Headworx

As promised , I got myself the Samsung Bluetooth keyboard case for the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Even before ordering the accessory, I had had mixed feelings about it. But I had the urge to test drive this new approaching paradigm of convertible mobile computing. So to be fair with my review, I am typing this post on the keyboard equipped Tab. The first thing that surprised me when I unpacked the case (and to be honest, the one that surprised me the most!) have been the four rubber feet standing out from the four edges of the keyboard. Rubber feet are not unusual, but here they are on the upper side, not underneath the keyboard. First I thought they are there to protect the screen when folded (which is probably true). But then it dawned on me I can have the keyboard upside down. I mean you can fold it 350 degrees out to form a stand for the tablet. Wow this is smart. The true convertible. Exactly the setup I have been looking for. It can be a tablet (keyboard acting simply as a stand with a...

All our smart and mobile platforms are about sharing content, right? Wrong! I mean, that is what they are supposed to be, but do not deliver. Most of the time it is about as simple task as selecting a piece of text, copying it to a clipboard and pasting later somewhere else (an email message or a Twitter post). And we have to admit all the leading mobile OS platforms have it wrong. Apple did not support copy / paste at the very beginning of the iPhone era. Similarly Microsoft, with the first release of Windows Phone 7. Android (excluding the Honeycomb 3.1 and up) up till today does not provide any way to select a piece of text on a web page. Later on, both Apple and Google have added the select / mark / copy / paste to their OSes. But this is such a pain on a touch - only device. To do it right you would have to use a pencil sharpener to sharpen your index finger. By the way text selection using a good old mouse paradigm is such a delight, especially when you have just come back ...

Over the last two weeks I have been finally able to spend some more time with my first Android Honeycomb tablet - the [now banned] Samsug Galaxy Tab 10.1. I posted my first impressions more than two months ago and I have to say it has been consistently exceeding my expectations. So much that now going back to the iPad is like a step back in many areas. Nuff said. Now for the details. Honeycomb Android supports Adobe Flash Player. Not that I really like flash on web pages, but often I just cannot go without. What is a web page worth when it has the content you look for, embedded as a Flash object, and you are on an iPad. Bad luck. But not on the Android. It plays just about any flash content. Of course including the old fashioned Flash popup ads. By the way they can be easily taken care of - the browser has an option to activate Flash plugins on demand. So it is up to what you click on. An embedded movie will play and the ads will not show. While I find the built-in browser very ...

The ongoing IFA exhibition in Berlin has been entirely stolen by Android. Following the news it was difficult to spot anything that was not related to a release of a new Android tablet. All the big names have been there, with Samsung leading the pack. The war of tablets is the most intense. There are basically two contenders. Apple, who without discussion holds the crown for creating the market and leading it by a huge margin. Then there is Android, supported by almost everybody else, but RIM, Microsoft, Nokia and HP. Android has already overtaken Apple. But the iPad is still probably the best tablet you can buy. Unfortunately for Apple, usually what really matters is not the current state, but the trend. And the trend for Android is "to the Moon". It shows everywhere. In fully functional sub $200 designs like the Lenovo A1, in the dedicated book readers like the Nook and the upcoming Kindle and in the high end devices like the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 (I own one) and the al...