A place to discuss the latest developments in the world of technology.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand."
-- Albert Einstein
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...I got a tablet
It was the first Samsung tablet, the Galaxy 10.1, and it was beautiful.
It's still the Android tablet to beat in terms of design, but the 40 pin connector, its limited amount of ram, and the fact that it can't be upgraded to anything over Android 4.x are kind of a deal breaker.
I even had the keyboard which...sucked.
My plan to go all android was foiled.
I even upgraded to CyanogenMod (twice). It worked well, for a short while, and then not so much.
The Zerhunt protects the screen and body of the Fire 10HD, it's thin, and it does the sleep/wake thing - if the cover is closed, the screen turns off, if the cover is open, the screen turns on. It also acts as a stand (landscape only).
You can also easily flip the cover back and use the tablet in portrait mode.
This thing is incredible (yes it looks weird, but go with it). For $26 (less if it's on sale) it's a bluetooth keyboard that can work with Android, IOS, or Windows, and has dimmable backlit keys in 6 different colors (light blue, dark blue, green, purple, red, orange, etc).
It's just small enough to be portable (actually it's really thin, light, and small - and just large enough that it basically mimics a full size keyboard).
The cool thing about the Nulaxy is the cover - when folded it's a cover for the keyboard, when unfolded it's a stand for your tablet.
The keyboard is held in place by magnets, so you you can remove it or adjust the angle of the tablet to your liking (you can also use it with any other OS).
I attempted to pair the Fire 10 with an Apple Magic Trackpad but unfortunately it didn't work.
Basically you have to download 4 files and install them (in order) and you'll have a tablet that has all of the Amazon stuff and all of the Google Play Store stuff. Gmail, Chrome, etc. No rooting involved.
Netflix can be installed via the Amazon Store or Google Store, and Youtube can be accessed via the web (or via a 3rd party app).
The 10.1 Fire HD isn't the fastest tablet but it can replace 90% of what you do on a laptop (as well as a tablet) for about $200 ($250 with all the extra stuff).
So why not just get a chomebook?
With the Fire10 HD you can actually use it as a small laptop with a keyboard and mouse (both optional) and store files offline (or not), and when you need to lay in bed and read, watch movies, read kindle books, etc. without dealing with a full chromebook (no keyboard, mouse, etc.) - you can.
The screen is great, it still has a headphone jack, and with the slim cover it weighs much less than a chomebook and still has an on/off cover.
The age of light and portable Android tablets is finally here.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...I got a tablet
It was the first Samsung tablet, the Galaxy 10.1, and it was beautiful.
It's still the Android tablet to beat in terms of design, but the 40 pin connector, its limited amount of ram, and the fact that it can't be upgraded to anything over Android 4.x are kind of a deal breaker.
I even had the keyboard which...sucked.
My plan to go all android was foiled.
I even upgraded to CyanogenMod (twice). It worked well, for a short while, and then not so much.
And then I found the Fire HD 10
The Fire 10 HD was released in early 2019. Its got 2gb of ram, 32gb or 64gb of storage (I'd get the non ad version).
Let's be honest, at this point 2gb barely cuts it, but it works.
It's a little hefty (weight wise), but it's awesome.
Next is the Zerhunt Ultra Light Slim Fit Protective Cover
The Zerhunt protects the screen and body of the Fire 10HD, it's thin, and it does the sleep/wake thing - if the cover is closed, the screen turns off, if the cover is open, the screen turns on. It also acts as a stand (landscape only).
You can also easily flip the cover back and use the tablet in portrait mode.
It's kind of like reading a magazine.
For keys I got the Nulaxy KM12 Backlit Bluetooth Keyboard
This thing is incredible (yes it looks weird, but go with it). For $26 (less if it's on sale) it's a bluetooth keyboard that can work with Android, IOS, or Windows, and has dimmable backlit keys in 6 different colors (light blue, dark blue, green, purple, red, orange, etc).
It's just small enough to be portable (actually it's really thin, light, and small - and just large enough that it basically mimics a full size keyboard).
The cool thing about the Nulaxy is the cover - when folded it's a cover for the keyboard, when unfolded it's a stand for your tablet.
The keyboard is held in place by magnets, so you you can remove it or adjust the angle of the tablet to your liking (you can also use it with any other OS).
I attempted to pair the Fire 10 with an Apple Magic Trackpad but unfortunately it didn't work.
Bluetooth mice like the Logitech m557 and m535 did.
Next I installed the Google Play Store
Basically you have to download 4 files and install them (in order) and you'll have a tablet that has all of the Amazon stuff and all of the Google Play Store stuff. Gmail, Chrome, etc. No rooting involved.
To carry all of this there are a few options
The MoKo Fire HD 10 Inch Kids Tablet Sleeve Case Bag for those of you who like dinosaurs, and for the more conservative the MoKo 8-10.1 Inch Kids Tablet Sleeve Case is nice (and it will fit better).
Software
Netflix can be installed via the Amazon Store or Google Store, and Youtube can be accessed via the web (or via a 3rd party app).
The 10.1 Fire HD isn't the fastest tablet but it can replace 90% of what you do on a laptop (as well as a tablet) for about $200 ($250 with all the extra stuff).
So why not just get a chomebook?
With the Fire10 HD you can actually use it as a small laptop with a keyboard and mouse (both optional) and store files offline (or not), and when you need to lay in bed and read, watch movies, read kindle books, etc. without dealing with a full chromebook (no keyboard, mouse, etc.) - you can.
The screen is great, it still has a headphone jack, and with the slim cover it weighs much less than a chomebook and still has an on/off cover.
The age of light and portable Android tablets is finally here.