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Initial Thoughts...

ajharper

New Member
I had a touch cover with my RT, and even though the type cover offered a better typing experience I thought the touch cover was amazing. Typing on it was better than typing on the tablet screen, and it just plain felt better to my hands when it was folded back for couch surfing.

EXACTLY! It felt great folded back yet still allowed me type sufficiently when needed. When folded back you couldn't tell it was a keyboard. With the Type Cover folded back on the S3, the keys are constantly being depressed as I move my hand around shifting the S3. If they had a Touch Cover for the S3 I would buy it (the touch cover; I have the S3) in a heartbeat.
 
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ajharper

New Member
After using it for a few days it isn't the Android tablet killer I was hoping for. This device is still more of a laptop than it is a tablet. It's being marketed as both but (IMO) does neither particularly well. I was focused on the tablet functionality as I really wanted to replace my Galaxy Tab s 10.5. When I go on vacation I have to bring two devices in the event I need to do some work but my primary time after hours is spent on my tablet.

For one thing, there is no slam dunk sleep timer in the Windows store. People say there is but of all the ones I've downloaded none of them act as a true sleep timer. I need something that kills any open video/music app as that is what I go to bed to at night. The only thing that I can find that works like that is an app that actually logs you off the computer. Well, if that happens then the native "Alarms" app won't be able to wake me up as that is tied to user profiles. It doesn't work if no one is logged into the machine.

Second, the Kindle app for 8.1 stinks. You can't copy anything locally and have the store app recognize it. I've spent a fair amount of time converting my epub books to Kindle format so I can use on app on my Android tablet to read books purchased from various places. Amazon is obviously the most prevalent and that's why I converted my other books to Kindle format. The only option is to download Kindle for PC but that experience in desktop mode when the screen is oriented in portrait mode stinks too. If there is any artwork it stretches it to fill the height of the screen. I can't find a setting to say keep the original size/formatting. Now I have to hunt for a decent eReader and/or possibly convert all my books back. The eReaders a couple years ago didn't format things very well. Maybe they've gotten better.

Comic Readers aren't as good as the ones on Android. ComicRack is the best I've found but there isn't a dedicated Metro app. Trying to use the PC version via desktop mode stinks because it isn't optimized for touch screen controls. The menus, fonts, etc. are all so small no matter how you've told Windows to resize or scale. All the other Comic Readers I've downloaded all have formatting issues. For example, the majority of them don't adjust the image properly on a two page spread. They either show the entire image (which is too hard to read on the small screen) or don't adjust to width/height automatically like ComicRack on Android does. I have to bring up the menu and tell it to adjust the pic size. It doesn't sound like it, but that's a lot of effort when today's comics frequently use two page spreads a lot within an issue.

Also, there aren't dedicated apps in the Windows Store for many of the websites I view. YouTube, Buzzfeed, The Chive, etc. People say why don't you just use the browser? Well, that works but frankly it's much easier to just open an app and have it pop to the "home page". The apps are optimized for touch screen, tablet format. The web pages aren't. Chrome has a Metro mode, but you have to tell it to close and relaunch. Then you need to do the same if you want to go back to Desktop mode. It's all extra steps that add up over time if you spend a fair amount of time on a tablet when you're at home.

I guess I was hoping that the Windows Store had matured to almost the level of Android or Apple. But it doesn't look like it has. Not sure if it ever will. I guess I'll have to keep lugging around two devices. At least each iteration is getting smaller/lighter. Just my thoughts. You don't have to agree with them or even like 'em. Happy Friday!
 

kristalsoldier

Well-Known Member
After using it for a few days it isn't the Android tablet killer I was hoping for. This device is still more of a laptop than it is a tablet. It's being marketed as both but (IMO) does neither particularly well. I was focused on the tablet functionality as I really wanted to replace my Galaxy Tab s 10.5. When I go on vacation I have to bring two devices in the event I need to do some work but my primary time after hours is spent on my tablet.

For one thing, there is no slam dunk sleep timer in the Windows store. People say there is but of all the ones I've downloaded none of them act as a true sleep timer. I need something that kills any open video/music app as that is what I go to bed to at night. The only thing that I can find that works like that is an app that actually logs you off the computer. Well, if that happens then the native "Alarms" app won't be able to wake me up as that is tied to user profiles. It doesn't work if no one is logged into the machine.

Second, the Kindle app for 8.1 stinks. You can't copy anything locally and have the store app recognize it. I've spent a fair amount of time converting my epub books to Kindle format so I can use on app on my Android tablet to read books purchased from various places. Amazon is obviously the most prevalent and that's why I converted my other books to Kindle format. The only option is to download Kindle for PC but that experience in desktop mode when the screen is oriented in portrait mode stinks too. If there is any artwork it stretches it to fill the height of the screen. I can't find a setting to say keep the original size/formatting. Now I have to hunt for a decent eReader and/or possibly convert all my books back. The eReaders a couple years ago didn't format things very well. Maybe they've gotten better.

Comic Readers aren't as good as the ones on Android. ComicRack is the best I've found but there isn't a dedicated Metro app. Trying to use the PC version via desktop mode stinks because it isn't optimized for touch screen controls. The menus, fonts, etc. are all so small no matter how you've told Windows to resize or scale. All the other Comic Readers I've downloaded all have formatting issues. For example, the majority of them don't adjust the image properly on a two page spread. They either show the entire image (which is too hard to read on the small screen) or don't adjust to width/height automatically like ComicRack on Android does. I have to bring up the menu and tell it to adjust the pic size. It doesn't sound like it, but that's a lot of effort when today's comics frequently use two page spreads a lot within an issue.

Also, there aren't dedicated apps in the Windows Store for many of the websites I view. YouTube, Buzzfeed, The Chive, etc. People say why don't you just use the browser? Well, that works but frankly it's much easier to just open an app and have it pop to the "home page". The apps are optimized for touch screen, tablet format. The web pages aren't. Chrome has a Metro mode, but you have to tell it to close and relaunch. Then you need to do the same if you want to go back to Desktop mode. It's all extra steps that add up over time if you spend a fair amount of time on a tablet when you're at home.

I guess I was hoping that the Windows Store had matured to almost the level of Android or Apple. But it doesn't look like it has. Not sure if it ever will. I guess I'll have to keep lugging around two devices. At least each iteration is getting smaller/lighter. Just my thoughts. You don't have to agree with them or even like 'em. Happy Friday!

Well...we each have different expectations of our devices, no?
 
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