Re: [PLUG] Linux friendly tablet?

[Rich Freeman <r-plug@thefreemanclan.net>]

On Fri, Jul 6, 2012 at 1:16 AM, JP Vossen <jp@jpsdomain.org> wrote:
> So what is a good, inexpensive Linux friendly tablet?  Use cases as follows:
>

Well, the Nexus 7 is just coming out at $199, so it obviously makes
sense to take a look at that.  The Kindle Fire is also popular but is
less of a traditional Android experience.  I know somebody who is
happy with a Galaxy Tab, and while I was about to caution you about it
maybe never getting ICS as promised it just started going out today
(gee, only took them almost a year).

If Android updates matter at all to you the Nexus line is probably
your best bet - Google tends to support them for a whopping 18 months
after the first lucky soul manages to obtain one, and the open source
community might support it longer if the key devs didn't buy new
phones every three weeks with their donations.  (Hey, do I sound
bitter?)

As for me...  Well, when the N7 was announced I REALLY wanted to want
one.  However, every time I think about it I just can't figure out
what I'd do with the thing.  I don't watch that much TV, and I'm never
stuck away from a computer for hours on end.  I'm not all that much of
a content consumer - I tend to interact quite a bit.  When I game it
is either complex RPGs that rarely get much tablet support, or things
like flight simulators that need 4-axis joysticks and 25 buttons/keys
to be useful, and the 3000 on-screen controls are hard enough to hit
with a mouse let alone a finger.  Half the time I'm pausing and
switching to IRC/web or tweaking source code.  And, I've already got a
Chromebook that boots in 8 seconds.

That said, I think tablets have their use cases.  A friend of mine
really likes his 10" Galaxy Tab for when he is in dialysis (picture
yourself in a hospital confined to a chair for 3 hours twice a week,
with stuff stuck in your arms).  If I were on a train for two hours a
day I'd probably own one.  I just don't see the point in sitting on my
couch watching TV when I could just turn on the TV.

Rich
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