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So there are a number of Android-based tablets on the horizon. These are presumably envisioned as intermediate devices to fill a niche between the smartphone and laptop, similar to the iPad. I'm not starting a thread to debate whether this niche exists, or the design of any specific device, but rather on how well Android and its apps can adapt to being used across multiple devices by the same user.
For me, when I try to envision a tablet in my life, I find it difficult to think of things that it could do but my phone (a Nexus One) can't. I think the point is a tablet doesn't really do new things, but it does them slightly better because of a larger screen. The thing is, I will likely want to switch back and forth between my phone and tablet depending on my real-world context, and I will generally want the state of those applications to stay in sync.
Take reading an ebook, for example. I will still want to read on my phone sometimes, when I just have a minute to spare and don't have the tablet with me, but when I sit down to a more lengthy reading session, I want the tablet to remember where I am in the book. This should be automatic. Similarly, any games I play should have my progress saved, and my bookmarks/history/etc should be synced too. The simple fact is, the additional value of a tablet seems so small, that if I have to put up another non-synced device in my life, it won't even be worth bothering. I'll just keep using the smaller screen of my phone.
Now, of course there are already things that DO sync. Email, calendar, contacts, etc. But those are distinct things with custom implementations specific to that type of data. Certainly every app developer could add a web service that syncs their app data, but why make everyone do that individually. Does anyone know of any plans to create a generalized Android app sync solution? (let me know if there's something out there and I missed it) This seems like something google would want to build at the OS level, but I haven't heard of anything like it.
Thoughts?
I just came across this post after running up against this problem in the real world. Just received my Notion Ink Adam and quickly started looking for a solution to sync things like my eBook placement and game save-state between my Nexus One and the tablet. Titanium Media Sync looked promising but as the product description indicates, it is only capable of one-way synchronization. This means you would have to manually run the sync task each time you started using one device or the other. Perhaps something that could be achieved with tasker and some scripting, but that's more management overhead than anyone would want.
I wish I was better at software development cause this is not a solution that could be tackled with the app inventor.
This is going to be a big shakeup for awhile... SugarSync, Dropbox, Bump, Hoccer, Titanium, Listables/BlueMuze (my apps), Amazon cloud sync, Google Books -- there are 100 solutions coming from different directions and for different puposes.
Then there will be video (which is even more insanely competitive) as everyone trys various DRM, cloud hosting and streaming. Then you have the carriers sitting in the middle putting data caps on stuff wondering if they can get a slice of the pie. Roku, SlingBox, Tivo, Boxee, TimeWarner, Viacom, NBC-Comcast, Verizion, Cablevision, ATT, Apple, --- SO MANY companies in this market.
This is partly why I created my apps, so that people could send data without the cloud sync ideology/methodology forced on them. But that's sort of tangential to the conversation, and specific for types of media as you said above.
Anyways, I think the competition will be good mostly. But we'll have to be careful to reward those who dont try to restrict usage arbitrarily. And be sure to punish those that stand in the way.
Also with regards to programming sync oneself, beware that it's one of those things that's deceptively simple sounding until you try and work out the actual code/details of how to do it.
We need this now more than ever!
Any new products out there that can help me synch my Captivate with my Color Nook?
Seraph321 said:
I find it difficult to think of things that it could do but my phone (a Nexus One) can't. Thoughts?
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I can't agree with you more. I came to the same conclusion when I was looking at tablets.
However there are certain things I don't use right now because my battery temp will exceed 103°F when I'm using them (music apps, navigation, etc.) Phone is overclocked to 844 MHz so that obviously plays into the battery life, but if I had a tablet I could use those apps on the tablet to conserve my phone battery; currently my phone battery won't last more than a day :^(
There's also the possibility that because tablets would be more powerful than my MyTouch 3G Slide that I could scale back my phone CPU and use certain things on the tablet.
I'm holding off on tablets right now, I want to see where they go with the capabilities first before I jump on board.
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App
You said "I'm holding off on tablets right now". If you want to get your feet wet on the cheap, pick up a Color Nook of Craigslist. I've bought 2 now for $170 each.
At that price, who cares where the tablet market goes. When something comes along you like better, buy it, and give the Color Nook to someone as a gift.
I'm pretty confident the community will make a tablet more than worth owning. Even without the source code the xoom has been pretty handy. But from the first day of ownership I was wondering why it wasn't built in to have the phone and tab sync up. Even something more basic like chrome to phone for the phone to tab would be nice.
Just thinking out loud mostly.
My favorite tab sync mod,
Grab Google voice and grooveIP and have texts and voice calls come to the tab at the same time as the phone.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA Premium App
Great topic! As a developer and Droid X owner, I've been debating about getting a tablet, but my tablet would be an iPad so I can cross-platform develop.
Still, a very valid issue as to iPhone/iPad or Droid/Xoom synching. Haven't given it much thought, but the OP brings up some valid points.
If you have an e-book, grocery list manager and any other number of apps, *physical* synching would be a PITA in my opinion. I think some cloud-based solution like DropBox would be the best solution.
How this gets implemented is surely open to debate.
I haven't tried it yet but there's an app on the market called SyncIt Beta:
https://market.android.com/details?id=jug6ernaut.net.syncit
It's supposed to be able to sync your app data across multiple devices.
^ Shift Faced
I am sorry for bringing back a dead thread, however this is still something i am in looking for. I have a nexus S and a toshiba thrive tablet. As opposed to cloud based or something along those apps, i think an even easier solutions would be a device direct streaming type service so to speak. Have the devices communicate directly with each other over wifi or bluetooth. I mean to be perfectly honest, if i use it on the road, my phone is with me anyway so bluetooth is perfectly acceptable. and when i am at home, both are connected to wifi even if they aren't close enough for bluetooth. That would remedy the need of a cloud based service, and the issue of data privacy. As long as the data gets synced locally to the device, i should be able to break the sync and still continue to operate, then when the 2 devices are reconnected to each other they can just update the changes. I am not a developer, so i apologize if these requests seem monumental. However i was going to make the change to webOS because it natively had support for these features, which were immensely helpful. Until webOS sort of fell off the grid obviously (even though it was never really on it to begin with)
Try "Tablet Talk" the paid app is really worth it, it allows users to communicate from tablet to phones.
It's well worth the money
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Old thread. New Idea.
I came across this thread while searching for a solution to my problem. Thought it appropriate to post here.
Does anyone know of any virtual assistant apps or anything of that sort that will sync with other versions of the app on other devices?
For example, I have two android devices. I want to be able to talk to one and set a reminder at the house, and have the reminder come to a different device i have on me elsewhere.
So far the only way I can come up with to do this is to set a reminder through Google Calendar but was wondering if there was any other less clunky alternatives.
So I have a note ii and a precedent. Here is a list of things id like to do
Sync my note ii audio a2dp out to play ober the precedent
Sync alert and alarm awnsers n dismissals across devices as well as read emails
Power off device remotley [power on?]
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
Questions should be posted in Q&A forums, not Development forums.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/announcement.php?a=81
See rule #15
Thread moved.
So, if rooting the g tablet is the way to go, it surely must stand up to a few simple speed checks. Has anyone posted various root's numbers or have some to post?
Stuff like, time to boot? Time to load common apps? Time to open the same web page? Frames on games? Time to download? Max browser pages open? Other relevant numbers welcome...
As far as I can tell, without any objective numbers comparing root performance, a lot of this rooting fad raves could just be subjective reported elation about being able to be different.
Granted, originally, the Gtab OS had some flaws. That's old news, get over it. How do the current roots compare with OTA version 3588? I'm somewhat shocked not one of the pack of geeks that have rooted their G tab hasn't backed up their raves with real numbers...
Granted, being rooted to the latest vegan might get access to the full Android market, and perhaps even future updates in Android... However, if I'm finding most of what I want at Amazon Android, is rooting worth the trouble until the roots and android versions stabilize? Show us the NUMBERS...!
I've been there done that with this subjective stuff long enough not to be swayed without real numbers...
Also, do any of these roots do OTA auto updates or do root updates require a download & re-root? Just asking...
Jesus christ if you can't do a simple search for benchmark tests then I highly suggest getting the ipad2. I hear that the ipad 2 reads your mind so out don't have to do any search. We've only had a kazillion threads on this.
Edit
This is not to mention all the YouTube vids on this people have posted.
Edit again.
Actually, here are a few.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1047098&highlight=benchmark+2011
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=12984546&postcount=9
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=12986416&postcount=10
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=12986416&postcount=10
Edit again.
I'm serious, I highly suggest the ipad 2 to everyone I talk to. Speaking as someone who repairs computers as a side job, I'm fully aware that most people want to be spoon fed everything, which is why the ipad 2 is the ideal device for most people. If people want to complain about nothing, let apple deal with them.
Thanks for the links.
However, as best as I can tell, they seem to verify that the OTA updated Gtablet is about the same speed as Vegan in the benchmarks when the CPU speeds are similar.
However, do the benchmarks used translate into much of relevance to speed of actually using the tablet to open programs, boot the tablet, download & open web pages. Stuff that people actually do with the tablet... Unless that's what the benchmarks are testing... But that info isn't provided in the links. Again -- weak...
The numbers and detail provided in these links deserve barely more than a C grade, if that... And what they provide seems to be at equal speeds, the current OTA updated gtab OS works fine... As long as you don't need the full Adroid market...
You Tube links? As best as I can tell, not one of them is an objective comparison with the OTA 3588 update gtab. They are just videos of vegan working... As far as real world numbers and comparisons -- Grade D-...
Where are the Grade A numbers? It's not that I don't believe the ROMs are not an improvement, it's just where are the numbers to support these raves?
What exactly are you looking for? There are no hard numbers when it comes to real world use, just your user experience versus mine.
You're not telling us what you want. You said you wanted numbers so I gave you a bunch. Then you say you don't want those numbers. So, I ask again. What do you want?
I'll be brutally honest on this one. Vegan isn't that fast. From all my tests, Calkulin+Clemsyn combo is by far the fastest custom rom+kernel for the gtab.
After trying out everything, I'm back to Calkulin+Clemsyn combo.
Would you like me to make a video of myself openning various programs and post it for you? What do you want?
I'm thinking you should drop that 'r' from your handle.
You also have a misconception of what rooting is/does.
To become root in Linux/Android is to gain administrative privileges. In windows root would be called Administrator. Gaining root privileges gives you the ability to change system files and settings, NOTHING MORE. By itself it does nothing.
Now boys...
The fact is that if you need numbers, reports,testimonials or anything else to justify mucking around with the gtab thenyou probably should just get an iPad. Nothing to prove then -everyone "knows" its the best-no numbers needed! The gtab is for people that don't mind the hardware and software quirks as long as they have the freedom to mess around. Its not about the numbers -its about the experience.
[Q] Why should we ..?!
Droofus said:
I've been there done that with this subjective stuff long enough not to be swayed without real numbers...
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Click to collapse
Well, I am not sure anyone here is trying to sway you in one direction or the others.
Here is how things go in community forums like this one:
- People search for what they got in mind first.
- If they didn't find its either undoable or not that interesting for the community that no one bothered doing it.
- In both case those people are expected to either drop whatever they are wishing for or pursuit it on there own and then share their findings with the community.
In other words, why the heck am I supposed to go beyond whatever benchmarks readily available on the market to show YOU how good/bad are custom firmwares compared to stock ones when :
- custom firmwares are volatile and each couple of days there is a new rom or rom add on or a kernel released (am I supposed to maintain the stats for every single update released ? else how meaningful would be my outdated stats to you? when it represents a ROM that is no longer a candidate)
- the whole flash back and forth and in between roms is a 10~20 minutes process of YOUR time which would suffice to answer all your questions.
If you still need some usability tests (you can use your own stop watch to time through the videos) you might want to check here.
Best of luck,
Zaphod-Beeblebrox said:
I'm thinking you should drop that 'r' from your handle.
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I think this was the best answer.
The information you are demanding is indicating your ignorance. As was already stated rooting does nothing for performance. If you want numbers you can install each rom and test with each kernel setting whatever your heart desires. Its not likely anyone else even cares as most people only care about stability and a lack of lag
Droofus said:
So, if rooting the g tablet is the way to go, it surely must stand up to a few simple speed checks. Has anyone posted various root's numbers or have some to post?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting itself does nothing other than giving you root - the speed of your device before and after rooting is identical.
Now, if you want to talk about the speeds with or without an overclocked kernel, or with a custom Froyo vs custom Ginger vs stock rom, as others have said there are plenty of posts out there.
Mine lasted on the stock rom for exactly one boot after opening the box - so I could copy on the bits to begin the rooting/custom rom flashing goodness.
cu_ninja said:
What exactly are you looking for? There are no hard numbers when it comes to real world use, just your user experience versus mine.
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Click to collapse
What I'm looking for is defined, at least in part, in the first post. Copy and pasted here for your convenience.
Stuff like, time to boot? Time to load common apps? Time to open the same web page? Frames on games? Time to download? Max browser pages open? Other relevant numbers welcome...
If I go to a notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards, the various card performances in various games are reviewed. The reviews are very professionally and objectively done with detail. Clicking on any specific card opens a detailed review of that card. This allows users to make decisions based upon what sorts of (graphic game) uses they might actually have.
It seems a similar but much smaller objective set of benchmarks could be performed on the various g tablet roots using a set of common uses in part noted above. It doesn't need to be as elaborate or detailed as the video card review site noted above. Just objectively testing a few simple end user tasks would seem to be adequate to get beyond the subjective raves that one commonly sees about this or that OS change...
FYI, part of this is related to my background as a doctor (plus a computer background dating back beyond the Apple II to programming FORTRAN and COMPASS on mainframes in the 1960s). As doctors we are constantly bombarded with all sorts of anecdotal raves about this or that treatment all the time, only to find that they aren't supported by actual objective research -- some cause harm, not healing. Fortunately for those promoting software changes related to raves and fads don't have the potential to cause anyone significant harm... Excuse me if I'd like to see similar objective professional 'standards of care' when it comes to reviewing and analyzing software/hardware fads. I'm sure there are plenty of others in the audience who'd feel the same...
So is this a religious thread, I see Jesus was mentioned.
Actually sometimes you modders act like it.
I'll get the other times later. Here is the startup time.
Droofus said:
FYI, part of this is related to my background as a doctor (plus a computer background dating back beyond the Apple II to programming FORTRAN and COMPASS on mainframes in the 1960s). As doctors we are constantly bombarded with all sorts of anecdotal raves about this or that treatment all the time, only to find that they aren't supported by actual objective research -- some cause harm, not healing. Fortunately for those promoting software changes related to raves and fads don't have the potential to cause anyone significant harm... Excuse me if I'd like to see similar objective professional 'standards of care' when it comes to reviewing and analyzing software/hardware fads. I'm sure there are plenty of others in the audience who'd feel the same...
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Click to collapse
Well, while I can see your point, I also have to point out the other side of the argument. I am an engineer. Last year, we got a college graduate who, from the outlook, had all the numbers and credentials. He graduated with almost a perfect gpa. Sounds nice, right? He had all the numbers. The problem was as soon as he began working with us we figured out very quickly that we had a book smart-absolutely no common sense person with us. I swear, he pulled me aside one time and asked me why they were "watering the concrete slabs" in the lab. It got worse from there. I had to explain to him very basic engineering concepts and applications like stirrups, slippage, etc.
This guy actually went through college getting the grades and everything without actually understanding any of it. He graduated with a structural engineering degree without knowing the very simple practical processes of curing concrete or reinforcing footings.
The point is numbers can be deceiving if you ignore annecdotal (aka common sense) evidence. You need both objective numbers and common sense to work in reality. Sure, I've heard plenty of annecdotal nonsense like creationist BS, religious miracles, and homeopathic crap. I'll give you that. But you seem to be on the other extreme side, which is to ignore all personal evidence and place all your bets on pure numbers.
I'm telling you now. We got both the numbers and personal evidence. I'll try to get them for you.
Doofus
I like the list of missing benchmarks you listed. Why don't you measure them and report back?
Droofus said:
What I'm looking for is defined, at least in part, in the first post. Copy and pasted here for your convenience.
Stuff like, time to boot? Time to load common apps? Time to open the same web page? Frames on games? Time to download? Max browser pages open? Other relevant numbers welcome...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All those numbers are identical before and after rooting your device since nothing changes before and after root, other than you now have root access.
That was easy.
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Theres some more random numbers
While watching everyone bash eachother here has its entertainment i have some advice.
Droofus
1 i would recomend not comming into a community forum and bashing people who put a lot of effort into making the product you own better. These people don't get paid for the hours of work they put in.
2 if you don't like how thing are done around here take the time to be a good example and do it better. You clearly have an idea in your head on how to make a professional stastical representation of the roms so do it.
3 what some people are trying to tell you is that it is not all about the numbers. Some people want gingerbread features. Right now all of the gingerbread roms suck for video performance due to driver issues so i don't use them. I like the gingerbread features but i watch videos a lot so i use a froyo rom. Others really care about performance so they give up some stability and overlock.
4 people around here get upset when the same question gets asked over and over again. If you have done some reasearch reference other articles to show that.
5 this is a dual core tablet, what are you doing that you care that much about preformance.
This thing is faster than my netbook.
6 dropping your title on us just makes you sound pretentious. There are a lot of very intellgent successful people here who are not impressed by doctors or your past experience. If you have useful skills to the community don't brag just use them and people will be grateful.
7 people were a little rude about it but they are right. I tell people that if they want something that is easy go buy an ipad or a xoom. If you want something for under 300 then buy a g tab and understand that with some effort it can be great.
Everyone
1 relax... starting flame wars with someone who doesn't know their way around isn't going to help anyone.
I forgot to mention that traditionally us geeks are known for our lack of formal documentation.
P.s. while many of us proudly wear the badge of geek calling us a pack of geeks is a little adversarial.
Rather than clutter up other threads, such as the blocking 1.41 OTA update thread, I propose we put thoughts/frustrations here. As such, here is what I think:
Upon thinking about this more, this is really just the final wedge that B&N put in place to separate the people here, versus the people who are locked into B&N content.
We/I had been hoping that maybe someday they would change their mind and open up the NT so it would act the way the NC would. But, this is a clear message to consumers on how they want to proceed with their product. There will be no unlocked bootloader in the future. There will be no use of outside apps from other markets.
I can't blame them for trying to make money. They put together a nice piece of hardware, and are probably making little to no profit on the hardware. The real bummer here is, for me at least, I would have likely purchased non-apps(see books) from B&N and used the software originally provided by them to view the books. But now with this update, I am basically forced to do the full bloatware removal, and I will get books through other means.
For me, the NT is more a toy for apps and less for reading. Utilizing the B&N app market, which as others have said, is very limited and often pricey, does not make sense. Could I spend some more money and get a full android tablet? Sure, but if I've learned anything from these forums in my short time here, its that it is fun to work together on tweaking something and making it better than what it was originally intended for.
Your thoughts?
I think it's only a matter of time before the devs figure out a way around their "block" of nonBN apps. All they did was take out the ease of sideloading out of the box.
I still haven't gotten a Nook Tablet. I still plan to. I have no doubt that this will be a temporary setback. The locked bootloader is, no doubt, a challenge. Rooting the device after this update, however, shouldn't be nearly as significant an issue, I wouldn't think.
I have the same feelings about the device - it will be a fun toy and useful device and will serve less as an eReader.
For the time being, I will be reading the forums to see what new developments come along in this drama.
CapsLockKey said:
I think it's only a matter of time before the devs figure out a way around their "block" of nonBN apps. All they did was take out the ease of sideloading out of the box.
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Click to collapse
It sounds like they already have, but the point remains that it was a slap in the face to anyone that has been previously side-loading apps and customizing their NT without rooting.
If you've read some of Indirect's posts before, i believe he debloats most if not all of BN's stuff. Changing the db values worked for the Nook Color, and i assume it's just a matter of hours before one of us work out a quick workaround to rescuing those who got bumped to 1.4.1. I suspect it's gonna be something like this:
1) Using SD card method to restore to 1.4.0
2) Identifying the culprit to push/pull OTA on the NT
3) debloat B&N footprint to minimal so that the NT will be a stable platform to research the bootloader issue.
I'm really surprised so many people start thinking returning their NT because of one minor update. As long as there's one copy of rooted NT among us, i think we'll be able to propogate and beat BN at their game.
I pulled this from the "How to block B&N 1.41 update" thread.
AdamOutler said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=20502705#post20502705
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Click to collapse
For my fellow XDA noobs, fear not and don't lose faith in the brilliance of this community.
Here is a fine example(see post above): AdamOutler is amazing and comes through for XDA often like so many others.
Watching him and Loglud give NT bootloader the business in the Development thread is impressive even though I don't fully understand. I see though that they are making progress. They prove that there are many ways to crack the NT nut.
Remain calm and keep reading.
HMG10 said:
It sounds like they already have, but the point remains that it was a slap in the face to anyone that has been previously side-loading apps and customizing their NT without rooting.
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Click to collapse
If I took offense at every manufacturer that has "slapped the face" of their market, I wouldn't own anything. I would live in the woods because the people that made my house cut corners to line their pockets. My shingles wouldn't be prematurely failing. I would have sold my Prius immediately when I found out about the cover-up of some very important safety information. I would start a class-action suit over the burst capacitors on my motherboard due to the manufacturer using questionable sources for their electronics. I would never buy a toy for my kids because most are made in China using questionable labor tactics.
If people choose to take this personally, fine. Return your devices. Please also take stock of what you own and what pains you go through daily because capitalism encourages these behaviors. Then, sit back and ponder how you, as a consumer, contribute to the issue.
Am I unhappy about the decision? Yes. I'd rather thumb my nose at B&N by being patient and using whatever new tricks are up people's sleeves to use the device in a way "I'm not supposed to be able to" than not even buying one. Does this make me a hypocrite by making a rationalization to own a device while still supporting the very practices that perturb me? Perhaps.
Moved my thoughts from the other thread:
I think B&N is going to be surprised at the number of returned NT's- I'm betting far beyond their 3% estimate. 3% is probably people like on this site, average/above average tech users. Well beyond that are many others who buy NTs based on a recommend from the 3%, who then just follow the instructions for sideloading/rooting.
Personally, I've recommended the NT to about 4 other people who bought as Christmas presents. If there will be a constant worry for them about sneaky updates wrecking their NT's, my only advice will be to return while they can and get something else. I recommended based on the NT's ONLY real advantages- that it can be rooted and sideloaded. It sucks, and now I regret recommending this, and from now on I won't. I don't mind being responsible for the NT I bought my wife for Christmas, but not anyone else's.
In the end, B&N and others who go this crazy locked down route will lose- more and more people are tech savvy enough to know they're getting the shaft. B&N needs to develop a better app store, like Amazon. People willingly put Amazon's app store on their devices, including the Nook. I wonder how many KF users willingly put B&N crap on their devices?
They think they can just force people into a crappy walled garden like they are Apple, but with a subpar app store, charging even for otherwise free apps. It's not gonna work, and unfortunately the NT will eventually sink in a sea of better tablets that aren't locked down.
I'm not so sure that people will be returning their NTs with this update. Most of us have had ours far past the two week return period. Even if we returned them, it would be for store credit.
sonicdh said:
I'm not so sure that people will be returning their NTs with this update. Most of us have had ours far past the two week return period. Even if we returned them, it would be for store credit.
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Click to collapse
return window for "holiday" purchases has been extended to 01/31/12 if purchased between 11/14 and 12/31.
is it really worth returning it for a little reason like this? Heck, even Amazon have done the same thing in the past couple days. Granted you have the option of flashing a new ROM onto the KF but what about the people who have just bought it and it comes with the new FW or they haven't seen the post on the new FW?
I agree with most saying that B&N are doing what is best for them, which makes sense in a business aspect and everyone who bought this for a cheap colour e-reader have no concept about it. We get upset, someone finds a way to fix it, we move on to something else.
I too considered returning mine but A) it won't do me any good B ) Other "cheaper" tablet developers seem to be doing the same thing.
Final thought - Might as well keep it and patiently wait for something to change from here.
Being a total noob to all things android and not a very adept at computers, I was so happy to compare the Nook Tablet and the kindle fire side by side. I picked the nook tab because I saw that I could side load all the kindle book store and Amazon apps to the Tab. Also because of the hardware improvements.
Now I feel like I've been baited and switched. I do believe that I will be returning the Nook Tablet I have purchased. Before I do, I have a few questions. Please excuse my ignorance.
1. where do I go to buy the refurbished nook colors for 130.00 ?
2. If I buy an upgraded nook color, will I be able to load the kindle bookstore and my kindle books on to it?
3. Will I have access to sideloading all the things I want on the nook color?
4. How do I save the content I now have to move over to the nook color?
5. Will the 16gig SD card I bought for the nook tablet work on the nook color?
If all these things can be done with the nook color, then I must vote with my wallet and return my tablet if for no other reason than principle. I purchased a product from a company that performed a certain way and I wake up and find they have disabled the functions that mattered to me the most. I didn't rent or lease the product. I purchased it. It should be mine to use or modify as I please.
With my needs, it appears that the nook color will do me just fine. I don't plan on watching movies or TV on it.
As others have noted, my frustration is this... I bought (3 in total) and recommended several others buy over things like the Fire because one could sideload without rooting.
I'll be the first to state that I am perfectly content rooting my own NT (as I did for my NC previously), but I have two other NTs in my household as well. It is neither practical nor desirable to have to root all three and maintain all three for less savvy users who want software not available in the BN store.
The capability to sideload made the selection of the NT an easy choice. Blocking sideloading without rooting makes the choice to return two - if not all three - an easy choice as well.
I hope this helps with your questions.
1. where do I go to buy the refurbished nook colors for 130.00 ?
Ebay
Google Search
2. If I buy an upgraded nook color, will I be able to load the kindle bookstore and my kindle books on to it?
No. It has 1.41.
Go to the "Nook Tablet Android Development - [Stock Firmware]Restore Barnes & Nobel Nook 1.4.0 from SDCard" to understand how to undo.
3. Will I have access to sideloading all the things I want on the nook color?
Only with a rooted 1.4 or custom rom. Unsure how 1.41 might impact a custom rom or if this would even be an issue for custom rom.
4. How do I save the content I now have to move over to the nook color?
SD card and/or Dropbox or some other way to access later.
5. Will the 16gig SD card I bought for the nook tablet work on the nook color?
Yes from what I have read.
PlacidCat said:
I still haven't gotten a Nook Tablet. I still plan to. I have no doubt that this will be a temporary setback. The locked bootloader is, no doubt, a challenge. Rooting the device after this update, however, shouldn't be nearly as significant an issue, I wouldn't think.
I have the same feelings about the device - it will be a fun toy and useful device and will serve less as an eReader.
For the time being, I will be reading the forums to see what new developments come along in this drama.
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Click to collapse
This update demonstrates that B&N is openly hostile to the dev community. Most manufacturers (even Apple!) take a laissez faire approach to outside development - they don't go out of their way to help, but they also don't go out of their way to break things. Kindle Fire updates, for instance, are a minor inconvenience for rooters, and rerooting is very easy.
A lot of people were willing to live with the locked bootloader because, in the end, you can still achieve most of what you want simply through sideloading. All the bootloader really curtails are those ugly themes that rom chefs seem to love so much. But stopping sideloading? Ugh, no way.
By doing this, B&N has proven that they are not happy with sideloading and I believe it is within their power to disable it permanently. And even if it is always possible to circumvent, you'll see the community here get smaller and smaller until there aren't enough people willing to bother.
So I would say do not get a Nook Tablet if you are not happy with using the pure stock experience without sideloading.
Gotta vent too. Blocking sideloading is a total f u in our faces. We also can't root it with ZergRush. What do we have left? Total waste of hardware if you lock it down like this. Might as well get the simple touch ereader. You can't call it a tablet if it can't do tablet things!
If it's going to affect their revenue stream, they're going to look for a way to block it. there's no getting around it. they don't have the ecosystem that Amazon has, so they can't afford to have people go elsewhere for some of the more mainstream apps that they have in their store.
the solution to that it that B&N needs to aggressively expand their app store and price at least close to the Android Market prices.
at least then, there's a reasonable retort, despite how we may feel. still, I paid for the device, I shouldn't have them decide how I should be able to use it.
Mama Luigi said:
<SNIP>
So I would say do not get a Nook Tablet if you are not happy with using the pure stock experience without sideloading.
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Click to collapse
As I said, I'm waiting and watching. My "plan to" is not 100% firm. I'll leave it to the devs to decide if they want to stick with this or not and base my decision on their progress, not what people are saying now in frustration. There are still ways around the issue and OTA updates appear to be (hopefully) already circumvented if people installed Gapps as part of the basic root procedure outlined on this forum.
To simply say "do not get... unless you want stock" is quite premature. Again, I have bigger worries on my mind - if Toyota was late on reporting a safety issue that could have affected my life and my family members', I have far more reason to turn away in disgust. Will I turn away from a reading device that STILL offers a tablet experience if people follow directions just because of B&N's asshattery? No.
JoeM01 said:
If it's going to affect their revenue stream, they're going to look for a way to block it. there's no getting around it. they don't have the ecosystem that Amazon has, so they can't afford to have people go elsewhere for some of the more mainstream apps that they have in their store.
the solution to that it that B&N needs to aggressively expand their app store and price at least close to the Android Market prices.
at least then, there's a reasonable retort, despite how we may feel. still, I paid for the device, I shouldn't have them decide how I should be able to use it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally, I don't like being locked into a B&N app store. For my next tablet/phone/android device, it won't necessarily be a nook, but it will run android, therefore google market is still the best bet. Google market is there and established. B&N should focus on making profits via ebooks, magazines and other media.
Is the extended return policy specific to purchases at the B&N stores? I purchased mine at Best Buy.
TL;DR
This is an awesome little machine, and I'm very happy with it. And even though the price is slightly premium for a netbook and there are some issues you should not expect from such a pricey device, it's still definitely worth buying in my opinion. If you think you like the idea of the transformer (as in, a modular keyboard dock) or are impressed by the specs, then you should get it! It's as good as it looks and you won't be let down!
So, I was really looking forward to getting the Prime, as I needed a replacement for my laptop for studies, and I thought that the Prime would be the best investment as a laptop (which doubles as a tablet, sweet). Though, as I was looking around, I saw lots of reviews praising it as the best tablet ever, but on the other hand I saw a lot of complaints on the XDA forum from people who actually own it about what a terrible experience it is. So I just wanted to share what my experience is, and if you're considering getting the Prime (and particularly as a laptop), then this sums up what I think of it and if it's worth getting.
To start with the issues:
I've never even had the chance to test out the GPS, which should not be functioning, as you probably know. I sometimes wish the WiFi signal was stronger, but I don't think it's any worse than the other gadgets I have lying around the house. I just recently started getting the random reboots. Yeah, that's annoying. I think it has to do with the flash player (2/3 times it was with flash in the foreground, and the third time I just opened flash and switched to something else). You know what, I'm not worried because even though it will probably start to bother if it continues, I'm sure updates and fixes will follow.
What I'm really bothered by is some ICS tweaks to make it more keyboard-friendly and more desktop-like instead of phone-like. For example, I'm still looking for a decent browser that can be set to desktop user agents (to show desktop sites instead of mobile sites). Also, multitasking on this thing is awesome, until you have to open two files of the same kind (you need to get two PDF readers if you want to have two PDF files open at once). These too will be fixed with software updates or app updates. Soon people will realize that Android is also a computer OS and not just a phone OS. These software issues have nothing to do with the Prime and will get ironed out as time goes along, and it won't matter if you have the Galaxy Tab or the Prime.
But I should stress that I am in no way regretting getting this thing. This thing is comparable to a netbook in size and a laptop in power, and better than both together in battery life. The whole package is incredible: the looks, the screen, the power, the keyboard dock, the freakin' battery life, everything is just top notch. I literally can't convince you enough how pleased I am with the hardware. You couldn't find a netbook out there that competes with this on any scale - on ANY scale. And you'd have a hard time finding a laptop of this price with this kind of power. Just take a look at Shadowgun on youtube. Then imagine it looking three times better when it's actually in your hands.
I'm using it for studies, and I take notes with Google Docs - which could use some work, but you can bet Google will be updating it to work better on tablets. The best thing I like about this is that I use this as a laptop (which don't get more than several hours if you're frugal), and this one can run for almost two full (and I mean FULL) days without a charge. Before I got it, I had a hard time finding a review focused on the keyboard dock as a central input device (as if to replace a laptop). I'm glad to report, as a student, that it is. I can totally see myself seeing slides and taking notes on this, and never worry about finding a wall outlet. I'm hoping to post a video review on YT for students considering this tablet as a school device. Highly recommended.
All in all, I'm very pleased with this thing. If you're considering the Prime, ask away here if there's anything you're unsure about, I'll try to answer as best I can. But if you're reading this much in to the Prime, you should probably just go ahead and get it.
good honest review.
The complaint about being unable to open more than one document type at a time is a legitimate one, and applies to just about every mobile OS in existence. It really crystallizes why these devices are really good for some things, but in general do NOT replace notebook computers.
As an aside, one mobile OS that fixes this limitation is webOS, which DOES allow multiple instances of a document type to be open at once. Emails, PDFs, Web pages, you name it, all can be opened as separate documents and used as one expects--for example, refer to other email messages when writing a new one, jump back and forth between open Word documents to compare versions, etc. I really do wish that Google would adopt the webOS "cards" multitasking metaphor for Android. It's really too bad that webOS has generally been such a failure, because it really does have some unique strengths.
Sorry for hijacking the thread, but I think just needed to be said.
So glad we have yet another one of these threads... Oh wait.. That feeling is gas... Closing this thread before it stinks in here.
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Hi
I have been thinking about why has nobody created an app like WatchChat but for Wear OS
I have no idea how to create it, but I think if you create it you will earn a lot of money. A lot of people would be happy to pay for a suscription to use that
It sucks to only be able to answer notifications and not being able to open a chat and write
Smart Watches has a lot of potential, But there aren't many apps available
yes we can do a lot of money with this
Hey everyone, actually I also had a Wear OS version in the store for like a year however it wasn't financially viable to keep it online so I had to pull it unfortunately.
Probably the biggest issue was piracy which is a huge problem especially on the Play Store but even with that factored out, there unfortunately wasn't much money to be made. Besides that, on Android you generally have a much lower conversion rate due to people expecting stuff for free.
Not blaming anyone, back when I was in school I'd rather put hours into finding a crack and installing dodgy APK's (soft bricking my device and on the bright side learning a lot along the way) instead of simply paying 50 cents for an app, I definitely know where some people are coming from with that and I can't judge - but the bottom line is the same, I wasn't able to justify putting any more work into this since it couldn't attract many people so I had to drop it.
I may get back to Android development at some point, maybe things have changed since then but at the moment that's the status.
alexbassapps said:
Hey everyone, actually I also had a Wear OS version in the store for like a year however it wasn't financially viable to keep it online so I had to pull it unfortunately.
Probably the biggest issue was piracy which is a huge problem especially on the Play Store but even with that factored out, there unfortunately wasn't much money to be made. Besides that, on Android you generally have a much lower conversion rate due to people expecting stuff for free.
Not blaming anyone, back when I was in school I'd rather put hours into finding a crack and installing dodgy APK's (soft bricking my device and on the bright side learning a lot along the way) instead of simply paying 50 cents for an app, I definitely know where some people are coming from with that and I can't judge - but the bottom line is the same, I wasn't able to justify putting any more work into this since it couldn't attract many people so I had to drop it.
I may get back to Android development at some point, maybe things have changed since then but at the moment that's the status.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just sold my Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, I will switch to Apple Watch because I really need an app like WatchChat
I don't like iPhones, I was very happy with the S21 Ultra, but I'm a medical student and I need to check my messages fast and write fast too and I can't take out my phone because I'm not allowed to