Large color readers? - Page 2

Flip Martian · 07-31-2011, 03:46 AM

Interesting to see your opinion on the ipad and android tablets. I was looking at the Galaxy (the first one), Xoom and Transformer recently. The Xoom seemed to be getting a lot of advertising as the first usable/speedy android tablet but the Transformer seemed much slicker and better all round (even without the keyboard dock). The Galaxy just seemed like a bigger version of an android phone.

The ipad2 seemed to look "nicer" and software slicker and better designed but the "do it our way or no way" attitude of Apple has always put me off buying their products. Although as a musician, I tihnk if garageband saved compositions to midi files out of the box, instead of its own format, I'd have slapped the cash then and there...

I came away without buying but still considering. Especially as I recently won a store voucher for £500 and am wondering what to spend it on. It was interesting seeing your own experience of ipad and opinion towards Transformer, which matched my own.

rschauer · 07-31-2011, 01:25 PM

I find the TF, Xoom, Galaxy, Thrive, and others to all be very similar. Indeed, they all pack nearly identical internal hardware (CPU, RAM, storage), so hardware becomes a question of card slots and/or USB ports, for the most part. Performance-wise, they are all excellent devices. The slightly older tablets (the single-core, mostly 7" devices), however, are exactly like a larger version of an Android phone.

If you intend to use your tablet (assuming you do get one) for musical purposes often, you still may be better off with an iPad. There is a lot of really excellent software besides GarageBand, including several powerful synthesizers by Korg. An Android tablet won't leave you completely in the dark on this, but the Apple store admittedly carries a wider variety of superior applications for such purposes. On the other hand, if you just want to be able to mess around a bit, or take down a tune/rhythm that's in your head (as I do myself, from time to time), then Android apps like xPiano and RD3 may be sufficient for you.

It's now been just about 3 weeks for me, and I'm still extremely happy with my Transformer. I'm slightly irritated that even after the Android 3.2 update, the Netflix application still is not supported, but that's not one of the reasons I bought the thing; it would just be a nice bonus. I use the tablet daily and have been satisfied with the weight/comfort factor, performance, battery life, and relatively comfortable reading of PDFs. Reading from the screen is not as nice as e-Ink, of course, but it's good enough for my purposes, and vastly preferable to lugging several programming and server administration books around.

rschauer · 07-31-2011, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flip Martian

The Galaxy just seemed like a bigger version of an android phone.

I just realized something; were you looking at the newest one, the Galaxy Tab 10.1? There are slightly older tablets with the Galaxy name that are indeed running the same 2.x versions of Android as phones currently are, which would explain why you compared it to a phone. The newest one is a "Honeycomb" device like the TF or Xoom, and is quite similar in look and feel to the iPad (at least, more so than the other Android tabs). I don't see it as being similar to a phone at all. However, if Samsung has released their proprietary UI since the last time I looked (I believe that was supposed to happen in July/August), then I wouldn't know what it currently looks like.

Flip Martian · 07-31-2011, 03:27 PM

Hi, no the Galaxy I looked at was the first generation one running (I think) 2.1 or 2.2; not seen the latest one. The Xoom seemed sluggish compared to the Transformer - I suppose it may have just been badly set up or needed resetting or something.

Regarding the music thing - I looked into the ipad as garageband looked exactly what I'd want in a portable music device. But to get MIDI files you have to use a cheap version of Logic which imports garageband format. I use Steinberg's Cubase (on a PC) so I object to having to buy something else just to convert and save as MIDI files. Its that Apple "do it our way" approach again. Missed opportunity I think - ipads would no doubt get great use by musicians on the move. Then again, they're hardly difficult to sell anyway, are they?!

I suspect the Transformer will be the one to go for byut I may just research the other music apps for ipad to see if anything else "twists my arm". Thanks again.

rschauer · 07-31-2011, 03:39 PM

No problem; tablets are expensive, advice is free. :-)

iPads are extremely popular for musicians, but only because Macs in general are very popular for them as well. Obviously if you're using GarageBand on your desktop and iPad both, you won't have much of a problem. This works for many people, but those people aren't utilizing the full potential of their PC either, not to mention their tablet. (My opinion, of course.) You're absolutely right; Apple's products are pretty well locked into the Apple way of doing things, and to me, that's a big limiter on productivity.

I can definitely recommend the TF over the Xoom, unless you can't wait for Netflix. The Xoom does have some advantages (its camera has a flash, and its construction does feel a bit more durable, albeit at the cost of additional weight), but overall, I find the TF superior. You may want to stop over at transformerforums.com to see what others are saying and doing; it's obviously a tad biased (being mostly current TF owners, and a few prospective ones), but there is some good info there.

Flip Martian · 07-31-2011, 04:19 PM

No Netflix here I don't think - in any case watching films on it isn't high on my priorities. Other ipad apps seem to save MIDI so may have another look but will take a look at the T forums too, thanks. Android I'm familiar with already from my phone so that may be the best option.

rschauer · 07-31-2011, 06:41 PM

Not sure what MIDI is like on Android right now. I know the media player is supposed to be able to play MIDI, and xPiano does "MIDI over WiFi," which I haven't experimented with, but find an interesting concept. As for creating/sequencing, I haven't looked into it yet.

Flip Martian · 08-01-2011, 08:56 AM

There are a couple of music composing apps with free trials worth looking at - Budgerigar and Caustic. Can't remember off the top of my head whether they save midi but worth checking out if you're of a musical persuasion...

rschauer · 08-02-2011, 01:50 AM

Wow, I just might do that. Both of those apps look promising. Budgerigar says it will export MIDI, and the full version is only $4.33. The comments seem to say it's pretty basic, but I think it's worth looking into at least. Caustic looks impressive, but I don't see the price stated anywhere.

We've gone WAY O/T here, but it's my thread, and I don't mind a bit as long as the mods don't.

Flip Martian · 08-02-2011, 06:04 PM

It seems they don't.

Hopefully these are just the start. Still a long way from the kind of apps iPad has. While I'm here Ethereal Dialpad, Solo and Chordbot are worth a play too.

rschauer · 08-02-2011, 07:37 PM

I've played with Solo and Chordbot, they're pretty cool. Ethereal Dialpad is interesting, but I never found a "real" use for it. It may have developed a fair amount since I tried it.

I noticed a few others while browsing; there is a lot more available than there was last time I looked! I'll report back if I find anything interesting.

Flip Martian · 08-03-2011, 07:45 AM

That would be cool, thanks. Ethereal Dialpad hasn't really developed much. There is a similar Brian Eno-developed app for the iPhone which has a looping function - something ED doesn't have and would be more interesting with.

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07-31-2011, 03:46 AM	#16
Flip Martian Connoisseur Posts: 74 Karma: 45512 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony PRS 350, iPad, Sony PRS-T1	Interesting to see your opinion on the ipad and android tablets. I was looking at the Galaxy (the first one), Xoom and Transformer recently. The Xoom seemed to be getting a lot of advertising as the first usable/speedy android tablet but the Transformer seemed much slicker and better all round (even without the keyboard dock). The Galaxy just seemed like a bigger version of an android phone. The ipad2 seemed to look "nicer" and software slicker and better designed but the "do it our way or no way" attitude of Apple has always put me off buying their products. Although as a musician, I tihnk if garageband saved compositions to midi files out of the box, instead of its own format, I'd have slapped the cash then and there... I came away without buying but still considering. Especially as I recently won a store voucher for £500 and am wondering what to spend it on. It was interesting seeing your own experience of ipad and opinion towards Transformer, which matched my own.

07-31-2011, 01:25 PM	#17
rschauer Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 40 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Iowa Device: Kindle 3	I find the TF, Xoom, Galaxy, Thrive, and others to all be very similar. Indeed, they all pack nearly identical internal hardware (CPU, RAM, storage), so hardware becomes a question of card slots and/or USB ports, for the most part. Performance-wise, they are all excellent devices. The slightly older tablets (the single-core, mostly 7" devices), however, are exactly like a larger version of an Android phone. If you intend to use your tablet (assuming you do get one) for musical purposes often, you still may be better off with an iPad. There is a lot of really excellent software besides GarageBand, including several powerful synthesizers by Korg. An Android tablet won't leave you completely in the dark on this, but the Apple store admittedly carries a wider variety of superior applications for such purposes. On the other hand, if you just want to be able to mess around a bit, or take down a tune/rhythm that's in your head (as I do myself, from time to time), then Android apps like xPiano and RD3 may be sufficient for you. It's now been just about 3 weeks for me, and I'm still extremely happy with my Transformer. I'm slightly irritated that even after the Android 3.2 update, the Netflix application still is not supported, but that's not one of the reasons I bought the thing; it would just be a nice bonus. I use the tablet daily and have been satisfied with the weight/comfort factor, performance, battery life, and relatively comfortable reading of PDFs. Reading from the screen is not as nice as e-Ink, of course, but it's good enough for my purposes, and vastly preferable to lugging several programming and server administration books around.

07-31-2011, 03:27 PM	#19
Flip Martian Connoisseur Posts: 74 Karma: 45512 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony PRS 350, iPad, Sony PRS-T1	Hi, no the Galaxy I looked at was the first generation one running (I think) 2.1 or 2.2; not seen the latest one. The Xoom seemed sluggish compared to the Transformer - I suppose it may have just been badly set up or needed resetting or something. Regarding the music thing - I looked into the ipad as garageband looked exactly what I'd want in a portable music device. But to get MIDI files you have to use a cheap version of Logic which imports garageband format. I use Steinberg's Cubase (on a PC) so I object to having to buy something else just to convert and save as MIDI files. Its that Apple "do it our way" approach again. Missed opportunity I think - ipads would no doubt get great use by musicians on the move. Then again, they're hardly difficult to sell anyway, are they?! I suspect the Transformer will be the one to go for byut I may just research the other music apps for ipad to see if anything else "twists my arm". Thanks again.

07-31-2011, 03:39 PM	#20
rschauer Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 40 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Iowa Device: Kindle 3	No problem; tablets are expensive, advice is free. :-) iPads are extremely popular for musicians, but only because Macs in general are very popular for them as well. Obviously if you're using GarageBand on your desktop and iPad both, you won't have much of a problem. This works for many people, but those people aren't utilizing the full potential of their PC either, not to mention their tablet. (My opinion, of course.) You're absolutely right; Apple's products are pretty well locked into the Apple way of doing things, and to me, that's a big limiter on productivity. I can definitely recommend the TF over the Xoom, unless you can't wait for Netflix. The Xoom does have some advantages (its camera has a flash, and its construction does feel a bit more durable, albeit at the cost of additional weight), but overall, I find the TF superior. You may want to stop over at transformerforums.com to see what others are saying and doing; it's obviously a tad biased (being mostly current TF owners, and a few prospective ones), but there is some good info there.

07-31-2011, 04:19 PM	#21
Flip Martian Connoisseur Posts: 74 Karma: 45512 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony PRS 350, iPad, Sony PRS-T1	No Netflix here I don't think - in any case watching films on it isn't high on my priorities. Other ipad apps seem to save MIDI so may have another look but will take a look at the T forums too, thanks. Android I'm familiar with already from my phone so that may be the best option.

07-31-2011, 06:41 PM	#22
rschauer Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 40 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Iowa Device: Kindle 3	Not sure what MIDI is like on Android right now. I know the media player is supposed to be able to play MIDI, and xPiano does "MIDI over WiFi," which I haven't experimented with, but find an interesting concept. As for creating/sequencing, I haven't looked into it yet.

08-01-2011, 08:56 AM	#23
Flip Martian Connoisseur Posts: 74 Karma: 45512 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony PRS 350, iPad, Sony PRS-T1	There are a couple of music composing apps with free trials worth looking at - Budgerigar and Caustic. Can't remember off the top of my head whether they save midi but worth checking out if you're of a musical persuasion...

08-02-2011, 01:50 AM	#24
rschauer Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 40 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Iowa Device: Kindle 3	Wow, I just might do that. Both of those apps look promising. Budgerigar says it will export MIDI, and the full version is only $4.33. The comments seem to say it's pretty basic, but I think it's worth looking into at least. Caustic looks impressive, but I don't see the price stated anywhere. We've gone WAY O/T here, but it's my thread, and I don't mind a bit as long as the mods don't.

08-02-2011, 06:04 PM	#25
Flip Martian Connoisseur Posts: 74 Karma: 45512 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony PRS 350, iPad, Sony PRS-T1	It seems they don't. Hopefully these are just the start. Still a long way from the kind of apps iPad has. While I'm here Ethereal Dialpad, Solo and Chordbot are worth a play too.

08-02-2011, 07:37 PM	#26
rschauer Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 40 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Iowa Device: Kindle 3	I've played with Solo and Chordbot, they're pretty cool. Ethereal Dialpad is interesting, but I never found a "real" use for it. It may have developed a fair amount since I tried it. I noticed a few others while browsing; there is a lot more available than there was last time I looked! I'll report back if I find anything interesting.

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08-03-2011, 07:45 AM	#27
Flip Martian Connoisseur Posts: 74 Karma: 45512 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony PRS 350, iPad, Sony PRS-T1	That would be cool, thanks. Ethereal Dialpad hasn't really developed much. There is a similar Brian Eno-developed app for the iPhone which has a looping function - something ED doesn't have and would be more interesting with.