Two months shy of our first anniversary, I'd say the honeymoon phase is over.
Between an upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion and my propensity to download via torrent, the initial attraction that compelled me to buy my first ever Mac is quickly fading.
Although, I must say, Jonny Ive's unibody aluminum design and that apple logo still arrest me in awe mid-way as I walk into my room every night. It's that industrial design which can only be called gorgeous is the truth that remains.
The keyboard is still hands down, just amazing - I don't think I type better on my company issued 13" HP EliteBook 8460p than on my 11" MacBook Air.
But the dropped Wi-Fi connection issue has been plaguing me ever since I upgraded to Mountain Lion. There's only so much I can take and the recent mania at the office got me succumbing to gadget lust again.
Yes, I bit the bullet and bought me my first Android tablet: enter the dragon, err, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
This post is not about comparing the MacBook Air to an Android tablet - that would be moot as they different niche products.
But in my simple life as a tech inclined average Jane, I find myself reaching for the Note 10.1 more than my MacBook Air since I bought it.
No, it's not because of the games. I use the Note more for displaying my music sheets when I practice violin.
The S-pen (Samsung's fancy schmancy way of calling a stylus) mainly finds its purpose of being for me to mark bowing directions on my PDF music sheets (I do the marking in Adobe reader).
Strangely, there isn't anything stellar about this tablet; if you're familiar with Samsung, you're well aware of the kind of plastics they use to build their products. This one is no exception and is, unfortunately, susceptible to have enough give on its back covering when you lightly press on it with your fingers.
The resolution would be immediately archaic when compared to the latest iPad or even my iPhone 4's retina display. Even my HP MacBook Mini has 1366 x 768 pixels on it on par with the MacBook Air 11".
Galaxy Note 10.1's 1280 x 800 on a 10.1" touch screen
960×640 on a 3.5" touch screen
The iPhone 4 is becoming a real phone now as it's becoming more dedicated to messaging/phone calls. Or rather a cellphone/mp3 player device - I prefer the speakers on my iPhone 4 over the ones in the Note 10.1 and recording is still way better in quality on the iPhone (I record my violin practice sessions).
For browsing and watching movies (or Korean dramas and animés) online or downloaded via torrent (yes, I can torrent in Android), I prefer doing that on my Note 10.1
I still prefer emailing with my MacBook Air because of its good keyboard. FaceTime of course is still via the MacBook Air as holding up the iPhone to face level gets easily tiring on the arms after just a few minutes.
Will the tablet, like touted by them makers, engrave its own niche in this average tech-inclined Jane's life after all?
