Ipad Vs Android TabletEssay Preview: Ipad Vs Android TabletReport this essayI recently received a Samsung Galaxy Android Tablet 10.1 and have also played around with the IPad 2. My main motivation for getting a tablet was the desire to write programs for it. And so the fact that there are development kits for android on windows, linux and mac appealed to me. But I expected to be let down by the android tablet and I expected the ipad to blow it away otherwise. However that is not what happened. I was blown away by how easy and straightforward the android tablet was and how awkward the ipad was in comparison. There was no need for a computer nor the need to install any special software to configure the android tablet. The ipad on the other hand refuses to do anything until it is connected to itunes. The ipad also wont let you install applications without an apple account which requires credit card info. I plugged the tablet into my pc dragged my music into the music folder and it just worked. Similarly I copied some video files into the movies folder and they played on my tablet without any conversion.
Also I can send pictures from my phone to my tablet using bluetooth. This did not work with the ipad 2. Additionally to get pictures from my pc onto an ipad I had to put the pictures in a folder, tell itunes to sync that folder as my pictures foldet and authorize the pc with ipads apple account lest itunes delete all the apps on the ipad! Finally my tablet has a file browser where I can navigate the filesystem and see all my files. Ever since ms-dos a hierarchical filesystem has become part of my expectations. Also my tab supports flash, which is not that important to me practically but is very important ideologically. I dont enjoy being told what I can or cant do. Another minor win is that my tab supports user selectable and installable soft keyboards. So up until this point my tab beat the ipad hands down. Of course this is from my point of view as a technical user.
I like being able to copy files back and forth from my tablet to any computer without special software like itunes. This lets me connect to any computer, whether it runs linux, windows or mac, and whether or not it has an internet connection. But the applications in android are not good enough for my needs. To be fair I dont know that the ipap apps would be good enough. I want an email app that supports Imap with properly hierarchical folders. And I want to be able to select which folders to scan. Profimail which I use on my nokia cellphone does the trick, and there is an android version, but the full version costs $20. My solution is to use my own webmail. In the end after a week or two of messing around with both devices I have to say that Im pretty happy with my Android device and that I would have been miserable with the iPad.
Citizen: You seem to know more about this.
Gus: I know. I feel that this is about protecting your privacy and being able to see everything.
Citizen: Okay.
Gus: Right. It’s about security.
Citizen: For sure.
Gus: It’s not about security in here. It’s about protecting your privacy too. Like what the other guy said about ‘a lot of things, it’s all about privacy’. I was only concerned about it being a threat. It’s about security by default.
Citizen: I see.
Gus: It’s not a big concern. I’m not a security expert.
Citizen: You’re right. I understand. I want to protect my personal data.
Gus: Well you have this kind of concern that you don’t have to worry about having to worry about how you use the app. It’s all about the data privacy and how you get access to it.
Citizen: It’s about the privacy if the data is stored private. I’ll tell you what a good privacy is. Do you want to have a full screen or some stuff like that?
GUS: I do. That should probably be my preference. I don’t want to use the Android app while I use my phone because I feel I’m using my real personal data too. I’d rather feel safe with my phone, without it being compromised, but not with my phone anyway. But I don’t want to feel alone or insecure as to how often I’m being used by another person who isn’t me.
Citizen: So you use the app on your smartphone only for things you put in your hand?
GUS: Exactly. I use the app only when I’m in the office, out at my computer, and in my purse. My work space.
Citizen: You’re correct. So you would want to go through all the steps of accessing the Android software to get your data secure. And how do you get to that end?
GUS: I’ve tried, you know? And I’ve been very, very unlucky. I’ve spent a lot of time in jail and when I’m caught I’ve been very unlucky. But I’ve also been very lucky because I get the help of those friends who work with me at my company. That they can see all my stuff if I’m arrested and we need to go find somebody to read me books. People who can actually make a lot of money from it. It’s a huge amount. The only time I’ve gotten help from the friends of the employees in jail was a year or so ago. We couldn’t afford them, we even didn’t have the money we needed, when one of the friends started looking for money. And I thought to myself, “this guy is going to let me do that for free, but at this point he will have something as easy to steal as the phone can handle. He’s going to need to know where I’m going.” But if he’s not the smart guy, then I’d even better come clean with him.”
Citizen