LG Intros Optimus Pad Tablet

[FiXT]

With the Mobile World Congress Expo kicking off this week, tablets are the big focus of the event, with many companies choosing this venue to debut products that weren't quite ready in time for CES 2011.One of those is LG, announcing their new Optimus Pad, utilizing the latest mobile technology from NVIDIA; Tegra 2.LG is going with an unique size ... [ Read full article ]

[sswilson]

I had a good portion of this discussion with MAC the other day, but I'm really not impressed with the direction tablets are taking.

I was hoping for a tablet style netbook with a real OS that could replace my aging P4 laptop, but it appears that the tablet manufacturers (other than ASUS) are marketing it more as a "Smart Phone with larger Screen" than as a PC with smaller screen. Instead of a low power PC with full windows functionality, we're being offered $400 - $600 4G internet browsing devices that will require either a monthly subscription or the purchase of many apps to get reasonable functionality.

I want something I can slap W7 onto.

[mikellini]

Well I think you're in the minority there... Why do you need Windows 7 on a device such as this? I do agree that OS's for these tablets need to be a tad more sophisticated than a smartphone OS, but Windows is overkill. Anything I can think of that really would require Windows is probably something I wouldn't want to or need to do on a device such as this.

Also, I just don't see the monthly subscription argument holding any water; you don't need 3g/4g, you can just use wifi (like any other laptop/netbook)... and purchasing apps for functionality? Admittedly, I've only had experience with the iPad, but I have dozens of great apps, and I've paid a grand total of about $25 for them. My choice. Android may be lacking in great free apps, but give it time...

[ipaine]

Originally Posted by sswilson

I had a good portion of this discussion with MAC the other day, but I'm really not impressed with the direction tablets are taking.

I was hoping for a tablet style netbook with a real OS that could replace my aging P4 laptop, but it appears that the tablet manufacturers (other than ASUS) are marketing it more as a "Smart Phone with larger Screen" than as a PC with smaller screen. Instead of a low power PC with full windows functionality, we're being offered $400 - $600 4G internet browsing devices that will require either a monthly subscription or the purchase of many apps to get reasonable functionality.

I want something I can slap W7 onto.

That is exactly what I want as well. Not only that but if a good one came along that was Win7 then I could probably sell at least 5 or 6 right away here at work. There are a few profs already that have the traditional tablets and they work good but are just too big.

[sswilson]

Oh, I agree in that I'm in the minority, but as a cell phone luddite (I own a paygo motorolla that only gets turned on when I want to make a call out, and that's seldom), what's being offered isn't what I'm looking for. I gave up on FF when it was first released because of the "app" style model that required me to configure every little bloody thing, and I feel exactly the same way about what I want in a portable PC.

My current P4 laptop does 95% of what I want a PC to do, and I see no reason why somebody can't offer a tablet replacement for it using the new(er) low power procs/graphics that would blow it out of the water. Unfortunately that doesn't appear to be in the works unless I want to shell out $1K+ for a full laptop replacement rather than a decently powered netbook (no atoms need apply please) in a tablet format.

edit: If a tablet is only really going to offer me internet browsing, I'll buy a $200 kindle, not a $400 - $600 tablet without any extra functionality.

[Pelt]

I think I'm with Wilson on this issue. It seems tablet manufactures are following the Apple route with their products instead of taking the Apple concept and adapting it to more mainstream PC use. Netbooks took off like wildfire when they were introduced because people are looking for a small form factor Laptop with enough flexibility to perform the same basic functions as there larger counterparts when they are on the road.

Then along came the Ipad and it inveserated the netbook market, it was a neat concept one that I've always thought was going to be a game changer. But this isn't what I was expecting. I was hoping for a windows variant to hit the market by now, but so far all I've seen is Andriod based tablets for the most part and of course the Blackberry offering. Another thing I'm disappointed with is the tethering many of these tablets to contracts, and various requirements to buy proprietary apps (how many versions of angry birds do I need!).

So what's wrong with Android, Apple and Blackberry tablets? Well as already mentioned they are just big cell phones. I don't want another device that just uses the same apps that my cell phone uses, I want a tablet that is basically just a different form factor for the netbook market. I like the tablet concept I like the size, not as big as traditional PC based tablets thus not as cumbersome. A PC based tablet about the size of the Ipad that doesnt' force me to buy from this market place or that. Something I could register with a cell company for internet service on the go would be nice, something I could tether to an exsiting cellphone contract would be better (data sharing). But I know where this is going, a PC read Windows tablet will be made it will be everything I hoped and it will use a Microsoft marketplace for apps, lol.

Anyway I'm rambling now and the kids need food or something.

[ZZLEE]

My sister baught the ASUS 12.5 inch netbook with (EDIT: D525) duel core atom and 2 G RAM with Optumus she wont let me near it so I can't realy speek about it from experiance. LOL

She is a Quilter and uses a program called EQ7 witch is a fancy math and graffics program fore quilting.
It has WIN 7 and she chose this lap top over a Ipad wich the program wont run on.

She uses this one more than her 17.5 ich lap top becuse it is lighter and more portable.

If shes streeming her favrote tv shows or wathing DVD she uesaly uses 17.5 inch fore the larger screen and optical drive.

I see her more often with the 12,5 ich ASUS than the 17.5 ich ACER and vary rarly at the P4 P5Q desktop.

EDIT: this Asus Eee PC Seashell 1215N-PU17-SL 12.1-Inch Netbook - Silver: Amazon.ca: Electronics

[sswilson]

Originally Posted by ZZLEE

My sister baught the ASUS 12.5 inch netbook with 550 duel core atom and 2 G RAM with Optumus she wont let me near it so I can't realy speek about it from experiance. LOL

She is a Quilter and uses a program called EQ7 witch is a fancy math and graffics program fore quilting.
It has WIN 7 and she chose this lap top over a Ipad wich the program wont run on.

She uses this one more than her 17.5 ich lap top becuse it is lighter and more portable.

If shes streeming her favrote tv shows or wathing DVD she uesaly uses 17.5 inch fore the larger screen and optical drive.

I see her more often with the 12,5 ich ASUS than the 17.5 ich ACER and vary rarly at the P4 P5Q desktop.

That's the kind of device I'm looking for, but in tablet format, and with one of the new low power procs in it.

IMO, one of the real reasons why netbooks didn't take over the portable market was that most shipped with Vista, and not only had only 1G memory (death for vista), but also shipped with poorly performing single core chips (atoms and whatever the AMD chips were called). Current chips wouldn't suffer the same lack of performance.

edit: I owned one of the gateway single core 11" AMD netbooks (ordered a 2G mem stick the day I bought it... ;) ), and while I loved the size/format, it was always just a little too pokey for day-to-day use.

[chrisk]

I'd want a W7 tablet as well.

[sswilson]

Heh... I'm surprised at the pro W7 tablet responses in here. I was starting to get the feeling that it was only us Cell Phone Luddites who disliked the idea of android on a tablet, maybe I'm not as alone on the subject as I thought I was. :)