Mobile phones & tablets thread

[donKey jote]

iMhone

[Jag_Warrior]

It'll end in divorce if you do that lol.. The way to a womans heart is with an iphone, or so my wife say's

I bought my girl an iPad2 for her birthday this year. I would describe how she said "thanks"... but this is a family forum. I'm thinking about buying her a MacPro next year. Not because she needs or wants one, but it's not everyday that I get to live out my porn star fantasies... ya know?

[Jag_Warrior]

Haha worth every penny by the sounds of things Jag..
As ioan says it depends on the woman and his girlfriend would laugh at him it seems. Fair enough, but my wife is the type of woman who enjoys having the best accessories and the iphone is the most desired phone of the moment. Theres very little to ridicule it as far as I am aware apart from how expensive it is.

Yes sir! A happy girlfriend makes for a happy boyfriend. I don't know much when it comes to women. But I've learned that much over the years.

In part because of what I do, I appreciate quality and efficient design engineering. Last I read, the iPhone had a return rate of about 1.5%, while some Android devices had return rates approaching 50%. That's not a knock on the Android software. But it is to say that without some amount of control over the OEM's, you end up with any manner of fly-by-night ma & pa producers churning out junk with your software on it. In the eyes of the consumer, that alone can make you look bad - and it may not even be your fault. Microsoft has had that very issue over the years with the Windows OS's - although quite often, it was the software. But neither Apple nor any other software/hardware OEM produces products which are 100% defect free. That's an unrealistic expectation. In the world of manufacturing, there is simply no such thing! So when I read complaints on here about how "if Macs are so great, how come I know someone who has one that broke?"... I have no choice but to roll my eyes. There is no such thing as "defect free". Even at a Six Sigma level, a process will yield 3.4 defects per million opportunities. But like I said, I do appreciate OEM's (cars, computers, watches... whatever) that employ effective defect reduction and defect prevention methodologies. And Apple does that extremely well... both in my opinion and by actual data. But people should buy what they need and what they want.

As for myself, I don't have the time or patience for foolishness. So I don't mind paying for quality.

Apple tops customer satisfaction index once again

[Daniel]

This kind of sums up my main reason for finding the iPad a bit pointless. Please not this site is generally very pro-Apple and the guy obviously likes his Apple products.....

iPad for sale
Oh, iPad 2 with AT&T 3G. I remember the day it was announced. I rushed to my computer in the early morning hours to ensure I'd be one of the first to wrap my hands around one. Looking back I can't help but wonder, Why? I knew a tablet wouldn't be the best for productivity, but I was curious about filling that void bewtixt my 15-inch MacBook Pro and my iPhone. Plus, with 3G connectivity, I figured I'd finally have a simple device for surfing the web or watching Netflix while in transit.

After receiving it a few weeks later and installing some apps, I was having a grand ol' time using my giant iPod touch (and yes, I mean that). Then, I noticed my luck had afforded me the dreaded "screen bleed." After weeks of frustrating calls and two repairs, I was back in gear with an evenly lit screen. So, I continued on grabbing some gaming, magazine, music and movie apps that I still haven't used more than a handful of times.

Maybe it's just that I'm too set on using on full OS, but using the iPad for me is like pulling teeth. The simple tasking of switching from a webpage to another app is tiring after a few circles and better suited to a full OS. And that's the problem, really. I need a device to do more than one thing at a time and switch between tasks on a dime, and the iPad just doesn't cut it. The 11-inch MacBook Air I've recently acquired has fit my needs perfectly, and since I bought it my iPad's been accumulating more dust. Seems like it might be time to give up on the slate for now, maybe even sell it. Plus, it's not like the Smart Cover was that smart anyway; all it ever did was collect dirt... (Kidding! Kind of.)

IRL: WildBlue satellite internet, international charging, a flashing habit and failing to get work done on an iPad -- Engadget

[Daniel]

I know a fair few people with ipads and can see why they are desirable in comparison to a laptop. I know work colleagues who sit on their lunchbreaks with their ipad rested on their knee and they are convenient. They are good for keeping photo's on and using as a media device for surfing the internet, and playing app based games on. Of course if you are like me and you have your laptop on most nights and edit alot of photo's on Photoshop and Lightroom, its not the best form of device but I can see the appeal for general use.

Thing is, a phone is still a lot more useful in that situation, sure the screen isn't quite so big, but personally I just don't get the point in carrying something so big that duplicates the functionality of a device that pretty much everyone has. I mean does anyone carry a netbook AND a laptop around with them?

[Daniel]

The problem with phones is the poor battery life in comparison when you are surfing the internet and the smaller screen that isn't as nice to use. I use the internet on my phone but its nowhere near as good as using a larger device IMO. I tend to use it as a quick reference rather than for fun. The ipad is small enough to slip into a backpack or briefcase and is responsive with a battery life of around 20 hours. The ipad does have a larger screen than an iphone but is still a small device and smaller than most netbooks. I think there is alot going for them and with more apps being developed purely for the larger screen, a whole new market is being created for such devices. As I have said I have no real use for an ipad and see it as a purely luxury item but I can see the appeal of people who like Apple products and want a device for apps and general use.

I get what you're saying But who doesn't take a USB cable into work to charge their phone? If you've got a hardarse IT administrator you can even buy one of these -> Scan CDL-02POWER 20cm USB Power Only Cable - Scan.co.uk and you can charge your phone and they know your device won't be connected to your PC or laptop in terms of data.

I think like you say it's a luxury device though and for that reason, I'm oot. If someone makes a decent tablet that is convertible (ie it can be used as a laptop) and has a dock then I'll buy, but I just don't see the point of having 3 devices when 2 will do.

[CaptainRaiden]

You can't use the iPad as a practical phone, so - Fail.
You can't use it as a laptop - Fail.
You can't use it as a book reader, because it's too expensive, heavy and the battery life is crap - More Fail.

So conclusion = Epic Fail.

I've long maintained that it's nothing but an expensive toy for people gullible enough to fall for it. Now they introduced a keyboard dock for it, because typing is a pain in the ass on the iPad. So, why not just buy a high performing laptop for that price??!?!

Hell, if I had that much money lying around, and I really wanted to waste it, I'd buy one of the new 4 GB DirectX 11 graphic cards for my PC. MUCH better investment.

[CaptainRaiden]

I found this pic quite amusing:

What the iPad really is:

[Koz]

Hum, seems the Samsung Galaxy S3 specs have been leaked... (there are various links on google, I won't bother to post one).

I say it looks like a typical 4chan BS.

including a Quad-core 2.0GHZ processor, 1.5GB of RAM and a 10 MP camera capable of 1080P at 60 fps. It will house this technological-lunacy in a 9mm thick body, be powered by a 2,250mAh and be NFC ready.

Most interesting of all, it will have a 4.65" Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280x1024, giving it the highest pixel density of any smartphone so far, and an unusual 5:4 display.

I highly doubt any of that is true.

[Daniel]

I suppose the ipad is similar in purpose to a Netbook as its really a mini internet surfer that uses applications that are not transferred via disk. I know Netbooks have the advantage of USB connections but big deal, for 50 quid more you can buy a laptop. I personally don't take a USB cable into work to charge my phone even though I sit at a desk for the majority of the day. My phone starts to lose battery later in the evening when I am at home anyway so there is no need. I get about a day and a bit out of my battery which is pretty crap in comparison to the iphone 4 which tends to get around 2 days. Myself and the wife found this out when we went to a festival back in the summer and my phone died by the following morning of being there and hers lasted the whole three days with limited use.

You should buy yourself a micro USB cable for work I've got one for work and I never run out of power.

There are ways of minimising your battery use and I think a lot of battery use is down to how people have their phone configured. Not having owned an iPhone I couldn't honestly say whether it's better than my phone in terms of battery life, but if I switch my bluetooth and WLAN off and only have 3g on when I actually need it my phone will last for a good few days. In reality because I've got a USB cable here at work and I've set my phone up to work off the WLAN, I keep everything on and if it weren't plugged in it'd only last the day.