On 2014-10-28 18:07, Greg Freemyer wrote:

The biggest thing to know is that tablets come in two fundamental CPU types: ARM CPUs and Intel CPUs.

Mmm! I do have an Intel Tablet. I might consider it. -- Cheers / Saludos, Carlos E. R. (from 13.1 x86_64 "Bottle" at Telcontar)

On 2014-10-29 04:03, Anton Aylward wrote:

The only reason I can see for a smaller tablet is that it will fit in your coat or jacket pocket. But at that point, why not get a ginourmous phone?

It is cheaper a small, sensible phone, and a big enough tablet. My tablet, with an Intel chip, is about 60..70 euros, about half the price of my "obsolete" Samsung android phone. A big phone can be 300 euros and more. Yesterday I was considering migrating the tablet to Linux, then I decided against. What for, what do I gain? Privacy, yes, for email. But I lose the enormous world of Android apps, that are designed to run on a small, low powered gadget. openSUSE is not, it needs ample memory and disk space to be happy. If I needed to, I would buy another tablet for Linux, after reading how to do it. Sometimes I have to fight against the touch emulated keyboard in the drat thing to get it to display what I want. It is too clever and starts seeking for what it thinks I want in google before I end typing, and then stoping it loading whatever and try to edit the line - no, it forces you to retype. Or FF jumping bigger or smaller, or tools interpreting a move the window as a tap, or the other way round... and I can not tailor it. I hate it. I do miss some tools, like Thunderbird. Wait, checking... No, I don't see it. Or libreoffice/openoffice. The other day I wanted to convert a web page to pdf, and the default app offered me to buy a plugin or something that charges per month! Crap. Heck. I'm trying to browse to mozilla.org in English, and the daft tablet insists on showing the Spanish page. I manage to get to the main English page, and as soon as I click on some link, I get it in Spanish. I hate webs being clever. Ok, no Thunderbird on Android. :-(

The issue really is the apps and not the OS.

True.

The overall point is that there 'personality' of a tablet is very different from that of a phone. Both my phone (well phones actually) and my tablet run Android, bit 4.4.2, but the way I use them is very different and is really a function of the screen real estate. The tablet is almost but not quite a 'laptop without a keyboard'

Yep.

Converting the tablet to Suse or similar would cripple its utility for me. Suse simply does not have the many of the apps I use occasionally, well often enough. Yes Thunderbird, but I've already got Firefox, so what?

http://linuxonandroid.org

I do want thunderbird. I tried K9, didn't manage to get it to connect. No error message given, it just doesn't work. There are many interesting apps out there for tablets. The google sky map doesn't work on mine, and I like the app. Mostly I use it to watch videos in bed or sofa, instead of the laptop, or sitting at the desktop machine. Bad for the back. But it has skype and hangouts, which I wanted (for video conferencing). One thing my tablet doesn't do, is "dictate" to it instead of typing. Apparently, it is a feature of the Samsung keyboard. The AOSP keyboard doesn't have it, and the google keyboard doesn't keep privacy. There are many apps that are designed about being available anywhere you move about (if you have internet, that is), and knowing your location. Like, huh... calling a taxi to your location (some cities only, it appears). Or getting the prices of gas stations nearby. Or restaurants. Or bus lines. But you need internet, and that somebody wrote the app. Or that google sees money in it. And getting Internet while roaming is a problem. Today I was at IKEA. I wanted to get more data about an item. No way, the iron roof and being on the ground floor made it impossible. Wait, they said something about free wifi, let's try... Nope. It wants a registration, and the instructions for the registration are below the password popup, which I can not kill. Daft. We need cheap roaming... Instead of a dedicated car navigator, you could use an Android tablet with gps, probably cheaper and more versatile - because, say, a TomTom navigator (the one I have) is severely lacking in the amount of features it could have in a thriving ecosystem. Say, I'm on a long trip, find me a rest place with gas and coffee in the route, or at most 500 meters away. Tell me if they are chains or independents and which. Or tell me of changing weather events on any part of the route, like this route is going to have snow, choose another? Record my route with speed, height, location, email it to me. Automatically tell somebody of my location or ETA. Gosh, they could do wonders, and they do naught.

Oh, and the big screen of the tablet holds a large clock that I can see in bed without my glasses. The phone simply doesn't have a big enough screen for that.

I have to press the power button to see it. The alarm clock on my Android phone is very nice: I have it programmed with first a soft ring tone, and a more raucous one ten minutes later. The snag is needing it to be fully powered. But I found an app to totally disconnect Internet and filter incomming calls during sleep. it automatically switches back on at a specified time. The one on the tablet is different, doesn't have the dual tone/music feature. All that world of applications and possibilities, would be missing if I installed Linux on the tablet. I prefer having both worlds than everything Linux. Expand horizons. We do not have the needed ecosystem for tablets/mobile phones in Linux. Not that I know. We are different. Not better/worse, different. -- Cheers / Saludos, Carlos E. R. (from 13.1 x86_64 "Bottle" at Telcontar)

On 10/30/2014 08:17 AM, Greg Freemyer wrote:

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I do want thunderbird. I tried K9, didn't manage to get it to connect. No error message given, it just doesn't work.

I use K9. I like it a lot.

I tried it, and about a dozen other mailers said to be derived from it. I can see how it is designed for the smaller phone screens, the 480x800 types at about 4+1/2 inches. I can see it might be tolerable on the 6" phone screens if you are used to it. But on a 8" ..10" .. 12" tablet its disgusting! no comparson to the outlook/thunderbird three pane model. I'd happy sacrifice those sender headshots for more space! But what we need is a email reader for tablets. Anyway, this isn't a Android/phone/tablet list so lets take it elsewhere. -- What is character but the determination of incident what is incident but the illustration of character? - Henery James -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 2014-10-30 13:17, Greg Freemyer wrote:

I use K9. I like it a lot.

Just now I got it to work. Finally. Quick question: I want to disable ALL notifications. I went to folders/All (gmail), and the thing popped a notification that there were 8 new messages. I'm already seeing email, I do not want any notification in the android system area. Say nothing, never tell me there is new email or old email waiting.

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One thing my tablet doesn't do, is "dictate" to it instead of typing. Apparently, it is a feature of the Samsung keyboard. The AOSP keyboard doesn't have it, and the google keyboard doesn't keep privacy.

If you mean the voice to text is done in the cloud, I think that is universal for tablets.

Nope. In my Samsung phone with Android 2, I get a microphone in the Samsung keyboard layout. I tap it, and I dictate. In my tablet (Android 4) it is missing.

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But you need internet, and that somebody wrote the app. Or that google sees money in it. And getting Internet while roaming is a problem.

Getting easier in the U.S..

Travel abroad :-) You are a single big country, it should be easier. But last time I heard, if you have a phone from one provider, and travel to an area supplied by another provider, you may have to pay large roaming costs. In Europe roaming works, yes. There have been mandates from the European authorities finally forcing the companies to apply reasonable charges for roaming inside Europe at least, for voice and possibly short messages (SMS). But there is no agreement so far for data. If I travel to the US, I do get phone service automatically, yes. It works. However, to make a "local" phone call, I get charged international costs, as if the call was made from Spain two ways. Depends on the agreement of my provider with the local provider of the zone. If I really want service, I have to switch the SIM card for a local one, and my phone is not dual SIM. Next one I buy I'll try it be. The system is better designed to "phone home". The are considered calls "from Spain to Spain". I think SMS were more than half a dollar each last time I traveled, instead of the local 15 eurocents (today I pay nothing). We are not in a global village yet... those prices may be fine for well paid business people, the kind that thought nothing of buying a cellular phone in the 80..90s. Not for normal people. I expect to pay more, but not "penalties". The prices they apply are abusive, everywhere. No wonder people use skype or hangouts or whatever.

I have xfinity service at my house. I routinely am able to find an xfinity hotspot around the city. They have wireless routers integrated into the overhead wiring etc. Around shopping centers. They are currently pushing it out to millions of homes so you can use your own bandwidth while visiting friends and family:

A company that was placing free wifi spots here, working with city councils, wen bankrupt past month. He was selling smoke, and he may be currently in jail or close to. Some home providers here provide you with wifi around the city, they claim, if you have a contract with them for your home and mobile. I have not investigated. But if I go to France or Germany, puff! Nothing. Only what the hotel or other places may provide me.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2363389/to-xfinity-wifi-were-all-hotspots-but...

Looks similar to what ONO is doing here, I think. Unsure. I have to check. if it works like yours, I want out. Not on my router.

Internet over cell service is expensive here. I've done without it for a year+. A cheap navigator is about $100. Pays for itself in short order, even if you need 2.

Nope. Try "Be on road", for instance. Free and open, no internet needed as the map is fully stored in your device. As many countries as you wish, as they use openstreetmap.org maps. The application is not as good as a TomTom in giving instructions, but it is *surprisingly* *good* for the /price/. On the other hand, my house phone contract gives me cellular service for free: voice anywhere (land or mobile), short messages, and internet up to 1 gigabyte per month. They charge for special services numbers, like 902... And my TomTom comes with low speed Internet, too, with service all over Europe and more, for the same yearly flat rate. Only that /I/ can not use it, only the brand program has access, for whatever they choose to give (locate sites, weather, little more). It is automatically used by the device to get information about "incidences", like traffic jams. It automatically sends stats to a central server, and from the speed data they aggregate they dynamically adjust routing to users. If you opt out from giving your stats, you are automatically disabled from getting traffic jam and incidences info, except those they get from the authorities notifications, I guess. -- Cheers / Saludos, Carlos E. R. (from 13.1 x86_64 "Bottle" at Telcontar)

On 10/30/2014 02:03 AM, Carlos E. R. wrote:

Instead of a dedicated car navigator, you could use an Android tablet with gps, probably cheaper and more versatile - because, say, a TomTom navigator (the one I have) is severely lacking in the amount of features it could have in a thriving ecosystem.

There is, IIR, a downloadable local maps feature. I downloaded it for Toronto so I can use my phone for navigating the parks ans and ravines when out walking. It needs GPS and there are few GPS tools that have compass and route planning and markers and speed as well as location & more. Look for "GPS Essentials" for example.

Say, I'm on a long trip, find me a rest place with gas and coffee in the route, or at most 500 meters away. Tell me if they are chains or independents and which. Or tell me of changing weather events on any part of the route, like this route is going to have snow, choose another?

Yes that needs something like the ancillary features of google maps and an internet connection. A phone/tablet is nice for that when out walking but you can do that on a wifi connected laptop as well.

Record my route with speed, height, location, email it to me. Automatically tell somebody of my location or ETA. Gosh, they could do wonders, and they do naught.

You don't need the internet for that. There are many routefinder apps and perhaps some can tie into the phone's SMS. I'll look when I have time. -- In war, three quarters turns on personal character and relations; the balance of manpower and materials counts only for the remaining quarter. - Napoleon I -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 30 Oct 2014, at 15:44, Carlos E. R. wrote:

On 2014-10-30 13:36, Anton Aylward wrote:

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On 10/30/2014 02:03 AM, Carlos E. R. wrote:

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Say, I'm on a long trip, find me a rest place with gas and coffee in the route, or at most 500 meters away. Tell me if they are chains or independents and which. Or tell me of changing weather events on any part of the route, like this route is going to have snow, choose another?

Yes that needs something like the ancillary features of google maps and an internet connection. A phone/tablet is nice for that when out walking but you can do that on a wifi connected laptop as well.

But the beauty is that it doesn't weight a ton. You can actually carry even a big tablet around while you walk. Not a laptop (and mine doesn't have gps).

These phones have been designed for this, it is their niche market. Applications on the move. A laptop is designed for "work". Different niche.

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Record my route with speed, height, location, email it to me. Automatically tell somebody of my location or ETA. Gosh, they could do wonders, and they do naught.

You don't need the internet for that. There are many routefinder apps and perhaps some can tie into the phone's SMS.

Yes, on phones and tablets, yes. My comment above was about the TomTom hardware gadget (the one I know and use). It is completely closed, no ecosystem.

-- Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R. (from 13.1 x86_64 "Bottle" at Telcontar)

For a Linux based tablet have a look at Active Plasma project (currently based on Mer distro). openSUSE had at some point a port of AP, not sure if this project has been continued or not. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org