How many of you will consider an Android Tablet?

[Thphilli]

Your wife would ABSOLUTELY have the same issue on iOS, as iOS does not support flash at all. That is the only reason she cant access weight watchers, flash. When she gets the update, she WILL be able to access it, but never will be able to access it on iOS.

What app does she want to run that is 2.2 only? I have only run into a few, and they were ALL VERY VERY technical apps that require rooting that dealt with things that I really doubt your wife is messing with.

True on the Flash point, but of course WW has an app for iOS. It isn't the fault of Android that an app hasn't been made for the platform, but the 2.2 update would take care of that issue.

The app that she wants to run is some type of specialized medical application. I don't know if perhaps it also requires Flash support, but it runs under 2.2 and not 2.1.

Sounds like maybe an app that has flash videos embedded. Hopefully we will get the 2.2 update soon. Been running a beta version of 2.2 on mine and it absolutely flies.

 

[DaveSt]

It is not Samsung's fault that you guys haven't received the 2.2 update, it is the cell phone carrier's fault. The majority of the Samsung Galaxy S line of phone have received 2.2 worldwide. The only market left that is still waiting is most of the US market. So blame it on them, not on Samsung, they released 2.2 to the carriers a long time ago.

But it still comes down to the same issue doesn't it? Because there isn't a common unified operating system for Android based devices, you can basically be held hostage by either the manufacturer or the carrier. I can already hear the Verizon service person now "Oh, you want the newest version of Android? Let me show you a couple of new phones we have here ....".

 

[Thphilli]

It is not Samsung's fault that you guys haven't received the 2.2 update, it is the cell phone carrier's fault. The majority of the Samsung Galaxy S line of phone have received 2.2 worldwide. The only market left that is still waiting is most of the US market. So blame it on them, not on Samsung, they released 2.2 to the carriers a long time ago.

But it still comes down to the same issue doesn't it? Because there isn't a common unified operating system for Android based devices, you can basically be held hostage by either the manufacturer or the carrier. I can already hear the Verizon service person now "Oh, you want the newest version of Android? Let me show you a couple of new phones we have here ....".

But if you are concerned about always having the latest and greatest, then you can always buy a Nexus device, since those are the official Google phones that get updates immediately.

 

[matt_90036]

I will for sure not buy any tablet that has tmobile AT&T or verizon stamp on it. No matter how open it is. One thing that I have to congratulate apple is that it's iPhone is pristine with no carrier shirt on it.

 

[Prasius]

But if you are concerned about always having the latest and greatest, then you can always buy a Nexus device, since those are the official Google phones that get updates immediately.

I think the concern is about having support and updates for a period that is reasonable for a device costing several hundred dollars. Apple, for all their other faults (and I do think they have faults, honest!), have provided two fairly major OS updates for the 3G which is now only appearing to be losing that support (presumably because the phone is now at the limits of what it's processor can do).

I intend to do every other iPhone update, much like most I guess, and guess my 3Gs has another year to year and a half worth of updates to come. Perhaps longer seeing as they are still selling them new.

Now, because of the lack of central control (and in spite of the benefits that has) I don't think you can expect two, or three years of software updates an android handset. Its simply not in the interests of a non-premium handset maker or any network provider to give that support; they want to shift units and tie you into contracts with new handsets respectively. Apples business model would suffer quite a lot if there was a perceived drop in their customer support. All IMO of course.

 

[dcv1979]

i guess not in the near future

 

[iceman]

Here's my take. I ordered my iPad back on March 29 and had to wait until "late April" for it to arrive, which turned out to be April 30th. That was annoying. Apple could have given a better date, but I think they wanted to cause hype, which they did.

I love my iPad and I use it every day. It's been great. I jail breaker it soon after buying so that I could do more with it. It does most of what I want. I bought the camera kit, but that really doesn't work that great. It would have been better if the iPad had a USB connection and a SD card reader, but I think Apple wanted to make extra money selling the camera kit.

About a month ago I bought a Droid X, and I love that as well. Before buying, I read articles about how the Android OS was not as smooth as iOS, and the Android market is not as good, but I have not found that to be the case. I think the Android OS works very well.

One thing that I have found different is extending the device through jail breaking or rooting. I found the iPad a bit easier to jailbreak only because there is less information about doing it. You basically go to Redmondpie and they give you step by step instructions. With the DroidX, there is a HUGE amount of information so you have to read a bit more. Fortunately there is also a huge number of people to help you. XDA developer is great. Droid forum is also great.

The iPad is a great device for people who aren't technically inclined and just need something to work. That is the market that Apple is going for. Stock Android devices also work for people who are not technically inclined, but can also be extended by those who are. It's the best of both worlds.

That is why my next tablet will be an Android tablet.

 

[Kidtachyon]

My phone is an HTC Evo. I have rooted the phone and have flashed the latest Cyanogenmod rom. I love the ability to modify and tweak the phone the way I want.

Having said that, I have no interest in buying an Android tablet. They just aren't ready for primetime yet. Can I run Netflix on Android? Not yet. But it works fantastic on the ipad. Can I stream Hulu via Playontv on Android? Not yet. But it runs decent on the iPad. Does watching Dish Network via the Sling adapter work as well on an Android tablet as it does on the iPad? I'm not sure but I doubt it. Do my children know how to rip a tv show into the proper format and load it in the right location on their android phones (Optimus S - a great phone btw)? No way, and frankly why bother? But they know how to use their iTunes gift cards and load their shows and music onto the iPad. While the Zoom may have some great specs, so does my laptop. I don't want to act as family tech support just so a child can watch a movie.

The iPad just works. No tinkering, no compatibility issues, no fuss. It's great. I might feel differently in the future, but for now my only purchasing decision in the spring will be weather to keep my gen 1 iPad or upgrade to the iPad 2.

 

[Superbike81]

Netflix will be available on Android by the time the Xoom is released. It's already been shown on upcoming phones like the LG Revolution.

 

[Prasius]

The iPad is a great device for people who aren't technically inclined and just need something to work. That is the market that Apple is going for.

Am I the only person who feels slightly offended when I regulary see this comment rolled out about iOS and Apple? Not suggesting an off the cuff comment by the poster was meant to cause offense in this case but the insinuation of it irks me a bit as someone who remembers making boot disks for my DX2! I can't help but wonder how many of these self-proclaimed "technically inclined" would run a mile at seeing a CLI.

It's the tech geek equivalent of a mechanic dismissing someone who buys a reliable car because "they aren't mechanically inclined"!

Additionally, raving about widgets and being able to change SMS tones hardly counts as technically inclined to me.. And I'm still often at a loss to what some people are really planning to do with some of their devices. I think my favourite example of the last few weeks was the CDMA iP4 being critised because you couldn't take a phone call and also use the browser to search the web at the same time! Seriously, who the hell actually does that? The argument was if you're bring given directions and you wanted to look them up - it seems my solution of using something called a pen and paper to write down the postcode wasn't "technically inclined" enough; but seemed to me the simplest and most intuitive solution

 

[DaveSt]

Am I the only person who feels slightly offended when I regulary see this comment rolled out about iOS and Apple?

I don't know if I am actually offended by such comments, but I do find them pretty silly. I like my iPad a whole bunch. I am also an engineer. I worked on some pretty technically challenging things in graduate school and I work with / design some very sophisticated machines for a living. I would say I am fairly technically inclined yet the iPad appeals to me just fine. I'm not sure what one thing has to do with the other honestly.

 

[bastones]

I'm sure many saw videos of the Motorola Xoom which was demo'ed at CES and was showing videos of different aspects of Android 3.0. I think Android 3.0 is going to be great for tablets - just seeing the Chrome web browser for 3.0 shows you how much they have improved the UI to take advantage of the larger display. I think they should start from scratch with the Android Market for the tablet version of Android because of the fragmentation of the existing Android Market for the phone-variant Android versions.

But so far I think Android 3.0 looks very promising - and if I was looking for a tablet in a few months time, I would definitely consider an Android tablet as long as it has a good amount of tablet specific apps for it as well as a word processor of some kind. I wouldnt be sure about using just Google Docs alone - I've tried using it at one point, and I was converting it back to Word .doc format. When I opened it in Word 2003 several things were set wrong and obviously this was caused by the conversion. Not sure if it has been improved since.

 

[gentlefury]

The iPad is a great device for people who aren't technically inclined and just need something to work. That is the market that Apple is going for.

Am I the only person who feels slightly offended when I regulary see this comment rolled out about iOS and Apple? Not suggesting an off the cuff comment by the poster was meant to cause offense in this case but the insinuation of it irks me a bit as someone who remembers making boot disks for my DX2! I can't help but wonder how many of these self-proclaimed "technically inclined" would run a mile at seeing a CLI.

It's the tech geek equivalent of a mechanic dismissing someone who buys a reliable car because "they aren't mechanically inclined"!

I 150% agree!! I have built computers...I work on high end computers for work. I was in charge of our systems on Piranha and set up our macs to tri-boot Mac, Windows 7 and Linux. I have used Windows, Mac, Linux, IRIX, Android, iOS, Windows Mobile...you name it, I've dealt with it. I work with very complex software for a living...and I own 2 Macs and 2 iPads....and HATE android OS.

I probably know more about computers and computers systems than most of the people that make that absurd statement.

Why is it that just wanting a system that works means you don't know how to use a computer?

 

[SweetPoison]

The iPad is a great device for people who aren't technically inclined and just need something to work. That is the market that Apple is going for.

Ouch. That would be lots of people. You really think Apple is going for that? I pretty much no nothing about Apple, but I seriously doubt that.

 

[gentlefury]

The iPad is a great device for people who aren't technically inclined and just need something to work. That is the market that Apple is going for.

Ouch. That would be lots of people. You really think Apple is going for that? I pretty much no nothing about Apple, but I seriously doubt that.

No, that's what kids that don't use computers to earn a living say. They have to work to get other OS's to work the way they like...so they think it is better for some reason. If it just works right out of the box it must be for dummies.