The other day I got in an unexpected discussion with my 14-year old nephew about iPad minis. Like most 14-year old boys, he is an expert on all things electronic. He informed me that when he heads to high school next year, they will each be given an iPad by the school. He then mentioned he was glad it was not an iPad mini because he finds them to be worthless devices with no purpose for existence. He feels the mini is the wrong size for anything meaningful. Too small to replace a laptop. Too big to carry around. And definitely the wrong size to play games on.
I own an iPad and iPhone. I haven’t even held the mini let alone considered purchasing one. However, I have been drooling over the Galaxy Note to replace my iPhone for many months (so long in fact that the Note I wanted has become the Note II). Bottom line, I want a bigger phone. From Twitter to PocketBible, I like the bigger screen size of my iPad yet I don’t want to lug it around everywhere. So the solution in my mind has been to get a bigger phone like the Note.
Today I came across this article on ZDNET by Matt Baxter-Reynolds, “Has Apple redefined the tablet as an 8-inch device?” where he explains how he fell in love with the iPad mini and ditched his iPad. He makes a case for this middle size device becoming the new norm with the popularity of devices like the iPad mini, Google’s Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire. He’s got me thinking about getting a mini to replace everything!
What do you think? Could you live with one device for everything? What is your ideal mobile device size?
Tags: iOS, Kindle, PocketBible
Bruce, and that is not easy to do!
Michelle
The right size for me is one that is as big as possible but able to fit in my pants pocket. I use it all the time and need to have it readily available when I need it.
My life revolves around my Galaxy Note. I find it fits into every shirt pocket even with the “casemate” covers on. I listen to my downloaded sermons when Im walking,gardening, driving etc. I read at night,with the black screen on, and its a handy size to hold. I enjoy getting out Geocaching and it has all my offline compasses,GPS and Geo sites. I have a car window support and use my note for my trip navigator. With the 8 mp camera and video I can get great pics; I have all my verses to learn on the main page under “Remember Me”App,I have chess on it to keep my 70year old brain active.I enjoy painting and sketching and having some great artist apps the stylus is always by there for quick drawings.I also play guitar and again the Note comes into its own with Unusual chords I need plus tuning programs etc. I brought the note out at christmas time and played the fullsized strings with chords app. My wife finds hers a handy size for her purse or bag and has all her contacts, email etc. BUT HEY THATS NOT ALL! It’s even my phone as well. I have measured my Note against the Note 2 and found the new 2 is 4mm smaller in width but Samsung are about to launch Note 3 with a 6″ screen plus an 8″. We both have 10″ Notes as well for using at home with larger stuff. We do all our devotions/study on both. If the phone was any bigger I know I would tend to leave it at home hence the ideal size of the smaller Note. I would Go Note 2. And NO I don’t belong to Samsung.
As an ex Palm user, the Samsung Galaxy Note has got to be the best nowdays. 5.3 inch High Res screen and all the bells and whistles
. The new tablets are a bit bulky, to me at least, and why oh why do people use them as cameras???
Michelle I found this most interesting in that a Note 2 replaces a desktop PC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nh2NSLgaII
Regards. John
John, that is amazing. Thanks for sharing – it would never have even occurred to me to try such a thing.
Michelle
Personally, I have an SGS3 and an ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity. They each have their uses. I don’t think I’ll ever have a smaller phone again.
As others on here have said, what I’d really like is one device for everything. So something along the lines of an ASUS Padfone 2 running Ubuntu for Android.
Trebor
I like my nexus 7 because it fits in my coat pocket – very helpful for taking to church.
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John and Michelle,
Many current Android Phones and Tablets can mirror what’s on screen to an external display (look for MicroHDMI port or MHL which uses a MicroUSB port for display) and any or nearly any can also use a standard USB or bluetooth keyboard or mouse. You’ll need an adapter for a full size USB port of course but the software supports all of that.
One warning about the MHL…they’re not quite all the same. The Galaxy S3 uses a different MHL cable than all the others. I think the Note 2 also requires this cable. MicroHDMI cables cost less then MHL and are all the same. Both HDMI and MHL are nice because they pass both the audio and video over one cable.
The Note 2 does have the advantage of offering the split screen mode. The Galaxy S3 can do this too or it will very soon. Unfortunately the split screen funtion only works with a handful (I think it’s 5 or 7 or something like that) of Samsung approved/supported apps.
I have the iPad mini and love it. For me it is the perfect size. Never bought an iPad because I thought it was too big and not portable enough. Prior to the iPad mini coming out I had considered a 7 inch Android tablet but I never went in that direction primarily because of Pocket Bible. For me pocket Bible is a must have app. I have it on my iPhone and also the Windows PC version. Since the Android version is still in Alpha development and doesn’t seem to be progressing real fast, I hesitate doing anything with Android if it means limiting my PocketBible functionality. IPad mini was the answer and I have zero regrets – I just wish it cost $100 less.
After much thought, I went from the first iPad to iPad mini because it fits in my purse. Putting a font sizer in my bookmarks bar solves any size issues I’ve encountered. My hands are free and I am using it even more than before. Works for me – maybe not a teenage boy. Pocket Bible works well on it.
To those who are waiting (like Craig) to update to a mid sized device my advice is wait for the Galaxy Note 8 which should be out soon, it sounds like a game changer. I use the HTC EVO3D and the PocketBible works wonderfully on-the-go, the 4.3 inch screen is small compared to the iPad’s 9.7 inch screen but it fits in my pocket so that’s the compromise. When I’m going to do more serious length sessions at church I switch to the iPad as the screen is much higher resolution which is easier on the eyes. When I’m home, my laptop feeds my 50″ TV and I access it with a wireless keyboard/mouse. The key is to use the right tool for the job. I disagree with the one tool for all jobs approach, it doesn’t work anywhere else in life and in computers it’s even more so.
And to those who have not installed a ‘Voice’ (it’s a text-to-speech add-on for the PocketBible on the iOS platform.) in the PocketBible, I highly recommend it, here’s why: Ask any professor about retention. He’ll tell you we only remember ~10% of what we hear or read but when we do both simultaneously that number jumps way up according to several studies and according to a study done in 1956, reading and hearing simultaneously the material was more effective than either reading the material through once or hearing the material, but not significantly different from the results of studying the material. This is not to say you should not study because retention is similar to that of just reading and hearing simultaneously, just to say that the retention is similar. Study serves understanding and is an interactive process with the guidance of the Holy Spirit while reading/hearing for retention feeds the Word into our memory for the Holy Spirit to recall and apply to our daily walk. Both are necessary. Another study shows that the speed we read is extremely important and that’s where the PocketBible really helps. First it eliminates distractions that can slow down reading speed and secondly it improves retention when you read at a quicker pace. With training you can increase your reading speed to 1000 wpm. (I used the QuickReader app by Inksoft.) For more insight on those studies I suggest you Google it.
I am currently contemplating getting an ipad mini. I find that a regular sized ipad is too large / heavy for the duration of a service, and we are rather cramped in our small church. I have looked at the various 7″ Android devices, but I think that their widescreen format is too narrow for utilising the multiple window feature that I like in Pocket Bible. It is also very light and yet feels strong. Trouble is the price …