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IPad ... quo vadis ???
- Thread starter A4sForever
- Start date
Amen
that mike guy
JSUPT primary @ VAFB, Enid, OK
Don't mean to threadjack (or turn this into an Apple/Android war), but have you looked at the Motorola XOOM?? Its specs are nearly identical to the iPad2, plus it has USB and HDMI ports. I'll point to this link for a direct comparison. As an aside, the XOOM is the first Android tablet that is running on the OS that Android has specifically designed for tablets and not phones; the previous ones were running ported phone OS, hence some of the criticism they received. Hey if it's good enough for Ochocinco, shouldn't it be good enough for us 
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But you did...
Don't mean to threadjack (or turn this into an Apple/Android war), but have you looked at the Motorola XOOM?? Its specs are nearly identical to the iPad2, plus it has USB and HDMI ports. I'll point to this link for a direct comparison. As an aside, the XOOM is the first Android tablet that is running on the OS that Android has specifically designed for tablets and not phones; the previous ones were running ported phone OS, hence some of the criticism they received. Hey if it's good enough for Ochocinco, shouldn't it be good enough for us
Except the Xoom is about $70 more expensive than the comparable IPAD2 (32G & 3G) AND you have to pay a minimum of 1 month of 3G service to have the WiFi portion enabled. So add $20 on top of the $70 for the Xoom. So is 'rolling with Ochocinco' worth $90???
As the old aviation expression goes, never fly the A-model of anything. I'm going to wait for the reviews to come in on the Xoom before I decide to go with that over the IPAD2.
Don't mean to threadjack (or turn this into an Apple/Android war), but have you looked at the Motorola XOOM?? Its specs are nearly identical to the iPad2, plus it has USB and HDMI ports. I'll point to this link for a direct comparison. As an aside, the XOOM is the first Android tablet that is running on the OS that Android has specifically designed for tablets and not phones; the previous ones were running ported phone OS, hence some of the criticism they received. Hey if it's good enough for Ochocinco, shouldn't it be good enough for us
I just sold my iPad to a squadronmate and am debating between the Xoom and the iPad 2. Hardwarewise it's a wash, they're both dual core, probably the same core on both.
The phone OS's are pretty inadequate for a tablet. The iPad apps are pretty sweet, but the OS itself is pretty much just an app launcher. Hummingbird (Android 3.0) fixes all that, it's a much more integrated OS with a better notification system and multitasking. Will iOS 5 do the same? I think the tablet is suited to a less constricting platform than iOS and I'm probably going to end up getting the Xoom.
that mike guy
JSUPT primary @ VAFB, Enid, OK
@synix - blah blah Apple fanboy stuff 
. Really I just mentioned those points because propaddict said one of his major complaints was no USB ports.
I have heard of people activating the wifi on it without purchasing the 1 month plan and, at one point, Best Buy planned on changing their policy so that you could buy a WiFi only for the normal price; I don't know for sure if this happened or not. One thing you can count on is that someone(s) will "jailbreak" it so that they don't have to pay the extra $20 for 1 month.
Breaking down exactly what you would get for that extra $70:
-4G: Not yet, but the hardware is there. WHEN it is released, IF you go with a wireless data plan, and IF live in one of the cities where 4G is available, that is something to think about. For people who will only ever use WiFi, this doesn't matter though.
-Expandable memory: tbh, the 32g of onboard memory for both devices will be more than enough for most people. In the case that it's not enough, USB and microSD ports would be very nice to have.
-HDMI: meh, nice feature but how often would you hook your computer up to your TV? Could be nice while traveling in hotel rooms, but so many of those TVs are old and still only have A/V ports.
-Flash support: No way of denying that this is great, but this is something that many users probably will be able to live without.
While they have different operating systems, everything else about these two tablets is virtually the same. I seriously wasn't trying to start a war about these things guys; just trying to introduce the OP and/or anyone else looking at buying a tablet PC to an alternative.
Personally, I won't be buying any tablet in the near future; I just can't justify having one at the time. Sure they're nifty, but my phone can do most of the same things that these computers can do and for anything it can't do, I use my desktop.
As for Ochocinco, tbh I have only ever seen him in that one episode of "The League" on FX; just thought I'd throw that part in for an attempt at humor. Damn smileys never work as intended.
EDIT: For those who don't want 3G/4G support, the WiFi only model should be out very soon (possibly now at some retailers) for either $539 or $599.
. Really I just mentioned those points because propaddict said one of his major complaints was no USB ports.I have heard of people activating the wifi on it without purchasing the 1 month plan and, at one point, Best Buy planned on changing their policy so that you could buy a WiFi only for the normal price; I don't know for sure if this happened or not. One thing you can count on is that someone(s) will "jailbreak" it so that they don't have to pay the extra $20 for 1 month.
Breaking down exactly what you would get for that extra $70:
-4G: Not yet, but the hardware is there. WHEN it is released, IF you go with a wireless data plan, and IF live in one of the cities where 4G is available, that is something to think about. For people who will only ever use WiFi, this doesn't matter though.
-Expandable memory: tbh, the 32g of onboard memory for both devices will be more than enough for most people. In the case that it's not enough, USB and microSD ports would be very nice to have.
-HDMI: meh, nice feature but how often would you hook your computer up to your TV? Could be nice while traveling in hotel rooms, but so many of those TVs are old and still only have A/V ports.
-Flash support: No way of denying that this is great, but this is something that many users probably will be able to live without.
While they have different operating systems, everything else about these two tablets is virtually the same. I seriously wasn't trying to start a war about these things guys; just trying to introduce the OP and/or anyone else looking at buying a tablet PC to an alternative.
Personally, I won't be buying any tablet in the near future; I just can't justify having one at the time. Sure they're nifty, but my phone can do most of the same things that these computers can do and for anything it can't do, I use my desktop.
As for Ochocinco, tbh I have only ever seen him in that one episode of "The League" on FX; just thought I'd throw that part in for an attempt at humor. Damn smileys never work as intended.
EDIT: For those who don't want 3G/4G support, the WiFi only model should be out very soon (possibly now at some retailers) for either $539 or $599.
Just keep in mind that Sprint/ATT/T-Mobile's 4G =/= actual 4G. Verizon's is the closest, but it's not even really truely 4G. I have a feeling they'll have to be some software/hardware tweaks before anything is truely 4G, and that probably won't be until next year.
You guys clearly aren't paying much attention when you refer to iOS5... no such thing, even on the near horizon. The specs between the iPad2 and the Xoom are very similar (from what has been figured out so far about the iPad2) but I can't imagine the apps would remotely compare between the two. As for mmx1's comment, why is Hummingbird/Android 3 better?
I'm debating the iPad2 purchase as well... tax return on the + side doesn't help.
I'm debating the iPad2 purchase as well... tax return on the + side doesn't help.
One of the fairly useful reviews of the Xoom; I'm also looking forward to the arstechnica review:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4191/motorola-xoom-review-first-honeycomb-tablet-arrives
Main improvements - a non-intrusive notification system that doesn't force you to dismiss every notification before returning to what you were doing, true tabbed browsing that doesn't reload the page when you switch tabs (and an overall more desktop-like browser), a widget-driven home screen that displays more information than iOS's badges that only provides a number.
There will be an iOS5, but as it wasn't even hinted at yesterday, it's probably a ways off. But it's pretty clear that the iPad can't continue with just an app launcher for an OS.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4191/motorola-xoom-review-first-honeycomb-tablet-arrives
Main improvements - a non-intrusive notification system that doesn't force you to dismiss every notification before returning to what you were doing, true tabbed browsing that doesn't reload the page when you switch tabs (and an overall more desktop-like browser), a widget-driven home screen that displays more information than iOS's badges that only provides a number.
There will be an iOS5, but as it wasn't even hinted at yesterday, it's probably a ways off. But it's pretty clear that the iPad can't continue with just an app launcher for an OS.
Having just dragged both an iPad and a laptop on deployment, here are some observations:
For most of what I do, a tablet is fine.
-Web browsing and e-mail, mostly.
-Occasionally open spreadsheets, PPTs, and WORD docs.
-The tablet format also makes an AWESOME e-reader that saved me a lot of space over bringing a stack of books (this includes my 10+ pound NATOPS that got left at home in favor of the e-book version).
-Also, I have a crap ton of Apps that I can play to waste time.
Things I would miss out on if I didn't have the laptop:
-"Training Videos" on my (and everyone else's) external hard drives
-USB 3g internet sticks (which were the only way to get "fast" internet here for the last 4 months; the local network didn't support microsims for iPad, either)
-Dumping pictures from my camera when the card gets full
-PKI/Smartcard websites (NMCI webmail, DTS, NKO, etc.)
-advanced "creator" applications like Photoshop, and Dreamweaver (for you other huge nerds who run websites)
For me, that last one is still a dealbreaker and why I can't go 6 months with just a tablet. However, for 90%+ of the world (including at least 2 guys in my squadron who proved it), a tablet is an ideal mobile computer and perfect for deployment.
For most of what I do, a tablet is fine.
-Web browsing and e-mail, mostly.
-Occasionally open spreadsheets, PPTs, and WORD docs.
-The tablet format also makes an AWESOME e-reader that saved me a lot of space over bringing a stack of books (this includes my 10+ pound NATOPS that got left at home in favor of the e-book version).
-Also, I have a crap ton of Apps that I can play to waste time.
Things I would miss out on if I didn't have the laptop:
-"Training Videos" on my (and everyone else's) external hard drives
-USB 3g internet sticks (which were the only way to get "fast" internet here for the last 4 months; the local network didn't support microsims for iPad, either)
-Dumping pictures from my camera when the card gets full
-PKI/Smartcard websites (NMCI webmail, DTS, NKO, etc.)
-advanced "creator" applications like Photoshop, and Dreamweaver (for you other huge nerds who run websites)
For me, that last one is still a dealbreaker and why I can't go 6 months with just a tablet. However, for 90%+ of the world (including at least 2 guys in my squadron who proved it), a tablet is an ideal mobile computer and perfect for deployment.
Hey PropAddict,
If your're wanting 3g access where no provider offers micro-sim cards, you are able to cut down a full size sim card to fit in a micro slot.
Also, there are adapters for SD/USB devices on the iPad.
This doesn't address all of your issues, however, and I think the ability to use the DOD certificates paired with a CAC would be nice. It's possible that if there's a demand, someone could write a driver for iOS to support a standard USB card reader. It is essentially a UNIX base. Anyway, I have to agree with you, having the laptop is pretty much a requirement.
If your're wanting 3g access where no provider offers micro-sim cards, you are able to cut down a full size sim card to fit in a micro slot.
Also, there are adapters for SD/USB devices on the iPad.
This doesn't address all of your issues, however, and I think the ability to use the DOD certificates paired with a CAC would be nice. It's possible that if there's a demand, someone could write a driver for iOS to support a standard USB card reader. It is essentially a UNIX base. Anyway, I have to agree with you, having the laptop is pretty much a requirement.
It's safe to say iOS 5 is coming soon. Usually there's the developer event around this time of the year to preview, and it's released along with the new iPhones in July. Free update to everyone. Meanwhile, my roommate with a brand new Droid X has the previous version of Android. He probably doesn't know/care.
I'm not going to BS here. I'm an Apple guy, largely because I like their design and functionality. I used to build my own computers and manually put songs on a Sansa MP3 player. Then I found out I didn't have to deal with needless pain. Of the iPad alternatives, the only one that interests me is the HP Touchpad. webOS is a neat platform. All that being said, I think Apple "gets it" more than others, and the Apps are really strong selling point. It's one thing to make a Twitter client for Android. It's another thing to make an Netflix or an Air Nav/Pub app that the FAA approves. Ditto for real 3D games like Rage HD and Infinity Blade.
I'm not going to BS here. I'm an Apple guy, largely because I like their design and functionality. I used to build my own computers and manually put songs on a Sansa MP3 player. Then I found out I didn't have to deal with needless pain. Of the iPad alternatives, the only one that interests me is the HP Touchpad. webOS is a neat platform. All that being said, I think Apple "gets it" more than others, and the Apps are really strong selling point. It's one thing to make a Twitter client for Android. It's another thing to make an Netflix or an Air Nav/Pub app that the FAA approves. Ditto for real 3D games like Rage HD and Infinity Blade.