Transformer time

So I think I'm liking this android tablet.  One thing right off is that I am writing this post from it which is something I couldn't do from the Ipad.   OK, I guess I could have but the few times I tried it was grueling.  The blogger forms were spartan, the keyboard was both too large and had too few characters on each 'tab' for real typing, and I couldn't figure out how to post pictures.  With the android, the blogger interface is the same as on a PC, I installed beansoft thumb keyboard which is great, can be resized and has 'long touch' characters for numbers and punctuation, and cursor keys. Heck I can even use the blogger spellcheck.  All in all this tablet does the web better, or at least more consistantly, although not any faster (flash ads need to be banished!).

My other criteria for a tablet were Netflix, books, pdfs and comic readers and I'm happy to say this tablet can do all that.  ezPDF is not as good as Goodreader (it gets slow with big files) but it is pretty close, and Netflix and books from kindle work just the same as their iPad verions.  lt's pretty snappy playing all sorts of media and its nice to manage that media the same ways I do on my PCs.    I can keep my files in folders by type and the apps seem more integrated around the content instead of the mishmash of types and access Apple apps can have. Being able to access files from microSD cards is great too and really expands on the initial 32gb internal storage.  It came with very little bloat ware installed and I was able to stream files from my SAN right out of the box.  It was also nice that all my phone apps were available to install on the tablet and that most of them not only worked perfectly but looked great too.  Instead of blowing them up in size (although you have that option), somehow Icecream Sandwich stretches them out without distorting them.

Is it better than the iPad?  Probably not.  Its not as simple as the visually consistant iOS interface (but really they are both just touch and swipe). But it's as good as an iPad I think, and you can choose how you want to customize it, and for me I think it's a better fit.

Bye iPad

I sold my iPad and am tracking down an Android tablet to replace it.  I really liked having a tablet but I wasn't so enamored of the Apple offering specifically and really like the Android phone I have (a Nexus S).  Almost all of the fantastic apps available for the iPad are uninteresting to me and they don't share data and sorry but they don't just work unless you just pay for new hardware and stuff all the time.  I'll try the Android and hopefully I'll like it better.

I would have held onto the iPad but someone I knew needed a present for her husband and it seemed a perfect fit.  I had pretty much decided I wanted to pick up an ASUS Transformer Prime but there were none available anywhere except at Staples and only online.  So now I'm waiting.  Staples has one day delivery and sure enough they 'delivered' it in one day - the problem is that they came to deliver it when I wasn't home - between 9am and 5pm any day of the week.  Seriously that's the time they gave - sometime between 9 and 5.  Man I have to work and I can't take a whole day off to sign for a package.  I called them to try to change the order or deliver it to the store so I could pick it up and they said there was nothing they could do.  No depot to pick it up at, no way to change the address, no way to cancel the order.  They will try to deliver it again... some business day between 9-5.  They try to deliver it three times and if they can't they cancel the order.  Isn't that great, such a waste of time and gas and effort for everyone.  Hows that for a green policy?  That's so crappy and they need to fix their home delivery system.  Can you imagine Amazon or Futureshop pulling that shit?

Yes I could have had them deliver it to the store.  Yes I will do that if ever there is a next time.  But this is system is broken and the solution is so easy these days with mobile access to data that it should be fixed.

So I'm waiting for my new tablet and missing my iPad.


**UPDATE**

So sure enough I missed the delivery which is why I wrote that sad tale of first world woe.  I was resigned to this being a real cluster fuck and seriously considered just ordering another and having it shipped to the store.  Well around 6:30 there was a knock on the door and there was a nice gentleman with my tablet!  He was the delivery person from Staples and he said he was in the neighborhood and thought he'd check in again to see if I was home now.  I was very happy to say the least and went online to their customer site to give him a proper kudos.  Staples home delivery service still sucks balls, but it is not the fault of their staff and this guy went out of his way to deliver their package despite (probably because of) their crappy system.