iPad -> Alternatives?

[Fluid Byte]

... minus keyboard

Ever wondered why it's called touch pad ...

[Blood]

The issue is price, why should a netbook minus keyboard minus movable parts with only a touch screen added suddenly cost twice the price of a regular netbook, and last only half the time on battery? That's silly.

“netbooks aren’t good at anything.”
“They’re slow, have clunky displays, and run clunky old PC software,”
“They’re just cheap laptops.”

You know what, he's right.

[blueznl]

He might be, but I'd rather love to have a 'touch tablet' style of windooze. You see, all software I use is Windows based. Including... PureBasic

[PureLust]

... but I'd rather love to have a 'touch tablet' style of windooze. You see, all software I use is Windows based. Including... PureBasic

We own a couple of iPads in our company already, and I it really increases the range of use of such a Touchdevice a lot, if you can access windows-applications through it.
Because we've already transfered most of our desktops here at work to cloud based VMs anyway, we are able connect to any of them (or even just a single Application using Citrix) via the iPads.
So, it's possible to use any kind of application "on" the iPad (no matter which OS this application is running on).

BUT: In reality it is only more a compromise than a solution, because it's not really fun to try to control a mouse-based Application, by using your big fat fingers (compared to a thin and precise Pointingdevice like a Mouse).
I develop Apps for Touch-Screens since several years now and you have to do a lot of things different as usual, to get a nice usability out of a Windows-Application on a TouchScreen.
Even writing this Post on the iPad native browser is more like a nightmare than fun (if you have to locate the mousepointer back and fourth several times to correct misspellings, like I have to do).

So (in my opinion) the iPad is a really great and helpful device (and no one of us will ever miss it again) - but - not for all purpose.

For "normal" daily usage (checking eMails, surfing the Internet, getting Informations through several Apps, etc.) no one is using his normal Laptop anymore. We all switched over to this really nice, handy and incredible fast device.
But - its only really handy, if you want to GET Informations, not if you have to CREATE Informations.

So, even though you can access all the (more or less) "loved" windows-apps via an iPad, it (and also all the other Tablet Devices) is not really made for that and it's not a full replacement for a Laptop or a FullClient-Desktop with a big Screen, Keyboard and Mouse if you have to control an application where you have to enter a lot of Data (like the beloved PB).

And - coming back to topic:
I own my iPad for around 7 Weeks now. Because we've planed to get another bunch of Tablet Devices two weeks ago, I had a look at nearly all iPad alternatives.
The only seriously alternative I found, was the upcoming Galaxy Tab from Samsung. On the technical side it's a really interesting Device.
The reason why it doesn't made it was finally: It's Display size !!!
After working on a Touch-Device for around 7 Weeks now, I can tell you: Nothing is more important than Display-Size if you want to WORK with your Touch-Device.
If it comes to usability - size matters in all circumstances !!! (Ask your wife )

So - for me - there is no REAL alternative to the iPad "so far".
The Galaxy Tab (and maybe the JOURN.E from Toshiba) are technically very interesting as well, but because of their form-factor, they are not much more than a big mobile phone and on the handling side - especially on rich-functional Apps - they are somewhat worse than the iPad.

Just my 2 Cent.
PL.

[the.weavster]

If you like tablets some of them from Chinese manufacturers have Win XP or Win 7 on them now and you can put them on a stand, plug in a keyboard and mouse and use it like a pc when circumstances allow. Many have Intel processors >= 1.66GHz, RAM >= 1GB and HDD >= 160GB. Just search on Alibaba.com

[PureLust]

Just as a suggestion: If you go for one of these chinese tablet PCs, make sure to get one with a capacitive touchscreen (there are only 2 so far - as far as I know).
The difference in usability between a cheap resistive and a high-class capacitive display is so huge, that Tablets with a resistive displays are even not worth talking about.

[blueznl]

... minus keyboard

Ever wondered why it's called touch pad ...

I see the joke but you missed the point. I was wondering why an Wintel touchpad would have to be so expensive, when compared with a (stripped) netbook. It just doesn't make sense. I'm almost tempted to take my Eee, and start fooling around with a touchscreen kit and a bit of polyester...

[Fluid Byte]

I was wondering why an Wintel touchpad would have to be so expensive, when compared with a (stripped) netbook.

Agreed.

[the.weavster]

Just as a suggestion: If you go for one of these chinese tablet PCs, make sure to get one with a capacitive touchscreen (there are only 2 so far - as far as I know).

Maybe resistive screens should be called poke screens rather than touch screens

Anyway it seems there's plenty available with capacitive screens and in a variety of different sizes too (5", 7", 10", 12", 13", etc...) :http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?Sea ... t_en&fsb=y

[PureLust]

... but I'd rather love to have a 'touch tablet' style of windooze. You see, all software I use is Windows based. Including... PureBasic

Since new Mobile-Devices with Win7 are coming out every week, these new aspirants may be of some interest for you:

Viewsonics 7- and 10-inch Tablet-Devices:



And the maybe even more interesting 10-inch "convertable" from Dell:

[the.weavster]

BlackBerry are bringing out a tablet soon too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s72rGDUn ... r_embedded

[blueznl]

I like that Dell machine! Nice idea!

Now all they need to do...

- make it tough (especially that rotating screen may require some strong kind of locking mechanism)

- make it last... I don't want an i7, I can live with a decent Atom 'netbook style', as such a mini PC is typically used whilst travelling, doing a little emailing, in airplanes, etc. whilst the 'tablet' side of business is mostly used for either watching a movie , giving a presentation on location, or doing a quick browse or email check

- make it cheap... with netbooks going for about $200 now, I just can't understand why tablets should cost at least twice...

Strictly spoken, take an EEE pc, add a touch sensitive layer, and make the screen rotatable, and you're there. Asus, are you watching this space?

[Rook Zimbabwe]

The next thing for crapple iss a 17 inch or a 14 inch... slightly faster and better gestures.

Apple need to reve the digital signature crap beefore they can move ahead and allow open development... then we can ALL write games for their stuff and appss too and they can just deal with it!

FoxConn has sseveral new pad designs like the flip that they licensed to Dell... I know of 5 in the works and I have personally held 2 of them... The MS Slate was done... he only issue was the OS which would have been a limited 32bit 7 / tablet copy of windows. MS wanted to try to COPY CRAPPLE in the licensing scheme so they could control ALL code on their machines... deals died when MS realized the outcry thatt would ensue...

I bought a IBM X41t table PC on ebay for $80.00 because the HDD was empty. I already owned the XP Pro Tablet PC restore disks so I simply used them to restore the tablet to its original HDD configuration. Legal copy of XP Pro SP3.

I am getting a 200 machine next becausse I have a copy of the Win7 43 bit tablet upgrade CDs that I haven't ussed that cost (legally) $19.00 and I can busst aa move on it!

wife works for FoxConn.

My double ss keys are from my older ALPS omnikey Pro keyboard needing a good blowout!

[utopiomania]

I'm not shure if the iPad or clones will be a success or not.

I mostly use my phone for most of what the iPad can do, and a 10" laptop for the rest of what I
feel the iPad was supposed to do (wtf was that? hope you understand what I mean)

I do have a chinese copy, but I don't use it anymore, and I feel the whole concept is somewhat
useless.

Its a bit like 3D TV, or another unneccessary gizmo you are supposed to carry around besides
your phone and a laptop.

4.3" phones will probably kill it off.

[blueznl]

Nope, there is some use for pads. Home users checking a website whilst lounging on the couch, business people showing a presentation during a lunch (nothing feels like having the thing in your hand, and browsing at your own pace through a presentation, forget uncomfortable netbooks and laptops where you have to have just that right angle, or someone else pressing space), and travellers being able to read email in planes, waiting rooms, trains, taxis, even when the person in front of you put his seat all the way back...

No, I seriously can see more than enough usage for one, and would certainly buy one if the price would go down.