(Fly or Die) Mid-Size Tablets

(Fly or Die) Mid-Size Tablets

Fly Or Die: The Mid-Size Tablet Revolution | TechCrunch
@Robin Ashe
After using the PlayBook I figured that 7" really was the ideal tablet size - 8" if the bezel is way smaller. There's a reason the Nook Color went that size, and the Kindle Fire went for it as well. 10" is really only good for a design like the Asus Transformer - so it works well with a keyboard.
@George Sibble
I'm loving my Samsung Galaxy Note. Big and powerful enough to use as a tablet and small enough to be very portable.
@Nick McGhie
I'm sure the Samsung Galaxy Note has certain nice features, but a device with a 5.3" screen that's "big and powerful enough to use as a tablet"?? Have you used an iPad before? =) Seriously though, I'm curious why exactly you consider it big enough to use as a tablet. Please elaborate.
@Jimmy Selix
Nick McGhie let me know what you define tablet specific functionality as? i have used nearly every form factor of tablets (ipad 1,2; samsung galaxy tab 7", bb playbook, lenovo TPT 10") and just because they are smaller doesn't mean they don't function like a tablet. I think the 5.3" size is the most beneficial for me and add on top of that inking abilities and you have a very useful tablet. my main issues w/the 10" tablets is that they are not that portable or usable in public spaces (ie public transportation). just my .02. I'm holding my breath and hoping we see a 7" ipad. i've been wanting one ever since i bought and used the original galaxy tab.
@Nick McGhie
Jimmy Selix...when the iPad first came out, I was among the many doubters who saw it as just "a big iPhone/iPod Touch." However, as iPad-specific apps with new interfaces that took advantage of the large screen were released, I began to see the difference. One functionality that immediately comes to mind to illustrate this point is web browsing. Viewing a website on an iPad is more akin to viewing it on a computer than on a modern smartphone. Doing so on a 5.3" screen, on the other hand, feels far more cramped. In this regard, it really is more like "a big iPhone/iPod Touch." In that case, why not just a standard smartphone? I'm not saying devices with ~5" screens don't have their uses. It's just that there does not seem to be much of a market for them.
@Jimmy Selix
Nick McGhie makes sense.. :) i do have to agree w/you on the tablet optimized apps are pretty sweet on the ipad. but yes, the 5" form factors really don't have that much of a market except for us few tablet geeks. i'm more of an android user these days and have yet to really see that many tablet optimized apps on the market. i guess i'm still looking for the 'notetakers' pipe dream of a 5" notepad sized device that does inking very well and in turn can replace all of those paper notepads i bring to meetings. :)
@Michael Brinkworth
Nick McGhie and Jimmy Selix the 5 inch form, like every other size range will fit with many peoples needs, students and business people alike. And think of millions of delivery people that require a signature. It is extremely portable and can be carried in a pocket, unlike 7 and up, and I personally love this format (size and weight) for ebooks and dev work. There are also millions of people out there who have failing eyesight (big screen) or trembling hands (stylus), and this becomes a superior option to smaller phones, being fundamentally a phone, not just a tablet. Apples mentality of all humans settling for one size and color doesn't suit most people, and it took me many years to understand why we don't all eat just one perfect of cheese, or all just watch the one genre of movie, or drive the one perfect car. I just hope apple don't sue me for that sentence, after all they have a patent on the letter A. In conclusion...yes there is a market for this size.
@Joe On
Love the Samsung Galaxy 7.0 plus tab....awesome.
@Mike Marticorena
Indeed, yes. Smaller is my choice. Hmm, yes...
@Annes Notrya
Funny, that's not what she said...
@Francisco Medina
7.5 inches: the perfect size. There is not doubt about it.
@Bob Yesselman
For those of us with big fingers, 7" doesn't work at all. Nerve wracking. I finally gave up and bout a 10.1. Perfect size for a tablet.
@John McEvoy
Several companies make portable bluetooth keyboard you can carry around w/ your ipad. Plus most owners I know by a cover/case. Nothing like paying more for a tablet and building it back into a notebook.
@Jazzy Jazz Keith
Fact Check - "a recent interesting trend..." HUH? the smaller 7 - 8" Tablet have been around for most of a year and a half! Where have you been author? Locked up in Cupertino in those Apple Media Hacks "Brain Washing" sessions that last most of a year? There have been loads of Android 2.0, 2.1, 2.3 and well as 3.0 Honeycomb 7 and 8" tablets around since summer of 2010! Most with off-brands from China, many with brand names like View Sonic, Arcos, Pandigital, Lenovo, Dell, Sylvania and even Acer! Sure the bigger brother Android 10+" Tabs have been getting all the press, because they are a direct competitors to the BIG and clunky Apple iFAD. But of course in TYPICAL CrApple Media Hack "Revisionist" story writing, now that CrApple is spinning "rumors" of a 7 or 8" iFAD, you clowns that dare to call yourself journalists will surely claim CrApple is CREATING the mid-size Tablet market. The FACT is that CrApple and the iFAD did NOT create the Tablet.... in 2002 Gateway Debuted an 11" TRUE Tablet (no external keyboard) which had an 11" Touch LCD screen, Handwriting Recognition, a Pop-Up Keyboard on the screen and built-in mic and speakers! MSFT created a special Tablet version of Windows XP for it and Gateway sold it for 3 years. Unfortunately, the world wasn't ready for Tablets yet. I reviewed it for a major publication and it was pretty damn neat! CrApple, the Great iNOvator..... but exceptional at SPIN and Stealing Ideas. There is a place for both Tablet sizes; just like there is a reason for Digital SLR's to Pocket Point n Shoots, and Notebooks to Desktops. I do think that there will be more 8's sold then 10's ultimately.... and that CrApple will get there ass kicked even faster in the Tablet market then they are recently in the Smart Phone market. Android OS 55% to iOS 22%, Samsung outselling Apple now one on one for the last 3 months.
@Annes Notrya
I think there is room for both... it isn't about which size will win. If I'm just doing email, facebook, and maybe watching a movie on the road, smaller is cool. If I'm using my tablet to surf the web or give a presentation at a coffee shop, 7" is inadequate and 10" is perfect. Different sizes for different needs and we have enough companies out there to provide us with choice. That's a good thing.
@Dan Katz
Companies still have not convinced me that I need ONE tablet; you're suggesting that everybody have two?
@Annes Notrya
Dan Katz – No. I'm suggesting that people think about what they will use a tablet for and choose the best tablet to fulfill that need.
@Annes Notrya
Dan Katz ... and no, not everyone needs a tablet.
@Dan Katz
Annes Notrya Okay, fair point. :)
@Dan Katz
...How is this deserving of the word "revolution"?
@Dan Katz
Annes Notrya Sorry, I tried to comment on your post after your first reply, but it somehow did not get posted. You made a good point in saying that people must consider their own needs; I misunderstood what you meant by your remark.
@Annes Notrya
Dan Katz cool.
@Abbas Shanmugaiah
I vote for 8" Tablet. Need a reason? I give 2! 1. It's bigger than 7" Tablet. 2. It's not as big as 10" one!
@Tj Ficklepeople
It nice for manufacturers to come out with different sizes, now the consumers are spoilt with choices.
@Vladislav Rakov
Apps are what is needed to make your smartphone smart and unique.Im fond of app creating and find it really helpful to use site like snappii.com where I can build apps in minutes.
@David Fox
If I had to make a choice of one, my 1st Gen iPad hands-down. My 3G connected Galaxy Tab is useful out and about - I think of it as a big phone rather than small tablet. Can't imagine Samsung has sold all that many - I recall seeing only one other in the field, vs literally hundreds of iPads.
@Barrett Duke
I have a Samsung 8.9" tablet. I like everything about its size. It is very thin and light. It works great as a reader. To me, the 7" screens are just too small for serious reading. The 8.9 is a good size for travel as well. The 10.1" screens are too big to put in a carry-on bag when I'm flying, and while the extra screen size is nice to have, it isn't necessary. The 1.2" smaller size makes an incredible difference. And the Android operating system is great. I think Samsung found the sweet spot with the 8.9" tablet.