a happy tech post!

About time, it seems..

Since my ASUS 7HD died I sought out options rather hastily.  I liked the more squarish aspect ratio of the first one but it wasn't quite what I hoped for.  My second try though is a winner.

The Lenovo A8-5500 is an 8-inch tablet that is the proverbial 'just right' size.  The 7" screen of the 7HD was a bit crowded, and the 10" Transformer was too big for me to use as a tablet (just fine as a laptop replacement when hooked to its keyboard though).  This 8" screen has the same resolution of the 7HD so it's plenty bright and clear, and performance (for what I do at least) is just great.

Once it was set up the tablet updated itself to 4.4.2 Android so it's quite up to date.  However it's clear that many devices can run the same Android yet look quite a bit different!  ASUS implements their own system enhancements (even more so now with the Zen UI).  Most reviewers like ASUS mods but clearly Lenovo won't be using it - they have their own though, in the pop-sideways panel of settings and most-used programs.  Nicely done, but I already have my most-used stuff in the bottom part of the screen, and I cannot reclaim that area by removing them, so the popout is a bit redundant.  Perhaps I'll find ways to use it better but for now: not really handy.

Lenovo also crowds the main screen with icons like iDevices and unlike ASUS.  I've dumped most of the icons into a folder or two, which makes screen space available for widgets.  I admit it: I LIKE WIDGETS - which often include shortcuts of their own (ugh: triple redundancy with side-panel and screen-bottom icons).

Battery life is very good, and I've thrown some switches that imply even more savings.  I like 10-hour charges for tablets, a feature which very few tech devices manage.  I've reloaded a few common games and my astronomy apps so it's pretty much a duplicate of the HD7 now.  Once I've added in an office suite it will be closer; it appears that Lenovo has added one I know little about but I'll give it a try before filling more memory with a new version.  Google Sheet is sufficient for most of my dabbling on the tablet.

other geeky decisions

For the past year I've been enjoying the use of an Asus HD7 tablet.  Asus made the original Nexus7 for Google, then 'downgraded' it and sold it themselves as the HD7.  The downgrade is not the screen which can do basic 720HD, nor is it the battery life which is quite similarly long.  It probably has a slower processor and has an earlier Android system onboard, I cannot say.  What it does have is a microSD slot which Google did not want to include on their Nexus.  I found mine refurbished, in a flourescent pea-green color, for a very nice price.  Simple stuff works really well (though it pays to buy into the Google virtual ecosystem for tying in mail/calendar/etc, which some won't like) and we watched the Super Bowl on it with only a few hiccups slowing it down .. not bad since the wifi base was at the opposite end of the house!  Games are easy to pull from the Store, and listening to radio, podcasts and music sounds good.  I've enjoyed using the HD7 (or is it 7HD?) quite a bit.

And yet, here I sit with a new 10" Win8.1 tablet.

The Transformer is also an Asus product, can manage 1080HD, includes an HDMI port and still has very good battery life, rated at over eight hours.

After a comfortable life in the Android world, why do such a thing?  Here's what caused the tentative switch:

• The Transformer was on clearance for just over $200 (was $329) and it includes a dedicated keyboard.  Click the tablet in place and get typing - and it folds up laptop-style in this setup!  Very handy, and no Bluetooth to fuss with (yes, for some reason it was fussy on the tablet).  If I do sell the Android tablet the net cost of the Transformer is really low.
• Spreadsheets.  I test-drove several Android office-type products, and purchased the full copy of the best-rated one.  Using Google Drive (what else?) as a source I created several workbooks that could be shared by tablet and desktop, where MSOffice still rules.  Unfortunately, nearly every time I did this the workbook was corrupted between the two systems.  I could not trust the programs to work together, and even in retirement I find spreadsheets to be a very convenient way to keep my life organized.
• Convenience?  Well that's hard to say.  The screen on the Transformer is really nice, the on-tablet virtual keyboard is almost full size, and the latger text is nice so I need not squint at my work.  On the other hand, the 10-inch size is not entirely safe to hold with one hand.

That's all I have really, just a few points - but important ones.  I have already pulled a MS 'app' from their shop for aurora forecasts, that works as well as Google Play -- but where is Weather Underground?!?

I have two weeks to decide if Win8.1 and the larger screen are worth the bargain price by jumping aboard now.  As always, WeShallSee!

another small step for wireless

I finally set up and demonstrated that the NX300 and my telephone can play together.With a few quick button presses the phone becomes a viewfinder and can take pictures through the NX300!  Not many settings come up for adjustment this way, and it's odd to tilt the phone without changing the view - but practice would approximate perfect if it were done more often.  It's a potentially handy feature for animal or bird shots, maybe at the right sort of party.. but this isn't something I would use on a daily or weekly basis.  Still, it's good to know that it can be done and works properly.  Technically speaking, this is NFC at work.

Hmmm, maybe I'll try the tablet next!

Yup that works too! :^) but don't look too long you might fall in...