Snow_Fox
Android Expert
So.. I am not trying to jump on the "killer" band wagon of "X will kill X!"
But, I have had a pretty interesting thought I want some opinions on.
People have been talking about tablets killing off laptops for some time now... However, after watching the motorola atrix I have begun to wonder if that isn't the real future of mobile devices.
Now let me be clear. For some of us.. the atrix would never be a full fledged computer. I need power I need something more than a full on laptop. I need 4 cores and two graphics cards. I game, I program, and do other random things for fun that other computers just don't cut the slack for.
Any of you who do enough power related task are not going to be in this category. So, I feel safe in assuming those of you who need more power are not interested in tablets as a possible primary device and view them more as a "toy" to begin with..
However, For "John" and "Jane doe" who do not need photoshop, Hardcore gaming, programming, video editing, or other seriously intensive task (which I feel makes up more of the population than most of us realize).
I think atrix (and phone's like it) are going to be a huge milestone. There are millions of business and well.. practical uses for the phone and what it can do.
For people like my mom and dad, I could see it replacing their full fledged desktop. If they want to browse facebook... just set it in the dock and watch things from a 23" monitor with a standard keyboard and mouse. If they feel like just checking something.. Just pull it out and check.
If I were not into gaming and programming I could see myself as a college student getting some heavy use out of this as all 3 devices, phone laptop and desktop.
With a decent word processing program and some excel like programs it would be incredibly easy to type up a report. Email it to the teacher.. All from my big monitor at home sitting at my desk. Have the (what is pretty tiny as far as I can tell) laptop dock in my backpack. So in the morning I wake up grab my phone and head out. Get to school and pull out the keyboard dock to start typing up notes in class. My teacher says she didn't get the message? Well lucky me! I have the file all on the same computer! Plus I can prove I sent the file at _____ time right from my comp right there.
Class ends and time for lunch. I undock it and send out text and such while I am at lunch and go on about the day.
And.. for a lot of people who don't need a computer for anything more than occasional research, facebook, and word processing I think this phone is more than adequate to be the only device in a persons life.
I am not trying to knock mac here.. But, the fact that mac is gaining in popularity is because in part there are a lot of people out there who don't need a pc. They don't need a lot of features on their computer. They just want a device that can handle word processing, and is virus free.
Now.. I am not saying that all mac users are low end.. I am only saying that alot of people only need minimal functionality in a computer.
I think this is also part of the reason why tablets are becoming more popular. They are minimalist but, they work and get the job done.
I am not saying that atrix like phones will completely kill of tablets.. But, I am proposing the idea we have found the "next" form factor for computing.
I am also suggesting that we may have finally found the "all in one" device for your average user that we have been waiting to see for a long time.
While a lot of people like the bigger size of tablets.. I think this phone may offer enough flexibility to the same group to make them reconsider.
Now.. I am not really interested in the accessories.. I don't need another computer be it laptop or desktop. All I need is a phone personally.
But, what do you guys think? Is an all in one device more practical than a tablet? Would you be willing to sacrifice the size of the tablet to gain a lot of flexibility?
But, I have had a pretty interesting thought I want some opinions on.
People have been talking about tablets killing off laptops for some time now... However, after watching the motorola atrix I have begun to wonder if that isn't the real future of mobile devices.
Now let me be clear. For some of us.. the atrix would never be a full fledged computer. I need power I need something more than a full on laptop. I need 4 cores and two graphics cards. I game, I program, and do other random things for fun that other computers just don't cut the slack for.
Any of you who do enough power related task are not going to be in this category. So, I feel safe in assuming those of you who need more power are not interested in tablets as a possible primary device and view them more as a "toy" to begin with..
However, For "John" and "Jane doe" who do not need photoshop, Hardcore gaming, programming, video editing, or other seriously intensive task (which I feel makes up more of the population than most of us realize).
I think atrix (and phone's like it) are going to be a huge milestone. There are millions of business and well.. practical uses for the phone and what it can do.
For people like my mom and dad, I could see it replacing their full fledged desktop. If they want to browse facebook... just set it in the dock and watch things from a 23" monitor with a standard keyboard and mouse. If they feel like just checking something.. Just pull it out and check.
If I were not into gaming and programming I could see myself as a college student getting some heavy use out of this as all 3 devices, phone laptop and desktop.
With a decent word processing program and some excel like programs it would be incredibly easy to type up a report. Email it to the teacher.. All from my big monitor at home sitting at my desk. Have the (what is pretty tiny as far as I can tell) laptop dock in my backpack. So in the morning I wake up grab my phone and head out. Get to school and pull out the keyboard dock to start typing up notes in class. My teacher says she didn't get the message? Well lucky me! I have the file all on the same computer! Plus I can prove I sent the file at _____ time right from my comp right there.
Class ends and time for lunch. I undock it and send out text and such while I am at lunch and go on about the day.
And.. for a lot of people who don't need a computer for anything more than occasional research, facebook, and word processing I think this phone is more than adequate to be the only device in a persons life.
I am not trying to knock mac here.. But, the fact that mac is gaining in popularity is because in part there are a lot of people out there who don't need a pc. They don't need a lot of features on their computer. They just want a device that can handle word processing, and is virus free.
Now.. I am not saying that all mac users are low end.. I am only saying that alot of people only need minimal functionality in a computer.
I think this is also part of the reason why tablets are becoming more popular. They are minimalist but, they work and get the job done.
I am not saying that atrix like phones will completely kill of tablets.. But, I am proposing the idea we have found the "next" form factor for computing.
I am also suggesting that we may have finally found the "all in one" device for your average user that we have been waiting to see for a long time.
While a lot of people like the bigger size of tablets.. I think this phone may offer enough flexibility to the same group to make them reconsider.
Now.. I am not really interested in the accessories.. I don't need another computer be it laptop or desktop. All I need is a phone personally.
But, what do you guys think? Is an all in one device more practical than a tablet? Would you be willing to sacrifice the size of the tablet to gain a lot of flexibility?
I hate flash on mobile devices anyways. Slows my Evo down incredibly bad, I would prefer not to see it ever on a mobile OS.