How can he try one without buying it? I'm not going to pay $499 for an experiment.
Go to any BestBuy, or any Apple store, or really any electronics shop with enough staying power to have some display models. The sales guy won't mind if you spend 30-60 minutes playing with their display model and convincing yourself to buy it, I promise:)
Also, there are tablets that are considerably less expensive than $500.
Another option would be to go pick up a tablet at a Sprint store - they have a 30-day money-back guarantee, and it's honest - I bought an Evo, 2 Heroes, and a Samsung touch something or other (for the kiddo) when I discovered that (even after acquiring the network extender that requires an always-on internet connection) their service wouldn't work inside my house. They expressed their condolences, reminded me that they don't guarantee service indoors, and I reminded them that it was only 3 weeks since I purchased those items, and took it all back to the store for a full refund.
I can't speak for Acer tablets, but their Android phones are absolute crap. I had an Acer Liquid E (S-100) - if that had been my only Android experience I would have never even looked at the platform again. Fortunately, after 3 of my Acer Liquid E phones died prematurely, I managed to convince my carrier to forward date my hardware upgrade eligibility and got a Samsung Galaxy S. I couldn't be happier and I much prefer it to my wife's iPhone4. Based on my smart phone experience if I were looking for a tablet I would look at the Galaxy series.
Motorola, on the other hand, has made some fantastic smart phones... and Google just bought them.
I've also had Acer monitors - also crap. I've never bought an Acer laptop, but I've had 4 or 5 generations of Dell Latitudes (the Inspiron series is not so good) and will by another when my Studio XPS finally dies. Let's face it, there is a reason Acer products are cheaper - they're garbage.
I've worked on many an Acer laptop in the past few years - they appear to have a warranty timer in them. Probably >60% of the users who have brought me a dead Acer laptop have stated that their warranty ran out 30-90 days prior to the machine failing to do simple tasks (like turning on).
What's your battery life like? I really don't understand why so many Android devices have such crappy battery life. I have a Nexus S and I really like the phone, but I have to be careful because it's pretty easy to kill the battery.
Battery life sucks for some people, because they don't understand that "exiting the app" doesn't actually kill the app. A task manager is an essential addition for any android device.
A real-life example: I fiddle with my Atrix (Android 2.3.4, ATT network) constantly; playing fiddly little games, making calls, texting, checking/sending email, surfing the web... and yet my battery life is usually over 11 hours between chargings. If I'm just sitting around watching movies, I can kill the battery in less than 6 hours. Playing Pocket Legends with all the settings cranked up will kill my battery in about two and a half hours. (Yes, I know, it's sad that I would play an MMO on my phone for hours at a time. So sue me.) On the other hand, I have a charger at my desk, one by the bed, and one in the car. If I'm near a charger, I tend to plug my phone in.
I have a friend who has no task manager, is constantly installing and trying out all kinds of crap on his phone, and his battery rarely lasts longer than 4 hours. Take a peek at what's running in the background, and damn near every app installed on the phone is running in the background.
In essence, a little behavior modification (plug the phone in all the time, just to "top it off") and a little prudence (use a task manager to kill non-essential apps if the screen turns off) will go a long way towards extending your battery life.
For $500 I can build a computer that will completely smoke your tablet.
... and for $300, I can get a piece of equipment that will suffice for my media consumption needs, and fit in my jacket pocket. Also, your $500 does not include anything but the tower. You still need a mouse, a keyboard, and a monitor. How's that price point looking now? More like $800?
We're talking apples and oranges, here... the issue is not about price, nor about performance, but about whether the tablet niche is here to stay. In my opinion, prices have fallen enough, miniaturization has gotten small enough, and the public is aware enough... tablets are here to stay.
Sold as an accessory it truly is the missing link in the computing industry. but as a computer professional, I won't be doing serious work through an accessory.
I'll absolutely agree with this statement. On the other hand, you're not the "target demographic" in this case, despite being a specialized member of the IT community. Smart phones have taken off because they're portable. Tablets let you have a smart phone that bridges the gap in raw processing power between smart phones and desktop computers, but doesn't make phone calls (and honestly, I see no reason that a tablet shouldn't be allowed to make voice calls, but none of the providers I am aware of will let them do so, despite headphone/microphone jacks, Bluetooth connectivity, and the fact that they're already on the cell network).
To be honest, I would think that more than half (and probably more like "nearly all") home users could replace their desktop PCs with a tablet and a Bluetooth keyboard/mouse, and never miss the big bulky tower. Heck, I'm considering doing it with my phone instead of a tablet, for everything except coding.
I'm not sure exactly what all the lawyers I've seen using them are actually using them for, but it seems there is some sort of document management software for the iPad, because the one lawyer I spoke to about what he was doing with an electronic device in the "all electronic devices must be turned off" courtroom seemed to be sifting through his client's "paper" evidence.
Not only does it not look like a phone, it... isn't a phone! lol
I was partially referring to it being on the cellular network, but mostly referring to the courtroom's "turn off all electronic devices" policy being to keep idiots from disrupting the proceedings.
Worthless for anything that requires typing because typing on an on-screen keyboard is a nightmare.
Beats the hell out of using thumbs on a screen a quarter of the size, though, don't it? Or for that matter, why not use voice recognition? If you haven't looked at it lately, you really really should. Google's voice recognition is simply worlds better than that old dragon was, and without spending 6 hours training it to recognize an individual's voice, either. Sit down with it for half an hour and actually train it, and it supposedly gets better... but I didn't bother because it works so well "out of the box".
Terrible web browsing experience.
Not as terrible as trying to use a laptop or netbook while standing up on a moving bus.
Rubbish for gaming because of the lack of physical controls.
Pocket Legends has over a million users. There are literally millions of downloads of console emulators. EVE Online is alsocoming tothe mobile space. StarCraft looks like it was MADE for a touchscreen interface. Last but not anywhere near least, the Xperia Play - and if you go over my comment history, you will see that I absolutely hate Sony, so I'm the last guy anyone would expect to be pimping their products.
Useless for watching videos because who wants to hold their display while watching a film.
I can't really think what else they could be used for.
There's really only a few things that PCs are better at, and that's a combination of sheer horsepower and input hardware. Toss a bluetooth keyboard into the mix, add a kickstand to the back, and 90% of the PC market will evaporate as people realize they don't need a $1200 monster to check their email and surf the web. Admittedly, that's just replacing a PC with a different piece of hardware... but I will point out that hospitals and law firms figured out that tablets roxor their soxors years ago.
In other words, Tablet + WiFi + content server = It's not the tablet that's useless for most people, it's the PC. With the advent of streaming media and wireless connec
Google's acquisition of Motorola may pretty much signal that Google is interested in the tablet space... for reals this time.
Yeah, if they don't monetize it, then that $12B was just a flash in the pan.
On the other hand, I'm *seriously* jazzed about what might be coming down the pipe next year. Moto already made some of the best android devices on the market, and now Google gets directly involved... mmm, Ice Cream Sandwiches...
And lest we forget, Motorola was also part of the alliance which created the PowerPC chip... if they still have a couple disused fabs laying around, we might see a GoogleMoto chip come out of this, with all kinds of hefty android optimizations... I'm pretty sure part of the reason Oracle got so mad at Android over the whole Dalvik thing was because Google did Java better than Sun did (with their clean-room reverse engineering, and such).
You are incredibly bitter. You're raving about how pointless it all is, since we should be using our phones or desktops, depending on whether we want to be mobile or actually productive.
The point that you're missing is that there are things that neither of those objects can do.
Examples:
Tweak a presentation while you're in the elevator on the way to the meeting where you'll be giving it.
Watch a movie or TV show in bed without squinting to try and determine which actor is which (and regardless of whether you're streaming or reading a local file)
View a recipe in the kitchen while making food without covering it in that same food. (What, you aren't aware of voice commands?)
Draw directly on your tablet, using a stylus, while on a train, on a bus, or even walking. Or, if you insist, while sitting at a desk.
Take snapshots or even video, with live preview, gigs of storage space, and the ability to show it to someone else without having to hand them your device or upload it to some website.
Take it into a courtroom, library, lecture, etc... and not get yelled at to turn it off because the clattering keys are distracting to other people.
Set it in your lap without burning important bits of your own anatomy.
The list goes on and on and on.
Oh, and before you slam me for being some sort of fanboi, let me let you in on a few little secrets: I don't own any Apple devices; my phone runs android; I own laptops, desktops, and actual servers. While I can not currently afford to purchase a tablet, it is likely that a Nook Color will be my next electronics purchase.
If I could afford a tablet, I'd have one. Since I can't afford it at the moment, I don't. Most of the functionality I would migrate to a tablet experience is, admittedly, currently accomplished by my (incredibly smart) phone. On the other hand, I would love to be able to actually see what I'm looking at (3" screen has nothing on 10", or even 7"), and using more than my thumbs to type would be indescribable joy. Other than my current lack of funds, I am probably the target demographic for a tablet device... because I'm smart enough to see how I could use it to be more productive without adding a backpack full of junk to my "necessary equipment".
I have a monster PC at home that I mainly use for its raw power, nowadays... playing graphically-intense games for hours on end, or programming/compiling... things my phone can't or won't do. (Where's my android port of Eclipse?!?)
I have a smartphone that fits in my pocket, and lets me actually get out of the house and still remain "plugged in" with all my friends and feeds - things my PC used to do, but it tied me to a chair in my living room.
My laptop is mostly a desktop replacement, for out-of-town stuff - too big for actual "social" use, but perfectly suited for hooking up in a hotel room or a spare desk at a customer site, and having nearly the same "raw power" as my desktop.
My servers run a website, a voice communication server, and a file storage facility - all of these are services that would not be appropriate for a desktop, laptop, or smartphone to provide.
If I had a tablet, I could have a dumb(er) phone, accomplish twice as many "productive tasks" as I do now while on the move, and still be "plugged in" to all the things that used to tie me to my desk - and I could do this without lugging a big bag of crap for my laptop.
Your apparent rabid obsession with Apple fanbois makes me wonder if you were molested by Steve jobs as a child, or if you just have serious issues with things you don't understand.
My Xoom is nearly indispensable now that I have come to rely on it. I work in the medical industry and to be able to carry 90% of the functionality of a laptop with better battery life and a smaller form factor is just incredibly useful.
Lawyers are another demographic I have seen tablets gaining massive ground in. Phones have to be shut off in the courtroom, and have a nasty habit of blaring noise at random moments if they're still on... whereas a tablet with a data-only cellular connection doesn't have this issue, and is usually excused from the "no cellphones" rule because it doesn't look like a phone.
Android phones with HDMI outputs can be used with bluetooth keyboards/mice to act as if they are a PC.
That is, you bring your phone home, drop it on a docking station to charge and connect to your TV, it hooks up to your local WiFi, your BT input devices pair with it, and voila, you're surfing and emailing from your couch.
If mobile devices move in this direction, it may be the desktop PC that is on its last legs... although tablets are still on their way out.
I don't think you understand the idea of "a good deal". For a warranty to be profitable it has to be an inherently bad deal. That is the likelihood that you'll break a laptop times the cost of a new laptop has to be less than the cost of the new warranty for the average purchaser of said warranty. Trust me by definition of being a viable business it's a bad deal.
... you must buy some really crappy laptops.
I spent $1200 on a "home entertainment" laptop (dual-core 2.8, 9600M, 6GB RAM, 500GB HDD, DVD-RW, and a 19 inch screen) nearly 3 years ago. Bought the 3-year "black tie protection" plan. Just brought it in for what I call a "not quite EOL" refurbishing... thus giving my 3-year-old laptop a new lease on life, and bringing it back to nearly-new condition.
Admittedly, the brand-new laptops are better and cheaper than mine was, although not by much in either category (I count screen size as highly important)... but I feel like I'm essentially getting a brand-new $600 laptop, when that machine would otherwise have been just about ready for recycling.
The cost for my "brand new $600 laptop"? $300, nearly 3 years ago.
As an aside, NOT getting the "accidental damage" coverage on a portable device is absolutely retarded... when I purchased that laptop, I asked, "what happens if I'm driving down the interstate on my motorcycle, and my laptop jumps out of my backpack and scatters itself across 4 lanes of traffic?" The answer: "If you have the accidental damage protection, then bring in as many pieces as you can, and we'll replace it at no charge."
Peace of mind is worth the $300 I spent on the protection plan...
Final note: I spent $300, 3 years ago; instead of having to spend $1000 or more on a shiny new laptop this year, I get to fix all the issues with the old one for free. Sounds to me like I saved about $700.
I actually assumed that domainsbyproxy was a scam/spam intended to get the email addresses of the people offended enough to say something (ie, the ones who were paying attention).
They require a full name and email address to report a domain, and their "secure site" uses flash/javascript.
Of course, I could just be being paranoid... but not giving out my email address never got it phished.
Could you provide a link to that because I find it hard to believe the TSA would openly print a tip off to a suspect that he will be searched.
Why not? If nothing else, it will increase the suspect's nervousness, which may cause them to make a mistake and/or do/say something stupid.
Hell, if the rumor mill says that if they have "SSS" printed on their ticket then they'll be searched, I'd start randomly printing "SSS" on at least 50% of the tickets, to see who suddenly sidled out of line after receiving their ticket, decided not to make their trip, needed to make an urgent call, etc.
If 90%+ of security theater is psychological, what's wrong with taking advantage of that?
Note: I do not actually believe in security theater; I think we should issue knives to passengers, instead, and let any problems sort themselves out in the air.
You have given a vague definition, sort of, of the way I choose to live my life. I call it "rational anarchy" (or "personal freedom with accountability", if you would prefer), and the core tenets are essentially that I will do what I like, and I will accept the consequences of my own actions. This means I may choose to ignore a stop sign, if I feel like it. It also means that when a semi plows into me because I chose to ignore a stop sign, I won't sue the truck driver (should I happen to survive). If I get pulled over for running that stop sign, I likewise will not bemoan my fate, nor cry about "those damn cops", because I was breaking their rules and got caught.
Before you go off half-cocked about how deviant, amoral, unethical, etc. I am, consider this:
The rational side of my beliefs inform me that in most circumstances, the possible benefits are small, and the negative possibilities are much larger. I follow nearly all of the laws of which I am aware, and ignore some of them at my own peril. If I'm not harming anyone, I don't see the issue; If I harm someone, it is my responsibility to make reparations as best I can. For instance: if I wrongly end someone's life, my own life should be forfeit. This does not necessarily mean that I should be killed, but could (as an example) cause me to become an indentured servant to the victim's family for a reasonable anticipated amount of lifetime the victim had remaining.
I do not resist the idea of punishing wrong-doing, I just happen to have a *slightly* different idea of what, exactly, constitutes wrongdoing.
As an example of the silliness that goes on: How is it harming another person for me to acquire/dispense a desirable product at a price reasonable both to the seller and the purchaser? To go further, why is a specific act between two consenting adults illegal? Why does that crime get ignored by almost everyone, unless it's convenient for some reason? Why is it wrong for one of the participants to exchange their time and physical involvement for an agreeable amount of currency?
Can you explain to me with logic and reason why it's perfectly OK to be legally required to fight and possibly die three years before one can legally purchase/consume/possess alcohol? Did you notice I said purchase/consume/possess? Did you know that in many jurisdictions, those three items are separate offenses?
What is the logic behind forbidding the purchase of certain items on a specific day of the week? Why do they call those restrictions "blue laws"?
A person should not be allowed to give a non-response ("because it's wrong", "because I said so", and "my religion says so" are classic non-response examples") as their only argument for why another person shouldn't be allowed to do or have something. Show me harm done to a non-consenting adult other than myself, and I'll agree that a crime has been committed.
I don't understand, he couldn't save the lists without the sources?
Sometimes, publishing a given list exposes the source. It's called a "red herring", wherein you hand out a list of something, but the Nth item is not an actual list item; the Nth item is different, depending on who the list was given to. When the list appears "on the street", you look at item N, and then you know who to shoot.
Is it paranoia if they actually are out to get you?
*Everyone* in that day and age was highly religious, just like every US politician who expects to get somewhere in his/her career is a God-fearing Christian.
Also, keep in mind that we're talking about a time period not too far from an epidemic of witchcraft trials so large that we still say that someone is "on a witch hunt" when those in power are looking for scapegoats to sacrifice.... and, of course, one of the ways you can tell a witch is because they can't say the Lord's Prayer...
I'm clueless, can you explain how the Republican party is the most logical place for overtly religious types?
Absolute faith in imaginary leaders, combined with irrational and contradictory goals. (* Plus a predilection for secretive homosexuality. Shhhh)
Aw, come on, man... the priest jokes are getting old. Yes, even to the die-hards. The Catholic Church, Inc. has already played "shuffle the pedophiles", you should let it lie.
On the other hand, my favorite part of the whole thing is that the parishioners are either being taught by non-believers, or by the damned.
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How can he try one without buying it? I'm not going to pay $499 for an experiment.
Go to any BestBuy, or any Apple store, or really any electronics shop with enough staying power to have some display models. The sales guy won't mind if you spend 30-60 minutes playing with their display model and convincing yourself to buy it, I promise :)
Also, there are tablets that are considerably less expensive than $500.
Another option would be to go pick up a tablet at a Sprint store - they have a 30-day money-back guarantee, and it's honest - I bought an Evo, 2 Heroes, and a Samsung touch something or other (for the kiddo) when I discovered that (even after acquiring the network extender that requires an always-on internet connection) their service wouldn't work inside my house. They expressed their condolences, reminded me that they don't guarantee service indoors, and I reminded them that it was only 3 weeks since I purchased those items, and took it all back to the store for a full refund.
I can't speak for Acer tablets, but their Android phones are absolute crap. I had an Acer Liquid E (S-100) - if that had been my only Android experience I would have never even looked at the platform again. Fortunately, after 3 of my Acer Liquid E phones died prematurely, I managed to convince my carrier to forward date my hardware upgrade eligibility and got a Samsung Galaxy S. I couldn't be happier and I much prefer it to my wife's iPhone4. Based on my smart phone experience if I were looking for a tablet I would look at the Galaxy series.
Motorola, on the other hand, has made some fantastic smart phones... and Google just bought them.
I've also had Acer monitors - also crap. I've never bought an Acer laptop, but I've had 4 or 5 generations of Dell Latitudes (the Inspiron series is not so good) and will by another when my Studio XPS finally dies. Let's face it, there is a reason Acer products are cheaper - they're garbage.
I've worked on many an Acer laptop in the past few years - they appear to have a warranty timer in them. Probably >60% of the users who have brought me a dead Acer laptop have stated that their warranty ran out 30-90 days prior to the machine failing to do simple tasks (like turning on).
What's your battery life like? I really don't understand why so many Android devices have such crappy battery life. I have a Nexus S and I really like the phone, but I have to be careful because it's pretty easy to kill the battery.
Battery life sucks for some people, because they don't understand that "exiting the app" doesn't actually kill the app. A task manager is an essential addition for any android device.
A real-life example: I fiddle with my Atrix (Android 2.3.4, ATT network) constantly; playing fiddly little games, making calls, texting, checking/sending email, surfing the web... and yet my battery life is usually over 11 hours between chargings. If I'm just sitting around watching movies, I can kill the battery in less than 6 hours. Playing Pocket Legends with all the settings cranked up will kill my battery in about two and a half hours. (Yes, I know, it's sad that I would play an MMO on my phone for hours at a time. So sue me.) On the other hand, I have a charger at my desk, one by the bed, and one in the car. If I'm near a charger, I tend to plug my phone in.
I have a friend who has no task manager, is constantly installing and trying out all kinds of crap on his phone, and his battery rarely lasts longer than 4 hours. Take a peek at what's running in the background, and damn near every app installed on the phone is running in the background.
In essence, a little behavior modification (plug the phone in all the time, just to "top it off") and a little prudence (use a task manager to kill non-essential apps if the screen turns off) will go a long way towards extending your battery life.
For $500 I can build a computer that will completely smoke your tablet.
... and for $300, I can get a piece of equipment that will suffice for my media consumption needs, and fit in my jacket pocket. Also, your $500 does not include anything but the tower. You still need a mouse, a keyboard, and a monitor. How's that price point looking now? More like $800?
We're talking apples and oranges, here... the issue is not about price, nor about performance, but about whether the tablet niche is here to stay. In my opinion, prices have fallen enough, miniaturization has gotten small enough, and the public is aware enough... tablets are here to stay.
Sold as an accessory it truly is the missing link in the computing industry. but as a computer professional, I won't be doing serious work through an accessory.
I'll absolutely agree with this statement. On the other hand, you're not the "target demographic" in this case, despite being a specialized member of the IT community. Smart phones have taken off because they're portable. Tablets let you have a smart phone that bridges the gap in raw processing power between smart phones and desktop computers, but doesn't make phone calls (and honestly, I see no reason that a tablet shouldn't be allowed to make voice calls, but none of the providers I am aware of will let them do so, despite headphone/microphone jacks, Bluetooth connectivity, and the fact that they're already on the cell network).
To be honest, I would think that more than half (and probably more like "nearly all") home users could replace their desktop PCs with a tablet and a Bluetooth keyboard/mouse, and never miss the big bulky tower. Heck, I'm considering doing it with my phone instead of a tablet, for everything except coding.
I'm not sure exactly what all the lawyers I've seen using them are actually using them for, but it seems there is some sort of document management software for the iPad, because the one lawyer I spoke to about what he was doing with an electronic device in the "all electronic devices must be turned off" courtroom seemed to be sifting through his client's "paper" evidence.
Not only does it not look like a phone, it... isn't a phone! lol
I was partially referring to it being on the cellular network, but mostly referring to the courtroom's "turn off all electronic devices" policy being to keep idiots from disrupting the proceedings.
Worthless for anything that requires typing because typing on an on-screen keyboard is a nightmare.
Beats the hell out of using thumbs on a screen a quarter of the size, though, don't it? Or for that matter, why not use voice recognition? If you haven't looked at it lately, you really really should. Google's voice recognition is simply worlds better than that old dragon was, and without spending 6 hours training it to recognize an individual's voice, either. Sit down with it for half an hour and actually train it, and it supposedly gets better... but I didn't bother because it works so well "out of the box".
Terrible web browsing experience.
Not as terrible as trying to use a laptop or netbook while standing up on a moving bus.
Rubbish for gaming because of the lack of physical controls.
Pocket Legends has over a million users. There are literally millions of downloads of console emulators. EVE Online is also coming to the mobile space. StarCraft looks like it was MADE for a touchscreen interface. Last but not anywhere near least, the Xperia Play - and if you go over my comment history, you will see that I absolutely hate Sony, so I'm the last guy anyone would expect to be pimping their products.
Useless for watching videos because who wants to hold their display while watching a film.
Try looking for protective cases that have kickstands built in, or just go low-tech and use a document holder. Duh.
Can't be used for any RealWork such as programming, graphic design, stock trading or anything else.
I'll grant some of this point. With typing being more difficult due to a lack of keyboard, coding would be a pain... assuming you don't change the interface. But I'm going to have to call "citation needed" on your "graphic design", your "stock trading", and with 4.5 billion app downloads last month just on the official android market and over 100,000 apps specifically for iPads released in the past 16 months, your "anything else".
I can't really think what else they could be used for.
There's really only a few things that PCs are better at, and that's a combination of sheer horsepower and input hardware. Toss a bluetooth keyboard into the mix, add a kickstand to the back, and 90% of the PC market will evaporate as people realize they don't need a $1200 monster to check their email and surf the web. Admittedly, that's just replacing a PC with a different piece of hardware... but I will point out that hospitals and law firms figured out that tablets roxor their soxors years ago.
In other words, Tablet + WiFi + content server = It's not the tablet that's useless for most people, it's the PC. With the advent of streaming media and wireless connec
Google's acquisition of Motorola may pretty much signal that Google is interested in the tablet space... for reals this time.
Yeah, if they don't monetize it, then that $12B was just a flash in the pan.
On the other hand, I'm *seriously* jazzed about what might be coming down the pipe next year. Moto already made some of the best android devices on the market, and now Google gets directly involved... mmm, Ice Cream Sandwiches...
And lest we forget, Motorola was also part of the alliance which created the PowerPC chip... if they still have a couple disused fabs laying around, we might see a GoogleMoto chip come out of this, with all kinds of hefty android optimizations... I'm pretty sure part of the reason Oracle got so mad at Android over the whole Dalvik thing was because Google did Java better than Sun did (with their clean-room reverse engineering, and such).
Off by one... I think you meant http://xkcd.com/864/. That one references smart phones and flying cars (and android RealDolls in the alt text).
You are incredibly bitter. You're raving about how pointless it all is, since we should be using our phones or desktops, depending on whether we want to be mobile or actually productive.
The point that you're missing is that there are things that neither of those objects can do.
Examples:
The list goes on and on and on.
Oh, and before you slam me for being some sort of fanboi, let me let you in on a few little secrets: I don't own any Apple devices; my phone runs android; I own laptops, desktops, and actual servers. While I can not currently afford to purchase a tablet, it is likely that a Nook Color will be my next electronics purchase.
If I could afford a tablet, I'd have one. Since I can't afford it at the moment, I don't. Most of the functionality I would migrate to a tablet experience is, admittedly, currently accomplished by my (incredibly smart) phone. On the other hand, I would love to be able to actually see what I'm looking at (3" screen has nothing on 10", or even 7"), and using more than my thumbs to type would be indescribable joy. Other than my current lack of funds, I am probably the target demographic for a tablet device... because I'm smart enough to see how I could use it to be more productive without adding a backpack full of junk to my "necessary equipment".
I have a monster PC at home that I mainly use for its raw power, nowadays... playing graphically-intense games for hours on end, or programming/compiling... things my phone can't or won't do. (Where's my android port of Eclipse?!?)
I have a smartphone that fits in my pocket, and lets me actually get out of the house and still remain "plugged in" with all my friends and feeds - things my PC used to do, but it tied me to a chair in my living room.
My laptop is mostly a desktop replacement, for out-of-town stuff - too big for actual "social" use, but perfectly suited for hooking up in a hotel room or a spare desk at a customer site, and having nearly the same "raw power" as my desktop.
My servers run a website, a voice communication server, and a file storage facility - all of these are services that would not be appropriate for a desktop, laptop, or smartphone to provide.
If I had a tablet, I could have a dumb(er) phone, accomplish twice as many "productive tasks" as I do now while on the move, and still be "plugged in" to all the things that used to tie me to my desk - and I could do this without lugging a big bag of crap for my laptop.
Your apparent rabid obsession with Apple fanbois makes me wonder if you were molested by Steve jobs as a child, or if you just have serious issues with things you don't understand.
wow editing fail on my part.
Out of curiosity, did that have anything to do with surfing slashdot on your nook?
Not actually trying to be a jerk, I just found it humorous and ironic.
My Xoom is nearly indispensable now that I have come to rely on it. I work in the medical industry and to be able to carry 90% of the functionality of a laptop with better battery life and a smaller form factor is just incredibly useful.
Lawyers are another demographic I have seen tablets gaining massive ground in. Phones have to be shut off in the courtroom, and have a nasty habit of blaring noise at random moments if they're still on... whereas a tablet with a data-only cellular connection doesn't have this issue, and is usually excused from the "no cellphones" rule because it doesn't look like a phone.
Android phones with HDMI outputs can be used with bluetooth keyboards/mice to act as if they are a PC.
That is, you bring your phone home, drop it on a docking station to charge and connect to your TV, it hooks up to your local WiFi, your BT input devices pair with it, and voila, you're surfing and emailing from your couch.
If mobile devices move in this direction, it may be the desktop PC that is on its last legs... although tablets are still on their way out.
I don't think you understand the idea of "a good deal". For a warranty to be profitable it has to be an inherently bad deal. That is the likelihood that you'll break a laptop times the cost of a new laptop has to be less than the cost of the new warranty for the average purchaser of said warranty. Trust me by definition of being a viable business it's a bad deal.
... you must buy some really crappy laptops.
I spent $1200 on a "home entertainment" laptop (dual-core 2.8, 9600M, 6GB RAM, 500GB HDD, DVD-RW, and a 19 inch screen) nearly 3 years ago. Bought the 3-year "black tie protection" plan. Just brought it in for what I call a "not quite EOL" refurbishing... thus giving my 3-year-old laptop a new lease on life, and bringing it back to nearly-new condition.
Admittedly, the brand-new laptops are better and cheaper than mine was, although not by much in either category (I count screen size as highly important)... but I feel like I'm essentially getting a brand-new $600 laptop, when that machine would otherwise have been just about ready for recycling.
The cost for my "brand new $600 laptop"? $300, nearly 3 years ago.
As an aside, NOT getting the "accidental damage" coverage on a portable device is absolutely retarded... when I purchased that laptop, I asked, "what happens if I'm driving down the interstate on my motorcycle, and my laptop jumps out of my backpack and scatters itself across 4 lanes of traffic?"
The answer: "If you have the accidental damage protection, then bring in as many pieces as you can, and we'll replace it at no charge."
Peace of mind is worth the $300 I spent on the protection plan...
Final note: I spent $300, 3 years ago; instead of having to spend $1000 or more on a shiny new laptop this year, I get to fix all the issues with the old one for free. Sounds to me like I saved about $700.
This is not a Google-written application... it was written by Samsung, thus that's who got sued.
I actually assumed that domainsbyproxy was a scam/spam intended to get the email addresses of the people offended enough to say something (ie, the ones who were paying attention).
They require a full name and email address to report a domain, and their "secure site" uses flash/javascript.
Of course, I could just be being paranoid... but not giving out my email address never got it phished.
They aren't. It's not a software patent.
Hmm... quacks like a duck...
Could you provide a link to that because I find it hard to believe the TSA would openly print a tip off to a suspect that he will be searched.
Why not? If nothing else, it will increase the suspect's nervousness, which may cause them to make a mistake and/or do/say something stupid.
Hell, if the rumor mill says that if they have "SSS" printed on their ticket then they'll be searched, I'd start randomly printing "SSS" on at least 50% of the tickets, to see who suddenly sidled out of line after receiving their ticket, decided not to make their trip, needed to make an urgent call, etc.
If 90%+ of security theater is psychological, what's wrong with taking advantage of that?
Note: I do not actually believe in security theater; I think we should issue knives to passengers, instead, and let any problems sort themselves out in the air.
I just killed a spider because it was in my bathroom.
The spiders living in my house and I have this agreement... If I don't see them, I don't squish them.
Sometimes they break the agreement...
You have given a vague definition, sort of, of the way I choose to live my life. I call it "rational anarchy" (or "personal freedom with accountability", if you would prefer), and the core tenets are essentially that I will do what I like, and I will accept the consequences of my own actions. This means I may choose to ignore a stop sign, if I feel like it. It also means that when a semi plows into me because I chose to ignore a stop sign, I won't sue the truck driver (should I happen to survive). If I get pulled over for running that stop sign, I likewise will not bemoan my fate, nor cry about "those damn cops", because I was breaking their rules and got caught.
Before you go off half-cocked about how deviant, amoral, unethical, etc. I am, consider this:
The rational side of my beliefs inform me that in most circumstances, the possible benefits are small, and the negative possibilities are much larger. I follow nearly all of the laws of which I am aware, and ignore some of them at my own peril. If I'm not harming anyone, I don't see the issue; If I harm someone, it is my responsibility to make reparations as best I can. For instance: if I wrongly end someone's life, my own life should be forfeit. This does not necessarily mean that I should be killed, but could (as an example) cause me to become an indentured servant to the victim's family for a reasonable anticipated amount of lifetime the victim had remaining.
I do not resist the idea of punishing wrong-doing, I just happen to have a *slightly* different idea of what, exactly, constitutes wrongdoing.
As an example of the silliness that goes on:
How is it harming another person for me to acquire/dispense a desirable product at a price reasonable both to the seller and the purchaser?
To go further, why is a specific act between two consenting adults illegal? Why does that crime get ignored by almost everyone, unless it's convenient for some reason? Why is it wrong for one of the participants to exchange their time and physical involvement for an agreeable amount of currency?
Can you explain to me with logic and reason why it's perfectly OK to be legally required to fight and possibly die three years before one can legally purchase/consume/possess alcohol? Did you notice I said purchase/consume/possess? Did you know that in many jurisdictions, those three items are separate offenses?
What is the logic behind forbidding the purchase of certain items on a specific day of the week? Why do they call those restrictions "blue laws"?
A person should not be allowed to give a non-response ("because it's wrong", "because I said so", and "my religion says so" are classic non-response examples") as their only argument for why another person shouldn't be allowed to do or have something. Show me harm done to a non-consenting adult other than myself, and I'll agree that a crime has been committed.
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Hate me for not hating you, if you must.
I don't understand, he couldn't save the lists without the sources?
Sometimes, publishing a given list exposes the source. It's called a "red herring", wherein you hand out a list of something, but the Nth item is not an actual list item; the Nth item is different, depending on who the list was given to. When the list appears "on the street", you look at item N, and then you know who to shoot.
Is it paranoia if they actually are out to get you?
*Everyone* in that day and age was highly religious, just like every US politician who expects to get somewhere in his/her career is a God-fearing Christian.
Also, keep in mind that we're talking about a time period not too far from an epidemic of witchcraft trials so large that we still say that someone is "on a witch hunt" when those in power are looking for scapegoats to sacrifice. ... and, of course, one of the ways you can tell a witch is because they can't say the Lord's Prayer...
I'm clueless, can you explain how the Republican party is the most logical place for overtly religious types?
Absolute faith in imaginary leaders, combined with irrational and contradictory goals. (* Plus a predilection for secretive homosexuality. Shhhh)
Aw, come on, man... the priest jokes are getting old. Yes, even to the die-hards. The Catholic Church, Inc. has already played "shuffle the pedophiles", you should let it lie.
On the other hand, my favorite part of the whole thing is that the parishioners are either being taught by non-believers, or by the damned.
This bible-thumper might reply that broad generalizations such as you have made are pretty crude weapons too.
Hmm... would that be before screaming about hellfire and brimstone, and trying to steal^W coerce^W obtain your generous donation, or after?
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I am easily offended by self-righteous hypocrites.
/signed
feel free to mod down for irrelevance.
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Do you vote?