So I bought a tablet....

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September 4th, 2013 at 8:44:17 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
I got last year's model of the Nexus 7. I wish I could say more right now, but I'm still learning the OS and the peculiarities of touch.

The first thing I did was download Audible, which worked fine. The scond thing was Kindle, which required nearly 45 minutes of fighting Amazon's defaults to get the Kindle store to display English titles only. I know the "app," or the website, reads my location. I've had this problem before with websites. It should also read the OS language (I set it up in English). If I were interested in books in Spanish, I wouldn't need Kindle or Amazon. There are local options for that.

The first thing I noticed is that my observations on touch screens are correct: it's limited, not better or even equal to a mouse and keybaord, and it's not good for serious work. To begin with the 7" screen isn't conducive to work, but the touch keybaord is not very good for much typing either.

The second thing I noticed is that I reflexively focus my eyesight differently when using the tablet.

The third thing I noticed is that a tablet is largely useless without an internet connection. We have WiFi at work, but I need to jump through hoops and do sumersaults in order to get access. No thanks. I will be lugging it to work daily ony in case I have to leave on an unexpected trip. I figure the tablet is more convenient for web browsing and checking email than a laptop anyway. That was the point of getting one to begin with.

I figure, too, I will download some games and other things that don't require an ever-present internet connection. Audible works perfectly well without one, once you've downloaded some content. Since I'll be lugging it around, too, I'll use it to listen to podcasts while driving as well, and relegate the MP3 player to workout duty.

So, question: is there an iTunes app for Android? I didn't find one, not by Apple, in the app store. I don't care much for music, but many podcasts I follow use iTunes as an alternative for downlaoding their work. I figure a central clearinghouse for that makes more sense than going to each individual website.

We'll see how the rest of it goes.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
September 4th, 2013 at 9:37:46 AM permalink
TheCesspit
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 23
Posts: 1929
iTunes is apple's propriety system. They don't want to play on Android. There are a couple of tools that allow you to sync android with your desk top PC's iTunes, but I had little success with them.

Just look for a podcast manager on android (there are several). There should be no need to have to use iTunes for gathering the streams of data.
It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die.... it's called Life
September 4th, 2013 at 10:05:57 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
Quote: TheCesspit
iTunes is apple's propriety system. They don't want to play on Android. There are a couple of tools that allow you to sync android with your desk top PC's iTunes, but I had little success with them.


I suspected as much.

I don't have iTunes in my PC. I've no use for it there. I did try downloading podcasts with it early on, but it was much simpler to right-click on website links. And seeing as I know how to uninstall software, and iTunes kept pestering me to update, using up RAM and clogging the boot, out it went.

Quote:
Just look for a podcast manager on android (there are several). There should be no need to have to use iTunes for gathering the streams of data.


Thanks! I'll look that up, too.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
September 4th, 2013 at 10:45:56 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
I got a backdoor (not really) into the office WiFi ;)

I installed a couple of games, as many of my coworkers are curious about it. The tablet all by itself upgraded to Andrid 4.3 (it came with 4.2)

BTW, Android 4.4 is out today. The nickname is Kit-Kat, and it is tied promotionally with Nestle. Raise your hand if you ever expected an OS to be sponsored. No, I didn't think so. The least surprising thing is that it got tied to a candy bar. I mean, after ice-cream sandwich and jellybean, chocolate is pedestrian.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
September 4th, 2013 at 11:18:43 AM permalink
beachbumbabs
Member since: Sep 3, 2013
Threads: 6
Posts: 1600
Nareed,

I got a tablet (Huawai 7") about a year ago, myself. I find it limited, to say the least, without a mouse. How you access a right-click menu I still haven't discovered. I did purchase a travel keyboard with a combo case/tablet stand and bluetooth, and found it made the tablet infinitely more useful for my purposes. There seem to be 3 good reasons to have a tablet; internet searches, streaming video, and email. But it does so much less than a subcompact computer, and is so much larger than my phone (which does all that I listed, though the smaller screen is a disadvantage) that I feel I'm wasting my money on it, especially on the 50/month I'm paying for the data service. The only other real use I've gotten out of it is as a protected wifi source for my laptop when I'm travelling, and my phone recently became tetherable so that's now redundant as well.
Never doubt a small group of concerned citizens can change the world; it's the only thing ever has
September 4th, 2013 at 11:42:11 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
Quote: beachbumbabs
Nareed,

I got a tablet (Huawai 7") about a year ago, myself. I find it limited, to say the least, without a mouse. How you access a right-click menu I still haven't discovered.


I suppose it depends on the specific operating system. Android has no right-click at all. I expect I'll be busy online this week looking up Android tips and tricks, but I find I can use it well enough most of the time.

Quote:
There seem to be 3 good reasons to have a tablet; internet searches, streaming video, and email. But it does so much less than a subcompact computer, and is so much larger than my phone (which does all that I listed, though the smaller screen is a disadvantage) that I feel I'm wasting my money on it, especially on the 50/month I'm paying for the data service. The only other real use I've gotten out of it is as a protected wifi source for my laptop when I'm travelling, and my phone recently became tetherable so that's now redundant as well.


I have a Blackberry issued by the company, and no phone of my own. The 2" screen is too small for even email, but tiserves for most of what I need for work.

Last year in Vegas, where free in-room WiFi is not so much rare as non-existent, I found free WiFi here and there, and I could use my phone to access Facebook, but not really websites or email very well. But again the screen was limiting. So I thought: how about a small tablet? It would fit in my purse and not weigh me down, start-up is reasonably fast, the screen is big enough for both Facebook and odd links, plus: I can listen to audiobooks (even on the plane) and podcasts and read e-books as well. Next I want to try some shopping apps and thngs like Pinterest. I expect I'll download my very first e-book later today (Larry Niven's conclusion to both the Ringowrld and "Worlds" series, I hope). Next I'll see whether I can stand reading on a tablet (I can read for 8 hours at a stretch with only short breaks), and whether it will fit my favortie reading position (on the bed, lying on my left side with my head propped on a pillow).

Of course, if the company upgrades us next year, around April, with big Samsung handsets or, worse, iPhones, I may be a tad upset.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
September 4th, 2013 at 9:34:53 PM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
I've complained int eh past that Windows Hell's (I mean Windows Hell's) M/M/W interface (Metro/Modern/Whatever-it's-called-this-week) reduces the PC to the functionality of a tablet. Having been able to experience a tablet for an extended period now, installing whatever apps I want, using it my way and so on, I can confirm that statement.

The Nexus tablet is great. I like it. But it only does so much. In particular using more than one program at a time, or even more than one browser window at a time, is a chore.

That said, some apps for web-based things like Pinterest work better on the tablet for certain things. For instance, re-pinning something is much easier and faster. But for decent browsing I find myself turning the tablet from landscape to portrait mode often. landscape's great for seeing many pins quickly, but portrait works best for viewing a single pin.

But if I want to see the source website, that involves two programs running, using the app switcher, etc.

So it's great for some things, particularly on the move, but a tablet is not a PC.

On other things, Kindle works great and is perfectly legible. I can read in bed, too :) Just the same, I find it easier to get on the computer to buy the book, and instruct Amazon to deliver it to the tablet.

In conclusion, the death of the PC has been grossly exaggerated, and Windows 8 still sucks.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
September 6th, 2013 at 7:58:05 AM permalink
Mosca
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 22
Posts: 730
I've been using tablets for a couple or three years now, both Android and iOS, and I agree with you that they are not for serious work. You can do it, but for the cost and trouble, you might as well get a small laptop. FWIW, I added a keyboard and Quickoffice to my iPad, so that if I need to do any serious work on the road I can work with MS Office and PDFs. That's happened once in the last year and a half, so there's that.

On the other hand, they are great for casual traveling: reading, news, music, web browsing, email, checking local dinner reservations and movie times, etc.; without the physical footprint of a laptop.

For Android, I use Doubletwist as my iTunes replacement. I'm sure there are others, but Doubletwist works well; there is a button "get more podcasts", and then you can browse. However, Audible might do that. Poke around there.
September 6th, 2013 at 8:23:27 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
Quote: Mosca
On the other hand, they are great for casual traveling: reading, news, music, web browsing, email, checking local dinner reservations and movie times, etc.; without the physical footprint of a laptop.


Oh, absolutely. My theory is the people who are switching to tablets only, if any are doing so, never got much more use than that out of their PC or laptop.

Quote:
For Android, I use Doubletwist as my iTunes replacement. I'm sure there are others, but Doubletwist works well; there is a button "get more podcasts", and then you can browse. However, Audible might do that. Poke around there.


Thanks. I'll look it up.

For now, though, I found I can hook up the Nexus to the PC and transfer files easily as I did with the MP3 player. The player that came with the tablet isn't very good, but it served well enough for today at least.

The thing is I've never got into the iTunes craze. I ripped some CDs I own, and that was good enough for my music needs. When I discovered podcasts and audiobooks, too, I pretty much banised music from my life. It's amazing how much "reading" one can do with Audible just on the daily commute, never mind on long trips and idle moments. Since I've been sticking with nonfiction, it's remarkable how much learning one can do in that time as well.

Oh, another thing. The tablet arrived on Tuesday, September 3rd 2013. On Wednesday, September 4th 2013 SETI@home released a beta for Android. You may call it a coincidence, but to me it's clearly a miracle performed by the Flying Spaghetti Monster, who is urging me on to discover Him ;P

Seriously, I did install the BOINC app and am running the SETI@home beta. It has interesting options, like how many processor cores to use, and when it cna run. I've set it to run when the tablet is charging only (otherwise it will drain the battery), and only using one core (otherwise the battery will take forever to charge). Another huge difference betwen PCs and Tablets.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
September 6th, 2013 at 8:27:20 PM permalink
Mosca
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 22
Posts: 730
iTunes is awful. There is NOTHING I like about it.

The best music player I ever used was Musicmatch Jukebox, but Yahoo bought it and destroyed it, then discontinued support for the product they broke. Now I don't like any of them. I tolerate Doubletwist.
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