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Google quits selling tablets

techcrunch.com

211–220 of 330 posts

Re: Google quits selling tablets

#211
post #4

I loved my nexus-7, and the 2nd gen nexus-7 even more. Inexpensive, pure android, decent hardware spec, and a usefully larger display than a phone. Anyone know of a current table that avoids the adware, crapware, and 3d contact managers where each card flies around in 3D? I just want android with the current security updates and 7-9" display.

Samsung Chromebook Plus satisfies my needs for a tablet: mainly media consumption (web browsing, YouTube, reading long articles, and watching movies). 1. Incredibly nice screen 2. Gets security updates (ChromeOS devices are great for this compared to the dumpster fire that is Android security) 3. Haven't had any issues with Android support (I use mainly apps like RBDigital, Instapaper, Wikipedia) 4. Works well for mo…

> Gets security updates (ChromeOS devices are great for this compared to the dumpster fire that is Android security)

Enjoy that while it lasts. I have a chromebook that recently notified me it won't get any more updates, after four and a half years. That beats a phone, but it's pretty terrible by laptop standards. You can expect a laptop or desktop with any other OS to be good for a decade or more.

Re: Google quits selling tablets

#212

This is somewhat strange. I thought tablets killed the PC market. My wife is a primary school teacher and it's very difficult to teach children to use a mouse because they all have tablets at home. I know Android tablets haven't been selling well, but that's because people like me have been desperately waiting for a decent device to be released. iPads are absolutely everywhere. What's the proposed alternative for med…

I ran into the issue your wife experienced with kids at her school teaching kids to use a mouse with my daughter. We have a Samsung tablet that my daughter has made her own for the last several years. The tablet will not charge anymore so I put her in front of my old laptop. I was surprised at how much she struggled to use the mouse. Her hands are stiff and she seems bewildered. I realise now how intuitive tablets ar…

Anything is intuitive with years of experience.

Re: Google quits selling tablets

#213
post #73

This is somewhat strange. I thought tablets killed the PC market. My wife is a primary school teacher and it's very difficult to teach children to use a mouse because they all have tablets at home. I know Android tablets haven't been selling well, but that's because people like me have been desperately waiting for a decent device to be released. iPads are absolutely everywhere. What's the proposed alternative for med…

Set them up with Fortnite and that won't be a problem much longer. (You'll have plenty of new ones, though!)

The new solitaire? When mice first became a thing, games were useful to teach the motor skills; I suppose there's no reason it wouldn't work again:)

Re: Google quits selling tablets

#214
post #44
post #4

I loved my nexus-7, and the 2nd gen nexus-7 even more. Inexpensive, pure android, decent hardware spec, and a usefully larger display than a phone. Anyone know of a current table that avoids the adware, crapware, and 3d contact managers where each card flies around in 3D? I just want android with the current security updates and 7-9" display.

I still use my Nexus 7 (2nd gen) as my main tablet. That thing is a trooper. It's my book reader, Chromecast runner, Sonos controller, etc. It's big enough to comfortably watch Twitch on. It fits in my back jeans pocket so I can easily bring it with me, which lots of tablets including the ipad mini don't. I'd love to find a modern replacement for it, ideally just a little bit bigger.

Same here. It's perfect for my use. Only thing missing is an sd card slot, even micro one, but with otg I can manage even that. If battery dies, you can buy a replacement kit on ebay.

Re: Google quits selling tablets

#215
post #58

Microsoft seems like the only company that understands tablets right now. They should be more like computers, not more like phones. There's also a pretty great argument that given all of our phones are absolute powerhouses nowadays, phones should also be less like phones and more like computers. I'm hopeful Microsoft can also move to spur on this change; maybe soon the market will be ready for the return of Windows P…

The problem is that nobody likes Windows, and most people will chose an alternative even if its functionality is limited like Android or IOS. Though I agree I would kill for a premium tablet with a proper operating system like OSX or Ubuntu.

Re: Google quits selling tablets

#216
post #123
post #118

With the new low cost Ipad, Apple will absolutely kill any and all competition. I am a graduate student, bought the new ipad with 290$ + 90$ pencil from my university book store. My life has totally changed. All my notes, and research now happens in the ipad. The writing is so smooth it feels like I have been doing it all along, and I won't ever need to go back to pen and paper. It is a mind blowing combination of ha…

$329 + $99 unless you're a student... Question: can it do handwriting recognition?

Both Apple Notes and Notability make handwriting searchable. There are handwriting to text apps available on the App Store too, haven’t personally tried one.

Re: Google quits selling tablets

#217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>the speakers are facing you and they're on the top and bottom This drives me crazy on my iPad. My phone came out in 2016 and has stereo speakers. My iPad came out in 2017 and despite being massive in comparison with tons of available space (and weirdly, a headphone jack) it only has one speaker. Yet I never watch movies on my phone and I do it all the time on my iPad, where it makes way more sense to have stereo spe…

The iPad Mini (2012) and iPad Air (2013) and all iPads since have stereo speakers on either side of the bottom edge. They're laid out for portrait though, since Apple treats that as the standard orientation. Not ideal for watching movies. The Pro versions have four speakers in the corners and adjust which pair are left vs right depending on whether you're in portrait or landscape.

Plus Apple’s official case (Smart Cover) only allows you to prop it up in landscape mode, not portrait mode.

Re: Google quits selling tablets

#218
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>It also has a stylus which works well, but I've returned to paper exercise books for note taking. So, I'm very curious about this. Were you taking written notes on electronic devices? What apps and devices have you tried? I ask because a couple years ago I tried using a surface for taking notes when I got into a coding bootcamp and it was a mind blowing experience for me - finally, infinite paper space. Swapping bet…

I switched from a Surface Pro 3 to an iPad Pro 9.7” and found Apple’s stylus to be much more accurate. It’s not a huge deal for roughly capturing handwriting, but the Surface’s Ntrig digitizer relies a lot on smoothing out strokes, if you try to draw a slow diagonal line you can see a ton of wobble as the stroke gets pulled around by the digitizer’s grid. You lose out on having a full desktop OS when you need it, and…

What software do you use on the iPad?

Re: Google quits selling tablets

#219
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I still use my Nexus 7 (2nd gen) as my main tablet. That thing is a trooper. It's my book reader, Chromecast runner, Sonos controller, etc. It's big enough to comfortably watch Twitch on. It fits in my back jeans pocket so I can easily bring it with me, which lots of tablets including the ipad mini don't. I'd love to find a modern replacement for it, ideally just a little bit bigger.

I would do the same, but as of this year battery recharge times of my Nexus 7 tablet got longer and longer until it died by running out of battery while charging. Hardware doesn't last forever. It will be missed. The article is correct that tablet replacement rates are low. But that's not zero. And there is a lack of modern replacements. I've been looking around but I expected there to be a "this years model" with a…

Not disagreeing with your main point but battery replacement on the Nexus 7 2013 is super easy - I did it in under 10 minutes.

Re: Google quits selling tablets

#220
A lot of comments here, but almost none of them are based on reality. Apples has ~20% of the market share, and amazon another ~10%. That leaves the entire 70% of the tablet market occupied by Android devices. I know HN has an unusual fondness for Apple's products but Apple products are not doing any damage to Google or Android, only to their buyers pockets.
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