Tablets

[Piney Boy]

so functionally - what does an Ipad/Tablet do better than a laptop except have a friendlier interface (and look cooler).

About 25 years ago I used to work on a workstation with a touchscreen and this technology was replaced by a trackball/mouse

Access to the ITunes market for apps (and music). This is a much smoother interface when adding programs/apps.

[johnnya24]

so functionally - what does an Ipad/Tablet do better than a laptop except have a friendlier interface (and look cooler).

About 25 years ago I used to work on a workstation with a touchscreen and this technology was replaced by a trackball/mouse

It's about how you will use it. If I were sitting relaxing, or out at a coffee shop, I'd rather grab a tablet if I had to do something internet related, rather than the laptop ... especially if it has good battery life.

Apple thought that it would have a huge impact in the workplace, and while it has applications, the overwhelming outlet has been for personal use .. much much more than they ever expected.

If you want to spend serious hours working, typing, multitasking ... you need a proper workstation IMO. I have a 23" screen flanked by 2x 20" screens, and I'm still running out of real estate. It's a pain in the ass when I have to rely on the old single screen laptop ... so the idea that a tablet could ever replace my desktop is absurd ... but it definitely has it's uses ... especially for folks who are stuck in front of a screen or a workstation all day long.

[bryanbutler]

so functionally - what does an Ipad/Tablet do better than a laptop except have a friendlier interface (and look cooler).

About 25 years ago I used to work on a workstation with a touchscreen and this technology was replaced by a trackball/mouse

aside from what's already been said, there is a weight difference, if you're traveling quite a bit.

but, truth be told, the difference between a laptop and a tablet is becoming smaller and smaller. i suspect that in a year or two the difference will only be semantic, not functional.

[Catfishkid]

If anyone gets the Kindle Fire, please post some comments. I don't really need a fully functional tablet and that may be a cheaper option for me.

I got my Kindle Fire last week. I like it. The internet access is pretty quick. I like the smaller size. I have never really played on an ipad for any length of time, so I can't really compare them to each other. The biggest downside is that the Fire is WiFi only, so if you are constantly going to be in a WiFi area that is great, but if you are not, then it is limited. From what I have read, the number of Apps is not nearly as great as it is for the ipad, but people expect that difference to lessen as more and more apps are created for the android products.

So far, I've goofed around on the internet with it, and found that it it pretty quick in flipping between sites. I've watched some tv shows from Amazon (which are free if you have Amazon prime, which I do), and they have played seemlessly with no lagging and a very good picture. I've read a couple of kindle books on it, and it is fine for that purpose, although it does get heavy holding it in your hand after awhile. My kids have played Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja on it, and it is very quick and responsive. I downloaded one song from Amazon and it plays fine, although the volume seems a bit quiet (same thing for the video, now that I think about it). Oddly both speakers are on one end of the Fire, so if you are holding it on that end, you can really muffle the sound. I like that it fits into a pocket, so I pretty much take it everywhere. Ummm, I can't think of much else.

I love that it is $300 cheaper than the ipad, and I like the smaller size. The biggest downside for me is that it is WiFi only. (My wife and I go to auctions frequently, and I see people looking up items on their ipad before they come up for bidding, so they know how much they could sell it for and therefore how much to bid. Unless there is wifi around, this could not be used for that purpose, so that is it's biggest downside for me.

All in all, I like it and plan on keeping it. My kids like it alot.

[DMT]

I got my Kindle Fire last week. I like it. The internet access is pretty quick. I like the smaller size. I have never really played on an ipad for any length of time, so I can't really compare them to each other. The biggest downside is that the Fire is WiFi only, so if you are constantly going to be in a WiFi area that is great, but if you are not, then it is limited. From what I have read, the number of Apps is not nearly as great as it is for the ipad, but people expect that difference to lessen as more and more apps are created for the android products.

So far, I've goofed around on the internet with it, and found that it it pretty quick in flipping between sites. I've watched some tv shows from Amazon (which are free if you have Amazon prime, which I do), and they have played seemlessly with no lagging and a very good picture. I've read a couple of kindle books on it, and it is fine for that purpose, although it does get heavy holding it in your hand after awhile. My kids have played Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja on it, and it is very quick and responsive. I downloaded one song from Amazon and it plays fine, although the volume seems a bit quiet (same thing for the video, now that I think about it). Oddly both speakers are on one end of the Fire, so if you are holding it on that end, you can really muffle the sound. I like that it fits into a pocket, so I pretty much take it everywhere. Ummm, I can't think of much else.

I love that it is $300 cheaper than the ipad, and I like the smaller size. The biggest downside for me is that it is WiFi only. (My wife and I go to auctions frequently, and I see people looking up items on their ipad before they come up for bidding, so they know how much they could sell it for and therefore how much to bid. Unless there is wifi around, this could not be used for that purpose, so that is it's biggest downside for me.

All in all, I like it and plan on keeping it. My kids like it alot.

Thanks for the review...I too have Prime and didn't realize TV shows were free...big plus.

[schlesinj]

Thanks for the review...I too have Prime and didn't realize TV shows were free...big plus.

I listened to a Bloomberg/Business Week Podcast about the Fire and my understanding is the Fire is essentially sold at cost and the purpose of it is to get Amazon Prime customers.

[Bodhizefa]

I recently received an iPad 2 as a gift, and I was surprised how quickly I fell in love with the thing. I've already started reading books again (legit novels!) for the first time in a while as the ease of use for such reading and swapping out of books is phenomenal. And with all the free digital copies of films I've amassed over the last few years while buying Blu Rays, I've got a hell of a film library to peruse at a moment's notice as well. You can load up any books you've downloaded off of Amazon's Kindle, but you can also use the visually superior iBook (which even simulates the turn of a page -- I know it's a small thing, but it is very psychologically satisfying to see that page being turned for some reason; the general font and appearance of iBook is more pleasing to the eye as well on the iPad.)

The one downside I've found thus far is the lack of efficient multitasking ability. Generally on my MacBook, I will have an IM program open along with Firefox, PDF files, word files, iTunes, and excel all open and all on various home screens (Apple has an ingenius program on their desktops and laptops called Spaces that allows you to have all these programs open on different home screens and all you have to do is press a button to switch to whatever home screen you want to view). The iPad isn't quite as efficient with this type of thing. I can't imagine doing any serious research papers or articles on the iPad because of the lack of a good, quick interface to perform all these operations. It should also be noted that word processing isn't exactly a forte of the device either. If you search long and hard on the app store, you'll find maybe one or two decent MS Word interfaces, but none of them are top of the line like on a true laptop or desktop. And forget PowerPoint or Excel if you're really serious about them. Surprisingly, though, I have adapted rather quickly to the touch screen keypad. I bought a Bluetooth keyboard, but I've gotten so used to using the touchpad that I only pull out the keyboard if I'm typing a paper. My speed of typing has barely been sacrificed, too. I'm sure this is one of those "Your mileage may vary" scenarios, but I do find the touchpad to be rather easy to use.

So it really boils down to need. Would I ever want my iPad to replace my laptop as my go-to work device? Heck no. But the ease and convenience and pleasure of using an iPad make it an optimal device for media consumption and light work functions.

EDIT: One last thing -- holy **** is the battery life on these things amazing compared to a laptop!

[johnnya24]

So it really boils down to need. Would I ever want my iPad to replace my laptop as my go-to work device? Heck no. But the ease and convenience and pleasure of using an iPad make it an optimal device for media consumption and light work functions.

EDIT: One last thing -- holy **** is the battery life on these things amazing compared to a laptop!

Those two points are the key ... iPad / Tablet is a nice luxury addition, and the fact you don't need to wheel a charger around all the time is a big bonus.

As a sidenote, it was recently announced that boffins had found a way to extend current lithium battery life by 10X ... meaning a once per week charge for a typical smartphone. The bad news was that it could take 5 years to hit the shelves.

[schlesinj]

Rumors are flying over the internet that Ipad 3 will be coming between Feb and April 2012. As you can expect it will have some upgrades including a belief that SIRI will be loaded.

I have been kicking around the idea of getting an Ipad 2 for my wife and after reading this I assume spending at least $450+ today on a Ipad 2 will be a waste if the new one will drive the price down.

Link to timing rumor.

[griswold]

Just a quick question...does the Kindle Fire run Apple apps or Android apps or their own variety?

[schlesinj]

I am not an expert, but I think they make apps for Android and Apple. At this point, Apple has far more, but I would assume if non Apple products get as popular they will have a need for more.

It seems like every commercial for a non I Pad shows Angry Birds, I assume that is to prove that you can get fun apps that Apple has for your tablet.

[BuckyBuckner]

Just a quick question...does the Kindle Fire run Apple apps or Android apps or their own variety?

I just did a search for "kindle fire apps" and came up with this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.htm...cId=1000733201

It's possible that Android apps could work and I'd be surprised is Apple apps work.

[johnnya24]

Just a quick question...does the Kindle Fire run Apple apps or Android apps or their own variety?

Deleted comment ...

The Kindle Fire will have the Android Amazon Market ... not the main Android Market. But with the sales figures of the Fire, I don't imagine it will be long before both offer basically the same apps.

Kindle Fire is an Android tab ... but doesn't come with the Android Market ... you have to download a program that performs a hack to let you use the Android Market. The hack thing sounds much more difficult that it really is ... but I'd wait and let others mess around with their tabs before you tried this.

[Steve]

I got my Kindle Fire last week. I like it. The internet access is pretty quick. I like the smaller size. I have never really played on an ipad for any length of time, so I can't really compare them to each other. The biggest downside is that the Fire is WiFi only, so if you are constantly going to be in a WiFi area that is great, but if you are not, then it is limited. From what I have read, the number of Apps is not nearly as great as it is for the ipad, but people expect that difference to lessen as more and more apps are created for the android products.

So far, I've goofed around on the internet with it, and found that it it pretty quick in flipping between sites. I've watched some tv shows from Amazon (which are free if you have Amazon prime, which I do), and they have played seemlessly with no lagging and a very good picture. I've read a couple of kindle books on it, and it is fine for that purpose, although it does get heavy holding it in your hand after awhile. My kids have played Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja on it, and it is very quick and responsive. I downloaded one song from Amazon and it plays fine, although the volume seems a bit quiet (same thing for the video, now that I think about it). Oddly both speakers are on one end of the Fire, so if you are holding it on that end, you can really muffle the sound. I like that it fits into a pocket, so I pretty much take it everywhere. Ummm, I can't think of much else.

I love that it is $300 cheaper than the ipad, and I like the smaller size. The biggest downside for me is that it is WiFi only. (My wife and I go to auctions frequently, and I see people looking up items on their ipad before they come up for bidding, so they know how much they could sell it for and therefore how much to bid. Unless there is wifi around, this could not be used for that purpose, so that is it's biggest downside for me.

All in all, I like it and plan on keeping it. My kids like it alot.

Whatever happened to Catfishkid?

[Gregg]

Whatever happened to Catfishkid?

I do not know.