Android tablets

If the OS is not upgradable skip them. That is why they are so cheap. The current version is OS2.1 soon to be 2.2. These are all OS1.6 units.
 
That and battery life are the real deal killers I've been reading about...I think I'll pass on these.
 
Can't believe I am writing it...

...must be strong...

...get...

...an iPad!
 
ScottM said:
If the OS is not upgradable skip them. That is why they are so cheap. The current version is OS2.1 soon to be 2.2. These are all OS1.6 units.
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All three are upgradable as easily as getting the latest version of Android from Google. They come with 1.6 because that is the version they are supplied with (think getting a new Mac and having to apply the System Updates).

Which, IMHO, makes them better than the iPad, because they're ready to upgrade without being told when you are allowed to. Software's released, you can upgrade.

edit: I lied. The Eken M001 is not upgradable without a hack.

edit2: It should be pointed out that running Android 1.6 still gives it more functionality and ability than the iPad does. Free apps, freedom to develop, unrestricted market, Google Voice....etc.
 
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I seriously doubt a $99 tablet from some no name company is going to be better than an iPad.
 
I would be careful and take just one Andriod tablet at first and then try 2 at a time not to exceed 6 a day. Be sure to read the warnings on the package and follow the directions
 
SkyHog said:
... Which, IMHO, makes them better than the iPad, because they're ready to upgrade without being told when you are allowed to. Software's released, you can upgrade...
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And that's different from an ipad ... how? I'm not sure, exactly, what this means when the people who release the software are the same people who make it available to you.

I'd understand your point if you were applying it to an Android phone, like my HTC G1, where one company releases the software, and some day, eventually, we hope, some other company makes that release available for your phone, assuming the hardware is even capable of running that newer release. My G1 is still running 1.6 , and there is no more recent release available for my "upgradeable" phone yet.
edit2: It should be pointed out that running Android 1.6 still gives it more functionality and ability than the iPad does. Free apps, freedom to develop, unrestricted market, Google Voice....etc.
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Free apps, but fewer apps. When the app I want isn't available, it is very comforting to me to know that the apps I do have are enjoying a life of freedom.

Freedom to develop is the same as Apple. Greater freedom to distribute publicly, which might concern a small number of developers.

Google voice is available on iPad via a web app, though I'm not sure a tablet makes for a very good phone.
-harry
 
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EdFred said:
You are dead to me.
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Arbiter419 said:
Jeez...flies a Beech, pro Mac, what's next?
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Let's not overdo it.

I'm sayin', an iPad over a no-name, non-upgradeable, probably-completely-unsupported 'Droid hack-a-rama.

It's not like I'm crediting an iPad with outdoing a Flight Cheetah 150 with a touchscreen remote display.
 
SCCutler said:
Let's not overdo it.

I'm sayin', an iPad over a no-name, non-upgradeable, probably-completely-unsupported 'Droid hack-a-rama.

It's not like I'm crediting an iPad with outdoing a Flight Cheetah 150 with a touchscreen remote display.
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Heh, It's okay Spike...I secretly like V-tails...alot...don't tell anyone though.

But yeah, Apple makes nice things, and sometimes it's worth the premium you pay for it. But, I don't like the Apple "attitude", the one that allows you only to do the things they approve of on your device...but, jailbreaks take care of that...do we have jailbreaks for the ipad yet?
 
ScottM said:
C'mon, in or out, Are you afraid of commitment? :D:D
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Naw.

To tell the truth, after seeing the iPad at Gaston's, as demonstrated by Chief Apple Advocate Mas Grande, Kent Shook, I was supremely impressed.

Still, they need to cross a couple more bridges before I come with the cash:

(1) Has to have weather capability (this surely must be imminent, since the WxWorx Bluetooth device is out there);
(2) Ensure that the hot-weather shutdown issue is resolved - this has been a real problem for hot weather pilots (like me);
(3) Printing capability. Silly to even have to discuss this.

As a substitute for charts, it looks mighty fine, but since I know they *could* get everything I need in one chunk, I am waiting for that to actually happen. But it's close, really close.
 
IMHO, Android tablets have some distance to cover. But I believe they'll cover that distance and extend/differentiate themselves positively from the iPad. I'm an iPad user today and it's only a matter of time . . .

Cheers,

-Andrew
iPad user, iPhone user, Android user, Chrome OS user, Mac OS X user, Windows 7 user, Linux user, all around technology abuser
 
From what I have been experiencing with Android 2.1 I am not all that impressed with the stability of the OS. It is better than Windows Mobile but still has some bugs.
 
ScottM said:
From what I have been experiencing with Android 2.1 I am not all that impressed with the stability of the OS. It is better than Windows Mobile but still has some bugs.
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I haven't had any problems with 2.1, aside from a few apps crashing periodically, and they weren't written by Google. For the core OS, though, nothing. What problems have you been having?

BTW, you mentioned before somewhere (I don't remember where), that the Droid had a problem where it would hang up a call if your cheek touched the end call button. It seems to have a proximity detector to turn off the screen when close to the face. Is the button still active when the screen is disabled? I can't seem to reproduce this problem.
 
SkyHog said:
I haven't had any problems with 2.1, aside from a few apps crashing periodically, and they weren't written by Google. For the core OS, though, nothing. What problems have you been having?
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The issue I keep seeing is the creation of a socket to enterprise data. Seems to happen a lot.

SkyHog said:
BTW, you mentioned before somewhere (I don't remember where), that the Droid had a problem where it would hang up a call if your cheek touched the end call button. It seems to have a proximity detector to turn off the screen when close to the face. Is the button still active when the screen is disabled? I can't seem to reproduce this problem.
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The screen will disable, but when you move the phone then the screen becomes active again. I move my phone around as I talk and before the screen disables again I will sometimes brush my cheek on the screen and drop the call. I am having to learn to not move the phone or use BT device a lot more. Considering how hot the Milestone gets that is not a bad idea. A call of a few minutes gets the phone so hot it is uncomfortable to hold to my head.
 
I don't know much about Android tablets, but my experience with my HTC G1 Android phone underscores a significant concern, namely the question of how much customization of the OS is required for your device, who does this customization, what happens after they go out of business, etc., whether you'll be able to upgrade to new OS releases promptly, with long delays, or not at all.

If I buy a Windows laptop from a reputable vendor, I'm seldom very worried about device support. I expect that the base Windows OS contains device support for nearly all of my hardware, and that vendors provide device drivers for the rest. I expect that I can install the base OS, and then download any additional necessary device drivers, and get everything working.

If I buy an iPhone or iPad, I expect that on the day a new OS release comes out, that it will be available for every model, and that Apple will have tested it against them all.

If I buy an Android tablet ... what happens then? The vendor will provide an initial software revision, but where do upgrades come from? Will I be able to run some "generic" software rev, or will I need to wait until that vendor prepares a release that works on my hardware? Will "flybynight.cn" be keeping up with this? HTC is a fairly large and reputable maker of smart phones, but my G1 is still running a pretty old version of Android because HTC hasn't made an upgrade available, and I can't just download some generic release from Google, because it has to be customized for device support for my model of phone.
-harry
 
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