Technology catch-all thread

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

I don't mean wireless for audio transmission or power -- I don't like wireless speakers ... yet ... and wireless power technology doesn't exist yet in most instances, I meant for internet access/syncing. No internet devices are wired in my house. The rest of it doesn't exist yet, so I don't have it...yet.

 

That's why I was confused, I thought maybe you were the great-great-grandson of Nikola Tesla or something.

[southsideirish71]

I look forward to more links from the Onion from the Apple anti-fan club today.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

I look forward to more links from the Onion from the Apple anti-fan club today.

 

Was there a new article today? I didn't see one on the website, this is latest I've come across....

 

 

http://www.theonion.com/articles/new-light...mpbacked,29635/

 

 

[bigruss]

So I bought a Kindle FireHD, pretty impressed by it. It's a nice little toy to have especially because I like to listen to music/watch a show in bed before I actually fall asleep so it's better than my laptop/phone to do that, and the screen is really gorgeous (not to mention the built in speakers blow away an other built ins I've heard). Not too shabby for $200.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

So I bought a Kindle FireHD, pretty impressed by it. It's a nice little toy to have especially because I like to listen to music/watch a show in bed before I actually fall asleep so it's better than my laptop/phone to do that, and the screen is really gorgeous (not to mention the built in speakers blow away an other built ins I've heard). Not too shabby for $200.

 

It's bigger than the regular Kindle Fire, right? My mom has a Kindle Fire, my dad has a Nexus 7, but they both use the iPad 2 that they won in some raffle more because of the bigger screen. She's temped to buy a Kindle Fire HD, but she's got too many damn tablets, they don't need a 4th between the two of them.

[bigruss]

It's bigger than the regular Kindle Fire, right? My mom has a Kindle Fire, my dad has a Nexus 7, but they both use the iPad 2 that they won in some raffle more because of the bigger screen. She's temped to buy a Kindle Fire HD, but she's got too many damn tablets, they don't need a 4th between the two of them.

The one I got is the same size I believe, but they have a larger version. I was tempted by the Nexus, but decided to go with Amazon's.

 

And yea, either sell some of those tablets to buy another or don't buy more, otherwise it's a waste.

[chw42]

Apple's Nexus 7 and iPad mini comparison was awful.

 

Different price range ($200 vs. $320), different screen size. But Apple conveniently forgets to mention that you know...the Nexus 7 has a higher resolution on a smaller screen (50 more PPI), a quad core processor, and once again, is $130 cheaper.

 

You can trick the average consumer, but you can't trick the people who know the specs.

[chw42]

So I bought a Kindle FireHD, pretty impressed by it. It's a nice little toy to have especially because I like to listen to music/watch a show in bed before I actually fall asleep so it's better than my laptop/phone to do that, and the screen is really gorgeous (not to mention the built in speakers blow away an other built ins I've heard). Not too shabby for $200.

 

I'm planning on buying one of these for my little brother. He's only 10 and my parents don't want him killing his vision or doing nothing but playing games or god forbid, find out what porn is. They have a parental control function on the new Fire OS, which makes kid accounts with given time limtations, etc.

 

So that's definitely a reason why I want to get him one of these. He loves playing on my iPad a lot, so I figure it's time he gets his own tablet.

[Y2HH]

Apple's Nexus 7 and iPad mini comparison was awful.

 

Different price range ($200 vs. $320), different screen size. But Apple conveniently forgets to mention that you know...the Nexus 7 has a higher resolution on a smaller screen (50 more PPI), a quad core processor, and once again, is $130 cheaper.

 

You can trick the average consumer, but you can't trick the people who know the specs.

 

...and once again specs mean almost nothing, which is a point you seem to continue to miss. They're not "tricking" anybody with spec sheets, as the device will perform just fine/as advertised. Aside from the most rabid of tech aficionados, spec sheets mean NOTHING to the consumer, and even to those of us that actually understand them.

 

The ONLY question you should have about a device is can it do what YOU need it to do? If the answer is yes, the specs are fine...it's that simple. You don't need a quad core ivy bridge, 8 gigs of ram and 3 terabytes of disk if all you're going to do is browse the web and read email. This same logic applies to consumer devices like iPads, Nexus Tablets, Samsung Tab's, etc.

 

Take the iPad34 (just released today) for a perfect illustration of this. It's 2 times faster than the iPad3 "New iPad"...the only problem is, the new iPad wasn't slow, and NOTHING available for it runs slow. Software MIGHT begin to supersede it's ability in another 2 years...but right now, it doesn't matter that the A6X iPad3/New iPad exists...the spec bump is absolutely meaningless in terms of necessary horsepower for the foreseeable future. By the time software makes the iPad3 slow, the iPad6 will be out.

 

As for my opinion on the mini iPad: Meh. Overpriced, low resolution garbage. It's targeted at a person that wants to browse the web, read email, and have Apples app store at their avail in a smaller form factor than the current line of iPad3's, etc. That's all it is. If it's not for you, don't buy it.

Edited October 23, 2012 by Y2HH

[Steve9347]

The one I got is the same size I believe, but they have a larger version. I was tempted by the Nexus, but decided to go with Amazon's.

 

And yea, either sell some of those tablets to buy another or don't buy more, otherwise it's a waste.

If you want any tips and tricks, I've maxed out the performance of my wife's Kindle while keeping it actually a kindle fire. You can sideload any app on it you want out of the box vs being stuck to just what Amazon offers.

 

I hacked my Nook Tablet, too, but that actually took hacking. The Fire is really easy to work with and sideload stuff - your first thing to put on it should be the Firefox browser, because it is awesome on those tablets.

[Steve9347]

...and once again specs mean almost nothing, which is a point you seem to continue to miss. They're not "tricking" anybody with spec sheets, as the device will perform just fine/as advertised. Aside from the most rabid of tech aficionados, spec sheets mean NOTHING to the consumer, and even to those of us that actually understand them.

 

The ONLY question you should have about a device is can it do what YOU need it to do? If the answer is yes, the specs are fine...it's that simple. You don't need a quad core ivy bridge, 8 gigs of ram and 3 terabytes of disk if all you're going to do is browse the web and read email. This same logic applies to consumer devices like iPads, Nexus Tablets, Samsung Tab's, etc.

 

Take the iPad34 (just released today) for a perfect illustration of this. It's 2 times faster than the iPad3 "New iPad"...the only problem is, the new iPad wasn't slow, and NOTHING available for it runs slow. Software MIGHT begin to supersede it's ability in another 2 years...but right now, it doesn't matter that the A6X iPad3/New iPad exists...the spec bump is absolutely meaningless in terms of necessary horsepower for the foreseeable future. By the time software makes the iPad3 slow, the iPad6 will be out.

 

As for my opinion on the mini iPad: Meh. Overpriced, low resolution garbage. It's targeted at a person that wants to browse the web, read email, and have Apples app store at their avail in a smaller form factor than the current line of iPad3's, etc. That's all it is. If it's not for you, don't buy it.

Processors matter.

[Y2HH]

Processors matter.

 

Processors matter is a poor generalization. Of course they matter, but only so much, and only in specific instances. What are we talking about here?

 

Let's take a timex watch for a quick illustration.

 

It requires a 2mhz chip to operate every function on that specific device AT FULL SPEED. You dont need a quad core i7 in a timex.

 

Simply saying "processors matter" with zero context is a meaningless statement. Tablets/phablets/phones only need so much horsepower to perform all the functions they can possibly perform.

 

If we're talking about a workstation that has to render a 15 minute 1080P Pixar scene...ok, processors matter...and you have a point.

 

If we're talking about a scaled down tablet designed for light web browsing, some reading and email...you don't.

Edited October 23, 2012 by Y2HH

[flippedoutpunk]

So as i complete my move to my new apartment i realize that the screen of my kindle is smashed i guess this gives me an excuse to buy a new one, i hate reading on the iPad, its so cumbersome. The kindle paperwhite looks neat, and well priced..

[chw42]

...and once again specs mean almost nothing, which is a point you seem to continue to miss. They're not "tricking" anybody with spec sheets, as the device will perform just fine/as advertised. Aside from the most rabid of tech aficionados, spec sheets mean NOTHING to the consumer, and even to those of us that actually understand them.

 

The ONLY question you should have about a device is can it do what YOU need it to do? If the answer is yes, the specs are fine...it's that simple. You don't need a quad core ivy bridge, 8 gigs of ram and 3 terabytes of disk if all you're going to do is browse the web and read email. This same logic applies to consumer devices like iPads, Nexus Tablets, Samsung Tab's, etc.

 

Take the iPad34 (just released today) for a perfect illustration of this. It's 2 times faster than the iPad3 "New iPad"...the only problem is, the new iPad wasn't slow, and NOTHING available for it runs slow. Software MIGHT begin to supersede it's ability in another 2 years...but right now, it doesn't matter that the A6X iPad3/New iPad exists...the spec bump is absolutely meaningless in terms of necessary horsepower for the foreseeable future. By the time software makes the iPad3 slow, the iPad6 will be out.

 

As for my opinion on the mini iPad: Meh. Overpriced, low resolution garbage. It's targeted at a person that wants to browse the web, read email, and have Apples app store at their avail in a smaller form factor than the current line of iPad3's, etc. That's all it is. If it's not for you, don't buy it.

 

So you're saying that you don't ever want to future-proof yourself and just buy whatever fits right now? That's called being a horrible consumer.

 

 

[chw42]

Processors matter is a poor generalization. Of course they matter, but only so much, and only in specific instances. What are we talking about here?

 

Let's take a timex watch for a quick illustration.

 

It requires a 2mhz chip to operate every function on that specific device AT FULL SPEED. You dont need a quad core i7 in a timex.

 

Simply saying "processors matter" with zero context is a meaningless statement. Tablets/phablets/phones only need so much horsepower to perform all the functions they can possibly perform.

 

If we're talking about a workstation that has to render a 15 minute 1080P Pixar scene...ok, processors matter...and you have a point.

 

If we're talking about a scaled down tablet designed for light web browsing, some reading and email...you don't.

 

We're clearly talking about tablets and in tablets processors do matter.

 

The difference between a 2 year old dual core and a Tegra 3 should be pretty noticeable.

[flippedoutpunk]

uh oh, someones disagreeing with Y2HH about technology

 

[nitetrain8601]

So you're saying that you don't ever want to future-proof yourself and just buy whatever fits right now? That's called being a horrible consumer.

 

I don't know if I call that being a horrible consumer. To someone who has an iPad 3 or the original new iPad, it doesn't make sense to make the jump to the newer new iPad. Now if you're choosing between the iPad 3 and iPad 4 and you have neither, then you should buy the iPad 4 and that would make you a horrible consumer.

 

And the Galaxy Note II > iPad Mini.

[Y2HH]

So you're saying that you don't ever want to future-proof yourself and just buy whatever fits right now? That's called being a horrible consumer.

 

No, that's not what I said at all.

[Y2HH]

I don't know if I call that being a horrible consumer. To someone who has an iPad 3 or the original new iPad, it doesn't make sense to make the jump to the newer new iPad. Now if you're choosing between the iPad 3 and iPad 4 and you have neither, then you should buy the iPad 4 and that would make you a horrible consumer.

 

And the Galaxy Note II > iPad Mini.

 

This is more in line with what I actually said.

Edited October 24, 2012 by Y2HH

[Y2HH]

We're clearly talking about tablets and in tablets processors do matter.

 

The difference between a 2 year old dual core and a Tegra 3 should be pretty noticeable.

 

Again, they only matter to the point of necessity for the application at hand, INCLUDING tablets.

 

The A5X in the iPad3 is *still* more than adequate for any software that exists, and will remain so for some time. That said, being that the new iPad with the A6X is the SAME PRICE, you'd obviously get that if you were in the market for a tablet, instead. But the point remains, for those that already own an A5X iPad, I would NOT recommend they upgrade for horsepower they don't yet need, and won't need for some time. Since nothing has yet crushed the A5X, the A6X remains unnecessary. A processor, for tablets in specific, are usually good for 2-3 years from release for the most avid of game players. The A5X is less than one year old.

Edited October 24, 2012 by Y2HH

[Y2HH]

uh oh, someones disagreeing with Y2HH about technology

 

 

It's not a disagreement.

[southsideirish71]

It's not a disagreement.

 

Especially because you are spot on your argument. It used to be that software was ahead of hardware. Now its the opposite.

 

 

[Y2HH]

Especially because you are spot on your argument. It used to be that software was ahead of hardware. Now its the opposite.

 

Aside from most graphically intense of games and video editing, modern software doesn't come close to stressing processors unless somethings wrong with the application, especially when it comes to discussing tablets. A lot of people still have iPad2's, because they can still browse the web and read email just fine...which is what 99% of the world uses tablets for.

[bmags]

I walked away from yesterdays Apple event pretty impressed by their laptops and desktops. As those aren't sexy any more htey don't get much press. But the 13" Macbook Air looks about as perfect as you can get for a laptop. And I'd be interested in testing out the fusion drive on the imac (was that on the air?)

[southsideirish71]

Aside from most graphically intense of games and video editing, modern software doesn't come close to stressing processors unless somethings wrong with the application, especially when it comes to discussing tablets. A lot of people still have iPad2's, because they can still browse the web and read email just fine...which is what 99% of the world uses tablets for.

 

I would say if there is something on most computer systems that needs to catch up its IO throughput and avoiding spindle contention. This is why SSDs and hybrid drives are going to make more of an performance impact than the one notch up processor. This however doesn't apply really with tablets as they are not as IO bound.