JeffersonCampervan Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 1footinthegrave - 2013-04-02 5:26 PM Just a note, since you owned yours the OS has been updated, Email support, much better browser, and more apps by the day since the launch of BB10, built like a tank, the quality really shines out, and here in the UK a real genuine bargain now from the original price of near £500 ;-) Good point - but the dealbreaker for me is the continuing absence of Skype on BB, even on the new OS - I'm always calling back to North America & well, everyone I call has Skype. Saves me a bundle & no other app has the universal penetration of Skype. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 There's an alternative to Skype called Viber, not sure if it's any good for you but have a shuftie: http://www.viber.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Mel I hope all goes well with the Samsung NP as I notice you are a touch typist (like me!) and the details of the sale say it has a European keyboard. If so, more keys than the @ will be in different places. The French keyboards, which I assume are classed as European drive me insane!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Patricia - 2013-04-03 7:50 AM Mel I hope all goes well with the Samsung NP as I notice you are a touch typist (like me!) and the details of the sale say it has a European keyboard. If so, more keys than the @ will be in different places. The French keyboards, which I assume are classed as European drive me insane!! Good point Patricia, I purchased a laptop with a French keyboard layout, easy to sort out though, just bought some overlay key stickers and just covered ones that were in the wrong place, like these below..................I had to use 26 stickers in total. :-S http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Dell-Inspiron-4100-8000-8100-Keyboard-Stickers-Overlay-Set-UK-English-QWERTY-/251092030250?_trksid=p3284.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D21%26pmod%3D221157782735%26ps%3D54 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 How do these work then? I know that you can change the configuration Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 We have a Samsung Netbook, a 7” android tablet and a few weeks ago brought an ipad here’s my view. Android Tablet: Pros- Small portable, screen resolution good. Micro SD slot for memory expansion. Cons- Operating system a bit slow, wifi poor, phone operating system not very good on a tablet, does not integrate well with networks or printers can only copy files from server. Needs to be fully shut down to preserve battery life. Netbook: Pros- Compact does everything you can do on a PC, good keyboard, works with network & printers, can run all your home software, USB ports for connectivity. Good battery life Fast boot if you use Linux. Cons- Bigger & heavier than a tablet, slow to boot with windows OS. Ipad Pros- Brilliant crystal clear Retina screen, super fast boot, everything works fast and doesn’t crash, proper multitasking, good wifi, good battery life, on screen keyboard better than Android tablets. Cons- Does not integrate well with networks or printers can only copy files from server. Frustrating if you are technically inclined as file structure is hidden from operator takes a bit of getting used to and a few apps to make life bearable. Bit of a fight to get your home bookmarks into Safari browser. No memory expansion. Summary- Android tablet is going in the bin. Netbook a lot of life left in the old girl yet (once I replace the screen I broke last week). Will still have to come on our travels as we are both addicted to Autoroute. Ipad is a brilliant for fast browsing & online work although it comes at a price. Looks like I will have to shell out for USB wifi router so I can use my long range USB wifi aerial and hopefully be able to find a bluetooth USB print server that will work with it & my portable printer & maybe a bluetooth keyboard as well. Just waiting for the mini to come out with a Retina screen then we will get one of them as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Mel B - 2013-04-02 11:26 PM There's an alternative to Skype called Viber, not sure if it's any good for you but have a shuftie: http://www.viber.com/ Call quality not as good as Skype, only works on phones not on tablets without 3g. Very easy to set up and use, uses your phone number as your user name, integrates with your contacts allowing to call anyone in your contacts who is on Viber. When you bring up a contact in Viber you have a choice of free wifi call, free wifi message or regular call. Works in China where Skype is banned. It is a very good well thought out program just the call quality can be a bit disappointing, we used it a lot when we were in India. Biggest advantage is you don't have to rely on the contact you are calling being logged in like on like Skype as once installed on a phone it runs in the background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 I wonder if the OP has seen sense and decided on sticking with a notepad and pen. :-D What ever you buy, there will always be something better round the corner, or you'll think you purchased the wrong one, and although a bit of a gadget man myself I do sometimes wonder why we feel the need for all this technology crap. 4 pence and press button A or B used to do the job just fine. :D When we're drawing our last breaths will we be thinking of all those fruitless endless hours messing about with this stuff, I very much doubt it. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 1footinthegrave - 2013-04-03 6:01 PM 4 pence and press button A or B used to do the job just fine. :D ( The only drawback with that was carrying those red phone boxes around on your roof rack used to cause havoc with mpg :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffersonCampervan Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 lennyhb - 2013-04-03 10:28 AM We have a Samsung Netbook, a 7” android tablet and a few weeks ago brought an ipad here’s my view. Android Tablet: Pros- Small portable, screen resolution good. Micro SD slot for memory expansion. Cons- Operating system a bit slow, wifi poor, phone operating system not very good on a tablet, does not integrate well with networks or printers can only copy files from server. Needs to be fully shut down to preserve battery life. Netbook: Pros- Compact does everything you can do on a PC, good keyboard, works with network & printers, can run all your home software, USB ports for connectivity. Good battery life Fast boot if you use Linux. Cons- Bigger & heavier than a tablet, slow to boot with windows OS. Ipad Pros- Brilliant crystal clear Retina screen, super fast boot, everything works fast and doesn’t crash, proper multitasking, good wifi, good battery life, on screen keyboard better than Android tablets. Cons- Does not integrate well with networks or printers can only copy files from server. Frustrating if you are technically inclined as file structure is hidden from operator takes a bit of getting used to and a few apps to make life bearable. Bit of a fight to get your home bookmarks into Safari browser. No memory expansion. Summary- Android tablet is going in the bin. Netbook a lot of life left in the old girl yet (once I replace the screen I broke last week). Will still have to come on our travels as we are both addicted to Autoroute. Ipad is a brilliant for fast browsing & online work although it comes at a price. Looks like I will have to shell out for USB wifi router so I can use my long range USB wifi aerial and hopefully be able to find a bluetooth USB print server that will work with it & my portable printer & maybe a bluetooth keyboard as well. Just waiting for the mini to come out with a Retina screen then we will get one of them as well. Lenny - It sounds like you're comparing a later iPad with an older Windows setup and a questionable Android device: you don't say what android tablet and what version of the operating system(?). Apples & oranges. We had an iPad3 and a Nexus 7 running Android JellyBean sitting right next to each other 3 months ago as we traveled through Spain and Portugal. The Nexus outperformed the iPad - especially in wifi - we would sit in the camper with no signal to the iPad with the Nexus chugging along merrily. You have a selection of keyboard apps you can install on an Android device as well - one of which mimics the Apple keyboard. I have no doubt that your particular Android should be tossed in the rubbish (there are a lot of crap Android devices being made), but that is not a fair assessment of the potential available in the Android world. Windows - Windows 8 boots blazingly fast - my Asus Taichi touch Win8 boots up in 2 seconds; our larger 17" desktop replacement in 20 seconds. I expect your netbook is running XP,Vista or Win 7? If one is going to compare the 3 systems, one should compare the same level of OS & hardware in each. With Apple there are no cheap manufacturers, there's just Apple with its high standards - one's point of comparison is always a high end, well though-out ecosystem/hardware combination. Equal or better exists in Android & Win8 - but because they are open to all price point manufacturers, for a true comparison, one would select the same level of Android & Win8 devices - those devices that match Apple's high standards for a true "apples to apples" comparison (pun intended :-). Apple is great, but it is a simplified computer experience - that's why it works so seamlessly - they just don't let a lot of capability into the so called "walled garden". However what they offer is more than adequate for many people, and that is who gravitates to iPads. But if you need computing ability beyond the dictates of Apple's fairly restrictive system (most do not need this), then Android gives you more options - and Win8 even more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Patricia - 2013-04-03 2:26 PM How do these work then? I know that you can change the configuration Just stick the ones over the incorrect keys, and make sure your input language is set to UK english in control panel, although this was not needed in my case. On mine I used the Q W A Z M < > @ : ~ { [ ] \ 1234567890 - = stickers. over the offending French keys. Hope that helps. And a before picture of a French keyboard layout that was exactly the same on my laptop before the sticker treatment. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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