[ale] possibility of a non Android Linux tablet

[Jim Lynch]

On 02/25/2012 12:43 PM, Collin Pruitt wrote:
> On 2/25/2012 10:50 AM, Ron Frazier (ALE) wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Here I am replying to my own email again.  Well, I've been thinking 
>> and thinking about this.  There's no doubt that I WANT a tablet, 
>> although that would be one more computer to maintain and one more to 
>> try to prevent from getting viruses.  Android is a huge virus 
>> target.  However, my NEED to go to Atlanta Bread Company or Starbucks 
>> and look at websites, check email, or check financial charts is not 
>> that great, when I can generally go back home in 10 minutes and get 
>> access to my computers.  When I had that Pandigital tablet for a few 
>> days, I couldn't get it to attach to Atlanta Bread Company's internet 
>> at all.  And, when I've had my laptop there, performance is spotty at 
>> best.  I can always take my laptop somewhere if I really want to.  In 
>> the end, I think I might want to keep or reallocate the $ 200 more 
>> than I want to have a tablet.  I think that I might just get a new 
>> slim case for my 15.6" laptop as well as a separate power supply.  
>> That way, if I want to go portable, I can just put the computer into 
>> standby mode, put it in the case and go.  Now, if I had a couple of 
>> thousand dollars to burn, I wouldn't flinch about spending $ 200, but 
>> that's not the case.  Regardless, thanks to those who responded.  I 
>> learned a good bit about the HP Touchpad tablet and the Acer Aspire 
>> One netbooks during my research.  If I were going to buy something, 
>> it would probably be either one of those or a Kindle Fire or an Acer 
>> Iconia tablet.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Ron
>
> I think you should try to look at it from this perspective: A tablet 
> is a convenience device. Press the power button, slide your finger to 
> unlock, then open your app, all of which can be done in under 5 
> seconds, while a laptop takes much more time to do the same thing 
> with. That's why I got a tablet of my own, so I can stop lugging my 
> laptop everywhere with me for simple tasks like reading email and 
> looking up websites. I don't need a Core 2 Duo with 4GB RAM and a 
> 15.4" screen to check Facebook or read the news. I also don't always 
> have the time or the space to bring my laptop out. It's uncomfortable 
> at best to hold a laptop with one arm while trying to reasonably do 
> something on it.
>
> Basically, don't ever intend on doing something intense on a tablet 
> device, because that's not what it was designed or purposed to do. 
> It's purely a device of convenience and speed.
I went for a compromise after getting tired of lugging the laptop around 
and got a Toshiba Netbook.  Upgraded the memory to 2G and replaced the 
HD with a Sony hybrid 4 Gb SSD cache in front of a 500 Gb drive.  I love 
it.  I installed Linux Mint 12 and it boots up in less than a minute and 
works fine.  The keyboard is acceptable and I hate touch pads, but 
that's all there is.  When I'm not in range of free wireless, I have an 
Android and can crank up the Wifi in it.  Not the fastest game in town, 
but gives me connectivity most anywhere I am likely to be.

For less than a pad, I have a more capable box, IMHO anyway.

Jim.