Foothold Scenario -- Google and Amazon!

Google gains a Foothold!

We've been seeing a lot happen with Google and Amazon.   Each bringing out their own tablets, like the Kindle and my recent Review of the Acer 200.   It is all about brand name and who captures the market.  When I first made the prediction of the Amazon Kindle, I didn't think Google would be this strong.  Although lately, I've beginning to want to make another great prediction and this one is looking to be a very good chance of happening.  Google whether we like it or not is gaining a foothold on the video market and we have to acknoledge that even if we do it grungingly. 

Reason why Google will win!

"Google will win by a landslide" will be a heading that I predict will happen.  When Google started making the Android O/S, no one expected them to want to go into the Video market place but that seems to be changing.  Now I know they have a ways to go before they will be Amazon but I do think they have a very good chance of that for several reasons and I will gladly share them with you.

• No propietary software -- Although Android O/s is somewhat proprietary each company who wants to develop their own O/s from Android can.  So you can have multiple looks and feels to Android and thus get the most exposure.
• More Widely Available -- Let's face it the Kindle isn't free but yet you can't buy a different tablet and have it put on it.  You have to buy their proprietary software and their hardware to view there movies on a portable device.  Unlike Google, you can buy any portable tablet and probably even put android on it with little or not help.
• The market is satiuated with Tablets -- Before Amazon came along we already had a ton of tablets out there that was all ready to be used for video.   Although Netflix [Affililiate Link] and Hulu can be used it is somewhat kind of disappointing because you can't download them for later watching.  You can only stream them.
• Ipad Versus Android Tablets -- I hate to say this but Ipads, Iphones, and Ipad Minis are what I consider "High brow" and the Android Tablets are "Low brow".  In other words Android tablets are good for people who are watching what they spend and the Ipads are good for those who doesn't mind spending a lot.

As you can see these are just a few of the reasons why Android is going to win out on the Video market place but that isn't the only reasons.   I won't go into a lot of details about it but you can see they are gaining a really big foothold and I can't wait to see what Amazon [Affiliate Link] does to to try to prevent it.  I've also am quite excited that you can buy movies from Google before they are released on DVD just like the Men in Black 3 Movie, so I can watch it on my Android Tablet before the 30th! 

Paul Sylvester

Amazon Affiliate Link!

Being Impressed with the Acer A200!!

Acer Tablet A200 and Me!

I've been using this Acer Tablet for over a Month and have yet to be disappointed with it.  I usually don't speak more than once on anything I have seen or done but I will tell you some of the amazing stuff that I found out with this little tablet.  I thought it was high time to share with you some of the amazing abilities that you can use this tablet for.

Speech to Text!

I know your thinking this is impossible with a tablet that probably doesn't have the power or speed to be able to change what you say into text.  I've on the other hand have found this to be a very useful way to send emails or even to use Google Voice to send text to people who I really don't have time to sit there and use the on screen keyboard.  I will say this is still a new technology and thus there will always be mistakes when it tries to understand what your saying.   I'm willing to guess that it is only like a 1 out of 10 words that it gets wrong with me.  I'll say that I don't always pronounce or enunciate alot so it really does a good job with figuring out what I said and putting in text format.

Google Play Store!

Another Great resource at your disposal and I do mean that.   Some of the shows that you can watch on your tablet are:

• Mythbusters Season 6-13 -- If your like me you like to be able to watch them any place you go and this will allow you the ability to download them and take them with you.
• Warehouse 13 (Season 1-4) --  I love this Science Fiction like this and want others to be able to experience them on your own Acer Tablet. 
• Royal Pains (Season 1-4) -- Like seeing blood or how Doctors react under pressure this is a good problem solving doctors show.  
• House (Season 1-8) -- Another one of those doctor shows that you might like to watch on your Acer Tablet.
• Naruto (All Episodes) -- This is something that I loved to watch growing up and thus will recommend this show to anyone who likes Japan animation.  It really grows on you as you watch it.
• Naruto Shippuden -- Although you have to stream these episodes you can keep up on the show as it progresses even more.   Thanks to CrunchRoll!

All of these episodes can be done on the Acer Tablet but if you have an Android it should work on any Android device as long as it is compatible with your device.   I just wanted to share with you some of the things you can do with your Acer A200 and show you some of the things I've done with it.  

Paul Sylvester

Amazon Affiliate Link

Reviewing the Acer Iconia A200 10.1 Tablet!

Acer Iconia A200!

I found the tablet for me, it is Acer Iconia A200 10.1-Inch Tablet [Affiliate Link]and I must say I am loving this little tablet.   It is far better than some of the others that you might of wanted.   Here are the specs for the tablet:

Screen Size	2.5 inches
Max Screen Resolution	1280 x 800 pixels
Processor	1 GHz Tegra 2.0
RAM	1 GB DDR2
Hard Drive	8 GB
Graphics Coprocessor	NVIDIA GeForce GPU
Chipset Brand	NVIDIA
Wireless Type	802.11bgn
Number of USB 2.0 Ports	2
Average Battery Life (in hours)	8 hours

Other Technical Details

Brand Name	Acer
Series	Iconia
Item model number	A200-10g08u
Hardware Platform	PC
Operating System	Android Honeycomb 3.2
Item Weight:	1.5 pounds
Item Dimensions L x W x H	10.20 x 6.90 x 0.48 inches
Color	Titanium Gray
Processor Brand	NVIDIA
Processor Count	1
Computer Memory Type	DDR2 SDRAM
Flash Memory Size	8
Hard Drive Interface	Serial ATA

So let’s talk about this little tablet!

It has a very vivid display and lasted approximately 6 hours with me with moderate screen brightness.   I can watch Google shows or Movies thanks to their Google Play Video App.   I also like that I can download movies and shows to the tablet without having to Sync with a Desktop or tablet.   Here are the Pro’s to the tablet that I can think of:

• Comes with Android 3.2.1 but can be upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.3) with an over the Air update Approximately 260 meg download.
• The Weight of the Tablet is about the same weight as an IPAD or a 7 inch tablet.  
• Watch Netflix or Hulu with no problems
• USB Ports: Can plug in a usb keyboard, Mouse or a barcode scanner [Affiliate Link] and use it the way you want not the way they want you to use it. (I’ve tried all three USB devices and not had any problems)
• Reading kindle books or web browsing.
• Emailing people using a Keyboard.
• Can even watch Amazon Shows and Movies using the Web browser with no major issues.   

As you can see this tablet is versatile and can be used for business or pleasure depending on what you need it to be used for and how you intend to use it.   I find the speed of the processor adequate for the size of the tablet and haven’t had any major issues with Ice Scream sandwich and Acer!   I bought this tablet because I have used an Acer Laptop and I have found all Acer products to be durable and stands up to time.

The Cons:

• Google Video Play Store — They are getting shows and movies that I would buy from them but I would love to have BBC and some other Science Fiction shows to be available there.  They do However Have the Warehouse 13 Series and Mythbusters Series that I like so much but I am hoping I can switch entirely to Google in a few months.  
• The Screen size is smaller than the Ipad but it isn’t a big deal if you just want to use it for reading or viewing videos.   I found the video playback to be really nice and neat.
• Default web browser needs to be removed.   I installed  the Dophin Browser because it was much more smoother and faster to run.   
• No Jelly Bean update — Acer confirms that they will not havew the Jelly Bean on this tablet.  I however will be looking around for a way to do it myself.

I really am not happy they will not have Jelly Bean on this version of the tablet but I am sure someone will make a mod for me to do just that because I believe that it is capable of doing so.   I do think this was a great buy and I as such encourage people to go check out other Acer Tablets or for that matter this one all together.

Paul Sylvester

Amazon Affiliate Link