Related
Just curious how people feel who have played with them a few days.
If android never comes, are you happy with the device as is? Is the current crop of apps and the OS not sufficient and you bought it only with the hopes of android?
Do you like the existing OS and if android is never ported would you still be happy with your purchase?
I think for 99/149 I don't see many complainers but just curious what people think who've had the device a few days.
I have had it a few hours and I am very happy, the few thins i really want my tablet to do it is do wonderfully, even more happy than my Nook Color on CM7. honeycomb on the NC might be nicer, but until a HC port comes to touchpad i doubt i'll put android on it.
If no android then its ****. I don't like the webos. ANDROID is farrrrrrrrr better.
I agree that android is so much better.. one thing that would make this thing collect dust on my desk is the lack of apps.. I must admit that i did get it mainly for the potential of an android port. I am of no help porting android but if that doesn't happen relatively soon then I think it will be on eBay..
I have a question for those that may be more familiar with webos... when i am listening to music and plug my headphones in, it still plays the music on the speakers and my headphones, which as you know defeats one of the main purposes of headphones.. LOL is it a bug or intended?
I really like it, I think webos makes more sense on a tablet than android currently does, but that's imho. Its a shame they dumbled in the beginning of the os game, it could've been something special. Inductive charging is really cool, I misses that after I got rid of my pre and its cool to have it back. I'm surprised more devices don't have it. The tp isn't great for app happy people, but out of the hundreds of appa I've tried on ansroid I only use 3 or 4 of them regularly ans the tp's internet ia more than capable of replacing some of them.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
For what I paid and what limitations they inherently have, I couldn't justify paying more than $150 with any OS on it. I'd like to see some more games on the WebOS side but at $150 I'm happy with it and it wouldn't be worth any substantial money to have more.
Even if Android doesn't come, I am happy with my purchase. I really like the way a lot of things work in webOS. But I will replace the OS with android if it gets a polished build.
Even if you only use the touchpad as a digital picture frame, you can't get one with this size and quality of screen for $99.
For what I paid and what limitations they inherently have, I couldn't justify paying more than $150 with any OS on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You wouldn't pay more than 150 even if it had android on it? Say it was an official android device and it was 200 bucks. You wouldn't think that was a deal?
Like it so far the audio is great.
Mine is sitting quietly in my office, waiting for someone to work some magic with Android. I've played around with webOS for a few hours but that got boring fast. This is my first tablet purchase and even at the firesale price I'm not impressed. I see little use for tablets beyond being a source of occasional entertainment for people with money to burn.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
i manage to get two 32gb,
i give one to my wife with the intent to keep it stock webos and the other for me to play and maybe flash android one day.
i love android ,but 115 british pounds for a capacitor screen with a browser that support flash,a decent email client,photos and video playing,music sound good(due to the thickness of the tablet i think the speakers take advantage of that),just a bit heavy.
what there is to don't like.??
definitely not a 400pounds worth,but definitely 115.
don't forget the nice 50gb free cloud space that comes with it.
thumb up for me.
So far, I love my decision to purchase it. I picked two up, one for me and one for the girlfriend. WebOS is very smooth and looks amazing but needs some more apps which could come with the huge influx of Touchpads. I will be looking forward to an android port just to mess around with it and decided which to keep.
I've currently applied a few speed patches and have it overclocked to 1.5GHz and it flies.
I feel like the screen clarity sucks. I have never used a tablet before, except a brief use of a ipad during a checkout, but the touchpad screen looks blurry to me. It remind me of the old school color screen nextel phones i95.
I've had it for almost a day now. Very happy after I finally got the patch installed, it's pretty ridiculous to have to click the thing 20 times to get the patch to finish.
When I bought it I had fully intended to flash android when it's ported, but now I think I'm going to stick with webos for quite a while. There's nothing that I really miss from the Nook Color so far, and webos has a far better browser and keyboard than android.
I bought one and ordered another (that I hope will someday arrive). After playing with this one for a few days... I wish I had bought a few more.
Yeah, app catalog is lacking, but as a previous poster said, $100-150 for a 9.7" capacitive, snappy internet slate is awesome. I'd love to permanently mount one in the kitchen for recipes and whatnot, and replace the "family calendar".
Can anyone comment on the readability of PDFs on the Touchpad? That is the primary reason I would be buying this to supplement my nook color.
The NC is perfect for everything except finance/accounting/technical PDFs , for which I'm hoping the 10" screen of Touchpad would be better?
lazarus2297 said:
I agree that android is so much better.. one thing that would make this thing collect dust on my desk is the lack of apps.. I must admit that i did get it mainly for the potential of an android port. I am of no help porting android but if that doesn't happen relatively soon then I think it will be on eBay..
I have a question for those that may be more familiar with webos... when i am listening to music and plug my headphones in, it still plays the music on the speakers and my headphones, which as you know defeats one of the main purposes of headphones.. LOL is it a bug or intended?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same thing happened to me when I plugged in my beats by Dre solo hds.. did the software update and problem was eliminated..
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
Proud owner its still in the unopened box, haven't had time to open it and get into it enjoyably.Plan to keep it stock Web OS, I owned a palm pre and enjoyed it. I still believe Web OS is underrated and some users don't see the brilliance of it. I would have paid more if I had to. But the idea of flashing anything on it talks to the flashing geek in me haha. I would be more interested in flashing window 7 on it (not sure if it's a option) just saying.
Enjoy...
Sent from my Nexus X 4G using xda premium
imjimmy said:
Can anyone comment on the readability of PDFs on the Touchpad? That is the primary reason I would be buying this to supplement my nook color.
The NC is perfect for everything except finance/accounting/technical PDFs , for which I'm hoping the 10" screen of Touchpad would be better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the built in app is decent at PDFs
I'm actually surprised by how much I like mine. I have a honeycomb tablet, also, and the hp is actually very enjoyable to use. It definitely lacks in expandability, since the app catalogue is def smaller, but I actually like it a lot.
That being said, definitely not worth the original price. 150$ (32gb) maybe.... we'll see in a few weeks.
after a string of cancelled orders, I decided to just suck it up and buy one from CL. I paid about 40$ over tax+shipping but it's worth not having to deal with shopping around while at work. I'm much more productive and I actually have my toy in my hands.
That being said I'm keeping my eyes open for a 16gb for my daughter to play with, hopefully HP SMB will have some more tomorrow.
is this device worth <200$? opinions on your device please, and also thoughts on before/after android porting!
i have the option of getting a 16 or a 32 for <200$ and am wondering if this is a piece of junk or worth getting.
or if i should just get something like a kindle fire.
uses: entertainment, ereading, videos, games, actually wtf do people use touchpads for????
ICS source is out so HE** the F*** YES it's worth it!
it was worth it b4, now I'm going to be busy.
lol
I use my touchpad for everything I need to do. The webos side has good apps for work and the cm7 side gives me netflix, games, video, photos, skype, ect... the TP is a very usefull tablet. If you get one for 200 and find you don't like it, PM me and we might be able to work something out, especially if you get the 32GB unit.
Sent from my HP Touchpad using Tapatalk
I just put CM7 Alpha 2.1 on it this weekend and it is amazing how well an Alpha is running on this thing. If you can get a 32 gig for less than $200 you aren't that far off from the fire sale price.
I have a Nook Color with CM7 as well. I think both size devices have their merits so it depends what you want to use them for.
seems like everyone loves it with the new ports!
can someone comment on how the TP improved from the original OS to the android?
more interested in the before/after thing. im figuring that if you do not mod it at all, it is truly a POS.
I actually like WebOS.
I'm in WebOS most of the time.
that might change once ICS comes over.
webOS, you will use most of the time because it's nice to be in and it's the most useful. You can get to where you need to be quick. Skype call? No problem. Email? Coming right up. And while I'm reading a Wikipedia page and Facebooking at the same time, I can buy a scooter from Amazon. Not to mention reading a magazine and downloading podcasts and listening to music. I can do every single one of those things, all at one time.
That's the point of getting a tablet, right?
That's just it. webOS puts you at the center of all the action. It's a tablet in the way it's supposed to be.
That's something no other tablet can do. Anywhere. It's unmatched. And on top of allllll that, you still have the latest version of Android. Useless?! It's the furthest thing from.
oh didnt know you can have BOTH android and webOS. weird.
why do people have gripes about webOS then?
i already have a samsung galaxy phone, so i dont want the same thing but bigger (unless i can read better on it)
Exactly.
In order to be a good operating system, everything has to come together. You cannot miss one thing. WebOS has an app store, but you won't see many big name companies (the ones that matter) developing apps for it.
The problem with A & I tabletwise is that it doesn't work that different from your phone.
Which means the productivity, is not there.
I'm in Android watching a YouTube video, but as soon as I open another webpage, the video stops.
I'm in iOS and I get an email, or I want to look up how to beat this level of Angry Birds, if I enter the Internet, bye-bye Angry Birds, I have to start all over.
Those are big problems. WebOS saved us from that.
While you can do more in webOS, the ironic thing is, there's less apps, so you can't use that fantastic multitasking on everything you would like to.
So webOS used to be on thin ice, but better apps are coming in.
Still, this is a big problem for any tablet maker. We need a system where you can just push apps to make them compatible with any tablet device, or we are going to be stuck with iOS and Android as the only operating systems there are.
drcrappants said:
seems like everyone loves it with the new ports!
can someone comment on how the TP improved from the original OS to the android?
more interested in the before/after thing. im figuring that if you do not mod it at all, it is truly a POS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't mod the TouchPad, it's not truly a POS. with the original firmware, yes, it's the most laggy experience ever. But ever since the latest official firmware update, it becomes infinitely more usable.
If you apply the relevant preware patches and overclock on top of that, it becomes pretty darn snappy.
So WebOS is definitely still alive and kicking.
The latest CM Alpha is indeed impressive. But I still have trouble using it as my daily OS primarily due to the faster battery drain. But I'm sure that's just a temporary issue.
At the firesale price of $99 for a 16GB, it's a steal. I would say that it would even be worth it at $200.
But keep in mind that you're within range of getting one of these:
Kindle Fire is $199
Nook Tablet is $249
Personally, I want another one. Currently using my TP as my main computing device. Have CM installed, and barely using it, honestly.
Sent from my very "non-stock" TP.
Daughain said:
Personally, I want another one. Currently using my TP as my main computing device. Have CM installed, and barely using it, honestly.
Sent from my very "non-stock" TP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, been my main computer for a week or two now. Except i exclusively use CM and haven't touched webos in a long time.
Sent from my HP Touchpad using Tapatalk
Woth it? Well, if there will be a stable ICS port, and you understand what is a tablet and how you could use it, it's worth it, i guess. Personally, after i bought it i understood that there are quite few tasks that i could use a tablet for, so this thing just lies on my table, collecting dust.
Anyway, if you are going to buy TP NOW, better look in the Nook Tablet direction: for $250 you will have more compact tablet with better CPU/GPU and microsd slot.
I'm sitting at my laptop, but I'm using my TouchPad anyway because it's so fun to use.
I have to agree with Unrealwolf. If you have a purpose for a tablet, it is a good one for the price. It would be nice to have the SD Cord slot but the only reason I filled up my 16GB is because I put on 2GB of music and 20 full length MP4 movies.
At home I seldom use my laptop because I do all my email, social networking, and web browsing (ie. shopping, research, and forum updates) on a tablet (I have both a TP and a Nook Color). Very much worth it to me.
doh the deal got away
should i continue hunting or go for a fire/nook? not sure how well they compare but prices are close
Not too sure yet about the new nook tablet but the fire is getting some less than stellar reviews today. Seems to be a bit laggy. After using my touchpad for a while, I have a hard time going back to my nook color 7 inch screen. I am actually starting to develop apps in enyo for the touchpad. I really like webos as well as cm7. For me, the touchpad gives me the besr of both worlds.
Sent from my HP Touchpad using Tapatalk
Im getting my touchpad on wednesday. 159 euros 32gb on Cyberport. Is it still worth it or shall i wait for kindle fire?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
While initially I had planned on getting a nook tablet and rooting it seeing as it has a gig of ram and a gig processor...I noticed these other two devices and was wondering if its worth (at best buy) the extra 10 bucks for the acer iconia a100 which has been confirmed will be getting ICS or go with the player thats 10 bucks cheaper but not as big screen. I will be getting the amazon kindle fire for my wife (she likes how it handles best). Overall I know hardware wise the nook tablet seems to be the best bet (right now). How much of a hassel is it to root/custom rom it? (when I had my droid eris back in the day I rooted and modded the crap outta that so I'm used to that). Is it worth saving 10 bucks and going with the samsung player and not having to really worry about rooting but having 2 inches less....or going the acer iconia a100 and spending 10 bucks more again not having to root..but not having a gig of ram....or stay with the nook tablet choice and root it?
Can't speak for the other two options, but the NT is a nice device. Root is simple. Custom software is still in the early stages of development. As such, there is a scheduled Tuesday (tentative) release of the current test version on CM7. There is development of an ICS CM9 ROM in process as well. But there are no ETAs on anything alpha or beta.
My problem with the A100 is the poor battery life, plus i think the nook still has the better screen.. especially for reading if that's something you'll be doing.
The samsung player is nice hardware and works really well.. plus you get gps, camera etc.. but for me the screen is too small especially for reading.. but movies are nice.
I had both and returned both... you gotta love amazon with a prime account
Rooting the nook is cake... especially with the SD card method... and there are lots of guides here on the forum.. Once that is done you can get lots of apps..
But ultimately... you need to figure out what you want from the "tablet" and go from there..
I have what amounts to an unlimited toy budget, so I have the Samsung 5, the NC, the NT, the NST and one of the Asus Transformers.
I carry the Samsung wherever I go. I like it a lot, it's far more portable than the even the NC/NT or NST. I use Newsrob to read news articles on it, and listen to the BBC on it at night via TuneIn.
Eventually, I may give the NC away - the NT completely replaces it for my purposes.
I'll probably sell the Transformer at some point. Yes, it's big, shiny and sorta fast, and the games look great, but it's also big and shiny - the screen is not as good as the NC/NT because there's much more internal reflection. It's not very portable, and I find that I really don't like Honeycomb because you have to copy files to a Honeycomb device via the MTP interface or via wifi; I like being able to copy directly over the USB interface and synch stuff with Calibre - not an option over the MTP.
I like the NST for times when I'll be away from power for a bit, and because magazines on the NST are real epubs, none of that newfangled ehanced magazine stuff. So you can read them in any epub reader you like.
ok..nc=nook color, nt=nook tablet, nst=?
Nook Simple Touch
Sent from my BNTV250 using Tapatalk
I can't vouch for the others either but have my fair share of "tablets". I have used this nt more than any of them and I think the simple reason is size. It is the perfect balance of size and weight. I don't do any heavy gaming but feel that it offers a great environment for reading, browsing, email and tinkering. 2" less of screen real estate would in my opinion make it to small and 2" more is uncomfortable to balance. This nt is the sweet spot for me. Sitting up, laying down, portrait, landscape, it's all good.
The hardware you get for the price (especially if you can grab it for $199) is unmatched. Rooting is cake and development is starting to heat up.
I doubt you would be disapointed but in keeping with your question I'd say its between the nt and the acer.
I'll probably go nook tablet since hardware superiority over software inferiority(which can be fixed by rooting) seems to be the route to go. Here's another wrench into the question that I THINK I know the answer: is the nook tablet an upgrade from an iPod touch 4g? I realize I will be losing camera features and access to the tons of apps iTunes has, but once rooted I have android market. Any views on this? Basically looking for the "laptop lite" device...but bigger than my ipod and added feature of one handed computing while holding my daughter reading a book
Just want to let you know that the A100 does have 1GB of ram, the 512mb is a typo on their website. (you can find 1GB corrections and printed on the box) You can probably stretch the battery life to 6 hours with minimum brightness and wifi on.
well shoot..now that that has a gig of ram..makes things interesting...although one common factor I've seen listed almost everywhere IS horrible life with the acer as well as issues with viewing the screen unless you're viewing it straight on.
I was in Best Buy looking to purchase a tablet in November and saw the Acer for $250 and the salesperson told me they were sold out (only kept 5 in store). They had plenty of Nook tablets and sice I didn't want to wait, I purchased the Nook. I took it home and lset it up and was immediately impressed by the sharp and bright screen over the Acer but I was not happy at all with the default home manager. I fired up the internet and did a search and it brought me to this forum. Since late November, I have rooted the device amongst other hacks and recently installed CM7 alpha. I prefer Go Launcher over ADW home manager so I used NoBloat and Homemanager apk's so that I could switch to Go Launcher and install the Twitter and Facebook widgets. I had to fix permissions and i WIPED THE Develick cache and everything seems very responsive and smooth (i turn off all animations). Everything can be accessed on one homescreen (thanks to Go Launcher) and with cm7, no more problems with default Google widgets not loading. Once Bluetooth and Overclocking is added to the kernel (see cm7 post) the NT will be hard to beat.
I had a NT and an A100 tablets, on top of an iPad-2.
The iPad-2 cannot be beat when it comes to choice of apps and overall experience. My only problem with iPad is that any file I need to upload to my device has to be done with iTunes. And since I switch computers, iTunes is constantly removing stuff from my iPad. This for me a deal killer.
As for the other two tablets: NT and A100. I prefer by far the experience on the A100, everything is available from Google market. I don't need to sideload anything. It is multitouch, meaning that I can play piano, or other games that require more than 2 points to be recognized on the screen. The only issue I have with it is that its screen is not as bright as the NT. the A100 I own has only 8 gigs of storage, so I need to add more storage, but it is not a big problem since it has a microSD slot.
As for the NT, it's at best a glorified ereader. I don't have access to the full 16 GB of internal memory. It only recognizes 2 points on the screen. This is enough for a large number of apps, but a deal breaker for many interesting apps. I need to use Root Explorer to move files around. I rooted my NT to deal with some of the restrictions, but this is not a perfect solution. At best, it's a stop-gap solution. I can't use Google maps, as it needs my location, and I haven't figured out how to do it. The screen on the NT is definitely brighter than the A100, but it's not a big selling point in my opinion.
All in all, if I had to choose between the two, I would definitely go with the A100. It's an easy choice for me.
moukazwina said:
I had a NT and an A100 tablets, on top of an iPad-2.
The iPad-2 cannot be beat when it comes to choice of apps and overall experience. My only problem with iPad is that any file I need to upload to my device has to be done with iTunes. And since I switch computers, iTunes is constantly removing stuff from my iPad. This for me a deal killer.
As for the other two tablets: NT and A100. I prefer by far the experience on the A100, everything is available from Google market. I don't need to sideload anything. It is multitouch, meaning that I can play piano, or other games that require more than 2 points to be recognized on the screen. The only issue I have with it is that its screen is not as bright as the NT. the A100 I own has only 8 gigs of storage, so I need to add more storage, but it is not a big problem since it has a microSD slot.
As for the NT, it's at best a glorified ereader. I don't have access to the full 16 GB of internal memory. It only recognizes 2 points on the screen. This is enough for a large number of apps, but a deal breaker for many interesting apps. I need to use Root Explorer to move files around. I rooted my NT to deal with some of the restrictions, but this is not a perfect solution. At best, it's a stop-gap solution. I can't use Google maps, as it needs my location, and I haven't figured out how to do it. The screen on the NT is definitely brighter than the A100, but it's not a big selling point in my opinion.
All in all, if I had to choose between the two, I would definitely go with the A100. It's an easy choice for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can access all the internal memory once rooted and permissions set correctly. Google maps is functional as is, but if you want to use navigator, you need to use app such as GPS tether. I am rooted using go launcher, but kept all the B&N bloat and am very pleased with the NT. I think it's great value for the money. Could it be better? Sure, but what couldn't? CM7 and CM9 will only make the NT even more attractive.
I was wondering if any of you guys have a kindle fire? I have the note, and I was thinking about it, I just don't know since I already have the note..... I would like the opinions of the people that DO own both...
I have both. I have cm7 running in my fire. I use the fire for reading, games, YouTube, and Netflix. The note I use for everything else. Honestly I could do without the fire and be fine but I do appreciate having it to run the battery down instead of my note. My note had pretty bad battery life, but I'm on it all the time.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Is the kindle slow and or buggy/laggy? How is it reading on it vs the note?
My wife has a kindle fire. Its awesome as an ebook and video device along with our prime account. Build quality and battery life are pretty good as well.
I don't know how it performs as a dedicated tablet since its running the stock rom. Over all it isn't as versatile as my note and its not a replacement for my ipad2. My wife loves it tho and for the price its hard to beat.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Its not too much bigger than the note, I don't find myself picking it up over my note ever and my wife still takes my ipad from time to time.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
I use the Fire as an eReader, I don't have much use for it besides that. Its running CM7 and it has bugs, most notably the sleep of death which is not a big deal. It's great as an ereader and comic reader though. If you're looking for a tablet, I'd still go iPad, refurbished are so cheap and so well built, its an easy decision.
I just need/want a good Ereader with some side options, to do homework and such.... I don't need a full fledge tablet... is it choppy/buggy/laggy with the 6.3 update? I also like the fact that updates are very quick...
lol with all the ICS hoopla going on I don't think I'll get any replies... hehe
I seen your post last night but I was too busy with the whole ICS leak
But the Kindle is actually a great device for your basic needs. I sold my iPad2 because I really did not see myself using it much and decided to have all Android devices in my home as well. I seen all these complaints about the bugs and lag but I have not encountered any. The silk browser is solid but I do not see all the hype behind it. 6.3 is already rooted so if you do not like the stock look you can also install go launcher. The device is great to read and feels natural(like a book) instead of holding a big 9.7 inch screen. I have read The Walking Dead comic on my KF and it is a very enjoyable reading experience. There is nothing cheap about the device. I recommend the device and if your into gaming on your tablet, someone on the amazon website said that it can handle games such as shadowgun and GTA3...but i have not tried them personally.
If you have any questions send me a PM
I was thinking of sending the fire back for the flyer/view, the HTC has a leg up on almost everything, however I am stuck on a few key features that the fire has, and I would like to know if there is some sort of port, or if HTC built these things in..
The fire has updates for it every few months so far, so its live, since the HTC flyer/view have been cancled, will they get updates??
The flyer/view have the "book sharing" built in, this is a nice book club feature that I like.
and the amazon silk browser has the reader view, BIG winner in my book... any way to do this on the HTC device?
I just want a handy device to read and watch some shows, prime is no big deal since they dont have what I want to see anyway, and I have Netflix anyway... I should also mention that I have a Galaxy note, so I dont "NEED" cameras or anything like that. I just need a nice responsive 7" tablet for reading/web/youtube/Netflix with a bright clear screen..
what do you guys think?
I'm not all that familiar with the other features you mentioned (book share and reader view), but as far as updates, I've found myself not needing or particularly wanting firmware updates for my Flyer. This is coming from a person who constantly changes the ROM on his HTC Desire Z phone to get better performance and features. I have never even bothered to put a custom ROM on my Flyer, the stock ROM just runs so smoothly, and has all the features I need.
I did do the upgrade from Gingerbread to Honeycomb. It added some more tablet-friendly interface layout, bit more eye candy, and much better pen support. It runs just as smoothly as GB. Really more of a personal preference, either GB or HC run rather nicely (fast and smooth).
I haven't found myself wanting anymore out of my Flyer. The performance is great, and I haven't had any significant bugs to speak of. There does seem to be a issue with GPS maintaining lock in HC (but I never use my Flyer for navigation). But of course, that isn't even an option on the Fire, anyway.
I haven't personally had a chance to compare side-by-side. But I believe the Flyer is more responsive (clock speed matters more than dual cores, for most tasks) and has a better screen than the Flyer. What you do get in the Flyer (in addition to the Prime-specific features you mentioned) is probably better support from 3rd party accessory manufacturers, as the Fire already has a healthy customer base, while the Flyer really doesn't have much to speak of.
Thremix said:
I was thinking of sending the fire back for the flyer/view, the HTC has a leg up on almost everything, however I am stuck on a few key features that the fire has, and I would like to know if there is some sort of port, or if HTC built these things in..
The fire has updates for it every few months so far, so its live, since the HTC flyer/view have been cancled, will they get updates??
The flyer/view have the "book sharing" built in, this is a nice book club feature that I like.
and the amazon silk browser has the reader view, BIG winner in my book... any way to do this on the HTC device?
I just want a handy device to read and watch some shows, prime is no big deal since they dont have what I want to see anyway, and I have Netflix anyway... I should also mention that I have a Galaxy note, so I dont "NEED" cameras or anything like that. I just need a nice responsive 7" tablet for reading/web/youtube/Netflix with a bright clear screen..
what do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The updates you're talking about with the Fire are overwhelmingly updates to Amazon's proprietary software, not the underlying version of Android. The updates the Flyer/View have received included proprietary changes, but they're accompanied with updates to the Android software. So it's difficult to compare the updates of the two since the nature of each are different. That said, the Flyer/View already has far more functionality than the Fire ever will do to its hardware and access to the Google Play Store (still sounds weird to say that instead of Android Market). No amount of updates to the Fire will ever get it to level of things the Flyer/View can do. The Flyer/View may or may not see any more official updates (no one here knows for sure), but it's already on a higher level than the Fire as it currently stands.
I assume with book sharing you're referring to the lending of Kindle books. You cannot do this with the View/Flyer with Kindle books you have purchased from Amazon. It's a feature exclusive to Kindle devices. You can install the Kindle app on the View/Flyer and have full access to all of your books, but you can't lend/borrow and you don't have access to Prime library.
By "reader view," are you implying that the webpage is reformatted to allow you to more easily read the text? If so, there are ways of doing this on the Flyer/View. It may require a different browser or app, but it can be done.
Overall, the Flyer/View is a more well-rounded device than the Fire from a hardware point of view with GPS, cameras, and optional cellular connectivity (depending on the model). The quality of the screens are both good, and both devices feel great in the hand (although I like the feel of my View better). The View is better from an Android point of view with full access to the suite of Google Apps (Gmail, Voice, Maps, Play Store, etc.), something that the Fire does not have (quite possibly the biggest software-related point in my opinion). On the other hand, if you're heavily invested in the Amazon ecosystem, and your major concern is reading (including the lending/borrowing of books and accessing the Prime library), the Fire offers more options direct from Amazon. If you're into custom ROMs, the Fire also has a much bigger developer community with a lot more support. But as far as an all-around device for "reading/web/youtube/Netflix with a bright clear screen," the Flyer/View is by far the better device in my opinion.
For me, the answer was simple - a regular Kindle e-ink reader for books (including lending/borrowing and the Prime library) since it's far easier on the eyes anyway and can be read outside, and the View for everything else (plus I can read almost all of my Kindle stuff on the View if I don't have my Kindle close by). The incredibly low prices on both devices make owning both a viable option for many that want the best of both worlds.
"I should also mention that I have a Galaxy note, so I dont "NEED" cameras or anything like that. I just need a nice responsive 7" tablet for reading/web/youtube/Netflix with a bright clear screen.."
The screen itself should be about the same between the Fire and the View.
I was getting ready to get a Fire, then considered a Nook Tablet, then a View. Here are the main advantages of the View over the Fire:
-View has physical volume up/down buttons
-View has a microphone
-View has 2 cameras.
-View has 32GB of storage and a micro-SD slot for up to 32GB more.
-View has GPS
That's off the top of my head.
If the Fire does a good job for you with books and videos, you won't really gain anything by switching to the View.
If you want a tablet that is much more capable and runs a stock Android go for the View.
dan1101 said:
-View has 32GB of storage and a micro-SD slot for up to 32GB more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A major point that I overlooked in my post. As for the Flyer, it comes in both 16GB and 32GB varieties with the 16GB version being far more prevalent in my experience. Both have expandable storage as well.
"I assume with book sharing you're referring to the lending of Kindle books. You cannot do this with the View/Flyer with Kindle books you have purchased from Amazon. It's a feature exclusive to Kindle devices. You can install the Kindle app on the View/Flyer and have full access to all of your books, but you can't lend/borrow and you don't have access to Prime library."
No thats book lending.
When you're reading a book, there is a little bubble at the bottom. When you press on the bubble, it takes you into a conversation list with other people that are reading the book. Much like a book club. I think that is a neat feature.
I think the kobo at the something like this no?
Thremix said:
When you're reading a book, there is a little bubble at the bottom. When you press on the bubble, it takes you into a conversation list with other people that are reading the book. Much like a book club. I think that is a neat feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, there isn't an option for this in the Android Kindle app that I see.
That's not a huge deal...
So the htc screen wont be much better? I know the duo core thing is not a big deal, the hitch runs fine from the videos I've seen. Any word on ICS? One last thing.. can you take pretty good notes on the flyer? Is it like the galaxy note?
Thremix said:
That's not a huge deal...
So the htc screen wont be much better? I know the duo core thing is not a big deal, the hitch runs fine from the videos I've seen. Any word on ICS? One last thing.. can you take pretty good notes on the flyer? Is it like the galaxy note?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screen difference will be marginal at best.
No official word on ICS.
Yes, the Flyer/View use the same basic technology (albeit from different companies I believe, meaning the Note stylus won't work with the Flyer/View), so note taking is very similar if you have the Scribe. I also had a Note for awhile and found the View to be more precise in that regard.
Wow really.. I think my note is pretty accurate, so the flyer must be nice! I'm going to best buy in hopes of finding a demo.. or maybe sprint..
Thremix said:
Wow really.. I think my note is pretty accurate, so the flyer must be nice! I'm going to best buy in hopes of finding a demo.. or maybe sprint..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They've been discontinued at both Best Buy and Sprint I believe, so it might be difficult to track down any display models in a store, especially that have a Scribe sitting there to use with it.
I've had other people contend that the Note is more precise, but I found the View to be when I had both devices. So chances are, that really means that they're both pretty similar when it comes to accuracy.
bsweetness said:
No, there isn't an option for this in the Android Kindle app that I see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It may not be in the Kindle app, but it is there in the stock HTC Reader app which I understand is powered by Kobo. I have not used it because all of my ebooks are from non-drm epub sources so while the HTC Reader displays those books perfectly, it does not allow me to use the share option.
Anyway to read the kindle books on the kobo app? Reason I ask is that kobo has a nicer UI.
I did find a demo at the sprint store, I liked it and found the screen to he a bit more vivid, I wish I would have had the time to really check out, unfortunately we were on a way to a movie, so I had maybe 30seconds with it. Can anyone cement on the speakers, some of you have had the fire so maybe you can give me an idea of the sound quality of the htc vs the fire? I think I'm gonna buy the HTC, I just need a little push lol..
All of you have been a great help.
Just to throw my thoughts in:
I am a college student and I have an internship in an office. I bought the flyer at the beginning of this semester to take notes and other various things at my job. I have used it for a few months now, and I can say that I don't even carry a notebook any more. It has also fully replaced my netbook. I have read several books for class on it, and it has worked well as far as that goes. The speakers are pretty good quality, I find them acceptable for Skype calls and YouTube videos.
Sent from my mobile typewriter with tapatalk
the flyer/view has basically one of the greatest displays for reading for its highest pixel density of android tablets (ipad 3 has a much higher resolution tho), and great color production for things other than reading. i love my htc flyer, and i would recommend it, the reading experience is still fantastic even if it lacks fire features, because htc adds their own (such as book sharing, as you mentioned)!
Similar Dilemma
I'm in the same boat, torn between fire and flyer.
For me the flyer was an extra $40, so is $40 worth:
bluetooth
2 cameras
512meg extra ram
8gb extra storage
microSD card reader
a microphone...
Normally I say, yes, of course it is, however of those, the only one that actually matters to me... might be the microSD card reader and extra storage, seeing as the fire only ships with 8GB.
Why are those other features not important to me? Because wherever I have my tablet to use, I will 100% of that time have my iPhone 4 in my pocket which has 2 cameras, 32GB storage, a microphone, etc. If I want to take a picture, i'll certainly use my phone before my tablet, same with skip or voice notes, or voip for that matter. If I had a stupid phone, of course I go with the flyer, but with an iPhone, maybe I stick with the kindle fire...
Another consideration is rom updates, yes flyer is popular, however each rom needs to support all that extra hardware, and often one piece either uses an older/supported version of android, or one piece just doesn't work. For example bluetooth for voip, or the hardware buttons of the flyer. With the Kindle it doesn't have much extra hardware, so not much else to support, therefore the rom updates that come out are more "clean" in my view.
I'm forcing myself to use both for a few days this week and make up my mind. The stylus could turn the tide to the flyer though...
We'll see...
paultman said:
I'm in the same boat, torn between fire and flyer.
For me the flyer was an extra $40, so is $40 worth:
bluetooth
2 cameras
512meg extra ram
8gb extra storage
microSD card reader
a microphone...
Normally I say, yes, of course it is, however of those, the only one that actually matters to me... might be the microSD card reader and extra storage, seeing as the fire only ships with 8GB.
Why are those other features not important to me? Because wherever I have my tablet to use, I will 100% of that time have my iPhone 4 in my pocket which has 2 cameras, 32GB storage, a microphone, etc. If I want to take a picture, i'll certainly use my phone before my tablet, same with skip or voice notes, or voip for that matter. If I had a stupid phone, of course I go with the flyer, but with an iPhone, maybe I stick with the kindle fire...
Another consideration is rom updates, yes flyer is popular, however each rom needs to support all that extra hardware, and often one piece either uses an older/supported version of android, or one piece just doesn't work. For example bluetooth for voip, or the hardware buttons of the flyer. With the Kindle it doesn't have much extra hardware, so not much else to support, therefore the rom updates that come out are more "clean" in my view.
I'm forcing myself to use both for a few days this week and make up my mind. The stylus could turn the tide to the flyer though...
We'll see...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are 100% in my boat! Lol the flyer will cost me about $50 more, and you and I have the same train of thought. I have my galaxy note for EVERYTHING, and with me, my gnote is almost as big as the tablets of topic! Lol
I found the speed to be more or less on par with these two tablets. And the htc reader app is a joke, the fire has a better "reading" atmosphere with the ability to change font and word spacing, and the silk browser reader view is a BIG home run.. I still can't shake the feeling I should just get the flyer.. lol
Thremix said:
Anyway to read the kindle books on the kobo app? Reason I ask is that kobo has a nicer UI.
I did find a demo at the sprint store, I liked it and found the screen to he a bit more vivid, I wish I would have had the time to really check out, unfortunately we were on a way to a movie, so I had maybe 30seconds with it. Can anyone cement on the speakers, some of you have had the fire so maybe you can give me an idea of the sound quality of the htc vs the fire? I think I'm gonna buy the HTC, I just need a little push lol..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Kindle books are DRM-protected, so unless you want to find a way around that (something we can't discuss on these forums), you have to use the Kindle app for Kindle books.
The Flyer/View have pretty darn good speakers for the size of the tablet. I can't think of a time when I wasn't more than satisfied with them.
Thremix said:
And the htc reader app is a joke, the fire has a better "reading" atmosphere with the ability to change font and word spacing, and the silk browser reader view is a BIG home run.. I still can't shake the feeling I should just get the flyer.. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to use the HTC Reader app (although you can adjust the size of the text in the app). There are several different e-reader apps in the Play store that let you adjust font and spacing (and I know the Kindle app will at least let you adjust the font). But the biggest advantage to using the HTC Reader is that it has full integration with the Scribe pen. On Honeycomb, you can use the Scribe with any app, but you'll only be able to use some of the advanced functions of the pen with apps that are optimized for it.
You're definitely right about the Fire having a better "reading atmosphere" though. That's its primary purpose (along with watching video), so Amazon has put a lot of significant thought and design into it. The Flyer/View is very much a multi-purpose device, with the focus spread throughout the device instead of on just a couple areas like the Fire. That's why for people who want a device that is primarily going to be a reading/video device with most of the content coming from Amazon, the Fire is definitely a great option. But for those who want more than that, the Flyer/View offers many more options.
I just won a like new htc flyer with case and scrib pen for $212 shipped..
Dude, demonoid has all the books u need, the flyer reader app supports the pens and its unbeatable bybany other tablet, om taking notes all the tome, signing documents etc
Sent from my HTC Flyer P510e using XDA Premium App