Android One tablet?

CAcreeks wrote:

I2K4 wrote:

My Lenovo 8" tablet (not a current model) has been bullet-proof, and is the go to Android screen around the house, but given the retreat from powerful tablets by Android OEMs if I needed a real 10" workhorse I'd likely be looking at either a Windows-based (including Lenovo, but also Microsoft, etc.) or even an Apple product. The Chromebook cloud-focus has had its advantages but also limitations - the Android support is fairly new, so I'd be careful about how well locally stored apps really work on the platform.

I'm sick of Windows, and hope to stop using it for the rest of my life, after I retire. Moreover the selection of apps is poor compared to Android and iOS.

Good thing I read this, as I was about to bring up the Microsoft Go 2 Surface.

Funny, I got the Go 2 to get away from Android. I like having windows on a tablet sized device. Windows is what I know and like using. But we all have different wants and likes.

BigBen08 wrote:

Good thing I read this, as I was about to bring up the Microsoft Go 2 Surface.

Funny, I got the Go 2 to get away from Android. I like having windows on a tablet sized device. Windows is what I know and like using. But we all have different wants and likes.

Do you like it? I looked at the Go when it first came out. It seemed very small for a Windows device. Also expensive after you add keyboard and pen. Now I see it has been discontinued and replaced by the Go 2, which you have.

My Kindle Paperwhite arrived this morning. I'm used to high resolution on the Samsung 10.1 screen (WQXGA) and the Paperwhite is equivalent or better at 300 dpi. Being able to read text in Bookerly or Palatino font is a huge win for me. I hate sans serif. Most browsers can display only sans serif unless a website sets something else (even then Firefox mobile cannot).

The state of Android tablets is pathetic IMO. Thus the idea of buying a Chromebook above.

CAcreeks wrote:

BigBen08 wrote:

Good thing I read this, as I was about to bring up the Microsoft Go 2 Surface.

Funny, I got the Go 2 to get away from Android. I like having windows on a tablet sized device. Windows is what I know and like using. But we all have different wants and likes.

Do you like it? I looked at the Go when it first came out. It seemed very small for a Windows device. Also expensive after you add keyboard and pen. Now I see it has been discontinued and replaced by the Go 2, which you have.

I like it, but it's not a device for everyone. I bought mine with the keyboard, pen and better processor. Total cost was $918, which I feel is very expensive. Yes, a little small for a Win 10 computer. Icons are rather small. The screen is 1920 x 1280 and good, but I have seen better displays.

I bought it to mostly use at work. I fix trains, and I loaded tons of technical manuals, schematics and pdf files. So for that it works well. It's small enough that I can fit it into the large pocket of my safety vest. Also not bad if I want to show off my photography to others 

My Kindle Paperwhite arrived this morning. I'm used to high resolution on the Samsung 10.1 screen (WQXGA) and the Paperwhite is equivalent or better at 300 dpi. Being able to read text in Bookerly or Palatino font is a huge win for me. I hate sans serif. Most browsers can display only sans serif unless a website sets something else (even then Firefox mobile cannot).

The state of Android tablets is pathetic IMO. Thus the idea of buying a Chromebook above.

BigBen08 wrote:

Do you like it the Go 2?

I like it, but it's not a device for everyone. I bought mine with the keyboard, pen and better processor. Total cost was $918, which I feel is very expensive. Yes, a little small for a Win 10 computer. Icons are rather small. The screen is 1920 x 1280 and good, but I have seen better displays.

I bought it to mostly use at work. I fix trains, and I loaded tons of technical manuals, schematics and pdf files. So for that it works well. It's small enough that I can fit it into the large pocket of my safety vest. Also not bad if I want to show off my photography to others

Thanks.

The Go 2 has a 10.5" screen versus only 10" in the original.

Certainly for your use case, the iPad wouldn't work well, or at all.

vv50 wrote:

CAcreeks wrote:

Going to the Chromebook store below, and selecting Type=convertible, Medium screen, and Google Play Store enabled, I get many options ranging from $359 to $1200.

duet starts at 290 https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/student-chromebooks/Lenovo-CT-X636/p/ZZICZCTCT1X

The September issue of WIRED magazine shows the 10" Duet along with 12" HP Chromebook x360 and Samsung Galaxy Chromebook.

The blurb says that the Lenovo Duet has no headphone jack. This would be a show stopper for me, though perhaps BlueTooth is acceptable for others. Speaking of audio, the blurb for HP x360 says it has powerful speakers.

CAcreeks wrote:

The blurb says that the Lenovo Duet has no headphone jack.

neither does the pixel slate. usbc to 3.5mm adapters do exist https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MU7E2AM/A/usb-c-to-35-mm-headphone-jack-adapter

vv50 wrote:

The blurb says that the Lenovo Duet has no headphone jack.

neither does the pixel slate. usbc to 3.5mm adapters do exist https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MU7E2AM/A/usb-c-to-35-mm-headphone-jack-adapter

The Pixel Slate seems to be discontinued. On Amazon the "renewed" model costs $602.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/20/18693399/google-abandoning-tablets-pixel-slate-failure

Pixelbook is still available on the Google website, and on Amazon for $1149. Whew, there certainly are a lot of Chromebook models, and it's difficult to navigate among them. The low priced ones have disappointing specs, and the high priced ones seem like a poor alternative to a Windows laptop.

Something new from TCL getting some press today. The new screen tech down the road may be more interesting than the tablets:

"Like e-ink, NXTPAPER doesn't generate its own light, and instead reflects ambient light. This allows it to drastically reduce power consumption relative to something like an LCD. But while we usually think of e-ink panels as monochrome, slow, and relatively low resolution, NXTPAPER promises full HD resolution, color, and a refresh rate high enough to support video."

Got a Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite last week. Came with pen, looks nice, benchmark tests on YouTube said it was a bit better than my previous 2019 Tab A 10.1, it is miles behind the S6.

The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is terrible. It runs Android 10 and constantly freezes. It did it for a minute writing this post. Definitely performs worse than the 10.1 A 2019. But these are cheap tablets. Our old 12.9 inch iPad Pro 1st generation is worth the same money and is far better.

The main benefit of the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is having the pen for Lightroom,  which comes in handy. But you can't upload full resolution photos from Lightroom to Flickr unlike on the iPad. I am not able to switch it now but know I would have been better off getting the official 1st Apple Pencil for the iPad instead.

I am going to look into this Android One to see if there is anyway of removing all the junk. I have tried lots of things already but it still runs badly. One bonus is the browser I used for ad free YouTube is stable whereas it closed all the time on the iPad.

BigBen08 wrote:

Good thing I read this, as I was about to bring up the Microsoft Go 2 Surface.

Funny, I got the Go 2 to get away from Android. I like having windows on a tablet sized device. Windows is what I know and like using. But we all have different wants and likes.

I like the feel of the first Go, I assume the 2nd is similar. But assumed Windows would be too fiddly to use as a tablet with icons being too small. But Windows Lightroom is far better than Android. I noticed most reviews of the first Go said it was a bit sluggish and budget performance compared to their Surface Pro line.

I considered a used 1st gen Surface Book as that thing is beautiful and might be good enough to replace my laptop too. Probably not as I remember it being a flop performance wise.

Microsoft are doing interesting things though. But they are the most expensive out of all the competitors now that Apple is making budget lines. Their Surface Duo looks amazing. Not for me but its an amazing looking device for business users. The Neo also looks good but the split square screen seems pointless. I would love a newer Surface Book for work and Lightroom, but to get similar specs as my Dell laptop would cost the earth and the cheap iPad Pro 1st generation is probably better as a tablet e.g. bigger icons, longer batter life and Lightroom won't force you to save all photos like they do with Windows, when you just want to upload to the cloud.

Certainly an interesting space to keep an eye on with Windows X being made for tablets, probably a new design for the Surface Pro this year and there are some interesting small companies too like Chewi who have at least one device that runs Android and Windows (probably terrible). But Android tablets suck in general (the Tab S6 will be good but it's very expensive). Ipads just work in comparison, even their low spec budget machines don't seem to crash.

Do you find the photos are too small in Lightroom on the Go? I noticed they use the full screen on iOS and Android but LR CC by default has a lot more around the edges. If it can be used with just a right sidebar for editing tools I may get a Go. Would be great to have the advanced LR features like duplicate photo, enhance details etc...

MatMayer wrote:

I am going to look into this Android One to see if there is anyway of removing all the junk. I have tried lots of things already but it still runs badly. One bonus is the browser I used for ad free YouTube is stable whereas it closed all the time on the iPad.

Specs look good; 4.5 stars on Amazon. I wonder why yours is unstable? One of the 1-star reviews is similar to your complaint.

If you root the S6 Lite, can you install stock (vanilla) Android 10?

Android One is kind of a contract between Google and the hardware manufacturer, who is provided with frequent updates especially for security.

MatMayer wrote:

BigBen08 wrote:

Good thing I read this, as I was about to bring up the Microsoft Go 2 Surface.

Funny, I got the Go 2 to get away from Android. I like having windows on a tablet sized device. Windows is what I know and like using. But we all have different wants and likes.

Do you find the photos are too small in Lightroom on the Go? I noticed they use the full screen on iOS and Android but LR CC by default has a lot more around the edges. If it can be used with just a right sidebar for editing tools I may get a Go. Would be great to have the advanced LR features like duplicate photo, enhance details etc...

Can't answer. I don't use my Go 2 for photo editing.