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Smartphones and Tablets news.

224K views 4K replies 79 participants last post by  @ruantec 
After checking several tablet PC's for my personal use i started to look which one suits better to me and the first one discarted from my list is the IPAD due to the lack of flash supports which is required for my needs.

after some research i found 3 options that may fit my needs and here they are:

#1. Motorola's Xoom:


- Awesome design and UI not to mention about the capabilities and Android 3 which is awesome. the bad side is that i have to learn java in order to code for it which sucks a bit but am anyways learning java myself quite soon.

#2. eXoPC:



- A Windows based tablet PC with a very nice user interface and since its running Windows most of my applications are going to work right away and with some small modifications i can make them shine in it or even better i could create my own UI for the entire device :evil:


If someone have a better alternative please post it here as am going to buy a tablet PC soon and would like to know which one is better for you.
 
That's an interesting 3 options you have there :p
My bad... however the 3rd option is reserved to the device am soon developing the GUI-Interface for so yeah...

@ruantec, are you refusing a 10" tablet with a 2048 x 1536 screen outright? oO

I mean... 2048 x 1536!!!!one

iPad 2 Retina Display evidence mounts, this time a .png of wood is to blame -- Engadget

That aside, a lot of websites are converting for the iPad form factor, so Flash may end up not being a necessity at some point if videos are what you are after.

Take it from me... Flash on Android is garbage. It's barely enough to watch videos sometimes. You can forget about viewing websites altogether. In fact, it's better to use apps like Skyfire to view videos if you can help it. If you can't, then it's better to use a laptop to do that task.

But if you absolutely must have Flash somehow, I think the BlackBerry PlayBook is an interesting contender. I'm working on an app for it. Seems like the thing runs on top of a Flash-based interface by default.

I'm leaning more towards an iPad 2, though... 2048 x 1536 is... tempting.
Apple products right now are a no-go for me even if am sort of a Apple fan myself. the reason for that is flash which is required for my personal needs... well actually the needs of my wife who watch a lot of asian drama streams which are offered using flash players and since the IPAD do not support flash its definitely the last device am looking for. high-end specs are nice but i personally preffer usability/compatibility over power.
 
2048 x 1536 is a standard res. :p

Well, believe it or not, there are apps on the App Store with whole categories of Asian dramas and TV shows in them. You don't even have to go to a website to watch them. Launch the app, tap the image of the drama series, tap an episode, and off you go. My mom has such an app in her iPhone.

Some websites actually serve up HTML5 instead of Flash (if the video clip is embedded from another source, then that depends on the source, not the site. Vimeo actually serves up HTML5 for iOS and Mac now)

If you absolutely must go the Flash route only to enjoy movies, then sincerely, and honestly, I HIGHLY recommend against Android for that task. Very sincerely. I am very absolutely sure that with certainty... Flash... on any mobile device... just plainly... sucks! You're not watching movies on them. You're watching slideshows! It's an experience so horrible that I think it should end at low-res phones. When you start blowing resolutions up, that's when problems start arising. Flash is horrible at handling high resolutions.

If you really really really need to watch streaming videos longer than 5 minutes, I'd honestly advise you to get a laptop instead.
Thank you for the information mate. i will make sure to check them out before i even consider to buy one :thumb:
 
The reason for the Android growth is obvious. they were smart enough to realize that nowdays UI design and usability is the ultimate way to attract people which is one of the Keys of the Iphone's big success. they just not copied most part of its design but they definitely made it better and each version is showing nothing but awesomeness when it comes to UI design and usability.

I wish companies behind OS or developers do the same steps and realize that nowdays its not just about writing some good code that "Does the Job" but the fact that people want to see something flashy as well as times have finally changed and people do not like stuff that just "Works or does the job" or just show some text with some simple icons embedded in a crappy OS Window.

..........Finally the time is comming when i don't have to puke each time i see a great application behind a horrible Windows form or devices with horrible icons and stupid UI's.
 
GUI design is far more important on smaller portable devices @ruantec. Also on these devices it's not so much about flashyness though of course that's appreciated. It's about good screen space optimization and smoothness of use.
True there ;)

... actually that's one of the reasons why i like some of the Apple stuff. they aren't the best or the cheapest but if there is one thing Apple really cares is about UI design and in most cases they really have a good taste when it comes to such things. of course there stuff aren't perfect as we all know :p
 
Nope, this, I respectfully disagree.

The reason for Android growth is not because of its UI design. Different Android phones can have different UIs after customization, but in general, all of them have the same design philosophy that is the base of everything.

Android growth is only due to two reasons: cheap, and it's available on all carriers. Your typical Android phone over the last quarter dropped to $0.00 - $49.99 on contract from the regular $199.99 price tag. iPhone 4 didn't drop even a single cent.

Android's UI is more practical than iOS UI in some ways, but in the end, it's nothing Windows Mobile hasn't done before. And I can honestly say that with certainty. iOS UI, on the other hand, is much smoother and responsive than about 99% of Android phones. Even my Captivate at 1.4GHz has a hard time catching up to an iPhone 4 when it comes to browsing websites and being responsive enough. In terms of being pretty, the Android experience is not consistent. That much I'm certain because beyond the homescreen, there is not a lot of apps that follow the same design guidelines since... they don't have to. On iOS, everything is uniform and follows the same design guidelines. Using one app as opposed to another is usually the same pleasant experience with the same UI design (buttons where they should be).

Like I mentioned, the only reason why I prefer my Captivate to an iPhone is because Google Voice integration is better on the Android device. Otherwise, I'd choose the iPhone 4 in a heartbeat because it doesn't take a custom ROM to make the experience a smooth sailing one.

On the other hand, your statement would hold true if it was to describe Apple's Mac OSX versus Windows. Mac OSX has some features and UI designs that make it a much more usable and pleasant experience than Windows, even considering that Windows can be customized to death and back. It's just whether you see the practical use of such customizations or not, and I can say with certainty that by far, Apple has been one to pay more attention to the practical use of their UI more so than the looks of it.

One prime example: I don't have to switch windows to scroll or pan the contents inside that window. Sounds simple, but it's a nightmare on Windows when you work with multiple documents. On Mac, it's just a two-finger swipe gesture that works globally on all windows, even those that aren't in focus.

It's simple, but it makes your workflow much faster while coding because then you can look at other source codes without having to put them inside an IDE. Works with all apps, too, so I can open a reference book in the browser and pan around its contents (zoom, too), while not having to Alt + Tab or click back to type something. It's a very powerful tool. I'm actually surprised that something similar hasn't been done to Windows already.
You have some good points there :thumb: however i personally think Android is growing and reaching a very good state and in the near future we will have some awesome devices with a good OS in it and i guess Apple already got a good competitor so they better watch out :p

the reason why i said that is because am deeply impressed with some of the Android cell phones and specially the one that took the Iphone 4 out or my mind which is the HTC Desire HD ;)

 
That phone is actually very jerky in person. You just gotta use it to see it. But you can see a bit of it in the video.

Trust me, if it's not a Samsung Galaxy S phone, or anything newer, then you'll be left with a very jerky experience that'd ruin your day even if the interface looks pretty.

The main reason why Windows Mobile is now dead is because it was jerky and unresponsive...

It's one of those things that you won't be able to understand until you experience it yourself. :(
am going to get my hands on it very soon and luckily i will be able to test the phone before i get it. if its not ok then am going for the iphone 4 and wish i do not get the nasty issues i heard it has(dunno if they are true or not tho.)
 
Adam's Eden UI is actually one of the more interesting ones in either concept or execution or look, or all of them depending on the observer. Sadly, it's plagued by your typical KIRF developers who only care about looks and not so much about performance.
I think you have a wrong impression about me and also because the highligted text on your quote its not true :p

Its not about the UI or about performance but the device design in general that bothers me. i personally think Adam is the best or one of the best devices out there but when i think in buying a device i want it to be as perfect(for my personal needs) as possible and for that the device need to fits the requirements i demand from a device/app or whatever. in the case of a device my requirements are:

1. Overal design of the device(not UI):
- Adam's design is not bad but its too "Blocky"(hope is the right word) for my taste and i personally think the screen height is too small taking in mind the device size.

2. UI design and functionality:
- In this area Adam fits all my needs as is wonderful and offers a great designed UI for the end user and i personally do not have a single complaint so far... taking in mind am very picky when it comes to UI design as am one of the few developers that actually cares about graphics and UI design.

3. Performance:
- I personally think that a rich UI doesn't necessary need to slowdown the device/app or whatever if its done correctly and as far as i can see Adam's performance seems to be great which is something great but i have to get my hands on it first in order to give a veredict :p

4. Features:
- Good features is what makes a device attractive in my eyes apart from UI design and performance but i personally do not care if am able to read something in my tablet PC in the sun since i see no reason for doing that... specially since i hate to stay in the sun longer than 5 minutes.


Basically Adam fits most of my requirements but as i said i look for the "Perfect" device for me and as mentioned i can live with many downsides of a device but for sure not the looks of it :p


.... i know am a weird person but am very picky when it comes to design :D of course just because i care about design it doesn't mean i accept bad performance at all. in fact all i want is the best of both worlds since am not satisfied with only 1 of them ;)
 
Hey RAP... what smartphone would you recommend???? my phone contract ends next month and i need to look for a new one. of course i get any smartphone for free but atm am not sure which one to choose where the iphone 4 is almost at the top since me and my wife are used to it but also the HTC desire HD.
 
I ask because i haven't used an Android smartphone myself and one of my team members is a Android fanboy and in the past few weeks he have been trying to change my mind(Specially going on my nerves with his Anti-Microsoft philosophy and the Adam Tablet PC where Microsoft should die and Google should rule the world lol taking in mind he work with MS tools in our company just to complete the combo). i have to admit that i was very surpriced when i saw his HTC desire in action as i thought those phones are nothing but Sh!t. the reason why i was considering to buy another phone other then the Iphone 4(yes its the only phone that meet my expectations judging by the 3GS i have) its because i heard a lot of negative things including the antenna issue etc. but to be honest i haven't checked yet to see if they fixed the problems or not.

an no am not b****ing about the iPhone 4 nor Android but just asking :p
 
FYI, Apple's A4 is the same SoC concept but it also integrates memory inside that mess. So Apple somehow one-upped the competition last year. :p

Apple A5 is rumored to stack a pair of CPU, a pair of GPU, and a pair of RAM all in one SoC again. That's crazy engineering.
^ Cool, my Tablet PC is better tho. and its for sure crazy engineering behind too as the author of it call itself "Crazy GFX coder" :p here is a video:


:p


on a more serious note... I can't wait to hear/see more from Apple's A5 ;) sadly as of now all i've found is just small infos about it and nothing real yet.
 
Still not as smooth as the interface of my MacBook Pro!!!!11111111 :p

But on a more serious note, I believe it's more about software at this point, and Apple's A5 might just outperform your tablet PC. It's stacking up power as an entire chip. The GPUs support OpenCL! If you were basing on the current iPad, I think you have to up the standards by 4-6 times.

So that's just the tip of the iceberg. ;)



Sure, but the sales figures are not at all similar. ;)
@ES is actually smoother then what you can see in the video and people will notice that once its released in the next few days here ^_^ .... seriously sometimes i wish it were a real Tablet PC specially since i created the UI in a way that it looks similar to a real one. i agree with you that right now is more about software but also hardware plays a big role since people want more and more and i personally would include one of those nice tegra 2 chips from Nvidia if @ES were a real device ;)
 
If the rumors are right then Apple A5 would actually be faster than Tegra 2 by a margin. Even GPU-wise.
Ok, that sounds awesome :thumb: can't wait to see what comes out.

I have yet to see a web browser in Windows or Linux that has absolute smooth scrolling, for instance.
then you haven't seen my @ES - Chromium tests where i made a very smooth kinetic scroll and website zooming even with pixel shader effects ;)

the reason why @ES custom listview doesn't scroll like that is because am not a fan of kinetic scrolling even if i know how it works and even made a proof of concept myself a while a go:



the scroll is incredibly smooth but the app i used to record the video was a crap :p in fact i've been working a lot lately to bring "Smooth" moves into Windows with my latest apps. basically "Smooth" scrolling or anything you see on many devices isn't hard to reproduce but the reason why you don't see any is because most programmers do not care about those things and just add the overrated Windows controls(dunno in linux) which not only are terribly old but also there behaviours are limited and will not allow you such a thing.

in order to create smooth stuff you have to write your own custom controls(like i did) which response and also behave the way i want or need and in that way i can add smooth moves whatever they are needed or not. again its not a matter of hardware only but that coders stop being lazy and write there own things in a good way instead of going the easy way and just use the controls the OS/IDE has to offer :p

btw what you have seen so far in my videos do not contain a single Windows form control and even the listview is a custom control created by me by rendering each item and writing every single property and behaviour. in fact i've been able to reproduce almost every single feature devices have to offer including Apple's Coverflow by visiting there stores and toying around with the devices for few minutes in order to figure out what they did :p

in case you haven't seen it here is a video:



In conclution i think we could have smooth stuff under Windows already but we need the right coders to write the necessary code to make it come true. the necessary tools and hardware are there waiting for coders to use them propertly :p
 
If developers have to make it smooth themselves then it's not a solution that will help the platform since that's more app-dependent. :p

Mac OSX has smooth kinetic touchpad scroll for all apps in comparison. Even those that didn't support it on previous systems. Even the puny MacBook Air 11" can scroll a lot of applications smoothly. It only jerks when the content being viewed is way too large. Typically a very big PDF file or image. Otherwise, your regular contents are all very smooth on Mac OSX by default. You can't quite say the same for Windows or even @ES on CULV "notbooks" or netbooks though. I tried @ES on those and they just wouldn't stand up to the abuse. Matters get worse as I tried to plug in bigger monitors.

That was what ultimately pushed me to buy a MacBook Pro. ;) 2560 x 1600 with smooth scrolling!
OSX or better say Apple is one of the few companies out there with a good taste and they always make sure there products work and look as good as possible which is why am sort of a "Apple" fan.

Under Windows(dunno under linux) you have two options which are C++ or WPF(C#) where the first one isn't even a option... why is that??? C++ tools offers power but when it comes to creating such things you're left in the dark and with the only option of GDI+ which is not an option at all as it doesn't even support hardware acceleration so while C++ give you an incredible power you are still left alone with overrated tools that doesn't offer much in that area and just allow you to create a simple crappy Windows form and even that is hard to do sometimes.

With WPF in other hands you have the power to create smooth stuff but you have to be very careful on how you do things as a small mistake could cause your entire app to be slow and fall into GDI+. The reason why @ES is not that smooth is because i made some silly mistakes in the past(in the UI) since am still learning WPF. however the upcomming version is a lot smoother and i can reach a good level thanks to the better use of WPF and also hardware acceleration in most of the areas.

I have to agree with you when it comes to the OS as Windows basically makes the process harder than necessary and thanks God they are starting to change that since the introduction of Vista/7 where new apis were included but sadly not many people are using it in the right way.

Thanks for the information :thumb: i will make sure to check that and also make a insurance for my iphone so that i can bring it back anytime and get a new one in case something goes wrong.
 
I can only agree with most part of your post and the main problem is in the way Windows is done which sadly is still based in the terrible old code with some new features that make it look better. still as i explained its more than possible to create a nice user interface and have smoothness aswell but the main problem are the crappy tools you get to develop where VS is probably one of the best you can get. still "Best" tool isn't all but what it has to offer to the developer and what it allows you to do in a small period of time.

most of those crappy tools out there that are able to compile a C++ code or even .Net offer in my eyes big power but only to develop power command tools and nothing else. when it comes to powerful UI and advanced user interface development they offer a very basic framework that limits you all the way and that's the area i consider apple wins as they offer a very nice and slick framework that allows you to develope great and nice looking applications rather just offering you a toolbox that probably the "Flintstones" used to develope there applications and that's one of the reasons why many developers are left in the dark and a lot of Windows applications just suck(visually) in my eyes.
 
Well, that wasn't precisely what I was referring to, though.

You just write your codes, compile it, and it's already hardware-accelerated. You can audit more specific APIs to gain even more performance while doing specific operations that aren't automatically accelerated, but all applications are hardware accelerated by default, legacy or not. And at least that holds true for the interface. Different hardwares that support different features (OpenCL or not) will also automagically help accelerate things.

See what I mean? Whether the app was compiled by a tool from the past or some tool in the future, it's all accelerated when Apple chooses to do so. The only difference a newer app may have is when it adds more features like on-demand multitasking or advanced memory management.

Otherwise, it's a transparent process. It's not tool-dependent.

To put it in an easier to understand way: think GDI on Windows XP as opposed to GDI in... say... Windows 8 when it's automagically accelerated.

Edit: here, I think this would clear things up:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartz_(graphics_layer)

It was an integral part of the OS. Apple thought about accelerating the interface as far back as the inception of OSX. Later revisions merely built upon the foundation and provided more acceleration layers. Otherwise, it's a core part of the interface as opposed to something that is layered on top of Windows like the Aero interface.
I understand what you mean but i was talking about Windows GDI+ which doesn't support hardware acceleration even on Vista/7 as the API wasn't designed for that as far as i know. in the case of OSX i guess apple did better moves in that area.
 
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