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F.O.A.D. June 27th 13 09:19 PM

Gadget Disappointment
 
On 6/27/13 4:12 PM, JustWaitAFrekinMinute wrote:
On 6/27/2013 3:49 PM, John H wrote:
On Thu, 27 Jun 2013 14:47:38 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:



"F.O.A.D." wrote in message
m...


In retrospect, I view the iPad as an iPhone in a larger form factor. I
keep track of appointments, addresses, phone numbers and more on my
iPhone, and it works well when I want to dictate a short note.

---------------------------------------

I've had an iPad for a couple of years but never got around to even
learning how or even what to use it for other than using it
occasionally for Pandora. Mrs.E. uses hers constantly for all kinds
of things including some video conferencing application that allows
her to see and talk to the grandkids in South Carolina and playing
Scrabble with about 5 people at the same time.

I finally decided to see how I might be able to use it and decided to
put backing tracks of music on it, plug it into a Fishman SoloAmp I
have at the house and play along with the songs on a guitar. Great
learning tool. I had some music files on it from when I originally
got the iPad and it worked great. All was fine until I plugged it into
my PC to transfer some new songs. iTunes opened, but said I had to
upgrade to iTunes 11. Ok. I did. It also upgraded the software in
the iPad that was connected to the PC. After that, nothing worked.
The iPad no longer appeared as a "device" in the PC file structure as
it had previously. Before the upgrade I would simply drag the music
file I wanted to transfer to the iPad listed device.

I must have spent 2 hours trying to figure out what happened. Tried
uninstalling iTunes and re-installing. Still no iPad device listed
anymore.
Gave up.

The next day I tried again. iTunes would open on the PC and I could
see the files I wanted to transfer, but there was no apparent way to
do it.
I googled up iTunes help and followed the instructions. They still
said to simply drag the file to the iPad device listed in the left
column on the PC, but there was no longer a iPad device listed.

I finally figured it out by accident. Beside the music file was a
little arrow that looked just like the "Play" icon found on various
media players.
Clicked on it and a window opened with a bunch of options one of which
was "send to". Clicked on it and one of the destinations was to the
iPad.
That worked, but it bugged me as to why no mention of this was in the
current instructions. So, I went back to read them again, thinking I
must have missed it. I didn't. They aren't there.

I've heard complaints from others that Apple is getting to be a pain
in the ass with all the regular updates and upgrades of their
software. It used to be Windows that had that reputation.

iTunes is the biggest PITA ever developed. I let my wife talk me into
putting it on my machine. Wish
I'd never done it.

John (Gun Nut) H.


My simple MP3 player is much more versatile for the dollar....



It's sort of hard for something to be more versatile for the dollar than
iTunes, which Apple gives away at no cost.

Perhaps you are comparing your MP3 player to an Apple hardware device,
such as an iPhone or iPad. In that case, you'd be wrong.



Hank©[_3_] June 27th 13 09:34 PM

Gadget Disappointment
 
On 6/27/2013 10:24 AM, F.O.A.D. wrote:

Some of you may recall I got an iPad III about a year ago, after selling
my Mac laptop to a friend. I figured the iPad would be a decent
replacement for the laptop I only used on occasion for work-related
purposes while traveling.

I did like the iPad, and thought it was more than sufficient for
informal web browsing and to write or answer emails, and for
entertainment, too, but the few times I needed a “computer” handy while
traveling to write or edit a text for work, I found it a colossal pain
in the ass for two main reasons:

1. the “file” system on these tablets is counterintuitive and you can’t
simply store or retrieve files from folders the way you do on a “real”
computer. I recall this was true on Android OS systems, too. It’s a real
hassle for someone like me who has dozens of text files he is juggling
at one time, and for several clients, too. Storing working files in “the
cloud” has little appeal for me.

2. though I had a nice ZAGG external keyboard and cover for the device,
there was no way to use a mouse and therefore cutting, pasting,
clipping, saving, inserting, deleting - the whole catastrophe involved
in serious writing and editing - wasn’t working for me. Too much
“touchy, feely touchscreening” for my taste and patience.

Another aspect of the device that annoyed me was that you really
couldn’t see much of its screen out in daylight. This is pretty much
true of all these portable devices. I’m not sure why it is, because even
relatively inexpensive screen devices for boats - GPSs, fish finders, et
cetera - are pretty much easily readable in sunlight.

After careful consideration, I put the iPad up for sale on an affinity
discussion board for a reasonable price and it was “gone” the same day.

So, now, I’m moving back to a “regular” laptop computer. One with a file
system I can use and a pointing device that works the way I want it to
work.

I’ll have to find myself a Luddite tee-shirt. :)


Trust me. You won't need the tee shirt to be recognized.

iBoaterer[_3_] June 27th 13 09:37 PM

Gadget Disappointment
 
In article ,
says...

On 6/27/13 1:54 PM, iBoaterer wrote:
In article ,
says...

On 6/27/13 10:51 AM, iBoaterer wrote:
In article ,
says...

Some of you may recall I got an iPad III about a year ago, after selling
my Mac laptop to a friend. I figured the iPad would be a decent
replacement for the laptop I only used on occasion for work-related
purposes while traveling.

I did like the iPad, and thought it was more than sufficient for
informal web browsing and to write or answer emails, and for
entertainment, too, but the few times I needed a ?computer? handy while
traveling to write or edit a text for work, I found it a colossal pain
in the ass for two main reasons:

1. the ?file? system on these tablets is counterintuitive and you can?t
simply store or retrieve files from folders the way you do on a ?real?
computer. I recall this was true on Android OS systems, too. It?s a real
hassle for someone like me who has dozens of text files he is juggling
at one time, and for several clients, too. Storing working files in ?the
cloud? has little appeal for me.

It is true (somewhat) on an Android tablet as well, that is true. BUT,
there is a very easy workaround for it, you can make your own folders
similar to a windows folder.

2. though I had a nice ZAGG external keyboard and cover for the device,
there was no way to use a mouse and therefore cutting, pasting,
clipping, saving, inserting, deleting - the whole catastrophe involved
in serious writing and editing - wasn?t working for me. Too much
?touchy, feely touchscreening? for my taste and patience.

Hmm, you can use ANY Bluetooth mouse with my Android tablet, as well as
any Bluetooth keyboard. There are also keyboards onto witch you dock the
Android tablet.

Another aspect of the device that annoyed me was that you really
couldn?t see much of its screen out in daylight. This is pretty much
true of all these portable devices. I?m not sure why it is, because even
relatively inexpensive screen devices for boats - GPSs, fish finders, et
cetera - are pretty much easily readable in sunlight.

Well, same with a tablet. But, I am with you, while I LOVE my tablet and
take it everywhere because it's much nicer to have a bigger screen than
my Android phone, it doesn't come close to taking the place of ANY
computer.

Mine is a 7" Samsung, and what I really like about it, is it's small
enough to hold in one hand, and I use a stylus with it. Much bigger
screen than my phone, but if I were to use a 10" one, I'd just have a
laptop!



Yeah, I used a bluetooth docking keyboard with my iPad. But there was no
facility to use a mouse the way you might with a laptop or desktop. That
really annoyed me. The screen size was fine...it had what Apple calls a
"retina" display, and it was sharp as a tack, even to my old eyes.

In any event, the iPad is with its new owner, and I'm getting a new,
very lightweight laptop from Apple, direct from the PRC and perhaps with
chopsticks.


I can go two ways with the keyboard, either a dock, where when you press
it into the holder it actually uses the port, OR Bluetooth. And I can
use a Bluetooth mouse as well, but it just doesn't operate like a
windows computer, and that is a negative for me. But, as a device I love
it, I use it for all of my appointment calender stuff, address and phone
book, etc.


Yeah, I've used the iPad I had with a bluetooth keyboard. There wasn't a
capability I knew of to plug a keyboard directly into a device port. But
I had no problems with the bluetooth keyboards I used.

There was a "jailbreak" program that allowed very limited use of a mouse
on an iPad, but not enough use to interest me. I'm not familiar with
what might be possible on an Android device with a mouse.

In retrospect, I view the iPad as an iPhone in a larger form factor. I
keep track of appointments, addresses, phone numbers and more on my
iPhone, and it works well when I want to dictate a short note.


Yes, I agree. My android worked well as a GPS too!

iBoaterer[_3_] June 27th 13 09:38 PM

Gadget Disappointment
 
In article ,
says...

On 6/27/2013 3:49 PM, John H wrote:
On Thu, 27 Jun 2013 14:47:38 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:



"F.O.A.D." wrote in message
m...


In retrospect, I view the iPad as an iPhone in a larger form factor. I
keep track of appointments, addresses, phone numbers and more on my
iPhone, and it works well when I want to dictate a short note.

---------------------------------------

I've had an iPad for a couple of years but never got around to even
learning how or even what to use it for other than using it
occasionally for Pandora. Mrs.E. uses hers constantly for all kinds
of things including some video conferencing application that allows
her to see and talk to the grandkids in South Carolina and playing
Scrabble with about 5 people at the same time.

I finally decided to see how I might be able to use it and decided to
put backing tracks of music on it, plug it into a Fishman SoloAmp I
have at the house and play along with the songs on a guitar. Great
learning tool. I had some music files on it from when I originally
got the iPad and it worked great. All was fine until I plugged it into
my PC to transfer some new songs. iTunes opened, but said I had to
upgrade to iTunes 11. Ok. I did. It also upgraded the software in
the iPad that was connected to the PC. After that, nothing worked.
The iPad no longer appeared as a "device" in the PC file structure as
it had previously. Before the upgrade I would simply drag the music
file I wanted to transfer to the iPad listed device.

I must have spent 2 hours trying to figure out what happened. Tried
uninstalling iTunes and re-installing. Still no iPad device listed
anymore.
Gave up.

The next day I tried again. iTunes would open on the PC and I could
see the files I wanted to transfer, but there was no apparent way to
do it.
I googled up iTunes help and followed the instructions. They still
said to simply drag the file to the iPad device listed in the left
column on the PC, but there was no longer a iPad device listed.

I finally figured it out by accident. Beside the music file was a
little arrow that looked just like the "Play" icon found on various
media players.
Clicked on it and a window opened with a bunch of options one of which
was "send to". Clicked on it and one of the destinations was to the
iPad.
That worked, but it bugged me as to why no mention of this was in the
current instructions. So, I went back to read them again, thinking I
must have missed it. I didn't. They aren't there.

I've heard complaints from others that Apple is getting to be a pain
in the ass with all the regular updates and upgrades of their
software. It used to be Windows that had that reputation.

iTunes is the biggest PITA ever developed. I let my wife talk me into putting it on my machine. Wish
I'd never done it.

John (Gun Nut) H.


My simple MP3 player is much more versatile for the dollar....


Your MP3 player is more versatile than a computer HOW?

F.O.A.D. June 27th 13 09:40 PM

Gadget Disappointment
 
On 6/27/13 4:38 PM, iBoaterer wrote:
In article ,
says...

On 6/27/2013 3:49 PM, John H wrote:
On Thu, 27 Jun 2013 14:47:38 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:



"F.O.A.D." wrote in message
m...


In retrospect, I view the iPad as an iPhone in a larger form factor. I
keep track of appointments, addresses, phone numbers and more on my
iPhone, and it works well when I want to dictate a short note.

---------------------------------------

I've had an iPad for a couple of years but never got around to even
learning how or even what to use it for other than using it
occasionally for Pandora. Mrs.E. uses hers constantly for all kinds
of things including some video conferencing application that allows
her to see and talk to the grandkids in South Carolina and playing
Scrabble with about 5 people at the same time.

I finally decided to see how I might be able to use it and decided to
put backing tracks of music on it, plug it into a Fishman SoloAmp I
have at the house and play along with the songs on a guitar. Great
learning tool. I had some music files on it from when I originally
got the iPad and it worked great. All was fine until I plugged it into
my PC to transfer some new songs. iTunes opened, but said I had to
upgrade to iTunes 11. Ok. I did. It also upgraded the software in
the iPad that was connected to the PC. After that, nothing worked.
The iPad no longer appeared as a "device" in the PC file structure as
it had previously. Before the upgrade I would simply drag the music
file I wanted to transfer to the iPad listed device.

I must have spent 2 hours trying to figure out what happened. Tried
uninstalling iTunes and re-installing. Still no iPad device listed
anymore.
Gave up.

The next day I tried again. iTunes would open on the PC and I could
see the files I wanted to transfer, but there was no apparent way to
do it.
I googled up iTunes help and followed the instructions. They still
said to simply drag the file to the iPad device listed in the left
column on the PC, but there was no longer a iPad device listed.

I finally figured it out by accident. Beside the music file was a
little arrow that looked just like the "Play" icon found on various
media players.
Clicked on it and a window opened with a bunch of options one of which
was "send to". Clicked on it and one of the destinations was to the
iPad.
That worked, but it bugged me as to why no mention of this was in the
current instructions. So, I went back to read them again, thinking I
must have missed it. I didn't. They aren't there.

I've heard complaints from others that Apple is getting to be a pain
in the ass with all the regular updates and upgrades of their
software. It used to be Windows that had that reputation.

iTunes is the biggest PITA ever developed. I let my wife talk me into putting it on my machine. Wish
I'd never done it.

John (Gun Nut) H.


My simple MP3 player is much more versatile for the dollar....


Your MP3 player is more versatile than a computer HOW?



He can figure out how to play music on the MP3 player. The computer is
much more complex.


F.O.A.D. June 27th 13 09:44 PM

Gadget Disappointment
 
On 6/27/13 4:37 PM, iBoaterer wrote:
In article ,
says...

On 6/27/13 1:54 PM, iBoaterer wrote:
In article ,
says...

On 6/27/13 10:51 AM, iBoaterer wrote:
In article ,
says...

Some of you may recall I got an iPad III about a year ago, after selling
my Mac laptop to a friend. I figured the iPad would be a decent
replacement for the laptop I only used on occasion for work-related
purposes while traveling.

I did like the iPad, and thought it was more than sufficient for
informal web browsing and to write or answer emails, and for
entertainment, too, but the few times I needed a ?computer? handy while
traveling to write or edit a text for work, I found it a colossal pain
in the ass for two main reasons:

1. the ?file? system on these tablets is counterintuitive and you can?t
simply store or retrieve files from folders the way you do on a ?real?
computer. I recall this was true on Android OS systems, too. It?s a real
hassle for someone like me who has dozens of text files he is juggling
at one time, and for several clients, too. Storing working files in ?the
cloud? has little appeal for me.

It is true (somewhat) on an Android tablet as well, that is true. BUT,
there is a very easy workaround for it, you can make your own folders
similar to a windows folder.

2. though I had a nice ZAGG external keyboard and cover for the device,
there was no way to use a mouse and therefore cutting, pasting,
clipping, saving, inserting, deleting - the whole catastrophe involved
in serious writing and editing - wasn?t working for me. Too much
?touchy, feely touchscreening? for my taste and patience.

Hmm, you can use ANY Bluetooth mouse with my Android tablet, as well as
any Bluetooth keyboard. There are also keyboards onto witch you dock the
Android tablet.

Another aspect of the device that annoyed me was that you really
couldn?t see much of its screen out in daylight. This is pretty much
true of all these portable devices. I?m not sure why it is, because even
relatively inexpensive screen devices for boats - GPSs, fish finders, et
cetera - are pretty much easily readable in sunlight.

Well, same with a tablet. But, I am with you, while I LOVE my tablet and
take it everywhere because it's much nicer to have a bigger screen than
my Android phone, it doesn't come close to taking the place of ANY
computer.

Mine is a 7" Samsung, and what I really like about it, is it's small
enough to hold in one hand, and I use a stylus with it. Much bigger
screen than my phone, but if I were to use a 10" one, I'd just have a
laptop!



Yeah, I used a bluetooth docking keyboard with my iPad. But there was no
facility to use a mouse the way you might with a laptop or desktop. That
really annoyed me. The screen size was fine...it had what Apple calls a
"retina" display, and it was sharp as a tack, even to my old eyes.

In any event, the iPad is with its new owner, and I'm getting a new,
very lightweight laptop from Apple, direct from the PRC and perhaps with
chopsticks.

I can go two ways with the keyboard, either a dock, where when you press
it into the holder it actually uses the port, OR Bluetooth. And I can
use a Bluetooth mouse as well, but it just doesn't operate like a
windows computer, and that is a negative for me. But, as a device I love
it, I use it for all of my appointment calender stuff, address and phone
book, etc.


Yeah, I've used the iPad I had with a bluetooth keyboard. There wasn't a
capability I knew of to plug a keyboard directly into a device port. But
I had no problems with the bluetooth keyboards I used.

There was a "jailbreak" program that allowed very limited use of a mouse
on an iPad, but not enough use to interest me. I'm not familiar with
what might be possible on an Android device with a mouse.

In retrospect, I view the iPad as an iPhone in a larger form factor. I
keep track of appointments, addresses, phone numbers and more on my
iPhone, and it works well when I want to dictate a short note.


Yes, I agree. My android worked well as a GPS too!



The new laptop has all solid state storage, an SSD. No spinning drive.
That'll be something new for me in an actual laptop or desktop computer
but of course precisely what is in a smart phone and most tablets.

Supposedly faster than a hard drive, easier on the battery, et cetera.
But not upgradeable, the way a hard drive is.

Eisboch[_8_] June 27th 13 10:10 PM

Gadget Disappointment
 


"F.O.A.D." wrote in message
m...

On 6/27/13 2:47 PM, Eisboch wrote:


I've heard complaints from others that Apple is getting to be a pain
in
the ass with all the regular updates and upgrades of their software.
It used to be Windows that had that reputation.



Apple does update its mainline OS every year or so, but not frequent
enough to be annoying, and usually the upgrades are minor and
incremental.

The IO used on the phones and iPads seems to get a major update about
every eight months. The updates can be installed easily.

------------------------------------------

I guess I am referring more to iTunes. It seems to be either
updating or trying to get me to buy something constantly.



Eisboch[_8_] June 27th 13 10:13 PM

Gadget Disappointment
 


"F.O.A.D." wrote in message ...



The new laptop has all solid state storage, an SSD. No spinning drive.
That'll be something new for me in an actual laptop or desktop
computer
but of course precisely what is in a smart phone and most tablets.

Supposedly faster than a hard drive, easier on the battery, et cetera.
But not upgradeable, the way a hard drive is.

-----------------------------------------

What kind of storage capacity do they offer? I think getting away
from spinning hard drives is a great idea.


F.O.A.D. June 27th 13 10:22 PM

Gadget Disappointment
 
On 6/27/13 5:10 PM, Eisboch wrote:


"F.O.A.D." wrote in message
m...

On 6/27/13 2:47 PM, Eisboch wrote:


I've heard complaints from others that Apple is getting to be a pain in
the ass with all the regular updates and upgrades of their software.
It used to be Windows that had that reputation.



Apple does update its mainline OS every year or so, but not frequent
enough to be annoying, and usually the upgrades are minor and incremental.

The IO used on the phones and iPads seems to get a major update about
every eight months. The updates can be installed easily.

------------------------------------------

I guess I am referring more to iTunes. It seems to be either updating
or trying to get me to buy something constantly.



Indeed, iTunes does get updated more often. Apple uses the program for
many purposes, including managing the music on various devices, selling
music and videos, selling software, as the front end for software buying
for its phones and tablets and increasingly as the way to distribute
software for its desktop and laptop machines. Everytime there is a new
or updated function, the suite gets an update.

F.O.A.D. June 27th 13 10:25 PM

Gadget Disappointment
 
On 6/27/13 5:13 PM, Eisboch wrote:


"F.O.A.D." wrote in message ...



The new laptop has all solid state storage, an SSD. No spinning drive.
That'll be something new for me in an actual laptop or desktop computer
but of course precisely what is in a smart phone and most tablets.

Supposedly faster than a hard drive, easier on the battery, et cetera.
But not upgradeable, the way a hard drive is.

-----------------------------------------

What kind of storage capacity do they offer? I think getting away from
spinning hard drives is a great idea.



The current laptops now offer storage SSDs from 128 GBs to 768 GBs, and
you get get hybrid drives on the desktops that combine spinning drives
and SSDs.


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