O/T: Nibbling on an Apple

Well, as much as I hate to admit it, I've taken a small step over
to the dark side: I've picked up an iPad Mini...

Like most Apple devices I've worked with, it seems this one does
nothing extraordinarily well, but it is rather
versatile.

I purchased the device thinking that it would be a nice, portable
audio recording / editing platform, giving me the ability to
record interviews and then do a bit of clean up work regardless
of my location. Ditto for video.

Unfortunately, the memory limitations on these portables leaves
them a bit lacking when it comes to working with large files, as
does the hardware used.

Obviously, I haven't had the opportunity to try each and every
app out there, but I picked up a copy of "Garage Band" and
another sound app ("Audio Memo") which seem to have a nice
sampling of features.

The major obstacle I've encountered is that, in spite of
recording in 16-bit linear PCM format, actual sound quality is
quite poor when compared to a comprably priced netbook / portable
digital recorder, which is most likely do to the tiny microphone
used in either the device or the Apple-built headset I
chose.

The end result is that large files quickly fill the limited
resources of the iPad without actually capturing a file that
could be considered broadcast quality.

Having said all that, I found to my rather great surprise that
the Mini makes up for these short-comings by completely
surpassing my expectations in the area of other
utilities.

For example, using "Siri," I am able to keep track of my
schedule, take notes, and communicate via email with an ease I've
not really dreamed possible...

Even more surprising is that the provided browser, in conjunction
with the voice over screen access system, makes it rather easy to
browse the net.

While it is more tricky to initially track down and click a link
(due to the strickter reliance on page layout / design), once one
gets a mental picture of the layout, one can navigate more
efficiently because one doesn't have to "click through"
(sometimes) hundreds of elements in order to get to the desired
control.

I also have to say that the little taps and swipes used to access
info and move around are niceley intuitive and easy to
master.

All in all, I have to say that I'm pleased with the iPad Mini,
not for what I purchased it for, but, rather, for the way it has
proven to help me with every day tasks I've been struggling with
for several decades.

Nice work, Apple.

Take Care,
Dudley

| All in all, I have to say that I'm pleased with the iPad Mini,
| not for what I purchased it for, but, rather, for the way it has
| proven to help me with every day tasks I've been struggling with
| for several decades.
|
That seems to be the main point. I was out
this past weekend looking at tablets with my
ladyfriend, who thinks that perhaps she should
buy one -- if for nothing else than to stay current.

We looked at Apple and Windows; didn't get to
Android. I was most impressed with the Acer that
had full Win8 for $400. And I could augment it
with bluetooth keyboard and/or mouse if required.
Nice. But then I realized that I was thinking about
how to use a small touch screen as a computer,
when for $400 I could have a real computer. The
strength of tablets is very small size and mobility,
not extensive functionality.

(The Apple clerk didn't even undersdtand when I
asked whether there was a file system program to
let me store and organize files. Apparently there is,
but he couldn't see the point. He recommended
Dropbox, as though it were an iPad service.

I came away with the same sense I had going in:
A tablet for $50 with a good screen for reading and
a standard USB slot for memory sticks... and the
native ability to read PDF/DOC/HTML/TXT... is something
I would buy, so that I could read long articles from
sites like Wired or Atlantic Monthly on the sofa. In
the meantime, my schedule is not nearly so complex,
nor my email so urgent, that I need a special, portable
machine to handle them.

Yet I could imagine that for people who, say, travel
a lot and also like to read e-books, but don't actually
do any computer-based work that might require a
laptop, such a device might be ideal.

On the other hand, it says something about the
tablet market that they're selling "like hotcakes" while
people are still pleasantly surprised that their tablet
is useful for... something... anything.

In article , Mayayana
wrote:

| All in all, I have to say that I'm pleased with the iPad Mini,
| not for what I purchased it for, but, rather, for the way it has
| proven to help me with every day tasks I've been struggling with
| for several decades.
|
That seems to be the main point. I was out
this past weekend looking at tablets with my
ladyfriend, who thinks that perhaps she should
buy one -- if for nothing else than to stay current.

We looked at Apple and Windows; didn't get to
Android. I was most impressed with the Acer that
had full Win8 for $400. And I could augment it
with bluetooth keyboard and/or mouse if required.
Nice. But then I realized that I was thinking about
how to use a small touch screen as a computer,
when for $400 I could have a real computer. The
strength of tablets is very small size and mobility,
not extensive functionality.

stop trying to pretend a tablet is a laptop. it's not a laptop.

if you want a laptop, get a laptop.

tablets are not laptops. they're tablets.

not everyone needs a laptop. for many tasks, a laptop is overkill.
that's why tablets are so popular. tablets do a bunch of tasks *really*
well, much better than a laptop doing the same tasks.

tablets don't do everything, nor do they have to. for those tasks, get
a laptop.

(The Apple clerk didn't even undersdtand when I
asked whether there was a file system program to
let me store and organize files. Apparently there is,
but he couldn't see the point. He recommended
Dropbox, as though it were an iPad service.

it doesn't meed a user accessible file system. there are apps that
manage that *for* you.

file systems are old school. they're eventually going away for nearly
all users. system administrators or developers might need to get at
individual files, but typical users do not.

this is a concept lost on geeks because geeks want to get under the
hood and screw with ****. normal people don't want to do that. they
want *content* and computer can easily find that for them, *without*
direct file access.

I came away with the same sense I had going in:
A tablet for $50 with a good screen for reading and
a standard USB slot for memory sticks... and the
native ability to read PDF/DOC/HTML/TXT... is something
I would buy, so that I could read long articles from
sites like Wired or Atlantic Monthly on the sofa. In
the meantime, my schedule is not nearly so complex,
nor my email so urgent, that I need a special, portable
machine to handle them.

there are $50 android tablets, but they're absolute junk.

the kindle is slightly more at $70. maybe you should save up a few
dollars and splurge.

Yet I could imagine that for people who, say, travel
a lot and also like to read e-books, but don't actually
do any computer-based work that might require a
laptop, such a device might be ideal.

it's also for people who aren't planning on doing any of what you call
computer based work when they travel. they want to leave that at home.

someone might just want to check email, check news websites, play some
games and read some ebooks, and that's *it*. they don't *need* anything
more. whether it's for a weekend getaway or all the time, a tablet is
ideal. a laptop is clunky.

plus a tablet fits in a jacket pocket. a laptop doesn't, unless you
have unusually large pockets. in fact, just yesterday i saw a young
girl, probably about 9 or 10 years old, pull out an ipad mini from her
purse while walking down the street.

On the other hand, it says something about the
tablet market that they're selling "like hotcakes" while
people are still pleasantly surprised that their tablet
is useful for... something... anything.

they're useful for a lot of stuff, which you'd see if you'd only shed
your closed minded and condescending opinions. they're not for
everyone, nor do they have to be, but they're quite useful.

On Tue, 06 Aug 2013 16:50:51 -0400, nospam
wrote:

file systems are old school. they're eventually going away for nearly
all users. system administrators or developers might need to get at
individual files, but typical users do not.

Crap.

You couldn't find your way round my wife's iPad collection of of
photographs unless there was a file system you could follow.
Otherwise, god knows how many thousands of photographs all in one big
heap.
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

In article , Eric Stevens
wrote:

file systems are old school. they're eventually going away for nearly
all users. system administrators or developers might need to get at
individual files, but typical users do not.

Crap.

definitely not crap. it's progress and can't happen soon enough. file
system access is primitive.

You couldn't find your way round my wife's iPad collection of of
photographs unless there was a file system you could follow.
Otherwise, god knows how many thousands of photographs all in one big
heap.

then she's not taking advantage of all of its functionality.

you don't need direct file system access to manage photos. far from it.
the computer can do that *for* you.

faces and places automatically groups photos by who is in them and
where they were taken, or the photos can be put into one or more
albums, something that can't be done with a filesystem.

ios 7 also has another way to look at large numbers of photos and
quickly figure out which ones are the ones you want to look at, but
it's not out yet.

On Tue, 06 Aug 2013 22:21:46 -0400, nospam
wrote:

In article , Eric Stevens
wrote:

file systems are old school. they're eventually going away for nearly
all users. system administrators or developers might need to get at
individual files, but typical users do not.

Crap.

definitely not crap. it's progress and can't happen soon enough. file
system access is primitive.

It's your original statement that is crap.

You couldn't find your way round my wife's iPad collection of of
photographs unless there was a file system you could follow.
Otherwise, god knows how many thousands of photographs all in one big
heap.

then she's not taking advantage of all of its functionality.

How can you possibly know that?

you don't need direct file system access to manage photos. far from it.
the computer can do that *for* you.

Twisting. Shifting the goal posts. The question is not whether you
have "direct file system access" but whether or not you have a "file
system".

faces and places automatically groups photos by who is in them and
where they were taken, or the photos can be put into one or more
albums, something that can't be done with a filesystem.

Weasel! You are describing what it is that the file system doe.

ios 7 also has another way to look at large numbers of photos and
quickly figure out which ones are the ones you want to look at, but
it's not out yet.

... and it will keep track of them with table of random numbers?

Naah. It's got a file system.
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

On 8/6/2013 4:50 PM, nospam wrote:
In article , Mayayana
wrote:

| All in all, I have to say that I'm pleased with the iPad Mini,
| not for what I purchased it for, but, rather, for the way it has
| proven to help me with every day tasks I've been struggling with
| for several decades.
|
That seems to be the main point. I was out
this past weekend looking at tablets with my
ladyfriend, who thinks that perhaps she should
buy one -- if for nothing else than to stay current.

We looked at Apple and Windows; didn't get to
Android. I was most impressed with the Acer that
had full Win8 for $400. And I could augment it
with bluetooth keyboard and/or mouse if required.
Nice. But then I realized that I was thinking about
how to use a small touch screen as a computer,
when for $400 I could have a real computer. The
strength of tablets is very small size and mobility,
not extensive functionality.

stop trying to pretend a tablet is a laptop. it's not a laptop.

if you want a laptop, get a laptop.

tablets are not laptops. they're tablets.

not everyone needs a laptop. for many tasks, a laptop is overkill.
that's why tablets are so popular. tablets do a bunch of tasks *really*
well, much better than a laptop doing the same tasks.

tablets don't do everything, nor do they have to. for those tasks, get
a laptop.

(The Apple clerk didn't even undersdtand when I
asked whether there was a file system program to
let me store and organize files. Apparently there is,
but he couldn't see the point. He recommended
Dropbox, as though it were an iPad service.

it doesn't meed a user accessible file system. there are apps that
manage that *for* you.

file systems are old school. they're eventually going away for nearly
all users. system administrators or developers might need to get at
individual files, but typical users do not.

this is a concept lost on geeks because geeks want to get under the
hood and screw with ****. normal people don't want to do that. they
want *content* and computer can easily find that for them, *without*
direct file access.

I came away with the same sense I had going in:
A tablet for $50 with a good screen for reading and
a standard USB slot for memory sticks... and the
native ability to read PDF/DOC/HTML/TXT... is something
I would buy, so that I could read long articles from
sites like Wired or Atlantic Monthly on the sofa. In
the meantime, my schedule is not nearly so complex,
nor my email so urgent, that I need a special, portable
machine to handle them.

there are $50 android tablets, but they're absolute junk.

the kindle is slightly more at $70. maybe you should save up a few
dollars and splurge.

Yet I could imagine that for people who, say, travel
a lot and also like to read e-books, but don't actually
do any computer-based work that might require a
laptop, such a device might be ideal.

it's also for people who aren't planning on doing any of what you call
computer based work when they travel. they want to leave that at home.

someone might just want to check email, check news websites, play some
games and read some ebooks, and that's *it*. they don't *need* anything
more. whether it's for a weekend getaway or all the time, a tablet is
ideal. a laptop is clunky.

plus a tablet fits in a jacket pocket. a laptop doesn't, unless you
have unusually large pockets. in fact, just yesterday i saw a young
girl, probably about 9 or 10 years old, pull out an ipad mini from her
purse while walking down the street.

On the other hand, it says something about the
tablet market that they're selling "like hotcakes" while
people are still pleasantly surprised that their tablet
is useful for... something... anything.

they're useful for a lot of stuff, which you'd see if you'd only shed
your closed minded and condescending opinions. they're not for
everyone, nor do they have to be, but they're quite useful.



You're not as hostile as usual. Did you take "be nice" pills recently.

--
PeterN

On 2013-08-07 06:08:53 -0700, PeterN said:

On 8/6/2013 4:50 PM, nospam wrote:
In article , Mayayana
wrote:

| All in all, I have to say that I'm pleased with the iPad Mini,
| not for what I purchased it for, but, rather, for the way it has
| proven to help me with every day tasks I've been struggling with
| for several decades.
|
That seems to be the main point. I was out
this past weekend looking at tablets with my
ladyfriend, who thinks that perhaps she should
buy one -- if for nothing else than to stay current.

We looked at Apple and Windows; didn't get to
Android. I was most impressed with the Acer that
had full Win8 for $400. And I could augment it
with bluetooth keyboard and/or mouse if required.
Nice. But then I realized that I was thinking about
how to use a small touch screen as a computer,
when for $400 I could have a real computer. The
strength of tablets is very small size and mobility,
not extensive functionality.

stop trying to pretend a tablet is a laptop. it's not a laptop.

if you want a laptop, get a laptop.

tablets are not laptops. they're tablets.

not everyone needs a laptop. for many tasks, a laptop is overkill.
that's why tablets are so popular. tablets do a bunch of tasks *really*
well, much better than a laptop doing the same tasks.

tablets don't do everything, nor do they have to. for those tasks, get
a laptop.

(The Apple clerk didn't even undersdtand when I
asked whether there was a file system program to
let me store and organize files. Apparently there is,
but he couldn't see the point. He recommended
Dropbox, as though it were an iPad service.

it doesn't meed a user accessible file system. there are apps that
manage that *for* you.

file systems are old school. they're eventually going away for nearly
all users. system administrators or developers might need to get at
individual files, but typical users do not.

this is a concept lost on geeks because geeks want to get under the
hood and screw with ****. normal people don't want to do that. they
want *content* and computer can easily find that for them, *without*
direct file access.

I came away with the same sense I had going in:
A tablet for $50 with a good screen for reading and
a standard USB slot for memory sticks... and the
native ability to read PDF/DOC/HTML/TXT... is something
I would buy, so that I could read long articles from
sites like Wired or Atlantic Monthly on the sofa. In
the meantime, my schedule is not nearly so complex,
nor my email so urgent, that I need a special, portable
machine to handle them.

there are $50 android tablets, but they're absolute junk.

the kindle is slightly more at $70. maybe you should save up a few
dollars and splurge.

Yet I could imagine that for people who, say, travel
a lot and also like to read e-books, but don't actually
do any computer-based work that might require a
laptop, such a device might be ideal.

it's also for people who aren't planning on doing any of what you call
computer based work when they travel. they want to leave that at home.

someone might just want to check email, check news websites, play some
games and read some ebooks, and that's *it*. they don't *need* anything
more. whether it's for a weekend getaway or all the time, a tablet is
ideal. a laptop is clunky.

plus a tablet fits in a jacket pocket. a laptop doesn't, unless you
have unusually large pockets. in fact, just yesterday i saw a young
girl, probably about 9 or 10 years old, pull out an ipad mini from her
purse while walking down the street.

On the other hand, it says something about the
tablet market that they're selling "like hotcakes" while
people are still pleasantly surprised that their tablet
is useful for... something... anything.

they're useful for a lot of stuff, which you'd see if you'd only shed
your closed minded and condescending opinions. they're not for
everyone, nor do they have to be, but they're quite useful.



You're not as hostile as usual. Did you take "be nice" pills recently.

He isn't responding to you or Tony.


--
Regards,

Savageduck

In article 2013080706162010679-savageduck1@REMOVESPAMmecom,
Savageduck wrote:

You're not as hostile as usual. Did you take "be nice" pills recently.

He isn't responding to you or Tony.

that too.

In article , PeterN
wrote:

You're not as hostile as usual. Did you take "be nice" pills recently.

i was waiting for your idiotic and inane comments to let loose. i
didn't need to wait too long but they weren't as stupid as usual. you
disappointed me.