the tablet war is heating up

[falcarrion]

Do I have to use official iPad apps or am I able to install other things? In a previous message I mentioned that I'd prefer to not use iTunes.

You would have to jailbreak the unit.

 

[Fast Learner]

You would have to jailbreak the unit.

You can install anything on the entire App Store over WiFi with the App Store app and never run iTunes once. No need for iTunes except when you first set up the device.

Mind you, if you don't sync with iTunes now and then, your data won't be backed up and you won't get OS updates. This is the single biggest limitation of iOS for me, and I look forward to it changing.

 

[John Crichton]

The bottom line is that it's still an Apple iDevice with all the proprietary software and limitations that they've had for years. I'm not saying this is preventing me from buying one it's just a statement of fact.

 

[falcarrion]

Check out this you tube video

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnM8ciByJps]YouTube - Wireless Mirroring With An iPad 2[/ame]

 

[John Crichton]

Wireless HDMI rocks. I can't wait to get a laptop with that built-in!

 

[Argyle King]

You can get an adapter that makes the 30 pin connection to a usb port. Usb drives will not work. But other items such as usb keyboards, media card readers,
ect.
The way that "USB Disk" works is that it lets you use the free space as storage.
Once it is setup you can transfer files from your computer to your ipad going through Itunes.

Dropbox is more what your looking for. It is cloud storage.

I don't think that's what I'd want. Cloud storage is fine for (I imagine) most people, but I'd rather be able to just plug my tablet into one of my drives and get what I want. If I can't, that's a pretty big black mark on my eyes.

Hearing that I'd have to sync up with iTunes is a bit of a buzzkill too. I'd rather not .

I think I'll just wait for the other tablets to catch up.

 

[nedjer]

The tablet you buy now will be significantly more expensive and less powerful than the tablet you buy once Android enters the market properly. Sony, Toshiba, LG and several others haven't been able to go for mass production until the OS became tablet ready. Now they can develop with the finished OS it'll be lower price points exactly along the lines of Android phones v's iPhones. It's also rumoured the Android tablets have a killer app, along the lines of a working alarm clock.

 

[Janx]

The bottom line is that it's still an Apple iDevice with all the proprietary software and limitations that they've had for years. I'm not saying this is preventing me from buying one it's just a statement of fact.

So was my atari 2600....

Some of those propietary limitations keep jerks from wrecking my propietary device.

The real artificial limitations are:
There's some apps we're not going to get
Moving data in and out is klugey

I call these artificial limitations because It is simply Apple's choice to be this way, rather than any actual limitation i. The software or hardware.

Overall i can live with those limits on my iphone and my ipad.

Reports i got from relatively neutral folks who have owned both android and ithing says android ui sucks. Not unexpected given google's lackluster ui trackrecord compared to apple writing the book on ui.

 

[Janx]

Do I have to use official iPad apps or am I able to install other things? In a previous message I mentioned that I'd prefer to not use iTunes.


Also, how hardware/software intensive is it to adapt iPad to USB output? I don't want to buy one just to find out that I need a bunch of 'official' iPad material just to be able to perform simple functions.

Some of the alternatives do have the ports and such that I want; however, they cost more and give me less memory and computing power from what I can gather from online comparisons of the specs.

All ithings have to dock with itunes once to initialize. After that, i only dock to update firmware or to share apps with our iphones or ipad.

Without custom fw (jailbreak) you can only run apps from apple app store. Which u can download direct on your ipad.

You can use usb/bluetooth keyboard. Dont know about mouse.

You can also route your video to a tv or monitor (vga or hdmi).

You can also connect to your camera. Guitar, music keyboard.

You cant access usb storage.

The variety of apps available should cover most needs (not all).

Not sureof yourmeaning in your last statement.

Thanks to the chap who answered my android questions. I can post via myipad, but not see prior posts while posting

 

[Banshee16]

Reports i got from relatively neutral folks who have owned both android and ithing says android ui sucks. Not unexpected given google's lackluster ui trackrecord compared to apple writing the book on ui.

I haven't tried Android devices, but I can say that, IMO, the iPhone is cool....but I wouldn't say it's just outright "better" than every other device.

Yes, it was the first really good touch smartphone. But touch is overrated at times, as is Apple's way of doing things.

I've got both a Blackberry Bold and an iPhone. Frankly, each have their own advantages. And I wasn't even using the security aspects of the Bold. The iPhone is definitely more prestigious. And there are a tonne of apps. But when you look at the store, there is also a heck of a lot of duplication. How many fart apps do we need?

The idevice is a better portable computer...definitely. Personally, I find it inferior as a phone and messaging device. The spelling auto correction sucks. Typing can be a pain by comparison. Surfing the web is fun with fingers on a touch screen. Until you start accidentally clicking links by touching them while trying to pinch to zoom, or scroll a page up and down, and then you have to waste time waiting to reload the previous screen, to get back to what you were trying to look at. Bluetooth doesn't work nearly as well. Worked perfectly with the Ford Sync system in our Escape with our Blackberries. Doesn't work half as well with the iPhone. Disconnects, refuses to stream music correctly. Geeze....I've got to plug the darn thing into the car's USB port with a cable to play music. I could just stick my Blackberry in the cup holder or glove box and it would stream away. Look ma, no wires! How about not needing to buy extra apps to be able to conduct a text search of a webpage?

Does it play music better than a Blackberry? Not really. The interface to select and play music is snazzier, but if you spend much time looking at it, you'll drain your battery.

And yes, the battery. My Blackberry has gone a week between charges, with regular use. My iPhone might last a day.

I think there's largely room for all three types of device. Owning two of the three types, I'm convinced a bit part of Apple's allure is that "it's cool to own one", rather than that they are so much ahead of the competition.

I suspect things will be the same way with tablets. Apple was there first, and enough people buy into the marketing that they'll be a dominant device, regardless of the quality of some of the competitors.

Banshee