[Q] How is the app selection on Honeycomb these days... and 4.0..?

[nook-color]

How are the apps on the 10" Honeycomb O/S?

I'm running 2.3 on my Nook, but with the TF 2 coming out, may upgrade. When I got my Nook, I was reading that there wasn't much app selection on Honeycomb. Now it looks like Android is looking to roll into 4.0 in the not too distant future.

Will I be giving up alot of app selection if I upgrade to Honeycomb Tablet, or has the last 8 months or so shown alot of app development with all the Honeycomb Tablets that have hit the market?

Love my 7" screen, but could use a 10" for some uses. And a faster performance is always a plus.

 

[wynand32]

I've found that the vast majority of apps run just fine on Honeycomb and 10.1" screens. In fact, I consider it a complete fallacy that there's a small selection of apps for Honeycomb tablets.

If an app runs on your Nook, it'll mostly likely run just fine on the Transformer (or any other). It may be stretched out a bit in some cases, or in others might be blown up and a bit pixelated, but again most of the apps I've tried run just fine and are entirely usable.

At the same time, the number of tablet- and Honeycomb-optimized apps increases everyday. There are quite a few good apps. There's a thread here somewhere that discusses those apps, and I recommend you take a look.

 

[nook-color]

Thanks for the heads up. I think I found it in the other subforum.

 

[Manusia]

Will Google work on a dedicated market section for tablets? I'm tired of going through tonnes of phone apps before finding one optimized for tablets.

 

[player911]

I'm not sure. I think they are trying to NOT have separate Phone and Tablet apps. They are pushing for the devs to program the app to auto-sense the screen size and adjust accordingly.

But I've used my TF for a while now and really never had the need to find "special apps". For example, the XDA app isn't "optimized" for Tablets but looks just perfect. Most games and apps never had an issue with screen size. In fact I've never found an app that didn't look right (I'm sure they're out there though).

I did toy around with the Nook Color while waiting for the iPad2 (which I traded for the TF) and while it is a neat toy, it wasn't quite a good experience. The OS seemed to run ok, but the Nook Color is what it is. Aside from larger screen space, you'll find the Transformer (or any real tablet) a much better experience all around.

I am surprised how well the Nook Color ran. I never would have thought it would play games and apps so well. The screen was very nice too but a little too small. I can see a 7" screen being great for a sole device, but when you have a 4" screen on your phone 3" doesn't really make that much of a difference. A phone and 10" tablet work well.

I use WiFi Explorer to share files back and forth. Good tip.

 

[Manusia]

I think that's a terrible decision. App devs simply aren't catching up. And some just don't bother. I too, traded a brand new iPad 2 to buy this Transformer. But every single time I enter the Market, I regret my decision. I feel that it just gives a terrible user experience.

First, forced horizontal orientation. What's that about?

Next would be this issue, the lack of a dedicated tablet section. While most of the apps do work, some apps do have tablet-optimized alternatives out there. But because of how the Market is right now, it's no easy task looking for it.

Another benefit of having a dedicated tablet section is that there will be a separate ranking (top sellers) from the phone apps.

They do have a "Staff Picks for Tablets" section right now - and I hope that they are going to expand on that. Over 90% of the apps listed there are games; not what I bought my Transformer for.

Google may have a decent rationalization behind not going forward with it, but until the devs actually catch up, users are the one suffering.

 

[Pat123]

It's going to be a while before HC/ICS catches up with iPad in terms of number and quality of Apps on Tablets is concerned. In the meanwhile, you can use www.tablified.com to navigate through all tablet-optimized apps on Android.

 

[Manusia]

That's awesome. Thanks for the link!

 

[hyperxi]

First, forced horizontal orientation. What's that about?

That drove me crazy everytime I opened the Market in portrait orientation. But it's fixed with the new Market in the latest TF firmware update! The new Market's awesome

 

[towlie288]

And the new market offers a selection of the best tablet apps. Has anyonwe seen that already?

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

 

[finalhit]

I think that's a terrible decision. App devs simply aren't catching up. And some just don't bother. I too, traded a brand new iPad 2 to buy this Transformer. But every single time I enter the Market, I regret my decision. I feel that it just gives a terrible user experience.

First, forced horizontal orientation. What's that about?

Next would be this issue, the lack of a dedicated tablet section. While most of the apps do work, some apps do have tablet-optimized alternatives out there. But because of how the Market is right now, it's no easy task looking for it.

Another benefit of having a dedicated tablet section is that there will be a separate ranking (top sellers) from the phone apps.

They do have a "Staff Picks for Tablets" section right now - and I hope that they are going to expand on that. Over 90% of the apps listed there are games; not what I bought my Transformer for.

Google may have a decent rationalization behind not going forward with it, but until the devs actually catch up, users are the one suffering.

Hate to sound fanboyish here but really? These complaints are hyperbolic and whiny. Orientation? Really?

I've yet to find myself in a situation wishing that an application (or type of application) that i'm looking for came in a tablet specific version. every app i've gotten just worked.

the only exception being launchers...but AFAIK, you can't even change launchers for the ipad.

encouraging devs to develop two versions of their apps is worse for consumers. you have to pay twice for premium apps. (angry birds anyone?)

lastly, just get an ipad. there's absolutely no reason you should be miserable with your TF. i mean cmon, you have to rotate it to horizontal orrientation and everything. OH THE HUMANITY!!!!!

---

edit: i just realized you're not even complaining about tablet specific apps..you're complaining about lack of listing for said apps. that's even more superficial. just add 'tablet' to your search. good lord. or tablified.com


but really though, just get an ipad.

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

 

[RonSykes]

The new market has made it a bit easier to find goo tablet apps. the best source of app recommendations for me though has always been blogs and forums.

Almost all of my most used (and most tablet friendly) apps have been from my news feed.

Some apps that I've found to take advantage of the extra screen real estate, in elegant and useful ways are, News360, (Google) Reader, IMDB, Gmail.

Oh my god, I just noticed that ezPDF pro has been updated with a native HC interface (I haven't had the tablet for a few weeks as the screen needed replacing), nice.

 

[ayman07]

I don't know about you guys but I did not purchase a tablet so I can run phone apps. I don't understand how people are okay with the fact that you have such a big beautiful screen that can hold and display so much information but yet, you settle for an app that does nothing but stretch to fit the screen.

For example, tapatalk is an app that I use almost daily but it frustrates the hell out of me. Maneuvering through forums and threads would be much more efficient if they took advantage of fragments and displayed the threads on the left and the individual post content on the right. The user experience on a tablet should always be better on a tablet than on a small phone and right now, Android is lacking in that UX department due to the lack of tablet apps.

And just because a dev makes a tablet version and a phone version doesn't always mean that you will have to pay twice. Take Plume for example, they have a tablet UI and a phone UI all in one app, thats how it should be! I don't want to use the plume phone app on my giant tablet screen. Whats the point then?

I hate when people say that there are 300,000+ android tablet app....no there isn't-there are under 2k, thats a more accurate number. There's a big difference between an app that works on tablets and an app that was designed with tablets in mind.

and I don't think the other user is being a whiner about the landscape-only market. it annoyed the hell out of me too. Just because it wasn't included to begin with doesn't mean that it was the best choice. If you are not a fanboy then you would point out the flaws and admit that they are real. I love android but I am not a fanboy, if there's an issue, I will point it out. The market has major issues and I hope Google address them soon.

Just my 2cents.

 

[Manusia]

That drove me crazy everytime I opened the Market in portrait orientation. But it's fixed with the new Market in the latest TF firmware update! The new Market's awesome

Really? Awesome! Just waiting for them to put the update back up

Hate to sound fanboyish here but really? These complaints are hyperbolic and whiny. Orientation? Really?

I've yet to find myself in a situation wishing that an application (or type of application) that i'm looking for came in a tablet specific version. every app i've gotten just worked.

the only exception being launchers...but AFAIK, you can't even change launchers for the ipad.

encouraging devs to develop two versions of their apps is worse for consumers. you have to pay twice for premium apps. (angry birds anyone?)

lastly, just get an ipad. there's absolutely no reason you should be miserable with your TF. i mean cmon, you have to rotate it to horizontal orrientation and everything. OH THE HUMANITY!!!!!

---

edit: i just realized you're not even complaining about tablet specific apps..you're complaining about lack of listing for said apps. that's even more superficial. just add 'tablet' to your search. good lord. or tablified.com


but really though, just get an ipad.

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

You have low expectations. Not my problem. You know why iPad is leading in the tablet market? User experience. Not just from using the product itself, but when researching as well. I have come across posts like yours so many times when people try to compare iPad and an Android. "Oh gosh just go get an iPad". And they do. Your ignorance is humoring though. Pointing out how Android can be improved gets me labeled as a fanboy. I've been recommending the TF to many of my friends since I got it. The Android Market sucks - doesn't mean I hate everything about the TF.

I'm glad you like the app to dictate what orientation you should hold your tablet. And I'm glad that you're fine with phone apps. Personally, I find tablet-optimized versions much better than their phone counterparts. But hey, I'm just a whiny dumbfuck.

Just add 'tablet'. Heh, if only it works such wonder every time. And while it's good that SOMEONE made the effort to list out the tablet apps, it's saddening that it isn't Google themselves. But what do you care about a simplified user experience?

Oh my god, I just noticed that ezPDF pro has been updated with a native HC interface (I haven't had the tablet for a few weeks as the screen needed replacing), nice.

Love ezPDF

 

[finalhit]

Really? Awesome! Just waiting for them to put the update back up


You have low expectations. Not my problem. You know why iPad is leading in the tablet market? User experience. Not just from using the product itself, but when researching as well. I have come across posts like yours so many times when people try to compare iPad and an Android. "Oh gosh just go get an iPad". And they do. Your ignorance is humoring though. Pointing out how Android can be improved gets me labeled as a fanboy. I've been recommending the TF to many of my friends since I got it. The Android Market sucks - doesn't mean I hate everything about the TF.

I'm glad you like the app to dictate what orientation you should hold your tablet. And I'm glad that you're fine with phone apps. Personally, I find tablet-optimized versions much better than their phone counterparts. But hey, I'm just a whiny dumbfuck.

Just add 'tablet'. Heh, if only it works such wonder every time. And while it's good that SOMEONE made the effort to list out the tablet apps, it's saddening that it isn't Google themselves. But what do you care about a simplified user experience?


Love ezPDF

i said "(i'd) hate to sound fanboying here but...". i wasn't calling you a fanboy, i'm saying, i'd hate to sound like a fanboy.

this is my main criticism of you.
you: " But every single time I enter the Market, I regret my decision. "

really? the orientation of the market, makes you regret completely of your choice to switching to the android? i don't have low expectations, you are majorly anal. my statement about switching to the ipad is wholy predicated on this statement as well. if the orientation of the market makes you regret your decision to switch...then switch back. This superficial problem is making you want to switch...then switch. i was not generalizing on how you feel about android as a whole....you were doing that. re-read your own post.

next, i also find tablet optimized apps better for my app...who said i didn't?

my critic to you was that you're hyperbolic and whiny...someone already mentioned that google didn't want fragmentation. promotating such a dichotomy would cause fragmentation. your response was: just do it anyway. The android OS is not designed to run on a specific resolution, and google always intended all apps to follow the same paradigm.

for the market to have it's own dedicated "tablet" section means devs would simply mark their apps to work for a certain resolution...which resolution would that be? what resolution qualifies as a tablet? ... suddenly the question becomes vague doesn't it?

what qualifies as an tablet app? is tapalk a tablet app? it runs on my tablet...so i guess it is, right? btw, tapatalk was not intended to be a tablet app...but having been designed correctly, it just works as a tablet app. come to think of it100% of the apps i've tried runs on my tablet actually. so i guess all of those are tablet apps well, right?

who's gonna be the arbiter of the official "tabletness" of an app? google? they're gonna go through all the apps, and all the possible resolution, and determine if "this looks right". the developers? if the app runs on the tablet...is it a tablet app? so if there were such a "tablet" section, wouldn't that just include everything?

i guess the compromise would be for google to put up a "recomendation" list for tablets...not an official list...because such a list would be vague an meaningless, but simply test a few apps for tablets, and reccomend them to people....oh wait, they already do that.

so yea, i'm not calling you a fanboy, i'm calling you anal. if the market's orientation makes you regret your decision to switch...then switch back...your words, not mine.

i'm not an android fanboy, i like reading valid critics of the system...keyword being valid. not whiny, ill-informed ones.

so i guess long story short, your probem is that you're working of a false premise...there's no such thing as tablet apps. splitting the market into such doesn't make sense.

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

 

[Manusia]

i said "(i'd) hate to sound fanboying here but...". i wasn't calling you a fanboy, i'm saying, i'd hate to sound like a fanboy.

this is my main criticism of you.
you: " But every single time I enter the Market, I regret my decision. "

really? the orientation of the market, makes you regret completely of your choice to switching to the android? i don't have low expectations, you are majorly anal. my statement about switching to the ipad is wholy predicated on this statement as well. if the orientation of the market makes you regret your decision to switch...then switch back. This superficial problem is making you want to switch...then switch. i was not generalizing on how you feel about android as a whole....you were doing that. re-read your own post.

next, i also find tablet optimized apps better for my app...who said i didn't?

my critic to you was that you're hyperbolic and whiny...someone already mentioned that google didn't want fragmentation. promotating such a dichotomy would cause fragmentation. your response was: just do it anyway. The android OS is not designed to run on a specific resolution, and google always intended all apps to follow the same paradigm.

for the market to have it's own dedicated "tablet" section means devs would simply mark their apps to work for a certain resolution...which resolution would that be? what resolution qualifies as a tablet? ... suddenly the question becomes vague doesn't it?

what qualifies as an tablet app? is tapalk a tablet app? it runs on my tablet...so i guess it is, right? btw, tapatalk was not intended to be a tablet app...but having been designed correctly, it just works as a tablet app. come to think of it100% of the apps i've tried runs on my tablet actually. so i guess all of those are tablet apps well, right?

who's gonna be the arbiter of the official "tabletness" of an app? google? they're gonna go through all the apps, and all the possible resolution, and determine if "this looks right". the developers? if the app runs on the tablet...is it a tablet app? so if there were such a "tablet" section, wouldn't that just include everything?

i guess the compromise would be for google to put up a "recomendation" list for tablets...not an official list...because such a list would be vague an meaningless, but simply test a few apps for tablets, and reccomend them to people....oh wait, they already do that.

so yea, i'm not calling you a fanboy, i'm calling you anal. if the market's orientation makes you regret your decision to switch...then switch back...your words, not mine.

i'm not an android fanboy, i like reading valid critics of the system...keyword being valid. not whiny, ill-informed ones.

so i guess long story short, your probem is that you're working of a false premise...there's no such thing as tablet apps. splitting the market into such doesn't make sense.

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

My bad on misreading that sentence of yours.

Regretting my decision while in the Market isn't just because of the orientation, but rather the whole experience of using it. Other issues such as poor search results (which I find ironic, considering Google) are also present.

It's great to have an app that adjusts to different resolutions, but right now the phone apps that do it are simply stretching it out. There's a lot of real estate on the screen that could be put into great use, but simply aren't.

You have a good point at "what constitutes a tablet", but manufacturers are already good at differentiating their product categories. And considering the fact that they are customizing the OS for their devices, it boils down to them to classify their devices. Apps can still work the same way of dynamically adjusting according to resolution, but also having a different layout if it's used on a tablet.

Having a dedicated section makes it easier to browse for apps. What if a dev simply wants to focus on building an app for tablet (ie. simply not suitable for phone resolutions, though it may still run)? The app will then be put into the same market where existing phone apps may be overshadowing it. If there was a section for tablet-optimized apps, the app can get more exposure to the right target market. It benefits both the dev and the user.

I don't mind you calling me whiny or anal about it. I have my own expectations. I call yours low, though you may feel it's not. Whether or not it's a valid complaint to you, that's your own opinion - but there are many out there who have similar complaints.

As for the orientation, like I said, why have an app dictate what orientation you use it at? Especially a native app. Anal, arguably yes, but these minor points simply build up to the users' experience. I know many Android phone fans that feel that Android's tablet market is really not yet there. While I agree, I have my reasons for choosing the TF - as it does excel in some other aspects.

 

[nightwulf]

You know why iPad is leading in the tablet market? User experience.

You misspelled "marketing."

It stuns me that for all the Apple propaganda everywhere you look, you barely see any Android tablet manufacturers advertising. The few ads you see are generally wireless companies trying to sell you their service that happens to come with a tablet.

I have a few friends who are Apple fans, and every one of them (a) enjoyed my tablet after playing around with it, and (b) had never heard of "Asus" or "Transformer."

Apple really ingrained themselves in American culture with the iPod / iPhone revolution, and even heavy advertising may not help Asus. But eventually Apple will fall; see Nintendo in the late 90s.

 

[ayman07]

what qualifies as an tablet app? come to think of it 100% of the apps i've tried runs on my tablet actually. so i guess all of those are tablet apps well, right?

No..no it doesn't.

A tablet app is an application that has a revamped UI that takes advantage of the screen real estate. The UX of that app should be greatly enhanced when using the app on a tablet vs using the app on the phone. Of course, the idea of an 'enhanced UX' differs from person to person the former should remain constant; an app with a revamped UI that takes advantage of the real estate of the tablet.

Its a rough definition but its definitely one that thousands of people agree with.

 

[finalhit]

No..no it doesn't.

A tablet app is an application that has a revamped UI that takes advantage of the screen real estate. The UX of that app should be greatly enhanced when using the app on a tablet vs using the app on the phone. Of course, the idea of an 'enhanced UX' differs from person to person the former should remain constant; an app with a revamped UI that takes advantage of the real estate of the tablet.

Its a rough definition but its definitely one that thousands of people agree with.

can you get computers to agree with that? the criteria you're using is one of aesthetics. android app binaries all look the same. UX is not quantifiable. the only way to create such a system is via an opt-in system, where a dev can just mark their app as "enhanced for tablets" on their own definition of the criterion. that does not make for a very sound system.

 

[ayman07]

I'm not seeing your point here.

Aesthetics enhance UX. Consumers don't care about binary, they care about how the app looks on a big tablet.

Like I said, the app can have one binary with two different UIs. Its not a complex concept. Its been done before and it should continue to be done by developers.