(Q) modding a phone into a tablet - Hardware Hacking General

Can this be done? I am asking this because I am getting sick of messing with all these tablets none of the 7' ones have optical batteries and it is hard to find one that doesn't weigh like a pound with a huge bezel which is the main reason why I was looking at doing this I feel the tablet would really benefit being light weight. My main question is if I found a decent cellphone with a broken screen for cheap would it be difficult to be able to adapt a 16:9 7' LCD panel and capacitive digitizer to the connector? I'd really love to have a small pocketable 7' tablet that has moddable space for some of the cheaply available cellphone batteries or extended batteries etc..
I was close to getting what I wanted with one tablet but it didn't have USB charging.

you can try on openmoko phone,they are coming with full customization opensource phone so you can modify it.

buzz86us said:
Can this be done? I am asking this because I am getting sick of messing with all these tablets none of the 7' ones have optical batteries and it is hard to find one that doesn't weigh like a pound with a huge bezel which is the main reason why I was looking at doing this I feel the tablet would really benefit being light weight. My main question is if I found a decent cellphone with a broken screen for cheap would it be difficult to be able to adapt a 16:9 7' LCD panel and capacitive digitizer to the connector? I'd really love to have a small pocketable 7' tablet that has moddable space for some of the cheaply available cellphone batteries or extended batteries etc..
I was close to getting what I wanted with one tablet but it didn't have USB charging.
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Click to collapse
If I read this correct, you want to be able to remove the tablets battery and/or swap it with a cellphone battery? Would it work? Yes. No. I have a 5in. Galaxy Player that has a non-removable battery but I removed it just to see if I could. If you manage to correctly wire everything together you have to consider how to get it in a pocketable shell. Also phones and tablets have different shaped batteries and those batteries have different amperage/voltage. But hey, if you got expendable cash and a little "know how" by all means go for it.

i was talking modding a phone with a broken screen into a tablet by replacing the screen with a 7' lcd and a capacitive digitizer and designing a shell while maintaining the phones ability to use its own optical batteries. I am just trying to get a feel for whether this would he a viable idea.

But do u think a 7 inch is pocketable? Even if its weightless? Lol, i almost dont put my hd2 in my pockets, its hell of a big.
But as ans for ur doubts its possible. Unless u manage to get a proper display. Batt isnt that much prob. U can make packs with several batts, if u know how to.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using xda premium

Wouldn't one extended battery suffice? and yes a 7' tab is pocketable the main issue that makes these non pocketable is the huge bezels on some of them.

First and foremost you can't wire a different screen or digitizer into the system. The LCD driver is build and configured for that exact display and resolution. A better solution could be to slave a LCD panel using the hdmi and integrate a mouse into the housing to control it.
As for batteries there is a reason they are the way they are. It is easier to integrate it (smaller profile) and it is easier to deal with. You would need a huge battery if you wanted any sort of run time.

giritrobbins said:
First and foremost you can't wire a different screen or digitizer into the system. The LCD driver is build and configured for that exact display and resolution. A better solution could be to slave a LCD panel using the hdmi and integrate a mouse into the housing to control it.
As for batteries there is a reason they are the way they are. It is easier to integrate it (smaller profile) and it is easier to deal with. You would need a huge battery if you wanted any sort of run time.
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I was going to say, the biggest problem will be the driving hardware for the LCD as almost each lcd has a different one. In order for this to work you would have to find one that works exactly the same way as the screen that you are taking off.
Battery power will also be a problem. The battery for my Captivate is 5.5 Watt Hours which at 3.7-3.8V is 1450-1500mAh. The battery an iPad 2 is 28W which at 3.8V is 7380 mAh. Basically, bigger screen = bigger backlight. Bigger backlight = more power. The most battery two most battery draining items on the phone is the cell receiver and the lcd backlight.

pongkite said:
you can try on openmoko phone,they are coming with full customization opensource phone so you can modify it.
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Click to collapse
Wow. I haven't seen a reference to openmoko in a long time.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

What's wrong with having a bezel around the screen? It is actually useful when you hold the tablet cause your fingers won't touch the screen as you're holding it

Get a Samsung galaxy note!

I agree with this guy ^^^^
I had the same trouble as you, but now I have a Galaxy Note, its only 5.3 inches though not 7, but after moving up from an iPhone it feels huge.

Yes on the Galaxy Note -- have one and am pleased
I have the Galaxy Note and recommend it as well.
Give that, my read is you may find an option of using an andriod phone put a mod on it (an example cyanogenmod) and BOOM phablet
I am digging into this as an option as well (welcome comments). I have been trying to get a device from ebay without luck todate (recommendations welcome).
I also ordered a Window N50 (N5Zero) as another option
let me know if this helps

Unless you really need the phone functionality of an actual phone, wouldn't it be much simpler to buy an existing 7" tablet and then mod it to take removable batteries? Some dremel work, bit of plastic plates for support and some spring contacts and you're good to go.
China makes some very nice android tablets. I've got a 9.7 one that runs ICS and the experience on it is at least as good as my old HTC desire minus the phone and 3G. Supports external 3G dongles but dang they're ugly..

For the record, I have a galaxy note.
Just buy a kindle fire, root it, and install ICS. Or just install a launcher like my GF did. For 200 dollars you will not do any better than it, period.
The kindle fire is pretty impressive in terms of RAM and processor power for the price, and while the screen isn't perfect, I found it hard to justify $700 at the time for the Gnote over her free smartphone and $200 dollar KF.
Even in terms of gaming, emulation, etc, I have yet to find anything running significantly slower than on my Gnote, even though the specs are just a 1ghz dual- core processor and 512 mb RAM. I think the playstation emulater ran ever so slightly slower with a 3D game, that's it.
My girl seems to get around 3-4 days on standby with some moderate gaming and a lot of e-reading, etc. I'm sure you can get a generic micro-usb 'external battery' which will charge your device etc. Personally, I just carry around a micro-usb cable and/or charger. Unless you are taking this hypothetical tablet into the woods I can't see how you wouldn't be able to charge it at least for an hour or two somewhere in this day and age.
One of the reasons that you will not find tablets with removable batteries is that the batteries themselves are massive and make up much a pretty sizeable chunk of the phone. I can't state the specifics, but the point is you can't just 'remove the back and plop in a new battery'. What, were you planning to run four galaxy S2 batteries in series or something? How would that be useful? And do you really think that the result you will get will be superior to something you could buy? Have you ever tried soldering onto PCBs before? Do you have the proper equipment to do so?
+1 to the lower-cost tablets coming out of China, etc. I have heard some good things about them.
Summary: economies of scale have all the answers you need

The Toshiba Thrive has a removable battery. The 10 inch, at any rate.
Sent from my AT100 using Tapatalk 2

Related

TF vs Thrive

So bought a Transformer then switched it out for an Iconia which I promptly returned and picked up my TF. I had thought that the Iconia with its USB port would be a better unit, bu the screen just doesn't compare to the TF. Add in the better battery life on the TF, the 3.1 upgrade, etc etc and well it was a tough weekend using the Acer. Now we hear that the Toshiba is about to arrive in the US and soon after here in Canada. Now on paper this unit seems to have it all, and by all I mean FINALLY a 'User Replaceable' battery. Add in SDXC support on the device, a Full size USB port, HDMI, a screen lock switch etc etc and frankly I'm about to abandon the TF once again.
I've not been able to find if indeed the Thrive is an IPS screen, and I guess it's unlikely to see much in the way of reviews until these units finally hit the market.
Still, I'd very much appreciate any comments from other TF users. As it stands I have until June 27th to return the TF for a full refund. Grr I wish the Thrive was out now.
Uhhh, what? You want opinions on a different tablet from transformer owners? And one on a tablet that isn't on the market?
The Thrive will not sport an IPS screen.
It's also thicker, if that matters to you. Quite a bit thicker.
Anyway, the TF with the dock is still my favorite tablet. The Thrive's lacking screen and substantial thickness are the main downsides.
The way i see it any tablet is not good enough for you.If you get the Toshiba, 1-2 months from now there will be another one with better specs and you will want to change again.
And there is nothing bad about it, if you have enough money.
berbecverde said:
The way i see it any tablet is not good enough for you.If you get the Toshiba, 1-2 months from now there will be another one with better specs and you will want to change again.
And there is nothing bad about it, if you have enough money.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, buying a new Tegra 2 tablet now seems a bit harsh. They'll be obsolete soon enough, after all.
dorino1 said:
The Thrive will not sport an IPS screen.
It's also thicker, if that matters to you. Quite a bit thicker.
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Click to collapse
It's .1" thicker (the TF tapers at the edges creating an illusion of thinness). I don't think it's "quite a bit thicker." For some reason the photos of it make it look chunkier than the dimensions would have you believe.
And I don't think anyone knows what sort of screen technology it will have -- if you Google it, you'll find some say IPS, some say it doesn't.
Thrive does come with full usb/hdmi ports..but it's also a lot thicker and probably heavier...
For comparison:
Transformer: .5" thick, 1.49 pounds
Thrive: .6" thick, 1.6 pounds
As the post above mentions, for that extra .1" and .1 pounds, you get a full-sized USB, full-sized HDMI, and full-sized SD slot. All the full-sizin' without adding much thickness or weight is pretty impressive.
Also has status/notification lights, removable battery, charging dock, and a hardware orientation-lock. If this thing does come with an IPS screen, then ... wow.
if TF101 was .5" All Around then no way in Hell Would I Have bought it. Because its so thin at the edges and only .5" in the center back then It makes is seem very thin still, which looks good. Thrive is Alot thicker all around the unit. It looks way too big. If it was Thin on edges and thick in center like TF then maybe it would have been an option.
Then again it Needs Thickness for all those ports soo hmm...Cant be too thin if you want to add those.
Whipping my TF out of the case and eyeballing it, it looks like it begins tapering only about 1.5" from the edges all around. I dunno, I'll have to handle a Thrive myself to see if all the additional features are worth the slightly added bulk and weight.
Its the replaceable battery that is big IMO...I wonder about the fixed batteries 2 yrs down the road and if it will make any sense to send them in for a retrofit and if not they just become garbage. Personally i think our Gov should legislate that batteries can be replaced by the user otherwise add in an additional tax on the product
I don't have issues with my TF's battery life, but I can definitely see where that's a plus for some. The things about it that intrigue me the most are the status lights (I like knowing I have a notification waiting), the rubberized back (I find the TF kind of slippery), and the inclusion of a charging dock. The full-sized ports are things I may not use, but it'd be nice to have them just in case. The 8GB of internal memory is annoying but not dealbreaker. A crappy screen would be, though.
Toshiba has said, officially, that it is not an IPS display. It's an "IPS like" display, which is what Acer said about the Iconia... And Motorola about the Xoom... And Samsung about the GT10.1. It's still up in the air whether it's a good display or not, but it is not an IPS. That's for sure!
It is 0.11 inches thicker. Over 20% thicker than the Transformer. It is a small difference, but it's noticable!
Anyway, since I use the dock, having the ports built in don't really matter to me. I've already got them.
I bought the toshiba thrive, the 1hr fast charge did it for me.... I tell you this right now.. if I get it in hand, and the screen is not up to par, I will send it back that day with out even trying out the rest of it!
a tablet is 90% screen, so you better put a freaking GREAT screen! lol
the only thing I dont like about my transformer is the creeking on the left hand side, if it didnt have this problem, then I would be A OK!
toshiba looks like it will be a quality tablet, I love how it's put together, looks tough!
I dont know why "thin" is a good thing, I simply dont get it..
Thremix said:
I bought the toshiba thrive, the 1hr fast charge did it for me.... I tell you this right now.. if I get it in hand, and the screen is not up to par, I will send it back that day with out even trying out the rest of it!
a tablet is 90% screen, so you better put a freaking GREAT screen! lol
the only thing I dont like about my transformer is the creeking on the left hand side, if it didnt have this problem, then I would be A OK!
toshiba looks like it will be a quality tablet, I love how it's put together, looks tough!
I dont know why "thin" is a good thing, I simply dont get it..
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Click to collapse
I like thin devices. I don't necessarily care for ultra-light devices, though. To each their own.

Transformer vs Galaxy tab 10.1

I literally just put my order in about 3 days ago and will see my TF on Thursday, but I'm having second thoughts. A friend of mine just got his TF in today, and - well I dunno, I'm not all that impressed.
Out of the box came with the speaker issue (one side is louder than the other). The sound wasn't all that loud
Screen brightness was kind of low
The sharp edges were cutting my fingers
So I started to have a read about the differences between the Transformer & the Galaxy tab in the Galaxy Tab section. However, I think everyone posting there is biased toward the tab because they are now tab fanboys posting in their forum.
A few things I do like about the TF. Price of $399 (unbeatable) Expandable ports, dock option, memory slot, hdmi out, 5mpx camera. Do I think I'll use all of that (except price)? Probably not.
A few things I like about the Tab. Same size screen with less bulk, thinner, lighter, rounded edges, very solid build quality. Do I think its worth an extra $100 for these items? I think so. Plus I know the resale value will definitely be there because its a well known brand.
I haven't made up my mind completely on this but im about 80% of the way there in returning my TF and going with the Tab.
Thoughts, comments?
Nobody can decide for you. Do whatever you are happiest with.
Having used a hybrid tablet/netbook like the Transformer, I would never buy a tablet-only device.
^x2
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
It's more than $100 (or here in germany 100€). You don't have a MicroSD Slot and HDMI-out. Do you need both options you must pay way more. And for the same price you can get a Transformer+Dock.
I don't see, why anybody would pay more for less...
Hi mate,
I have had the TF since release day and to be honest I'm very happy with it. It does what I need it to do very well: reading books, browse internet, playing games, plays movies (although there are some issues).
On the other hand I don't need and I will never get the dock, simply because if I wanted a netbook there are much better options on the market. And I have one of them as well.
Because of that I'm waiting to see the Galaxy Tab in real life, hold it in my hands. And if that offers everything that I need and is better than the TF I might go for it.
So good luck choosing! Let us know what you go for.
rio
PS: Actually what I'm considering at the moment is the small Galaxy tab 8.9 (I think). That one was on the Samsung website for a while, but I'm not sure what is the current status
rio911 said:
PS: Actually what I'm considering at the moment is the small Galaxy tab 8.9 (I think). That one was on the Samsung website for a while, but I'm not sure what is the current status
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually that is the "MEDIUM" Galaxy Tab. THe "small" one is the 7 inch versions and there are two of them. The powerful 3G/Wifi one and the neutered and less power Wifi only version.
The MAJOR downside to any Galaxy Tabs are :
1.) Updates are so slow....MONTHS behind the others.
2.) 10 inchers have no expansion slots.....and the 8.9 as well I think.
Get whatever YOU decide to be happy with. Others cannot make that choice for you. Only YOU can.
Some people like smaller I would not be able to stand a 7" tablet or laptop without optical media. My motto has always been its the size/shape that makes it portable it doesn't matter if its 20lbs its still light and easy to move around. But then again I compare it with moving around 300-400lbs.
Digiguest said:
Actually that is the "MEDIUM" Galaxy Tab. THe "small" one is the 7 inch versions and there are two of them. The powerful 3G/Wifi one and the neutered and less power Wifi only version.
The MAJOR downside to any Galaxy Tabs are :
1.) Updates are so slow....MONTHS behind the others.
2.) 10 inchers have no expansion slots.....and the 8.9 as well I think.
Get whatever YOU decide to be happy with. Others cannot make that choice for you. Only YOU can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gtab. 10.1 also with build issues. Many are suffering from Newton rings. Dust under screen. Colors are way oversaturated.....
If u want android in an ipad like body then go Samsung. If Samsung would have made the device 1 or 2 mm thicker and put in micro SD and HDMI they also would have been able to prevent the Newton ring issue and have the one killer tablet.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Digiguest said:
1.) Updates are so slow....MONTHS behind the others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know how you can say that really.... there hasn't been any major updates for Samsung to pass onto the Tablets. The only time when you'll be able to use that point is when Ice Cream Sandwich comes out. I'd say that 1/2 months is a good enough turn around for manufacturers to update their devices a major version.
I'd also like to note that I have a Galaxy S. While Americans are still using Eclair because of their crappy carriers wanting to hack the firmware to bits, us using unbranded european devices got Gingerbread before any other device (bar the Nexus devices). Samsung know what they are doing.
The way I see it, from my experience with the TF is this:
16GB is not enough. My music alone is near this and more. Since there is no additional storage options on the GT, you are going to have to opt for a 32GB or more which equals greater $$$ to spend. But sacrifices could be made...
So, I would say the dock is the real reason to get this thing. If you are not too excited about the dock, I wouldn't bother. The GT excels in design, but the TF excels in utility and value.
If the "sharp edges" of the Transformer are really "cutting [your] fingers," that's a physical problem with the device (or your fingers, I guess!).
Buy sleeve m8,than will be perfect
Your not the first to have these concerns. I bought the tf and was considering selling it for a tab. But what you've stated (price, microsd, HDMI out, and KB option) kept me from doing so.
I played with the tab for an hour or so and still prefer my tf. I didn't like the button placement on the tab, (they're in a more natural placement on the tf.
I did have the speaker issue on my tf but it was an easy fix. Just root it (there's a very well written guide by yours truly ;-)) and read up on the thread in the development section and it's as easy as editing a txt file.
If the edges bother you, grab a case, I'm currently using the roocase multi-angle which I got from amazon for under $30.
Other than that the only downside of the tf I see is the charger. Proprietary connection, short cable and sometimes the adapter doesn't want to work.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
I was in the same boat. I traded my iPad2 for an Android tablet and had lots of offers. I was looking at the Galaxy Tab and thought it was for me until I found that it didn't have any expansion ports like the iPad2. It is one of the reasons why I HATED the iPad2 because you had to carry around the special USB cable to sync it... then you needed special software for it to work...
Screw all that. I need to be able to quickly get files on and off the my tablet. I don't want to have to rely on another computer or a computer with special software to read my stuff.
90% of the time you'll have access to a Home or Work PC which you will probably have setup properly... but trust me... you WILL find yourself somewhere needing to pull a picture off or text or an attachment or something and you'll be stuck. It will happen more often the more you use it.
Plus the price point. I was trading my iPad2 for whichever I wanted. Did I need the keyboard dock? No. Will I use the keyboard dock often? No. Is it badass? Yes.
The keyboard dock has an additional battery that will charge the tablet battery when docked. It also increases the functionality of the tab.
Both tablets are identical in hardware except the Transformer has lots of additional ports. microSD is a must and HDMI out is actually very handy for throwing pictures, movies, games, etc on a larger screen.
I just can't see buying the Galaxy Tab 10.1 for the same price as you could buy the Transformer + Dock.
sontin said:
It's more than $100 (or here in germany 100€). You don't have a MicroSD Slot and HDMI-out. Do you need both options you must pay way more. And for the same price you can get a Transformer+Dock.
I don't see, why anybody would pay more for less...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't exactly call the Samsung as "less" than the Transformer. I think they're different enough that it's gonna come down to how you personally use it.
One thing I'd like to point out - the Gtab is much easier to hold in your hand than the Transformer. Corners aren't as sharp, it's lighter, and seems better balanced. The texture on the back of the Gtab is easier to grab, though this could be solved with a sleeve on the Transformer.
Another point is screen reflection. The Transformer's glass is much farther away from the LCD than the glass on the Samsung. IPS screens are nice, but unless you're always going to be in a optimally lit room, you'll see a lot more reflections with the Transformer than with the Samsung Tab. Some Samsung Tab's have issues with the screen actually touching the LCD and making oil marks, but most don't.
So - the differences are definitely there. I don't you can write off the Gtab's advantages. The reflection and ergonomics itself might be worth $100.
My experience is that I just bought the Galaxy Tab 10.1 16GB about 5 days ago. I played with it over night and returned it the next day.
The following day, I purchased the Transformer 16GB and a dock for $50.00 more.
Now that I've owned the TF for 3-4 days, I'm very satisfied with it for many reasons:
- Multiple media input/out options: mini HDMI out, x2 USB ports, and SD/MMC card reader. - Will work perfectly with my Nikon P100's SD card and I can use a external HDD and plug it right into the USB port if I want to watch my movies.
- Dock acts as extended battery: I also tether my HTC Thunderbolt and plug it into the dock to keep a charge on my Thunderbolt while tethering my 4G to the Transformer.(SO MUCH WIN!!!)
- Having a keyboard when I want to compose an email is x100 better than thumbing my words through the tab. - I still use the touchscreen kb for somethings.
- Dock/keyboard has shortcut buttons which I take advantage of all the time.
- Textured casing makes handling the tablet/net book very secure and eliminates any smudges.
*I do not see where in the world you could cut your hand/finger on the tablet or the docking station. - You should tell your friend to get an RMA because there's something wrong with the one he has. Either that or he may need to see a dermatologist about amyloidosis, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
Re: Samsung Galaxy 10.1
I chose that tablet first because of the sleek design. I was extremely impressed with the way that Samsung engineered the design.
HOWEVER, no more than 1-2 hours after playing with it, I came back to my senses and see how limited I was with any options. Not only does it look like an iPad but it also has all the shortcomings in hardware that the iPad does.
I have had a few Android devices and so it's practically a religion to have a microSD card for my stuff. Samsung decided to cut back on adding any option to extend storage and that was a the biggest decider for me. - All the selling points that a Android tablet has in terms of hardware-media expansion was nerfed on latest Galaxy Tab. Did Samsung want to imitate Apple so much that they even decided to try and sell a tab that requires additional parts to make it comparable to all other tablets?
In the end, this is only my real life opinion having owned both devices and what I still have now is the Asus Transformer.
Once I used the keyboard/dock with my tablet, I can not imagine another tablet without this option. Asus did a decent job in engineering the look/feel of the tab with the dock/keyboard.
*I did have to return both tab and dock/keyboard to Best Buy until I found the right Best Buy which had B60 as my previous ones were B50.
Good lucking in making your decision. If you buy it at Best Buy, you can at least return it in 14 days without restocking fee and get the other one. If you felt that first one was better than you can simply return it again and go back to the other model. I am in NO WAY suggesting to abuse a return policy but it's there and it works as mentioned.
coachclass said:
I wouldn't exactly call the Samsung as "less" than the Transformer. I think they're different enough that it's gonna come down to how you personally use it.
One thing I'd like to point out - the Gtab is much easier to hold in your hand than the Transformer. Corners aren't as sharp, it's lighter, and seems better balanced. The texture on the back of the Gtab is easier to grab, though this could be solved with a sleeve on the Transformer.
Another point is screen reflection. The Transformer's glass is much farther away from the LCD than the glass on the Samsung. IPS screens are nice, but unless you're always going to be in a optimally lit room, you'll see a lot more reflections with the Transformer than with the Samsung Tab. Some Samsung Tab's have issues with the screen actually touching the LCD and making oil marks, but most don't.
So - the differences are definitely there. I don't you can write off the Gtab's advantages. The reflection and ergonomics itself might be worth $100.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course the closer together glass in the gtab has led to the oil blob effect for Many
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
I've had my TF since right after it launched in the US and I do love it. With that being said, I do plan on picking up a galaxy tab tomorrow, the last day that you can use the $50 off coupon for any tablet at staples.
The TF definately has the advantage when it comes to storage, because of the SD card and dock if you want to buy it, which I have no interest in. The galaxy tab however has a great form factor and from my limited use with one seems to have snappier performance than my TF, even though they have almost idendical specs, and my TF is overclocked. I also prefer the screen on the tab compared to the TF.
Honestly I think that the OP will be happy with either one. My only real gripe against the TF is that the majority of them seem to suufer from light bleed or some manufacturing defect, thankfully I only have minimal bleed, and that Asus has been slow with delivering on most of the official accessories that they promised months ago. I really want the desktop dock, which is readily available for the GT at a reasonable price.
I will say that if the galaxy tab disappoints me in any way during my return window, I will gladly buy a second TF after returning it.
I own the TF since late May...only problem I have with it is that the right speaker is louder than the left.
This past Sunday I bought the Galaxy Tab for someone and yeah it looks very nice it's thinner and lighter, but it seemed to have less options than the TF (specially within the browser settings.) The browser actually froze up on me and didn't want to display any pages. Didn't like that fact that it doesn't have an external microSD slot! I ended up returning it 2 hours later because the person preferred a laptop! My short experience with it wasn't good

Replacing my laptop with Galaxy Note

I originally purchased the Galaxy Note around 1.5 months ago on a £27 GBP per month 24-month contract from 3 (including 500 minutes, 5000 texts and unlimited data) with the purpose of it saving me the costs of two devices. So far, it has proved more than capable as serving as both a tablet and phone, but I want to try and extend that. After spending a few ill days using solely the Note, I've found I'm able to complete almost all my regular PC tasks that I would carry out on my laptop on my Note instead.
Thanks to Polaris Office, which comes pre-installed on the phone, I can even do the majority of my school homework on my device with reminders set on S Memo and S Planner. S Note helps me organise recipes for my passion for cooking, whilst Nova launcher allows me to have several slots on my dock bar coupled with a default ICS look for a tablet-like experience. The sites which I visit frequently, such as YouTube and Facebook, all have adequate enough apps and Thumb Keyboard makes typing on the Note (be it landscape or portrait) a breeze. So, fading out my laptop usage seems like the natural thing to do in my mind.
However, before I am able to do that I have a few things I need to sort out first and I have taken the liberty to write them out below with the hope that someone hear can help me with one or more of these issues I face.
Firstly, the Galaxy Note only delivers around 4/5 hours of screen time, which isn't awful but an improvement is always welcome. So, I am looking for a larger battery, but I still need to fit my phone into a case so I don't want one which increases the size of my device. Any recommendations that aren't ridiculously priced as I don't have an awful lot of money with £27 out of £40 allowance going towards this phone?
Next, I am looking for a case for my Note which both protects the back of the device and the camera, which I have heard to be prone to scratches, plus the screen. So, a flip-case seems most appropriate. I love the styling of the Zenus one found here, but it is rather expensive. So, does anyone know of some cheaper alternatives with a similar styling? I want one with a kickstand so I can view movies from my bedside cabinet or set it up to play some games using a gaming pad.
Unfortunately, as with every device, severely heavy usage does mean you have to charge at least once a day. Unfortunately, the charger which came with my phone does not reach from a mains plug to a chair in my living room or bedroom. So, could anyone recommend a longer wire approximately four metres in length for a decent price?
I also have a few questions regarding the software of the Galaxy Note. My phone suffers from the brick-bug thanks to accepting an upgrade before checking online, which was in hindsight a little foolish, and also the deep sleep bug. The brick bug should, hopefully, receive a fix from Samsung. But, if this comes in the form of an update, will it not wipe data and trigger the bug or shall this update be safe? As for the deep sleep bug, what can I do to try to trigger my phone into deep sleep? I already get around 15 hours of light use on my phone, which is still better than any other smartphone I have (admittedly just an old HTC Desire and Samsung Wave), but as I said all improvements are welcome. Any ideas?
OnLive allows you to pull of full HD gaming with the likes of Homefront available on the service to play on your mobile. I want to know how connecting the "Universal Wireless Controller" works? Is it compatible with ICS?
Finally, I am looking for some app recommendations. Open to all suggestions.
EDIT 1: I am also looking for a 32GB Micro-SD/SD card (whichever one the Galaxy Note takes) for the cheapest price available. I have heard of some 64GB cards working too, but unless they are for a reasonable price I am uninterested. Any suggestions for a cheap card for storing some media on? I am also looking for PC software to rip my DVDs to place them onto my SD card. I have loads of television show box-sets that have 20 minute long episodes just perfect for a bus trip, for example.
EDIT 2: So, upon some reading, I've heard lots of people saying how a screen protector is a must. I certainly didn't think so, but I trust the people on here to not steer me wrong. The issue I have with many screen protectors is that they add a weird texture for touching and also are absolutely a nightmare to get on. Anyone know of a screen protector which doesn't impair the comfort of touching and using the S-Pen on the screen?
Brad387 said:
I originally purchased the Galaxy Note around 1.5 months ago on a £27 GBP per month 24-month contract from 3 (including 500 minutes, 5000 texts and unlimited data) with the purpose of it saving me the costs of two devices. So far, it has proved more than capable as serving as both a tablet and phone, but I want to try and extend that. After spending a few ill days using solely the Note, I've found I'm able to complete almost all my regular PC tasks that I would carry out on my laptop on my Note instead.
Thanks to Polaris Office, which comes pre-installed on the phone, I can even do the majority of my school homework on my device with reminders set on S Memo and S Planner. S Note helps me organise recipes for my passion for cooking, whilst Nova launcher allows me to have several slots on my dock bar coupled with a default ICS look for a tablet-like experience. The sites which I visit frequently, such as YouTube and Facebook, all have adequate enough apps and Thumb Keyboard makes typing on the Note (be it landscape or portrait) a breeze. So, fading out my laptop usage seems like the natural thing to do in my mind.
However, before I am able to do that I have a few things I need to sort out first and I have taken the liberty to write them out below with the hope that someone hear can help me with one or more of these issues I face.
Firstly, the Galaxy Note only delivers around 4/5 hours of screen time, which isn't awful but an improvement is always welcome. So, I am looking for a larger battery, but I still need to fit my phone into a case so I don't want one which increases the size of my device. Any recommendations that aren't ridiculously priced as I don't have an awful lot of money with £27 out of £40 allowance going towards this phone?
Next, I am looking for a case for my Note which both protects the back of the device and the camera, which I have heard to be prone to scratches, plus the screen. So, a flip-case seems most appropriate. I love the styling of the Zenus one found here, but it is rather expensive. So, does anyone know of some cheaper alternatives with a similar styling? I want one with a kickstand so I can view movies from my bedside cabinet or set it up to play some games using a gaming pad.
Unfortunately, as with every device, severely heavy usage does mean you have to charge at least once a day. Unfortunately, the charger which came with my phone does not reach from a mains plug to a chair in my living room or bedroom. So, could anyone recommend a longer wire approximately four metres in length for a decent price?
I also have a few questions regarding the software of the Galaxy Note. My phone suffers from the brick-bug thanks to accepting an upgrade before checking online, which was in hindsight a little foolish, and also the deep sleep bug. The brick bug should, hopefully, receive a fix from Samsung. But, if this comes in the form of an update, will it not wipe data and trigger the bug or shall this update be safe? As for the deep sleep bug, what can I do to try to trigger my phone into deep sleep? I already get around 15 hours of light use on my phone, which is still better than any other smartphone I have (admittedly just an old HTC Desire and Samsung Wave), but as I said all improvements are welcome. Any ideas?
OnLive allows you to pull of full HD gaming with the likes of Homefront available on the service to play on your mobile. I want to know how connecting the "Universal Wireless Controller" works? Is it compatible with ICS?
Finally, I am looking for some app recommendations. Open to all suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brad, you put a lot into this post. I'm not able to comment on all of it, but good luck in your pursuit of a single device.
I cannot offer an alternative to Zenus, but can attest to the quality of their cases. If you go their route, you won't be disappointed.
As far as cables, I'd suggest checking out Cables-To-Go. They have tons available online.
And lastly, there are a lot of app recommendation threads out there... but for your purpose I might suggest "Papyrus". It is a very slick note taking application with some nice features.
Good luck!
The On live universal controller works. Used it on stock gingebread. Never tried on ice cream sandwich.
I find the blackberry charger works well. Its pretty long.
I suggest you head to the market and get the longest (branded) charger you can find.
Does anyone know whether the Note requires more power to charge the Note like the iPad needs a more powerful charger and cannot use the iPhone 4's charger.
Thanks.
I have a charging doc with slot to charge an extra battery. Bought the dock with two batteries for less than $20 on Ebay. The batteries are not the quality of the original but still are serviceable. I have since ordered two OEM batteries still in the blister packs (also on Ebay cellphone dealer for $7.00 ea.) just because the price was good.
I'm never without my Note anytime I'm awake.
I am also looking for a 32GB Micro-SD/SD card (whichever one the Galaxy Note takes) for the cheapest price available. I have heard of some 64GB cards working too, but unless they are for a reasonable price I am uninterested. Any suggestions for a cheap card for storing some media on? I am also looking for PC software to rip my DVDs to place them onto my SD card. I have loads of television show box-sets that have 20 minute long episodes just perfect for a bus trip, for example.
CorruptedSanity said:
I find the blackberry charger works well. Its pretty long.
I suggest you head to the market and get the longest (branded) charger you can find.
Does anyone know whether the Note requires more power to charge the Note like the iPad needs a more powerful charger and cannot use the iPhone 4's charger.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, thanks, but I don't own a Blackberry charger as Blackberry devices have never ever appealed to me.
stiffi2011 said:
The On live universal controller works. Used it on stock gingebread. Never tried on ice cream sandwich.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I am using the stock ICS. But, still...thanks. I am sure someone here might found that information useful.
CGI_Ram said:
Brad, you put a lot into this post. I'm not able to comment on all of it, but good luck in your pursuit of a single device.
I cannot offer an alternative to Zenus, but can attest to the quality of their cases. If you go their route, you won't be disappointed.
As far as cables, I'd suggest checking out Cables-To-Go. They have tons available online.
And lastly, there are a lot of app recommendation threads out there... but for your purpose I might suggest "Papyrus". It is a very slick note taking application with some nice features.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sure the Zenus cases are of a sufficient quality, but they are around £40 GBP which is just ridiculous for a case in my opinion. I am looking for a similar styled one, but cheaper.
So, upon some reading, I've heard lots of people saying how a screen protector is a must. I certainly didn't think so, but I trust the people on here to not steer me wrong. The issue I have with many screen protectors is that they add a weird texture for touching and also are absolutely a nightmare to get on. Anyone know of a screen protector which doesn't impair the comfort of touching and using the S-Pen on the screen?
All i can say is dont go for the really cheap screen protectors, as you get what you pay for, But on the other hand, dont get ripped off and pay a fortune either !
Have a read through this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1332004&page=27
People have reviewed their protectors so you might find one thats just right for you.
Good ones wont affect the S-Pen, But if they do, there are a few screen tuner apps on the market to adjust the sensitivity.
a protector is a must for me ! No matter how tough the gorilla glass is, Its not un-scratch able, just scratch resistant.
azzledazzle said:
All i can say is dont go for the really cheap screen protectors, as you get what you pay for, But on the other hand, dont get ripped off and pay a fortune either !
Have a read through this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1332004&page=27
People have reviewed their protectors so you might find one thats just right for you.
Good ones wont affect the S-Pen, But if they do, there are a few screen tuner apps on the market to adjust the sensitivity.
a protector is a must for me ! No matter how tough the gorilla glass is, Its not un-scratch able, just scratch resistant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for such a quick reply and I am reading through that thread right now. I am looking for a screen protector which does not effect the S-Pen nor ruin the quality of the image of the screen. Anti-glare for greater outdoor visibility would also be nice. I've heard of anti-fingerprint too, which again would be nice. What screen protector are using might I ask?
theres a whole range of cases available for the Note, I personally like the wallet cases, as it saves me some room in my pocket
theres a case thread in the accessory section too, Have a look through there, It all depends what you are looking for !
TPU, Leather, Plastic, Carbon faker * I mean fibre*
Wallet, flip, hard shell......... you can see where im going with this right ?
azzledazzle said:
theres a whole range of cases available for the Note, I personally like the wallet cases, as it saves me some room in my pocket
theres a case thread in the accessory section too, Have a look through there, It all depends what you are looking for !
TPU, Leather, Plastic, Carbon faker * I mean fibre*
Wallet, flip, hard shell......... you can see where im going with this right ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also looking for an SD card, big as possible for as cheap as possible, and also a solution to the sleep bug I have where my phone won't deep sleep.
Im gonna let you in to a little secret here Not many people know about it but if you go here, Magic Place Full of Info
you can find out a whole array of things.
azzledazzle said:
Im gonna let you in to a little secret here Not many people know about it but if you go here, Magic Place Full of Info
you can find out a whole array of things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.play.com/Mobiles/Mobile/...urce=0&searchtype=allproducts&urlrefer=search
What do you think about this SD card? Think it'd do the job okay?
yeah I only use a class 4 SD card also, Ive had it for ages and it does the job so i kept it.
However, the higher the class, the faster the read/write speeds are, If that isnt an issue then go for that one as its reasonably priced.
I'd avoid ebay unless you find a well known ebayer as there are a lot of scams about, People selling 32gb class 10 cards that turn out to be 8gb class 2 or something lol
keep your wits about ya
Good post Brad....I've always searched for the single 'converged' device and the Note has pretty much done the trick.
Apps like Evernote especially and Springpad are great catch all apps allowing cloud storage, organization, and easy access of ALL of your data and documents...checked Em out.
Some big (work) sites tho, so just aren't displayed well on the note compared to my lap top so have to use it sometimes, and that's about the only downside.
rockky said:
Good post Brad....I've always searched for the single 'converged' device and the Note has pretty much done the trick.
Apps like Evernote especially and Springpad are great catch all apps allowing cloud storage, organization, and easy access of ALL of your data and documents...checked Em out.
Some big (work) sites tho, so just aren't displayed well on the note compared to my lap top so have to use it sometimes, and that's about the only downside.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, frankly, I spend most of my internet time on a small selection of sites. Facebook, YouTube and many more all have mobile apps/versions of their site.
I am looking for...
a good screen protector which doesn't ruin the screen or S-Pen
a charging cable around 4 metres in length
a case which offers protection to the camera, back and front/screen

[Q] TF810 vs Ativ 500T

Seems simple as they are almost the same we should go for cheaper one...but...
is getting Samsung really a better deal?
Your thoughts? Which hybrid with Atom is the best choice and why?
I own the Samsung 500t. What I like about it besides being $200 cheaper, is the rotation lock button, full sized USB port, and a slot to store the s-pen. What I don't like is the glossy slippery plastic back, the weak speakers, and lack of second battery in the dock.
The TF810 looks like it has better build quality with mostly aluminum and some plastic, shouldn't be slippery, I think the "Quad-Speakers" are probably going to sound better. It's got a brighter Super IPS+ screen which helps if you need to use the tablet outside. And it has a second battery in the dock. Oh and it is just better looking too.
The Atom is okay, but it's video playback kinda sucks. It seems many of these Atom tablets have various driver quirks that are still being worked out. Things just don't seem to be quite ready yet and I'm already second guessing the wisdom of spending $750 on the Samsung. So I definitely wouldn't pay $950 for the ASUS (with dock).
I'm looking at the HP Envy X2 also. HP has it on sale for $750 (not sure how long this sale will last), that includes the dock. I really like the all aluminum build and the latch mechanism doesn't stick out as much as other tablets. It's also get a second battery in the dock, but has no stylus or a Wacom digitizer (apparently uses some cheaper digitizer). And some day the keyboard isn't that good either.
Seems like all the Atom tablets have some downsides that we have to figure out which ones we can accept.
I'm also thinking about just giving up on the whole keyboard docking thing and saving some money and getting a 10 inch ASUS VivoTab Smart. At least it'll make a better tablet being lighter and easier to hold. And I can prop it up in a stand and use a bluetooth keyboard. And lastly I won't feel so bad spending so much money to be a first generation Windows 8 tablet guinea pig.
Lenovo Lynx is looking pretty good too. $600 for the tablet, $150 for the dock.
http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/tablet/ideatab/lynx-k3011/?menu-id=learn&ref-id=learn
Being a Lenovo that means the keyboard should be pretty good, and the keyboard dock has a battery. Built quality looks quite nice overall, and a textured back appears grippy and finger print resistant. It has no pen though. And what really makes me nervous is the specs say the micro SD slot supports up to 32GB. No SDXC in 2013, seriously? I'm really thinking that's got to be a mistake, but I'm not sure. It's definitely a deal breaker if it isn't a mistake.
Ravynmagi said:
I own the Samsung 500t. What I like about it besides being $200 cheaper, is the rotation lock button, full sized USB port, and a slot to store the s-pen. What I don't like is the glossy slippery plastic back, the weak speakers, and lack of second battery in the dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a true downside. I got Galaxy S3 and I have dropped it few times beacuse back has no grip at all , I suppose laptop/tablet will be less mobile than phone but still it should allow me to carry it in safety.
Ravynmagi said:
The TF810 looks like it has better build quality with mostly aluminum and some plastic, shouldn't be slippery, I think the "Quad-Speakers" are probably going to sound better. It's got a brighter Super IPS+ screen which helps if you need to use the tablet outside. And it has a second battery in the dock. Oh and it is just better looking too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thoughts exactly. So fat I have only seen 500t in reality as Vivo Tab is not in shops yet... but I just like the way it look.
One more downside of Asus in Poland is TERRIBLE warranty service. Services are being run by small companies that have agreement with Asus Poland and in most cases they blame user for everything - standard reply is "Seal was broken/tempered with - warranty void" even having pictures of it before send for repairs is not helping .
Ravynmagi said:
The Atom is okay, but it's video playback kinda sucks. It seems many of these Atom tablets have various driver quirks that are still being worked out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What exactly are your issues?
This device that I will buy has to be able to play (smoothly) most video formats, most popular being .mkv 720p.
If this has similar problems to "old" Tegra 2 devices (remeber?) than it is a BIG PROBLEM.
On the other hand I used to have old Asus 1201n netbook with dual-core Atom 300 and first gen. Nvidia Ion onboard and it played everything without an issue (12" screen with 1366x768).
So... what is going on here?
Ravynmagi said:
I'm looking at the HP Envy X2 also. HP has it on sale for $750
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Saw it... don't like it either. Had HP/Compaq in the past and always had problems with them.
Since hardware of HP and 500t is the same I would go with Samsung in this one (I guess).
Ravynmagi said:
Seems like all the Atom tablets have some downsides that we have to figure out which ones we can accept.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More details, please
Ravynmagi said:
I'm also thinking about just giving up on the whole keyboard docking thing and saving some money and getting a 10 inch ASUS VivoTab Smart.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was considering it, but in my case size of screen matters . When I write texts I work with few windows an 10" is just to small .
What's the difference between the tf810 and the tf810c? Is there a tf810 with LTE or any cellular connectivity?
Also the Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device from Samsung. Avoid
If its possible, I'd say wait another season or two for more competition.
If not, go TF810.
WingCero said:
What's the difference between the tf810 and the tf810c? Is there a tf810 with LTE or any cellular connectivity?
Also the Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device from Samsung. Avoid
If its possible, I'd say wait another season or two for more competition.
If not, go TF810.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't wait I am waiting last 2 year to replace iPad with something that will do what I need.
I need Windows to work, I need mobile device to work away from home during weekends ( yes I know)
And I dont want just laptop as I has to be entertainment device as well.
Why do you say: Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device...?
galtom said:
Can't wait I am waiting last 2 year to replace iPad with something that will do what I need.
I need Windows to work, I need mobile device to work away from home during weekends ( yes I know)
And I dont want just laptop as I has to be entertainment device as well.
Why do you say: Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In terms of the Samsung device, its build quality looks to be just as bad as it's phones. Samsung laptops are probably the best in the world (Series 9) To see the ATIV coming from them is a clear sign that they didn't really put much thought into it, especially when you compare it to DELL and ASUS' hybrids.
Looks like we're in the same situation. I cannot wait either :-/
I just posted this so maybe you'll find some help alongside of me.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2093981
Thanks for link.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
I have a TF810C and it's beautiful, the battery life is quite incredible. I consider this device perfect, except for the downsides:
-Slightly visible pixels at normal viewing distance, due to lowish resolution screen
-The pen bugs out when drawing 1cm near the edges of the screen
-The pen lacks drivers, and so does not work for Photoshop or nearly anything else. It works with some Windows 8 apps and both desktop & metro OneNote. When it does work, it works really well.
-Tinny speakers that are situated at the back of the tablet. They get a little bit distorted.
-No complex gestures for the touchpad. I like to tap on the right click area instead of pressing down, but the drivers for the tablet don't allow this!
-Dodgy, dodgy chipset drivers. Expect a BSOD every 2 days, sound that completely breaks until you reboot once a day, stability problems, unresponsive touchpad when waking from sleep, etc. These can happily be fixed by installing Samsung/HP/Acer drivers.
-No ASUS support at all. Drivers are not being updated, and the website doesn't even list the device correctly.
-The CPU can't handle fast-moving 720p 10bit .mkv files in VLC Player. Media Player Classic works, but it breaks for complex subtitles. Thankfully, a kickstarter for Windows 8-style VLC Player has been funded, and may offer better performance.
...And that's pretty much it for the problems. Every last one of them.
The tablet is thin, light, shiny, has a colourful and bright display, well-balanced with the keyboard dock, brilliant in every other way.
I can definitely recommend it, and hope that ASUS will eventually get around to fixing these problems rather than making users depend on other devices' drivers.
galtom said:
What exactly are your issues?
This device that I will buy has to be able to play (smoothly) most video formats, most popular being .mkv 720p.
If this has similar problems to "old" Tegra 2 devices (remeber?) than it is a BIG PROBLEM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's fortunately not as bad as the Tegra 2. I'm not sure if it's a hardware issue or maybe just a driver issue. I have trouble playing back some 1080p videos, there are noticeable frame drops. Stream HD video from Amazon Prime or YouTube gets choppy sometimes (not referring to buffering issues) as it's dropping frames. The ABC Player app in the Windows Store also drops frames. The Netflix app however seems to work flawlessly. And if I download 1080p YouTube videos and play them back with VLC that seem to work fine usually. 720p MVK files work most of the time, think I've had some higher bit rate ones that got choppy sometimes.
I have a smoother and more reliable video playback experience with my Kindle Fire HD. I'm hoping this is just a driver issue and things will get smoothed out soon.
Other driver issues...
Wireless sometimes has trouble reconnecting to an access point with bluetooth is being used. Some have also mentioned dramatic slows with wifi using bluetooth, though I haven't done any file transfers while using my bluetooth mouse yet, so haven't seen that first hand yet. If I disable the bluetooth the wireless never seems to have trouble reconnecting, only with bluetooth on.
The keyboard/trackpad don't seem to go to sleep when the tablet does. With the tablet in the keyboard dock, if I close lid this often causes the tablet to wake back up, even the screen will come back on. And it make stay on. I've also found that apps I didn't open will open up after I close the lid. I the tablet coming within close proximity of the trackpad while it's close is causing it to register clicks or interaction and wake up and run apps. I now have to manually press Fn-F5 to disable the track pad before closing the tablet lid on the keyboard. This seems to help a lot and now the tablet will go to sleep most of the time. Hopefully a driver update will make the keyboard/trackpad also sleep at some point.
However I don't think the keyboard/trackpad is the only issue preventing the tablet from going to sleep. Seems like if I have some applications running it has trouble sleeping as well. So if it doesn't sleep I may need to close some apps or go back to the Windows Start screen.
The audio is inconsistent. Sometimes the volume sounds good and sufficient and other times I have a real hard time hearing it. It's different on an app by app basis. Hopefully this can be improved through drivers.
galtom said:
More details, please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I seem to run into big cons with each tablet I look at...
Samsung 500T, slippery back, no secondary battery.
ASUS TF810, expensive, no pen silo.
HP Envy X2, No pen, poor keyboard.
Acer W510, Too small, poor keyboard.
Lenovo Lynx, No pen, 32GB SD limitation.
Lenovo Tabet 2, No keyboard dock.
Dell Latitude 10, No keyboard dock, too small.
Pick your poison. I'd prefer a keyboard dock that converts the tablet into a clamshell laptop design (so I'm not a fan of the Surface kickstand and type cover design). 10 inch tablets mean the keyboard is going to be too cramped, so the W510 is too small (and the Dell is too if it had a keyboard).
Originally I didn't care about a pen, however after using the Samsung 510T for a while, I'm starting to realize the pen is pretty nice to have. It helps with desktop apps, such as when I want to highlight some text in the browser, which seems to be impossible to do by finger. I don't ink on my tablets, so the pen is just to make working with the desktop apps easier. And I need to be able to store the pen in the tablet otherwise it'll be hugely inconvenient. This is probably the one con I can overlook, I think I could live without the pen, it's just something I'd really like to have.
Seems like on the Lenovo Lynx has the 32GB micro SD limitation. I already own a 64GB microSD card and I got to be able to use this with my tablet. 64GB is going to already be cramped on the tablet (only about 32 to 40GB is available depending on the size of the recovery partition). I'm hoping the 32GB limit is an error in the specs list, but it's mentioned more than once in different places.
Lack of secondary battery is more an annoyance. So far I've been able to get through an entire tablet with my Samsung 500T despite not having a second battery. I'm also not using the tablet constantly all day long, but I do use if frequently through out the day. And the battery life of the Atom is already impressive. So it's disappointing there is no second battery, but it's not a deal breaker.
A slippery back on a tablet almost is a deal breaker. While I don't feel like there is any danger of dropping it, it's so huge, so it won't slip out of your hands that fast. But it does make holding it even more awkward than the weight and size already make. Fortunately this potential deal breaker issue is somewhat solved with a skin I put on the back from Decalrus. The skin is smooth, but it is still a decent improvement than the glossy plastic of the tablet. It doesn't feel slippery anymore.
At this moment I'm probably going to end up keeping my Samsung 500T. If the Lenovo Lynx supported 64GB micro SD then I'd be highly tempted to switch to that. However if the sleep issues with the Samsung keyboard keeps bothering me, it's possible I just may give up on a tablet+keyboard=laptop dream and just go with a pure 10 inch tablet without keyboard and get an ASUS ME400 (VivoTab Smart) and save myself $250. And wait for the Bay Trail tablet at the end of the year.
---------- Post added at 08:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:38 AM ----------
One positive thing about the 500T. Despite some driver issus with the wireless, it seems like Samsung has been doing a good job with driver updates. And the tablet has been quite stable. I've never had a bluescreen of death and don't need to reboot it.
Ravynmagi said:
A slippery back on a tablet almost is a deal breaker. While I don't feel like there is any danger of dropping it, it's so huge, so it won't slip out of your hands that fast. But it does make holding it even more awkward than the weight and size already make. Fortunately this potential deal breaker issue is somewhat solved with a skin I put on the back from Decalrus. The skin is smooth, but it is still a decent improvement than the glossy plastic of the tablet. It doesn't feel slippery anymore.
QUOTE]
It seems a couple people posted about the slippery back of the Samsung ATIV 500T. I have owned this tablet for about 3 weeks now and I have had no issues at all with the material on the back of the tablet. Honestly I dont even feel like it is slippery. Its not like my fingers glide across the back when I am gripping it. Or I have never set it on a surface and feared that it would glide to the other end and fall to the ground. Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
knlmwq said:
It seems a couple people posted about the slippery back of the Samsung ATIV 500T. I have owned this tablet for about 3 weeks now and I have had no issues at all with the material on the back of the tablet. Honestly I dont even feel like it is slippery. Its not like my fingers glide across the back when I am gripping it. Or I have never set it on a surface and feared that it would glide to the other end and fall to the ground. Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The back is smooth glossy plastic. When your hands are perfectly dry there is no issue. Unfortunately for us humans, up to 60% of our body is water and most of us have a little bit of moisture that forms in our palms. So unless you are constantly rubbing your hands dry and wiping the back of the tablet with a cloth, it's going to get slippery for most people.
I have no fear it's going to just pop out of my hands like a wet bar of soap. But it's difficult to hold in the palm of one hand while interacting with the screen, because it keeps slipping.
This back is one of the big reasons I'm returning mine. It's just too much of a hassle.
In all those devices with 64GB SSD - how much space is left for user?
A base Win8 64-bit install will use ~15GB, counting pagefile, hiberfile, etc. (size highly variable on the amount of RAM installed, among other things). Adding things like Office and the legacy .NET frameworks will drive that up somewhat. Realistically, If there's a recovery partition (likely), it'll probably be at least 5GB and possibly as much as 15GB (if there's a ton of pre-loaded crap) but that just depends on where you get it from, and you can create external recovery media (flashdrive or similar), nuke the recovery partition, and extend the main partition into the space. Realistically, I'd say you should expect to have 30-40GB of fully usable free space - you can go higher than that, especially if you disable hibernate, but it will slow things down if the storage gets too full.
Thanks for the info - that is all I needed to know.
As far as I understand there will be no problem in moving recovery partition to USB drive/NAS disk/ or even to cloud (Skydrive) just for storage?
galtom said:
Thanks for the info - that is all I needed to know.
As far as I understand there will be no problem in moving recovery partition to USB drive/NAS disk/ or even to cloud (Skydrive) just for storage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can move it to a USB flash drive, it needs about 8GB of space. I probably wouldn't put it in a cloud drive since if you actually need it it'll need to be on a USB flash drive anyway.
BTW, with my Samsung 500T, I sometimes had to reboot twice before it would recognize the USB recovery drive (USB boot is weird on this thing).
Hi Guys, I had both the Ativ 500t and now the TF810. For me the 500t seemed slower and seemed to freeze. so I returned it and last week I got the TF810 for my Bday. It is so much better quality and performance. I also had a huge problem with the keyboard disconnecting on the 500t. The keyboard is soo much better with the TF810 and the battery adds atleast an additional 8hours. All this aside I ended up winning a contest at work and will receive the surface pro when released so I will probably sell the TF810 and throw in the Keyboard for free. It turns out we just missed out on the extended return with Amazon holiday because Adorama is only 15days into the new year.
Out of the 2 the TF810 for me was the far better machine. Granted I have only used it for a week but everything from the Pen on is so much better.
Great to hear that my decision to spend more and get Tf810 was/is a good one
Before you sell the TF810, it would be interesting to observe your comparison with the Surface Pro. I have the Surface RT and love it, but I'd like to see some comparisons of the x86 options. The Surface is very tablet-y; it can be used as a laptop (I have the Touch Cover, which works but is not perfect) but even with the kickstand and all, it feels a bit more natural as a tablet. I'm worried that Surface Pro may try a little too hard to be a tablet (despite its disadvantages in weight, thickness, etc.), and end up being good at neither.
If I still have it when the Pro comes I will do the comp video. But right now it is on EBay with keyboard included for only $799 so I doubt it will last long. As it is priced to sell.

Are Samsung LCDs and touchscreen digitizers cross compatible?

Does anyone know if the LCDs and touchscreen digitizers for Samsung tablets and phones are cross-compatible? It would make sense from a manufacturer point of view to reuse the same circuits and architecture (I would think) but who knows... I want to replace a screen on one of my phones with a 10-12in tablet screen, and turn the phone into a DIY tablet thing. Why? Because it's an old phone that still works, is capable of LTE, and Verizon doesn't offer unlimited data plans (which I grandfathered in) on tablets, and because I have nothing better to do! :silly:
No chance for a mere mortal. Too many different controllers/adressing/timings/pinouts/...
BTW: How could your provider distinguish between use in a tablet and use in a phone? The borders between those devices are blurred and a check of device parameters like IMEI could be faked easily in many cases.
МІР said:
No chance for a mere mortal. Too many different controllers/adressing/timings/pinouts/...
BTW: How could your provider distinguish between use in a tablet and use in a phone? The borders between those devices are blurred and a check of device parameters like IMEI could be faked easily in many cases.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TBH, I don't know how they would check. I was seriously considering buying a tablet at first, but it just doesn't seem worth it to me anymore. A good new tablet is expensive, and the battery doesn't last that long. A good used tablet will cost ~the same amount as the hardware compontents to convert a phone into a tablet (the only things that really need to be changed are the screen and battery + potentially some DIY PCB adapter from new screen to phone), and the DIY tablet may come out a little heavier than COTS tablets out there, but I can pretty much pack as much battery as I want into it.
Anyhow, I'm not in any big rush to get a tablet, and this seems like a challenging and interesting project which I could use to learn a few things and better myself

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