[OreoCookie]

It's not even clear whether the Samsung tablet is actually faster: according to Anandtech's CPU and GPU benchmarks, the Snapdragon 800 version (running at 2.3 GHz) is slower in CPU-bound tasks. (The Samsung may turbo 300 MHz higher, but that's a ~13 % difference which is probably not sustained for long. Also note that the iPads are clocked 100 MHz faster than the iPhone 5S which was used in the benchmarks.)

We have to wait for GPU benchmarks, because they depend on the number of pixels SoCs each need to push, and at least in the phone space, the results are more of a wash.

The thing for me is: Samsung's announcement is only useful if they make apps that take advantage of it? Samsung has not been great at sustaining an ecosystem.

[Phileas]

I am not entirely sure how they plan on justifying that kind of price. The bundled apps are ok but most users in the pro world will either have their own existing accounts or use different solutions. I can't see a free Dropbox/Evernote/WebEx offer being enough of an incentive to shell out $800 for an Android tablet, with or without a fancy OS overlay.

I've used Cisco WebEx for years now and still don't see a reason to upgrade, whereas I am happy to pay for both Dropbox and Evernote - although we're currently evaluating Dropbox and might move over to google Drive.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

I've used Cisco WebEx for years now and still don't see a reason to upgrade, whereas I am happy to pay for both Dropbox and Evernote - although we're currently evaluating Dropbox and might move over to google Drive.

The value of Dropbox is (beside its reliability) the availability on all platforms, so a Dropbox coupon is not really enticing. Samsung's 12" tablet seems premature to me. The value of a Pro tablet is that it should do things I can't do with a 10" tablet. And it should be something to offset its weight/leverage disadvantage.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

The value of Dropbox is (beside its reliability) the availability on all platforms, so a Dropbox coupon is not really enticing. Samsung's 12" tablet seems premature to me. The value of a Pro tablet is that it should do things I can't do with a 10" tablet. And it should be something to offset its weight/leverage disadvantage.

Like maybe...the Surface Pro?

The original model has been discounted heavily, and it replaces both a tablet and a laptop. Not gonna lie - it's surprisingly powerful for the size. It's become the only computer I use anymore, unless I need the power of my desktop's GPU and multiple displays.

Dell also has an Intel tablet line now. The 8" one is really underwhelming, but the 11" i5 model is enticing, and there's a keyboard dock available. The Asus Transformer is also pretty viable, as I've said before. Apps like Kingsoft Office for Android make it much more business-friendly, too.

[P]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

Also note that the iPads are clocked 100 MHz faster than the iPhone 5S which was used in the benchmarks.

ObNitpick: the iPad Air is clocked 100 MHz faster than the iPhone 5S, and also does not have on-package memory, which means that it is easier to cool. It can run at the full turbo of 1.4 GHz for over 2 minutes in testing, compared to a few seconds for most such turbo variants. The iPad mini Retina has the same chip as the iPhone 5S, however - 1.3 GHz max, and less time in turbo.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Like maybe...the Surface Pro?

Given how well Surface sells, it seems that being able to run Office on a tablet is not that important amongst the general public. And the Pro version is just way, way too heavy and its battery life is too short. I always felt the Surface (non-Pro), especially the 2 is the better device of the two -- if you want a tablet.

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

The original model has been discounted heavily, and it replaces both a tablet and a laptop.

As someone who has yet to buy his first tablet (my e-ink Kobo reader doesn't count as a tablet), I wouldn't want a Surface-like device.* Every time I use tablets, the natural orientation is portrait and not landscape for me (especially if I could write on it). Ditto for the aspect ratio, 16:9 on any tablet feels weird, as if tons of space is wasted in both orientations.

I don't buy the »you can't do work on an iPad« argument, I have seen too many in businesses where they do actual, well, work, but I haven't seen a use case for me which makes me want to budget one after paying for a new computer every ~5 years and a new smartphone every 2~4 years (plus other necessities, hobbies and such).

* I want one, but not bad enough to buy one. Especially the iPad Air would be great for surfing the web and doing organizational tasks (I use OmniFocus).

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by P 

ObNitpick: the iPad Air is clocked 100 MHz faster than the iPhone 5S, and also does not have on-package memory, which means that it is easier to cool. It can run at the full turbo of 1.4 GHz for over 2 minutes in testing, compared to a few seconds for most such turbo variants. The iPad mini Retina has the same chip as the iPhone 5S, however - 1.3 GHz max, and less time in turbo.

Thanks for pointing that out. The fact that the iPad Air can turbo for much longer periods than the iPhone 5S (and presumably also the iPad mini with Retina display) is also important when relating benchmark results to real world performance. Perhaps there are synthetic benchmarks which can make use of all four cores in which the Snapdragon 800 is faster (I'm sure there are), but most tablet software is faster on fewer, beefier rather than more, wimpier cores. In any case, the Snapdragon 800 is not a slow SoC.

A big question mark is nVidia's Denver core: given that it uses a Transmeta-like software translation layer, you can't compare them very easily to existing »native« ARM cores. Can't wait until Anand gets his hands on one in order to dissect it.

[P]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

A big question mark is nVidia's Denver core: given that it uses a Transmeta-like software translation layer, you can't compare them very easily to existing »native« ARM cores. Can't wait until Anand gets his hands on one in order to dissect it.

I think you mean "Given nVidia's habit of making things up in their presentations..." nVidia has a terrible habit of exaggerating everything new and everything that is coming. Benchmarks or it didn't happen.

The Transmeta thing is still a rumor, AFAIK, although one that is starting to look solid with all the supporting evidence. One point that was raised in another forum was that the Transmeta idea might make more sense this time. The point is that Android uses the Dalvik virtual machine for most things, so nVidia could conceivably publish modifications to that and improve the code its processor gets. Since the manufacturer decides what their phone is loaded with, anyone using the Denver core could just make sure to install nVidia's special Dalvik. Kinda hope it works, Qualcomm needs some competition.

[OreoCookie]

You're right, that's just a credible rumor at this point, especially given that nVidia at first intended to develop x86 processors. To me, the important information is that this alone puts nVidia's marketing statements (7-wide design operating at 2.5 GHz) into perspective: if Denver turns out to be a »native« ARM core, this is more directly comparable to Cyclone, but if Denver is a Transmeta-like design, it means very little.

I found it a bit disconcerting that they have only compared the GPU performance of the K1 to the A7, but not CPU performance. (Also, if the Crusoe processor is any indication, benchmarking it won't be easy: due to its architecture, benchmarks ran faster the second time around.)

In any case, it's nice that nVidia is trying something different here and is focussing on a more sane SoC core count (2 beefy cores rather than 4+ weak cores). It's sad, though, that they could not resist the temptation to call the K1 a 192-core processor.

[Shaddim]

I've come to the conclusion that, overall, Samsung battery quality is subpar. Actually, to be more accurate, it sucks tar balls. After just a few months I've lost ~20% of the capacity of the one in my Note 3. That's entirely unacceptable. Sure, it's replaceable, but what about their tablets? *eyes the Tab PRO suspiciously*


Oh, and yeah, the 12.2" Tab Pro is entirely too big, and heavy. However, artists are going to love the thing, so long as they aren't starving artists (I'm betting it will be around a grand).

[P]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Oh, and yeah, the 12.2" Tab Pro is entirely too big, and heavy. However, artists are going to love the thing, so long as they aren't starving artists (I'm betting it will be around a grand).

Gabe at Penny Arcade has been singing the praises of the Surface Pro in that respect. It's a tiny slide of the market, though, don't know that it makes sense to make devices specifically for it. Samsung has a habit of throwing everything at the market and seeing what sticks - I guess that that's what this is.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

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.

Pricing is here, the 8.4" is going to be... $400, for the entry 16GB wifi-only. Wow, they actually listened to people, that's going to be an amazing value.

[ajprice]

The Nexus 5 is available in red now. When it was announced on the Play Store site I thought it would be a plain red, maybe a pinkish red, to get into the Valentines Day sales. But no, it looks like its a day glow eye burner orangey RED.

Up close and personal with the blindingly colorful red Nexus 5 | The Verge

[mindwaves]

That's a nice color. If it was in green, it would be better. I was a big fan of the key-lime iBooks.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by mindwaves 

That's a nice color. If it was in green, it would be better. I was a big fan of the key-lime iBooks.

Yup, that was a nice color. The colors Apple has chosen for the iPhone 5c are sort of hit and miss for me. I am a huge fan of yellow, but not the particular shade they have chosen (it's too banana-y if that makes sense).

[ajprice]

Its definitely the neon orange side of red.

Hands-On With Red Nexus 5 [VIDEO] | Redmond Pie

[Jawbone54]

Maybe I'm too Plain Jane, but I feel like I'd get tired of the red version. It's just a little too harsh.

[mindwaves]

Pastels should never be used for iPhones nor for building colors. I visited a foreign country and many of the apartments were in pastel colors. I'm talking about pastel-y pink, yellow, and blue mixed with square spots (all in tile). It was a sight to be seen.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by mindwaves 

Pastels should never be used for iPhones nor for building colors. I visited a foreign country and many of the apartments were in pastel colors. I'm talking about pastel-y pink, yellow, and blue mixed with square spots (all in tile). It was a sight to be seen.

Like Miami then?

[subego]

Third world problems.

[mindwaves]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

Like Miami then?

No, much worse. Think of tiny tiles covering the building so all you see is a pastel covered building with a ton of grout marks from the tile in gray (again, for a pastel building). Mix that with the dirty environment and have a recipe for one ugly building.

[Shaddim]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but my favorite laptop is the Chromebook Pixel LTE. Sure, I can't run Office natively, but it's just so fast and smooth. Swap the 64GB drive out for a 240GB and it's a monster. I so much love this thing for everyday stuff.

[Phileas]

Chrome is getting better and better.

The $300 HP Chromebooks are also awesome, we've got a bunch of them around the office, both the 14" and the 11" models. I've got to say, I'd have a hard time justifying the price tag of the Pixel. I looked at it, and coveted the screen (how could one not), but the mediocre battery life and the constant fan noise when busy made me decide against it. On the plus side, the design is gorgeous - but for the same money I can buy a Macbook, which is infinitely more useful.

Having said that, the 11" HP Chromebook has pretty much replaced my tablets as a "carry with me anywhere" computer.

[sek929]

Long story shot, dropped my 4s and broke the replacement screen I installed last summer. Most likely switching carriers to get a free phone and more data for less than I am paying now.

Options for free phones are currently 5c, Galaxy S4 Mini (regular S4 is 50 bucks, which is also an option) and LG G2. I don't really care that much about smartphones seeing as I was still quite content with my 4s but I don't want to get some bloated hog of an Android and regret it later. Not married to an iPhone in the least, but free is a nice number for anything Apple.

Thoughts?

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Long story shot, dropped my 4s and broke the replacement screen I installed last summer. Most likely switching carriers to get a free phone and more data for less than I am paying now.

Options for free phones are currently 5c, Galaxy S4 Mini (regular S4 is 50 bucks, which is also an option) and LG G2. I don't really care that much about smartphones seeing as I was still quite content with my 4s but I don't want to get some bloated hog of an Android and regret it later. Not married to an iPhone in the least, but free is a nice number for anything Apple.

Thoughts?

Basic phone? 5c or S4 mini, if you aren't using it for content the regular S4 is too much to carry around. The LG? Well, if you root it you can remove some of the bloatware, otherwise avoid it. The 5c will have the better camera, compared to the S4 mini, if that matters, and better battery life, though batteries are swappable with the Samsung.

[sek929]

Would you say the S4 Mini is a more modern phone compared to the insides of the 5c or are the differences otherwise negligible?

[OreoCookie]

According to this specs page, the S4 mini may only come with 8 GB memory (there is also a 16 GB model), a ridiculous amount this day and and. The 16 GB of the 5c are better, but I find even 32 GB a bit crammed. It also comes with a lower-res screen. CPU-wise, it's comparable (it wouldn't tip the balance for me). If I were in the market for an Android device, I wouldn't get a Samsung, though, I much prefer the looks of HTC's phones. Or if you get really wild, get a Nokia Lumia. A friend of mine got the 920, and it's a really nice piece of hardware.

I mean, if you think you can live with Android, why not. But as an iPhone 5 owner, I really think the 5c enclosure is very nice: it feels much warmer than the 5/5S and the wear shows on my 5 (which I bought heavily used).

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

According to this specs page, the S4 mini may only come with 8 GB memory (there is also a 16 GB model), a ridiculous amount this day and and. The 16 GB of the 5c are better, but I find even 32 GB a bit crammed. It also comes with a lower-res screen. CPU-wise, it's comparable (it wouldn't tip the balance for me). If I were in the market for an Android device, I wouldn't get a Samsung, though, I much prefer the looks of HTC's phones. Or if you get really wild, get a Nokia Lumia. A friend of mine got the 920, and it's a really nice piece of hardware.

I mean, if you think you can live with Android, why not. But as an iPhone 5 owner, I really think the 5c enclosure is very nice: it feels much warmer than the 5/5S and the wear shows on my 5 (which I bought heavily used).

The S4 mini has a microSD slot, which counters many issues with lack of storage, but otherwise I concur.

[sek929]

Ultimately went with the S4 Mini thanks to upgradeable storage (both phones were 16gb) and easily replaceable battery. I don't care about minor screen differences or camera spec, and I've already stated my disdain for iTunes and the closed Apple ecosystem. First smartphone was a Galaxy S and I really liked it. Dropped it all the time, never got so much as a nick on the screen and the battery life was excellent. My 4s is a good little device as well, but the tweaker in me misses the Android widgets, files system and ability to easily mount it as storage on my Mac. I will say the form of the bigger Android phones is ridiculous, if the only other option was a 5" screen or larger I would have gone with the 5c, I don't want a mini tablet in my pocket...if it would even fit.

[Shaddim]

It's a solid phone, and a good choice if you want a smaller "freebie". Overall, it's likely the best of those out right now. I was going to mention the new LG G2 mini, but it's not quite out yet and I doubt it'll be widely available with that many carriers. LG is weird anyway, because unless you have a flagship device, they never update the OS... though the same can be said of most Android phone manufacturers except maybe HTC.

--------------------------------------

Strangely I've found that I use the Samsung Note Pro 12.2 a lot more than I thought I would, and part of it is because of the performance (best in class hardware) and screen quality (at 2560x1600), but also the size is perfect for comic books, magazines, and for when you want 2 pages of a book open at once, like with textbooks and trade journals. For media consumption it's the boss and two-hand typing on it is easy, while lounging on the couch where you can prop it up... because make no mistake, for a tablet it's one heavy mother****er, tipping the scales at >1.5lbs. Still, I do reach for it first when I sit down and the battery life is longer than many species of insect, also the pen input and handwriting recog are best in industry, which makes adding annotations a snap. It comes at a price though, which is, well, the price. $750 for the 32GB and add another $75 for 64. That'll shut out most shoppers, but it's a business tab targeted at MINO geeks, and I feel those buyers are going to love it.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Strangely I've found that I use the Samsung Note Pro 12.2 a lot more than I thought I would, and part of it is because of the performance (best in class hardware) and screen quality (at 2560x1600), but also the size is perfect for comic books, magazines, and for when you want 2 pages of a book open at once, like with textbooks and trade journals. For media consumption it's the boss and two-hand typing on it is easy, while lounging on the couch where you can prop it up... because make no mistake, for a tablet it's one heavy mother****er, tipping the scales at >1.5lbs. Still, I do reach for it first when I sit down and the battery life is longer than many species of insect, also the pen input and handwriting recog are best in industry, which makes adding annotations a snap. It comes at a price though, which is, well, the price. $750 for the 32GB and add another $75 for 64. That'll shut out most shoppers, but it's a business tab targeted at MINO geeks, and I feel those buyers are going to love it.

I'm looking at replacing the Asus 10 incher that I have, and I read a review that really didn't like the interface of the Note Pro 12. I've also been bitten by Samsung regarding not updating the OS often enough. I'd really like a Nexus 12 - depending on price.

[Shaddim]

I don't think we'll see a Nexus 12 for some time, though they're probably updating the 10 very soon.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

The S4 mini has a microSD slot, which counters many issues with lack of storage, but otherwise I concur.

Aren't there restrictions on what you can and can't put on the SD card? At least that's how it was a while ago with a friend's HTC Android phone (which I think ran 2.2). He had to use the command line to move apps onto the memory card. Maybe Android is more flexible now, though.

[mattyb]

There's an app called App2SD which I've run for a while now. Not everything can be put on the SD though. As Mr Average User, I've never run out of space, but then I don't have loads of games or photos or music stored on my phone.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

Aren't there restrictions on what you can and can't put on the SD card? At least that's how it was a while ago with a friend's HTC Android phone (which I think ran 2.2). He had to use the command line to move apps onto the memory card. Maybe Android is more flexible now, though.

Apps are available that can move other apps to the SD card, Samsung has a native app in TouchWiz that does it, and of course you can put all your media and store photos and videos you take on the card. They've become so fast you can't really tell what's running on the card and what's on internal memory anymore.

[P]

Android 4.4 has changed what you can do with an SD card. In effect it will work like iCloud on the iOS side - you can make a single folder to store your stuff and work with that as you like, but file managers are out. With a special permission, an app can read outside its own folder, but never write. Previously Samsung has just ignored changes like this, but apparently they have followed the rules this time.

External Blues: Google Has Brought Big Changes To SD Cards In KitKat, And Even Samsung Is Implementing Them

[Shaddim]

I root everything now, and most manufacturers don't even negate your warranty anymore, so power users (the people most likely to worry about the restriction) are much less worried about it.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Hah - my current phone died and I'm getting immediately upgraded through work - they'll pay for most of an upgrade to iPhone 5S (32gig), or all of an HTC One (32) or other similar cheaper Android phone. The One is getting pretty long in the tooth and apparently will be replaced in a couple months, but I need a phone immediately. I really do nothing on my cell other than calls, work email and web surfing, and as a Remote for iTunes. I feel weird turning down the 5S for an older Android phone that's pretty much discontinued, but unless I'm missing something it is still the nicest non-Apple form factor out there that I have seen, and to be honest I'm a little tired of iOS.

Think the One will be fine for a couple years?

[Phileas]

The HTC One is a good phone - but were it me, I'd also look at a Nexus 5, or a Motorola X. Both are excellent phones.

[sek929]

Long story short, I cannot receive texts from my iPhone using friends due to iMessage being retarded.

[Laminar]

I'm about to be in a similar boat (hopefully one with marine-grade plywood...). I'm due for a new work phone this coming May, and I can choose between a Galaxy (I suppose the S5 will be out by then?) or an iPhone 5s. I've spent the last two years with an S2 and I've been seriously unimpressed, though I admit that may be due to the hardware or my service provider (T-Mobile) and not the software. Sometime last year I upgraded to 4.1.2 but even now it's not that great.

1. Finding a tower and connecting once I enter a new country (or even just take it out of airplane mode) takes anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes, or sometimes it doesn't connect at all until I manually search for towers. My iPhone 5/Verizon connects in 5-10 seconds.
2. Tethering takes forever; after activating, it takes up to a minute for my laptop to see the phone, and once I initiate connection, if it even works the first time I attempt to connect, there's a long period (30 seconds to a minute) between connecting to the phone and getting internet access to the laptop. The iPhone gets my laptop online in under 10 seconds.
3. Inconsistent "hard" buttons - sometimes hitting "back" takes me back a page, sometimes it takes me to the home screen.
4. Takes forever to charge - just today I got to my hotel room and both phones were under 5% remaining (after 5 hours of browsing/tethering on the iPhone and 1 hour on the S2), within an hour the iPhone was at 98% at the S2 was at 47%.

I hate that the S2 is slow and unresponsive. I hate that the new email notifications stay in the upper bar even after I've read the emails on another device. I hate that the menus are obscured and difficult to navigate. I hate the way it unlocks. I hate that it's bulky - thicker, wider, and longer than the iPhone.

Again, I recognize that I'm using outdated hardware and a maybe subpar service provider, but will faster hardware really fix everything I hate about it? It seems redundant to have two iPhones, but if that's what will give me the fewest headaches I might as well stick with it. But if the upcoming Galaxy really is pleasant to use, better on the network, and can beat the iPhone's battery life, maybe I'll put up with the bulky size and go that direction.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

The HTC One is a good phone - but were it me, I'd also look at a Nexus 5, or a Motorola X. Both are excellent phones.

Haven't tried the X but did fool around with the Nexus 5 and to be honest preferred the feel of the One. Out of curiosity, why would you rather the 5?

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

Haven't tried the X but did fool around with the Nexus 5 and to be honest preferred the feel of the One. Out of curiosity, why would you rather the 5?

I like stock Android and the Nexus 5 is as fast and responsive a phone as I've ever seen. It's also really well built. I use mine without a case and it's as good as new. I also really like the N5 design, very simple and understated.

I like the HTC One too, it's a great phone, but it is getting a bit long in the tooth. If I'd buy one, I'd get the clean google play edition, without any HTC bloat.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

Haven't tried the X but did fool around with the Nexus 5 and to be honest preferred the feel of the One. Out of curiosity, why would you rather the 5?

Pure Android, fast updates, no contract?

Off-topic: I switched to the Google Now Launcher on my Nexus 7. Very nice.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Hmmmm, I actually didn't mind HTC's Sense 5.5 to be honest

[sek929]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Long story short, I cannot receive texts from my iPhone using friends due to iMessage being retarded.

Day two of no texts from my iPhone using contacts. I contacted Apple and they told me to wait 12h for the system to iron itself out. I should be getting a call from an Apple rep today who is taking over for the guy I talked to last night. Searching the web reveals this is not an isolated problem in the least and there are varying degrees of success with just contacting Apple. I may have to talk to my old carrier and possibly my new one. Altogether an extremely annoying issue right off the bat.

[Spheric Harlot]

Have you just plain restarted the phone?

[sek929]

Yes, several times.

[sek929]

Even after my contact has been deleted by the iPhone user and I initiate a new conversation, which goes through immediately, their reply defaults to iMessage and is lost in purgatory for hours.

[Laminar]

Have you installed the 7.0.6 update?