I feel dirty but happy

[madlaw1071]

Before the flames burn my buns, I love Android and no one will take away my Droid X which I adore.

HOWEVER, I bought an iPad2(for the wife) and a GT 10.1 for me the same night at Best Buy last week. I ran the 2 devices side by side for a week. In virtually every category, for my usage, the iPad2 wins hands down and I returned the GT10.1 and got my own iPad2.

My usage consists of web surfing, email, facebook, youtube etc.

1. Battery life, great for both, Ipad slightly better

2. Screen, suprisingly and disappointingly the iPad had the brighter more crisp screen. I ran Pinball HD side by side on both units and even my wife(who can't tell the difference between hi-def and standard tv) noticed how much better the iPad looked. The Sammy should have had the edge here and didn't.

3. Form factor, I had the gray GT 10.1 and it was extremely thin and solid(the white version is plasticy). The iPad is noticably heavier with its aluminum case. Both are excellent but edge GT 10.1

4. Browsing, I tried the stock browser and Dolphin. Both are decent but not nearly as smooth as Safari. I must be one of the few people in the world that doesn't visit sites with flash content because in my daily surfing I never once had an issue. Web browsing on the iPad is butter.

5. OS, honeycomb to me seems dark and boring. Maybe the touchwiz update will help. Very few decent widgets out of the box. Maybe it's just me, but while I love the customizations I can do on my phone, on my tab/pad I just don't care, thus Android loses its appeal.

6. Apps, game over. Phone Arena just wrote up the fact that even the TouchPad has more/better apps in its one week of existence than Honeycomb. The GT 10.1 is flat out boring compared to the iPad. No HBO GO? Xfinity streaming? Flipboard? The Anrdoid Market is a disaster. Anyone who says apps don't matter has never spent significant time using both devices.

To me the ultimate combo is an android phone and an iPad 2.

 

[freddyc]

Could you elaborate on what you mean by the OS being "dark and boring"? You're not the only person who's said that, and I don't understand the commenet. I own an iPod Touch and have used more than my fair share of iPads, and other than the app library, which I agree is fantastic, its a grid of icons. How is that any less "dark and boring"? It definitely helps with the way the screens flow and the apps open and close, considering all it has to do is paint the same icon grid and nothing is moving or flowing like live wallpaper and Widgets, but I'm really puzzled when people tell me how "elegant" iOS is versus the others (I'll give the nod to WebOS for elegance) when it doesn't seem all that alive or organic compared to the others to me.

This isn't an attack. You still have an Android phone, so you're still part of the family =). I honestly just don't see what people mean when they say that ...

 

[madlaw1071]

Could you elaborate on what you mean by the OS being "dark and boring"? You're not the only person who's said that, and I don't understand the commenet. I own an iPod Touch and have used more than my fair share of iPads, and other than the app library, which I agree is fantastic, its a grid of icons. How is that any less "dark and boring"? It definitely helps with the way the screens flow and the apps open and close, considering all it has to do is paint the same icon grid and nothing is moving or flowing like live wallpaper and Widgets, but I'm really puzzled when people tell me how "elegant" iOS is versus the others (I'll give the nod to WebOS for elegance) when it doesn't seem all that alive or organic compared to the others to me.

This isn't an attack. You still have an Android phone, so you're still part of the family =). I honestly just don't see what people mean when they say that ...

I mean visually dark. The backgrounds are all black and the icons aren't all that colorful. The iPad by contrast is very bright and more visually appealing(at least to me). Elegant isn't a word I would use to describe an OS but there's no denying iOS has zero lag, zero delay, zero forecloses etc. Not that Honeycomb has a real problem in those areas but it isn't quite as smooth.

I consider myself sold on Android for my phone but my needs and wants for a tab are more closely aligned to iOS.

FYI, I played around with TouchPad and wasn't all that impressed. The thing felt like junk and it took forever to render web pages.

 

[nate44]

Comparing this tab to the ipad 2 isn't a real fair comparison to make. Apple first released their ipad, more than a year earlier than Honeycomb was out in the wild. So it's understandable that iOS will be more optimized at this point in time, and more apps are available.

However, the Tab 10.1 has a higher resolution widescreen, more pixels per inch, better cameras, lighter/thinner, better sound quality, and web browsing is definitely a step up with flash. Not to mention the endless customization and control you have with Honeycomb.

The second version of this Tab with Ice Cream Sandwich will blow away the ipad 2 in every way imaginable. Apple's days are numbered in dominating the tablet market, especially with Windows 8 on the horizon as well.

 

[ashishb]

Before the flames burn my buns, I love Android and no one will take away my Droid X which I adore.

HOWEVER, I bought an iPad2(for the wife) and a GT 10.1 for me the same night at Best Buy last week. I ran the 2 devices side by side for a week. In virtually every category, for my usage, the iPad2 wins hands down and I returned the GT10.1 and got my own iPad2.

My usage consists of web surfing, email, facebook, youtube etc.

1. Battery life, great for both, Ipad slightly better

2. Screen, suprisingly and disappointingly the iPad had the brighter more crisp screen. I ran Pinball HD side by side on both units and even my wife(who can't tell the difference between hi-def and standard tv) noticed how much better the iPad looked. The Sammy should have had the edge here and didn't.

3. Form factor, I had the gray GT 10.1 and it was extremely thin and solid(the white version is plasticy). The iPad is noticably heavier with its aluminum case. Both are excellent but edge GT 10.1

4. Browsing, I tried the stock browser and Dolphin. Both are decent but not nearly as smooth as Safari. I must be one of the few people in the world that doesn't visit sites with flash content because in my daily surfing I never once had an issue. Web browsing on the iPad is butter.

5. OS, honeycomb to me seems dark and boring. Maybe the touchwiz update will help. Very few decent widgets out of the box. Maybe it's just me, but while I love the customizations I can do on my phone, on my tab/pad I just don't care, thus Android loses its appeal.

6. Apps, game over. Phone Arena just wrote up the fact that even the TouchPad has more/better apps in its one week of existence than Honeycomb. The GT 10.1 is flat out boring compared to the iPad. No HBO GO? Xfinity streaming? Flipboard? The Anrdoid Market is a disaster. Anyone who says apps don't matter has never spent significant time using both devices.

To me the ultimate combo is an android phone and an iPad 2.

Hey Madlaw - I agree with you almost to a T, but I am going to stick out with my GT 10.1. We're a household of Macs, PCs, and android devices. I love my DX also and like the GT 10.1, but Safari on the iPad 2 really is a much nicer experience than any of the browsers I've used on the tab. Granted the iPad 2 doesn't have flash support, but like you I really haven't had too much to complain about when using the iPad 2. I like the flexibility with the tab and am holding out for the Touchwiz update to see if it makes the tab even better to use. Hopefully it will improve the browsing capabilities.

Also, since I'm still relatively new to this forum - I just wanted to say thanks to all who have been posting their thoughts and those have assisted with guides, suggestions, etc...

 

[madlaw1071]

Comparing this tab to the ipad 2 isn't a real fair comparison to make. Apple first released their ipad, more than a year earlier than Honeycomb was out in the wild. So it's understandable that iOS will be more optimized at this point in time, and more apps are available.

However, the Tab 10.1 has a higher resolution widescreen, more pixels per inch, better cameras, lighter/thinner, better sound quality, and web browsing is definitely a step up with flash. Not to mention the endless customization and control you have with Honeycomb.

The second version of this Tab with Ice Cream Sandwich will blow away the ipad 2 in every way imaginable. Apple's days are numbered in dominating the tablet market, especially with Windows 8 on the horizon as well.

Of course it's fair. They are direct competitors at identical price points. There are reports out today which suggest the iPad will only increase its marketplace dominance not decrease. Check our BGR.com for reference.

 

[madlaw1071]

Hey Madlaw - I agree with you almost to a T, but I am going to stick out with my GT 10.1. We're a household of Macs, PCs, and android devices. I love my DX also and like the GT 10.1, but Safari on the iPad 2 really is a much nicer experience than any of the browsers I've used on the tab. Granted the iPad 2 doesn't have flash support, but like you I really haven't had too much to complain about when using the iPad 2. I like the flexibility with the tab and am holding out for the Touchwiz update to see if it makes the tab even better to use. Hopefully it will improve the browsing capabilities.

Also, since I'm still relatively new to this forum - I just wanted to say thanks to all who have been posting their thoughts and those have assisted with guides, suggestions, etc...

I think the Touchwiz update will make it better but the app availability has a LONG way to go.

 

[nate44]

Of course it's fair. They are direct competitors at identical price points. There are reports out today which suggest the iPad will only increase its marketplace dominance not decrease. Check our BGR.com for reference.

That's ridiculous. Do you really have no clue why comparing a second generation device, to a first generation model isn't fair?

And anyone who thinks that the ipad tablet marketplace dominance will continue to grow once Ice Cream Sandwich, and Windows 8 arrive is a complete moron. The only reason why they have dominated thus far, was because they had no other competition to begin with.

 

[madlaw1071]

That's ridiculous. Do you really have no clue why comparing a second generation device, to a first generation model isn't fair?

And anyone who thinks that the ipad tablet marketplace dominance will continue to grow once Ice Cream Sandwich, and Windows 8 arrive is a complete moron. The only reason why they have dominated thus far, was because they had no other competition to begin with.

Here's the article Android users buy the iPad over Google-powered tablets

Name calling isn't needed. As the article empiraclly shows, I am not alone in preferring an Android phone and an iPad. Feel free to provide your own statistical data.

Also, if they aren't direct competitors why are they located in the same section of the store and at the same price point? Why do the Android tabs always point out that they run flash? Isn't that to highlight an advantage over the iPad?

 

[rebornr]

4. Browsing, I tried the stock browser and Dolphin. Both are decent but not nearly as smooth as Safari. I must be one of the few people in the world that doesn't visit sites with flash content because in my daily surfing I never once had an issue. Web browsing on the iPad is butter.

I'm a web designer and programmer. Work in Flash, JQuery, blah, blah. To each his own - but there is one misconception that should be cleared up about browsing the web with Flash and the whole 'I never once had an issue'.

1) When you program in Flash the vast majority of the time when you insert a Flash object on a webpage you will also point to a 'alternate' static image for those browsers that don't have Flash. So you can have a fully immersed Flash experience on a page but for those browsers without Flash (iOS Safari) all they will see is a static image. Now, will they know that they are missing out on the intended web experience? No, in this case ignorance is bliss. But let me assure you - that alternate image is an afterthought. It is meant to fill a hole and nothing more. Now if you have a team of designers, programmers and hundreds of thousands of dollars to burn - then yes of course - it'll be more than an 'afterthought'.

2) Some programmers are a little bit lazier than that though. They won't even offer an alternate image. In that case the 'missing plug-in' icon will appear. The single most brilliant thing that Apple has ever done to convince people that 'nobody uses Flash anymore' is to tweak iOS Safari so that the missing plug-in icon isn't there. All you see is a hole where the Flash object was supposed to appear. Now, compare that to the way iOS Safari was in the first iterations of the iPhone where icon DID appear. People were livid because they knew they were missing something. Now with no icon - again, ignorance is bliss. Just this little tweak has convinced users that all the web programmers in the world went and re-programmed all their websites to the mythical HTML 5 (which is great but as of right now can't do 1/3 of the capabilities of Flash) because of iOS's 1% share of the browsing market. Apple might be insanely great but that is just plain 'insane'.

I do agree that iOS Safari offers a better scrolling experience - but I would trade the full internet experience (and tabs) for that any day.

 

[madlaw1071]

I'm a web designer and programmer. Work in Flash, JQuery, blah, blah. To each his own - but there is one misconception that should be cleared up about browsing the web with Flash and the whole 'I never once had an issue'.

1) When you program in Flash the vast majority of the time when you insert a Flash object on a webpage you will also point to a 'alternate' static image for those browsers that don't have Flash. So you can have a fully immersed Flash experience on a page but for those browsers without Flash (iOS Safari) all they will see is a static image. Now, will they know that they are missing out on the intended web experience? No, in this case ignorance is bliss. But let me assure you - that alternate image is an afterthought. It is meant to fill a hole and nothing more. Now if you have a team of designers, programmers and hundreds of thousands of dollars to burn - then yes of course - it'll be more than an 'afterthought'.

2) Some programmers are a little bit lazier than that though. They won't even offer an alternate image. In that case the 'missing plug-in' icon will appear. The single most brilliant thing that Apple has ever done to convince people that 'nobody uses Flash anymore' is to tweak iOS Safari so that the missing plug-in icon isn't there. All you see is a hole where the Flash object was supposed to appear. Now, compare that to the way iOS Safari was in the first iterations of the iPhone where icon DID appear. People were livid because they knew they were missing something. Now with no icon - again, ignorance is bliss. Just this little tweak has convinced users that all the web programmers in the world went and re-programmed all their websites to the mythical HTML 5 (which is great but as of right now can't do 1/3 of the capabilities of Flash) because of iOS's 1% share of the browsing market. Apple might be insanely great but that is just plain 'insane'.

I do agree that iOS Safari offers a better scrolling experience - but I would trade the full internet experience (and tabs) for that any day.

Great analysis, one problem though. I had both devices available for daily use and went to the same websites on both. Not only did I not notice any missing content but Safari loaded the web pages quicker.

 

[rebornr]

Great analysis, one problem though. I had both devices available for daily use and went to the same websites on both. Not only did I not notice any missing content but Safari loaded the web pages quicker.

I'm not trying to dispute your surfing patterns here. I think in general if your favorite sites are information/text heavy (news, message boards, etc.) then the content is the same. If you go to restaurants, hotels, car manufacturers or movie sites then your web experience would definitely not be the same (better or worse is subjective - but not the same nonetheless). All that said, until the processers catch up - the desktop will always be the best way to surf. At this point, nobody should be designing a website primarily with mobile devices in mind - unless you have tons of cash to burn.

 

[slopokdave]

I felt the same, which is why I went Xoom to ipad2. Then, the ipad2 became boring and frustrating after some time and the newness wore off.

Back with honeycomb and there is no going back for me.

 

[1414H77]

My wife has the iPad 2 and me the tab 10.1. In my opinion, the browsing experience is superior on the Tab. Not only do I find it faster, but also using Dolphin I can move around much easier with the swiping to get to bookmarks, etc. It is a much more enjoyable experience on the tab, at least to me.

 

[nate44]

Here's the article Android users buy the iPad over Google-powered tablets

Name calling isn't needed. As the article empiraclly shows, I am not alone in preferring an Android phone and an iPad. Feel free to provide your own statistical data.

Also, if they aren't direct competitors why are they located in the same section of the store and at the same price point? Why do the Android tabs always point out that they run flash? Isn't that to highlight an advantage over the iPad?

It seems your reading comprehension needs a little work. I stated that their dominance will not continue to grow. As any clear thinking person could forecast that with more competition coming to the tablet market, Apple's ipad dominance will decrease over time because people will have other viable options to choose from. Here's some 'data' from the same site you linked: RBC: 185 million tablets sold by end of 2014, Android to dominate long-term

Now in the next year or so the ipad will continue to dominate, but as Android matures as the iOS has had time to do just that, then you will see things lean in favor of Android.

I also never stated that the Galaxy Tab wasn't a direct competitor to the ipad.

 

[alcor34]

Many techy friends of mine have IPad 1 & 2 and a few of them have bought the samsung tab 10.1 after using mine because they liked it so much better than the IPad, which they were constantly complaining about. They loved the screen, the web browsing speed and other feature on my Sam Tab.

I'm waiting for the tweaks of TouchWiz. I already received an update on my Tab on the 4th, stability. I guess in preparation for when TouchWiz drops. from what i've seen of it, TW is gonna be hott!

But to each his own.

 

[slackerjack]

Eh, to each his own I suppose - I wouldn't be nearly as happy with Android if iOS weren't there to compare it to (or push forward in terms of technologically advance at the rate it has through it's willingness to compete) - glad you found a device that suits your needs.

I'd argue with you on the screen/image quality - but it's so subjective a per-pixel density comparison would fall on deaf ears. But that never stopped me before so - bottom line:
On the tab:

• Color Saturation is better
• Screen brightness is better
• Resolution is higher
• Pixel density is higher
• Display is laid out in an actual HD format orientation so that content can be viewed in it's correct aspect ratio.

I've got a fairly well trained eye; I've been working in the graphics industry for over 10 years with a background in GPU architecture and AA/AF coding. I've been working in (or around) the games business for those 10 years and from that I've divined that peoples taste is both;
1. Generally Terrible
2. Their own preference, so it doesn't matter if I'm right or wrong

For the record - I'm not picking on your taste - I'd be equally critical, and have been, of any display comparison. I remember back when the huge video debate was "Fullscreen vs. Widescreen" and the associated idiotic masses who went on and on about how full frame was "vastly superior" because it didn't have little black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.... /shrug - what the hell do I care right?



Have fun on Youtube! (Sorry, couldn't help myself)

Jack

 

[TuxDotKing]

Eh, to each their own. These types of threads were posted ad nauseum about Android phones when the G1 came out. Then we look at Android phones now! Tablets will go the same way.

I hope you enjoy your iPad2, and I hope to see you again sometime in the future!

 

[TheDonJ77]

He'll be back, sold my ipad 2 for a galaxy tab and now that I got the kinks worked out, I am very satisfied.

 

[ziggster]

[Unnecessary comment removed by moderator]

Seriously???