I’ve Upped the Ante – My Increasing Android Investment

Android has been my smartphone OS for almost a year.  And it has served me quite well.  But it has its limitations on a smartphone.  The limitations are many.  And some of them are even noteworthy.  But my biggest challenge with my smartphone is that it is a wholly inadequate platform for writing notes and blogging. 

Why is that?  That’s easy.  Since voice recognition and voice transcription are still in their infancy, it is very hard to work with text documentation.  First, the soft keyboard is difficult – especially for someone with big hands.  And even with my Droid 2, the keyboard is just not suited for touch typing.  So while I can surf the web and I can take photos, I can’t use a smartphone to really spend any time blogging and/or recording my thoughts.  But that is not a fault with Android.  It is just an example of needing the right tool for the job.  Yes, I stumbled my way through some updates.  But it was always cumbersome.

But that changed this afternoon.  As a part of my fiftieth birthday celebration, I am now the proud owner of an Android tablet.  My wife and I picked up a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 today.  And I really love the device – and the Honeycomb platform.  The list of my likes is rather large.  And even though I am tremendously happy thus far, there are a few things that are quite annoying about the platform. 

Nevertheless, I think I may wait on posting a full review of the platform.  After all, an entirely new computing domain should warrant a few days use before I pontificate on the subject.  For now, I’ll settle for an overview.  One sentence summary: the Android tablet environment fills a needed gap in my computing spectrum.  

Where is that gap?  It’s the space where I need media and mobility. It’s where I still need some real computing – but I can’t carry a big laptop.  It is a place where I can stuff tablet and keyboard into a back pack or a bike pannier – and still be confident that I can do a complete job.  Bottom line: This is my new mobility space. 

And I want that space to be open – not constrained.  I want to connect to wireless networks with ease.  And I want to use the device to access my other devices while I am away from them.  And I want to install the things that I want to install – not just what someone else thinks that I need.  I don’t want someone else’s handcuffs.  And if I am handcuffed, I’ll pick the lock to free my hands.

Innovation is about taking existing pieces and building a whole new thing.  So my new tablet is the melding of technologies that I have used before into a package that is compelling.  At the same time, I want to have access to the computer.  Think of it this way.  I want a car.  But I hate the fact that some dealer has me over a barrel because he has the only computer that can read the sensors and program the electronics.  Some folks may be satisfied with that situation.  I am not.  Consequently, I have an Android tablet. 

-Roo