I feel I'm missing something in my life. I have an iPhone 5 which and and a larger iPad for surfing and emails but I feel the time it's time to get something inbetween.
So I'm looking at 7" tablets which are mid way between the two and can be more easily carried than the iPad and is more usable than the iPhone. Yes, I could get an iPad Mini but I feel I should break out into something else.
I've looked at the Kindle Fire HD but its too limited and it looks like the Nexus may have the same issues but they're so new to me I don't know.
Many of you have nexus's so are they worth it or are they too tied to Google ?
Wat about the Galaxy Tab, is that better ? There doesn't seem to be too much off a price difference between them.
Needs wise it's little more than web and emails but the usual apps such as Dropbox, video etc c would be good.
Any thoughts?
The Nexus is, as far as I know, a full Android tablet so it shouldn't have the sort of limitations that the Kindle suffers from.
A couple of my colleagues have them, and they're lovely. Also cheap :)
Quote from: Tutonic;365682The Nexus is, as far as I know, a full Android tablet so it shouldn't have the sort of limitations that the Kindle suffers from.
A couple of my colleagues have them, and they're lovely. Also cheap :)
and as rare as rocking horse ****
Nexus 7 gets my vote. You'll love it.
Quote from: Blunt;365684and as rare as rocking horse ****
....and in stock right now (16GB & 32GB HSPA versions) at the Google shop:
https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_7_16gb&feature=microsite&hl=en
The Nexus 7 isn't particularly hard to get hold of, my brother got one in over the Christmas period with no troubles (the Nexus 4 is the one people were struggling with). If you're considering anything other than the Nexus I'd suggest the new Galaxy Note which is 8" but comes with the pen which gives it some additional functionality. The regular galaxy tab is a worse tablet over all than the Nexus 7, and will be slower to receive the OS updates which have recently been focused on "buttery smooth" performance.
In terms of being tied to Google. Android doesn't really tie you in so much as it makes its products really easy to use, and that's whether it's stock or another version. With Chrome your web browsing is covered (with all your desktop bookmarks automatically synced), with Gmail you emails are sent to your phone automatically, Dropbox is supported and can be set to auto-upload camera images so you can access them straight away on the desktop.
Thanks.
I presume you can watch videos etc ? Is it similar to an iPad where you can download apps to watch any format etc?
I don't own a Nexus 7 but assuming it runs the same apps that my S2 does you'll be utterly spoilt for choice with media players.
I'm 'not' knocking Apple but I think you'll find Android is a much more open format that places few restrictions on what apps developers can make. So you'll find something that covers every format. Google also has a reasonably decent on-line store for buying or renting movies and TV. I'm sure VLC or similar will be fine for playing anything you can throw at it.
Quote from: Penfold;365795Thanks.
I presume you can watch videos etc ? Is it similar to an iPad where you can download apps to watch any format etc?
Yes, there are many high quality free apps, some even without ads, however the default program is reasonably good too. On my android phone I can watch all the formats of video that I own (AVI, MP4, MKV and any others I've come across) without conversion. Simply copy them over via microUSB from a standard computer, or dropbox/google drive if you want to avoid cables, then just open it with your media player of choice. Alternatively you can rent or buy new films from the play store too.
If you have a DLNA server at home (a PC can act as one relatively easily) you can stream videos over your wifi to the device without copying, and going the other way you can stream pictures or movies over wifi from your tablet to your smartTV without needing any wires or purchasing extras such as Apple TV*.
As a little test I tried this with my Galaxy S3 phone and my cheap, ~£650, 46" TV I bought 2 and 1/2 years ago. Photos and videos taken from the phone in the gallery can be shared over wifi by pressing a single button (and accepting the prompt that appears on the TV). With regards to full HD playback, I have a copy of The Dark Knight in MKV, opening with the default media player worked and once playing a single button again transfers the content to the TV over wifi.
*The iPad can share photos and videos with a TV but requires the purchase of Apple TV set top box.
Sorry to hijack the thread but is this 9"Android 4.0 tablet (http://merx-online.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=54) any good £85 inc delivery? I know nothing about tablets so any help would be appreciated and i don't know if it would be any good for you Pen.
no idea but someone here will be able to help.
Thanks all for the help with the little tablet. I'm going to order a 32gb Nexus 7 then. I reckon just the wifi will be fine as my nifty little myfi (http://store.three.co.uk/Mobile_Broadband/MiFi)gadget rocks and lets me connect five devices to a mobile wireless network.
So in our house we have....
A galaxy tab, a kindle fire, an ipad2, a nexus 7 and the usual galaxy s3 and iphone.
Of them all, I like the tab, the fire has grown on me considerably but I only use it for books and the odd browse. The nexus is ok but feels to small to browse on.
In short;
iPad - Easy
Tab - Really 'nice'
Fire - Practical
Nexus - clever
s3 - pretty
iphone - useable
Benny - sexy.
Quote from: TwoBad;365801Sorry to hijack the thread but is this 9"Android 4.0 tablet (http://merx-online.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=54) any good £85 inc delivery? I know nothing about tablets so any help would be appreciated and i don't know if it would be any good for you Pen.
The specs are fairly low and it doesn't list what graphics it has. It might be ok, I have a 10" tablet with a 1.5GHz single core CPU too and a Dual core Mali GPU (a fairly standard combination), it's good for web browsing, watching HD videos and basic games (up to about temple run quality). My tablet has 1024x768 resolution which is pretty low by modern standards. However 800×480 for a screen only 1" smaller seems quite a step down, but the price is even now still about £50 less than you would pay for a tablet with a better CPU and resolution. It's a case of you get what you pay for, personally I'd save up a little bit more and get a better tablet because if the performance doesn't live up to expectations the savings aren't going to seem like that big a deal.
Quote from: T-Bag;365825It's a case of you get what you pay for, personally I'd save up a little bit more and get a better tablet because if the performance doesn't live up to expectations the savings aren't going to seem like that big a deal.
I think you're proably right. It's one of these things i don't really need but have been thinking i will get at some point and the price of this seemed worth investigating. Thanks!
Quote from: Penfold;365813no idea but someone here will be able to help.
Thanks all for the help with the little tablet. I'm going to order a 32gb Nexus 7 then. I reckon just the wifi will be fine as my nifty little myfi (http://store.three.co.uk/Mobile_Broadband/MiFi)gadget rocks and lets me connect five devices to a mobile wireless network.
Bought it, tried it, stuck some apps on it, don't really like it. :sad:
I soo wanted to like it but it just didn't have the appeal for me. Perhaps it's because I've spent too much time with an iPhone and iPad but it just wasn't as intuitive or anything else for me.
Yes I know it's adaptable, it's customisable, far more versatile than Apple and it's not locked down to iOS but if it ain't doin' it, it ain't doin' it.
Shame.
What are you trying to get it to do?
This mirrors the conversation we're having regarding Windows 8. It's aesthetics and that's just a matter of personal opinion and finding a user interface that fits how we work or being comfortable about adapting how we work to fit a new OS. There's a reason why Apple owned the whole mobile market for so long. They created a very compelling UI that is very different from Android. It's quite a step change to move from one to the other regardless of which direction you're going in.
My only advice is to build screens that contain the stuff you want. That might be a load of live widgets that stream information at you 24/7 or just a set of application icons to the stuff you use all the time. The launcher I mentioned when we spoke on th phone is Apex launcher (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.anddoes.launcher&hl=en) You could actually use it to install a iOS clone skin/theme and turn the Nexus into an iPad of sorts.
What you should find though is that Android lets you link apps together much easier than iOS does. Anything you select or highlight such as a link, text or an image can be sent to most/all of the apps you have installed on your device regardless of whether they are pre-installed by Google or 3rd party. As just one example I find the ability to highlight an address and open it straight into Google Maps to be very useful. This info sharing feature is only limited by the number and variety of apps you have installed. Moving information round inside Android is a joy compared to how I believe Apple works? Maybe check out some of the plethora of You Tube videos on tips for getting more from Android etc.
Alternatively just send it back and splash out on an iPad mini :norty:
Quote from: TeaLeaf;366947What are you trying to get it to do?
Nothing now as they took it back (once I'd taken several moments explaining the law to them) :)
Just the normal stuff -web, emails, browsing yada yada really.
Quote from: Penfold;366945Bought it, tried it, stuck some apps on it, don't really like it. :sad:
I soo wanted to like it but it just didn't have the appeal for me. Perhaps it's because I've spent too much time with an iPhone and iPad but it just wasn't as intuitive or anything else for me.
Yes I know it's adaptable, it's customisable, far more versatile than Apple and it's not locked down to iOS but if it ain't doin' it, it ain't doin' it.
Shame.
To each their own. A 7" tablet is really more of a consumer device for people on the go (which is why I don't have one). If you've got a phone for web browsing and emails and you don't plan on videos or games it's tough to justify it. A 10" tablet is a little like a netbook replacement because the extra screen space makes web browsing a nicer experience, and I got one when my netbook broke (which was my going away computer) and haven't looked back. The 7" form factor misses out on the nice big browsing experience in exchange for portability and being able to whip it out on the train, great for watching a few videos on the go.
When you're only after a web browser or emails I wouldn't use a tablet a phone is far more practical and my 4.8" phone is always on me and alerts me when I get an email, a tablet in a bag somewhere wouldn't do that...carrying a 7" tablet to see an extra 3-4 emails without scrolling isn't really worthwhile. When watching a video the extra size makes a huge difference, same with reading a book or magazine, but not browsing emails or even websites now phones all pinch zoom and rerender websites to suit small screens.
If it's a case of liking the iOS interface, but only using two programs, again I think you'll realise that a tablet is a bit of a waste of time. With it's low resolution too you're not really gain anything from the current iPad mini because it's near enough the same number of pixels as the iphone 5 but larger (4" vs 8" ~1/4 the pixel density), you'll have the same number of elements on screen at any one time...but will be able to/have to hold it further away which isn't much of an advantage unless eyesight becomes a limiting factor. A higher resolution would allow more "stuff" on screen, and I'm sure apple are working on one...but the current offering doesn't seem to really suit any of the roles a tablet would normally be considered except maybe watching low resolution video on a slightly larger screen which seems like quite a niche market.
I'm weak
I talked with Smilo and I'm going to try it again so I took it out of the post out pile and have cranked it up again.
If anyone has any ideas for must have apps, I'm all ears.
Thanks
Ever note mate it great for note taking and there is a chrome and a app for your mac/pc
Tapatalk
What do you want to use it for
Sent from 3 foot behind you.
The usual
email, browsing, Surfing, watching movies, photos etc
umm thanks.
Quick questions.
Can someone please tell me how to find my firefox bookmarks on the firefox app. I've set up a sync account but can't find the bookmarks
How do you turn down music in the music app (without pressing the buttons).
Thanks
1. tap in the address bar and you'll see 'Top Sites', 'Bookmarks' and 'History'
2. The hardware volume buttons 'should' be application aware i.e. they control separate volume settings for each application depending on which app your in. There's 'music, video, games, and other media', 'ringtones and notifications' and 'alarms'. If you're in a music app and increase the volume then only the media volume will rise. If you're in ring tones and increase the volume then only the ringtone volume will increase and so on. Some apps might have their own volume controls but usually they rely on the appropriate Android default one.
Also each volume type ('music, video, games, and other media', 'ringtones and notifications' and 'alarms') can be set differently. So at night you could turn off ringtones and notifications but leave alarms at full volume etc.
Thanks. So there's no way to change the volume in the program itself, just via the buttons?
Also, which is the best email app to use?
How do you know which apps are open and how do you close open apps?
Told you I'd be irritating ! lol
Apps generally use the Android volume control appropriate to the app itself. So an app that gives alerts for traffic jams will use the 'notification' sound at whatever volume ringtones and notifications is set to where as the BBC iPlayer app will use the music'video, games sound settings. This way if you want to turn off the volume for all notifications you can do so with a single setting rather than have to go into each and every app on your device and mute it.
K9 is probably the best app for IMAP and POP email
Generally you don't turn off apps. Android can manage everything itself:
QuoteIf you're coming from a Windows machine, you already know the rule of thumb -- the more processes in the background, the slower the machine -- this is where Linux/Unix differs, and since Android is built on the Linux kernel, it's only appropriate that it manages memory the same way.
When you start Linux/Android, a number of daemons start and stay in the background. When not in use, these daemons are "sleeping." A sleeping daemon does not actively use memory, but rather occupies a small amount just so it can be woken more quickly. In Windows, all processes in the background are considered active and on the loose.
In Android, it has a built-in mechanism for managing these sleeping processes so that whenever the internal memory reaches a certain low point, the least used process is GRACEFULLY shut down
assuming it's essentially the same as my nexus 4, just bigger, this is what I use...
- The basic google/android tools work well and are on the device already: gmail/calendar/maps/talk/g+
- "Bad Piggies" - only free game I played more than once after I got bored with the 101 different-but-the-same versions of Angry Birds and tired of being beaten by chess.
- Chess by Aart Bik - well, this too, but it kicked my ass. This guy's games required no permissions, had no adverts, perfect!
- Ocado on the go - perfect for groceries (...and I'm not saying that just because I work there :flirty: )
- avast - viruses and malware everywhere apparently. Potentially useful remote control/wipe bit appeals.
- Poweramp for music - this is the only app I have ever forked out money for
- Springpad for lists (using swmbo's login on my phone, her phone, the ipad and the pc means I can see a todo list anywhere...)
- "MyTracks" and "Endomondo" for tracking journeys (walking and cycling).
- Snapseed for editing photos (very rarely used tbh but good interface for touchscreens)
- Tapatalk ... only own this because Toby bought it for me :rolleyes: useful for forum(s) though
- OI File Manager - you'll probably want some sort of file manager at some point and this one seemed straightforward
I get annoyed by the permissions some apps require and try not to install anything I don't actually need. Even if it's not "being evil" often it's just lazy design. I am avoiding the facebook, twitter and linkedin apps because they might as well have put "all your data are belong to us" in the required permissions list. Really want a programme that will let me feed false/random data into the apis of programmes sucking up more than they need. :boxing:
If you want to kill an app manually go to settings-->apps swipe to the running or cached processes "tab", select the thing you don't want running and force stop it. This doesn't always seem to work as expected though so unless something is causing problems I'd leave it be. In fact, if something is causing problems it's often simpler to do the usual fix of switch-it-off-and-switch-it-on-again.
For example, I have noticed "Media Server" draining more than it's fair share of the battery but it's a background process used by many things so I am having fun (...) trying to work out what triggers the heavy drain. The web is full of ideas and suggestions but no definite cause found so far...
Quote from: Penfold;367047Thanks. So there's no way to change the volume in the program itself, just via the buttons?
Also, which is the best email app to use?
How do you know which apps are open and how do you close open apps?
Told you I'd be irritating ! lol
Volumes are generally handled in categories. Ring Volume and Media Volume (Technically also Notification and System volumes but that's beside the point). If you're on a homescreen it'll raise of lower the ring volume so you'll hear messages and calls more (or less) easily, if you're in an app it'll change the volume of the sound it produces. If you're in a game and listening to music for instance both will change at once. Most games have their own volume so you can turn them down separately too (in the games settings - which in android are all accessed through the app themselves). But to answer your question the default music player on my phone (Samsung S3) has a speaker icon in the top right of the player which you can click to change the volume up and down. This might not be the default on your app since samsung like to change the default apps they use. As well as that the music player I actually use day to day is the amazon player and that doesn't in fact have an alternate way of turning down the volume so it's the dedicated buttons or nothing...
Best email app to use...I typically only sync my gmail to my phone because I like to be free from work when I'm out the office, so I just use the default gmail one. If you need more I'm sure the other suggestions are reasonable.
As for closing programs, you hold the home button to bring up the multitasking menu that shows you all your open programs and then you swipe it away. Though, I can't remember the last time I actually did that. If a program isn't being used it doesn't generally take up resources with the way multitasking is handled.
As for must have apps. If you've set up a computer/NAS/Console to stream your content over DLNA then Mediahouse will let you play it straight to the tablet over wifi while you're in range meaning everyone can watch something different without fighting over the TV.
Has anyone tried running XBMC on the nexus 7 .
I use whatsApp on me phone for emails ,IM ,
Also xfire ,teamspeak,
TvCatchup app for freeview.
Liked Pulse APP for tech news like rss feeds .
Dolphin for web browsing with lots of add ons lol.
Drop box for streaming stuff.and storage.
CB RADIO CHAT APP just for a laugh to hear people in USA talking crap lol.
http://lifehacker.com/5581029/jumping-ship-from-iphone-to-android-a-switchers-guide
This might help Pen.
Thanks.
I was very disciplined and left my iPad at home last week and only took the Nexus skiing. That forced me to play with it and I was pleasantly surprised.
I think I'm nailing it and getting more used to it so all good in the main :)
After much deliberation I took delivery of a Nexus 10 today :)
Still working out the features and seeing what apps I can install, currently looking for an android HLSW style thingy.
Best advice I can give you mate is the back button is your friend and don't purchase the hlsw it isn't that wonderful
Sent from my Nexus 4
Quote from: Blunt;369627After much deliberation I took delivery of a Nexus 10 today :)
Still working out the features and seeing what apps I can install, currently looking for an android HLSW style thingy.
Try these:
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=HLSW
Edit: just seen Toby's comments about it!
a little bit off topic tho still tablet..
Just got my hands on a Acer Iconia W700-6680..
Im impressed and yet a little bit discouraged..
Performance is incredible, im playing Civ 5 on it without problems, doing everything i would in my work day, easy to carry around and configure network equibment and so on.
Tho, its a bit heavy and when you push the performance, the battery runs empty quite fast
Quote from: TeaLeaf;369638Try these:
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=HLSW
Edit: just seen Toby's comments about it!
I've looked at the HLSW mobile videos and description and it didn't appeal to me.
I need something that looks similar to the PC version, hence my search for something else.
The most disappointing aspect I've found is nothing to do with the actual device,
but with Google chrome mobile not having any plugins at all.
Life without adblock is awful.
What to do?
You're problem solved
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/mobile/
Quote from: smilodon;369657You're problem solved
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/mobile/
Thanks Smilo
:-)
Well after a chat with TeaLeaf about phones and tablets yesterday I went mental and bought a Nexus 7. Justified by having just finished a huge photo assignment as well, so also acting as a bit of an indulgent treat :thumbup:
In another thread I wondered if there was much difference between a 4.3" phone and a 7" tablet? Well the difference is huge. Suddenly my android apps spread out revealing side panels, new layouts and such like. Feedly, Gmail, Currents, Tapatalk look transformed and the whole experience of using a mobile device goes from ok but a bit fiddly to really satisfying. This might just be the best £200 I've spent in a long time. The Nexus won't replace my netbook for actually inputting a lot of text, I still prefer a keyboard for that, but as a browser email device and news/media consuming device it's unbeatable.
TL and I debated whether to go for a 7 or 10 inch device and agreed that as a mobile take it with you device the 7" form factor would probably be the better option. We weren't wrong. Even with the stock case the 7 fits into a jean pocket and weighs next to nothing.
And to be honest even the touch screen keyboard isn't half bad. I've bought the SwiftKey tablet app and while it can't compare to a physical keyboard using the swipe touch feature makes typing pretty slick.
Next team is to find a few games to see how it competes with the PSP.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
And only a single predictive text mistake, not bad.....
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2