Android Tablets ???

holnrew

Probably.

Emp_Fab

Oh Friggity Arse Biscuits  :x

I've now wasted all bloody evening on this pile of shit. (as you can tell, I'm not a happy bunny).  I need the Nexus to connect to the internet via a 3G connection (for places where Mrs Fab is that don't have free wifi - which is most places).  I can't connect the bloody thing to her mobile broadband USB dongle, so I thought 'tethering !'.  I bought an app called Joikuspot for her Nokia N8 which creates a wireless hotspot.  This works for my laptop... I can see the hotspot and connect to it.

Do you think this f**king Nexus will see the hotspot ?  No.  Because the hotspot is an Ad-Hoc network and the bloody Nexus cannot see Ad-Hoc networks, only Infrastructure mode ones.  There is another option - tethering via bluetooth - which is a real hit and miss affair.  However - I can't use this as the card reader she's bought (which is the main aim of all of this) is a bluetooth device - and you can't connect two bluetooth devices simultaneously.

AAARRRRRRGGGHHHHHH !!!!

I may have to take the sodding Nexus back to PC World after all that.  I mean... FFS...  what is the bloody point of a tablet that doesn't have built-in 3G connectivity, doesn't allow you to attach mobile broadband dongles and won't recognise Ad-hoc wireless hotspots ??  They are instantly limiting it's use to a) your house and b) places that have infrastructure mode hotspots.

I'm going to bed.  If I had any alcohol here I'd be drinking it - all. :x

@monquixote

@sporky

Help me Obi-Wan(s) - you're my only hope.

Myranda

I think they have non-3G ones because there's wifi all over the place... so you have a sort of budget option...

Maybe return it and swap it for the 3G one?

Emp_Fab

That's another £40 - and she'd have to get another data contract sim.  She's already got 500Mb a month that she doesn't use on her mobile and 15Gb sitting on a mobile broadband dongle unused.

Does anyone know if XP's Internet Connection Sharing is ad-hoc or infrastructure mode ?  At a push, I might be able to plug the dongle into her notebook and share than in XP then connect the Nexus to that.

DiscoStu

I used to set my Galaxy S2 up as a wifi hotspot and the Nexus 7 found it. Same with the iPhone.

Emp_Fab

Probably because the Galaxy S2 is a nice sensible Android phone that has an infrastructure mode hotspot, unlike Mrs Fab's dumbass Scandinavian thing that is the root of all of this (well, that and the stupid Nexus being unable to see an ad-hoc network).  I told her when she got it - don't get a Nokia.... if you want a smartphone, get an iphone (which we couldn't afford) or an Android phone.  Don't get a bag-of-shit weirdo operating system phone I told her.  Do you think she'd listen ??

Do you know what she's just said to me now.....  "I should have listened to you back then".

Smug nodding on my part.

littlegreenman

After carefully perusing a few posts on this thread, I have decided that a tablet is probably not the device for me.

Thank you for saving me the time/ ballache of having to find out for myself. B-)





* no idea what the grey smiley with glasses on actually means, but it seemed appropriate.

barry2tone

If anyone's on the hunt for low cost, I've had these recommended (but not used myself).

http://www.gtrelectronics.co.uk/

Scottish outfit selling unbranded, but all tested, with warranty.

strumjoughlamps

Who is the mobile dongle provider? Do they have a pocket hotspot device that would use same sim?

Emp_Fab

It's Vodafone - and the dongle doesn't have a sim.  It's a sealed unit.

Well, she's gone off with it today and I believe there is public free wifi where she is today, so it should work there.  I tried the izettle software on my HTC mobile (which has a built-in infrastructure mode hotspot) and it worked, so... worst case scenario.. she borrows my phone when she's selling stuff in non-wifi'd areas, and when her mobile contract ends next March, she gets an android phone.

I can, apparently, connect her USB broadband dongle to the Nexus - but - I'd have to root the tablet first.

I don't mind rooting it - but I don't want to void the warranty (which I'm assuming rooting would do).

Trouble is, she's fallen in love with the tablet now, even though it's primary function is seriously diminished.

Sodding technology.  One door opens, another 127 slam shut in your face.

Edit:  Fuck it.... I'm going to root it.  It's apparently very easy to return it to stock and de-root, so if I need to return it under warranty, I should be able to get it back to factory before sending it back.  Presuming of course, it doesn't do something stupid like refuse to charge.  However.... the repair place won't know it's rooted until they fix it first...  if indeed they check.

Does anyone know whether google are cool with people rooting and keeping warranty ?

holnrew

Emp_Fab said:

It's Vodafone - and the dongle doesn't have a sim.  It's a sealed unit.

Well, she's gone off with it today and I believe there is public free wifi where she is today, so it should work there.  I tried the izettle software on my HTC mobile (which has a built-in infrastructure mode hotspot) and it worked, so... worst case scenario.. she borrows my phone when she's selling stuff in non-wifi'd areas, and when her mobile contract ends next March, she gets an android phone.

I can, apparently, connect her USB broadband dongle to the Nexus - but - I'd have to root the tablet first.

I don't mind rooting it - but I don't want to void the warranty (which I'm assuming rooting would do).

Trouble is, she's fallen in love with the tablet now, even though it's primary function is seriously diminished.

Sodding technology.  One door opens, another 127 slam shut in your face.

Edit:  Fuck it.... I'm going to root it.  It's apparently very easy to return it to stock and de-root, so if I need to return it under warranty, I should be able to get it back to factory before sending it back.  Presuming of course, it doesn't do something stupid like refuse to charge.  However.... the repair place won't know it's rooted until they fix it first...  if indeed they check.

Does anyone know whether google are cool with people rooting and keeping warranty ?

They will be when there's no sign of it happening.

chrispy108

Um, hate to bring you bad news, but PC World won't let you return it once you've opened it, unless it's faulty:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/returns-cancellations-878-theme.html

bertie

    

monquixote said:

Don't worry about it. If you wait 3 months there will be something else 3 months away you could wait for. Just buy it now and stop worrying. 

indeed, - we always say,  if its in stock,  its out of date.  So waiting for the 'next big release'  is seldom worth it

Axe_meister

Interesting adds in TV here in the states comparing windows surface to iPad.
Need a USB connector, apple oh dear. Need a small stand, apple oh dear, need a keyboard, apple oh dear, need to connect to works active directory, apple oh dear.
Just love American comparative (FUD) adds

monquixote

The Windows tablets are a missed opportunity. You can either get one that's eye wateringly expensive with crap battery life which runs proper WIndows software, or one that actually works like a tablet which doesn't run any Windows software making it largely pointless. 

chrispy108

hywelg

I have been gassing for a tablet for quite a while. Both my lads have one, the band singer has one,etc but the more I look the more I find I don't like. To me Android is a toy to all intents and purposes, a great phone OS, but not a proper OS to run real world apps. The OS can't talk to the sound chip, or so I'm told, so thats why most of the apps for geetar type stuff don't make their way onto Android. That leaves the iPad, which I am resolutely against on principle.

Google tablets won't mount an external drive/usb stick, native. They also won't allow you to host a web server (like IIS in win) so I couldn't use it to take to my customers and show them the photo galleries on my website unless I had internet access over wifi or using my phone as a hotspot. Google aparently believe that everwhere has wifi access and will store stuff in the cloud. Twats.

I use a little app on my PC called Amazing Slow Downer. I bet some of you have heard of it or use it. Its brilliant for learning to play songs, learning riffs or solos, looping chord sequences, etc etc. The developer has said he won't port it to Android because the OS is rubbish for that sort of thing and the dev language (java is it?) is useless for the purpose.

So I find myself investigating the Windows Surface Pro, runs any Windows app, runs full version of Windows 8 but is double the price, at least and has poor battery life amongst other things. So now its wait until the Surface Pro 2 comes along.

Myranda

monquixote said:

The Windows tablets are a missed opportunity. You can either get one that's eye wateringly expensive with crap battery life which runs proper WIndows software, or one that actually works like a tablet which doesn't run any Windows software making it largely pointless. 

The Surface RT can be "Rooted" (for want of a better word) to enable proper windows applications, and now they're slashing prices to get rid of the remaining stock, they could end up quite good bargains ...

As for the Surface Pro... the battery life isn't amazing - given that an 18" Alienware desktop replacement gaming laptop with two graphics cards will manage 5+ hours on battery and the Surface Pro without any of the massive power drains the Alienware has doesn't come close to that... I'd love to own something LIKE the surface pro though, something with the beautiful screen, light weight etc... but with an acceptable battery life and costing less than say £600 ... 

Grumpyrocker

Very fond of my Android tablet, great device. I did have an ASUS Transformer, and now I've got a Nexus 10 and it's fabulous. I don't miss having the MicroSD slot of the Transformer at all - have all my music uploaded to Google Play Music, got my files on Dropbox etc. 

Nexus 10 has a great high resolution screen - particularly good for showing off photographs. 

Low latency audio is now supported by Android. I've even hooked up my Presonus audio interface to the transformer and recorded some guitar. But support for the feature is low right now - Apple does have the whole guitar thing cornered.

But for everything else I'm very happy with my tablet - for watching film/TV, listening to music, controlling my Marantz stereo, reading, surfing, streaming from our NAS and even remotely controlling my PC.

monquixote

hywelg said:

I have been gassing for a tablet for quite a while. Both my lads have one, the band singer has one,etc but the more I look the more I find I don't like. To me Android is a toy to all intents and purposes, a great phone OS, but not a proper OS to run real world apps. The OS can't talk to the sound chip, or so I'm told, so thats why most of the apps for geetar type stuff don't make their way onto Android. That leaves the iPad, which I am resolutely against on principle.

Google tablets won't mount an external drive/usb stick, native. They also won't allow you to host a web server (like IIS in win) so I couldn't use it to take to my customers and show them the photo galleries on my website unless I had internet access over wifi or using my phone as a hotspot. Google aparently believe that everwhere has wifi access and will store stuff in the cloud. Twats.

I use a little app on my PC called Amazing Slow Downer. I bet some of you have heard of it or use it. Its brilliant for learning to play songs, learning riffs or solos, looping chord sequences, etc etc. The developer has said he won't port it to Android because the OS is rubbish for that sort of thing and the dev language (java is it?) is useless for the purpose.

I don't think that's really true. 

Android is ultimately just a Linux machine and it supports software in C++ and Java which are the two most popular programming languages in the world. Sound access is pretty much the same in iPhone and Android (I work for a company that makes audio SW for mobile phones)

You don't normally find webservers on things like android because it's not something people usually want , but you can get them:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.xeustechnologies.android.kws&hl=en