iPad Worth the Extra Cost?

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sbradshaw
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Re: iPad Worth the Extra Cost?

#11

Post by sbradshaw »

I'm an iOS user, but I would recommend looking at the most recent LDSTech broadcast (about a week ago) to see some of the cool features in Gospel Library for Windows. It's very impressive, thanks to the committed volunteer team.
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russellhltn
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Re: iPad Worth the Extra Cost?

#12

Post by russellhltn »

ToManyLetters wrote:
I also have the Stream 7 and while it has it's nice points (like being able to run PC software), the on-screen keyboard sucks and it generally isn't as nice a user experience as the Nexus. But with Windows 10 coming out, this could change in a few months.
Not sure that'll really ever be the case. You definitely get what you pay for. $79 is peanuts in the tech world, and, though $79 gets you more than it used to, it's still not a great device. For those looking at getting a Windows device, I'd look at stuff like Asus Vivotab 8 ($180) at the low end, but recommend Microsoft's own Surface 3 ($499+) or Surface Pro 3 ($799+) at the mid- and high-end tiers, respectively.
Just to be clear, what I disliked about the Stream 7 was that I had to manually call up the keyboard and manually dismiss it. It also had the tendency to cover what I was trying to work with. On top of that, it didn't have Swype. Android had all of those features. I could be wrong, but given that's my one and only Win8 machine, I believe that's more the fault of the OS than of the cheap hardware. Yes, the hardware has a few issues. It looks a bit bulky at the edges and won't be confused with a iPad, and it's not real speedy, but I've had no complaints about the hardware vs the value in actual use.

I'm glad to hear of an optimistic Windows GL parity date. But what about Tools?
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ToManyLetters
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Re: iPad Worth the Extra Cost?

#13

Post by ToManyLetters »

Just to be clear, what I disliked about the Stream 7 was that I had to manually call up the keyboard and manually dismiss it.
This is only true if you're not using the apps designed for the device. If you're using traditional, full Windows-programs, with only a few exceptions (IE & Office), the programs don't really know you're trying to use the on-screen keyboard--that's why the manually-summoned keyboard is a thing. If you're using the Modern side of things, the keyboard will appear automatically as you'd expect it to on Android or iOS. Don't expect poorly-optimized programs like Chrome to behave well, however. (Though, for the sake of your battery, you probably should just forego Chrome altogether anyway--Chrome is a notoriously bad battery muncher on basically any operating system, but especially so on Windows and OS X.)
It also had the tendency to cover what I was trying to work with.
If you're on the non-Modern side of things, where the content doesn't shift for you (for obvious reasons), you can unsnap the whole keyboard and just drag it around.
On top of that, it didn't have Swype. Android had all of those features.
I suspect you mean a gesture typing keyboard, as most Android devices don't come with Swype by default, though Android's keyboard does have gesture capabilities on newer devices (Since Jellybean, I believe?) Windows Phone devices do have the "shape writing" gesture keyboard, and while the gesture typing is not yet available to Windows tablets (I suspect it will probably come in Windows 10)--or, for that matter, available by default on iOS, text prediction on Windows' keyboard is leaps and bounds ahead of Android's. Also, Windows' built-in handwriting keyboard is second to none.
But what about Tools?
As I understand it, the LDS Tools team for Windows is much more trapped in the bureaucracy of the mobile apps than Gospel Library for Windows is. That said, I believe they should be getting approval (or, at the very least, requesting it) for full feature parity very, very soon now. The biggest thing they need is more developers dedicating time to the project. They recently finished rewriting the backend for the application so that the next version of the app will use the new LDS Tools APIs and sync substantially faster.
Learn more about Gospel Library for Windows 10 Beta at the link below:
https://tech.lds.org/wiki/Gospel_Library_for_Windows_10
alexik
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Re: iPad Worth the Extra Cost?

#14

Post by alexik »

I agree with ToManyLetters (above). The Church has put a lot of effort into the development of the iOS apps and the other platforms have been more of a after thought. Windows is the best platform for the Church's needs with the best security, most features, and best usability. I'm hoping the Church will begin to focus on the Windows platform more, especially in since Apple is the least charitable of the tech companies and is in greatest advocacy of views contrary to the Church.
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