Seconded - while I really like the TF, and it has served its intended purpose (to replace a netbook), apart from the occasional SSH session it is not really useful for proper work. And Polaris Office is not that great, I've tried a few alternatives from the Market but they all seem to be more or less dysfunctional; any pointers on Android office suites (well, a word processor really) are welcome. Still, I'm very happy with mine, no regrets, but wouldn't imagine running a compiler on it.
Which is why node.js is constantly losing popularity and dynamic web pages are being replaced by static ones, right?
(For the record, this dipship knows more than JS, but thinks that JS, with all its flaws, is mainly misunderstood and especially taught wrong. But many of the flaws could be rectified with the adoption of Harmony - but, while other browsers are quite quick in adapting new technologies, IE will probably prevent the change for many years to come)
Not really - the virtual keyboard is automatically disabled, as is display rotation, but otherwise it's pretty much the same. Rooting the Transformer is very trivial, but I'm not aware of any Linux ports yet.
What we didn't see was much adoption of hardware keyboards for any of them---most people seemed to forgo the keyboard and go with the touchscreen. Is the Transformer's dockable keyboard any better than any of the inline Bluetooth options for the iPad et al?
It has a built-in battery, which is great; when docked, the tablet recharges itself automatically from it, and you're not wasting energy on Bluetooth. And a regular SD card slot (the tablet part has microSD) and two full-sized USB ports (which accept even a mouse if you're so inclined, NTFS support is also available). I use mine exclusively for non-work-computing and have been very satisfied with it, but YMMV.
This post explains everything you need to know about why Slashdot simply doesn't get tablet computing, and probably never will.
Yes, I guess we should all be satisfied with "4:3 is the best aspect ratio ever, we don't need any extra connectivity, and if the media is not available in iTunes we shall not want to watch it".
Yes, if only there was a protocol for IM that has been used for like forever, in Google chat for example (Facebook chat also I believe), with publicly available specifications and multiple implementations. Such a shame no such protocol exists. Thank $DEITY for Apple, perhaps we'll have one soon. At least for iDevices.
So you tend be on the move without your phone? I don't. And for me tethering always works great. Perhaps you should have invested in a device that just works;)
3G is a waste anyway IMHO - I got an Asus Transformer (which is really great, the most fun toy I've had in ages) knowing very well it didn't have 3G. I already carry a smartphone with me, pay for unlimited data, why would I want to pay for unlimited data for another device as well? If your contract prevents tethering, blame your operator. Or switch it even.
(Having said that, somewhat offtopic, it's really unbelievable that Android still doesn't support Bluetooth DUN - with PDANet it is possible, apparently, to tether for example a computer _to_ an Android phone, but one can't tether an Android tablet to a phone via DUN. And by the looks of it this won't be changed any time soon, so make sure your phone supports Bluetooth PAN if you intend to tether your tablet)
Actually, I've been quite surprised with Microsoft as of late. I subscribe to a few ASP.NET blogs, and recently there was an article on how to do mobile development. And the author's conclusion was the only logical one - that native apps are not worth it when having to support multiple platforms, HTML5 all the way. Similarly, I receive a newsletter from local MS every now and then, and some months ago there was an announcement on a Canvas competion. The competion seemed very uninteresting to me, but what caught my attention was the requirement that the submited works have to work in latest versions of IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera.
Now, it is not very cynical to assume this is simply PR (CSS 2.1, anyone?), but IMHO they seem to be working towards interoperability when it comes to the Web; perhaps due to IE losing its overwhelming majority, perhaps due to the rise of mobile web, who knows. Whether their efforts are genuine is quite irrelevant really, as long as mobile devices have recent browsers, cross-platform development is possible* no matter how closed the platforms are**.
*) I'm aware HTML+CSS+JS isn't enough for some applications, but is surprisingly versatile nowadays; with some processing on the server pretty amazing things can be done.
**) Having said all this, a future with only completely closed platforms would be terrible personally, and I'm really not sure what my next phone will be when my N900 is retired. WP7 or iOS don't really appeal to me, and I already use an Android tablet, Google knows enough of me as it is. So what does that leave me? WebOS? ( I don't think there are any being sold here) Meego? (I already bought an N900, and don't want another)...so what is there left? Suggestions are welcome.
...and this is why I'm hating Nintendo at the moment. The new controller looks gimmicky (moreso than the original Wii, IMHO) and way too big. But the thought of playing all of the Primes in 1080p just seems too hard to resist, so I'll probably end up getting it anyway.
Somewhat offtopic, but kudos for the book (although I've only read the 5th edition, but I suppose the fundamentals are the same). Javascript is very much a misunderstood language, and material on it seems mostly to be either incomplete, outdated or downright wrong, especially on the web but in book form also. Your book is the only one I personally reccommend.
I personally enjoy my Maemo thoroughly and I see both Android and iOS as inferior. Sooner or later I will have to get a newer phone but that won't be for a long time still, and it'll likely be Android because I really dislike anything Apple and I don't think Win7 Phone will ever truly catch on.
I'm almost with you, but I don't want to go Android either. The N900, with all its flaws (and yes, there are several) is still a wonderful phone. I mean, what other phone allows you to ssh to your Linux desktop, with X forwarding, and run applications from your desktop on your phone? Or the general "do whatever you wish with it"-attitude, no jailbreaking, no custom firmwares, root access a mere package away? Programming in virtually any language you desire? As of yet, it's unique.
And that's the problem, really. Supposedly, Nokia will introduce "at least one" handset running Meego. The thing is, I don't want another N900. I don't mind not having an app store with n+1 fart apps, but I do want some continuity. If some other handset manufacturer decides to support Meego, or rather, commit to Meego to at least some extent, I'll jump ship. And this comes from someone who's been using Nokia for the past 15 years.
Tonight on 'It's the Mind', we examine the phenomenon of déjà vu. That strange feeling we sometimes get that we've lived through something before, that what is happening now has already happened. Tonight on 'It's the Mind' we examine the phenomenon of déjà vu, that strange feeling we sometimes get that we've... Anyway, tonight on 'It's the Mind' we examine the phenomenon of déjà vu, that strange...
Agreed on activities - it took a while for me to get my head around the concept, but at least for me it works very well. Like having virtual desktops within your virtual desktops (insert appropriate "yo dawg" here).
I certainly am not rich, my income is ever-so-slightly-above-average-but-still-average - my point was that whining about the price being too high is just unreasonable. Last.fm would cost 5€ per month, and then you really can't decide what you will to listen to, wheras Spotify will let you play what you want (provided it exists wihin the collection), for the same price. For double the price, you get mobile and offline. Sure, it'd be nice that the latter option would be 5€. Or just one. Yes, a pony would be nice as well. But we live in a world where things do actually cost something.
If it ever gets near £5pm with support for mobiles I’d subscribe without thinking about it.
Would you also like a pony with that? Seriously. 10€ per month is nothing. I spend way more on beer each month (here in.fi 10€ would be 2-4 pints, depending on the pub - although the places where that is 4 are not the ones you want to visit). I understand that some people find the omissions in the catalogue a letdown (the only hole I encounter is King Crimson - seriously Fripp, be reasonable - but I have already ripped the albums from them I want to listen), and some people simply don't listen to music that much, but to say the price is too high (including mobile access and offline) is just absurd.
I do, constantly, when doing web development. As a matter of fact, if Gimp would support PSD format better, I wouldn't use Photoshop at all. As it is, I use Photoshop as a glorified image viewer - I get a layout from an advertising agency, hide/show the needed layers and copy the image to clipboard, then split it into needed chunks with Gimp and paste into separate files. I find it much faster to use the resizable rectangular selection to select a portion of the image, then Ctrl+C, Ctrl+Shift+V, Ctrl+S, type file name with extension, done. Granted, if I wanted to I could teach myself to do the same in Photoshop (although I've been unable to find how to resize the selection, I'm only able to add to it or subtract from it - is this even possible? And it's irritating having to manually specify the file type), but why bother, Gimp suits me just fine.
Slashdot Mirror
I was very interested when I first heard of it. Some years ago. Have they still managed to ship any units?
Seconded - while I really like the TF, and it has served its intended purpose (to replace a netbook), apart from the occasional SSH session it is not really useful for proper work. And Polaris Office is not that great, I've tried a few alternatives from the Market but they all seem to be more or less dysfunctional; any pointers on Android office suites (well, a word processor really) are welcome. Still, I'm very happy with mine, no regrets, but wouldn't imagine running a compiler on it.
I just posted the link Amazon search returned (without even being logged in there) so I have no idea what it's referring to, but glad you're happy....
This book contains what it says on the tin.
JavaScript is a fad that's on its way out.
Which is why node.js is constantly losing popularity and dynamic web pages are being replaced by static ones, right?
(For the record, this dipship knows more than JS, but thinks that JS, with all its flaws, is mainly misunderstood and especially taught wrong. But many of the flaws could be rectified with the adoption of Harmony - but, while other browsers are quite quick in adapting new technologies, IE will probably prevent the change for many years to come)
I already pay for a data plan for my phone, why would I want to pay for another one? I simply tether to my phone when needed.
Not really - the virtual keyboard is automatically disabled, as is display rotation, but otherwise it's pretty much the same. Rooting the Transformer is very trivial, but I'm not aware of any Linux ports yet.
What we didn't see was much adoption of hardware keyboards for any of them---most people seemed to forgo the keyboard and go with the touchscreen. Is the Transformer's dockable keyboard any better than any of the inline Bluetooth options for the iPad et al?
It has a built-in battery, which is great; when docked, the tablet recharges itself automatically from it, and you're not wasting energy on Bluetooth. And a regular SD card slot (the tablet part has microSD) and two full-sized USB ports (which accept even a mouse if you're so inclined, NTFS support is also available). I use mine exclusively for non-work-computing and have been very satisfied with it, but YMMV.
Honeycomb 3.2.1 IPS widescreen docking dual-core nVidia Tegra 2 1GB RAM SDHC miniHDMI dual USB Flash Android no rooting quad-core Kal-El Tegra 3
This post explains everything you need to know about why Slashdot simply doesn't get tablet computing, and probably never will.
Yes, I guess we should all be satisfied with "4:3 is the best aspect ratio ever, we don't need any extra connectivity, and if the media is not available in iTunes we shall not want to watch it".
Facebook can't help but track you if every site you goto has a facebook button
But how about every site I comefrom?
How about a more realistic comparison?
Yes, if only there was a protocol for IM that has been used for like forever, in Google chat for example (Facebook chat also I believe), with publicly available specifications and multiple implementations. Such a shame no such protocol exists. Thank $DEITY for Apple, perhaps we'll have one soon. At least for iDevices.
So you tend be on the move without your phone? I don't. And for me tethering always works great. Perhaps you should have invested in a device that just works ;)
3G is a waste anyway IMHO - I got an Asus Transformer (which is really great, the most fun toy I've had in ages) knowing very well it didn't have 3G. I already carry a smartphone with me, pay for unlimited data, why would I want to pay for unlimited data for another device as well? If your contract prevents tethering, blame your operator. Or switch it even.
(Having said that, somewhat offtopic, it's really unbelievable that Android still doesn't support Bluetooth DUN - with PDANet it is possible, apparently, to tether for example a computer _to_ an Android phone, but one can't tether an Android tablet to a phone via DUN. And by the looks of it this won't be changed any time soon, so make sure your phone supports Bluetooth PAN if you intend to tether your tablet)
Now, it is not very cynical to assume this is simply PR (CSS 2.1, anyone?), but IMHO they seem to be working towards interoperability when it comes to the Web; perhaps due to IE losing its overwhelming majority, perhaps due to the rise of mobile web, who knows. Whether their efforts are genuine is quite irrelevant really, as long as mobile devices have recent browsers, cross-platform development is possible* no matter how closed the platforms are**.
*) I'm aware HTML+CSS+JS isn't enough for some applications, but is surprisingly versatile nowadays; with some processing on the server pretty amazing things can be done.
**) Having said all this, a future with only completely closed platforms would be terrible personally, and I'm really not sure what my next phone will be when my N900 is retired. WP7 or iOS don't really appeal to me, and I already use an Android tablet, Google knows enough of me as it is. So what does that leave me? WebOS? ( I don't think there are any being sold here) Meego? (I already bought an N900, and don't want another) ...so what is there left? Suggestions are welcome.
...and this is why I'm hating Nintendo at the moment. The new controller looks gimmicky (moreso than the original Wii, IMHO) and way too big. But the thought of playing all of the Primes in 1080p just seems too hard to resist, so I'll probably end up getting it anyway.
Somewhat offtopic, but kudos for the book (although I've only read the 5th edition, but I suppose the fundamentals are the same). Javascript is very much a misunderstood language, and material on it seems mostly to be either incomplete, outdated or downright wrong, especially on the web but in book form also. Your book is the only one I personally reccommend.
I personally enjoy my Maemo thoroughly and I see both Android and iOS as inferior. Sooner or later I will have to get a newer phone but that won't be for a long time still, and it'll likely be Android because I really dislike anything Apple and I don't think Win7 Phone will ever truly catch on.
I'm almost with you, but I don't want to go Android either. The N900, with all its flaws (and yes, there are several) is still a wonderful phone. I mean, what other phone allows you to ssh to your Linux desktop, with X forwarding, and run applications from your desktop on your phone? Or the general "do whatever you wish with it"-attitude, no jailbreaking, no custom firmwares, root access a mere package away? Programming in virtually any language you desire? As of yet, it's unique.
And that's the problem, really. Supposedly, Nokia will introduce "at least one" handset running Meego. The thing is, I don't want another N900. I don't mind not having an app store with n+1 fart apps, but I do want some continuity. If some other handset manufacturer decides to support Meego, or rather, commit to Meego to at least some extent, I'll jump ship. And this comes from someone who's been using Nokia for the past 15 years.
Tonight on 'It's the Mind', we examine the phenomenon of déjà vu. That strange feeling we sometimes get that we've lived through something before, that what is happening now has already happened. Tonight on 'It's the Mind' we examine the phenomenon of déjà vu, that strange feeling we sometimes get that we've... Anyway, tonight on 'It's the Mind' we examine the phenomenon of déjà vu, that strange...
Agreed on activities - it took a while for me to get my head around the concept, but at least for me it works very well. Like having virtual desktops within your virtual desktops (insert appropriate "yo dawg" here).
Not in Europe. Besides, with last.fm you can't choose which artist/album/track you want to listen to.
Hint 1: Norway doesn't use € Hint 2: .fi != .no
I certainly am not rich, my income is ever-so-slightly-above-average-but-still-average - my point was that whining about the price being too high is just unreasonable. Last.fm would cost 5€ per month, and then you really can't decide what you will to listen to, wheras Spotify will let you play what you want (provided it exists wihin the collection), for the same price. For double the price, you get mobile and offline. Sure, it'd be nice that the latter option would be 5€. Or just one. Yes, a pony would be nice as well. But we live in a world where things do actually cost something.
If it ever gets near £5pm with support for mobiles I’d subscribe without thinking about it.
Would you also like a pony with that? Seriously. 10€ per month is nothing. I spend way more on beer each month (here in .fi 10€ would be 2-4 pints, depending on the pub - although the places where that is 4 are not the ones you want to visit). I understand that some people find the omissions in the catalogue a letdown (the only hole I encounter is King Crimson - seriously Fripp, be reasonable - but I have already ripped the albums from them I want to listen), and some people simply don't listen to music that much, but to say the price is too high (including mobile access and offline) is just absurd.
I do, constantly, when doing web development. As a matter of fact, if Gimp would support PSD format better, I wouldn't use Photoshop at all. As it is, I use Photoshop as a glorified image viewer - I get a layout from an advertising agency, hide/show the needed layers and copy the image to clipboard, then split it into needed chunks with Gimp and paste into separate files. I find it much faster to use the resizable rectangular selection to select a portion of the image, then Ctrl+C, Ctrl+Shift+V, Ctrl+S, type file name with extension, done. Granted, if I wanted to I could teach myself to do the same in Photoshop (although I've been unable to find how to resize the selection, I'm only able to add to it or subtract from it - is this even possible? And it's irritating having to manually specify the file type), but why bother, Gimp suits me just fine.