As a Mac user, I've got to say that the one thing I regret about switching to Android is that my iPhone just synched photos, contacts, calendars, etc automatically when I plugged it in... Android doesn't just "work" when plugged in. Does Windows Phone?
Plugged in? I haven't "plugged" my phone into a computer in over a year.
My contacts and calendars sync live all the time with my data plan to Google. If I update my calendar on ANY computer, the phone is almost immediately up to date.
Pictures are the same. Every picture I take is immediately (or, if I have no data access, immediately upon getting a data link again) uploaded to Google, available in Picasa and G+ pretty much immediately.
Podcasts sync/download over the air. So do my ebooks. Email is effectively push, but also historical sync.
There is literally no reason to ever plug my phone into a computer. I think that's a MUCH better model than wire syncing anything.
OK. As a programmer/analyst/developer/title-of-the-day, and an amateur writer, I can't imagine being without at the very least a laptop with a full keyboard. I work all day on a desktop computer with two 22" widescreens and I wouldn't want it any other way.
At home, I admit, I barely use my desktop anymore unless I'm editing photos or video, which is still fairly often.
Rym I agree with most of what you said but I much prefer my photos in iPhoto, backed up on Time Machine and my handheld, than on Picasa. Call me old fashioned I guess. :-)
I'm not a fan of the idea of paying Google for the privilege of storing my HUGE photo collection, firstly, and secondly I shudder to think about any mad dash to download all my photos if/when the service is discontinued, with my family keepsakes as the stakes.
Desktops becoming a niche device is kind of likely, but I think that there will probably be need for the "home computer" in the sense of some kind of NAS/HTPC/Router/TiVo/Console that serves some purpose within the home. Then you just set up your tablet/monitor/television as a display, use some sort of wireless peripherals and can do whatever you need to do. You could put all of that on "the cloud" but between the extra bandwidth involved and various other concerns, it just seems like a local device would have some advantages.
I'm not a fan of the idea of paying Google for the privilege of storing my HUGE photo collection, firstly, and secondly I shudder to think about any mad dash to download all my photos if/when the service is discontinued, with my family keepsakes as the stakes.
No photo I take with my phone is "important." Phones have shit cameras.
Also, I do download those photos into Lightroom for actual dissemination later into Flickr and my NAS as appropriate. But there's no reason to plug my phone in to do that: it would take just as much time.
It doesn't cost money for Google to host the things uploaded like this from phones. These photos don't count against my free limit.
Real photos from real cameras I dump to the filesystem from memory cards or directly from cameras, automated through Lightroom. We're just talking about crappy cellphone cameras.
Not being a professional photographer, I've got to tell you, most of the photos I take with my phone are pretty frigging important. The 8MP camera on my Galaxy Note takes point-and-shoot photos that are better than my Kodak Z650. Not everybody can afford a DSLR. :-)
My Note automates the task of taking HDR photos, with fine-tune settings I almost never use, and it does an incredible job. It also has a quick-shutter app that lets me catch my camera-shy two year old with autism in a smile once in awhile. What's not to like?
Uploads to Picasa from phones don't count against your storage limit? Why, do they reduce the resolution like facebook does..?
I use my Kodak for product shots for my etsy shops. I use my phone for nearly everything else (except vacation snaps but that may change now that I have the Note).
It sounds like we have pretty different use cases. For contacts/calendars/email/etc, over the air sync is fine (and superior). I agree.
If your pictures are that important to you, then it's worth it to invest in a better camera. You don't need a DSLR to have great pictures, but you do need better than your cell phone or a Z650 from six years ago. An older DSLR or a newer mirrorless camera is not that expensive. Even a modern point and shoot is probably better than what you have now.
Yah, my iphone and ipad cameras are more than good enough for me, but I'm not even a "hobbyist" photographer. I just like to take pictures of people and things occasionally when I think they're funny or have some practical use. When I have a kid, I think I'm gonna want a nice dslr tho, to take all those Epic Baby Shots.
I'm an indentured servant to Citibank right now due to lots of medical bills and other unpleasantness (and one success story concerning a rescued dog with $15K+ in vet bills). The electronics I have now are what I have to live with. I only have my Note because I've been reselling my old phones since the iPhone 3G in a successful and long running sell-and-upgrade-with-a-new-contract chain.
I don't think my family photos are poor as a result, though. I'd love a DSLR, but for pictures of my kids, the Z650 does a passable job (and the camera in the Note really is surprisingly good, believe it or not.)
One thing I've noticed is that all the people I have known who have had lack of money have always managed to find a way to get the stuff they need for their geeky hobby.
That photo nerd with no job? He Cragslisted and eBayed his way to last year's model high end DSLR with lenses. It's used, but works perfectly.
That video game playing kid in high school with no moneys? He is trading stuff into Gamestop hardcore and pre-orders that hot expensive new game so he can play it on day 1. He even manages to pay for the MMO subscription fee.
Musician girl who can't afford to ever eat at a fancy restaurant? Still has a Macbook and plenty of musical instruments and equipment.
DJ who lost his job? Got used turntables and such from Craigslist from some rich guy who thought he wanted to try being a DJ, but gave up on it.
Starving artist person who hangs their paintings up in the coffee shop to try to sell them, but never does? Always manages to get more canvases and paints from somewhere.
I admit that I use my iPhone 4S as a replacement for a P&S camera, but its camera is probably better than the P&S I used to use like 8 years ago or so. However, I also have a DSLR that I bring with me when I'm serious about taking pictures. The iPhone is for places where I don't want to lug a big huge camera or for when I need a quick snapshot of something when I wasn't expecting to take pictures.
One thing I've noticed is that all the people I have known who have had lack of money have always managed to find a way to get the stuff they need for their geeky hobby.
Heh, once guilty of this but no more. Every nickel I've got goes to paying off my indenture and reclaiming my life (except that I chain my phone upgrades, but I consider this an occupational requirement.)
OK except for the jewelry business, but that's an attempt to hasten the process more than one to indulge my geekiness.
Anyway, the Note is my ideal tablet. It's a tablet (sort of). It's a phone. It fits in my pocket.
Once dying for an iPad, I now look at it as too big and inconvenient. I'm in love with my Galaxy Note. It's a computer in my pocket that I don't have to squint at. I couldn't go back to an iPhone now and I luuuurved my iPhone 4.
It's active. Has a "right click" button and everything. Support is so-so. I think it's supposed to improve with the ICS update that AT&T customers still haven't gotten.
What do you need an SD card for on a tablet of you don't mind my asking? Unless you're using it to deal with photos you shot that day on a separate camera, I don't see the need.
Generally the ability to expand the storage space on a tablet is a nice thing to have. Apple knows this, and that's why they don't provide SD slots and instead, charge a huge premium for iPads with more internal storage.
The slot gives the tablet a small amount of future proofing.
I had a 16GB iPhone 4. I couldn't fit all of my music on it. I guess everybody's into the cloud now and all of that, but I like having my music on my device where it'll play in a subway tunnel no problems.
On my Galaxy Note, I have all of my music. I have a few videos for my toddler in case I need a distraction in a hurry (like at the Emergency Room, as has happened). More storage = more opportunity to be prepared. A mobile device as first world survival kit.
I had a 16GB iPhone 4. I couldn't fit all of my music on it. I guess everybody's into the cloud now and all of that, but I like having my music on my device where it'll play in a subway tunnel no problems.
On my Galaxy Note, I have all of my music. I have a few videos for my toddler in case I need a distraction in a hurry (like at the Emergency Room, as has happened). More storage = more opportunity to be prepared. A mobile device as first world survival kit.
Don't put ALL your music on there and you'll have some free space. Make some playlists of the music you actually listen to.
I have the 32GB iPhone it as 13 gigs of space free. Most of it is just from photos that have built up over four years. If I start running out of space, I'll delete them off the phone because I have them backed up in many places.
I'm pretty fickle about my music. I don't want to manage playlists daily. Even with 20 or 30 lists, I'm going to get bored quick. I'd rather just have it all on there and hit "shuffle". To each their own. :-)
Granted, I could use Pandora most of the time. Often, that's what I do.
Still, I have 4 episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on there, I'm not sure what else. Extra storage is handy. Being able to add it obviously has market value (again, see Apple).
Really I don't see the need for more storage. Back when I had the iPhone 3G with 16GB I was able to fit all the apps, all the necessary music, all the photos, and two entire 26-episode television series at the same time with room to spare.
People who fill up their storage or need more are filling it with crap. It's like, you have an 8 oz glass to drink out of. You fill it with 8 oz of drink. That's the size you need. But there's no room to spare. So you get a 12 oz glass. Next thing you know, you're always drinking 12 oz of beverage. So you get a 24 oz glass, and you start always drinking 24 oz and get fat! Skinny people like me may have 32 oz glasses, but I always drink just 8 oz, the correct amount for one serving.
Eh, I get your argument. I even agree that a lot of people are guilty of that. Maybe I'm one.
I'm not filling up the 32GB I have now. I opted for a 16GB SDHC card instead of a 32GB one. It's enough. But, I don't have to worry about how many videos I've got on there. I don't have to budget my space. I like not having to budget my space. A smartphone/tablet is about convenience in the first place. Having more than enough storage is just an extension of that.
With my 16GB iPhone, I often had to uncheck playlists and so on in order to get everything I wanted on there, especially when loading TV shows and things for trips or just to have handy.
The thing I'm missing now is the plug-it-in-and-everything-synchs functionality of my iPhone. There's no competent Mac-to-Android-and-back-again product out there that does everything. I had high hopes for Missing Sync and ended up demanding a refund through Paypal. :-/
I'm really just more comfortable with having an SD card slot since I know I'm not stuck with the internal memory. I probably don't need it though, which is why I'm still considering it. I have most of my music in Google Music, and there's always other streaming services as well. I don't plan to put many videos on it since I'll mostly just watch Netflix and Youtube. The only real thing I worry about space-wise is apps.
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My contacts and calendars sync live all the time with my data plan to Google. If I update my calendar on ANY computer, the phone is almost immediately up to date.
Pictures are the same. Every picture I take is immediately (or, if I have no data access, immediately upon getting a data link again) uploaded to Google, available in Picasa and G+ pretty much immediately.
Podcasts sync/download over the air. So do my ebooks. Email is effectively push, but also historical sync.
There is literally no reason to ever plug my phone into a computer. I think that's a MUCH better model than wire syncing anything.
At home, I admit, I barely use my desktop anymore unless I'm editing photos or video, which is still fairly often.
I'm not a fan of the idea of paying Google for the privilege of storing my HUGE photo collection, firstly, and secondly I shudder to think about any mad dash to download all my photos if/when the service is discontinued, with my family keepsakes as the stakes.
Also, I do download those photos into Lightroom for actual dissemination later into Flickr and my NAS as appropriate. But there's no reason to plug my phone in to do that: it would take just as much time.
It doesn't cost money for Google to host the things uploaded like this from phones. These photos don't count against my free limit.
Real photos from real cameras I dump to the filesystem from memory cards or directly from cameras, automated through Lightroom. We're just talking about crappy cellphone cameras.
My Note automates the task of taking HDR photos, with fine-tune settings I almost never use, and it does an incredible job. It also has a quick-shutter app that lets me catch my camera-shy two year old with autism in a smile once in awhile. What's not to like?
Uploads to Picasa from phones don't count against your storage limit? Why, do they reduce the resolution like facebook does..?
I use my Kodak for product shots for my etsy shops. I use my phone for nearly everything else (except vacation snaps but that may change now that I have the Note).
It sounds like we have pretty different use cases. For contacts/calendars/email/etc, over the air sync is fine (and superior). I agree.
I don't think my family photos are poor as a result, though. I'd love a DSLR, but for pictures of my kids, the Z650 does a passable job (and the camera in the Note really is surprisingly good, believe it or not.)
That photo nerd with no job? He Cragslisted and eBayed his way to last year's model high end DSLR with lenses. It's used, but works perfectly.
That video game playing kid in high school with no moneys? He is trading stuff into Gamestop hardcore and pre-orders that hot expensive new game so he can play it on day 1. He even manages to pay for the MMO subscription fee.
Musician girl who can't afford to ever eat at a fancy restaurant? Still has a Macbook and plenty of musical instruments and equipment.
DJ who lost his job? Got used turntables and such from Craigslist from some rich guy who thought he wanted to try being a DJ, but gave up on it.
Starving artist person who hangs their paintings up in the coffee shop to try to sell them, but never does? Always manages to get more canvases and paints from somewhere.
OK except for the jewelry business, but that's an attempt to hasten the process more than one to indulge my geekiness.
Once dying for an iPad, I now look at it as too big and inconvenient. I'm in love with my Galaxy Note. It's a computer in my pocket that I don't have to squint at. I couldn't go back to an iPhone now and I luuuurved my iPhone 4.
The slot gives the tablet a small amount of future proofing.
I had a 16GB iPhone 4. I couldn't fit all of my music on it. I guess everybody's into the cloud now and all of that, but I like having my music on my device where it'll play in a subway tunnel no problems.
On my Galaxy Note, I have all of my music. I have a few videos for my toddler in case I need a distraction in a hurry (like at the Emergency Room, as has happened). More storage = more opportunity to be prepared. A mobile device as first world survival kit.
I have the 32GB iPhone it as 13 gigs of space free. Most of it is just from photos that have built up over four years. If I start running out of space, I'll delete them off the phone because I have them backed up in many places.
Granted, I could use Pandora most of the time. Often, that's what I do.
Still, I have 4 episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on there, I'm not sure what else. Extra storage is handy. Being able to add it obviously has market value (again, see Apple).
People who fill up their storage or need more are filling it with crap. It's like, you have an 8 oz glass to drink out of. You fill it with 8 oz of drink. That's the size you need. But there's no room to spare. So you get a 12 oz glass. Next thing you know, you're always drinking 12 oz of beverage. So you get a 24 oz glass, and you start always drinking 24 oz and get fat! Skinny people like me may have 32 oz glasses, but I always drink just 8 oz, the correct amount for one serving.
I'm not filling up the 32GB I have now. I opted for a 16GB SDHC card instead of a 32GB one. It's enough. But, I don't have to worry about how many videos I've got on there. I don't have to budget my space. I like not having to budget my space. A smartphone/tablet is about convenience in the first place. Having more than enough storage is just an extension of that.
With my 16GB iPhone, I often had to uncheck playlists and so on in order to get everything I wanted on there, especially when loading TV shows and things for trips or just to have handy.
The thing I'm missing now is the plug-it-in-and-everything-synchs functionality of my iPhone. There's no competent Mac-to-Android-and-back-again product out there that does everything. I had high hopes for Missing Sync and ended up demanding a refund through Paypal. :-/