Google Unveils Android 'Honeycomb' Tablet

adeelarshad82 writes "Google Mobile Platform VP Andy Rubin unveiled the very first Android 'Honeycomb' tablet. While very few specs were released about the device, it is said to be a sleek, black, Motorola tablet that is roughly 10" and runs a NVidia dual core CPU. The device has a very clean homepage and the app page looked almost Apple iPad-like. In fact, the Gmail app looked almost exactly like Gmail on the iPad. According to Andy Rubin, Honeycomb should release some time next year, and most major OEMs planning on building Android tablets have expressed interest in using this version of the Android platform."

Comments

meh

[Anonymous Coward]

just a large android, too awkward to use as a phone, too big to carry around, what's the point?

Re:meh

[Anonymous Coward]

10" is too large? I think you need a bit more exercise. Crawl out of your basement, see the light of the world outside your monitor, use the muscles not on your arms/hands/fingers and jaws

Re:meh

[Daniel Phillips]

just a large android, too awkward to use as a phone, too big to carry around, what's the point?

Exactly my reaction to iPad when Apple announced it. I was wrong, there are plenty of uses for a tablet form factor. Two in my immediate world: 1) A computer that fits in the flap of my camera back to which I can upload photos for in-the-field high res slideshow. 2) A touchscreen program controller for my synth keyboard.

With a bluetooth keyboard and stand, should be perfectly able to replace a netbook or laptop for road trips. Subject to replacing lame Android interface with a real desktop like KDE of course.

Re:meh

[spun]

10" is too large? I think you need a bit more exercise. Crawl out of your basement, see the light of the world outside your monitor, use the muscles not on your arms/hands/fingers and jaws

Yes, please do not use your jaws, everyone knows Honeycombs tear the shit out of the roof of your mouth.

Re:meh

[Darkness404]

Except for the fact that netbooks are cheap and not limited. While undoubtedly you are going to be able to do more with the Honeycomb tablet than an iPad and it will be cheaper, netbooks still are the way to go for laptop replacements. I can buy a netbook for a bit less than $300 that can do most of the things a tablet can do for a lot cheaper.

Re:meh

[Anonymous Coward]

How exactly do you upload pictures from your camera to your iPad? The most convenient way would be to take pictures on a micro SD card (with an SD adapter) and then put the micro SD in your tablet. But you need a tablet with a micro SD slot.

Re:meh

[Culture20]

too big to carry around

Honeycomb's Big!
Yeah yeah yeah!
It's not Small!
No no no!

Re:meh

[An ominous Cow art]

Yes, please do not use your jaws, everyone knows Honeycombs tear the shit out of the roof of your mouth.

I thought that was Captain Crunch? Err, the cereal, not the phreak...

Anyway, I came to the joke thread to ask whether this new device might start a new trend of hexagonal tablets.

Re:meh

[gstoddart]

How exactly do you upload pictures from your camera to your iPad? The most convenient way would be to take pictures on a micro SD card (with an SD adapter) and then put the micro SD in your tablet. But you need a tablet with a micro SD slot.

Apple sells a camera kit. Basically it gives you a pair of dongles that connects to the Apple connector for thirty bucks -- one for SD, one for USB. Voila, tablet with SD slot. You can then offload from your camera.

A Micro SD -> SD adapter is an exercise for the reader.

Re:meh

[Shadis]

Maybe the Apple IPad camera adapter: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC531ZM/A?fnode=MTc0MjU4NjE&mco=MTcyMTgxODY Which allows for SD card or USB connection.

Re:meh

[Enderandrew]

For $450 you can buy a decent convertible netbook/tablet that does both.

Re:meh

[slim]

Apple sells a camera kit [...] for thirty bucks

Of course if it had a USB socket in the first place -- and some very standard drivers -- you could use a generic MicroSD adapter for $5.

Re:meh

[HateBreeder]

Maybe you haven't heard, but apple has blocked this feature with ios 4.2.1. Too much power is what they claim....

I have to confess, I find this incredibly amusing.

Re:meh

[gstoddart]

Of course if it had a USB socket in the first place -- and some very standard drivers -- you could use a generic MicroSD adapter for $5.

While that's true, I have yet to find myself with the need to connect a USB drive to it. It's got WiFi, and I've got Dropbox.

But, I'm also aware that the average Slashdotter nowadays isn't happy with a device unless he can install GNU Hurd on it and resurrect some software from an Amiga. Any devices which can't do that are lame and evil and all that blah blah.

For me, I don't find the absence of built-in USB to be much of a limitation, nor does the fact that I can't install the latest Linux Kernel on it. For what I use it for, it does exactly what I need it to.

Re:meh

[RapmasterT]

just a large android, too awkward to use as a phone, too big to carry around, what's the point?

Let me guess, 8 months ago saying "just a large ipod, too awkward to use as a phone, too big to carry around, what's the point?", and you still don't get the point. Well, maybe it's time to buck up and accept that not everyone sees the world through your particularly focused tunnel vision. iPads seem to be selling marginally well, so maybe there's a point after all.

Re:meh

[gstoddart]

Maybe you haven't heard, but apple has blocked this feature with ios 4.2.1. Too much power is what they claim....

*laugh* Really? That is kind of funny.

I guess it's not something I've ever cared about trying -- if I fill my 8GB card in my camera, I have a couple of spare 4GB cards, and if I fill those, I can scavenge a couple of 2GB ones from my older camera. If I realistically expected to be taking the 2K + images that implies, I'd make sure to buy another 8+ GB card.

Definitely not defending bad support for USB/SD after the upgrade, but, I use my cameras and my iPad for different things. However, I'm sure for some people, this is a huge pain in the ass.

Personally, I've found the WiFi to be much flakier after the upgrade. Which is a bit of a pain in the ass.

Re:meh

[Anonymous Coward]

If you notice the amount of time the average person spends consuming vs creating media, you'll find that most people are consumers. That's the whole point of tablets.

Re:meh

[RapmasterT]

Except for the fact that netbooks are cheap and not limited. While undoubtedly you are going to be able to do more with the Honeycomb tablet than an iPad and it will be cheaper, netbooks still are the way to go for laptop replacements. I can buy a netbook for a bit less than $300 that can do most of the things a tablet can do for a lot cheaper.

The netbook/laptop format is most certainly limited. They're nearly unusable while standing or walking, and very awkward to use while sitting but not at a desk. So while you CAN buy a netbook for $300, it can do most of the things an ipad can do, except the things that it can't do or do as well. Those applications are what the slate format excels at, and individuals can decide if those applications are worth the expense.

Pretending the slate form factor is useless because it's not exactly the same as a laptop is just ignoring the obvious.

Re:meh

[RapmasterT]

For $450 you can buy a decent convertible netbook/tablet that does both.

yes, it does both less well than either of each. Convertibles give you all the bulk and weight of a laptop, combined with an OS that wasn't designed for tablet use. What's not to love?

Re:meh

[Vancorps]

After you spent even more money to get accessories that are already present on every other device in the market. Slashdotters aren't happy with the device because it adds completely unnecessary hurdles to use, a USB port with USB host on it would solve the vast majority of complaints. Of course this is why competitors advertise the fact that they have USB so you can hook any old USB keyboard without the need to buy unnecessary adapters. I give Apple credit for creating an accessory industry out of nothing. Why people keep buying Apple products and the proprietary connectors they use I'll never fully understand when the Archos or APad are far more useful, cost less, and come in a variety of sizes. When the iPad first came out I could understand it, but these day? Hell no

Re:meh

[HateBreeder]

It's not about GNU Hurd, or the latest kernel or old Amiga software. I have no use for those on my tablet.

However, when I buy a piece of hardware .. i'm not buying a lifestyle, or an experience or a free pass into all the latest fashion events.

I'm buying hardware. Just that.

I don't want to change my life to work around this hardware's limitation. I don't want to do things the "apple way". I want to do things just the way I LIKE to do things.

Currently, apple doesn't give me this freedom of choice.

For me, buying an Apple product is just like using GNU Gnome. They might think they know what's good for me, but they don't really.

Regardless, i'm disgusted by the greediness and the closed nature of the company. The hardware and software are brilliant, but they could be so much more had they been open and let users do whatever they want. They could easily take over the market had the iPhone been an open platform that users can change and tweak every aspect of. Wait, you're a granny who doesn't care about these things and want you stuff to "just work"? then don't change them! But give me the choice, because I DO want to customize things!

It all comes down to choice. I like making my choices. You prefer apple to make them for you.

Re:meh

[Anonymous Coward]

If you had a USB socket in the first place, you wouldn't need to buy anything because most cameras come with a cable to plug them right into USB ports. If it came with an SD adapter you could put it on also. But it doesn't come with either and you have to pay $30 (+shipping) for having one OR the other.

Re:meh

[Enderandrew]

Not necessarily true. You have the bulk/weight of a netbook when using it as a netbook. How is that a disadvantage?

You can load any apps/software you want, have a full keyboard, USB slots, etc.

And many of the convertible netbooks/tablets change the OS interface when in tablet mode. When you remove the screen and tablet you leave the weight of the netbook behind.

You have the best of both worlds. Why is that bad?

Re:meh

[Grizzley9]

There are also the Eyefi SD cards out there that use wifi and will transmit the pics to a storage device. I recently saw a video from a professional photog that used an iPad wirelessly (and a bit of software) to show the client the pics he was taking right as he was taking them. Being a bigger screen you can also see how well the shot was captured and details the small camera screen can't show you easily.

Re:meh

[Bucky24]

After you spent even more money to get accessories that are already present on every other device in the market. Slashdotters aren't happy with the device because it adds completely unnecessary hurdles to use, a USB port with USB host on it would solve the vast majority of complaints.

The only complaints I have heard are from people trying to do things that they shouldn't expect to be able to do. Honestly, an iPad is a giant iPhone. It's limited. If you really really want a USB/firewire/ability for linux kernel, buy a netbook. Sure, smaller screen size, and usually no touchscreen, but they are also on average about $200-$300 cheaper than an iPad.

IMO if you buy an iPad you should realize that it is limited, and consider that before putting down the cash.

Re:meh

[gstoddart]

But give me the choice, because I DO want to customize things!

It all comes down to choice. I like making my choices. You prefer apple to make them for you.

It's not that I don't want to make choices ... it's that most of the "choices" I see defended here on Slashdot ... well, to be frank, I don't give a damn about them. Exercise the choice to buy it or not ... and then get over what the rest of us do with it.

Like I said, if you want the "freedom" and the "choice" to install Hurd or some other obscure thing, and if you want to obsessively fiddle with kernel parameters and mount your own filesystems in new and creative ways or do any manner of wacky things ... then, you're absolutely right, a device made by Apple isn't for you.

Apple knows that you're not their market. But the big wide consumer market is made up of people who don't have any interest (or, indeed, the knowledge) to do the kinds of things you want to. They don't want to compile a kernel, or change their window manager. They just want to touch the screen and have what they expected to see appear. Having all of those options you want largely increases the odds of messing up the device.

After using computers for almost 30 years ... well, there's just some things I don't care about doing for the most part. I can if I have to, but for a device which is primarily used for entertainment, I have no interest.

However, thanks to Apple, people are now at least making additional tablets that do give you the freedoms you want. While still leaving the rest of us the freedom to buy the one that we don't need to do that with.

Until recently, a tablet was an expensive, niche item which few people could fathom. Google wouldn't be introducing this if Apple hadn't demonstrated that people are willing to buy them.

So, run wild. Buy another tablet that suits your needs. Enjoy it. Fiddle with it. Fuck up the operating system and have to reinstall from scratch. Whatever floats your boat. :-P

Re:meh

[rreay]

It requires effort on Apple's part to make these things changeable and tweakable. That's effort on top of the effort to get it to "just work". They appear to have come to the conclusion that they get better results, however they judge that, by spending those resources on different work and features rather than adding reconfigurability to existing features.

Some companies do enough work to get the system working. Others get it working and then spend effort adding the kind of configurability you want. Apple does gets it working and spends extra effort on it's style of polish. I can't think of anyone that does both Apple's type of UI polish and high configurability. Each of these companies is doing what they feel is worth most to them and at least indirectly what it feels it can use to appeal to customers.

Each style offers the companies and customers trades offs between different values and everybody makes different decisions based on their preferences.

Re:meh

[slim]

We're talking about transferring photos from cameras. It's obviously an attractive use case: go on holiday with your camera and iPad. The existence of the $30 Apple camera dongle demonstrates that it's a use case Apple recognised.

Re:meh

[Grizzley9]

do more with the Honeycomb tablet than an iPad and it will be cheaper

While there are certainly cheaper tablets out there running Android in the 7" form, I'm guessing their utility is much less than the 10" iPad as in, at least reviews I've seen, the closest competitor is the Galaxy Tablet and it is more expensive actually than an iPad.

Re:meh

[HateBreeder]

I think you will find it is the other way around, Apple spends more effort on locking things in than leaving the platform open.

You need to realize, a platform is open when one creates it.. it takes special engineering to make it "locked". It's way more effort to lock it! so surely, it's not a trade-off like you're trying to present it.

As a software and hardware developer, I can assure you, that adding "proprietary" connectors and lock-in security measures is much more difficult than using standard stuff and not bothering with "preventing users from jail-breaking their phone".

Re:meh

[gstoddart]

There are also the Eyefi SD cards out there that use wifi and will transmit the pics to a storage device. I recently saw a video from a professional photog that used an iPad wirelessly

But, you still need to be connected to a wifi network of some kind, no??

It's not like you could take the iPad and the Eyefi SD card in the middle of nowhere and have them pair, is it? That would be fairly cool if you didn't need to be near an access point.

I can absolutely seeing this being something pros would like.

Re:meh

[Vancorps]

Why? When you can buy an Archos for half as much and achieve all of the same functionality and them some and in the same easy to use interface. People bought iPads because they were really easy to use, much like the iPhone. The Archos has the same strengths. They are computers for people who aren't technical.

My sister is an artist and completely computer illiterate, she can quite easily take the card out of her camera and put it in the Archos or she can even directly attach her camera, she can even print!

There's no reason to make apologies for Apple, they purposefully limited their hardware to force people to buy accessories, it's a great strategy from a business standpoint as there are a great many people who are happy to live with the limitations of the software despite the hardware being capable of much much more.

From what I've seen, most other companies have chosen to offer various sizes rather than forcing everyone into a single mold, all while charging less. Eventually this will hurt Apple as they will have to move fast to keep up and large companies have a bad habit of moving slow.

Re:meh

[Gilmoure]

The Woz?

Re:meh

[Bucky24]

Why? When you can buy an Archos for half as much and achieve all of the same functionality and them some and in the same easy to use interface.

I am wondering if you even read my post... That's exactly what I said in the last line.

My point is that it's ridiculous to complain about the things that the iPad can't do because it's not meant to do those things.

Re:meh

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah. Less memory than a Nomad. Lame.

Re:meh

[Serious Callers Only]

Net books are clearly better value, but not everyone is looking for the cheapest possible way to get on the Internet. Not everyone needs a laptop while they are travelling either.

Slates can be very pleasant to use for browsing the Internet, reading mail and reading books, they probably do a lot nore a you think, and they're typically lighter and get better battery life than net books. If you have disposable income and those things have value for you, you may find one worth the money. Of course, if you can only afford one computer, or wish to do a lot of writing/typing while you travel, a tablet would at present be a foolish choice. That may change as interfaces and apps improve though and Bluetooth acccessories more widespread.

I guess the lesson is that not everyone has your precise requirements or priorities. This response was typed on a tablet.

Re:meh

[thetoadwarrior]

lol USB, how quaint.

Re:meh

[Vancorps]

I think you missed my point, people don't buy an iPad realizing they can't print, they buy it because someone showed it to them and they liked the interface for browsing the web although they didn't realize the lack of Flash so if they are car people they will have a lot of trouble viewing those sites.

People buy Apple products these days and expect to have to pay extra to get adapters when it's completely unnecessary. This is not rational. Of course populations of people usually aren't rational so I guess that's neither here nor there.

Re:meh

[Anonymous Coward]

A convertible netbook with Windows 7 has no problem doing any of that, and weighs significantly less than a laptop, with much less "bulk". Until they actual have some of those hardware features, the "bulk" problem is a necessary evil.

Moral of the story - tablets just aren't quite there yet.

Re:meh

[Americano]

They limited the output to 20 mA from the previous 100 mA - this means that unpowered USB devices that could previously work with the power available through the dock connector may not work now. I've heard nothing to indicate any cameras are affected, since they have their own onboard batteries. It's the keyboards, mice, and other USB-powered things which may not work.

Unintended side effect may be that this will prompt manufacturers to find ways to reduce the power requirements of their USB devices, which will mean better battery life for any device that uses them.

Re:meh

[HateBreeder]

Maybe you didn't want to look?

http://store.apple.com/us/reviews/MC531ZM/A?mco=MTc2MTYyMjE

It does not recognize any of my camera's (Canon, Leica)

Won't work on Canon 20D

I have two cameras. A canon Digital Rebel and a Samsung ES55. This camera adaptor didn't work on none of both models.

I plugged in my Canon 7D, it didn't work!!!!

Only thing that worked was my Gf's Sony camera and my iPhone. This thing is useless!!!!

Should I continue or can you read the reviews for yourself?

Stop making excuses for Apple. I wouldn't be making ones for google if they'd screw up!

Re:meh

[ThinkWeak]

Although they work, using a 7" tablet screen is a lot easier than using a netbook. We have been testing the Galaxy Tab here for a few weeks now and it shows a lot more potential for on the road use than the netbooks we have in the field.

The only problem is the Tab's price point, which is too high. I'm very interested in the new Archos tablets - if only they came with a possible 3G/4G connection in addition to the wifi.

Re:meh

[Americano]

First I've seen about cameras not working - the report I read focused on unpowered USB devices, and didn't mention issues with cameras, though obviously it sounds like some people are seeing issues there as well.

It's not "making excuses" for them to explain what the change was - the decision was to limit the power emitted from the dock connector to 20 mA, where it was previously limited to 100 mA. The behavior being reported is that an error message is now popping up saying "this device requires too much power." Anything trying to draw more than that will be unable to, and will thus not function properly.

Re:meh

[Anonymous Coward]

because is not iSomething?

Re:meh

[spire3661]

Alot of the newer mobile phones can throw up an access point, with or without internet connection. He is probably shooting with his camera and cellular hotspoting it to a webservice (Flickr, Picasa web albums) etc., and then pulling down the pics on the Ipad.

Re:meh

[gstoddart]

He is probably shooting with his camera and cellular hotspoting it to a webservice (Flickr, Picasa web albums) etc., and then pulling down the pics on the Ipad.

Wow ... nothing but net. :-P

Re:meh

[ProppaT]

I guess if you're road work is surfing the net. If your work requires any kind of typing outside of inputting URLs and doing 2 line responses to e-mails, a netbook is better in every possible way.

Re:meh

[Anonymous Coward]

You have all the bulk and weight of a netbook when using it as a tablet too. Hello?

Compare a convertible with an ipad side-by-side and you'll understand.

Re:meh

[Grizzley9]

Actually no, you don't need a typical wifi spot. Though you do have to have a jailbroke iPad. You load one of the several connection sharing apps like MyWi on it which turns it into a wireless router your EyeFi can connect to.

Not sure all the details but another app allow you to load the received pics directly so you end of having the iPad be a remote viewer for your camera pics.

Re:meh

[ThinkWeak]

Have you used a netbook? The keyboard is incredibly small the point that your hands have to fight for position. The screens are oblong and require that you squint to see exactly what is happening on your screen. When is the last time you used one hand to operate a netbook?

A tablet allows you hold it using one hand, it's lightweight, and writing an email is simple using Swype. You can hold it at a comfortable distance and don't require a desk or table to operate it.

Believe it or not, some companies actually develop applications based on their employee needs and the form factor of a 7" tablet is perfect for someone who is mobile.

Re:meh

[Grizzley9]

Found a post that describes it: http://lifehacker.com/5678555/set-up-your-digital-camera-for-wireless-and-router+free-ipad-tethering

Re:meh

[Grizzley9]

Nope, see my lifehacker link above. No web connection is necessary. Though you do need a jailbroken iPad which is dead simple these days.

Re:meh

[Grizzley9]

http://lifehacker.com/5678555/set-up-your-digital-camera-for-wireless-and-router+free-ipad-tethering Tells how to do it either with a wifi connection (say in a studio or at home) our w/o if you are remote with no connection.

Re:meh

[BronsCon]

When is the last time you used one hand to operate a netbook?

At least twice a day.

Re:meh

[Enderandrew]

Not necessarily. There are convertibles where the screen just lays down, and there are some where the screen detaches and turns into a tablet.

Hence I said "remove the screen".

Then again, reading is hard.

Re:meh

[Anonymous Coward]

I've been looking around for a while and for my purposes, I can't find a netbook that meets my purposes for basic web browsing and HDMI out to use it as a portable media player with output to TV for less than that.

But I already have a beefy DTR laptop that is my main PC. That does all my heavy lifting while also being heavy to lift.

In my case, the netbook ain't enough to replace my laptop. And too expensive -value wise- to consider. But a cheap tablet will fit the bill until a mobile phone can do all that for a reasonable price.

I stumbled across the existing Android tablets (yes, I know they are 'unauthorized' by Google), and have been exploring for the last day or so.

I can find almost exactly what I want for $150 in the Haipad M701-R or the HSA X5A-G, which are resold by various brands etc. How well they work, is TBD. But a tablet that happens to meet my requirements for $150 is value and form that can't be beat.

Re:meh

[Jaxoreth]

I thought that was Captain Crunch? Err, the cereal, not the phreak...

In that case you're thinking of Cap'n Crunch. The phone phreak is Captain Crunch.

Re:meh

[hey!]

Sure you can buy a netbook/tablet for that price .... that runs *Windows*. Been there, done that. It's not that Windows 7 is a bad UI for a netbook, but adding tablet features to a mouse oriented UI doesn't work in almost the worst conceivable way: it works well enough that you're tempted to try it, but not well enough that you don't end up cursing it.

I've got a IdeaPad netbook/tablet convertible. Does it work as a tablet? Well that depends on what you mean by work. It certainly *functions*. For a couple of bundled apps that take over the screen and they work fine, but they aren't useful. For the large number of windows programs that are useful, it is sort of kind of possible to use them with Windows tablet features, but it's not the experience people are imagining when they think, "tablet". That starts right from the Windows shell, which of course is the regular old Windows shell except it's really hard to get at all those windows decorations when they're near a corner, or to read text that's popped under your fat finger.

Re:meh

[Jaxoreth]

The Woz?

No, Woz is not Captain Crunch.

Re:meh

[Gilmoure]

So... calling the pope and pretending to be Henry Kissenger (nicer legs than Hitler and bigger tits than Cher) counts for nuthin'?

Re:meh

[Jaxoreth]

So... calling the pope and pretending to be Henry Kissenger (nicer legs than Hitler and bigger tits than Cher) counts for nuthin'?

It's someone's alias, not a merit-based rank.

Even if Woz goes around with perforated sheets of two-dollar bills and a military ID card showing him wearing an eye patch (with the job title "Laser Safety Officer"), that doesn't make him Captain Crunch.

Re:meh

[Daniel Phillips]

Well, I absolutely expect USB ports on any tablet I buy. No USB ports = send it back. It would never occur to me anybody would be stupid enough to try to sell this form factor without USB ports. Even my phone has a USB port.

Oh wait, Apple...

Re:meh

[RapmasterT]

Not necessarily. There are convertibles where the screen just lays down, and there are some where the screen detaches and turns into a tablet.

Hence I said "remove the screen".

Then again, reading is hard.

Know what else is hard? buying products that don't exist.

Can you point us to where we can buy one of these detachable screen laptops? Or did you see a picture of a concept mockup someplace and confuse it with a well flushed marketplace of competing devices?

One distinct advantage the iPad has, is that it actually exists.

Re:meh

[RapmasterT]

Moral of the story - tablets just aren't quite there yet.

Yes, obviously the 8 million or so ipads sold so far are indications of a non-existent market niche being served by an unsatisfactory device type.

Re:meh

[dudpixel]

With a bluetooth keyboard and stand, should be perfectly able to replace a netbook or laptop for road trips. Subject to replacing lame Android interface with a real desktop like KDE of course.

sorry, I really have to question that point...why would you imagine that 3 products could be a suitable replacement for 1 product, particularly when we're talking about going mobile. Wouldn't carrying 1 netbook (a thin one) be much better? obviously the current line of netbooks wont cut it because they lack touchscreens and a touchscreen-friendly OS...so I guess it makes sense if you look at what is currently available.

Ideally, I would prefer a hybrid device which has a touchscreen, and a physical keyboard, and can assume either a clamshell (netbook) or a tablet (screen face-up while covering keyboard) form factor. There are laptops that have exactly this form factor now, but lack the touch screen and appropriate touchscreen-friendly OS.

Re:meh

[thedarknite]

You mean like this one that originally started shipping August 2009

Re:meh

[FatdogHaiku]

Honeycomb's big, yeah, yeah, yeah!
~Hermes Conrad

Re:meh

[RapmasterT]

You mean like this one that originally started shipping August 2009

Wow, you got me. that is a truly compelling example you've produced. A site that doesn't have photos of any product, just poor quality icons, vague descriptions, and no promise of ever shipping.

That totally blows the doors off the iPad!

Re:meh

[thedarknite]

I'll admit that their photoshopping skills aren't as good as Apple, but I think all the product videos are a bit more useful. Also if they haven't started shipping I wonder how it was disassembled during this review

Re:meh

[thedarknite]

Also, you didn't ask for a good one. I just directed you to one that does exist and was shipping before your precious iPad.

Go Google!

[Anonymous Coward]

Good thing about Google is it can make its Gmail app look exactly identical to the one on iPad and Apple cannot do a thing about it because its Google.

Sweet!

[GodfatherofSoul]

n/t

Re:Sweet!

[Anonymous Coward]

Please, do not say "yet another tablet"; finally we have a serious iPad rival. Gingerbread is better then iOS in several aspects.

Re:Sweet!

[gstoddart]

Please, do not say "yet another tablet"; finally we have a serious iPad rival.

Do you? I sorta got the impression that this is a prototype and not generally available yet. It's a teaser ...

Rubin didn't offer my many spec details on the tablet, which he joked would cost $10,000, but he did say it was running an NVidia dual core CPU (presumably a Tegra).

It sounds like something not ready for production, and, I wonder what kind of battery life it has -- a dual core tablet might not have a great battery life. I think trying to cram a desktop into a tablet just gives you a heavy tablet with crappy battery life.

Anyway, no matter what tablet people end up buying ... consumers simply weren't buying tablets in any meaningful numbers before the iPad. Now that a lot of companies are following suit, I expect it to start to become a very prominent form factor, no matter who makes it.

Re:Sweet!

[Gilmoure]

Oh, sure, the tablet's here to stay, until they figure out a way to mold a computer onto a flexible display only .25 mm thick. Then where will you be, with your over weight clumsy tablet that you can't even roll up and use as a straw?

Re:Sweet!

[gstoddart]

Then where will you be, with your over weight clumsy tablet that you can't even roll up and use as a straw?

Well, I will still be overweight and clumsy. And, I don't generally drink from straws.

I don't foresee that being a big issue. ;-)

Re:Sweet!

[Anonymous Coward]

I tell you where you'll be... the butt of the joke at a felching party!

OH HELLS YEAH!!!

[sshirley]

This is excellent news! I love that Google creates these devices that jumpstart the industry to doing their own versions. Great job, Google!

Re:OH HELLS YEAH!!!

[DavidinAla]

How exactly is it "jumpstart[ing] the industry" to create a tablet that's trying hard to copy an iPad -- almost a year after the iPad came out and started selling millions and millions of units?

Re:OH HELLS YEAH!!!

[Gilmoure]

Dood! Slashdot 101:

Apple = teh eeeeevil

Google = teh not so eeeeevil

MicroSoft = teh used to be eeeeevil but now mostly incompetent run by chair-shaped-poop throwing monkeys.

Re:OH HELLS YEAH!!!

[davester666]

Microsoft would have a chance if it were run by a group of monkeys. But they have chosen the path of having only a single one...

Re:OH HELLS YEAH!!!

[gmhowell]

Microsoft would have a chance if it were run by a group of monkeys. But they have chosen the path of having only a single one...

So Ballmer is the Highlander of monkeys?

Please.

[Pojut]

Give me these four things, and I'll buy it in a second:

1. Wireless-N
2. Built-in Bluetooth (think external controller used for emulators and games.)
3. SDHC card slot
4. At least one standard USB slot (preferably USB 3.0, but even 2.0 would be fine...just so long as it's a standard port without any proprietary nonsense.)

For the love of Jim Darkmagic, PLEASE FREAKIN' INCLUDE THESE FOUR THINGS.

Re:Please.

[Daniel Phillips]

5. Display port.

Re:Please.

[Pojut]

That would be quite welcome, but if ditching the display port meant gaining a USB port (or even an additional one) or an SDHC slot, I would gladly trade it away.

Naturally, this is based on my own plans for it, so YMMV with that.

Re:Please.

[wiredog]

Also, a WiFi only version so it doesn't cost $500.

Re:Please.

[Kamots]

My Nexus 1 has all that, so I'd imagine that it'd be on a tablet as well.

Re:Please.

[cb88]

http://www.notionink.com/techspecs.php Its got it all... won't be standard honeycomb but it should run it. Whenever it is released X.x heh...

Re:Please.

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

I hope at least one of those ISN'T included so I can be modded insightful for bitching about it on every Android story.

Re:Please.

[Kamots]

er, lack of sleep is speaking. Meant to say my Droid X has all that. Not sure where the heck Nexus 1 came from.

Re:Please.

[MasterGwaha]

wacom stylus compatibility and photoshop/illustrator, kthx

Re:Please.

[Pojut]

I can see your point...after being modded at +5 for discussing your choice of activity involving butts, there's nowhere to go but up! :)

Re:Please.

[hedwards]

The Nexus One came from HTC and Google, duh.

Re:Please.

[Monkeedude1212]

Judging by the summary, it seems you outlined the early prototype, but they had to make some alterations.

They dropped the Wirless for sleek.
They couldn't have bluetooth while being black
They were going to have an SDHC card slot, but decided to drop it to fit the 10-inch form factor.
They decided that if they didn't include a USB slot, they could bump it up to a NVidia dual core CPU.

I hope you are still willing to buy.

Re:Please.

[Pojut]

I personally wouldn't have a use for that, since I draw about as well as the average 3 year old, but that would be an awesome feature to have.

The first person to release a decent tablet that can effectively use a Wacom stylus will almost instantly lock up purchases from everyone that uses a Wacom...although I'm not sure how excited Wacom would be about that :-)

Re:Please.

[EdZ]

At the top of my list:
- A decent screen.
The entire device is basically a display with a SOC and a battery glued to the back, but it's the component that always seems to get the short end of the stick. 1024x600 TN panels? What the hell 99% of tablet manufacturers!

Re:Please.

[arnott]

Have you checked Notion ink adam ? It almost has the specs (micrSD insteead os SDHC) you want, and should be available next month.

Re:Please.

[Fnkmaster]

The Viewsonic G Tablet has all those things, and can be purchased now for less than $400 at Sears or Staples in the US. The Advent Vega is very similar over in the UK, with much better stock software.

The G Tab supports Wireless N (I haven't tested this personally, I just have 802.11b/g, but it supposedly does), it has built-in bluetooth, it has an SD slot that supports SDHC cards, and it has a standard USB port (well, USB-mini, but totally standard) that supports USB host mode.

The only issues with it are the out-of-the-box software completely sucks and is dog slow, you need to be comfortable flashing your own ROMs from XDA Developers to get much value out of it at this point, and to do a tiny bit of hacking to get the Market working properly. And the LCD screen is just not as nice as the IPS screen on the iPad, for example, and that's not a software-fixable issue.

I'm running the VEGAn ROM on it right now, which is a port of the Advent Vega software, and it's running great with Froyo. Things will only get better when Gingerbread and Honeycomb are here.

I'm hopeful the next generation of Tegra 2 tablets will be made with better LCD screens. That's what's really necessary to make an iPad-beating device right now.

Ironically, the diversity of Android devices and screen resolutions mean that quite a bit of the existing Android apps in Google's Market run much better on the G Tab than iPhone software ran on the iPad at its release.

Re:Please.

[Timmmm]

2 is in every android phone, and 3 is in nearly all of them.

Re:Please.

[NightWhistler]

Sounds like you want an Archos 101.

Has all the things you mentioned, plus a hdmi Port.
It runs Froyo. I have the 70 myself, which is the 7 inch version. That one only has micro usb though whereas the 101 has a full size port.

Oh, and though it officially does not have the market, anyone with some google skill can install it.

Re:Please.

[Pojut]

I'd like to point out that on the main page, the clock shown on the tablet is set to 4:20.

Re:Please.

[morgan_greywolf]

The EVO 4G does have an HDMI port, so that wouldn't be without precedent.

Re:Please.

[maxume]

The Archos 101 has all that stuff.

If you aren't real picky, the smaller Archos 70 gets you everything but the standard USB (and a Micro-A to A cable turns it into a USB host).

Re:Please.

[bazorg]

Advent Vega?
http://www.slashgear.com/advent-vega-review-07118007/

Re:Please.

[mrops]

ummmmm.... get the archos

Re:Please.

[tangelogee]

Except for the standard USB port for connecting accessories...or can you plug in a digicam/SD card/etc through the micro USB connection?

Re:Please.

[s73v3r]

Well, if Wacom was the company contracted out to develop the pen tablet technology, they might be pretty psyched about it.

However, currently, you can try the Pogo Stylus, which is a capacitative stylus that works pretty well, even at detecting some tilt stuff. Its not as good as a Wacom, but at $15, its pretty good for general use.

Re:Please.

[s73v3r]

Anybody know how much it is supposed to cost? It seems pretty good, but if its gonna be like $1000, its a non-starter for me, and its not gonna dethrone the iPad.

Re:Please.

[tlhIngan]

1. Wireless-N
2. Built-in Bluetooth (think external controller used for emulators and games.)

To be more correct, you want a/b/g/n, and not just b/g/n. a/b/g/n gets you N on both 2.4 and 5GHz, while b/g/n is just N on 2.4GHz. (the iPad has a/b/g/n - 2.4 and 5, iPhone 4 only b/g/n - 2.4 only). Saying N doesn't guarantee a 5GHz radio, and it's nice to use the less-crowded 5GHz spectrum and spare the 2.4GHz for everything else.

Bluetooth is good too, but you need standardized OS support so apps have a unified API. Bluetooth and USB, perferably with PS3 and Xbox360 (via USB - either wired or the receiver) controller support. Crappy controllers seem to rule and using the fairly nice Xbox360 controller (though some prefer the PS3 controller) would be a godsend.

Re:Please.

[farble1670]

that nails the problem. a lot of folks like the ipad but are put off by the price. if it was replacing my phone or my laptop i wouldn't mind spending $700 for it, but a tablet doesn't replace anything. it's an extra gadget. it won't enable you to do without owning a phone or a laptop. for me and i think a lot of others, that means a tablet needs to be much cheaper.

send in the clones. the problem there is that they are all about the same price as an ipad (counting out the chinese knockoffs). consumers like myself ask why buy a clone when i can get the real thing for a little more? android tablets need to be significantly cheaper, like in the $250-$350 range.

Re:Please.

[Vancorps]

There are a few of these on the market already. The Archos 70 has what you're looking for. There are other models that are differently sized so you even have the option there.

Most of the chinese knock-offs are 802.11g but the newer tablets coming out now are 802.11N like the Archos.

Re:Please.

[tepples]

2 is in every android phone

But I don't want a phone. Phones cost $500-$600 because they're priced with the expectation that a carrier will subsidize the purchase by jacking up the price for service.

Re:Please.

[tepples]

ummmmm.... get the archos

Any place where I can try Archos products? I tried Best Buy, but they don't have Archos 5 or Archos 43, and without having the device in front of me, I can't tell whether a device will have an unusably unresponsive touch screen and need to be mailed back for an 85% refund.

Re:Please.

[Timmmm]

Well, no. They cost the same as bigger tablets because small electronics are expensive. Same reason laptops are more expensive than desktops.

The carrier 'subsidy' trickery just lets them sell more.

Re:Please.

[tepples]

Well, no. They cost the same as bigger tablets because small electronics are expensive. Same reason laptops are more expensive than desktops.

If an Android tablet is expensive because the miniaturized computer hardware inside is expensive, then how does Apple make money selling its 3.5" iOS tablet for $229?

Re:Please.

[Abcd1234]

Yeah, I'm not getting one of these things until the pixel density jumps up a fair bit... 1024xanything is just absurd for a device like this. At an absolute bare minimum, 1366x768 (or 1366x1024, for a 4x3-form-factor device) IPS seems like a no-brainer.

Re:Please.

[arnott]

check the blog for more details. The Adam will be priced less than the ipad. From wikipedia:

A model with an LCD display and Wi-Fi only will cost $399, while a model with the Pixel Qi display and 3G will cost $498, with other permutations of display and network connection at intermediate prices.

Re:Please.

[Gilmoure]

Doooooood!

Re:Please.

[arnott]

more code: http://www.notionaddicts.com/forums/showthread.php/231-New-clue-on-website-D5720A80

Re:Please.

[Americano]

it won't enable you to do without owning a phone or a laptop.

It most certainly could replace a phone (skype, other voip apps allow this, even if it's not the most convenient form factor for somebody who walks around a lot), and unless you do huge amounts of text input via keyboard, it could easily replace a laptop too. You can browse the web, send emails, instant message, listen to / watch audio/video, read books, play games... for many people, that's pretty much what their laptop gets used for. If your use cases involve programming, and other text-entry heavy operations, it won't replace a laptop, but that doesn't mean that for people with lightweight "mostly-consumer" needs, a tablet wouldn't be absolutely perfect as a laptop replacement.

TL;DR: Not everybody has your requirements.

Re:Please.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds pretty much like the larger Archos generation 8 tablets to me.
Bonus point: They are about to publish an open boot loader so you can run any Linux kernel/userspace you want.

Re:Please.

[ColdWetDog]

The only issues with it are the out-of-the-box software completely sucks and is dog slow, you need to be comfortable flashing your own ROMs from XDA Developers to get much value out of it at this point, and to do a tiny bit of hacking to get the Market working properly.

Great! I'll tell my mom. She's sure to be interesting it getting one. Sounds just up her alley.

Re:Please.

[ChunderDownunder]

isn't there 'one connector to rule them all' that does usb AND display?
Pdmi i think it's called.

Re:Please.

[Anonymous Coward]

Openmoko Freerunner?

10 inch display?

[sconeu]

Honeycomb's big, yeah, yeah yeah!\

[with apologies to Post cereals and to Hermes from Futurama]

Re:10 inch display?

[jtownatpunk.net]

It's not small, no, no, no.

That was my first thought. Every GenX geek is humming that song right now.

Re:10 inch display?

[gmhowell]

I'm not in my mom's basement, it's the honeycomb hideout!

Apple-biased much?

[denzacar]

but the app page looked almost Apple iPad-like. Plus, when Rubin brought up the Gmail app, it looked almost exactly like Gmail on the iPad.

Seriously? Gmail app looked a lot like a Gmail app - but on the iPad?
Wow! How does that compare to the likeness to say... Gmail?

Re:Apple-biased much?

[TheClarkster]

To rephrase what you said in even simpler terms, "Google's Gmail app looks like Google's Gmail app? What a shock!" And the app page looked Apple like probably because it used those new fancy 'icons' Apple invented.

Re:Apple-biased much?

[Anonymous Coward]

Gmail the website on the iPad presents a different view than any other device. Like how if you visit YouTube/Gmail/etc. on Android phones or iPhones, you get an optimized view for your phone, you get an optimized view for your iPad.

Re:Apple-biased much?

[mswhippingboy]

Really. You mean to tell me Apple hasn't sued Google for creating an app for Andriod that looks like the app they created for iPad?
Nah, I'm sure their lawyers a looking into this at this very moment.

Re:Apple-biased much?

[Mabbo]

The Gmail "App" is just an HTML5/CSS3 website that gets returned when your user agent says you're an iPad. It's just clean and slick enough that people seem to assume it's some kind of app. Change your user agent, and load up gmail, see what happens.

Obligatory

[Ozmodium]

So, at roughly ten inches...

Android Honeycomb's big, yeah yeah yeah! It's not small, no no no...!

Honeycomb's got, well, some interesting features.

Re:Obligatory

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps the oddest design choice: there's no power button. If you want to put it to sleep, you have to shake that 10 inches until it cums on your face.

Re:Obligatory

[LynnwoodRooster]

IIRC, getting spooge from a mobile device is patented by Apple. At least that's the way their fanbois act...

video on engadget

[slshwtw]

Engadget has the video.

Re:video on engadget

[Anonymous Coward]

Thanks for the link - One interesting thing Andy Rubin shed light on in that video was that Honeycomb will enable the exact same app to run (differently) on a phone vs on a tablet device. As I understand it, Apple requires two separate versions of the application - one for iPhone/iPod and other for iPad. It would be quite interesting from a design standpoint to see how Honeycomb is achieving this feat - may be the dynamic nature of the JVM helps, may be the UI/Layout specification methods (XML) help with this a bit.

huh? can someone translate?

[Anonymous Coward]

"The device has a very clean homepage" - what does that mean?

Re:huh? can someone translate?

[larry bagina]

I was also confused, so I did some research. Turns out, most people clean themselves -- soap, showers, shampoo, brushing teeth, trim their hair, etc -- on a regular basis. It helps to avoid looking and smelling like a homeless person.

editor?

[Anonymous Coward]

unvieled? WTF, it's unveiled.

Re:editor?

[Anonymous Coward]

Unvealed would be much more impressive.

Re:editor?

[LynnwoodRooster]

That's unpossible!

nVidia CPU?

[Anonymous Coward]

Is that a typo or are nVidia now making CPUs?

Re:nVidia CPU?

[DeathFromSomewhere]

They are indeed making SOCs which contain a CPU. The one mentioned in the summary is almost certainly a tegra 250. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_Tegra

Multicore & Carmack

[dazedNconfuzed]

In juxtaposition to the new Google tablet featuring "NVidia dual core CPU", just a few /. stories prior is a link to John Carmack opining "In the not-too-distant future, we're going to be seeing multicore on mobiles" in reference to gaming capabilities.

Interesting times.

Re:Multicore & Carmack

[Anonymous Coward]

Amazing! Carmack can predict the future!

Re:Multicore & Carmack

[93 Escort Wagon]

Amazing! Carmack can predict the future!

I remember The Amazing Carnac could peer into the future - but this is the amazing Carmack?

Indeed...

[denzacar]

Gmail app even uses several letters invented by Apple. And if you squint your eyes enough, Google logo looks exactly like Apple's.

Re:Indeed...

[Anonymous Coward]

Wait, this device actually forces you to touch the screen to interact with the icons and everyone know Apple invented the fingers as a pointing device, How can Motorola dare to ripoff the Apple IP?

Updates?

[Enderandrew]

Developers are getting concerned about fragmentation of the Android platform. If users all have different versions, then it makes it hard to gets apps to those users.

I think the solution is to encourage the hardware OEMs to allow people to flash new versions of Android themselves, or Google/OHA needs to work with them to get the newest versions on all the hardware as soon as possible.

At least with my iPhone, I know I'm going to get all the iOS updates. If you buy an Android phone, there is a good chance you aren't going to get updates to the newer versions of Android.

Re:Updates?

[whoop]

You'll get updates so long as Apple decides you can, just like other carriers and Android. I have a lower-end Android phone (HTC Hero). After six months or so, HTC decided it wasn't worth the bother to update it Android 2.2 (before they even released the 2.1 udpate). I'm not all that up on Apple stuff, but I recall a big spat about this update to v4 not working very well on old ipods/iphones. Both of us can just hope the companies will support the device for a reasonable time.

The Android side at least has a pretty dedicated group of volunteers working on the Android source code, the hardware company's kernel sources, etc. to keep the device working well. Once Apple says this device is at the end of the line, is there any further hope for it?

Re:Updates?

[LordThyGod]

At least with my iPhone, I know I'm going to get all the iOS updates. If you buy an Android phone, there is a good chance you aren't going to get updates to the newer versions of Android.

That's just plain wrong. Apple no longer supports the original iphone. Whatever version you have will someday become obsolete as well. Do we need to distinguish OS upgrades from feature / security updates. Seems to me I've gotten both on my android via Verizon.

Re:Updates?

[Enderandrew]

iOS 4 didn't run as well on slower hardware (the 3G has about 1/2 the processing power of the 3GS, which has about 1/2 the processing power of the 4). But at least they all got the update.

My wife has a Samsung Captivate, which shipped months after Froyo (2.2) and still doesn't have it. And I haven't heard plans for when or if it will be released, even though Gingerbread is now out the door.

The Eclair version the phone shipped with has a major bug which makes the GPS painfully slow, and this is fixed in newer releases, but they just don't feel like letting users have that release. Screw you. You have no choice.

To top it off, the one app my wife wants on her phone is Angry Birds, but because the phones are so fragmented, and because she has an old version of Android on a brand new phone, she can't play Angry Birds.

I love many aspects of Android (OSS, Linux based, Google Backed, etc) but fragmentation is a real problem that they need to fix.

Re:Updates?

[Enderandrew]

There are brand new Android phones being shipped and sold today with 2.1 instead of 2.2, with Gingerbread out the door now. And most Android phones/carriers haven't been releasing updates.

Apple has been releasing updates for two generations back on their phones. You're complaining that Apple hasn't pushed updates back three generations, and my wife's Android phone isn't getting support/updates as a brand new phone.

Re:Updates?

[whoop]

And, stopping by XDA Developers, I see they have a group of Captivate forums. Voila, you can have Froyo too (the Android Development forum gives details).

Now, with this Apple update barely running on old ones, Apple may indeed end-of-life them by the next update. It will come some day. Then what? Will people find a way to reverse-engineer enough to make their own iOpenSource ROM? Doubtful.

My point is, at least with Android, we can continue development after the manufacturers/carriers give up on the device. Hell, in the case of HTC and their stupid Sense UI, my phone works a hell of a lot better with plain Froyo than it ever did with the legitimate software.

And on Angry Birds, the first version (1.3.6) ran just fine on my Hero, which is similarly low-powered. Find that version and give it a shot.

Re:Updates?

[Enderandrew]

You're missing the point. Developers won't develop for a device if most users can't install apps due to fragmentation.

I did look into trying to get Cynogen mod running on her phone, but it isn't properly working on her phone yet. But if users need a strong technical skill set to get updates, then really most users don't have access to updates.

That is a problem.

Bald headed dork... Cut with the hype, poindexter!

[countertrolling]

Jeezus! Another useless press release. Wake me up when the thing hits the shelf.

Count how many times the phrase "show off" is used. *GAG!*

Honeycomb's big!

[TheABomb]

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Re:Honeycomb's big!

[Anonymous Coward]

I lol'd

Shouldn't be a problem

[morgan_greywolf]

Well, Android devices are required to have an SDHC card slot: it's part of the spec. Most devices have a micro USB slot for charging, and it can be used to connect the device to a notebook or desktop PC as a USB storage device, a USB camera, and a USB wireless modem, depending on mode. In theory, you probably could use the Micro-B port, which is a standard Micro-B port, on Android devices to power USB peripherals, but Google doesn't ship any USB drivers. In theory, I'm guessing that you could compile a Linux kernel module and get it on a rooted device, but I am uncertain as to how that would work and I doubt you could access it using the Android API. The USB device would have to be self-powering as well, since the port doesn't supply power.

All Android devices I've seen also have built-in Bluetooth, so that shouldn't be a problem in the tablet. WIreless-N is the only thing I'm not sure about. I'm pretty sure my wife's EVO 4G only supports WIreless-G, but I could be wrong about that.

It is all about the battery life

[0x537461746943]

The big advantage to the iPad for me is that it lasts all day on battery with just about constant usage. I know that it is always available if I need it without needing to find an outlet. I sometimes go 2 days without charging it. That nvidia dual core CPU I have a feeling will drain the batteries pretty quickly when something makes heavy use of it. I sure hope they put a big battery in it. If they do I would probably end up getting one. If it only lasts 5 hours on battery under medium use then it will be useless to me.

Re:It is all about the battery life

[ChaosDiscord]

I have a feeling that the dual core CPU will cause the batteries to actually generate electricity. You'll be able to plug it into the wall and actually make you electrical meter go backward.

Re:It is all about the battery life

[Fnkmaster]

I have a Viewsonic G Tablet (a Tegra 2 tablet running Froyo) and I can leave the tablet on all day, browse the web intermittently throughout the day, watch a couple hours of video, listen to streaming music for a while, and still have charge left.

In fact, it's been on the entire time since 10:00AM this morning, it's currently 2:30PM, I've been using it moderately (testing a new ROM out, browsing, downloading from Market, etc.) and I am reading 70% battery still.

People on XDA Developer forums have confirmed ~7 hours of video playback time.

It may have ever-so-slightly less battery life than an iPad, but it's definitely on the same order of magnitude for me.

Re:It is all about the battery life

[Anonymous Coward]

Hahaha, nice try.

I love how you think having it 'on' all day is some sort of achievement. You realise most iPad owners never turn them off. Switched on but idle, I'd estimate battery life at 1-2 WEEKS. As for actual usage stats, ive been stuck in an airport for a long unplanned stopover with nothing but my iPad with 90% charge and no charger. I was able to do 2 hrs of Internet browsing (till my overpriced airport wifi ran out) and then watch 7 hours of tv shows, leaving only and hour where I had nothing to do. When an iPad user says it lasts all day, sometimes even 2, they're not talking this pussyfooted, mostly idle usage you seem to be used to try and make your android tablet look comparable

Re:It is all about the battery life

[Fnkmaster]

No, I have an iPad too. I'd estimate very roughly that I get about 20-25% more battery life from my iPad than from my G Tablet in terms of actual active usage (browsing, video watching, etc.) - that's from hands-on comparison and isn't that far off from the theoretical manufacturer claims.

In terms of idle duration, I'm not totally clear because I only just installed a new ROM that finally seems to handle idling/sleeping somewhat correctly today - the original TNT-based ROMs suck at this, as do the ZPad ROMs.

I agree that the iPad can idle for on the order of a week and still have battery remaining. I will let you know in a week if the G Tablet can do the same.

Re:It is all about the battery life

[Anonymous Coward]

my hat goes off to you, I'd written you off as an android zealot but you appear to be more informed than most. I still think calling 20-25% less 'ever so slightly less' is dishonest.

Honeycomb's big

[Linux_ho]

Yeah, yeah yeah. It's not small. No, no, no

/get off my lawn

Re:Honeycomb's big

[Anonymous Coward]

Give me a smack and I'll smack ya back

Excuse me - iPad like?

[LynnwoodRooster]

the app page looked almost Apple iPad-like. Infact the Gmail app looked almost exactly like Gmail on the iPad

Uhh, that means the app looks GOOGLE like, since they MADE both apps... It was their choice - not Apple's - to make it look the way it looks. I guess tech writers have bought in to the whole "the world is Apple is the world" cult mentality after all...

Why not both?

[LynnwoodRooster]

That would be quite welcome, but if ditching the display port meant gaining a USB port (or even an additional one) or an SDHC slot, I would gladly trade it away.

My little HSG X5A (a 7" tablet running Eclair) has:

1. One full size USB port
2. One mini-size USB port
3. One mini-size HDMI port
4. One 3.5mm audio jack
5. One SDHC card slot

Items 1 through 4 live on one short end of the device (along with the power jack and the power button); the SDHC slot is on one of the long sides. The other short side and the other long side are empty. There's plenty of room on a 7" - and thus more than enough room on a 10" - for your entire wish list of connectivity.

Re:ginormous

[rwa2]

Counterpoint: 10" is not ginormous enough! I still want one of the 5 foot high Android display phones they had at their trade show booths in the early days! Until then, I shall never be, uh... satisfied.

When you don't have Wi-Fi

[tepples]

It's got WiFi, and I've got Dropbox.

So what do you do when you don't know the WEP key or WPA key of any of the Wi-Fi APs around you? Or when you're riding in a vehicle? That's when USB storage support becomes useful. Perhaps these cases apply to you less often than to me though.

Re:When you don't have Wi-Fi

[gstoddart]

So what do you do when you don't know the WEP key or WPA key of any of the Wi-Fi APs around you? Or when you're riding in a vehicle? That's when USB storage support becomes useful. Perhaps these cases apply to you less often than to me though.

Well, if I'm traveling, I'm usually in airports and hotels that have wifi. If I'm not in one of those, I'm probably neither using my iPad nor trying to push data onto it. It's just not a use-case that I've encountered -- I only occasionally need to push data onto my laptop with a USB, my iPad, pretty much not at all. Either direct from the web, or pushed from my desktop so I have it with me.

The only vehicle I have ever used my iPad in is an airplane. And I'm watching movies, playing games, reading books, or listening to music.

I have literally never used a USB stick of any form in a vehicle. Not once. As a matter of fact, I can't even think of a situation in which I would want to be using a USB stick in a vehicle -- some sort of shady deal in an alley involving the transfer of data? Clandestine distribution of an eBook? Again, I'm completely stumped as to when I would need to do this, but maybe you have a far more exciting life than me that involves USB transfers at highway speeds. ;-)

I'm not saying your complaints aren't valid ... but I must say that I can't relate to the need to do some of this stuff. I just don't see it as being that much of a limitation.

Re:When you don't have Wi-Fi

[scot4875]

Again, I'm completely stumped as to when I would need to do this, but maybe you have a far more exciting life than me that involves USB transfers at highway speeds. ;-)

My car stereo has a USB input; I have a 16GB USB stick loaded up with music for it to shuffle through. There's a use for USB sticks in a vehicle.

But really, you're missing the point. There's no reason that the iPad shouldn't have a USB port; USB is universal, it's cheap, and it's extremely useful. The only reason to not have these things is to sell gullible fools $30 accessories that cost $0.50 to manufacture that enable them to do things that should have been standard. These gullible fools will then turn around and tell you how great the product is, and how it only cost them $30 to add each of these features that could have been standard out of the box for free.

--Jeremy

Nook Color

[wiredog]

Been playing with one. 3/4ths as good as an iPad (twice as good in some respects...) at half the price.

Re:Nook Color

[farble1670]

nook color doesn't have android market support right? that's a problem for most of the cheaper android tablets. i understand you can get it through hacking / rooting but that's not going to happen for most of the devices.

Re:Nook Color

[Pojut]

The Nook Color is supposed to be an extremely capable device once it's rooted. Considering the support the original Nook had (and continues to have) in the homebrew community, I have high hopes for the Nook Color.

Besides, isn't the point of buying an Android device being able to muck around with it? If you want an "out of the box" experience, you might as well go iDevice.

Re:Nook Color

[Pojut]

Besides, isn't mucking around with it the motivation behind buying an Android device?

Fixed...sorry about that folks. I'm fully aware that you can "muck around" with an iDevice, but the wording of my previous post seemed to ignore that.

Public transit

[tepples]

The only vehicle I have ever used my iPad in is an airplane.

Let me guess: you drive a car. I use my netbook more often because I ride the bus to and from work and to and from the store.

As a matter of fact, I can't even think of a situation in which I would want to be using a USB stick in a vehicle

So I want to transfer data from a desktop PC to a portable device, but I don't have the time to turn on both my desktop PC and my netbook and set up a shared folder before my ride leaves. In this case, I'd put all the files on a USB flash drive, get on the bus, and then copy the files to my netbook.

Re:Public transit

[gstoddart]

Let me guess: you drive a car. I use my netbook more often because I ride the bus to and from work and to and from the store.

Absolutely I do. If I did ride the bus, I'm not sure where the heck I'd be able to use a laptop. On a crowded bus, but the time I cram myself and my laptop bag into a chair, there simply would be no room to use a netbook. That's if I'd get a seat -- at which point I want music more than a computer device.

So I want to transfer data from a desktop PC to a portable device, but I don't have the time to turn on both my desktop PC and my netbook and set up a shared folder before my ride leaves. In this case, I'd put all the files on a USB flash drive, get on the bus, and then copy the files to my netbook.

Again, a perfectly valid use case, just not one I can relate to very well. Maybe it's just the way I work or what I work on, but I find transfer of files between machines is something I do pretty infrequently. If I do, it's more of a work situation, at which point my laptop and USB (or Dropbox) come into play, and my iPad (which is all for personal use) is out of the equation.

When I travel for business, I have my work laptop, and my personal iPad. Except for checking my email from my iPad, the tasks I do on the machines are essentially totally different.

infact

[Anonymous Coward]

In fact, "infact" is not a word.

Galaxy Tab

[93 Escort Wagon]

I'd like to see this (finalized) OS in a 7" tablet. Anyone know if the Samsung Galaxy Tab will be upgradeable to 'Honeycomb'?

Re:ginormous

[Anonymous Coward]

I shall never be, uh... satisfied

That's a given. You're on Slashdot.

Sold

[Anonymous Coward]

They had me at "sleek, black... roughly 10 inches".

but will motorola keep it up 2 date?

[josepha48]

motorola has a habit of making android phones and then not keeping their oses up 2 date. not sure how other cell makes are, but this happens. Does it run stock android or does it have motobloat, er motoblur?

Just another thing to...

[Schmyz]

..carry in a bag and worry about it being hacked/stolen/damaged/ etc etc....enough with the consumer electronics already....geesh.