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Hardware CRIMP?
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Posted by Alexander Deliyannis
Jun 2, 2011 at 05:44 AM
Alexander wrote:
>Android 2.x was aimed at phones, period. Android 3.x has been developed for tablets.
Ken wrote:
>True, but in some ways, this is not all bad (except for being left behind as new versions of the OS are released).
Just to clarify: my point was that, since Android 2.x was _not_ aimed at tablets, it is quite likely that software that takes advantage of the tablet format (size, readability, touch resolution) will only appear for Android 3.
At the same, the devices themselves, apparently built against Google’s advice, may eventually be unsupported.
JohnK wrote:
>As always, the rule is: buy the product for what it is now, not what it might become.
Ken wrote:
>I do not disagree, but the way that they update Android devices, it may be a bit more frustrating experience, as developers are often releasing new versions of their programs quite frequently. I would be concerned about a release that both corrected bugs, but required a newer OS.
Consider this: we have often discussed here about older powerful software that cannot be run in newer operating systems. Yet Windows is only in version 7 and most software runs in several versions. With Android (and iOS I imagine) the OS release cycle is much shorter, and already there is software that needs Android 2.1 or 2.2 in particular.
Anyway, my aim was not to discourage anyone from using these wonderful devices, just to caution about the potential shortness of their useful life. Easy come, easy go, as the song goes.
Posted by MadaboutDana
Jun 2, 2011 at 10:07 AM
Currently there’s only one solution: re-read stuff, carefully.
Grammar checkers etc. can do quite a good job of alerting you to a potential issue - the Word grammar checker is actually quite good - but no software I’m aware of is capable of the structural analysis required to improve your use of language. Full-scale semantic analysis is the Holy Grail of e.g. machine translation developers (not to mention speech recognition developers, although they seem to be having more success with fuzzy phonemes), so grammar checkers too are awaiting more sophisticated AI that might be capable of in-depth linguistic analysis.
Meanwhile, your brain has a remarkable number of built-in pattern recognition routines, and they will do the job if you let ‘em!
Posted by Ken
Jun 2, 2011 at 03:29 PM
Alexander Deliyannis wrote:
>Just to
>clarify: my point was that, since Android 2.x was _not_ aimed at tablets, it is quite
>likely that software that takes advantage of the tablet format (size, readability,
>touch resolution) will only appear for Android 3.
>
>At the same, the devices
>themselves, apparently built against Google’s advice, may eventually be
>unsupported.
This is a potential concern for me. As the 7 in. table is neither fish nor fowl, I am not certain where it will be as time goes by. I know there are going to be a lot of phones that will not be upgraded beyond 2.2 or 2.3, so that version of the OS should have some life for a while. But, this is a tablet, and some of the software recognizes it as such, so there very well may be some confusion as to what future updates of apps will or will not work on the Tab’s OS. Yet, somehow I am strongly drawn to its size. I just wish the cost was less so I would not have as high an expectation for the device’s longevity. Oh well.
—Ken
Posted by Susanne
Jun 3, 2011 at 04:14 AM
May I ask why you don’t use the Kindle application on the Galaxy Tab?
I am not so happy with my iPhone 3 - the batteries are awful and I don’t really use it to make calls anyway - so I am considering switching to the tab for minor surfing, mail and reading my books on the tab - then I could stop lugging the Kindle around.
So I would be interested to hear why you don’t use the Tab as reader,
thanks,
Susanne
Posted by JohnK
Jun 3, 2011 at 11:26 AM
Susanne wrote:
>May I ask why you don’t use the Kindle application on the Galaxy Tab?
Simple answer—the screen. Reading for any length of time on an LCD screen makes my head hurt, no matter how good the screen, and the Galaxy Tab’s screen is excellent. Browsing or reading emails is fine, but reading a novel for a lengthy period is different.
An LCD tablet is okay for 20 minutes’ reading on your commute, but for lengthy reads it’s unsuitable, in my opinion.
Before you consider buying a tablet as an e-reader, borrow one from somewhere and read a novel for an hour or two. You’ll see what I mean. Your eyes will tire quickly. The Kindle, on the other hand, really is just like reading on paper. It’s a great product.