[subego]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

Same issue with my iPad 3. The constant locking and slow downs are incredibly annoying. It'll go on ebay this week.

Still wondering what to replace it with, the new Air or a Mini and would like to hear opinions. I need at least one iOS device in the house.

Air is good if you have a lap. Retina Mini is good if you have no lap.

5s is good if you have a pocket.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

Same issue with my iPad 3. The constant locking and slow downs are incredibly annoying. It'll go on ebay this week.

Haven't noticed this with my iPad 3. I came straight from an iPad 1, so maybe I'm just seeing the increase over that, w/o being able to compare to an iPad 2

-t

[subego]

iPad 2s are fine. Less pixels.

[P]

Have you tried a nuke&pave with the iPad 3?

[BLAZE_MkIV]

I've noticed that my iPad hates giant animated gifs. Some online adds are very bad too.

[Shaddim]

I think the Air is the best hardware available (along with the LG G Pad and the Xperia Tab Z), it's iOS 7 that's a trainwreck.

Originally Posted by Phileas 

Ahh - I forgot you're a tinkerer.

It's getting good reviews all round. LG deserves more success than they currently enjoy, it's a good brand building good devices.

I really shouldn't have bothered, LG is releasing Kit Kat for it by the end of the year.

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

I really shouldn't have bothered, LG is releasing Kit Kat for it by the end of the year.

You'll still better off without all the nonsense LG layers over the top. This way you've got a clean machine.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

You'll still better off without all the nonsense LG layers over the top. This way you've got a clean machine.

A few things are handy, though. Like the remote control app and smartphone link, which are exclusive to LG phones/tablets.

[Phileas]

Google Play edition of the G-Pad just launched. Sadly, not in Canada. Clowns.

[Shaddim]

It's the G Pad with an unlocked bootloader and a Google stamp, but it will make the purists happy. I like the LG 4.2.2 OS, after I rooted it and made some changes. It's very functional and attractive.

[Phileas]

I might have to PayPal a buddy down south to get one for me. This does look like a great little tablet. Good reviews all round.

[mattyb]

My Nexus 4 got the 4.4.2 update last night. My Nexus 7 (old model) didn't.

[Shaddim]

An Xperia Z Ultra GPE arrived yesterday, just now getting a good look at it. Wow, this is a nice... thing, phablet, whatever. It has a gorgeous screen, is fast as hell, and built like a tank, plus it has that smooth, luxury, Apple-like feel to it. It's ridiculous to hold up to your face to talk on though, of course, but still would be nice as a good 4G travelling tablet, or as a media control hub. Really is waterproof too, I just dunked it into a full sink (while on) to test it and nothing bad happened (I held it under and surfed around some), so that's a big plus if such a feature is important to you.

[Phileas]

Got the 4.4.2 yesterday as well. It changed the camera on the Nexus 5 from annoying to excellent. Better than the HTC One camera by a long shot and, dare I say, more natural colours than the iPhone's camera.

The Sony Nexus edition is really interesting. My wife wants a Samsung Note 3, but I might just see how she'd feel about the Sony.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

Got the 4.4.2 yesterday as well. It changed the camera on the Nexus 5 from annoying to excellent. Better than the HTC One camera by a long shot and, dare I say, more natural colours than the iPhone's camera.

The Sony Nexus edition is really interesting. My wife wants a Samsung Note 3, but I might just see how she'd feel about the Sony.

Between the two, I have them right here in front of me, the Note 3 is the better "phone". However, the Sony GPE is a great little tablet, that just happens to have phone capabilities... and there's clean Android, without Sense all over it.

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Between the two, I have them right here in front of me, the Note 3 is the better "phone". However, the Sony GPE is a great little tablet, that just happens to have phone capabilities... and there's clean Android, without Sense all over it.

Thanks for that. My wife works in "Corporate Canada", meaning she prefers to send private emails etc from her own device rather than using company resources. She's sufficiently high up not to worry about being reprimanded, but she want s to set a good example.

For her, her phone needs to double as a portable computer. The Sony, while tempting, might just be too big.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

Thanks for that. My wife works in "Corporate Canada", meaning she prefers to send private emails etc from her own device rather than using company resources. She's sufficiently high up not to worry about being reprimanded, but she want s to set a good example.

For her, her phone needs to double as a portable computer. The Sony, while tempting, might just be too big.

You could also look at the GS4 GPE, that's a great phone, and it's not bad for surfing and such. Otherwise I'd get the Note 3.

[Phileas]

Question: If I install a different launcher on the Note 3 does that make all the cool shit go away?

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

Question: If I install a different launcher on the Note 3 does that make all the cool shit go away?

Depends on the launcher, but for the most part no, you'd need to root it to remove most of Sense.

[Shaddim]

Heh, FedEx arrived a little while ago... with a G Pad GPE. You know, I kinda like all, or most of, the LG apps. Vanilla Android feels a little too "sparse" now.

[Phileas]

I ordered the Note 3 today. The demo model had Samsung crap all over it, but the sales girl showed me how she had hers set up. Nova Launcher, extremely simple and clean. I use Nova on all my Android devices, so glad to learn it plays nicely with the Note 3.

The handwriting recognition was extremely impressive. She jotted down my number with the pen, hit dial and my phone rang.

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Heh, FedEx arrived a little while ago... with a G Pad GPE. You know, I kinda like all, or most of, the LG apps. Vanilla Android feels a little too "sparse" now.

I am getting a friend to check if a Canadian delivery address can be specified for as long as a US CC is being used for payment. If so, I'll be getting one shipped up here.

[Shaddim]

Didn't expect this, but there's a difference in performance between the regular LG G Pad and the GPE, the regular version is faster (~7-8%). I checked out the hardware and the CPU is clocked at 1.7GHz, while the GPE is 1.6, likely to extend battery life and lower thermals, though I've not noted a problem with either on the older tablet. Meh. Given the difference in price, the original can be found for <$300, I don't believe the GPE is worth it.

[Phileas]

Interesting. Still, I am sucker for clean Android. I'll take a look at the stock version in store, see what I think about it.

[Shaddim]

Don't forget, you can turn most of the LG stuff off if you don't like it (like QuickNote, which slows everything else to a crawl). Otherwise, the GPE is fine, the performance difference isn't really noticeable, except with benchmark fanatics.

[Phileas]

I got my wife's Note 3 today. I took a look at TouchViz and after kicking out the plethora of widgets and replacing the dynamic wallpaper with something less obnoxious it turned into a very usable experience. Smooth and fluid, with a fantastic screen. I can see why the reviewers rave about it.

Still, a fresh install of Nova Launcher delivered the much desired serenity without killing off the cool stuff, like S-Pen. Other f̶e̶a̶t̶u̶r̶e̶s̶ bloat will never be used, like the split screen functionality and has been safely switched of or uninstalled.

Also, Rogers is currently fire-selling the Gear for $50 when bought with a phone, so I picked one up. My wife loved it. It's a well made but somewhat chunky watch for a woman, but for home and running around perfectly fine. Set it up for notifications from Hangouts, mail and phone, all of which are working flawlessly.

The camera is what it is, but fun to play with with the kids. O calls it a detective watch and wants one too.

[Jawbone54]

It looks like the clock is ticking for me to make a decision. My third-gen iPad has gotten irritatingly laggy, and I'd like to unload it before it loses too much value (or I lose my mind), so I've got to figure out:

Nexus 7, which I've owned and liked, but didn't love, or...
iPad Mini with Retina, which I know I'll like, but really don't want to drop that much money on.

Although I should probably move on this quicker, I vacillate too much for this decision to take less than three months.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

It looks like the clock is ticking for me to make a decision. My third-gen iPad has gotten irritatingly laggy, and I'd like to unload it before it loses too much value (or I lose my mind), so I've got to figure out:

Nexus 7, which I've owned and liked, but didn't love, or...
iPad Mini with Retina, which I know I'll like, but really don't want to drop that much money on.

Although I should probably move on this quicker, I vacillate too much for this decision to take less than three months.

Add the LG G-Pad 8.3" to that list, at least to check out, it's a gorgeous thing and ridiculously fast. IMO, better than the Nexus 7 or the Retina Mini. I think I saw them on Newegg for something like $279 recently. If it turns out that you don't like it, they have a no hassle return policy.

Edit: Ah, here it is, it's the Shell Shocker special going up for sale in a couple hours.

Newegg.com - Shell Shocker Deal. Exclusive Jaw Dropping Savings on PC Components and Electronics.

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Shell Shocker special going up for sale in a couple hours.

Sweet

[ShortcutToMoncton]

The G-Pad is ridiculous fast? I'm pretty sure it's slightly faster than the Nexus 7....i.e. far slower than the Mini. I thought its real feature was expandable storage...?

[Phileas]

I never felt the Nexus 7 to be slower than the iPad Mini. They're both excellent little tablets.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

The retina mini? I can't speak for run-of-the-mill use (I've only used the old mini), but from the reviews I saw the retina mini dominates the competition in benchmark tests.

Also importantly, in battery life tests. I've heard that the G-Pad is not much better than the Nexus 7 in that department, either....far behind the iPad lines.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

The retina mini? I can't speak for run-of-the-mill use (I've only used the old mini), but from the reviews I saw the retina mini dominates the competition in benchmark tests.

Also importantly, in battery life tests. I've heard that the G-Pad is not much better than the Nexus 7 in that department, either....far behind the iPad lines.

Not in the way it performs in the OS. Also, Quadrant shows my G-Pad to be >25% faster than my 2013 Nexus 7.

[Phileas]

The Mini, like all iPads except for the iPad3, does have excellent battery life - but so does the N7. Once a device lasts for three to four days without charging, I tend to lose track.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

I just did a search and stumbled on Ars Technica's review. Their comment is "nearly identical" speeds to the Nexus 7, with Wifi test battery life about 2/3rds of the retina Mini.

Certainly something to be said about OS performance. iOS 7 cannot be updated fast enough for anyone at this point.

[Shaddim]

That's the GPE G-Pad, not the one I was talking about being on sale at Newegg. As I said earlier:

Didn't expect this, but there's a difference in performance between the regular LG G Pad and the GPE, the regular version is faster (~7-8%). I checked out the hardware and the CPU is clocked at 1.7GHz, while the GPE is 1.6, likely to extend battery life and lower thermals, though I've not noted a problem with either on the older tablet. Meh. Given the difference in price, the original can be found for <$300, I don't believe the GPE is worth it.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Not in the way it performs in the OS. Also, Quadrant shows my G-Pad to be >25% faster than my 2013 Nexus 7.

How many phones and how many tablets do you (your household) have at this point in time? Are there any planned additions to this collection over the festivities?

[Shaddim]

Not that many, I only keep the ones I really like. It cuts down on clutter.

[Phileas]

Just to add a quick comment about battery life- what has been a real game changer for me is wireless charging. I've got a charge pad at work, one at home next to my bed. The Nexus 5, on a typical day, is down to about 60% charge by the time I go to bed. I just place it on the pad and it is fully charged in the morning.

Same with the N7, it gets charged on the pad at work. It sounds silly, but not having to plug a device in to charge makes a huge difference. Charging turns from a chore, something that has to be remembered, into just part of the background noise of life.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Ahhh, I didn't catch on to the GPE speed difference - that is interesting that it's throttled slightly. Ars also mentioned the screen is not as bright as Nexus/iPad...I wonder if there's a battery life increase with the GPE?

I agree that wireless charging is the shit. Kinda like the swipe access; simply so much better once you start doing it.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

Ahhh, I didn't catch on to the GPE speed difference - that is interesting that it's throttled slightly. Ars also mentioned the screen is not as bright as Nexus/iPad...I wonder if there's a battery life increase with the GPE?

I agree that wireless charging is the shit. Kinda like the swipe access; simply so much better once you start doing it.

There is an increase in battery life, from my unofficial tests it's ~15% more efficient. However, it still easily lasts a couple days on a charge with normal use, so I don't see a whole lot of benefit in lowering the clocks and trimming the LCD brightness, other than chasing efficiency bragging rights over the Nexus 7. Others may want more, but as long as a tablet will last all day, through fairly heavy use, I'm satisfied.

The only things the Nexus 7 has over it are; the wireless charging, a few grams less weight, and a much more bountiful selection of accessories, unless you absolutely must have a more narrow tablet. Word is that Google was so impressed with it they killed off their own 8" tablet that they were working on, or at least pushed it back a few quarters to release something substantially faster, and offered to market the GPE instead.

[Shaddim]

Umm... I so want to talk about what came in. It's from a company whose name starts with an S, is very similar in form factor to the LG G Pad, but is dialed-up in almost every conceivable way. Fast, dear Shiva it's fast, and the display puts even the iPad Mini to shame. This thing will sell like hotcakes... or rather it would, if it weren't for the price I fear they'll put on it (I'm betting it'll be even more pricey than the aforementioned Mini). Still, it IS extremely awesome.

[subego]

The consensus seems to be the iPad Mini screen isn't very good.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by subego 

The consensus seems to be the iPad Mini screen isn't very good.

I was mostly just talking about resolution (PPI), the quality of the LCDs themselves seem to be hit-or-miss. I have one that's drop-dead gorgeous and had another with a pretty obvious red cast (that I swapped for one which isn't perfect but is more neutral).

[ort888]

Originally Posted by subego 

The consensus seems to be the iPad Mini screen isn't very good.

I think we're just getting spoiled at this point. BEcause if this screen is considered to not be very good, then we truly are living in some sort of insane future utopia.

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Umm... I so want to talk about what came in. It's from a company whose name starts with an S, is very similar in form factor to the LG G Pad, but is dialed-up in almost every conceivable way.

I am, for once, really impressed with the tile based UI, pulling in information via a unified widget design. I love the fact that all my most often used data, like mail and calendar, is instantly visible. It's such a logical improvement of the user experience that I can't understand why Apple hasn't explored it - it's just better in every way.

I've been trying to set up something similar with widget for some time, but with the differences in design it always ended up looking like a bit of a mess.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

I am, for once, really impressed with the tile based UI, pulling in information via a unified widget design. I love the fact that all my most often used data, like mail and calendar, is instantly visible. It's such a logical improvement of the user experience that I can't understand why Apple hasn't explored it - it's just better in every way.

I've been trying to set up something similar with widget for some time, but with the differences in design it always ended up looking like a bit of a mess.

I'm still more of a fan of clean Android, and the LG skin doesn't bother me very much, but I've not gotten hooked on TouchWizzed KK yet, it's just a touch laggy, and that shouldn't be an issue with any phone/tablet with an overclocked Snapdragon 800 (it peaks at 2.6GHz very briefly in some operations according to Temp+CPU, no joke). On that, it's nice that they're finally placing "Big Boy" SOCs in tablets, but I think they're going to price them too far out of reach, like 20-40% more than an iPad Air.

[Phileas]

What I like is that this is a positive step away from the "icons on a grid" system that's been around since the earliest Palms. I love that the first thing you see isn't a selection of apps but information that's actually useful.

I've set up my own tablets in a similar fashion using widgets, but the selection is limited and the visual effect is not as perfect as it could be. If anybody would bring out a selection of widgets with a unified design, i.e. black on white or white on transparent, I'd be over that in a heartbeat.

The unit I saw was pretty smooth, but yes, I've heard about the stuttering from other reviewers.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

You mean this is an 8" tablet that you think will be priced 20%-40% more than the Air? Yikes.

You'd think there would be a bit of a diminishing return after a while in terms of the hardware.

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

You mean this is an 8" tablet that you think will be priced 20%-40% more than the Air? Yikes.

You'd think there would be a bit of a diminishing return after a while in terms of the hardware.

8"/10"/12"

It comes in three different flavours. The 12" feels like a laptop without a keyboard. They are hoping to take on MS for productivity.

Price rumours vary quite a bit, depending on the source.
http://www.gsmarena.com/euro_retaile...-news-7544.php

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

You mean this is an 8" tablet that you think will be priced 20%-40% more than the Air? Yikes.

You'd think there would be a bit of a diminishing return after a while in terms of the hardware.

Yeah. Don't get me wrong, it's a great device with amazing BQ, and probably the fastest tablet in the world by a good bit, but off-contract I'd say it'll run $800. A 16GB LTE Air is, what? $630? However, it is targeted for business users, with its PRO designation, and it comes with a lot of preloaded productivity apps, which off the Store run >$150 by themselves.

The only thing that irks me is the shiny ring around the bezel. Hello? 2010 called and they said they want their bling back.