Using a Tablet As Your Primary Computer 627
harrymcc writes "Three months ago, I started using an iPad 2 (with a Zagg keyboard) as my primary computing device--the one I blog on, write articles for TIME magazine on, and use to prepare photos and other illustrations that go with my writing. I now use it about 80 percent of the time; my trusty MacBook Air has become a secondary machine."
Have done the same as a developer, sort of (Score:4, Interesting)
My primary mobile development machine is now my iPad2. Using svn hooks and an apple bluetooth keyboard I've managed to quite effectively work remotely.
SSH is required from time to time, but frankly it's quite seldom once I got all the svn hooks set up correctly
Now for something completely different... (Score:5, Interesting)
I've tried pretty much the same thing [stream0.org] using an Asus Transformer TF101. It has been less than a success.
Basically the tablet is great for email, which fortunately I write a lot of, but rubbish for office productivity. Word processing, spreadsheets and presentations are all difficult to create and edit with the installed Polaris Office. The original article above mentions Hootsuite. I use Hootsuite for managing my social networks. On an Android tablet, the experience is less than stellar. The Hootsuite app is clearly built for a mobile phone. In a web browser though, Hootsuite is brilliant. Sadly, web browsers on an Android tablet are largely crap at dealing with Javascript. And I've tried pretty much all of them. I need at least 4 (standard Google Android browser, Opera, Dolphin HD and Firefox Beta) to ensure that I will be able to load and interact with all websites I come across. Google Docs also fails in a web browser, and the app is once again mobile phone focussed.
The battery life of the Transformer is brilliant, especially with the dockable keyboard, which makes writing anything of length bearable.
A while ago I installed Ubuntu 11.10 [stream0.org] as a dual boot operating system. I now use this OS much, much more on the Transformer. It's not perfect and a few things don't work, such as the mini-HDMI out, but when it comes to browsing and office productivity, I find this much more useful.
Re:...Good for you? (Score:5, Interesting)
This is a blog entry, and a short one at that.
Obviously typing blog posts on an iPad doesn't work as well as the submitter wants to make himself believe.
Maybe he should stick to Twitter?
Seriously, I won an iPad over a year ago. The iPad sits on the nightstand by my bed - 95% of the time, I reach under the bed to retrieve my 13" laptop to do anything, including watching streaming media. The (8 and 10 year old) kids prefer the iPad to an eee Netbook, but only because it's swipey swipey fun to use and seems to be better at grabbing marginal WiFi connections than the Netbook is. I think if the kids had to choose between having a Netbook of their own, or 50/50 sharing the (twice as expensive) iPad, they'd probably go for having their own Netbook. Especially when they want to access Flash enabled websites.
Re:Expensive and limited netbook (Score:5, Interesting)
Eh, I was the same way. I shook my head and thought it was silly... that I'd rather get a cheap 12" or 14" laptop.
Then one day, on a lark, I got some cash and was in the Apple store. I'd been using an iPad at work a lot and figured "what the heck, why not."
It's nice... not "laptop" nice but it's good. I just use it when chilling on the couch or away from my desk. No hinge/parts means it can take more of a beating. I can do my quick browsing/emailing/etc on a larger screen than my mobile phone (less strain on the eyes). Really, for the most part it's just small stuff like that.
Biggest advantage is the battery lasts for flippin' ever. This was a life saver when I was without power for a week due to the recent snow storm. Charge it at work, download some shows, and I can watch TV all evening and only lose like 10%-15% battery life. It's also nice on trips, less of a hassle to take one out and start reading / watching / playing something in the confined seats of a plain/train/etc.
It's nice for some things but I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. If you want a tablet, the Nook and such are probably easier to swallow with their cheaper price.
Re:Have done the same as a developer, sort of (Score:4, Interesting)
I this not what the buzzword pushers have wanted to sell ever since they started talking about "the cloud"?
Hell, the big boys never wanted people to leave the mainframe world. We just found ourselves in a world where lugging the storage media, and later the whole computer, around was more effective then trying to dial in to work. Now that connectivity have caught up with that, the trends are reversing. Much to the chagrin of the nerds that enjoy "modable" computers.
I just saved $2,410 (Score:5, Interesting)
iPad: $500. iPad keyboard: $50. Cellular data connection at $60 per month for 36 months: $2,160.
I just saved over $2,400 by switching to a netbook.
Re:...Good for you? (Score:5, Interesting)
"Most laptops these days have an SD card reader built in anyway."
You mean a Low speed garbage SD card reader.
Photographers need a high speed SDHC reader. The external one I have reads a 32gig SDHC in less than 2 minutes. The reader in my alienware will take nearly 20 minutes to read it.
iDevice walled garden = no creativity (Score:5, Interesting)
My 13 year old daughter got an iDevice for her birthday (an iPod Touch -- seems like an iPhone without the sim card to me).
She's had a great time buying idiotic wallpaper "apps" (branded / licensed from her favorite TV shows), and silly games like Angry Birds, etc.
Also getting Email and wasting time on facebook (and of course buying a playing music).
This prompted the Dad speech: "when I was your age, we had C-64's. They plugged into the TV and you could write your OWN games".
Her eyes lit up. "I want to do that" she said. ... she had a couple of amusing ideas for angry birds knock offs.
Of course, starting from 0 might take a while to get there.
It started me thinking. The C-64 could suck you into programming real easy. Because with a few one liners you could change the screen color, make some noises, etc etc. It peeled back the curtain a little, and let you see how the thing you just bought worked, and how you could make it do neat things, and it didn't take a lot of effort to get there.
How in the hell could I even start my daughter down this path today?
I guess we'd have to download the Apple developer tools, XCode, get some sort of iDevice development license, and ... damn I don't know I guess some sort of iPhone simulator or something to run on the computer to act like it was an actual iDevice (since there's no way in hell you're getting your code onto one outside of the app store).
If she managed to entertain some enthusiasm through that ridiculous process, then her eyes would glass over as I began to explain how compiling works, header files, etc, etc, etc.
The greatest thing about computers is that they are creativity machines. You can use them to make just about anything. But these iDevice walled gardens are bullshit mini-televisions or game consoles. You can't DO anything other than consume, or produce approved content: pictures, emails, blog posts, maybe audio.
I'm disappointed by that. They could be so much more, for a new generation.
Not in App Store? Let them eat VNC (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't understand the comparison - how is a cellular data connection any more essential to the ipad than the netbook?
A netbook lets me run any application I want while offline, regardless of whether or not the manufacturer of the netbook has approved the application. In order to run any application that Apple has not approved on an iPad, I would need to run the application on a remote server and then install SSH or VNC to use it.
Re:Not surprising (Score:4, Interesting)
s/hardcore gaming/gaming/
It's not a matter of cpu, it's a matter of input devices, i cannot play stuff with a tablet that could be done with a 166mhz mac, simply because i need a keyboard and a mouse or even a wheel more responsive than the accelerometers.
So, the label hardcore is not proper IMHO, as it implies super cards and rigs, while in reality one might simply want to fire up a pc for an old assault cube.
Re:I read the article... (Score:5, Interesting)
This is someone that doesn't program, doesn't write long docs...
I'd suggest that a significant number of real jobs don't require programming or the write-up of long documents. iPads are being used in hospitals and the airline industry. I could imagine a situation where hotel cleaning staff could be managed via tablets which would allow their location and cleaning times to be tracked, as well as their availability for an emergency clean-up. Or as a checklist to be used in an auto shop. Or any place where large amounts of inventory need to be managed?
Don't get me wrong: I like my laptop. But I do code and I do write long documents on a regular basis. But there are a LOT of people out there who could use a tablet device or tablet+keyboard at a much lower cost and get their jobs done just fine.