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Computex 2010 Tablet PC Round-Up With Video
MojoKid writes "At Computex 2010, devices like the Eee Pad and Eee Tablet were all the rage. Of course the bulk of these were Intel Atom-based systems, but there were a number of NVIDIA Tegra 2-based models in the mix as well. What is glaringly apparent on all of these tablets — and absent on the iPad — are the multitude of connectivity options built into them, like USB ports, flash card readers, and video output ports. Obviously, from a hardware perspective, the iPad is a sexy device; but Apple's true mastery is that of the user interface. The first big player that steps up with something competitive to Apple in that regard will have the pole position in 2010's race for the hot re-emergent tablet market." Reader Raikus adds an opinionated
summary of winners and losers at "Tabletpalooza," i.e. Computex 2010.
Neither. It's mainly purchased due to a desire to conform to what the majority have, mainly for interoperability with others (work, gamers, ...). It's purchased because it has the majority of marketshare.
It's tough to make the same claim when Apple went from zero phones in 2007 to what they have today, or the introduction of the iPad which again went from 0 to todays 2 million in a matter of weeks.
Simon.
Physicists get Hadrons!
only we wish that we could hook up a keyboard or mouse
You can connect an iPod to a keyboard--either Apple's own unit or any standard Bluetooth keyboard will work. No joy on a mouse, though. The touch interface doesn't support one.
This ain't rocket surgery.
I just looked at the iPad specifications on apple.com and couldn't find any mention of an SD slot. Did I miss something?
Yes, but...
I'd really like to know if the iPad does indeed have an SD slot because that might make it worth having. I'm not talking about some kludgey dongle thing that will let me read SD cards, but an actual slot on the side.
It's an adaptor for the dock connector on the bottom of the iPad. It's very compact (much smaller than most USB SD readers). Being able to bring it with me on vacation to sync photos means I can leave my notebook at home, and to me that's *HUGE*.
It's also very well integrated with the Photos app, including supporting RAW files, skipping already imported items, deleting from the card when you're done, syncing photos back to your PC, etc. Yes, these are all things one would expect from a properly done process, but on portables, "properly done process" isn't exactly something you can always count on being the case.
But if you have an aversion to adapters, it's got that going against it. It seems a bit much to me to base the iPad's suitability on one very small adaptor, but to each his own.
There is no lack of connectivity on iPad. It has a 30-pin iPod dock connector, which is multiple ports in one, for the same reason as an iPod: it's too thin for the other ports it replaces. There is USB, video out, and a number of other cables in an iPod dock connector, so there is no lack of connectivity. A device with a micro-USB port is no better off, you still need a cable with the right ends for whatever device. iPad supports USB audio, hubs, keyboards, and card readers. It supports VGA, component, and composite video out. iPad also works with many iPod accessories, such as credit card readers, which is something other tablets can't say. iPad connects directly to iTunes, which makes it easy to transfer music, movies, books, documents, podcasts onto and off of the device. And it supports Bonjour (zero configuration networking) so it appears as "iPad.local" on the network. Bluetooth keyboards, audio, and controls. It jumps on and off Wi-Fi networks very easily as you move around. There's no shortage of connectivity.
When comparing iPad competitors, it's going to be way, way, way more instructive to compare software, which is 95% of this kind of device. Look at firmware, system, native C apps, HTML5 Web apps, and cloud services. The software that runs the touchscreen is very important to whether the device is practical. Also, usability is very important in consumer electronics.
Maybe the summary means other tablets are vying for pole position in the race to compete with iPad, but if talking about the market as a whole, iPad is way out in front by any measure. They already outsold all other tablets from the past 25 years.
What part of "Computex 2010" don't you get?
Can you connect an iPad to a projector? I didn't think it had much in the way of connectors.
There's an adaptor for an iPad to VGA connection - http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MC552ZM/A?fnode=MTc0MjU4NjE&mco=MTczMTA1MTE
No, but it's not as obtrusive as you might think, but it may put some people off. The different pages of apps on your home screens slide sideways when you swipe your finger, but they move as fast as your finger does; so if you do a demo you can do it slowly. If you are using the phone day to day you swipe without thinking and it happens rapidly, but enough that you can see what it is doing (better feedback than just instantly blinking to the next page).
The zoom happens when you start an app, and this is really there to cover the load time I think. On my 3G some of the bigger apps are still loading after the zoom finishes.
From using it day to day there's no extra animation beyond UI feedback - for example, icons don't swirl around like some fancy vortex when you press them just to look pretty. Every animation is specific to give you feedback on your input. That's the smoothness - the rate at which a list scrolls is entirely down to you. A couple of quick flicks and it whizzes past but stops instantly if you touch your finger down again.