Google's Own Nexus Tablet Leaks Into the Wild

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Google's Own Nexus Tablet Leaks Into the Wild

Posted by samzenpus on Monday June 25, 2012 @12:49AM from the show-me-the-details dept.

lukehopewell1 writes "Days out from Google's I/O conference, training documents have been issued to resellers all over the world detailing Google's new Nexus tablet. It's a 7-inch device with an optimized Tegra 3 chip inside and it's going to be the first device to run Jelly Bean, the new version of Android, that, among other notable features, will see Google manage device updates. The device will be priced at $US199 and is aimed as a direct competitor to Amazon's Kindle Fire."

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Re:Hardware? by ChunderDownunder · 2012-06-25 00:57 · Score: 5, Informative

RTFA, they're not - the thing is to be manufactured by Asus.
Re:Motorola? by h4rr4r · 2012-06-25 01:00 · Score: 5, Informative

This is made by ASUS.
Google does not control when phones are moved from GB to ICS. They can only update Nexus devices. They will update those devices from ICS to JB.
Sad... by mystikkman · 2012-06-25 01:04 · Score: 5, Insightful

Sad that even Google is afraid to take on the iPad in it's territory. Almost all the 10" Android tablets have seen dismal sales, HP Touchpad was sold in a firesale,
Playbook's having a tough time and Amazon and Google are forced to play in the sub $200 territory. All of these devices are oriented towards only consumption. Maybe Microsoft Surface will get traction by doubling as a device that you can actually do some light work on, but lets see what price it launches at.
1. Re:Sad... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-25 01:10 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  All tablets are "oriented towards consumption". You have neither a keyboard nor even a stylus; you have all the input capabilities of a kindergartner's finger-painting. The iPad is not an exception to this, despite the sweet-ass picture you made in that game of Draw Something.
  Most people are more or less okay with this and know what they're getting into when they buy the thing. When I buy a hamburger, I don't complain that it isn't steak.
2. Re:Sad... by alen · 2012-06-25 01:15 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  you're a retart if you can't type on the ipad. I have Pages on mine and can type hundreds of works without any problem.
3. Re:Sad... by drinkypoo · 2012-06-25 01:21 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  you're a retart if you can't type on the ipad.
  Most awesome typo ever.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
4. Re:Sad... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-25 01:23 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  And the thing is, they will fail against the Fire, too. People buy Fire because of Amazon, not Android.
5. Re:Sad... by TummyX · 2012-06-25 01:27 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  When I buy a hamburger, I don't complain that it isn't steak.
  Exactly. When you buy a bicycle, don't complain it doesn't have A/C and triple exhaust!
  People who won't buy a tablet until it has a keyboard don't actually realise what they want is a normal notebook because they can't envision the use-case for a tablet (at least until they own a decent one).
6. Re:Sad... by csumpi · 2012-06-25 01:27 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  The 7" form factor works great for me. The 16:9 aspect ratio also has benefits, I can fit the tablet into a pocket and it's nice for watching movies. I used to have an ipad, which I found too heavy and big to carry around.
7. Re:Sad... by Shados · 2012-06-25 01:32 · Score: 1
  
  To be fair, with tablets like the transformer prime, which has a keyboard and a trackpad, as well as almost any android device with usb host being able to take a usb mouse and keyboard, you can have both.
8. Re:Sad... by TummyX · 2012-06-25 01:38 · Score: 2
  
  Yeah I know. There's a market for tablet keyboards but I really think it distracts people from understanding what a tablet is best at doing. It should have the easy of a smart phone (just grab and use -- no setup, not desk, etc). If you're constantly changing its configuration it won't have the unmeasurable thing that makes using a tablet a pleasure IMHO.
  I'm a big fan of having multiple complementary devices. I do my data creation and productivity/developmennt work mostly on a notebook. I read/write emails, txts and browse the web on-the-move using my iPhone. I surf the web, watch videos and play games in my living room or bedroom on my iPad. They're all complementary devices and I would never think that one could completely replace the other since they're all physically very different sizes with very different performance characteristics.
9. Re:Sad... by kanto · 2012-06-25 01:44 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Whose!
  Sent from my IGimmick
10. Re:Sad... by whisper_jeff · 2012-06-25 01:51 · Score: 1
  
  Playbook's having a tough time...
  That's the kindest description of it I've ever seen. RIM have cut the price in half (presumably selling the thing at a loss) in an effort to make _some_ money back on inventory that's taking up space in their warehouses which is not what most people would describe as "having a tough time" - most would describe that as "a total failure."
11. Re:Sad... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-25 01:55 · Score: 1
  
  Interesting comment. I realize that, as a frequent visitor to slashdot, I am not the normal consumer. However as a Kindle Fire owner, I would much rather have this Nexus device. All the goodness of the Google apps, PLUS the ability to load the Kindle app. I only wish they had put a GPS in this device. (I know it would be difficult to do because, without 3G / 4G, they can't us AGPS and would have to go with the more power hungry type of GPS receiver). If the info on this device from that Gizmodo article is correct, I'll get one right away. Oh, and I do like the Kindle Fire. However this device looks better.
12. Re:Sad... by tripleevenfall · 2012-06-25 01:58 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I don't think it is an issue of capability. You can watch movies on all these things. You can check email and surf and post on twitter.
  The problem is that there is no innovation going on here on the Android side. The Android devices all are trying to be "Well it's no an iWhatever, but it's good enough and it's a bit cheaper". Where is the 10" screen tablet at a similar price point and hardware specs? That's really all it would take, and yet we still have none.
  Now a few years later we have moved on from "meh" copies of Apple to trying to copy Amazon? This doesn't make any sense to me.
  People want an iPad with Android on it. That's all. It's really just that simple. Why shuffle the deck chairs? Give people what they want.
13. Re:Sad... by SJHillman · 2012-06-25 01:58 · Score: 2
  
  The 7" form factor was the main reason I got the Nook Color... I think it's the ideal cross between big enough to play angry birds/draw shit/type on the virtual keyboard but small enough it can fit into the pockets of some of my pants or easily into my GF's purse. It's also a more comfortable weight for holding up for long periods of time (IE: in bed, where I use it a lot). I think half of the iPad's success is branding... the exact same device from any other company would probably not have met with nearly as much success due to the price, size and the fact that it's really not as convenient as a mobile device as slightly smaller form factors.
14. Re:Sad... by the+computer+guy+nex · 2012-06-25 02:01 · Score: 1, Interesting
  
  "When I buy a hamburger, I don't complain that it isn't steak."
  
  A better analogy would be; "When I buy a spoon, I don't complain that it isn't a fork." The iPad was never designed to completely replace the PC for all use cases. This is why tablets have failed in the past, and why the Surface will suffer the same fate.
15. Re:Sad... by squiggleslash · 2012-06-25 02:10 · Score: 1
  
  I'm not sure that's true - that it's a matter of competing for another market, that is.
  I really, strongly, feel that if you want to design a portable device for playing games, listening to music, watching movies, browsing the web, and doing "communication stuff" (like email or video chatting), the iPad is a really poor fit for that and about 99% of that is because the iPad is too large and expensive for that purpose. I think the iPad is popular despite its specification, not because of it.
  I've got a 10" Android tablet. I've also got a 7" Kindle Fire. The Fire is, hands down, a better system, even though in my view it's more stripped down than a tablet should be. Why? Because the Fire can go in my pocket. Because I can hold it without feeling like I'm holding one volume of an encyclopedia. And because it's half the price of the 10" system, which is about right for something that's less powerful than a netbook.
  I can't say I'm optimistic the Google tablet will be a success, but I think their chances of success are much better with a 7", which in my view is much closer to what is actually useful, than a 10".
  
  --
  You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
16. Re:Sad... by wannabgeek · 2012-06-25 02:19 · Score: 1
  
  you're a retart if you can't type on the ipad.
  Awesome retort, bro! I bet you posted it from your iPad, too.
  
  --
  I'm much more funny, interesting and insightful than the moderators think
17. Re:Sad... by blind+biker · 2012-06-25 02:25 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Most awesome typo ever.
  It wasn't a typo.
  In other words: wooosh!
  
  --
  "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
18. Re:Sad... by Simon+Brooke · 2012-06-25 02:37 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  The problem is that there is no innovation going on here on the Android side. The Android devices all are trying to be "Well it's no an iWhatever, but it's good enough and it's a bit cheaper".
  To which I say to you Asus Transformer. It's quite a bit better than an iPad on quite a lot of measures - faster, longer battery life, better build quality - and, with the addition of the clip-on keyboard, a useful replacement for a laptop for light office tasks and internet surfing. OK, it's more expensive than an iPad, but you're getting what you pay for.
  
  --
  I'm old enough to remember when discussions on Slashdot were well informed.
19. Re:Sad... by atriusofbricia · 2012-06-25 02:43 · Score: 1
  
  Sad that even Google is afraid to take on the iPad in it's territory. Almost all the 10" Android tablets have seen dismal sales, HP Touchpad was sold in a firesale,
  Playbook's having a tough time and Amazon and Google are forced to play in the sub $200 territory. All of these devices are oriented towards only consumption. Maybe Microsoft Surface will get traction by doubling as a device that you can actually do some light work on, but lets see what price it launches at.
  Yeah, the Asus Transformers sold so badly that they could barely keep them in stock at launch. Damn those poor sales!
  I imagine Google went for the ~$200 territory as there are far far more people who will spend that on a tablet who don't already have one of those "poor selling" Android tablets or iPads. I'd be willing to bet that the $400+ tablet market is nearly saturated. So, where would you go? The high end of cost dominated by people who tend to choose style over power and flexibility, or the part of the market that would be interested in your product and don't already have a tablet.
  
  --
  I was raised on the command line, bitch
  "Nemo me impune lacesset"
20. Re:Sad... by Anubis+IV · 2012-06-25 02:51 · Score: 1
  
  They've said the cheaper Surface will be priced comparably to similar ARM tablets, which means it'll likely be around the price of the iPad, while the one based on Intel chips will be priced comparably to ultrabooks in the market, which means that it's at least $800, possibly quite a bit more. And at those price points, they're starting to go head-to-head against the iPad and MacBook Air (not to mention the devices from their own OEMs). You've already pointed out the trouble 10" tablets have been having, so I'll point out that ultrabooks have been having similar trouble, since it's very difficult to make a decent one that comes in under the price of the MacBook Air. You have to start making compromises at those prices, and that, coupled with the fact that Microsoft has been repeating "no compromises" as a mantra in all of their Windows 8 stuff, may very well mean that Microsoft is setting themselves up to release a device that is underpowered for its intended use.
  If not, they'll need to price it over $1000, but Apple commands 90% of the market at $1000+, and there aren't many people who would be willing to pay that much money just to have the full Windows experience with them on the road. The best I can see is that they may be able to make some inroads in the business market with the higher-end device, but I don't see it being a popular choice for consumers who are more likely to simply buy a $400 OEM PC with more power, then possibly supplement it later with an iPad, and still come in under the $1000 they would have spent otherwise.
21. Re:Sad... by nahdude812 · 2012-06-25 02:56 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  The problem is that there is no innovation going on here on the Android side. The Android devices all are trying to be "Well it's no an iWhatever, but it's good enough and it's a bit cheaper".
  I'm curious what you think innovation looks like. There's a dozen form factors with focus on various improvements such as better cameras, brighter screens, longer battery life, better performance, lower prices, detachable physical keyboards with their own supplemental battery supply, SD and MicroSD card slots, USB ports, dongle-less micro HDMI ports, and more.
  
  Where is the 10" screen tablet at a similar price point and hardware specs? That's really all it would take, and yet we still have none.
  
  Wait, so "innovation" in your mind is "the same thing only different"? That's not innovation, that's knockoff-ism. And you're not looking very hard if you haven't found an Android tablet that offers similar specs. Transformer Prime is the same price point, with added features, better battery life, better performance, thinner, lighter, and some interesting other bonuses. Also the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is so much the same thing that Apple has been suing Samsung over it.
  
  People want an iPad with Android on it. That's all. It's really just that simple. Why shuffle the deck chairs? Give people what they want.
  And they have it several times over, plus other options that try less to be an iPad and do a commendable job of being their own thing, often for a lot cheaper.
  
  --
  Slay a dragon... over lunch!
22. Re:Sad... by Zaiff+Urgulbunger · 2012-06-25 03:11 · Score: 1
  
  I have Pages on mine and can type hundreds of works without any problem.
  ..but all your works are belongs to Apple!
23. Re:Sad... by Charliemopps · 2012-06-25 03:13 · Score: 1
  
  Google is exactly right in what they are doing. Who makes more money? Ford or Ferrari? Roads were designed for ford cars not Ferraris. They ruled the auto industry because they made cars for real people, not just yuppies with too much money. This is the same mistake apple made in the 80s, and will continue to make now. They'll have a small niche market of people convinced they're the best... weather that's true or not, the majority of the world can't afford their products and will move to androids. $200 is the perfect price point. When a manufacturer finally comes out with a tablet that's got 4G (or better) a color eink screen (or equivalent from another vendor) with battery life measured in weeks instead of hours, and it's $200? That'll change the world over night. Are they there yet? No... but Googles a hell of a lot closer than Apple.
24. Re:Sad... by TummyX · 2012-06-25 03:32 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah but I think people are forgetting that in the end the software is everything. iPad has 100s of thousands of tablet optimised apps whereas Android has thousands at best (and most are very poorly thought out). iOS also is much smoother than Android and Windows 8 when it comes to animations and responsiveness which is key for a touch screen interface.
  I'm sure the Asus Transformer has better specs on papder than the iPad but the iPad has better UX and software (IMO). Plus the retina display is amazing. I use my iPad for reading (Safari, Flipboard, Facebook, Twitter) most of the time so the display quality is more important than Mhz -- especially if the apparent performance and responsiveness is better.
25. Re:Sad... by jo_ham · 2012-06-25 03:48 · Score: 1
  
  Whe air yuo clalling a retart, retart?
26. Re:Sad... by axl917 · 2012-06-25 03:52 · Score: 1
  
  Most awesome typo ever.
  It wasn't a typo.
  In other words: wooosh!
  Bullshit. If you're going to do the intentional-typo kind of post, you do it with multiple and obvious words, not 1. This was a legitimate crow-eating moment.
27. Re:Sad... by Karlt1 · 2012-06-25 03:58 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, the Asus Transformers sold so badly that they could barely keep them in stock at launch. Damn those poor sales!
  
  I love it when people say this. "Not keeping them in stock" says nothing about popularity or volume unless you know how many they made.
28. Re:Sad... by RivenAleem · 2012-06-25 03:59 · Score: 1
  
  That's why they are getting ASUS, the maker of the Transformer to build their Nexus. The transformer is a great competitor to the iPad.
29. Re:Sad... by mystikkman · 2012-06-25 04:03 · Score: 1
  
  Sad that even Google is afraid to take on the iPad in it's territory. Almost all the 10" Android tablets have seen dismal sales, HP Touchpad was sold in a firesale,
  Playbook's having a tough time and Amazon and Google are forced to play in the sub $200 territory. All of these devices are oriented towards only consumption. Maybe Microsoft Surface will get traction by doubling as a device that you can actually do some light work on, but lets see what price it launches at.
  Yeah, the Asus Transformers sold so badly that they could barely keep them in stock at launch. Damn those poor sales!
  Really? Selling out all 10,000 tablets at launch doesn't count. Do you have any hard numbers on sales?
  http://goodereader.com/blog/tablet-slates/asus-issues-transformer-prime-update-sales-reported-to-be-dismal/
30. Re:Sad... by Karlt1 · 2012-06-25 04:04 · Score: 1
  
  Google is exactly right in what they are doing. Who makes more money? Ford or Ferrari?
  You have compared Apple's market cap, revenue, and profit to Google haven't you? You do know that only three of the public companies selling phones are making profits and Apple makes over 2/3rdd of the profit (worldwide) in mobile phones with Samsung making most of the rest -- HTC comes in third with one or two percent.
  
  Roads were designed for ford cars not Ferraris. They ruled the auto industry because they made cars for real people, not just yuppies with too much money.
  You really only think "yuppies" can afford a $399 iPad?
  
  weather that's true or not, the majority of the world can't afford their products and will move to androids. $200 is the perfect price point. When a manufacturer finally comes out with a tablet that's got 4G (or better) a color eink screen (or equivalent from another vendor) with battery life measured in weeks instead of hours, and it's $200? That'll change the world over night. Are they there yet? No... but Googles a hell of a lot closer than Apple.
  
  How are all of the low cost commodity vendors doing now? How is Nokia doing these days?
31. Re:Sad... by Eponymous+Coward · 2012-06-25 04:11 · Score: 1
  
  So, where would you go?
  I would go where the profits are.
  Cheap hardware will sell the first generation of devices very well. If the software isn't there though, it's pretty tough to sell the next generation of devices. So far, the Android tablet experience hasn't met expectations and I suspect this is why Google decided to sell a reference device.
  Without Apple's supply chain, it's going to be very difficult for any Android tablet maker to compete. I think the tablet market could very well end up looking like the phone market where Apple has small market share, but huge profit share.
32. Re:Sad... by Berylium · 2012-06-25 04:16 · Score: 1
  
  Most awesome typo ever.
  It wasn't a typo.
  In other words: wooosh!
  Bullshit. If you're going to do the intentional-typo kind of post, you do it with multiple and obvious words, not 1. This was a legitimate crow-eating moment.
  Also hilarious. There was more than one typo. "Retart" and "works". Not to mention iOS will autocorrect "ipad" to "iPad". Double woosh.
33. Re:Sad... by Eponymous+Coward · 2012-06-25 04:16 · Score: 2
  
  they may be able to make some inroads in the business market with the higher-end device
  What's the problem then with the current generation of Windows 7 tablets? Is Metro really better for business than Aero? I can think of a bunch of compelling reasons for using Windows 7 in a corporation over iOS, but in reality they aren't compelling enough. I don't see how Metro changes the equation.
34. Re:Sad... by iluvcapra · 2012-06-25 04:20 · Score: 1
  
  Who makes more money? Ford or Ferrari?
  
  If Apple were selling a tablet that cost 4 times the cost of an equivalent competing tablet, I guess this comparison would make some kind of sense; also if Samsung or Asus's consumer electronics divisions were as remotely profitable as Apple, it might make sense too. In the context of your observation, Ferrari (Apple) is actually the company making "more money" (by multiples), while the companies that make products for "real people" are the ones losing their shirt and only selling into niches.
  All of this is immaterial to Google, of course, since they are primarily concerned with ads and traffic, and, like Amazon, they don't really have any economic incentive to profit from the equipment itself.
  We would be remiss not to point out that Ferrari is a subsidiary of Fiat, which does not clear Ford-level revenues but, like Ford, makes cars for "real people," just not Americans. Also, people who own and maintain their Fix-Or-Repair-Daily vehicles can always tell their friends "Yeah it's in the shop a lot, but not as much as a Fiat!" (Both reputations at this point are probably unearned.)
  The fact remains, however, that while many people drive Fords, it's not much of ride, and while very few people drive Ferraris, everybody wants to at least try.
  
  --
  Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
35. Re:Sad... by ganjadude · 2012-06-25 04:22 · Score: 1
  
  interesting idea you just gave me, i wonder if there is anyway to use a cell phone as a trackpad via bluetooth, that would be a killer app
  
  --
  have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
36. Re:Sad... by Anubis+IV · 2012-06-25 04:25 · Score: 1
  
  I don't think it's the difference between Windows 7 and 8 that matters, so much as the hardware they'll be bringing to bear. The higher-end Surface tablet is supposed to be on par with ultrabooks, meaning it may have performance that will allow it to actually be useful, rather than being a novelty. Metro doesn't change much, but I do think that throwing more powerful hardware at the situation might.
37. Re:Sad... by Americano · 2012-06-25 04:33 · Score: 1
  
  And when Apple does with the iPad what it started doing with the iPhone 4S, there goes that magical $199 price point: "The new iPad starts at $499. Last year's model is now $199, and the model before that is now $99." And for what it's worth - my first generation iPad is working just fine with the latest iOS release on it, I use it daily. 2 year old iPads would still work quite well for "light" usage.
  It's also worth noting that the introductory price for the iPad - $499 - has yet to be significantly challenged by any "iPad killer" coming to market. If it's really "overpriced" at that point, where are the host of competitors that offer the same (or better) features for lower price? Motorola, Samsung, RIM and HP have all tried to compete around that price point, and the general response to all of those tablets is that they were junk.
38. Re:Sad... by 0111+1110 · 2012-06-25 04:37 · Score: 1
  
  You really only think "yuppies" can afford a $399 iPad?
  Only rich people can afford to replace their $499 device every time they drop it. Tablets are in the ultra-portable category which means it's going to get dropped and/or stolen at regular intervals. I might be able to afford a $499 device every few years, but not every few months. That's why people like me would not even consider a tablet which costs more than $200. In fact, $200 is pushing it. There are loads of (Chinese) 7" tablets with many of the features of the iPad and the Nexus for $150 - $170 USD including shipping from China. And for $200 you can easily find a nice 9.7" tablet. Of course I'd rather have an iPad, but not for 2-3 times the price. Only people who are rich or who have some kind of intense burning need for the portability of a screen-only device are going to consider $500 a reasonable price.
  
  --
  Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.
39. Re:Sad... by ganjadude · 2012-06-25 04:40 · Score: 1
  
  We always hear how apple has "hundreds of thousands more" apps but there are very few apps that are not on both, I have personally yet to run into an instance where i cannot find an app or a comparable app (isnt that the excuse we give for gimp and other linix software here?
  
  --
  have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
40. Re:Sad... by Eponymous+Coward · 2012-06-25 04:46 · Score: 1
  
  The Samsung Windows 7 tablet comes with a Core i5 CPU. That's plenty of horsepower for the kinds of things people do on tablets and still nobody is buying them. For a business user, it should be a no-brainer to pick one of these over the iPad, but that isn't happening.
  So, if the next generation is going to be significantly different, Metro must have something special and I don't see what that is. Maybe it's marketing? Is it that PC hardware is going to stop feeling cheap and disposable? The ARM tablets will have better battery life, but I would be shocked if they have 75% of the runtime that an iPad has. iOS was designed with low power consumption in mind, Windows was not. Retrofitting low-power may be as difficult as retrofitting security (and to Microsoft's credit, they have made great progress in securing Windows).
  I think it really does have to come down to marketing - both to developers and end-users. By creating this confusing split with Windows 8 / Windows RT and the mix of Metro and traditional desktop, it shows they still don't have a clue when it comes to marketing to either developers or consumers.
41. Re:Sad... by jheath314 · 2012-06-25 04:59 · Score: 1
  
  The trend nowadays is very much in the opposite direction: separate specialty devices merging into a single multifunction device. Hell, I no longer even wear a wrist watch anymore... my phone has taken over that role, along with browsing the web, reading ebooks, listening to music, watching movies, managing my calendar, taking photos, and (of course) making calls.
  Separate specialty devices still do some of these functions better (I still keep a camera around for when I care about taking good quality photographs), but my phone manages to do most of them well enough, with the added convenience of portability and only having to carry one device.
  
  --
  Procrastination Man strikes again!
42. Re:Sad... by 0111+1110 · 2012-06-25 05:01 · Score: 1
  
  It is also worth noting that the introductory price for the [Bugatti Veyron Super Sport] - [1.65 million Euros] - has yet to be significantly challanged by any Veyron-killer coming to market. If it's really "overpriced" at that point, where are the host of competitors that offer the same (or better) features for a lower price?
  I am guessing that your income is orders of magnitude higher than my own. For me $500 is a lot of money. I can buy a perfectly good 7" Chinese tablet for $150. Why should I spend more than 3 times that for features which in practice are probably not all that noticeable? Even $150 is hard to justify for an ultraportable product that I know I am going to drop and break eventually. For a product that just sits on a desk at home it is easy to justify $500. For a product that you carry around with you, it's strictly a rich man's luxury product. Similar to an iPhone.
  
  --
  Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.
43. Re:Sad... by blackest_k · 2012-06-25 05:06 · Score: 1
  
  Ps3 keyboard works quite nicely with android even if it has a nipple for a mouse and it is relatively cheap. Since it is bluetooth you need no dongles and can just hit the ps3 button and connect.
  It is the smoothest solution to the sometime problem of wanting to write at length on a tablet.
  It is also handy when your tablet is connected by hdmi for use as a media centre/ tv web browser ect.
  It really makes a difference as to what you can use a tablet for.
  
  --
  Blarney Quality Restaurant, Plants
44. Re:Sad... by JoeMerchant · 2012-06-25 05:15 · Score: 1
  
  I actually like the 7", fits in a big pocket, form factor better than 10" for a lot of use cases.
  Now, if they would make the screens daylight readable....
45. Re:Sad... by s73v3r · 2012-06-25 05:25 · Score: 1
  
  You can do the same thing with the iPad. Just about any bluetooth keyboard works for it, as well as the Android tablets.
46. Re:Sad... by steelfood · 2012-06-25 05:27 · Score: 1
  
  Thanks for killing it, guys. Gotta explain and analyze the joke (or lack thereof) until it's dead and half buried underground.
  It's funny irrespective of whether it's intentional or not. 'nuff said.
  
  --
  "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
47. Re:Sad... by s73v3r · 2012-06-25 05:28 · Score: 1
  
  Except it falls extremely short of the iPad in one very important department: Software. Most Android developers are not interested in optimizing their apps for tablet use. So you end up using the exact same applications on your tablet that you would on your phone, just slightly bigger, rather than actually taking advantage of the additional screen real estate you have.
48. Re:Sad... by oakgrove · 2012-06-25 05:30 · Score: 1
  
  And for what it's worth - my first generation iPad is working just fine with the latest iOS release on it, I use it daily.
  To be fair, and I use my iPad daily too, iOS 6 won't see the light of day on it. Also, there are many apps in the app store that require an iPad 2 and above to even install.
  
  --
  The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
49. Re:Sad... by s73v3r · 2012-06-25 05:30 · Score: 1
  
  The key phrase is "tablet-optimized". As in, the UI/UX is designed to take advantage of the additional capabilities of a tablet, rather than just looking like a larger phone app. Even for many of the apps you can find on both Android and iOS, this is true. The iOS app will take advantage of the tablet to present additional information in a way that makes sense, whereas the Android version will look exactly the same as the phone version. If that's the case, then why do I have an Android tablet?
50. Re:Sad... by s73v3r · 2012-06-25 05:34 · Score: 1
  
  As long as the OS you're targeting has hooks for inserting keyboard/mouse/touch events, you can. I've done a similar thing using an iPhone as a trackpad/keyboard shortcut thingy for a Mac, by hooking into the Assistive Devices API. I know Windows has something similar.
51. Re:Sad... by s73v3r · 2012-06-25 05:37 · Score: 1
  
  How many Asus Transformers were available at launch time? It doesn't really count as "not being able to keep them in stock" if each store only got a handful.
  How many Transformers have been sold vs the iPad?
52. Re:Sad... by Shados · 2012-06-25 05:40 · Score: 1
  
  Oh of course. On Android any random USB keyword works too. Where it gets interesting however, is the mouse part. How's ipad mouse support these days?
53. Re:Sad... by s73v3r · 2012-06-25 05:41 · Score: 1
  
  Windows 7 tablets are NOT meant for use with a finger. Windows 7 and, more importantly, just about every application that runs on it, were designed for use by a keyboard and mouse. Trying to shoehorn that experience onto a device that doesn't have a keyboard and mouse results in a flat out shitty, shitty, shitty experience.
  Saying that you can put a keyboard on it doesn't change anything, as at that point, now you loose the portability of the tablet, and end up with just an underpowered laptop.
54. Re:Sad... by s73v3r · 2012-06-25 05:42 · Score: 1
  
  The Samsung Windows 7 tablet comes with a Core i5 CPU. That's plenty of horsepower for the kinds of things people do on tablets and still nobody is buying them. For a business user, it should be a no-brainer to pick one of these over the iPad, but that isn't happening.
  No it's not. Why would I pick one of those over any other laptop on the market? What does that tablet get me over a regular laptop? Further, what Windows applications are designed with touch as a first-class input option?
55. Re:Sad... by Americano · 2012-06-25 05:46 · Score: 1
  
  Even $150 is hard to justify for an ultraportable product that I know I am going to drop and break eventually.
  I'm sorry to hear about your muscular dystrophy. Please understand that most of us are not afflicted with that condition, and so carrying around a portable device does not generally come with a massive fear of dropping and smashing that device. If you take normal safety precautions with the device (i.e., don't treat it like a fucking Nerf football), there should be no danger of dropping and smashing a portable device. In fact, an iPad can hold up under a far more substantial fall than a laptop, which people regularly spend thousands of dollars on. By that measure of value, the iPad is a steal.
  
  It is also worth noting that the introductory price for the [Bugatti Veyron Super Sport] - [1.65 million Euros] - has yet to be significantly challanged by any Veyron-killer coming to market. If it's really "overpriced" at that point, where are the host of competitors that offer the same (or better) features for a lower price?
  First - the Bugatti *is* a luxury-only brand. Only 300 Bugatti Veyrons were made for sale, period, end of story. The iPad has sold tens of millions of units - 67.1 million, as of March. This Bugatti example is a red herring, and seems mostly based on the premise that "anything I can't personally afford is overpriced." I'm sorry to hear that your finances are so tight, but that doesn't mean that anything out of your price range is "overpriced." It simply means you can't afford it.
56. Re:Sad... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-25 05:54 · Score: 1
  
  Are you using the iPad calculator too?
57. Re:Sad... by rikkards · 2012-06-25 05:57 · Score: 1
  
  I have a 7" playbook (price was right) and to be honest I would like to stay at 7". It is so much more convenient to carry than a 10".
58. Re:Sad... by spire3661 · 2012-06-25 06:04 · Score: 1
  
  I use my cellphone as a trackpad all the time (iphone 4s to Apple TV).
  
  --
  Good-bye
59. Re:Sad... by spire3661 · 2012-06-25 06:13 · Score: 1
  
  Your iphone comparison is way off. Iphones are HEAVILY subsidized, making it alot easier to sell a phone that costs $200 to make for $99 tied to a contract worth roughly $2600 (2 year contract with voice and data)
  
  --
  Good-bye
60. Re:Sad... by Americano · 2012-06-25 06:14 · Score: 1
  
  Yep, and it may take them another year or two to begin the "market segmentation by model year" strategy like they're doing with the iPhone - they only announced that with the iPhone 4S release, don't forget. But I think it's fairly inevitable that they'll do it with the iPad, because it's been fairly successful with the iPhone, and requires almost no additional engineering effort.
  And let's be honest - if early next year, with the iPad 4/Next Next Generation / New New iPad/whatever, they say:
  iPad 4: $499
  iPad 3: $199 (or $249)
  iPad 2: $99 (or $149)
  That'd be a pretty interesting segmentation strategy - iPad 3 will still be quite capable next year, and somebody looking to buy might suddenly find a lower price tag a lot more compelling a reason to buy. And if you're just browsing the web, reading, checking email? No need to update unless/until it stops working, or security becomes an issue if they stop issuing security updates to the version you're running.
61. Re:Sad... by spire3661 · 2012-06-25 06:16 · Score: 1
  
  You cannot buy a chinese 7" tablet for $150 that comes anywhere near the ipad in performance, ease of use or build quality. Also, if you drop an ipad its generally not total loss.
  
  --
  Good-bye
62. Re:Sad... by iluvcapra · 2012-06-25 06:23 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah the kids are buying that little subcompact hipster Minicooper-esque model. It's a big deal that Fiat is back in the US market.
  
  --
  Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
63. Re:Sad... by ceoyoyo · 2012-06-25 07:10 · Score: 1
  
  People say "consumption" like it's a bad thing. Many people spend much of their work days reading, particularly when they're not at their desks, sitting in front of, you know, a computer.
64. Re:Sad... by ceoyoyo · 2012-06-25 07:13 · Score: 1
  
  Um, perhaps you should go back and read more carefully. Or maybe you need a higher resolution display? ;)
65. Re:Sad... by Eponymous+Coward · 2012-06-25 07:34 · Score: 1
  
  I was responding to the claim that Windows 8 tablets will succeed where Windows 7 tablets failed because the hardware will be better.
  If you are arguing that any current Windows tablet is inferior than an iPad for business use because the user experience on an iPad is superior (even in a corporate setting), I would agree with you.
66. Re:Sad... by sgant · 2012-06-25 07:35 · Score: 1
  
  No, this isn't true. People use the iPad everyday to create, write, paint (yes, other than Draw Something), create all kinds of music with the myriad of music apps and synths and drum machines etc et. It's not a consumption device. It's just a device. People use it in different ways. Shocking, I know...but people use things in different ways than you.
  Is it better than a laptop? In some ways yes, in some ways no. Is a laptop better? Again, in some ways yes, in some ways no. Can some people live with the iPad alone? Very much so. My wife has been using computers now for 25 years, she hasn't touched her desktop since getting her iPad. Seriously, she does everything on it. Write, do email, do her banking, read, edit PDF files, log into her work computer via SSH and works in a terminal. If she needs to type something long, out comes the bluetooth keyboard and she types away, then when she finished she puts it away and it goes back to just being a tablet.
  Full disclosure, I personally couldn't work this way. I'm kind of set-in-my-ways with my desktop and even a laptop feels cramped. But I recognize that my way isn't the only way.
  But let's get back to the "consumption device" thing people throw out there about tablets, and the iPad specifically. I've shown this isn't true for some people. People that don't let others tell them what to do or haven't heard you can't create on it. But lets assume I didn't say that and just go along with you, and others, and say it IS only for consumption. What's wrong with that? Why is this weird insult directed at this device? Do people say that about...I don't know...the Microsoft Xbox360? "Oh, it's just for consumption and watching movies and playing games...not for creating anything". If not, why not? Are DVD players and big screen TV's get this thrown at them too? What about the opposite? "Oh, that guitar is only for creating, you can't consume anything on it".
  Okay, I've stepped over into silly-land, but hopefully you get my point.
  
  --
  
  "Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
67. Re:Sad... by Eponymous+Coward · 2012-06-25 07:46 · Score: 1
  
  Do you think Windows 8 will drastically change the landscape?
68. Re:Sad... by strikethree · 2012-06-25 07:51 · Score: 1
  
  I have an iPad 2. I have had an Acer Iconia A500 and a Samsung Galaxy Tab (still have the 7 inch model).
  The iPad 2 was the best to type on out of all them. Amazingly, I am able to type VERY quickly and accurately on the iPad. The only thing that was slowing me down was the small amount of text I could see on the screen at one time.
  I suspect a part of my brain was activated that I do not normally use... a kind of "excitement" if you will. Possibly my imagination/curiosity was piqued by using a futuristic non-touch typing keyboard. That means my experience will not be normal for everyone, but your joke about typing on an iPad is not fully accurate. Just saying. ;)
  
  --
  "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
69. Re:Sad... by s73v3r · 2012-06-25 08:05 · Score: 1
  
  Excellent. The mouse is my finger, and I don't have to carry around an extra device, or worry about batteries.
70. Re:Sad... by s73v3r · 2012-06-25 08:07 · Score: 1
  
  Windows 8 ARM tablets, maybe. They can't run legacy Windows software, so like the other devices (Android, iOS), software has to be built from the ground up for it, meaning that developers should actually treat touch as a first class citizen.
  Windows 8 x86 tablets, probably not. They'll be about as popular as previous gen Windows tablets, which is to say, not very.
71. Re:Sad... by mattack2 · 2012-06-25 08:58 · Score: 1
  
  Where is the 10" screen tablet at a similar price point and hardware specs?
  Haven't the "similar" price points pretty much all been higher? Even if they're equal, the regular consumer sees that "iPad has all the apps(*) and I already know how to use it".
  (*) Hmm, a very similar argument was used pro Windows!
72. Re:Sad... by TummyX · 2012-06-25 09:46 · Score: 1
  
  There's lots of those apps ...been there for years.
  I personally use this one: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/touchpad/id297623931?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
  Use your phone or iPad as a multitouch touchpad for your PC.
73. Re:Sad... by Karlt1 · 2012-06-25 11:32 · Score: 1
  
  "Only rich people can afford to replace their $499 device every time they drop it. "
  So does that mean only rich people are buying smartphones? If you have to replace one within your contract, you'll end up spending $400 -$500.
  So what about laptops? High-end cameras?
  I didn't consider $500 on an item I wanted out of my reach back when I was making $11.00/hour (and living on my own) to be unattainable -- back in 1996.
74. Re:Sad... by Americano · 2012-06-25 14:21 · Score: 1
  
  You may be right, but I think you're putting too much weight on that subsidy.
  Consider:
  1) Component costs will continue to go down, meaning the cost to build will be lower, making it easier to lower the price of old models and still make a profit;
  2) Apple will make some money off of book, music, video, and app sales to you;
  3) Once you've bought an iPad, you're at least slightly more likely to keep buying Apple when you decide to upgrade, since you'll have an existing set of apps and other data, plus familiarity with the platform.
  4) This move would open up the iPad to a wider worldwide audience, meaning more unit sales (and if you're selling an extra million units each quarter, even if you're making a small profit there, it's money you wouldn't otherwise have gotten, because the people buying the cheap models wouldn't have bought the expensive latest-and-greatest.
  5) It opens up a wider market, and costs them absolutely zero r&d / engineering time. Why build a whole different product for "downmarket" segments, when you can just sell your last year's product for a bit cheaper?
75. Re:Sad... by jezwel · 2012-06-25 15:34 · Score: 1
  
  The Samsung Windows 7 tablet comes with a Core i5 CPU. That's plenty of horsepower for the kinds of things people do on tablets and still nobody is buying them. For a business user, it should be a no-brainer to pick one of these over the iPad, but that isn't happening.
  We are getting back-end infrastructure in place for migration from XP to Win7. Win7 tablets will be a standard device offering, but we have only purchased enough for proof of concept at this stage. I'd imagine there are many large companies/organisations that may be at around the same migration stage, which would indicate more of them being sold as Win7 migrations ramp up.
  
  No it's not. Why would I pick one of those over any other laptop on the market? What does that tablet get me over a regular laptop? Further, what Windows applications are designed with touch as a first-class input option?
  It's still a tablet, which is what seems to impress certain (types of) people. Not having one (yet), I'd like to think that I can get a lighter and more compact overall package to lug around than my current laptop (not sure about plugging in all those peripherals though). Also - as a full blown Win7 device it should enable proper management as per other corporate devices, reducing the need to support another OS into the bargain. No point talking about touch though, nothing happening there until Metro
76. Re:Sad... by TummyX · 2012-06-26 00:07 · Score: 1
  
  A mouse on an tablet. Good... God.
  I ain't getting a tablet until it has a 15" screen, full sized keyboard, touchpad (complete with left and right buttons!), HDMI port, USB port, upgradable ram, hard disk (I need 1TB for my videos)!
  Sheesh.
77. Re:Sad... by Shados · 2012-06-26 01:27 · Score: 1
  
  Obviously it doesn't need all that, but if it can optionally use it, it can replace a lap-top in a few more occasion, then go back to being a normal tablet the rest of the time.
  The irony is that of all the things you said, the only thing the tablet in the article cannot have is the screen (but via hdmi you could plug it to one) and upgradable ram :)
  It will support an external harddrive, it has an hdmi port, it has mini-usb host on the tablet and regular usb on the keyboard dock, the dock itself is a full keyboard (but you can hook a normal one via usb), and the dock has a touchpad with left click and right click =P
  As long as all that stuff is optional and you can use it as a regular tablet, its pretty useful. (The mouse part is quite a boon when you're typing away emails or whatsnot with the keyboard, so you don't have to keep reaching forward to poke the screen. Having to use a touchscreen at the same time as a keyboard is just painfully annoying)
78. Re:Sad... by drinkypoo · 2012-06-26 02:59 · Score: 1
  
  Thanks for killing it, guys. Gotta explain and analyze the joke (or lack thereof) until it's dead and half buried underground.
  Uh no, you (and siblings) did that. See, I was making a different joke. I would explain that joke, but then I would have to kill you.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
79. Re:Sad... by blind+biker · 2012-06-26 03:25 · Score: 1
  
  Bullshit. If you're going to do the intentional-typo kind of post, you do it with multiple and obvious words, not 1. This was a legitimate crow-eating moment.
  I can't make up my mind whether you're a comedic genius or extremely, utterly dumb.
  
  --
  "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
80. Re:Sad... by s73v3r · 2012-06-26 04:48 · Score: 1
  
  So it's not worth talking about touch, which is the main way that someone would interact with this device.
  Tell me, what is the point of buying those devices over something like the MacBook Air and just putting Windows on it?
Re:Hardware? by ChunderDownunder · 2012-06-25 01:08 · Score: 1

Not competing as such, this is a 'Nexus' device of which Google has produced several phone models.
nVidia Tegra 3 - any source code? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-25 01:10 · Score: 3, Informative

Hmm, seeing as nVidia doesn't have such a great track record with releasing source code in general (for which they deservedly received the Linus' finger) and a quick Google reveals that devs are still waiting for Tegra 2 source code, I wonder what drove them to choose the Tegra 3 for a "Nexus" branded device, which supposedly would mean a "developer friendly" device with all the features and hackability that the Nexus devices have come to be known for.
1. Re:nVidia Tegra 3 - any source code? by westlake · 2012-06-25 03:18 · Score: 1
  
  I wonder what drove them to choose the Tegra 3 for a "Nexus" branded device, which supposedly would mean a "developer friendly" device with all the features and hackability that the Nexus devices have come to be known for.
  Sales.
  The tablet is a mass market consumer product.
  You could lock the hacker out completely and his departure would count for less than a rounding error in the stats,
Going 7" is a smart choice by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-25 01:13 · Score: 5, Interesting

By going with a 7" device that has a relatively low price point Google is offering up a device that that people will buy IN ADDITION to owning an iPad, not INSTEAD of an iPad. Why compete directly against the iPad with your first iteration of a tablet?
1. Re:Going 7" is a smart choice by asdf7890 · 2012-06-25 01:36 · Score: 1
  
  That is a fair point, though soon it'll be moot as (assuming what I've heard is correct) Apple is soon to release a 7" device to fill the gap between the iPod and iPad in their range.
2. Re:Going 7" is a smart choice by MickyTheIdiot · 2012-06-25 02:06 · Score: 1
  
  I am actually been waiting to buy one as an addition to my Asus Iconia. The Iconia is much too nice to carry to work every day and great for travel. I want to use something with a smaller price point for day-to-day work.
3. Re:Going 7" is a smart choice by spire3661 · 2012-06-25 06:18 · Score: 1
  
  The 7" apple tablet is pure rumor, and Steve said outright they dont believe in it. Until there is hard evidence, im going to default that there will be no 7" apple device.
  
  --
  Good-bye
4. Re:Going 7" is a smart choice by asdf7890 · 2012-06-26 08:32 · Score: 1
  
  Steve said outright he didn't believe in it. He might have said "we" rather than "I" and while he and what-ever his magic was were operational there was little difference between him and they, but a little time has passed and the markets are evolving.
  
  I know quite a few people who want a 7"-or-there-abouts design, but don't yet trust Android to be what they want (especially as they have already invested in an iDevice and want to maintain good compatability). If people like that start jumping ship, or if people buying smaller Android tablets later want something bigger/smaller and decide to stick with Android for the same compatibility/familiarity reasons, Apple is going to lose some custom.
  
  Maybe Jobs didn't believe there was a significant enough market for mid-sized devices. They may not have been one when he said that. But I think there is a growing interest in that size either as a main portable device or a secondary, and it wouldn't be the first time he changed his mind as the markets evolved. He wasn't stupid, and would change his mind if good evidence presented itself.
  
  To be honest I think "we don't believe there is a market" means the same from him as it would from many others. That is "we can't make both (and do it well) right now so we've picked the one that will be most successful on its own - there might be a reasonable market for the other but we sure as hell aren't going to say so until we are not close to being present in that space".
16:9 screens on a tablet by Clueless+Nick · 2012-06-25 01:18 · Score: 5, Interesting

I have an Android tablet, and I don't use Apple products, but I have come to believe that the 16:9 format is not that good for a tablet. For one, it is too short vertically in landscape format to accommodate an on screen keyboard and have a generous amount of viewing space available. If one wants to type with one hand while holding the tablet in the other, the keys on the sides also seem a bit too far away (my experience is with a 10" screen). In portrait mode, the keyboard gets a bit too narrow. The screen also seems to be a bit too narrow when reading books in portrait.
On the other hand, I now find the 7" screen size to be much more handy, and probably the keys would not be too far away. Has anybody any idea about how easy or difficult it is to read books on such a screen?
Another thing that has me wondering is the price tag: how can Google afford to sell the tablet for $199 / $249 with a Tegra 3 board, while Samsung charges around $800 (in India, where I live) for the Galaxy S III?

--
Chat with other atheists http://secularchat.org
1. Re:16:9 screens on a tablet by cdrudge · 2012-06-25 01:44 · Score: 2
  
  Has anybody any idea about how easy or difficult it is to read books on such a screen?
  Nook Simple Touch and Kindle lines are 6". Nook Color and Tablet, along with the Kindle Fire are 7". I don't think screen size will be an issue at all.
  Screen type however is a personal preference. I don't have too much problem reading for some time with the LCD display on our Transformer, even in the dark. My wife prefers her Simple Touch with GlowLight over the Transformer.
2. Re:16:9 screens on a tablet by SJHillman · 2012-06-25 02:02 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  I own a Nook Color (7" screen) and have spent a lot of time with other people's iPads. I find the 7" to be more comfortable for reading in portrait mode. The 10" device the lines just feel a little on the long side. However, if you prefer larger text or reading in landscape (where it typically shows as two pages) then the larger form factor is more comfortable.
3. Re:16:9 screens on a tablet by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-25 02:24 · Score: 1
  
  I have a 16:9 Android tablet and, after watching some video and reading a bit on my brother's iPad, have come to believe its one of the better features.
  Maybe its that my tablet is 10", but I don't experience any issues with typing in landscape or portrait. The only minor drawback is that its somewhat more awkward to hold vertically, but IMHO, that is a very minor thing.
  Realistically, almost no video is shot in 4:3 now and 16:9 is also better for viewing text pages side-by-side. I think some people just have a weird attachment to 4:3 because that was their first computer or perhaps they blame 16:9 for (temporarily) halting the monitor resolution wars.
  I'm not saying that Android tablets are better than the iPad. I am saying 16:9 is better in every aspect (heh) than 4:3.
4. Re:16:9 screens on a tablet by Andy+Dodd · 2012-06-25 02:47 · Score: 1
  
  1) A multiband radio system and UMTS/GSM baseband adds a LOT of cost to devices. Look at the price deltas between the original GalaxyS series and the Galaxy Player series. Remove the 3G and price goes WAY down.
  2) SAMOLED screens are gorgeous but expensive. LCD is far cheaper.
  
  --
  retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
5. Re:16:9 screens on a tablet by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-25 03:52 · Score: 1
  
  1280:800 = 16:10
6. Re:16:9 screens on a tablet by 0111+1110 · 2012-06-25 05:09 · Score: 1
  
  http://www.merimobiles.com/HAIPAD_I7_IPS_1024_600_Multitouch_Screen_with_Andr_p/meri4253.htm
  Why spend even $199 when you can get a perfectly good tablet with an IPS screen for only $129? Spending $500 for an iPad 3 is crazy enough. Spending any more than $500 for a tablet is completely ridiculous.
  
  --
  Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.
7. Re:16:9 screens on a tablet by spire3661 · 2012-06-25 06:21 · Score: 1
  
  You cannot compare subsidized pricing with unsubsidized pricing.
  
  --
  Good-bye
8. Re:16:9 screens on a tablet by jaydub2001 · 2012-06-25 08:11 · Score: 2
  
  iPad fans will remark all day long that Android is a failure because there are no truly successful 10" tablets that compare to iPads. 7" tablets are casually dismissed as not being useful. This will all change of course once Apple releases a smaller form factor tablet at which time all the Apple fans will declare that finally a true 7" tablet has been released.
Re:But will it run Linux? by Baloroth · 2012-06-25 01:19 · Score: 4, Informative

All Google's Nexus devices have unlockable bootloaders, as they are designed partly for developers to play around with customizing Android.

--
"None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
Twice cooked tart? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-25 01:20 · Score: 4, Funny

That retart sound delicious - that is a twice cooked tart, no?
Re:Motorola? by Clueless+Nick · 2012-06-25 01:21 · Score: 1

According to this article (http://www.engadget.com/updates/devices-ice-cream-sandwich/) on Engadget, devices with 512 MB ROM or less will be left out of ICS coolness. My GB phone is in the left out list too.

--
Chat with other atheists http://secularchat.org
Re:But will it run Linux? by Clueless+Nick · 2012-06-25 01:29 · Score: 2

The real question is, will nVIDIA allow it to run Linux satisfactorily?
Unlike the Harmony reference design on Tegra 2, for which it has stopped offering Linux (L4T - and Android driver) support, if the design Google chooses sells in large numbers, nVIDIA might be compelled to make specifications and drivers available for porting Linux on it.
Which brings us to the next question: is Linux ready to work on a full touch environment, or will we be forced to carry a keyboard or a dock wherever we go?

--
Chat with other atheists http://secularchat.org
MicroSD Card slot? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-25 01:34 · Score: 1

Does it have one? that could be the deal breaker (for me) if none present.
Re:But will it run Linux? by h4rr4r · 2012-06-25 01:36 · Score: 2

Linux is just a kernel. Some DE's are more touch ready than others.
If you just want a typical linux distro type userland you can already use a chroot and vnc.
Re:Android Jelly Bean by h4rr4r · 2012-06-25 01:38 · Score: 1

Define what you mean by real multitasking. As far as I can tell android has done real multitasking for quite a while.
Re:Motorola? by jareth-0205 · 2012-06-25 01:42 · Score: 2, Interesting

My Nexus One was orphaned at Gingerbeard. I mean, I understand the technical reasons why they couldn't fit Ice Cream Sammich on there (flash partitioning issue), but it's still irritating.
The device is more than two years old now, though, so I guess it getting left behind isn't that unexpected.
I'd prefer that than what I've seen from a serveral iPhone 3G owners now, an upgrade into uselessness. Their phones are so slow with the new OS that they are virtually unusable.
Re:Motorola? by moronoxyd · 2012-06-25 01:45 · Score: 1

And Jelly Bean - I haven't yet see everyone move from GingerBread to ICS, and already they are in JellyBean?
Well, my Archos tablet came with Honeycomb and got an upgrade to ICS early this year.
A few smartphone that where sold with Gingerbread have upgrade to ICS.
So if you haven't seen anybody upgrade the problem might be yiour sample pool.
Re:Hardware? by whisper_jeff · 2012-06-25 01:54 · Score: 1

Oh, but they are getting into the hardware business. This isn't an example of it, but they are. After all, they bought (well, are in the process of buying) Motorola.
Re:Motorola? by tripleevenfall · 2012-06-25 01:59 · Score: 1

I think the problem most people are concerned with is all these Android devices get orphaned by their manufacturers after a release or two, so you're probably going to be stuck at some point and eventually you won't be able to run the newest apps.
Re:Motorola? (now, was Nokia) by SpzToid · 2012-06-25 02:02 · Score: 3, Insightful

At least you hopefully haven't bought a Nokia Lumia 900 that was just Osborned last week when Microsoft announced all current Win 7 phones on the market will not run Wp8 when it is released in the fall.
This happened the same week that Elop let go his entire 'stealth' low-cost linux-for-emerging-markets-sans-Microsoft-License project. Gotta love the guy for consistency.
But wait, current Lumia 900 owners will be able to enjoy a new Start Screen that sort of looks like a Windows 8 phone, although technically it will be known as 7.8.
Personally I am pleased as punch with my Nokia N9 that looks like a Microsoft-enabled Lumia 900 but with better hardware specs, like 64gb RAM, front-facing camera that works with Google Talk, SIP, SSH/PGP, Firefox 13, flash, Swipe (OS and) keyboard, and also its own html5 browser. Contact integration (with Google using MailForExchange gateway) in the Notification area is awesome; weather is a nice touch. It is a keeper, and thank goodness it is also durable as Hell. SportsTracker w/ bluetooth is also very good.
The Maemo guys are also supporting my N900 with regular OS updates, and the keyboard is solid. I'm invested for awhile, just sitting on the sidelines trying to get work done, (scripting via SSH FTW!).
Elop could raise a lot of cash if he'd ever sell the N950 properly, but that would be inconsistent.

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You can't be ahead of the curve, if you're stuck in a loop.
Jellybean by Barefoot+Monkey · 2012-06-25 02:06 · Score: 2

Not really related to the story or actually important in any way, but I notice that the next Android is named "Jellybean". I wonder what comes after that. I'm hoping for Koeksister.
Re:Motorola? (now, was Nokia) by h4rr4r · 2012-06-25 02:13 · Score: 1

I bet good money it does not have 65GB of RAM. My GN has only 1 GB and the SGS3 has 2GB and is a super phone.
Re:Motorola? (now, was Nokia) by SpzToid · 2012-06-25 02:22 · Score: 1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N9#Processors_and_memory

All user data is stored on the internal eMMC chip; 16 and 64 GB models are available.
Nokia N9 Unlocked GSM Phone with 64 GB Internal Memory--International Version (Black)

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You can't be ahead of the curve, if you're stuck in a loop.
Might pick one up! by CanEHdian · 2012-06-25 02:28 · Score: 4, Funny

This is going to be very interesting when it gets officially introduced in Canada Q3 2014 for CAD 279.00

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1. Re:Might pick one up! by MonsterTrimble · 2012-06-25 02:54 · Score: 2
  
  If I had mod points my friend.
  My wife just picked up an ASUS 7" for $199 and while it's nice and she's happy with it, the only reason she went with it was the Amazon Fire has large sections which refuse to work outside of the US. With it being Google-branded and not tied to US-centric companies (such as B&N & Amazon) I hope that it will just do it's thing anywhere on earth. Of course, by the time the Nexus gets to Canada she can buy it and I'll end up with her ASUS, and just flash the thing to JB anyway...
  
  --
  I call it 'The Aristocrats'
Re:Motorola? (now, was Nokia) by h4rr4r · 2012-06-25 02:35 · Score: 3, Informative

That is storage not RAM.
Flash is not RAM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N9
Has 1GB of ram and 64GB of storage.
Re:Motorola? (now, was Nokia) by SpzToid · 2012-06-25 02:36 · Score: 1

I stand corrected. Thanks.

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You can't be ahead of the curve, if you're stuck in a loop.
What do you need the source code for? by Chibi+Merrow · 2012-06-25 02:54 · Score: 3, Interesting

I'm being serious. What benefit will you get from having source code for a graphics CPU on an Android tablet?
The only reason you need the drivers at all is to build a custom rom for the system, which I doubt Google is particularly eager to support. Not saying they want to stop you, I'm sure the system won't have a locked bootloader or anything stupid like that, but they don't have to waste time/money helping you either. Besides, you don't need the source for that, you just need a binary driver. Granted, last I checked nVidia hadn't released those for ICS, either...
Anyway, the type of "developer" you're thinking of is not the one Google is worried about. They want people making apps for the Play Store, not custom rom images.
Finally... Maybe, just maybe, they went with the nVidia chip because of the price/performance ratio?

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Increases in truth directly with the length of time spent explaining them
1. Re:What do you need the source code for? by DrXym · 2012-06-25 03:16 · Score: 2
  
  Well you just said it - custom rom but also the possibility of porting things other than android to the device. And not just this device either but any using the same chipset. I'm sure there is information in the driver which is pertinent to people with older Tegra chipsets.
  While I wouldn't be militant about the source being there or not, there is no denying that a tablet which has it stands a far greater chance of becoming community supported when the official support goes than one which doesn't.
2. Re:What do you need the source code for? by TheRaven64 · 2012-06-25 03:34 · Score: 2
  
  Custom ROMs means longer-term support. My phone is officially up to 2.2 and has a semi-official developer-only 2.3 release. It supported by GyanogenMod 7.2, which is based on the latest 2.3.x series release. It will never get an official Android 4.x release. To be supported by CyanogenMod 9, based on Android 4.0, it needs updated drivers. The manufacturer has provided an updated driver blob, with no official support and no commitment to provide updates to it in the future.
  
  --
  I am TheRaven on Soylent News
3. Re:What do you need the source code for? by s73v3r · 2012-06-25 05:46 · Score: 1
  
  Custom roms are cool, but I wouldn't count them as actual support.
4. Re:What do you need the source code for? by ceoyoyo · 2012-06-25 07:15 · Score: 1
  
  Why in the world would Google want to go out of their way to make it easy to port something other than android to their tablet?
5. Re:What do you need the source code for? by DrXym · 2012-06-25 07:31 · Score: 1
  
  A better question is why would they go out of their way to stop it? Let's face it, locking down a tablet is a huge amount of effort, usually in vain so why bother? Let people root the damn thing. Most people, the large majority never will so why bother fighting a small % of people who want that freedom.
6. Re:What do you need the source code for? by ceoyoyo · 2012-06-25 10:00 · Score: 1
  
  Well, if a lot of people uninstall Android, or switch the default search, Google doesn't get any information about those people. That's kind of the point of Android.
  But we're not talking about Google going out of their way to stop it - we're talking about why they would choose a chipset that doesn't have good open source support, making it more difficult to install things other than Android. The answer is, Google doesn't particularly want you installing something other than Android, and certainly isn't going to let that factor into decisions about which chipset they use.
Re:Motorola? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-25 02:59 · Score: 2, Insightful

Most apps are still written to be compatible with Android 2.2 (Gingerbread), as that's the lowest common denominator for a lot of devices in circulation. The issue isn't "users can't run the newest apps" it's rather "nobody is writing apps that take advantage of the nifty new features because then the apps won't run on everyone's phone".
In fact, I'm struggling to think of any ICS-only apps; anyone know one off the top of their head?
Product Confusion by tiny69 · 2012-06-25 03:01 · Score: 1

Cisco Nexus 7k
This is going to be annoying for people that work with Cisco products.

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Go not unto/. for advice, for you will be told both yea and nay (but have nothing to do with the question)
1. Re:Product Confusion by rwise2112 · 2012-06-25 04:22 · Score: 1
  
  Like the Cisco iphone
  
  --
  
  "For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert"
2. Re:Product Confusion by RichiH · 2012-06-25 23:51 · Score: 1
  
  Yah, cause iOS does not. Especially since most people write it as IOS.
Re:Motorola? by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2012-06-25 03:40 · Score: 1

Still no ICS on my Galaxy Tab. I don't have any plans to buy any more Android devices.

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"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
ICS fo Galaxy Tab by VP · 2012-06-25 03:49 · Score: 1

Here you go
1. Re:ICS fo Galaxy Tab by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2012-06-25 04:17 · Score: 1
  
  Great, I've only waited a good chunk of a year for it.
  It amazes me that this isn't a bigger issue for the Android base.
  
  --
  
  "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
2. Re:ICS fo Galaxy Tab by s73v3r · 2012-06-25 05:23 · Score: 1
  
  As the owner of a Galaxy SII, I would tell the parent poster not to believe that story until it actually happens.
3. Re:ICS fo Galaxy Tab by s73v3r · 2012-06-25 05:24 · Score: 1
  
  Because so many of them simply do not want to hear anything bad about Android.
4. Re:ICS fo Galaxy Tab by spire3661 · 2012-06-25 05:58 · Score: 1
  
  Its a bigger issue then the Android guys want to admit.
  
  --
  Good-bye
5. Re:ICS fo Galaxy Tab by Kevin+Stevens · 2012-06-25 07:08 · Score: 1
  
  I am with you on that. I went Android after owning a 3GS. I mostly liked it, but the pace of change just seemed so slow- even what seemed to be infuriatingly easy to implement features like being sent invitations from exchange and having apple recognize them. The walled garden of the app store, lack of flash support, and then finally the small screen size vs android phones made me switch. I loved the widgets on android, and the fact that apps like the NYTimes could DL content overnight so I can just pull up the app on the subway and read the morning's news (this is finally in the latest IOS release).
  So I bought a Samsung Galaxy S II. Aside from the super large screen, I was really excited about Google Wallet and NFC, which were only supported in ICS which would be coming down to the S II "any day now" when I bought it. 9 months later, I am still waiting for AT&T to release it. This is supposed to be a flagship phone. My buddy spends many hours rooting and tweaking his phone with ICS images found on the net, but my phone is something I just want to work with as little effort as possible. The fragmentation makes it harder for the carriers to support, but also harder for people to bitch- "antenna gate" could never happen with an android device because it would be so easy to deflect as a carrier specific modification causing problems!
  Google really needs to tighten up the reins a bit. Aside from the absurd branding each carrier does (Sprint's flavor of the SGS II is officially called the Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch. Really?!), even the hardware is different on each model- I was told that the SII would have an FM tuner on it, which I was quite excited about, only to find out that wasn't the case for AT&T. Single phone models across carriers (hard). Force them into some sort of SLA that requires them to provide updates within a few months for a support window of 2 years.
  I like the choice among Android phones, but at the same time the Android universe is so fragmented, I really have no idea what someone has in their hand when they say they have an android phone- it could be a cheap POS, or a premium phone. At least with an ios device I have an idea of what features are supported and when and what I am getting with each new release. If Apple comes out with an iphone with a competitive screen size, I am going back.
6. Re:ICS fo Galaxy Tab by Flipao · 2012-06-25 07:25 · Score: 1
  
  Great, I've only waited a good chunk of a year for it.
  It amazes me that this isn't a bigger issue for the Android base.
  Users who care about that stuff flash their own ROMs if they don't feel like waiting.
7. Re:ICS fo Galaxy Tab by h4rr4r · 2012-06-25 09:19 · Score: 1
  
  AT&T SGS2 got ICS already. You just have to use kies to install it. No hacking, just not OTA.
  The SGS3 is the same across all carriers.
Re:Motorola? by tuncoglu · 2012-06-25 03:56 · Score: 2

Chrome Beta
Re:Motorola? by eudaemon · 2012-06-25 04:25 · Score: 1

I'm right there with you dude and own the developer G1 as well as the Nexus One. Technological obsolescence is annoying, but so is Google's erratic support for essential features. I want a *Google* reference phone (not carrier locked) that has a) a removable battery, b) NFC, c) removable SIM card, d) latest multicore processor, e) plenty of internal memory (2GB+) , f) forward (3MP) and rearward (8MP+) facing cameras, and g) either the processor or a second chip to handle 3d acceleration. The interesting phones all have some combination not all of those things combined, and we aren't even in to the nice to have options like an IPV6 capable stack, a chip to help with VPN encryption/decryption so heavy tunneling use doesn't burn the battery and a wifi/airplane mode combination that lets me use the handset as a SIP phone. Stop playing google phone footise with us Google - I need a mode to turn off the cell network, leave on wireless and use (if available) the carrier's internet-based call origination features, and if not at least the same for my Grandcentral/Google-voice number I've been carrying around for years.
Re:Motorola? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-25 04:26 · Score: 1

Gingerbeard
Quite appropriate for an Android user but perhaps Neckbeard would be better.
Re:Motorola? by eudaemon · 2012-06-25 04:28 · Score: 1

Oh yeah - one of those *totally* annoying things about the iPad is network based collaborative games don't work well or at all in network as an island situations. I should be able to sit on an airplane with my Google tablet and play anyone on the plane because one person's a IPV4 hub handing out local addresses, or we're taking advantage of IPv6's link local addresses. So simple, yet so much fun if we could make it happen.
Instead of a smaller/cheaper, why not bigger? by swb · 2012-06-25 04:47 · Score: 1

Disclaimer: I'm on my second iPad (1, 3) and I really like it for what it is, and about the only two things I wish it had were bluetooth mouse support for my RDP app and a touch-lock functionality that kept the screen active but locked the touch functionality so accidental touches wouldn't activate whatever the screen touch would do.
That being said, why not a bigger touch screen instead of focusing on smaller? IMHO, going smaller just further cuts functionality. Yes, more DPI enables you to do more things in a small space, but at a high ergonomic price (at least for those of us settling into presbyopia).
One of the problems with touch is that the resolution of my FINGER is kind of fixed -- making on-screen elements smaller via DPI increases or shrinking element sizes doesn't help the UI.
Making the screen larger seems to enhance what you can do with it (like magazines at actual size) or the kinds of apps and data you can work with via touch because you can see everything on the screen at once at a workable size. And it would allow the device to claim functionality areas that have been off limits to tablets generally because they are 10" or smaller.
I'm sure lots of people would complain that it wouldn't work because it doesn't fit in a purse, but so what? Going against the grain of the expectations is kind of the idea here, and what seems to hurt tablet development is some unwritten set of expectations over what a tablet is "supposed" to do or be.
Rear facing camera please! by Shivetya · 2012-06-25 05:14 · Score: 1

I cannot recall the last time I have used the front facing one or know anyone who uses it, but getting my iPad2 back from the kids or even grandparents was more difficult than expected because of its ability to take photos and record video.
As for the form factor, I love the smaller size. You would be surprised how heavy an iPad gets after an hour

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* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
1. Re:Rear facing camera please! by larry+bagina · 2012-06-25 06:43 · Score: 2
  
  The front-facing cameria is good for dick pics and crotch shots, so you have instant feedback and can get the most impressive angle. Not to mention facetime/video calls.
  
  --
  Do you even lift?
  These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
Re:Motorola? by s73v3r · 2012-06-25 05:16 · Score: 1

Google does not control when phones are moved from GB to ICS.
So? It doesn't really matter who's fault it is. At the end of the day, the iPhone still receives updates for up to 3 years. Most Android devices are lucky to get one update.
Re:Motorola? by s73v3r · 2012-06-25 05:22 · Score: 1

The vast majority of devices have not been upgraded to ICS. Most people only get 1 update, if that. Anything that didn't come with GB, it is highly unlikely that it will get ICS.
CM9/Kangs Are The Way To Go by ilikenwf · 2012-06-25 05:40 · Score: 1

I'm running ICS on both my HP Touchpad and my 2 year old droid2...

I'm running the AOKP rom, but it's a derivative of CM with more goodies included...runs like a clock on both devices, and my droid2 is actually faster and more usable now than it was when I bought it...

For those of you with older phones, you should check XDA and rootzwiki to see if there are better roms available for you...
Re:But will it run Linux? by oakgrove · 2012-06-25 05:47 · Score: 1

If you just want a typical linux distro type userland you can already use a chroot and vnc.
Yep, this is what I do on my Xoom and it works marvelously. I did stumble a bit finding a good VNC client though. I started out with AndroidVNC and it worked very well and fast. The only problem was the lack of right/middle mouse click and lack of keyboard support for things like Ctrl/Alt/F1-12 etc. Those issues were making it where I would use it for novelty more than anything else. Fast forward to a few days ago and I decided to download and try every VNC viewer from the market finally settling on Jump Desktop. It's very fast, i.e., screen refreshes are more like RDP and NX rather than what you expect with VNC. And last but not least, all keyboard keys and mouse buttons work. I was actually able to hook my mouse and keyboard up to my tablet and accomplish Real Work(TM). Not affiliated with them in any way but definitely recommend their product (and it's free).

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The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
Nook by DarthVain · 2012-06-25 06:11 · Score: 1

There is also the Nook which is really the only one in Canada. My Mom got one for retirement. It was pretty disappointing. It had a lot of potential, but it was glitchy, and not as intuitive or easy as the iPad offerings. I have never tried the Fire, but have heard the same thing, that outside of the US it is pointless. My Mom didn't have the technical know how, patience to figure out the Nook and I think it eventually got returned.
Even I who am used to working with technology really wanted to smash the thing. It was also pretty sluggish as well. The thing for me was either it was so sluggish, or so glitchy that just turning the thing on or off seemed be a pretty random affair with most efforts resulting in nothing happening. It also should have a better set of tools/apps pre-installed to make the thing more useful.
Anyway it needed some polish to be sure. That said I can forgive, as it was only just released a couple of months before that, so early adopter and all that jazz. Hopefully the additional competition in Canada will improve both devices (Fire can screw off for all I care, I hate these services that are US centric).
Re:Hardware? by Flipao · 2012-06-25 07:29 · Score: 1

So what, Microsoft have been in the hardware business for ages and nobody seems to mind. They've gone hand in hand with Nokia in the phone market and nobody seems to mind. Now the've announced their own tablet and nobody seems to mind.
Re:Motorola? by kev0153 · 2012-06-25 07:57 · Score: 1

Boid Twitter App
Re:Motorola? by h4rr4r · 2012-06-25 08:03 · Score: 1

That would be the consumers fault. Don't buy devices that don't get updates. Stick to the Nexus line.
Re:Hardware? by GigaHurtsMyRobot · 2012-06-25 08:15 · Score: 1

Actually a lot of OEM's are quite upset about it... (Microsoft releasing a tablet.)
funny, my 6 year old kyocera flip phone by decora · 2012-06-25 12:23 · Score: 2

still makes and receives calls as well as it did on day one.
Re:Motorola? by Jello+B. · 2012-06-25 12:42 · Score: 1

2.2 is Froyo. 2.3 is Gingerbread. Most apps are written for 2.1 Eclair.
Re:Motorola? by s73v3r · 2012-06-26 04:45 · Score: 1

It is NOT the consumers fault. Especially because 1). The Nexus Line was never available on all carriers until recently, and 2). Buying a Nexus device does NOT guarantee timely updates. See the Nexus S 4G on Sprint.
Re:Motorola? by h4rr4r · 2012-06-26 05:25 · Score: 1

It is the consumers fault. 1). you don't have to stick with one carrier. 2) buy a GSM one. Even CDMA nexus devices get updates faster than 99% of non-nexus phones.
Re:Motorola? by Mana+Mana · 2012-06-27 18:05 · Score: 1

> update ... from ICS to JB.
Just use `x + i' nomenclature, man. It took me a moment to realize wtf you were saying. Have found that appellation as precious as BD in lieu of BR. But hey, am weird that way.