iPad vs. other tablet discussion?

[The Adam Blaster]

I did a little searching but didn't see a dedicated discussion about this subject.

It seems like there are going to be a LOT of other tablet devices coming out this spring, or have already come out since Christmas.

Both my wife and I have iPhones, she has a 3 I have a 4.
We really like them and use them quite a bit.
For the iPad though, I'm not that impressed that it doesn't have any sort of slot for a memory card. It seems like if you loaded it up with music, videos etc. you're going to run out of storage room eventually, and it would be nice to be able to bring extra storage space with you on the road/trail. And bringing along a separate computer or laptop to sync up with would decrease the tablet's "portability".

I've been a bit intrigued by what I've read about the RIM Playbook, and it seems like it would be a great competitor to the iPad with some superior characteristics.
I've also heard of a Xoom device, but apparently they had some viruses within a bunch of their apps discovered recently?

My main concern with getting a tablet device that is not Apple is the support in the form of apps. The great thing about our iPhones is the versatility of the available apps. My wife and I have d/l'ed a bunch of kiddie apps for our son, plus I've gotten games and a few different mapping programs on mine.
I'm curious if this level of support (or something approaching it) will be available through any other tablet producer?
Maybe that is something that we have to wait and see?

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[ThomD]

Xoom is an android based tablet. At this moment, the Xoom also does not take memory cards. An upgrade is in the works, but no date has been announced. There are many other android tablets out there besides Xoom.

The recent round of problem apps in the android market place was limited to a very small set of applications - most of which were clearly dodgy (obvious free copies of paid apps, sex themed, etc).

You can see what apps are available for the android platform by looking at www.appbrain.com and market.android.com

 

[haven]

While manufacturers have hardware that's competitive with the iPad, the Android operating system and the applications available for a large screen Android device are distinctly inferior to the iOS ecosystem, in my opinion.

I would love to have a tablet that's a little more like a standalone computer, with access to the file system like a laptop. I dislike using the iPad in conjunction with iTunes on a desktop. (Sync bookmarks with Safari? No thanks!) Maybe in a couple of months!

 

[ventura911]

Another choice

I haven't seen HP mentioned at all. Anyone else like webOS over iOS, Android, or Windows? Having owned a Palm device, in one form or another, for a decade and enjoying webOS on a Pre, I aim to get HP's Touchpad when it comes out in a few months.

My main uses will be pretty standard: e-reader (Kindle and Kobo at this time, B&N possible?), Internet, e-mail, etc. I'm not sucked in by the number of apps one particular tablet may offer over another; I just want quality apps. I don't need to be able to take photos with it, so no rear camera isn't an issue, and a lack of HDMI out doesn't bother me, either.

With webOS's openness (no jailbreaking needed) and multitasking, plus HP's plan to put webOS on variety of devices (phones, tablets, notebooks, PC's) and interconnectivity not yet found anywhere else (your profile's on the cloud), I'm still hopeful webOS will be sufficiently popular to attract apps.

If it really starts rolling, I'd love to see solid navigation apps, allowing whatever webOS device I have with me to cover both street and offroad needs. Hopefully, developers will be able to port over such apps from other operating systems without too much difficulty. For now, I can stick with my Garmin.

 

[spressomon]

<snip> I would love to have a tablet that's a little more like a standalone computer, with access to the file system like a laptop. Maybe in a couple of months!

:clapsmile

A real touch screen with SL or equiv OS in the iPad form factor would be golden! I've found for my off-road nav'ing needs, as well as other more typical computer functions, the iPad is more toy than work tool. Not saying it doesn't have a place but...

 

[loren85022]

We use the iPad for navigation on and off road. I have 3 apps for reading topos. Have yet to determine which is favorite. I've found the gps to be sufficiently accurate. Apple's map has gone goofy a few times when plotting directions in town..

I also keep all the manuals for the van and all the add-ons as PDF files in the iPad. To your point, it's a pain to not have a USB port for data swapping, but it's never completely doomed me

As an avid video 'producer' I am intrigued by the addition of iMovie in the iPad II, but certainly don't plan to record with it. So getting the files to it for some fireside postproduction may become a problem.

And yes it is a toy as well. We all fight for seat time.

 

[The Adam Blaster]

The toy aspect is definitely something I'm interested in.
My son uses both of our phones for playing and learning as well.
But my wife and I have been known to sit together on the couch surfing the web on our respective phones or watching youtube videos and having a good laugh. Obviously that experience would be enhanced with a 10" screen vs. the 2.5" screen on the phones.

I think I heard a rumour recently that the iPad (but not iPhone for some reason??) has some tethered cable that will connect to a memory card?
I'll take a look around and see if I can get more info on this...

 

[The Adam Blaster]

http://store.apple.com/ca/product/MC531

That's the accessory for d/l pics from a camera or an SD card onto the iPad. Presumably you can move files from the iPad back onto the card, but it doesn't explicity say that in the description...

I guess from Apple's perspective it's a business decision to charge you extra for an optional piece of equipment rather than include it in the original package and price of the device.
35 bucks for a card reader seems a touch high though...

 

[Ludedude]

http://store.apple.com/ca/product/MC531

That's the accessory for d/l pics from a camera or an SD card onto the iPad. Presumably you can move files from the iPad back onto the card, but it doesn't explicity say that in the description...

I guess from Apple's perspective it's a business decision to charge you extra for an optional piece of equipment rather than include it in the original package and price of the device.
35 bucks for a card reader seems a touch high though...

It makes perfect sense. They don't charge me for something that I don't need, they charge only those who want the accessory.

 

[The Adam Blaster]

It makes perfect sense. They don't charge me for something that I don't need, they charge only those who want the accessory.

But it's always nice to have a longer list of standard features vs. adding this and that onto it after the fact.
Granted I look at it in the opposite direction when talking about vehicles, but this discussion is about electronic gadgets! So, more is betterer! lol

 

[Ludedude]

That's where the traditional mindset fails. One size doesn't fit all

 

[The Adam Blaster]

That's where the traditional mindset fails. One size doesn't fit all

I'm just thinking of desktop computers - nowadays they all come with 6 or so usb ports, a firewire port or two, ethernet ports, wireless capabilities etc. etc...
I know the iPad is not a home computer, but it would be nice to have some of the same features that are offered on PC's (or Macs for a more accurate comparison) to perform the functions that both are used for - exchanging files being one of those jobs.
Adding even a SINGLE usb port to the iPad would be a great improvement in my mind.

I get what you're saying how not "everyone" would use that feature, but I personally think A LOT of people would, and seems to be demand for that feature as other tablet producers are including it with their devices.

 

[Rando]

My guess is that the ipad doesn't come with a memory card slot or USB ports for strategic reasons. The cost to implement either of these features is extremely low, a couple of $ at most. However, if you could add extra storage through an SD card, the attractiveness of paying apple an extra $100 for $20 worth of storage goes down. Secondly the concept of a card reader or a built in USB port goes against the ipad's "closed system" ethos. In order for apps to use random USB accessories, apple would have to allow hardware access from application space, which it has not done so far. Similarly, generic SD card access would open up a hole in apples closed system. Secondly Apple isn't going make money on USB accessories as, as soon as they allow them, generic manufacturers will undercut the inflated apple prices.

It makes perfect sense. They don't charge me for something that I don't need, they charge only those who want the accessory.

 

[cocochen]

I did a little searching but didn't see a dedicated discussion about this subject.

It seems like there are going to be a LOT of other tablet devices coming out this spring, or have already come out since Christmas.

Both my wife and I have iPhones, she has a 3 I have a 4.
We really like them and use them quite a bit.
For the iPad though, I'm not that impressed that it doesn't have any sort of slot for a memory card. It seems like if you loaded it up with music, videos etc. you're going to run out of storage room eventually, and it would be nice to be able to bring extra storage space with you on the road/trail. And bringing along a separate computer or laptop to sync up with would decrease the tablet's "portability".

iPad2 cases
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I've been a bit intrigued by what I've read about the RIM Playbook, and it seems like it would be a great competitor to the iPad with some superior characteristics.
I've also heard of a Xoom device, but apparently they had some viruses within a bunch of their apps discovered recently?

My main concern with getting a tablet device that is not Apple is the support in the form of apps. The great thing about our iPhones is the versatility of the available apps. My wife and I have d/l'ed a bunch of kiddie apps for our son, plus I've gotten games and a few different mapping programs on mine.
I'm curious if this level of support (or something approaching it) will be available through any other tablet producer?
Maybe that is something that we have to wait and see?

What are your thoughts on this?

It makes perfect sense. They don't charge me for something that I don't need, they charge only those who want the accessory.

 

[The Adam Blaster]

It makes perfect sense. They don't charge me for something that I don't need, they charge only those who want the accessory.

Hmmm...