Toshiba Thrive… or My New McKay-blet ;) – Part 2

If you didn’t read the previous entry then you really should stop here, go read the previous post and then come back here.

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Communications Hub – Pt. II

As I was saying (before being interrupted by a known WordPress issue with long posts…), the Toshiba Thrive has taken over as the primary method of my electronic communication.

Where this really shines for me is being able to add in apps that handle all the communications methods I use, from IRC, to AIM (on the rare occasion), to WordPress entries and comments (like this entry) to all points inbetween. One can even torrent and use TOR and the Thrive doesn’t skip a beat or skimp on any of them.

Video chat.. got it, audio chat.. got it… all through Google Talk … or Ventrillo, or Teamspeak, or ..you pick ;) There is no longer any other need for yet another device to handle any of these functions.

Now, to my knowledge, and in the interest of disclosure, I do believe that the Thrive is a wifi only tablet… and while that may be a dealbreaker for some of you up front, be advised that you can tether to your phone or use a netbook usb dongle to interact with the 4G networks, if you like… and in the future, you can simply replace that usb dongle, so in effect, it’ll keep pace with you for a while, despite not having 4G onboard*.

In any case, I don’t want a cell phone on my wifi workstation tablet, so I’m happy with things the way they are.

(* some companies may in fact have a built in cell enabled version of the Thrive.. I leave it to you to check.)

So, The Thrive Is Great, But What Are You Actually Doing With It?

Well, for me the Thrive seemed to be the only tablet on the market to fit the bill for my uses… and that, as an artist, not only did I need a large screen, but I needed plenty of storage capability as well. I also liked to code, so the OS had to let me do that without worry and it had to be fast… no sense getting something awesomely transportable, with all these functions that turned out to be slower than molasses in winter.

The Thrive is fast, very fast, it multi tasks and it does exactly what I want it to do. Never have I had anything slot into my tech needs list so darn well and so quickly.

Thanks to wonderful apps like Sketchbook Mobile (SBM), I can draw, right on the tablet and do everything from storyboards to final line art (and with layers!) that I can then save as a .psd and ship over to photoshop for final colour and post processing. Its painless, and I suspect it’s goiing to save me alot of money on artist notebooks (digital means infinite pages after all).

Couple that with Winamp to handle my music, Gallery to handle my pictures (although Hey, GOOGLE! Three words -SORT BY NAME!-), Youtube to handle how-to and funny videos, a browser to handle my surfing… all I really need is a pair of headphones my can’t won’t chew up and I’m good for 8hr jaunts out into the world, or my living room, ready to focus on my work. And if i need a new full battery charge right now.. I can take off the back and put in a new backup battery (I don’t have one though), or I can simply plugin somewhere and keep on keepin on ;)

So that’s where we are, I have a Java compiler, a text editor, a graphics tablet, communications hub, video conferencing suite, a nice big screen for google maps, calendar, MP3 player/Audio recorder, Video Editor and Compiler…. all that AND its in one device which can expand to cover many more interests.

With luck, maybe the Toshiba Thrive will fit yours too :)

~Lourdes

Toshiba Thrive… or My New McKay-blet ;)

This past week, Z delivered to me my Post Christmas present, the Toshiba Thrive McKay-blet (err… Tablet for those of you not fans of Stargate Atlantis’, Dr. Rodney McKay). It is my pleasure to say that as a creative type of person, this device is, hands down, the most useful daily use device I have ever had the pleasure of owning.

Hardware Highlights

The Thrive is an honestly amazing bit of technology. At 10.1 and 7 inch varieties, I decided to go with a little more real estate and asked for the 10.1 inch model. I did this after alot of research into the tablets currently on the market and with mini-usb, Full USB, HDMI out and an sdcard expander, it kicks the snot out of the ipad and samsung galaxy.

I can plug in a full size usb keyboard or use a bluetooth one, I can add more internal memory via an SDcard (full size or mini via an adapter [full size only on 10.1" models]) and if I need more storage space, I can plug a full external Hd onto the device and have as much storage or access to stored media as I like, directly. Right now i’m using es file explorer to access things over wifi at home though, if I’m ever in need though.. external hd capacity is right there waiting.

Power Utilization

My god its full of stars! Literally, through all functions other than video use, the Thrive gives me a little over 8hrs of continuous multi-app use. I had resigned myself to tethering for power with other devices up to now, only taking them off charge when I had somewhere to go, but this allows me to get out from behind my desk (where my tower pc is) and move around.

I have discovered other areas of my house that I hereto for only heard reference to in legend… aka the ‘living room’.

Customization

The Thrive comes with the latest Honeycomb Android OS, though I hear Ice Cream Sandwich is coming soon. Nevermind that though, the Thrive is happy where it is and requires little customization of the OS itself to run like a powerhouse. In fact the only thing I had to do was replace the standard honeycomb keyboard with the ‘Hacker’s Keyboard’, available for free in the Google Market. As a result I have all the sanity of a regular keyboard, including function keys and arrows, and this makes life alot more friendly.

Apps

With the Google Marketplace being right there, its easy peasy to go hunting for the apps that are right for you, many have free and paid versions, so you can check out the applications before you buy, with various restrictions that are removed from the full version. I have noticed though, that many software vendors on android are really good about not getting in your face about buying, or throwing ads in your face constantly. They really seem to want you to get a good idea of what you’d get from the full version. The only time you really notice its not a paid app that you have, is when you reach for the extra features. And honestly, that’s nice.. I don’t need popups annoying the snark out of me every five minutes like some pc and mac software used to.

Communications Hub

Equipped with Google Talk and gmail, straight out of the gate, the Thrive has already taken over (from my OG Motorola Droid) my primary communications functions.

There’s more space to read and to type at a respectable full keyboard speed, even if i do end up hitting ‘n’ instead of the spacebar due to honeycomb not allowing you to extend down the full screen (it keeps a status bar on the bottom which means you either hit the bezel and nothing happens, hit the spacebar, or for a righty like me, you hit the ‘n’). Alas, this is not toshiba’s fault. This is android, and while noted -its not a big deal, and if you watch your keys, your good to go.. Just something to watch.

More next entry ;)

~Lourdes

December Happenings 2011

Greetings all :)

I haven’t added a post here since April of this year and while some of you may be thinking that ‘that’s it, she’s outta SL for good’ , nothing could be further from the truth. I told all my readers that the Eyes of Laysan were watching –and they have been :)

So I see finally that Linden Labs has got their shit together as far as connecting up their billing and verification systems and they’ve added wonderful little controls for indicating whether or not the avatar you are using is a simulacrum powered by virtual intelligence or a real being. and I see that the viewer has gotten a few more features (though I can’t say the redesigns I’ve seen since April, knock my socks off) and then there’s the advent of Mesh onto the grid which I have very personal feelings about (can we say bad idea from a philosphic, lets keep the barriers to entry low for everyone, view?).

Moreover it seems like the public opinion on Superhero groups doing actual in-world policing has switched to the emphatically negative and that, ironically (considering that community was part friendship enhance, bread and butter as well as, in some cases, the bane of my virtual existence) my place was largely founded in that community, I have come to agree with that conclusion.

As a maker of items of superheroic pervue, it may, on the surface, seem anathema to have that view now, but superheroics in SL now, serve no purpose other than RPG fun and, it seems largely, to become the very thing you fought against.

As RPG devices and supplies, I’m happy with what I’ve made. From a superheroic standpoint of a woman with her finger on the Central Power Battery, security to assure that these devices aren’t misused has always been keen on my mind. And most clients know that, and I think that extra time and effort put in has resulted in the fact that I have only once, many years ago, been forced to instruct the CPB to depower someone permanently.

When I return to business in SL, this will not change.

 

Am I ready to come back to SL just yet?

The answer at the moment so far is no. While SL has made significant strides in mediating the downward spiral at the lab, I’m still wary of a few things. So I’ll be keeping an eye on them and if those are resolved (as were billing and verification issues I had with Linden Lab [see above]) then you’ll be the first to know. For now, I’ll be popping in, trying out various upgrades (like Raycasting), and gauging the world’s readiness. Me and the Magrathean’s are alike in that regard, for differing purpose.

 

Stroker Serpentine

One thing that I am concerned about, and have been since I found out, is in the news of Stroker Serpentine’s departure from SL and the circumstances surrounding it. Once at the top of the world, with significant profit as well, Stroker, to all reports is penniless and, if reports are to be believed, using drugs to get through his day.

Say what you want, and I only had great contacts with Stroker and more specifically his online family and staff, but I’m pretty sure that this is a story that should’ve ended in the Anshe Chung way, not been an example of how to lose everything and destroy a human being and his family. That’s the one thing I really can’t stomach within SL, the perceived two facedness in which some users act and the outright maliciousness of those who just can’t listen to their better natures and feel the need to go after someone to the point of this, alleged, result.

There need to be boundaries. A point past which you wouldn’t want someone to go and therefore shouldn’t go yourselves. That’s all I’m saying. And so to Stroker, I hope he has cleaned up or cleans up soon and gets back to rebuilding his life, learning from the mistakes he made without the jeers of others egging him to lower depths.

 

Finally

As I said before the Eyes of Laysan are watching…

..and the labs, they are a researching and experimenting :)

~Lourdes

Progress at Linden Lab

Its nice to see progress, of a kind, taking place at the lab. Not enough so far for a return, but genuinely it seems things are moving slowly in a direction marked ‘good’ ;)

The eyes of Laysan are watching.

Sl Viewer 2.5 Release, Fixing things that were oh so broke for so long..

I don’t know if its the new CEO, but I like to think so. The annoying IM pops and the godawful group chat interruption that could never ever be silenced, finally FINALLY (after years and years of wishing and wanting and yelling) have been dealt with. There are two checkboxes in preferences that allow you to put the kaibosh on them and never again be bothered. Oh you get blinkies in the corner on the status bar, but that is far FAR less annoying and even, dare I say, pleasant ;)

Also noticed I no longer have to wade through 9000 group and other messages by waiting for them to pop and clicking ‘no’ or ;yes’ or the ‘x’.. now i can get to em when I’m good n ready and x em all, easy as pie.

So Congratulations Linden Lab! Between the above and finally being able to RELIABLY set my camera angle to behind my avatar (not above and overlooking my avatar) I am starting to feel like Second Life is becoming user driven again…If this happened because you got Rod Humble as CEO, then welcome Rod… seriously… we needed you, sir!

~Lourdes

PS- things keep going in this nice direction without graphical bloat and other issues… I may actually contemplate a serious full on return :)