[cardfan]

yeah me personally If I would get the touchpad (i have the ipad) would prob never use the rear camera as holding something like that up wouldnt make much sense, If I have a regualar camera or my cell phone handy. Though I do see the point of just putting one on there to be competitve. As I would have, just like they put the front facing cam on the Pre 3 (which I think was a very good idea, even if FF cams are not that big yet) its a selling point, and I think not including one on the touchpad may push some potential buyers away IMO.

Holding your tablet makes no sense? Could you elaborate on this? It's like 1.5lbs.

All i know is if i'm using this for work, being able to take a quick shot of a source document and have it as a pdf would be great. Many firms are paperless or trying to go that way.

If you're having a video chat, you will be holding the pad most likely. Gotta point that front camera at yourself right? That means you're already holding it like you would a camera. Why not have the option to switch to back camera then to share what you're seeing? This is cool stuff. I could talk with my parents and show them my 4yr old playing in her soccer game in real time. Or i'm at the store and show my wife something to make sure its what she wanted. A tablet would be used differently but scenarios might still pop up where this is convenient.

[netwrkr9]

Most people will video chat with the pad in the stand and yeah running around holding a 10 inch tab to shoot a soccer game, halarious.

[Suntan]

Or i'm at the store and show my wife something to make sure its what she wanted.

I have changed my mind.

Now I actually wish HP would have added a back camera just in hopes of being able to see some other guy, standing in the grocery store, holding up a 10” tablet to video conference with his wife and check in to make sure he’s getting the right kind of onion…

That would be awesome.

Seriously though, in that hypothetical situation, wouldn’t you be using your phone to do that instead of a 10” tablet?

-Suntan

[cardfan]

I guess you two didn't read the last sentence in my post where i said a tablet would be used differently? Obviously i'm not going to the store with a 10" tablet or attending a soccer game with one :P

Still, this thread reminds me of iphone users a few years ago when multitasking would pop up. "I don't need that" Or copy n paste. "I don't need that." Or even further back to treo threads where GPS was brought up. "I don't need that"

Again, why this strong attitude of not wanting a simple hardware feature? It's immaterial to the price you'll pay for the tablet.

[Suntan]

I guess you two didn't read the last sentence in my post where i said a tablet would be used differently? Obviously i'm not going to the store with a 10" tablet or attending a soccer game with one :P

Actually no, I missed that disclaimer while chuckling.

In any case, it’s a little disingenuous to give a couple of example based on a phone form factor, then just say maybe a tablet could be used differently. If you want a camera on the back, what do you want it for? It’s not meant to be a trick question. I personally can’t think of a compelling reason for my own needs. I’m interested to hear other people that have legitimate desires for it.

So far the only suggestion that I could see being viable is to take a quick photo of a document while on the go. That would probably be useful for people working “in the field.” But I have no need of it and, selfish as it may seem, I have no interest in paying for it.

-Suntan

[Suntan]

Still, this thread reminds me of iphone users a few years ago when multitasking would pop up. "I don't need that" Or copy n paste. "I don't need that." Or even further back to treo threads where GPS was brought up. "I don't need that"

Again, why this strong attitude of not wanting a simple hardware feature? It's immaterial to the price you'll pay for the tablet.

Again, enough with the luddite references. It’s a strawman argument to try and equate this to past gadget features in other markets.

There’s a difference between being negative on a completely new idea and being negative on the notion to just throw every possible existing idea onto a gadget to try and impress the spec obsessed.

Why haven’t laptops added rear facing cameras? They have been small and portable for many years. Surely this isn’t the first time anyone has ever come up with the notion of putting the camera on the back of a 9+” display.

-Suntan

[cardfan]

But I have no need of it and, selfish as it may seem, I have no interest in paying for it.

-Suntan

Strange, but i'm chuckling over that. I'm not convinced a tablet is really needed, but people are willing to spend hundreds on them. Yet here we are debating over whether a camera is needed or not in an item that may be needed or not.

[GodShapedHole]

Again, why this strong attitude of not wanting a simple hardware feature? It's immaterial to the price you'll pay for the tablet.

I Don't Need It != I Don't Want It.

By proxy, if a product has it, that's cool. If a product doesn't have it, no biggie. It's not a killer feature for a majority of people, pure and simple.

[Achill3s]

I Don't Need It != I Don't Want It.

By proxy, if a product has it, that's cool. If a product doesn't have it, no biggie. It's not a killer feature for a majority of people, pure and simple.

+1

I'm fine w/o it. It's not a feature killer for me. I'm more disappointed that it doesn't have a video out port. Without being to able to do a presentation from it, this might be the feature killer for me. I don't like any other pad (ipad is too locked down for my liking). I might just stay without a tablet. *sigh*

[GMoney749]

I guess you two didn't read the last sentence in my post where i said a tablet would be used differently? Obviously i'm not going to the store with a 10" tablet or attending a soccer game with one :P

Still, this thread reminds me of iphone users a few years ago when multitasking would pop up. "I don't need that" Or copy n paste. "I don't need that." Or even further back to treo threads where GPS was brought up. "I don't need that"

Again, why this strong attitude of not wanting a simple hardware feature? It's immaterial to the price you'll pay for the tablet.

It's not the same. The premise of the OP was that it should have a rear-facing camera to be competitive, not for some specific useful function. All people are saying is having one on a phone is one thing, having it on a 10" tablet is something else entirely. And that, just maybe, it's not a prerequisite for being competitive. On my Galaxy Tab I wish they had used that $10-worth of parts/space/time/engineering/software mods on something more useful, like maybe a rear panel that wasn't so slippery.

[barkerja]

When Apple begins advertising the iPad 2 and demonstrates "cool features" that show off the tablet being used with the rear-camera and that translates to devices sold over the TouchPad, don't go complaining because you felt it was something that wasn't needed.

I'm not calling for its failure or even saying it's going to fail based on the lack of a single component, but in order for it to be competitive it must appeal to as much of the market as possible.

[Suntan]

When Apple begins advertising the iPad 2 and demonstrates "cool features" that show off the tablet being used with the rear-camera and that translates to devices sold over the TouchPad, don't go complaining because you felt it was something that wasn't needed.

I don't live my life waiting to see what Apple thinks I should like.

Believe it or not, I don't hang on every word the Job's says.

Quite honestly, I couldn't even tell you what Apple's iOS looks/functions like because I've never looked at it.

As such, no I doubt I will come running back to wish I had a camera on the back of a tablet just because Apple shows me how much I was missing.

I'm not calling for its failure or even saying it's going to fail based on the lack of a single component, but in order for it to be competitive it must appeal to as much of the market as possible.

By that line of thinking, you would expect that anyone that has ever needed a knife would be uncontrollably drawn to buying one of these...



-Suntan

[Suntan]

I might just stay without a tablet. *sigh*

To be completely honest, I'm starting to lean that way too.

With no SD card and no vid out, I'm having second thoughts.

Looking at it, if the pre3 has a decent video conf feature, that's really the only feature that suffers on my netbook (not fast enough to run skype well.)

The tablet would be slightly more user friendly when on business travel, but not that much better.

I'll see how I feel come June.

-Suntan

[cardfan]

When Apple begins advertising the iPad 2 and demonstrates "cool features" that show off the tablet being used with the rear-camera and that translates to devices sold over the TouchPad, don't go complaining because you felt it was something that wasn't needed.

I'm not calling for its failure or even saying it's going to fail based on the lack of a single component, but in order for it to be competitive it must appeal to as much of the market as possible.

It really remains to be seen how big of a feature (or how in demand) cameras are. I do know that's the first thing ipad owners wanted when the iphone 4 came with facetime. And its the first thing (facetime) that apple pounced on in advertisements. Perhaps that desire has lessened over time.

Personally, i would just throw one on the back even if its just a crummy one like the ipod touch has and not worry about it.

[GMoney749]

To be completely honest, I'm starting to lean that way too.

With no SD card and no vid out, I'm having second thoughts.

Looking at it, if the pre3 has a decent video conf feature, that's really the only feature that suffers on my netbook (not fast enough to run skype well.)

The tablet would be slightly more user friendly when on business travel, but not that much better.

I'll see how I feel come June.

-Suntan

Why do you want an SD card and video out?

SD cards aren't really cheap enough that having more than one and swapping them out is all that practical. Plus there's apps and what-not installed on there. It's another one of those things (IMO) that sounds good in theory (and in specs), but just doesn't happen much in practice. If I want to move files around between computers and devices I use Dropbox.

I also don't understand video out. Hooking up a wire for just about anything is getting old school; I can send stuff from my Tab to my Google TV without a wire, and I've only ever done that just because I could, not because I had the need for it. And I've NEVER had the desire to hook up my EVO to anything with the HDMI out. I could see that being useful for presentations and the like, but I would want to be doing it with DNLA or something wireless, not with a cable.

[mhunterjr]

Holding your tablet makes no sense? Could you elaborate on this? It's like 1.5lbs.

All i know is if i'm using this for work, being able to take a quick shot of a source document and have it as a pdf would be great. Many firms are paperless or trying to go that way.

If you're having a video chat, you will be holding the pad most likely. Gotta point that front camera at yourself right? That means you're already holding it like you would a camera. Why not have the option to switch to back camera then to share what you're seeing? This is cool stuff. I could talk with my parents and show them my 4yr old playing in her soccer game in real time. Or i'm at the store and show my wife something to make sure its what she wanted. A tablet would be used differently but scenarios might still pop up where this is convenient.

See most people would just take that picture with a phone (or more likely scan the document). And people would likely only videochat on there tablet if they have it on a stand. If I wanna record/show the soccer game, I know i'd do it with my phone instead of the tablet. And i'm sure most people would agree.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre using Forums

[Achill3s]

I could see that being useful for presentations and the like, but I would want to be doing it with DNLA or something wireless, not with a cable.

This works well in theory but not when government agencies and contractors don't support it. It's much easier (and realistically more feasible) to be able to attach a video out (or an HDMI port) for a presentation.

I was interested in a tablet that I could mesh both work and play on one system. No video out/HDMI port (cable or not) will not allow me to accomplish this.

[Suntan]

Why do you want an SD card and video out?...

Well, I don’t agree about your comments about price, you can get any number of no-name SD cards for peanuts. Even brand name Sandisk cards have 8GB cards for $20 at Newegg. In any case, SD cards aren’t new. I have stacks of them.

But more to the point, at my job every once in a while (roughly once every two or three months) I have to travel out of town for a night or two. Usually, although not always, to the same place (where we have a factory.) It is a ****hole of a ***-forsaken little stain on the map with nothing to do in the town after the hourly union workers scamper off the assembly line promptly at 3:30 in the afternoon other than to go back to the hotel and watch the Union Pacific race by outside the window every couple hours.

It is quite common that I don’t have much notice before a trip. Usually just the day before, leaving me the evening to pack and be ready to go early the next morning.

Now that you know the background…

Usually the day I have decided I will travel to the factory, that night I take 5 or 6 of the most recent TV shows that the computer has DVRed and select to have them transcoded down to a size that best fits the small screen of my Netbook. The PC is setup to transcode them (overnight while it is idle and not doing other media tasks) then dump them to the SD card that is already in the reader. The next morning, before I leave, I pull out the SD card and plug it into the netbook.

No, I’m not about to turn on the PC, then sit and wait for 7 to 10 gig of transcoded shows to transfer over a wireless connection, or even over a USB connection. I get up early and get out the door as quickly as possible.

As for HDMI, the hotel I stay at (only hotel in the miserable town really) has some junky spark-o-matic flatscreens in their rooms, which fortuitously enough, have both VGA and HDMI inputs on the back. Currently I plug the netbook in via VGA, don’t really care if the connection is VGA or HDMI but I doubt any tablet will ever sport a VGA connection, so I would like to see one with HDMI. Sometimes I just watch the shows directly on the netbook, but sometimes it is nice to lay on the bed and watch the TV.

Anyway, that is my reasoning. Likely none of the above is even closely relevant to the way you would like to use a tablet, but then, I was only voicing comments about getting one for myself. Not proclaiming “market-wide fail” because it does or does not have this feature or that.

-Suntan

[GMoney749]

This works well in theory but not when government agencies and contractors don't support it. It's much easier (and realistically more feasible) to be able to attach a video out (or an HDMI port) for a presentation.

I was interested in a tablet that I could mesh both work and play on one system. No video out/HDMI port (cable or not) will not allow me to accomplish this.

Gotcha.

[pavvento]

Why do you want an SD card and video out?

SD cards aren't really cheap enough that having more than one and swapping them out is all that practical. Plus there's apps and what-not installed on there. It's another one of those things (IMO) that sounds good in theory (and in specs), but just doesn't happen much in practice. If I want to move files around between computers and devices I use Dropbox.

I also don't understand video out. Hooking up a wire for just about anything is getting old school; I can send stuff from my Tab to my Google TV without a wire, and I've only ever done that just because I could, not because I had the need for it. And I've NEVER had the desire to hook up my EVO to anything with the HDMI out. I could see that being useful for presentations and the like, but I would want to be doing it with DNLA or something wireless, not with a cable.

I'd like video out as a way of further replacing my laptop. Put presentations and websites on the pad and connect it to a projector. Now I only have to carry my pad around for all my needs during the day.