Author Topic: Finding a tablet?  (Read 11575 times)

Jamesqf

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Finding a tablet?
« on: January 22, 2014, 03:51:57 PM »
Well, it looks like it's going to be some time before I'm going to be able to use a normal keyboard again, at least for more than a couple of hours  a day.  My experiments wih alternatives (like the Kinesis Freestyle) aren't encouraging.  So I was wondering about some sort of tablet that would at least allow me to read papers & documentation (PDF format) from a different position, say lying on a couch.

Problem is, from the looking I've done, most of the 'tablet finder' things seem to work on criteria that I either have no idea about what's reasonable, or don't want at all.  As for instance this one, which seems the most popular: http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Class/Tablet  I don't care about the manufacturer as long as it's not Apple, don't want carrier or cell phone functionality, do want a large readable display (like standard 8 1/2 by 11 letter size, maybe?), etc.

So what I think I need is:

  Readable display & reader for PDFs
  Ethernet/USB connectivity
    - plus ability to plug in standard kbd for complicated stuff.
  Interface that doesn't depend on 'gestures' that I'm not able to make

It'd be nice if it also was able to run standard xterm windows, and maybe gcc & related tools, but that's not necessary.

Any suggestions for where to start looking?

AlanStache

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2014, 04:18:36 PM »
Why do you want the tablet, for the touch screen?  You post here a lot but dont want a "real" keyboard?  I have not had one but the new windows tablets look very nice, not sure about the price, but I think most include real keyboards and usb.

Personally I love my netbook, runs Ubuntu and replaced the HD with a SSD after the HD broke.  Nightlight fast, no cell-carrier requirement, real keyboard, usb, could use a real mouse if I wanted, adjustable screen angle.  is about as small as a tablet and not much heavier.  I understand that netbooks are a dying breed as everyone goes to tablets for some (stupid) reason.

I have had good luck with newegg, on search-ability, price and service.

Daley

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2014, 04:20:26 PM »
James, first, sorry to hear you're still healing and I hope for a speedy recovery for you.

As to what you're asking for, let me point out the major rubs that you'll encounter.

Ethernet/USB connectivity: Any network connectivity with a modern tablet device is going to be WiFi only, and though a few tablets will have storage connectivity possible through the micro USB port using adapters, don't take it as a given. Any keyboards will likely have to be bluetooth based as well. They really want you to go wireless on this stuff.

The screen size you're aiming for is going to be pretty exotic as well, and any tablet without physical buttons on the sides is pretty well going to be gesture powered.

That said, if you're willing to make the concessions necessary to go wireless and with the screen size, any stock Android device should theoretically work, from the bog standard Google Nexus 10 to the more exotic Onyx Boox M92 tablet with monochrome eInk display. There's plenty of PDF readers for the platform. Either way, be prepared to dump around $400 for it going this route as the resale market's considerably thinner for the monsters than the cheaper, smaller tablets.

All things considered and given what you're aiming for, though? Given what I know of your computing and tool habits layered with these desires... I think I know the perfect solution. It sounds like what you really need would be an older Lenovo Thinkpad X61 tablet. Cheaper than a modern Android tablet, gives you the inputs and cable connections you want, lets you keep running Linux, and switches you to a Wacom stylus for screen input. Not the lightest or most portable, but you don't seem to be gunning for that in the first place. Seems like the most logical solution to what you're wanting.

Maybe poke around Ebay or the marketplace over at the thinkpads.com community.

Jamesqf

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2014, 11:01:28 PM »
Why do you want the tablet, for the touch screen?  You post here a lot but dont want a "real" keyboard?

It's not that I don't want a real keyboard, it's that I physically can't use one with my left hand.  Broke my wrist, can only turn it to about 45 degrees from vertical, and don't have good movement in a couple of fingers.  Doc says worst case it could take months to get full range of movement back.  On top of that, trying to type with one hand has given me a pinched nerve in the right shoulder, so more than a couple of hours/day of keyboard, or even chair-sitting, gets pretty painful.

Ethernet/USB connectivity: Any network connectivity with a modern tablet device is going to be WiFi only, and though a few tablets will have storage connectivity possible through the micro USB port using adapters, don't take it as a given.

Correct me if I'm wrong (this isn't my area) but isn't WiFi just wireless ethernet?  So if I turned on wireless in my router, I'd be set there?

USB was kind of a fallback, since I already have USB keyboards & other stuff laying around.

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...and any tablet without physical buttons on the sides is pretty well going to be gesture powered.

That kinda sucks :-(  I mean, what do they expect people to do when they can't make gestures?

Quote
Either way, be prepared to dump around $400 for it going this route...

It may be unMustachian, but the price doesn't matter much.  If it lets me do work, it'll pay for itself fairly quickly.

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It sounds like what you really need would be an older Lenovo Thinkpad X61 tablet.

Humm...  I think that's what the doc was using.  Kind of a neat application that displays Xrays in digital form.  I'll have a poke around.

And thanks.  I really do appreciate the info.

----

PS after looking a bit.  The X1s seem to be more like a small notebook.  I was thinking more of something that could primarily be held & read like a book.  (For reference, a paperback is 8" diagonal, std hardcover is 11".) 

Also ran across this http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab-accessories/ET-S100CBEGSTA which might get around the not being able to make gestures problem.  Any experience with such?
« Last Edit: January 22, 2014, 11:44:03 PM by Jamesqf »

gooki

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #4 on: January 23, 2014, 01:08:20 AM »
Using a tablet one handed is orety fucking hard.

In your situation I'd get the kindle fire for $109. At least this way when you figure out its no better than a laptop/PC you won't have blown a lot of money.

shadowmoss

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #5 on: January 23, 2014, 05:38:59 AM »
My android tablet has voice recognition that is pretty good.  I think it is a function of the android os (4.0) and not the actual tablet.  Mine is a no-name 10" tablet, wifi only.  I think I paid about $200 for it a year ago from a place online called chinavasion.com .  Similar one now:

http://www.chinavasion.com/china/wholesale/Android_Tablets/8-9_Android_Tablet_PC/Android_4.1_Quad_Core_10.1_Inch_Tablet_Rurik_-_1280x800_8GB_Internal_Memory_1GHz_CPU/

It's not a computer, it's a tablet.  A communications device.  Can be a computer-lite if you push it. 

AlanStache

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2014, 06:20:13 AM »
wifi: yes if your router supports it (enable it then enter a password), else you will need to drop 40-60$ at bestbuy.  set up is straight forward if all you want is to get one device online, power new router, plug into wired router, wait, type password into new device.

I have in past looked for one handed keyboards, they exist but nothing struck me as great or worth trying out.

I have never used voice to text on a tablet but this is very usable on my droid phone, it takes some getting use to but works. 

There is logic in spending as little as possible here as nothing is likely to be GREAT and I would rather be disappointed with a 109$ device than a 400$ device...

Daley

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #7 on: January 23, 2014, 08:49:46 AM »
There is logic in spending as little as possible here as nothing is likely to be GREAT and I would rather be disappointed with a 109$ device than a 400$ device...

Gotta agree with Alan on this point. This is an unknown quantity for you James, no guarantee it'll quite do what you want or need.

Enabling the WiFi from the router will get you set on network connectivity, and the capacitive tablet pen is a clever idea for an input device, but the problem/reason why I recommended a convertible tablet form factor based laptop was because even with a pen, the Android interface is still primarily a gesture driven interface where you're drawing the gestures with a stylus instead of with your finger (thus my recommendation for a laptop/tablet form factor which could run a proper desktop UI, keyboard shortcut commands and other general Xorg tricks). The voice commands might help some, but there's still the hurdle of it being a media consumption device in its primary function as well. It can be made to read PDFs because you can consume PDFs. Make sense?

As to the Lenovo X61 suggestion, keep in mind that they went a little confusing on the names. There's no less than three X61 models. The X61/s units are just ultraportable laptops (I have an X61s myself these days). However, there's also the X61 Tablet, which is the ultraportable laptop form factor chassis with a reversible tablet display and Wacom input pen (or capacitive touchscreen on some models). Rotate the screen around and close the lid, it goes from laptop to tablet. It'll be thicker and bulkier than a dedicated tablet, but you'd have greater OS, UI and software flexibility on a platform you're already familiar with.

Here's some specs on the sucker: http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail.page?LegacyDocID=MIGR-68040
« Last Edit: January 23, 2014, 09:00:38 AM by I.P. Daley »

Jamesqf

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #8 on: January 23, 2014, 01:34:20 PM »
As to the Lenovo X61 suggestion, keep in mind that they went a little confusing on the names.

Ah, so that's why I'm confused!  I'll have a look.  Also ran across an article (which I forgot to bookmark, alas) that says OpenSuse's tablet version works quite well on X86-based tablets.

I wonder, though, if I should start looking from the other end?  That is, see if there are already apps that do what I need, then get hardware to run them.

One thought is pen-based (thus the stylus).  I've always liked the idea of handwriting recognition, but the only machine ever had (quite a few years ago) that supported it couldn't figure out absolutely necessary characters like {}&@*.

Rural

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #9 on: January 24, 2014, 07:06:24 AM »
I know how you feel about Apple, but having used both android (through a Google Nexus tablet) and the Apple OS, I can tell you that the voice recognition is much better on the Apple.

Using voice recognition only, I can do a few things with many keyboard corrections using my android tablet. I've written scholarly articles with the iPad, Going to a keyboard only for doing the documentation.

If you're writing code, however, I don't think any voice recognition is going to work for you. If that's the case, keep researching that handwriting recognition.

This post entirely dictated on an iPad (which I did not have to pay for myself).


AlanStache

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #10 on: January 24, 2014, 07:17:54 AM »
It was on slashdot about a year ago but there has been some work done on verbal-coding.  Never tired it myself, coworkers would think I sounded nuts :-)

http://www.i-programmer.info/news/99-professional/6263-code-by-voice-faster-than-keyboard.html

Jamesqf

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #11 on: January 24, 2014, 11:58:41 AM »
I had thought about voice recognition, but I honestly don't see how I could talk that much.

ritchie70

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #12 on: January 24, 2014, 08:36:48 PM »
There are definitely Android tablets that seem very usable at as little as $80. We got one for my wife's mother who is semi-housebound and finds sitting at her desk too long painful. It seems every bit as nice as my Nexus 10 that was, I'm sure, a good bit more expensive. (It was a gift.)

As far as i can tell, various Chinese manufacturers make them on spec then sell them to whoever will buy them for resale.

To get a real keyboard, you pretty much are going Bluetooth unless you go Windows/Linux of some sort. Mine claims it's a "GE" although I'm sure someone just licensed the brand and logo.

I'm very happy with my Nexus - my laptop only comes down off the shelf when I need Quicken.

Be warned that like all things Google there are constant updates, and sometimes they break something. For one point release, my Bluetooth keyboard stopped working. They fixed it at the next point release.


Jamesqf

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #13 on: January 24, 2014, 10:52:54 PM »
Here's something you can take a look at:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8567759&CatId=6845
This is a fully functional windows 8 tablet.
Quote
Price:
$29999
Free Shipping Today!

Humm... For that price, I'd hope so!

daverobev

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #14 on: January 25, 2014, 08:52:59 AM »
Dell Venue 8 Pro might be too small = $300
Dell Venue 11 Pro too expensive? = $550?
HP Omni 10 - $400

All Windoze 8.1 so 'full windows', you can install Cygwin or whatever. The new Atom (BayTrail) processors are really good (vs the old gen).

Venue 11 can have a proper docking cradle, plus a folio keyboard OR a proper keyboard with battery for when you're better.

Lenovo and Toshiba also do 8 inch Win 8.1 BayTrail tablets.

Jamesqf

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Re: Finding a tablet?
« Reply #15 on: January 25, 2014, 10:22:34 PM »
Hey! You said price wasn't an issue:

No, I said it didn't matter that much.  $29999 is... oh, about $29K more than that :-)