[ale] Android Tablets

[Pat Regan]

On Mon, 9 Aug 2010 18:45:10 -0400
James Sumners <james.sumners at gmail.com> wrote:

> It is a bit weighty. But you get incredible battery life because of
> it. I usually rest the bottom of the iPad on my chest while reading,
> same as I do with a hard cover book. In fact, now that I think about
> it, the iPad is probably lighter than some of the actual books I own
> (novels, not textbooks).

Is the weight a result of the battery?  I think what makes the ipad
such a nice device are probably the things that make it heavier.
Probably the bigger battery, the metal shell, and the sturdy glass
capacitive touch screen.

I don't know how much the cheap, slow, 7 inch android tablet we bought
actually weighs.  The cheap parts sure make it cheap.  The plastic
touchscreen and casing make it lighter (and less durable).

I'd already been reading books on my little PRS-300 reader for a month
or two before I had an opportunity to stop in an apple store and handle
an ipad.  When I picked it up the first thing I said out loud was "oh
my god, this thing feels like a brick."

25 ounces doesn't sound like a lot.  Comparing it to 8 ounces makes it
feel gargantuan :)

> I think it's pretty good for a first generation device.

I don't think it is fair to call the ipad a first generation device.
It is really nothing more than an ipod touch or iphone with a bigger
display.  They're been building these for years.

I don't think it is bad that they are overgrown ipods.  I think an
overgrown phone makes a much better consumption device than a scaled
down laptop-turned-tablet.

Pat