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Adding Some New Tech to my Geek/Nerd Tech Toolbox
- Thread starter bondr006
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My next new tech acquisitions....
Just to be clear, no need to be sad for me, as I am not leaving Apple....Just adding some new tech tools to my geek/nerd tech toolbox.
Forgot to mention that an S-Pen is included with the Tab S9 Ultra, as well as an MicroSD card slot for easy expansion.
Both with 1TB and 16GB ram. Tab S9 Ultra comes with pen and 14.6" Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. $129.00 extra for Apple Pencil. Huge price difference!
Get the S9 Ultra, trust me you will love it. Like you said, it has expandable storage up to 1TB, S-Pen is included in the box and the screen on it is better than any iPad screen. For what I paid for my S9 Ultra, it wouldn't even have got me a base 11" M4 iPad lol. The screen on this is just amazing. You will never go back to an iPad for media consumption. And I first thought that the 16:10 aspect ratio was only good for media consumption but in the past 2 weeks I started to see that I much prefer 16:10 over iPads 4:3 for everything now. It's better in portrait (a lot more vertical space), better in landscape and better for multitasking with 2 apps side by side.
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I think the OP’s account has been hacked. 
Using the right tool for the job that makes it easier and pleasant, is what is important. I hope you continue to enjoy your new purchase.
Using the right tool for the job that makes it easier and pleasant, is what is important. I hope you continue to enjoy your new purchase.
Change can certainly be good once you get through the learning curve(s). My problem is I wasn’t very good at hitting curve balls.Thank you Robert. I was kind of hesitant to share this new info here, but I just had to. I am always excited about about new to me tech. I had a lot of fun learning the iPhone and iPad when they came out. I have that same kind of excitement all over again. Change can be good.
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I am excited about this new journey. I just love tech in general, but I never thought my love of tech would be leading me down 123 Samsung Drive, Androidville, USA.
The S9 Ultra gives a ton of value, it's such a great buy. I knew mine would be a keeper the day I got it.
I like the writing feel better on the S-Pen on the screen (feels a lot more natural than the Pencil) but after going back and fourth between the S9 Ultra and the ipad, I much prefer the feel of the Pencil in hand. It's thicker and feels more natural to a real pen. S-Pen is too thin IMO. If it was thicker, it would feel better. But it's close. I don't have anything against the plastic on glass feeling that you get with the Pencil. It doesn't feel as natural as the S-Pen but I don't mind it. So I'll be using my ipad for notes and not the S-Pen. Plus I prefer Notability app on iOS to the Samsung notes app, even though Notability is $15 a year to use the app.
You may want to consider this case. This is what I got. It's pricey for a one sided case but the kickstand is shockingly rock solid. Like Surface Pro kickstand solid. It looks bulky in the pics but it's actually very slim and not bulky at all. Probably the best quality case I've ever used. The materials and fit is top notch, couldn't be better. I use mine with a bluetooth keyboard.
Battery life?
It does sound interesting, but does it run regular Linux? Android is sort of Linux with added spyware, I'd rather run an independent distribution.
It does sound interesting, but does it run regular Linux? Android is sort of Linux with added spyware, I'd rather run an independent distribution.
You might remember me from the iPad as a laptop replacement thread. I have been critical of the iPad's desktop experience lately, particularly Stage Manager, not because I don't like the iPad or even because Stage Manager "sucks", but because going back to a Mac gave me a real sense of ease and freedom that I was missing from the iPad when it was in desktop mode.
And that caused a bit of unrest in that thread. But I think you can see that once you experiment with something that does desktop better, you do feel that sense of "oh man, this is cool, I wish my iPad could do this". I had one user in particular get really intense wanting me to quantify specifically what was "wrong" with Stage Manager and then wanting to debate every single point about it. But it's like, this other thing I tried feels better in certain aspects. Even if I technically could do most things on the iPad, other devices felt better in some circumstances.
That's the blessing and curse of using a bunch of different devices. You see it from different perspectives. But some people who only use one single device and don't get exposed to what things are like on the other side of the fence can get quite hostile to that outside perspective.
As you say, you love tech in general, and it is leading you down different paths and giving you different perspectives. You might find however that you cop some hate for trying to share those perspectives to those who are deeply shut down to them. Best of luck.
And that caused a bit of unrest in that thread. But I think you can see that once you experiment with something that does desktop better, you do feel that sense of "oh man, this is cool, I wish my iPad could do this". I had one user in particular get really intense wanting me to quantify specifically what was "wrong" with Stage Manager and then wanting to debate every single point about it. But it's like, this other thing I tried feels better in certain aspects. Even if I technically could do most things on the iPad, other devices felt better in some circumstances.
That's the blessing and curse of using a bunch of different devices. You see it from different perspectives. But some people who only use one single device and don't get exposed to what things are like on the other side of the fence can get quite hostile to that outside perspective.
As you say, you love tech in general, and it is leading you down different paths and giving you different perspectives. You might find however that you cop some hate for trying to share those perspectives to those who are deeply shut down to them. Best of luck.
I'm another Apple fan who's been around this subforum a lot lately as well.
I love Apple and remain in love with their ecosystem and polished OS, but like many of you, the iPad is sometimes a bit frustrating.
When I tried the Galaxy Tab S9+ (which I have a thread around that I recently updated with my recent purchase of the iPad Pro M4), I realized that while there are things I don't like (the screen format, the apps on Android for tablet are not as well adapted), there are things that I liked more and may have even outweighed those shortcomings.
The multi-window, the Samsung Dex, having real and not capped multitasking (please Apple, it's about time you change RAM management in iOS), the clipboard with access to it with everything you've recently copied... these are things I also really appreciate and really miss in iOS.
I currently have a Pixel 8 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ and am waiting on a Surface Pro 11, OLED with the Qualcomm X Elite. I like having an ecosystem outside of Apple to try out all the new stuff and use it in a more professional setting.
In the private sphere I still like the Apple ecosystem better, at least for the moment.
Yes it is true that Samsung makes very good offers in general and allows to get their ecosystem at a very attractive price. But for example, my One UI I do not get to like as much as Pixel UI ... there is something that does not please me, maybe it's the aesthetics, because at the level of functionalities is far superior.
I love Apple and remain in love with their ecosystem and polished OS, but like many of you, the iPad is sometimes a bit frustrating.
When I tried the Galaxy Tab S9+ (which I have a thread around that I recently updated with my recent purchase of the iPad Pro M4), I realized that while there are things I don't like (the screen format, the apps on Android for tablet are not as well adapted), there are things that I liked more and may have even outweighed those shortcomings.
The multi-window, the Samsung Dex, having real and not capped multitasking (please Apple, it's about time you change RAM management in iOS), the clipboard with access to it with everything you've recently copied... these are things I also really appreciate and really miss in iOS.
I currently have a Pixel 8 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ and am waiting on a Surface Pro 11, OLED with the Qualcomm X Elite. I like having an ecosystem outside of Apple to try out all the new stuff and use it in a more professional setting.
In the private sphere I still like the Apple ecosystem better, at least for the moment.
Yes it is true that Samsung makes very good offers in general and allows to get their ecosystem at a very attractive price. But for example, my One UI I do not get to like as much as Pixel UI ... there is something that does not please me, maybe it's the aesthetics, because at the level of functionalities is far superior.
I was also thinking of switching to Windows now that they have decent ARM chips. Trouble is, it's still Windows and I set up a friends Windows laptop last year - so much bloat, ads, driver issues etc. macOS is much nicer.
I was also thinking of switching back to iPhone, my last being that amazing jet black 7 Plus, so that Apple Reminders, Calendars, and Notes would sync nicely with my Mac. But again, I used my mum's iPhone and reminded myself why I prefer Android.
So I guess I'll have to straddle between both systems. I wish either Windows laptops improved, or iPhones improved so I could stick to one "ecosystem".
Love Samsung One UI's multitasking with two apps side by side. It's just so quick and seemless to get going. And with the 16:10 aspect ratio, it is truly the perfect aspect ratio for this. But I wouldn't settle for any size smaller than the S9 Ultra.
With two apps side by side, on the S9 Ultra it is perfect for scaling and readability. It feels so fresh because we've never seen this feature before. I really hope Microsoft adds this feature or something along the lines of this to Windows 11. I could never go back to manually resizing windows in windows 11. It just feels slow, and cumbersome to me now.
I don't even use DEX because I don't need to. Samsung One UI does it all for me.
With two apps side by side, on the S9 Ultra it is perfect for scaling and readability. It feels so fresh because we've never seen this feature before. I really hope Microsoft adds this feature or something along the lines of this to Windows 11. I could never go back to manually resizing windows in windows 11. It just feels slow, and cumbersome to me now.
I don't even use DEX because I don't need to. Samsung One UI does it all for me.
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I am lucky to have two "separate" systems. For my personal and daily use, I prefer the Apple ecosystem, but now that I have embarked on a new professional "adventure", I think Android and Windows is more suitable, at least where I live, in Spain, since most of the software in the sector I work in works much better on Windows than on Mac.
I suppose I will eventually combine some of them. Phones I prefer to keep them separate. But in tablet in the end I will end up deciding one, surely the iPad and if I like how the Surface works, in the Android + Windows realm I will stick only with the Pixel and the Surface.
OP, the best part about Galaxy Tabs is the best deals are always trade-in deals directly with Samsung. For example, last week, you could upgrade S8 Ultra to S9 Ultra for $120.
You'll never get those kinds of trade-ins with Apple. Ever.
That's a big reason why I still bought the S9 Ultra even though it's almost a year old now and we know S10 Ultra will be probably within the next 6 months. If the S10 U is that much better I know I can upgrade it for a small price.
Again, You'll never get those kinds of trade-ins with Apple. Ever.
You'll never get those kinds of trade-ins with Apple. Ever.
That's a big reason why I still bought the S9 Ultra even though it's almost a year old now and we know S10 Ultra will be probably within the next 6 months. If the S10 U is that much better I know I can upgrade it for a small price.
Again, You'll never get those kinds of trade-ins with Apple. Ever.
Interesting! I’m also checking out a galaxy tab, S6 lite. What apps are you using as App Store replacements?
Thanks for the reply! Mine comes with Targus keyboard, I’m still struggling on keyboard shortcuts e.g. how to switch apps, close app, open app on dock etc. I noticed yours has Win key while the Targus has 🌐 globe instead.
Do you use Bixby? How is it compared to Siri?
As for apps, so far I’ll probably use:
- Note taking: INKredible vs Notability (iOS)
- Productivity, document: WPS / SoftMaker office / OnlyOffice / Hancom Office vs iWork (iOS, no MS Office for me because I don’t subscribe)
- Illustration: Infinite Painter, Infinite Design, Tayasui, Artflow
- Browser with ad block: Samsung Internet, Brave, Firefox, DuckDuckGo
- Ad blocker: use AdGuard DNS or Blokada from F-Droid
Just read that Samsung no longer supports DeX on Mac. So if you’re planning to mirror (Quick Share), cast (Samsung Flow) or DeX your Samsung to a monitor or PC, you’ll need phones or tablets with USB C 3.2 and/or Windows.
Edit: USB C 3.2 only needed for wired connection e.g. external video to monitor. Wireless can occur via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Edit: USB C 3.2 only needed for wired connection e.g. external video to monitor. Wireless can occur via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
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