I recently picked up an ASUS Transformer tablet for personal use. I’d decried the minimal value add of the form factor for a long time but decided to jump on it after hearing good things about this one and flying/traveling around the eastern part of North America over the last six weeks. I’ve been using the laptop AOL game me when they laid me and considering it’s the only laptop I’ve ever owned, I figured it was time to step up. I’ve been thinking about getting a netbook for a long time, but never really wanted to pull the trigger because they didn’t seem to offer much over my current laptop other than portability. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t somewhat of an impulse buy… although the ability to purchase a keyboard/battery/dock and turn it into an Android netbook was really the deciding factor. After two weeks of use, I think I can comfortably give you my thoughts on both tablets in general and Android as an OS.
Tablet Form Factor
- Positive: It’s ultra-portable… duh. A few weeks ago, I was on a plane so small that I couldn’t even use a 10″ netbook effectively. A few weeks later, I was on a similar sized plane with a tablet and it was happy sailing. It also comes in handy when you don’t feel like pulling out a whopping big computer, like in a coffee shop, or resting on the display of your stationary bike while you exercise. Nothing makes exercise time go faster than the internets. I’m a big fan of touchscreen navigation, even if I still think touchscreen typing is largely a pain in the ass (more on that later).
- Neutral: I think the ergonomics are questionable. Much of my original opinions about difficulty using on the couch or without a table still hold true. It’s okay if you’re two-handing something like a video game, but using a tablet without a table is fairly annoying. I’ve tried holding it, propping it up with pillows and everything in between; not feeling it. A folio case might help mitigate some of my gripes but I shouldn’t have to buy a case to use my electronics as I see fit.
- Negative: There is no way I would be able to type this entry on a tablet. I mean, I could, but why would I do that to myself? Paraphrasing something a friend said: tablets are great for content consumption, not creation. Considering I still do a decent amount of this with webmastering a few sites and writing a ton of reviews, this thing will not replace my laptop. Once I get the keyboard, I could just use my desktop for that stuff… but I like doing it in front of the TV. I do know my laptop will likely never leave the house again.
Android and/or Mobile Operating Systems
- Positive: Boots fast, light on battery usage and interface is very slick. Google knows everything about me, so integration with my life and where it’s stored on the internet was just a single log in away. Finding, installing and updating applications are a breeze and heavily supported apps like Google Maps are simply amazing on the device. The notifications and home screen widgets are a definite plus.
- Neutral: There is some discontinuity in experience. By that I mean I’m using an OS that, while geared towards tablet use, still sometimes operates like it’s a phone. I can’t explain it except to say you do things very serially. I guess this is what people talk about when they say “true multitasking” is missing. The apps for the Transformer are also a bit behind that of other Android devices and iOS. Netflix is a good example – I can’t watch it… yet. Ice Cream Sandwich is supposed to seriously address Android fragmentation, but I’m guessing third party apps will still have to scale properly to all the different devices.
- Negative: I side-by-side Excel and a browser to update the 944 Cup standings; impossible with this device. It’s also possible to outpace the device and/or operating system by trying to do too many things too fast or using processor/memory intensive things. I have found websites that don’t work all that well on the Transformer, which can be said of most mobile devices. Yes, I’ve seen similar results on an iPad so it’s not unique to this device or OS.
All in all, I’m happy with the purchase. I don’t think it’s a panacea by any means and it definitely falls into the toy category, but I’m okay with that. Now if only they’ll release the Galaxy S II close to my upgrade eligibility in a month…