A lesson from QWERTY

The traditional keyboard layout on virtually all computer keyboards today is a direct holdover of the layout on typewriters going back well into the 1800's.  The first practical typewriters were on the market in the 1860's.  By the 1870's almost everyone was using the standard QWERTY keyboard layout that we still use today.

Was there anything particularly wonderful about this layout?  Not really.  In fact, many have complained over the years that its layout is inefficient.  Heavily used letters are not keyed to fingers that can respond most quickly.  People have shown in many instances that a person trained on keyboards with keys optimized for speed can improve typing speeds considerably.  Why then, do we continue with the QWERTY standard?

The reason, of course, is that virtually all typists have trained for years on this standard.  Everyone knows it very well.  Changing the layout would cause great confusion and chaos for all professional typists.  The years of retraining and relearning typing far outweigh the small performance improvement that might eventually be of benefit.

Technology industry leaders seem to have forgotten this concept, or at least decided to ignore it.  Apple has often been a repeat offender, completely changing user interfaces and failing to support legacy applications.  Microsoft seems to have adopted this view with gusto in more recent years as well.  It's complete rewrites of the way the MS Office menus work, and it's disastrous release of Windows 8 with a completely new interface has angered users and scared off many long time customers, who either refuse to upgrade, or figure its time to look at competitors since they have to learn a whole new interface anyway.

In the age of cloud applications, this problem has only gotten worse.  When MS came out with an Office interface that no one wanted, users could stick with the old version for many years until they were eventually forced to get a new computer no longer compatible with the old software.  But with Cloud computing the manufacturer can change the interface on you without notice, forcing you to relearn tasks which you could do just fine yesterday.

Sure, sometimes these changes are arguably for the better (although often not).  Sometimes a new look may get customers to take a second look at your product.  It may also help give the illusion that the company is changing things and therefore remaining new and cutting edge.

But more and more, users are seeing technology as a tool to accomplish tasks, not a great new innovation that need to amaze and astound us every six months.  We want to get things done and we don't want to have to re-teach ourselves something we already knew how to do.  Many of of these changes simply cause a reduction in productivity until users are able to become accustomed to the new arrangement.

Technology leaders would be wise to take a queue from QWERTY.  Once something has become a standard, and most people have adopted it, don't change the setup unless there are very good reasons for doing so.

Galaxy S6 is a major disappointment.

I have been a fan of the Samsung Galaxy since the beginning.  I still have my original Samsung Galaxy S, although it's in a drawer now, having been replaced several times by its subsequent iterations.  I currently enjoy by Galaxy S5.  I am very happy with it.

I am in a fortunate position in that my employer pays for my phones.  I have both a Galaxy S5 and an iPhone 6 as I need to know how to support both inside and out to help company employees with their phones.  Since employees have a choice of either phone, I must be an expert in both.

The iPhone is fine for what it is.  But my preference for every day use it absolutely the Galaxy S5.  I have long been a big fan of the Android OS.  The iPhone is fine for users who are willing to pay through the nose for apps and hardware accessories, and for people who don't care to tinker with their phones and use them in new and creative ways.  But for those of us who see the phone purchase as a starting point for us to come up with new an interesting ways to use it, the iPhone simply does not allow the flexibility we crave.

As someone who is tasked with keeping phones running for many users, I am also focused on the ease of repairing phones or recovering data.  Apple has always been good at presenting a product that looks wonderful out of the box, but if you ever have any problem with it, repair is rarely an option.  Typically, your only solution is to buy a new one.  Most Android phones allow for some repairs or upgrades, which I find attractive in a phone that rarely looks pristine after its planned two year life span.

My next phone will almost certainly run Android OS.  However, it likely will not be a Samsung Galaxy.  Samsung has decided to become an echo of the iPhone 6.  If they continue down this path, they will likely lose their position as the preeminent Android phone.

The S6 has taken away several of the most important features that distinguish it from the iPhone.  The fact that the new model is no longer water proof does not concern me much.  But the loss of two other basic features are the main reason I've decided to end my relationship with Samsung.

I am very disappointed by the fact that, like the iPhone you cannot replace the battery in the S6. Batteries run down over time.  They simply don't hold a charge for as long, no matter how well you treat them.  After a year or two, you need to get a new battery if you want the length of charge to remain high.  You may also want to get a third party battery that can handle a larger capacity, giving you even more time between charges.  Many of us also like to carry a spare battery for those heavy use days when leaving the phone in a charger is not an option.  The S6, however, has decided to make the same mistake as the iPhone, sealing the battery into the body, making it impossible to replace.  This is pure and simple a step backward with no obvious benefit to the user.

An even greater disappointment is the removal of the MicroSD card reader.  This is what allows you to add extra memory to your phone when you need it, so you can keep your media with you at all times.  Samsung again has followed the path of the iPhone in taking away this option.  Instead, you can purchase a phone with more memory built in. If it were just the fact that users had to pay more for the extra memory, as opposed to buying a cheap MicroSD card, I might be able to accept that.  But the removable card offers so much more benefit:

• First, I have had a number of phones where the USB charging port became damaged.  That made it virtually impossible to extract data from the phone other than by putting the data on a card and transferring it.  That option is now impossible.
  
• Second, I have been able to use multiple cards holding different data in the past, such as different movies.  Since I could not possibly store my entire video collection on one drive, the ability to swap cards made transfers easy.  That also is now impossible.
  
• Third, I have a genealogy project which I regularly update and like to have on my phone to show people.  The sync tool I use to sync changes requires I sync between two letter drives on my Windows computer.  Because I cannot assign a drive letter to my phone when connected to as USB cable, the easiest way to sync is to remove the card and plug it into my computer.  That option also disappears with the S6.
  
• Fourth, there is data I sometimes want to access on my phone, but other times on my tablet.  I MicroSD card means it's just a quick swap of the card.  Again, I lose that ability.
  
• Fifth, when I upgrade my phone, moving my media is as easy as popping out the card and into the new phone.  There will be no popping into the S6.
  
• Sixth, I don't need to buy extra memory until I need it.  I was great with an 8 GB chip for years.  But when I needed a 32 GB chip a few years ago, it was no problem to upgrade.  Since memory costs fall over time, it was much cheaper to buy the memory when I needed it, not to have to buy it at the time I purchase the phone at a much higher price.  Money aside, I may not even know how much memory I will want or need a year or two from now. With the S6, keeping my options open is, well, no longer an option.

Some of these issues could be addressed by cloud storage or wireless transfers.  But options are more expensive and also much slower.  So while I could find ways to adapt, why must we take a step backward with no obvious countervailing benefit?

Where will I go next?  I remain a die hard Android fan.  I liked the Galaxy line, not only because it was a pretty good phone, but also because it had become a standard.  That made it easy to replace broken screens or buy cases.  Getting a non-standard phone makes getting accessories more difficult and usually more expensive.  So part of my choice will probably be defined by what other phone gives Galaxy a serious challenge for the top spot.

I suspect this will be the HTC One.  It seems to beat the Galaxy in many specs that I like.  It has long had a reputation for a better camera, which is something that has always been a disappointment to me in the Galaxy.  Low light pictures are just not an option with the Galaxy.  The HTC One has been runner up for many years now.  The Samsung's latest stumble, this could be the opportunity for HTC to take the lead.

This stumble is a serious one.  People who want an iPhone-like phone will buy an iPhone.  The only way to compete with the iPhone as an iPhone knock off is to be cheaper than the iPhone.  From what I have read, the S6 without a contract will actually be more expensive than an iPhone.  I just can't see the market for this: people who want an iPhone-like phone, but want to pay extra to get an iPhone knock off rather than the real thing?

Because the Galaxy uses Android, the same OS available to dozens of other phone makers, people can make the switch much more easily.  Moving from a different OS means learning a whole new system and having to repurchase all your apps.  Moving from one Android phone to another, is much easier and relatively seamless.  Many people will make the switch in droves.  Once Galaxy loses its lead in the Android market, it will find it very hard to get back.  For reasons already expressed, people have good reason to go with the industry leader.  Once another company has the lead, it remains their until they stumble.

Getting more manufacturers into the mix will ultimately be a good thing for consumers.  Phones need more competition.  A new phone out of contract will cost me more than my laptop.  It's also more than double what I would pay for a similarly built tablet.  Prices outside the US are considerably lower for smart phones that are almost as good.  Perhaps the Samsung stumble will lead to greater competition and a price war that should benefit us all.

Why do Apple and Google hate flash memory cards?

My kids got iPad minis for Christmas.  Although I am firmly a fan of Android tablets, I bowed to their wishes based on the old standard argument that "all of their friends have them."  To some extent, that argument carries more weight in this context since collaboration, use of the same apps and games often requires being on the same platform.

My experience with Apple in this limited context has only reaffirmed my wish to stay as far away from Apple as possible.  All the accessories are overpriced.  Repairs (one cracked his screen already) are impossible.  Access to many very cool, innovative, and free apps seems much more limited.  Also, the Apple "Geniuses" at the Apple store have not lived up to their name.

But one frustrating limitation of the iPad that annoys me most is the lack of a micro SD port.  This omission makes it impossible to add additional storage space to your device.  You re stuck with the limited amount of space you purchased with your device.

One might expect this sort of thing from Apple, since the company has always been averse to including any technology which Apple did not develop and does not control.  It also does not like the possibility that owners might find a way to use the device that Apple did not anticipate. It's just Apple being Apple.

But I am also bothered by Google's refusal to include a Micro SD reader on its Nexus tablets.  Google seems to be drifting from its traditional view of "make something the consumers will love"  following the trend of Apple, to "make something which customers will accept but which benefits us more."

Both Apple and Google's refusal to include Micro SD creates real problems for users.  It makes it much harder to transfer files between the tablet and other devices.  It makes it much harder to recover important documents, pictures, music, etc. if the device fails.  It limits users' ability to carry around media with them for offline use.

Similarly, the failure to have a full size USB port on the device which would allow for the easy connection of flash drives causes the same limitations.  I'm not sure why some industrious manufacturer hasn't developed a flash drive with a micro USB interface to get around this problem.  Update: Kingston has a solution to this with its Microduo line.

There are some ways around this, at least with Android.  You can connect your tablet directly to your computer using a USB cable for transfers and backups.  But it still doesn't help with carrying around extra data.

All of these limitations benefit Apple and now Google's apparent strategy to keep everyone connected to the Internet all the time.  This allows both companies to track how customers use their devices and to gather more data on usage.  It also keeps the user inside the company's sphere of influence, making them more dependent on the company's services for online storage, online documents, online backup, etc.  If a user is working happily offline it is almost seen by the manufacturer as a failure.  Further, it forces users to pay more for devices that have more base memory, which are sold at a huge profit by the manufacturers.

Fortunately, most third party manufacturers who build Google products included the Micro SD reader.  This is the number one reason I am using them rather than the Nexus.  I will continue to stay as far away from Apple as possible.

How Microsoft Could Win the Tablet War

How Microsoft Could Win the Tablet War

Apple defined the tablet market with its release of the iPad in 2010, only three years ago.  It continues to dominate with about 1/3 of the tablet sales, more than any other single manufacturer.  That is 1/3 of all tablets sold in the most recent quarter.  Since its market domination has been much higher until now.  It is fair to say that the vast majority of tablet users today are using iPads.

Its main competitor is Google which provides the free Android OS used on almost all competing tablets sold in a whole range of prices, sizes, and customizations.  If you add up all these manufacturers, it is clear that Android is the new tablet power to beat.

Smaller competitors such as Blackberry and HP using the old Palm technology have faded quickly without making much of any impression.  Only Microsoft's Surface remains a distant third place tablet OS.  Even this entry probably would have died if not backed by a company able to sustain billions of dollars in losses in an attempt to gain a foothold.  At this point analysts do not think Microsoft is even a serious contender in the market.

While the Surface OS has gotten relatively good reviews, its sales have been disappointing, despite spending a Billion dollars on advertising.  How can Microsoft find its place in this highly competitive market?

In the short term, Microsoft needs to slash the price of its devices.  How many consumers will pay $800 plus for a Surface if they can get an iPad for half that?  The Nexus 7 exploded in market share when it sold for $200.  If the Surface went on sale for that price, it's market share would also explode. You could even bundle tablets with free subscriptions to Office365 for several years, helping to build that market share as well.  Selling at a loss is a good idea.  Don't spend all that money on marketing.  Sell at a low price and build market share.

But longer term, Microsoft cannot satisfy shareholders by selling devices at a loss.  It has to find its place in the market.  For that, ask yourself where Microsoft is strongest.  Clearly the answer is the office enterprise environment.  While Apple and Android are popular among consumers, few enterprises have adopted their technologies.  Business still runs on Windows.  Some iPads have found there way into the office, but mostly because Microsoft offers no serious alternative.

To put its tablets into the enterprise environment, Microsoft needs to offer employers and employees something useful which is not available from Apple or Google.  Make a device that is much more user friendly for working with e-documents.

First, make a larger tablet.  When I hold a piece of paper in my hand it is 8.5" by 11" about size of a 15" computer screen.  Why then must I view this document on a 10" screen?  That is too small.

Don't try to build a whole PC into a tablet.  Make a smaller leaner faster OS that can boot up in less than 15 seconds.  The tablet can essentially be a "dummy terminal" that connects wirelessly to the Enterprise server.  Almost all apps can be run from the server, with the tablet simply containing some very basic code to view documents save for offline reading and basic editing.  This means a less powerful (cheaper) CPU and other hardware as well as longer battery life.

Tie these tablets into Windows servers.  Allow users to log into a tablet and have immediate access to all of their documents.  You could even tie it into Sharepoint or Office365 for out of office use. 

Make it easy to share documents.  Have an easy interface so that one tablet with the push of one button can share a document with all other tablets within 20 feet.  This would make it very easy for conference room meetings.  If you want to make it frendlier for teleconferencing, tie in Skype.  Users connected via Skype could also be tied into the one button document share. 

 Users could mark up the shared document in a collaborative way at the same time.  Sure, Google already allows this feature in Google Drive, but by tying it to your local file server, you make this collaboration accessible to existing libraries, rather than having customers abandon you for the cloud.  It also allows for greater document security, which leads to my next point.

Make it secure.  Unlike many of your competitors, you already own the infrastructure of most offices.  Your servers and software are already being run.  Make these tablets a secure extension of the documents available on their PCs, giving users the flexibility to go paperless but carry their documents around with them.  Most IT departments would be happy to have a much more secure option that gives users freedom to move about with documents.  They would be much more willing to ban the BYOD ethos that users are demanding today.

Don't try to be cool.  You ceded that market to Apple and Google already.  Don't try to personalize the device and appeal to consumers.  Show IT departments why your tablet makes the most sense in an Enterprise environment.  You can lock down the device to approved apps so users are not using them to access Facebook, Instagram, or Netflix.  Many employers are still very concerned about employees being distracted and wasting time on the Internet.  Offer the boss a tool that can be used for work.  If you want, you can make a different device for end user consumers who want to have fun.  But as you have seen, breaking into that market is a tough one.  You are focused here on a separate market for business.

You are the grown up in the room, with stable, professional, enterprise ready devices.  Doing away with bells and whistles makes your device faster, cheaper, and more reliable.  Combine that with a simple easy to understand user interface focused on business use, and you have found a place in the market for years to come.

Getting the most for your money on an Android tablet

My ongoing experience with tablets has led me to a number of conclusions, the primary one for this article is that if you don't have a tablet yet, now is the time to get one.

Loyal readers of my blog (ok, there aren't any of you, but I'll pretend) may recall back in 2011, I posted an article where I said it was not time to buy a tablet.  They were too expensive and much better things were coming along shortly.  In the intervening two years, things have changed and now the options are much better.

I have long been a fan of Android over the iPad.  In earlier posts I have discussed why I think Android is superior to iPad and I continue to believe that.  I have now owned five different Android tablets (and four Android smart phones).

My first tablet, the Toshiba Thrive, was probably my favorite.  Although it is old now, the fact that it had a full size HDMI port made it very easy to connect to a TV.  It also had a full size USB port which made it easy to connect my flash drive for access to files.  A full size SD card reader also made it incredibly simple to transfer files from my laptop, which also has a full size SD card reader.  The price for all of these ports was that the Thrive was a little thicker and heavier that most people would like, but well worth it to me.  Combine that with nice graphics and a good battery life and I have to say I really enjoyed it.  Unfortunately, this model is an older one running Android 3.1.  Newer versions of the Thrive did away with all the full sized ports, leading me to move in other directions.

My next tablet was an Arnova 10b g3.  This was a 10" tablet that I purchased probably two years ago.  The draw for me was its price.  At under $200, for a 10" tablet, that price was practically unheard of at the time.  But unfortunately, it had some real drawbacks.  First, Arnova made some basic changes so the Android OS that prevented users from accessing the Google Play store.  This is apparently a practice that several low end Android manufacturers employ.  They try to push  you to their own stores instead (Amazon does this with the Fire too).  Unfortunately, the Arnova store was extremely limited and denied me access to most of the basic Google tools I wanted (e.g. no Google Maps, or Gmail).  I was able to find a hack that wiped out these limitations and installed a version that would give me access to the Google Store.  But the hoops I had to jump through to get there would be beyond most users.

If that was the end of my dissatisfaction, it would be tolerable, but there were more.  The main one was battery life.  I could not get through even one day of moderate usage without the battery dying on me.  It was only good for a few hours of use.  Further, even when the tablet was in sleep mode, it completely drained the battery in a few days.  By comparison, the iPad can be in sleep mode for weeks without needing recharging.  So I had to keep the tablet turned off when not using it.  This meant having to go through a power on process that took a few minutes every time I wanted to use it.

Another major limitation was the 4GB drive that ran the tablet.  This left almost no room for any apps at all.  I think I could install just over a dozen apps before being warned I was out of space.  Apparently, only a portion of the available free space was reserved for Apps.  Even though it had a mini SD card port, Apps had to be installed on the very limited internal space, so that was a serious limitation.  Finally, the cheap plastic casing and low end video graphics were tolerable for such a cheap tablet, but certainly didn't add anything to my enjoyment.

 The Arnova had a micro SD reader, which was convenient, although I needed an adapter to move the card to my full size SD reader on my laptop.  This was one small step backward from my Thrive, but it seems no tablets have full size SD readers anymore, so I've learned to live with that.

My two important lessons from this tablet where these: Just because a device is an Android does not mean you have access to all the standard Android features.  Manufacturers sometimes create serious roadblocks to usefulness.  Second, internal memory matters.  Don't rely on the ability to add external memory.

Not having completely learned my lesson, I bought a Coby Kyros 4.3 "tablet".  I put tablet in quotes because with a 4" screen, it looked more like a cell phone.  I bought this device for $50 mostly because I wanted a cheap device for voice dictation and little else.  I knew the Android 4.1 on the device was capable of good voice dictation so I decided to give it a try.  Unfortunately, even that limited use did not seen to work right.  The device was complete junk and I gave up on it in less than a week.

Having been burned by low end devices, my next tablet was a Nexus 7.  I was drawn to this by the fact that it installed the Android OS as Google intended, without some third party interfering with it.  It also seemed to have good hardware specs.  Most of all, I was happy to see such a good tablet under the $200 mark, although I ended up paying a little more than that for the 32 GB version.  My experience with the 4 GB Arnova told me, don't skimp on space.

There were two things that made me hesitant to go with the Nexus 7.  The first, was the "7" part.  I really liked the 10" screens on my earlier tablets.  In fact, I would really like a larger screen so I could look at full size 8.5 x 11 documents on my screen.   When I want smaller size and mobility, I have my 4" smart phone for such things.  My eyes strain on smaller screens, so I was not crazy about losing three inches.  That said, once I got it, I got used to the 7" screen pretty quickly.  It was not as bad as I thought and I could actually fit the tablet in most of my pants pockets.  While I would still prefer a larger screen, the 7" was tolerable and since 7" tablets seem to be less than half the price of 10" ones, it seems a reasonable compromise for now.

The second thing that made me hesitant was the lack of any sort of memory card port.  This meant no expansion.  It also meant that I could not easily transfer pictures, documents, and music back and forth from my computers using an SD card.  Yes, I could connect the tablet to my laptop with a USB cable, but this was not always convenient.  Also, Windows has an annoying practice now of showing the tablet as an external device.  While I can move files back an forth, I could not assign a drive letter to the tablet.  I have several utilities (including my favorite sync utility) that require a drive letter, so this was a big disappointment.

One other limitation I discovered after purchase was that the Nexus charges via the micro-USB port.  All the other tablets I had up until this point came with their own adapters.  The micro-USB charges more slowly.  If the battery was very low, it could take 8-10 hours to recharge.  My other tablets could charge in a couple of hours.  Still, even with this limitation, I think I prefer having the micro-usb charging.  I carry around about half a dozen other devices that all use micro-USB.  I like having to carry just one charging cable for all my devices rather than a different charger for each device.  For me, the convenience of carrying just one cable for everything outweighs the slower charge time.

Those limitations aside, I really liked the Nexus 7.  It worked very well. the battery lasted through a whole weekend of moderate use without recharging.  The screen graphics were great and I never experienced any speed or lag issues.

Overall, I grew to like the Nexus 7 and was pretty happy with it.  I really thought the addition of a micro SD reader would make it nearly ideal.  Almost all other Android tablets have this feature so I still don't understand why this one does not.  I thought it might have to do with cutting as many hardware costs as possible to get to the $200 price point.  But since Nexus just released its next generation device for $229 and still no card reader, I guess that wasn't it.  They spent extra money upgrading the screen pixel rate and cameras, but no SD.  What a disappointment.

I would still be happily using my Nexus today if I did not somehow manage to crack the screen on it while carrying it in my briefcase.  Even though the crack was rather small, it caused the touch screen to stop working, making the tablet worthless.  I started using my Arnova tablet again, only to crack the screen on that, also causing the touch to fail on that one too.  I should mention the reason I stopped using my Thrive was also because I dropped it and cracked the screen, although the touch does still work on that one.  For my next tablet, I am definitely getting a cover!

For my next tablet, I really gave a lot of thought to the new Nexus 7.  But the increase price and, more importantly the lack of an SD reader, drove me back to trying a different low end brand.  I read good things about the Asus MeMo pad and decided to give it a try.  The fact that Asus is the same company that makes the Nexus gave me some faith in its ability to make its own good tablet.

I have had it for about a week now and am really enjoying it.  It is almost exactly the same size as the Nexus 7.  The Android 4.1 OS is not the latest (4.3) but it does everything I need it to do.  I have access to Google Play and all the apps I want.  The device even "remembered" many of the settings on my Nexus because I had backed them up through Google.  Battery life is very good.  I can get through the weekend on one charge with moderate use.  It has a front facing camera for video chats, but not a rear facing one for easily taking pictures.  But I don't take pictures with my tablet.  I use my phone for that.  All the apps I use run well.  It does not have GPS, but I mostly use that on my phone, not my tablet.   All my tablets have been Wifi only as I'm not paying another monthly data charge to AT&T.  In short, I notice little difference with my MeMo Pad from my old Nexus 7 with one key difference: it has an SD reader!  Yes, I can now transfer files back and forth easily via the reader.  That alone makes is superior to the Nexus.

Oh, and did I mention the price?  Because the new MeMo Pad HD was just announced, I picked up what is now last year's model for a mere $106.  Less than half the price of a Nexus 7.  The new MeMo Pad HD will retail for $150, which is what the old one had been selling for, still significantly cheaper than the Nexus.  The new device will add a rear facing camera.  So if that is important, go with the new one.  So far, however, I am very happy with my purchase.

Two years ago, my blog post complaining about tablet prices was on the mark but a little too pessimistic.  I predicted that within 10 years you could get a great tablet for under $150.  The industry has met and beaten that challenge in just over two years!  There is great functionality in these low priced devices.  I think just about anyone can afford one now.

I would recommend the MeMo Pad to anyone who asks.  But if you want something different, a few things to consider:

• Battery life is very important.  Tablets are mobile.  You don't want to be attached to an outlet or constantly looking for a recharge.  At least 7-8 hours of running time is easily available.  
• I would be reluctant to get a tablet with only 8 GB of internal memory (4 GB is out of the question for me).  Most tablets come with at least 16 GB which seems a good level.  If you carry lots of media, there is room for plenty of music or pictures.  If you plan to create or store video, 32 GB may be better. 
• .Card readers are very useful.  These cards are much cheaper to buy than  the extra money you will pay for extra internal memory on the tablet.  It also makes transfers between your tablet and PC much easier.  
• Make sure your tablet can access Google Play so you can download the apps you want.  Some cheaper no-name manufacturers, as well as the Amazon Fire don't give you this access.  If you don't have Google Play, you will not have a real Android experience.
• Don't fall for the HD hype.  I have had no serious video quality complaints with any of my screens.  HD is important when you are buying a 70" TV.  It is not at all important on a 7" tablet screen.  You are spending extra money for nothing.
• There is a big difference between Android 4.0 and Android 4.1.  I would not get anything lower than 4.1.  Android 4.0 was known as "ice cream sandwich."  Android 4.1 is "jelly bean."
• There is not much difference between Android 4.1 and 4.2 or 4.3  All three of these versions are part of the "jelly bean" line.  If a device has at least 4.1, I would not worry.
• And finally, as my three cracked screen can attest, buy a cover for your tablet!

Well, those are my thoughts.  I welcome any comments.

iPad 3 vs. Android 3.1 when using media

Several months ago, I purchased a Toshiba Thrive running the Android 3.1 OS. A few weeks ago, I got the new iPad 3 for work to test how tablets could work with our system. I have to say that in my opinion, the Android beats the iPad hands down, no contest. I know everyone works differently, and if sales are any indication, my view is well in the minority. That said, here are the reasons for my views.

Let me say at the outset that I have long been a fan on Google and relatively hostile to Apple. Apple turned me off in the early 1980s when they refused to let users upgrade memory in their computers (or do anything else). As a PC person, I was used to making upgrades myself and didn't want a manufacturer thwarting my efforts. Over the last three decades, Apple has only gotten worse with it's OCD attitude that no one can do anything any different way than Apple wants. Much of this leads to unnecessary complication and expense. Google gives you just about everything free. Apple seems to go out of its way to make all of its products, upgrades, add-ons and service much more expensive. Those attitudes are why I have become a big fan of Google.

I also want to say that this review does not discuss the basics (graphics quality, physical weight, battery length, etc.). Those things are readily measurable and have been discussed in other reviews far more professional than mine. I've also skipped things that were similar on both (such as my use of Kindle or Netflix). My focus here is on my experience ease and range of use.

I bought the Thrive over several competing Android Tablets because of its ports. I liked that it had a full size and a mini USB port as well as a full size SD flash port. I also have found the full HDMI port handy for hooking the tablet up to my TV. Anytime I want to add any media, I just copy the data from the SD reader on my laptop and stick it in my tablet. From there, I'm good to go. Many other Androids only offer a micro SD and may not have a full USB, so pay attention to that when buying if you find those important.

Setup and customization was relatively quick easy and painless. Within a few days, I was quite comfortable with everything. I have hit a few snags, such as the fact that the tablet cannot read RTF or WordPerfect documents. Also, the camera does not seem to work with Skype. But other than that, I've been quite happy.

Compare that with my iPad 3 experience. Since many employees at my work were buying iPads and asking me for help using them, I decided to purchase a new iPad 3 so I could help with them. Apple has a well crafted reputation that everything "just works" without having to do a great deal of setup. My experience has been that for an advanced user, this is not the case and is very frustrating.

First, music: I don't listen to music all the time, but like to have my tunes handy. Most of my preferred selections are oldies that I have ripped from my CDs. With my Android, I simply copied a list of my music onto a flash card and stuck it in my tablet. It's there whenever I want it and can play right away. With iPad, there is no such option. The only way to play music is through Apple's iTunes. I had installed iTunes on a computer many years ago. It was incredibly intrusive, taking over all sorts of functions automatically without asking me. I have no desire to go through that again. Since there is no other option on the iPad, I'll just have to do without. My other option would be to spend hundreds of dollars repurchasing on iTunes, all the songs I have already purchased several times, no thanks.

Second, video: As with music, most of my videos I want to watch on my tablet are personal videos I have made myself. On my Android, I again simply copied them onto the tablet and accessed them. No problem. Again, with the iPad, there is no way to do this. As a work around, I have many of my videos uploaded to Youtube. I can simply watch them that way on either device, but often I have my tablet somewhere without Internet access. In that case, my iPad is useless.

Third, documents: If I want a cloud based solution for any documents, I just upload them to Google Docs and then access them on my tablet. I also have the option to connect my tablet directly to my Windows computer and have it show up as a drive. From there, I can copy, move, add, delete documents. I also keep many important documents on a flash drive in my wallet. I can just stick that drive into the USB port on my tablet and have immediate access to them. There is also the option of moving files via my SD Flash card. In short, there are a wide variety of methods to move files back and forth, even when Internet access is not available. With iPad, no such luck. I can go to Google Docs and use that. But if I'm without Internet, I'm out of luck. There is no apparent way to save a document locally to my tablet.

Fourth, email: On the Android, I entered my Gmail address and password. The tablet automatically synced my address book and multiple calenders, as well as my email inbox. I can select what calendars I want to show, as well as import or export calendar or contact info. The iPad made things much more limited or complicated. I still have not figured out how to sync my contacts. There is an account setting to sync contacts which is turned on, but not syncing anything. With my calendar, it syncs my main calendar, but I have half a dozen calendars (different activities and things shared with different people). Only the main calendar can be shown. I spent a few hours yesterday working through some work arounds for this. But so far, nothing has worked. I expect there is a solution, but it is not easy or intuitive as it was with my Android.

Fifth, photos: I have for years stored family pictures on PicasaWeb. The Android found these right way and showed them to me in my picture gallery. I have the option to cache selected pictures in case I want to view them when not connected to the Internet. With iPad, it appears I have to move my whole collection to iCloud -- not worth the hassle.

Admittedly, my experience is biased by the fact that I have used many Google products for years (such as Gmail and Picasa) and one might expect that Google built the Android OS to be more amenable to interaction with its other products. If I had been using iTunes and iCloud for years instead, perhaps my experience would be different.

One place I would think Apple has the advantage is with Apps. It's well known that Apple has many more apps available than iPad. But I have to say, Android wins my pick there too. I tend to be cheap. Android gives me a wide variety of free apps that do just about anything I want. Apple seems to charge more for just about anything, with far fewer free apps. I think this has to do with the difficulty of App makers getting into the Apple store. Because of the complication, many people who want to give away a free product just don't bother.

Apple also has an advantage when it comes to downloading movies or music. There is a much broader selection and it seems to work easily. That said, Apple charges a real premium for streaming. I looked up a few movies that were selling for close to $20 for a digital copy. That's more than I pay for a DVD where the manufacturer had to burn, package, and ship the product to a store. On top of that, if you are watching video regularly using a cell connection rather than wifi, you can find yourself saddled with hundreds of dollars in download costs each month.

I should also add that the iPad comes with a "USB" cable that doubles as the charging cable. However, connecting it to a computer does not give you access to the iPad hard drive and you cannot copy files back and forth. I also put "USB" in quotes because rather than having a real USB port on the iPad, you get some special proprietary port. This means, you will have to spend $30 to buy a replacement if it breaks or gets lost, compared to $1 or $2 for a replacement USB cable that uses standard connections. I was a little annoyed that I could not charge my Android via the USB port, but had to use the special adapter which came for that purpose, so Android did not win any points on charging hassles.

There are many out there who enjoy the iPad and other Apple products. If you are already invested in iTunes and iCloud, your experience will probably be much less painful. If you don't mind paying big money for apps and media, as well as streaming costs, the iPad may be quite enjoyable for you. But if you are not already fully invested in Apple, or don't want to continue paying premium costs for everything you do, I strongly recommend going with Android.

iPad 3 - Disappointing

Apple announced its latest iPad yesterday. Many are singing its praises, but I continue to be disappointed.

The biggest new feature on the new device (Apple doesn't officially call it the iPad 3, but also does not give it any distinctive name to distinguish it from the last two) is the HD screen. Perhaps it sounds good, but was anyone really complaining about the graphics quality on the old iPads? Of course not. HD makes a difference when watching a movie or playing a video game on a 50" TV, but not on a less than 10" screen like the iPad. That extra detail is pretty much wasted. In exchange, we are stuck with a heavier device that demands more battery power.

The other big "improvement" is 4G support. This allows for faster download times for people who pay for 4G internet access from one of the big cell phone companies. Of course, such service is expensive. If you are really planning on making full use of streaming over a cell network, you will end up using many GB of data per month, leading to bills from your cell provider that could top $100 in charges on top of your normal cell phone charges. That is assuming you even travel in an area that has 4G. Most places don't. And many places that have 4G also have metro-wifi available anyway, which is faster and much cheaper, if not free. So what do most people get for 4G access? Well, your battery will drain about 10% faster.

Still missing from the iPad are any USB ports or ports for adding external memory. This makes it virtually impossible to add to the limited memory provided. It also makes it virtually impossible to add or remove photos, songs, or anything else unless you use the wireless connection. You also get no HDMI port so you cannot connect to your TV, where the HD might actually be useful. (Apparently, you can buy cables that convert the iPad's proprietary ports for use with other devices, but these are needlessly expensive - with the extra cost based on the fact that they are proprietary and not subject to competition).

Also still missing is flash support. Although I've never been a big fan of flash either, many web sites use it and rely on it. If you want to use any of those sites, your only choice is to dump your iPad and break out your laptop.

Why is Apple so hostile to interoperability? The main answer is that Apple wants you to use the device only they way they want. Apple has decided the best way to control media is to force you to stream it over the Internet. By limiting device memory and refusing to add input ports, it becomes very inconvenient for a user simply to store media on the device and view or listen to it even when not connected to the Web. That is the most cost effective way to use the device since you avoid paying expensive download fees to your cell phone provider. It is also usually the most convenient since wireless streaming viewers will tell you that they face regular interruptions caused by slow downs or interruptions in Internet access. The 4G technology attempts to address this but will prove inadequate as access is limited, and where available will likely be overwhelmed.

Having said all this, I am sure many people will enjoy the new iPad. Apple's reputation for making the user interface easy and bug free still gives it great appeal to many people who are willing to pay for that experience. But for me? I remain much happier with my year old Android Tablet from Toshiba.