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Large Tablet for reading comics - Surface Pro?

Started by Colin YNWA, 29 June, 2020, 10:00:58 AM

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IndigoPrime

Entertainingly, Apple's now getting crap and ire from advertising companies because as of the next run of operating systems it's blocking all that shit by default. (Google Analytics apparently gets a bye, however.)

Colin YNWA

Well that targeted advertising finally paid off and some adverts that keep cropping up for a Samsung S7 ... well I didn't realise it was a new 12.4" Samsung tablet, now I've followed a link on an ad. I'm in hog heaven. And will no doubt have hundred's of things telling me about them whether I'm online now!

Okay it will be pricely at £799 (for the one I'd get) and an eye watering £179 for a keyboard (cheaper off brand versions already available) and early reviews seem to be singing its praises.

I'm over half way to saving up as well and since its not out until later this year (from what I hear not confirmed yet) looks like I might have my new baby... though I'll whisper that as I've just got to cox this ol' thing through the next few months. Still crashes every now and then but its holding on and recovers immediately.

I got kinda lucky with this one!

DrJomster

I'm reading on a normal sized ipad. The iPad Pro would have been lovely but also quite pricey. What I do is view in landscape, but zoom into a one page width. Have to scroll down the page but that's not a problem tbh. Works very nicely!
The hippo has wisdom, respect the hippo.

IndigoPrime

Honestly, I'd be quite reluctant to spend 800 quid on an Android tablet, given the dreadful app ecosystem, but if it's the one that floats your boat, Colin, I hope you enjoy using it.

Assuming you're talking about this model, do be aware of the aspect ratio (16:10 vs the squarer one on the iPad), smaller battery, and, again, Android being sub-optimal on a tablet form factor. You might want to find stores that stock these things so you can see them in the flesh before parting with your cash.

broodblik

I am reading my comics on an iPad Pro and it is great but the device is very expensive. 
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

Colin YNWA

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 06 September, 2020, 10:50:59 AM
Honestly, I'd be quite reluctant to spend 800 quid on an Android tablet, given the dreadful app ecosystem, but if it's the one that floats your boat, Colin, I hope you enjoy using it.

Assuming you're talking about this model, do be aware of the aspect ratio (16:10 vs the squarer one on the iPad), smaller battery, and, again, Android being sub-optimal on a tablet form factor. You might want to find stores that stock these things so you can see them in the flesh before parting with your cash.

I know you know more about these things than I ever will, so I'm defo listening to you, but I've never had a problem with the apps on Android, always seem to get what I need fine. The exception, ironically given what I use my device for half the time, is I've always made do with the comics reading apps and haven't found one I love. I know you recommend 'Chunky' on iOS and I wish I had a app I could recommend with the same commitment! Well I'd basically love to try Chunky on Android, but been waiting an age. But even so the one I use is fine, just doesn't sparkle or make me sing.

The aspect ratio on the Samsung is actually nearer to what I want - I will indeed go and look in a shop before buying to see the weight and feel, but suspect it will be better than my loved current device. I looked at an iPad pro in John Lewis based on your recommendation and its 'squarer' ratio would be lovely for reading the Meg I suspect, but most of the comics I read are US format and the screen I have currently is neigh perfect for those and the model I've seen (indeed the one you link to) has the same ratio as my current device just a smidge bigger. So fingers crossed that works for me.

The one thing I wait for, before commiting, is some more reviews. The ones I've read and watched are all glowing - which I suspect (and I wonder do you have inside insight on this?) / wonder whether they are 'friends' of Samsung sent free stuff ahead of time to say nice things before launch? One did seem to do a pretty decent comparison with the iPad and the Samsung came out top on the things that matter to me though.

Its a lot of money to spend on a device I agree, but I've got so much use and time out of my current device - though I strongly suspect using it to only 50% of its potential! That its money well spent. I barely touch our home laptop anymore, except when using spreadsheets and irritating my comic cataloguing service which doesn't work well on my tablet, bloody infuriating that. The cost is something I'm prepared to absorb for the screen real estate that I love for my digital comic reading...

...and yes I've typed all that by way rehearsing justifying in my mind shelling out best part of a grand on a tablet just to read bloody comics!

IndigoPrime

If your needs are fairly typical, Android is fine—on a phone. On a tablet, most of the apps look like blown-up phone apps. On iPad, that sometimes happens, but it's rare. Developers actually make an effort. As for Chunky, that'll never come to Android. There are reasonably good alternatives for Android (ComiCat was what I used to recommend, but I note it's not been updated in three years; Astonishing and CDisplayEx get a lot of love and are... fine), but none I like to the same extent. (The app I really hoped would happen was the Chunky follow-up, designed to pull libraries from remote storage. Seemed ideal for me; but development appears to have stalled.)

Aspect-wise, comics fill the iPad display in landscape/DPS, but in portrait will find black borders left and right—although that never bugs me because that's where my thumbs sit. For wider usage, I prefer the squarer format, though. I find it more useful for work-related tasks (writing; spreadsheets) and creativity (painting; music creation)—and Apple's ecosystem has the apps for that. (Android has some apps, but they are fewer in number and generally not as good.)

Reviews won't be biased in the manner you're concerned about. No reputable website will be nudged by Samsung to any degree. The only issue with Samsung is that, in my experience, the loan periods are annoyingly brief. So there's always a kind of shorthand in reviews. (You get a week, mostly, with their hardware.) The unit does compare favourably to iPad in some ways, and if in areas that matter to you, go for it. Just tread a bit carefully.

Colin YNWA

Is this love
That I'm feelin'
Is this the love
That I been searchin for...


Wondered in John Lewis in town yesterday looking for bits and bats. Popped up to the IT Floor to look at a couple of phones as my contract is up and I'm NOT going to do the getting my phone with my contract thing again and then... our eyes meet across the shop floor.

We're pulled to each other.

I had no way of knowing it would be there. Didn't think they were in town yet, not for a while at least. But they were there. Waiting for me. Calling to me. All lovely and beautiful and perfect.

They had the Samsung S7 plus and it was love at first sight.

Only complication is the desire to buy a phone not on contract has kicked the savings a little, but I'm happy to have a budget(ish whose idea of Budget is £200-300!) phone anyways and them I'll save the gap you will be mine baby. You will be mine....

Colin YNWA

I've been living in the past. Dragging myself through the stone age, reading comics smeared in dung onto moss cover rocks.

But now... now... now I'm viewing, no embracing my digital comics through a kaleidoscope of digital beauty, thrown into eye cuddling wonder via a brain pump that smashes the glory of every pen stroke directly into my optic mind nodes...

... I got my new tablet in a bundle off that meant I could get it this month and by wife said the kids could well use my old device now my daughter is in secondary school and needs something half decent to work on... all the excuse I needed! It landed today.

Keyboard doesn't feel quite as robust and sturdy as the one I had on my last device, when typing on my knee but otherwise this device is giving me nerd wees every few minutes and I've not even tried the sound yet.