FWIW, I'm writing this email on my Android tablet, using a USB keyboard (Fellowes
Stowaway) and my finger as the pointing device - I've found that the apps tend to get
confused by a mouse pointer, since it represents a state and the pointer metaphor of the
Android touchscreen is effectively stateless. The tablet is propped up on the brim of my
hat - I have yet to find a sufficiently portable stand or easel for the device when
I'm using it this way. But having it supported by my "Indiana Jones"
leather hat is sufficiently non sequitur that I'm enjoying the dissonance.... -- Ian
________________________________________
From: cctalk-bounces at
classiccmp.org [cctalk-bounces at
classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of
Ethan Dicks [ethan.dicks at
gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 9:53 AM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Cc: classiccmp at
classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Kindle and bitsavers?
On Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 11:39 AM, Ian King <IanK at vulcan.com> wrote:
Instead of going the Kindle route, I purchased a
7" Android tablet through Merimobiles (mine is a "generation" old, but the
closest comparison is at
http://www.merimobiles.com/Moonse_APAD_E7001_Aluminium_Version_APP_Market_p…).
Based on Ian's experiences and recommendation, I purchased a successor
product from Merimobiles (a Haipad M701R, about $25 more than the
E7001, faster CPU, Android 2.1, double the RAM, HDMI out, IR remote
control for the media player...)
?It bears some of the limitations of the Kindle: small
screen, relatively slow rendering. But it does include a micro-SD slot, which makes it
easier to have a lot of content.
The micro-SD slot is a very nice feature. I've got 8GB dropped into
mine (came with the tablet for free as a promotional)
The app Documents To Go (it's $5 or $10, and
definitely worth it) includes a pretty good PDF reader - it hasn't choked on anything
I've offered it, including scanned papers and large PDF engineering drawings. (It
reads *and writes* MS-Office docs, too.)
I haven't tried that PDF reader - I'm using the free one from Adobe.
I'm also using it to view *large* PDFs with mixed results.
?It does have a touchscreen, making panning easier. It
does WiFi, but not Bluetooth. And it's $145.
Mine was $169 plus postage from Shanghai.
Did I mention the screen is color! While I think the
eInk is well done and nice to look at, it's a plus to have the color screen,
especially when I'm reading the Sunday paper and get to the comics. (I don't buy
the newspaper anymore - there's an app for that.)
I'm still interested in ePaper as a technology, but the E702R is a
full-on tablet computer, not "merely" an eBook reader, so it naturally
has an LCD screen, and that means color (whether I wanted it or not).
I am not associated with Merimobiles other than as a
satisfied customer -- Ian
Ditto. My issues are with the limitations of an inexpensive device.
I am satisfied with my experiences with Merimobiles.
-ethan