridged the gap between a tablet for consuming data and a tablet that consumes and creates data. Just need to find the right apps that get you what you want, and don't shy away from remoteing into a machine if need be using splashtop.
Personal Experience
Using it for school, overall functions as well as a laptop. Unable to do CAD work or any high end windows program, but for relative usage its good.
Oh and the best part. File transfer without worries for viruses.
Posting from my new tablet
What is best way to sell used laptop? Posted on FB, posting in local classifieds... anything else?
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This is my first post here on the Surface Pro forums. I'm usually in the Nexus 4 forums so just a little out of place, haha.
Pretty much there's a lot of mixed reviews from tech journalists and the business world in regards to this tablet/laptop. If any of you haven't seen the review done on Penny Arcade, then I suggest you go there first if you want a full review of this product.
This thread is mainly to tell you guys about my experience as an artist working on this tablet.
My setup is as follows:
1. 128GB Microsoft Surface Pro
2. Logitech K360 Keyboard (wireless)
3. Logitech M510 Mouse (wireless)
4. Uspeed USB 3.0 4 Port Compact Hub
5. Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 6
I chose this setup to be as versatile as possible. The surface keyboard option was $130 dollars, and honestly, I think that's a load of crap. The keyboard was 40 dollars at best, and even if it attaches to the Surface Pro and acts as a protective cover, I still don't get that price point. Maybe if it was more like a dock (more USB ports) and possibly a bigger battery source, then I'd be more inclined. The wireless allows me to completely detach from the keyboard and mouse by simply taking the Surface Pro from my desk and immediately start using my pen. When I put the tablet back in the wireless keyboard/mouse range, it automatically detects it again and this is pretty much seamless, no syncing, no bluetooth pairing crap, it's awesome.
The 4 port hub is optional and rarely do I have it hooked up. It's for when I need to hook up a USB memory stick or a device such as a scanner or printer (which I have yet to use). It is powered so if I need to put in a hefty device, then it won't kill the surface pro. It is also very light and compact, barely bigger than a credit card. The cord on it is a little longer than I'd like, but it's not bad.
I've had it for about a week and I can tell you that this is probably the best drawing tablet on the market right now (minus the professional desktop grade tablets such as the Intuos and the Cintiqs). I've tried the iPad, Asus Transformer, Nexus 7 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab. The Tab comes the closest with their pen option, however with Android, I don't get the same options I do where Windows 8.
For drawing I mainly have just the tablet and pen in hand. In fact 80% of the time, this is fine. Sketchbook Pro 6 is well designed for very minimal keyboard hotkeys and so I am able to navigate most of the interface with just the pen and finger gestures. I can't comment on Photoshop yet because WinTab has yet to be released at the time I'm posting, and so pressure sensitivity is still up in the air. However Sketchbook Pro 6 registers pressure sensitivity very well.
PROS
Screen lag is virtually non-existent, response is very good. I say virtually because, it will start showing up when the brush size is super super large and you have, say the airbrush tool selected. However this is an inherent problem with even my main rig, which has an i7 2600k and 16GB of ram. Most of the time, I use this tablet to get my roughs, and even touchups done, but if I'm going to work on a 50+ layer 300DPI/PPI image, then I'm switching back onto my main machine to do that kind of work. With that said, I would not recommend this tablet/laptop for any graphic designer wanting to only have just this to work on. This is a purely supplemental tool to an artist, in my opinion.
Multi-tasking is a breeze when I'm using it in tablet mode. I can draw sitting on my couch or outside, I can have my music playing in Spotify and I can quickly go in and out of my file browser, network as well as any USB devices I have very very quickly. If I need to FTP anything up to my websites, I can do so fairly easily as well. This is the true power of having Windows 8 rather than a tablet OS. You just can't beat the sheer amount of applications built for productivity on Windows and so it's highly evident when using this tablet.
CONS:
My biggest gripe with this tablet is that what makes it powerful.. Windows.. is also it's weakpoint. What do I mean by that? Well in essence, Windows is a desktop platform, and so interacting with buttons is very precision based (mouse) or in this case a pen. While practice will essentially get rid of this, it's still somewhat of a pain in the butt having to try and click a tiny button during installation or even minimizing or maximizing a screen.
Font size is the second problem. Even with large fonts enabled, there's still a lot of programs that don't take advantage of this. When I'm working in 3DSMax or Maya, the interface still looks very very small. Now someone may say, wtf are you doing working on a 3d program on a mobile device? Well honestly, when I'm traveling, I can model an object without rendering it. I don't need to be rendering out a high quality pass with V-Ray or Mental Ray activated and Final Gather on, lol. I'm simply saying that working in the interface, even though I'm used to most of them, I still have to squint a lot to enter values or read off values. There's probably mods out there or applications I can get to increase this, but with just a base stock install it is a pain.
------------
If you all have any questions on this tablet please feel free to post up.
WISHLIST
Some things I'd like to see in terms of accessories..
Adjustable cover... I find that when I'm drawing, I either have to lay it down on the table or go into "picture frame" style mode which isn't really usable for drawing. I will often just have it on my lap or laying on top of a three ring binder to get that angle that I'm looking for.
Grippier pen.. I have an Intuos 5 at work and Intuos 4 at home and the pen is much more comfortable and ergonomic to work with. Now the Surface Pen is by no means a slouch and I can definitely work with it.. but if they had different style pens for artists available, I'd definitely buy one.
I haven't heard of the intuos tablets but then I was never a graphic design person.
Are they Wacom digitiser based? If so then the stylus should work fine on the surface.
The surface stylus is just a wacom pen so that is probably why there are not additional styles available, you can already get them.
Note that I don't own a surface or drawing tablet etc.
SixSixSevenSeven said:
I haven't heard of the intuos tablets but then I was never a graphic design person.
Are they Wacom digitiser based? If so then the stylus should work fine on the surface.
The surface stylus is just a wacom pen so that is probably why there are not additional styles available, you can already get them.
Note that I don't own a surface or drawing tablet etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All lines of Wacom tablets have proprietary pens, even an Intuos 4 pen will not work for an Intuos 5, I've tried, lol. Although, I wish they would :-/
Argenist said:
but if they had different style pens for artists available, I'd definitely buy one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No you wouldnt, they'd probably want $100 for it lol
Trig0r said:
No you wouldnt, they'd probably want $100 for it lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It'd depend on the pen. Wacom makes an awesome airbrush pen for the Intuos that I would pay that much for. If they charged $100 for the same pen with a small amount of grip on it, then yeah I'd probably say no.
I'm surprised you hadn't tried the Samsung Note 10.1, which has an active digitizer like the S.Pro but at half the price. Sammy's multi-window scheme is more elaborate and functional than Metro Snap. Sketchbook Pro is of course also on Android.
The Windows font scaling problem you mentioned has long been a problem, and is why S.RT's low-res screen is actually more functional than S.Pro's 1080p one. A larger issue is that there is (yet) no independent scaling for different displays, so the Pro's 150% scaling would look horrible if you attach an external display. The current workaround is to compromise at 125% scaling, which is optimal for neither. MS has said this will be fixed, and I expect Blue will bring display-specific scaling.
The con mentioned--desktop elements being touch unfriendly--is the single largest problem that has crippled the Win8 adoption. Metro is not the way forward for Windows, not until it can subsume desktop functions, and it can't in its current state. It's not even v1.0. It's only for small-screen devices, and is unfit to be used in portrait.
The desktop was mainly ignored in Win8. I would think that any aid at all would've helped to ease the transition. For example, the magnifying tool in Accessibility could've been deployed by default to dynamically enlarge areas for touch. I expect to see something like this to arrive in Blue.
e.mote said:
I'm surprised you hadn't tried the Samsung Note 10.1, which has an active digitizer like the S.Pro but at half the price. Sammy's multi-window scheme is more elaborate and functional than Metro Snap. Sketchbook Pro is of course also on Android.
The Windows font scaling problem you mentioned has long been a problem, and is why S.RT's low-res screen is actually more functional than S.Pro's 1080p one. A larger issue is that there is (yet) no independent scaling for different displays, so the Pro's 150% scaling would look horrible if you attach an external display. The current workaround is to compromise at 125% scaling, which is optimal for neither. MS has said this will be fixed, and I expect Blue will bring display-specific scaling.
The con mentioned--desktop elements being touch unfriendly--is the single largest problem that has crippled the Win8 adoption. Metro is not the way forward for Windows, not until it can subsume desktop functions, and it can't in its current state. It's not even v1.0. It's only for small-screen devices, and is unfit to be used in portrait.
The desktop was mainly ignored in Win8. I would think that any aid at all would've helped to ease the transition. For example, the magnifying tool in Accessibility could've been deployed by default to dynamically enlarge areas for touch. I expect to see something like this to arrive in Blue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy Note 10.1 doesn't have access to all the apps he listed. Also, you can't beat full x86.
I've yet to find this to be a problem. You can set scaling to 125% for the environment and tell individual apps to not follow scaling if you need it to. Maybe it's just me, but my eyes are perfectly fine with 100% scaling.
I don't think you can blame that on MS. While I don't particularly use the metro ui, it is useful. I manage to use the desktop elements just fine in desktop mode. If you noticed, MS Office 2013 is touch friendly and other software developers are following up on making their applications more touch friendly (but you probably won't see a lot of them until touchscreen computers grab a bigger share in the market). Obviously if you come out with a new OS that is touch friendly when it never was, there would be problems with that...people never complained about this with earlier tablet pc's, so why are they starting to complain now? Because touchscreens are becoming more and more common. Obviously it will take some time to get there.
You're right. The desktop is mainly ignored and only used for legacy apps. I'm guessing MS hopes that most developers will try and switch to the metro ui (I'm suspecting this might take a few years). I still can't see myself using metro ui as my primary ui.