Phablet, ideal size

Midpack

Midpack

Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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I have a wifi only iPad and a cheapo semi-smart phone (voice/text/data), though I had a (company) BB smartphone when I was still working. I know I'll abandon my Luddite ways and buy a full fledged smartphone one day but I wonder if phones and tablets will morph completely into phablets. I am guessing yes, in the 5-7 inch size range. Hopefully the morphing takes place before I make the plunge. If the mini iPad was a phone, I could see that (I often hold my phone away from my face on calls anyway)...only downside, it won't fit in my pocket any more.
 
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The key is carrying it. My iPhone (and I guess all other smartphones) basically lives in my shirt pocket (occasionally my pants pocket when I'm just in a T-shirt). Even a small tablet fails that requirement.
 
I don't really want my smartphone to be bigger than an iPhone, and my tablet to be smaller than an iPad. I would prefer to keep 2 distinct devices instead of getting an hybrid.
 
FIREd said:
I don't really want my smartphone to be bigger than an iPhone, and my tablet to be smaller than an iPad. I would prefer to keep 2 distinct devices instead of getting an hybrid.
Click to expand...
I would too if I wasn't so cheap. Maybe I'll end up with a smartphone (current iPhone size) as a hotspot with a wifi iPad. I understand the iPhone5/iOS6 can act as a hotspot...and then I could carry one or both as needed. I'm definitely too cheap to have a subscription for two devices, I'm too cheap to pay $130/mo or more for DW and I to have iPhones.
 
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Good point about the phone being able to fit in your pocket. Anything bigger just won't work. As for the ideal tablet...it depends on what you want to do with it. I use the original Kindle Fire (about the size of a paperback book). It's excellent for email (and playing Sudoku) but awful for the Internet. It's just too small for that. And certainly too small for word processing or any other Office software.
 
I am doing pretty much the same thing as you, MidPack, with a wifi-only iPad at home, but with an iPhone 4 that I carry with me.

I really don't want to lug around my iPad anyway, and in fact the iPhone 5 might even be too big for me. My present iPhone is enough to keep me occupied when waiting at places away from home. :)
 
Waiting for the right size and the right human engineering... I would expect that clothing style will change to provide for easy carrying/holding. Maybe something like the holsters of the Old West. Waiting a tiny earbud bluetooth sound, and a flexible roll out or snap out screen, or perhaps a virtual projected keyboard, and /or google peripheral screen glasses.

Of course this will depend on the expansion of Gogle ultra high speed internet, and the a no-operating system interface, that will bring the price down to about $50.

Young engineers of today, just have no imagination.
 
Midpack said:
I have a wifi only iPad and a cheapo semi-smart phone (voice/text/data), though I had a (company) BB smartphone when I was still working. I know I'll abandon my Luddite ways and buy a full fledged smartphone one day but I wonder if phones and tablets will morph completely into phablets. I am guessing yes, in the 5-7 inch size range. Hopefully the morphing takes place before I make the plunge. If the mini iPad was a phone, I could see that (I often hold my phone away from my face on calls anyway)...only downside, it won't fit in my pocket any more.
Click to expand...
Interesting question. I'm guessing not. I recall discussions and heated debates about convergence 25 years ago. Very little of what those in the know thought back then is happening today. Portability seems to be such a high priority requirement the smartphone size product looks pretty safe to continue. The tablet looks to be knocking off bigger products, so I would guess they both will continue to grow in sales at the expense of other product lines.
 
Midpack said:
... Maybe I'll end up with a smartphone (current iPhone size) as a hotspot with a wifi iPad...
Click to expand...

I am considering something similar for myself when I finally cut the corporate apron strings and start doing more traveling on my own dime:

  1. Find a tablet device that I like:
    • Probably Android rather than iPad, personal preference.
    • Not sure about size: 6, 7, or 9 inch. I may actually want two such devices:
      • Larger color, maybe with physical keyboard option, for web surfing, light email, etc.
      • Smaller/lighter e-ink if somebody doesn't make a color tablet readable on the beach in direct sunlight soon.
  2. Local phone, likely pay as you go service, that can act as a WiFi hotspot
 
Midpack said:
I would too if I wasn't so cheap. Maybe I'll end up with a smartphone (current iPhone size) as a hotspot with a wifi iPad. I understand the iPhone5/iOS6 can act as a hotspot...and then I could carry one or both as needed. I'm definitely too cheap to have a subscription for two devices, I'm too cheap to pay $130/mo or more for DW and I to have iPhones.
Click to expand...
That is what I went with - iPhone 5 and a WIFI only iPad. I haven't needed to use the WIFI hotspot on the phone very often - there is usually WIFI available when I travel.
 
donheff said:
That is what I went with - iPhone 5 and a WIFI only iPad. I haven't needed to use the WIFI hotspot on the phone very often - there is usually WIFI available when I travel.
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The more I think about it, the more sense that makes. As long as I don't end up paying for a subscription for each device, the initial cost doesn't bother me. Now I just need to better understand the phone hotspot effectiveness/limitations, but no rush there either...lots of time. I'm guessing public wifi may become less common long term (say 5-10 years), as more folks have 5G/6G XYZ devices (or whatever the next levels are called...
 
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I'm holding out for an e-reader that's tattooed on my left forearm, just a few inches away from the iPhone82 that's tattooed on the thumb & pinky finger of my left hand. Of course both devices would consume so much power that we'd have to eat more chocolate to keep up our weight.

imoldernu said:
Young engineers of today, just have no imagination.
Click to expand...
You apparently need to spend more time hanging out on college campuses.
 
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I looked at a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 today. Fits in my shirt pocket just fine and has a 5 inch screen. I may get one next time.
 
I use an HTC EVO 4G LTE smart phone, which has a 4.7" screen. It stays in my front pants pocket with my wallet, but fits into my shirt pocket occasionally. Needless to say, I'm not terribly fashion conscious. But I could fit something larger without too much trouble. maybe a fold-up 14" screen would fit?
 
braumeister said:
The key is carrying it. My iPhone (and I guess all other smartphones) basically lives in my shirt pocket (occasionally my pants pocket when I'm just in a T-shirt). Even a small tablet fails that requirement.
Click to expand...

coolowl said:
Good point about the phone being able to fit in your pocket. ....
Click to expand...

I used to routinely carry by BB in my breast shirt pocket when I was w*rking and then I saw a news report that there were concerns about people carrying a device that sends/receives cellular signals so close to the human heart. After that, I tended to use the hip holster more - geeky I know, but I figured better safe than sorry until the health risks are proven or dis-proven.
 
Im really behind the technological power curve, Im afraid. I just got my very first iphone, having finally killed my Motorola flip phone. Wasnt really sure Id need it, but it was paid for by work, so I tried it. Excellent for phone calls, what few I made, love texting, and the camera and video are outstanding. I do get my email on there, which I really love. Dont surf the web much, tho. Screen just too small to enjoy that.

Now it looks like my old Dell Desktop computer is starting to go on me, so I need to decide what to do. I just started shopping, and realized theres so much more to choose from now. Last time I purchased one, it was either the Desktop, or a superexpensive new to the market laptop. So I just dont know which way to go. I guess theoretically, from what I understand, I could just surf on the iphone, but I cant read all that teeny print. So I need to get something, I can't even hardly find any desktop models anymore. Laptops have gotten cheap, and now theres these tablet things. Im just so confused. Only good thing is I guess I wont have phone wires all over my floor anymore. I guess whatever I get will now be wireless, but Ill have to figure out how that works.

I just dont think I could get comfortable working on the computer if the screen was teeny. For me, Ill need 2 different devices.
 

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