Farewell, friend
The telephone call (a true story)
My love, Whilst i normally find myself content to listen as you regale me with tales of dental status, and to congratulate you on your scheduling prowess, when amongst the first words that escape my lips comes the phrase "i'm trying to get out of work," i would appreciate it all the more if such could wait until we see each other again. Fondly, me.
The Puppet World Museum had an Exposition of Large Significance
The Puppet World Museum had an Exposition of Large Significance, invading a sleepy town of some thousands of people. In a surprising and inexplicable move, Nissan Motor Company announced that it was paying for admission of any and all comers. I was just about to find out what all the fuss was about when I woke up.
What? Where's my iPhone 5?!
Unless you're living under a rock, you know that Apple did not introduce the iPhone 5 last week, but instead introduced the iPhone 4S. I've been asking what, exactly, was missing from the iPhone 4S that the iPhone 5 would have had. I've gotten back two responses: WiMAX and LTE support.- WiMAX support is a non-starter. While it is a true 4G technology, it's also a Sprint-only technology, and doesn't have pervasive deployment in the US, much less worldwide.
- LTE is a standard that enjoys support from carriers all over the world. Also a true 4G technology, it's in its earliest stages of deployment. In the US that turns out to specifically mean that it's only in larger markets, and only used for data, not voice.
A simple hands-on test for tablets
Here's all you have to do: bring up the home screen, swipe your finger across it to move between pages, and watch how fluid the motion is.Yep, that's it.
Try it with the iPad 2. It scrolls between pages smoothly whether you drag your finger slowly or quickly. It responds immediately. In short, it acts like you expect it to.
On the other hand, most Android-powered tablets fail this test miserably. The well-made and (relatively) popular Samsung Galaxy Tab is markedly poor in this respect. Thinking it was related to the 10" display, I tried the smaller 7" Tab. If it performed any better, I couldn't tell. Toshiba's Thrive was no better, and maybe even worse, in spite of flowery marketing informing me of its status as a "media monster" (or some such thing). At least half of that is true, incidentally, even if I misremember the exact phrase.
Faring much better than these abysmal offerings, the Motorola Xoom also offered fit and finish comparable to Samsung and Apple's gear. It couldn't be considered smooth, though, and it barely passed the test.
The surprise came from Acer in the form of its Iconia A1500. It wasn't built to the same standards as the top sellers, but this was the only tablet I picked up that was on the same playing field as the iPad 2. Responsive? Yes. Fluid? Check.
The Android tablets are still fighting a pretty stiff uphill battle against the king of the hill. None of them was particularly attractive; why get something that's almost as expensive as the iPad, but not almost as responsive, with fewer apps, and still waiting for "the next release of Android, which will be the best... evar"?
