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Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

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Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#181

Post by mercer »

stinos wrote: post #69
NathanKP wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is exactly how I use my tablet too. I use my computer all day writing code, so when its time to relax with some Netflix, or an ebook I grab my tablet instead. Its perfect for laying on the couch or in bed. A phone definitely works in that case as well, but the tiny screen isn't as nice for reading and watching video. Not to mention by the end of the day my phone is usually mostly dead and its time to put it on t…

Its perfect for laying on the couch or in bed not for everyone though, as it emits light, and that is not what your body wants late at night. See example HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7057575 edit: I'm simply indicating staring at a screen late at night might not be all that good for us humans. Downvoting this doesn't make it any less true.

I've found that f.lux really helps with that. For iOS you need a jailbroken device though.

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#182

Post by mercer »

w1ntermute wrote: post #163
snogglethorpe wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have an iphone. I have an Android phone which is larger (65mm width) than an iphone 5, but decidedly smaller than a phablet. My phone is just on the edge of one-hand usability (I can mostly manage it but sometimes things get pretty awkward) and I often wish I had something iphone-sized instead, but choice is pretty limited among smaller Android phones (they exist, but tend to be old/slow/etc). People I know w…

Have you considered that one-handed usability isn't a defining property of smartphones?

It's a pretty important one, though. I have a Nexus 4 and if not for the big price difference and the fact that I wanted a phone without a contract, I would've gotten an iPhone instead. And one of the primary reasons is one-handed usability, because that is the primary use case for me. If I can comfortably use two hands, and if I want to, I'll use my tablet...

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#183

Post by yodsanklai »

lanna wrote: post #160
yodsanklai wrote: post #158

I really don't get why people like tablets. I gave it a try with an ipad air, but I sold it. There's nothing I can do on a tablet that I can't do more efficiently on my laptop. As soon as typing is involved, the laptop is much better. Even for things that don't involve using the keyboard, I prefer my laptop. The screen is much bigger and stays in place more easily. Really, I don't see how anyone that knows how to use…

Try using your laptop in bed, or in the toilet, or in the subway, the bus, the waiting room in the doctor's office...

"Try using your laptop in bed"

Actually, that's one place where I much prefer using my laptop. It's sitting on my belly, with the screen standing vertically. I just couldn't do the same with a tablet.

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#184

Post by bergie »

dragontamer wrote: post #176
jack-r-abbit wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Programming on a Tablet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XmxtIDWI_E That clip is 1.5 minutes long. I can handle any annoying thing for a minute and a half. But I can not see any way that would be sustainable for an entire day (week, years) of coding. I doubt I will ever give up my physical keyboard. Your drawing example makes perfect sense though. We started with the Wacom tablets and such since it very closely mat…

The AIDE programming environment was more of a proof of concept video, rather than an actual methodology to programming. No, we cannot program effectively on tablets with touch / pen yet. However, I bet that we will one day create a UI design program on the tablet (drag and drop perhaps? Gesture based?) that is more natural. At least, more natural for programming tablet applications. There is a major advantage when y…

You might want to check out our take on programming with touch-screens: https://vimeo.com/81458709

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#185

Post by bergie »

spuz wrote: post #54
dictum wrote: post #24

My love affair with the tablet isn't over: I love how it lets me browse the web, read books and magazines, and watch videos in bed after a long day. That's probably how most people use their tablets — secondary devices, mainly for entertainment. After a working day, I don't want to use a PC, and the tablet lets me use the web and other media comfortably, but I wouldn't try to actually use it for work beyond initially…

In order to argue the author's point you would also need to be carrying around a 5" phone. He is pointing out the trend of more people using their phones for what they used to use their tablets for. I'd be interested to know if you have a 5" phone and whether or not you think it replaces the features of your tablet in any way.

I've given up mobile phones completely. The only device I carry around is a Nexus 7.

http://bergie.iki.fi/blog/no-smartphones/

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#188

Post by snogglethorpe »

w1ntermute wrote: post #163
snogglethorpe wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have an iphone. I have an Android phone which is larger (65mm width) than an iphone 5, but decidedly smaller than a phablet. My phone is just on the edge of one-hand usability (I can mostly manage it but sometimes things get pretty awkward) and I often wish I had something iphone-sized instead, but choice is pretty limited among smaller Android phones (they exist, but tend to be old/slow/etc). People I know w…

Have you considered that one-handed usability isn't a defining property of smartphones?

Based on observing people use their phones (as well as personal experience using mine), I think it's reasonable to say that one-handed operation is important for many people in various common usage situations.

E.g., I see huge numbers of people standing on the train using their phone with one hand (while hanging onto a strap with the other) or walking down the street, using their phone with one hand (while carrying a bag with the other), etc.

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#189

Post by maxerickson »

bhauer wrote: post #65

Although I own three tablets, my love affair with the tablet as it exists today never really took off the same way it did for so many consumers. The primary reason is that I do not believe that tablets should be first-class computing devices. Tablets, and in my opinion, the entirety of what we today call "mobile," should be subservient to a general computing model of personal omnipresent applications [1]. Put more co…

I'd like to see much better integration between devices, but I also don't want them arbitrarily limited to dependence on a server.

A couple of sibling comments have mentioned Google's stuff, but really, while something like Chromecast is a big step forward, it is still a feature missing from large screens, not a real product. The problem is that manufacturers are more interested in crap like 'content partners' than they are in making integration easy.

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#190

Post by mathattack »

giantrobothead wrote: post #98
mathattack wrote: post #68

I was an early adopter of the iPad too, but now get more use out of a very tiny MacBook Air. The laptop slimmed down to meet it, rather than the phone moving up. For me the key has been the ability to type.

Agreed. Any device that limits my ability to communicate effectively is not for me. Also, as an avid CLI user, a tablet is next to useless for me. I don't really feel like buying a bluetooth keyboard for a tablet just to optimize text input.

I think the iPad is most efficient as a 1 way device. Great for reading and viewing, but not good for responding. Hence the airplane use call. Laptops have gotten convenient enough (and strong enough batteries) to compete though.
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