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eddie1261
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eddie1261
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Hence the NHL team being named The Tampa Bay Lightning.
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I'm late to the party, I know. The short version is - I support the aforementioned suggestions of Fire and Samsung tablets.
The long version is - I used to work for a college a few years ago and we had a number of tablets students could sign out primarily for app development. We had around 40-50 Asus Nexus 7 tablets that were pretty bullet proof, and when they stopped being supported for OS updates after a couple years we replaced them with the entry level Fire tablets, which also ended up being pretty solid. I honestly don't remember any of these tablets having any issues, short of students mishandling them.
My major issue with Android devices, which rockstar_not has already mentioned but I think is worth mentioning again - there is almost zero incentive for tablet makers to keep the Android OS up to date on their devices - and this is almost entirely up to the manufacturer and not up to Google. Many Android tablets out there even receive zero updates in their lifetime! Bigger brands tend to be much better, such as Samsung, Asus, etc, but I personally have never seen any Android device last for as many OS updates as any Apple iPad.
Typically Apple will release at least 4 or 5 major OS updates through the lifespan of a device, which could result in dozens of minor iOS updates. As an example, the iPad Air 2 from 2014 can be updated from it's original iOS 8.1 to the latest iOS 15, which is 7 major OS updates or 41 minor updates. Because of this I've professionally and personally found that iDevices tend to be more usable for longer time than Android devices.
Just my 2 cents (Canadian cents of course, so only 1.62 US cents)
I work here
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They are still updating my ancient iPad air, but since we are Windows-Android based here, it's a PITA to share things between Apple and anything else.
The software I use to make part of my income requires me to have Windows, so that's the tool I use.
Other than the iPad, the last Mac I owned was a Power-PC eMac. It was a beautiful machine, but even then, being locked into Apple's proprietary world created time-wasting problems for me.
I'm not a fanboy of any OS, I choose whatever OS runs the software I need most.
I'm thinking about selling the iPad to one of those refurbishers. I don't suspect I'd get much money for it, but it would be better than having it end up in some electronics graveyard.
I'll present the best data to her and see what she likes.
Thanks again for all your help and suggestions.
Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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After all the possibilities, Mrs. Notes opted for an Android A7 and it's beautiful.
The blacks are blacker than black, I can load the android apps I already paid for, and it works just like an android phone so she doesn't have a learning curve.
Thanks again for all your help. You helped me provide a nice selection for her.
Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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eddie1261
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eddie1261
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So the blacks are even MORE absent of color?
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Yes, they are no longer dark gray but no color at all.
The important thing is Mrs. Notes is delighted with her new tablet.
Instead of using my old iPad she now has a brand new aPad (Android Pad).
I have a Galaxy A2, and in some ways the A7 is better (newer version of Android to start with).
Thanks again all for your suggestions.
Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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eddie1261
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Some of you may get a chuckle out of this. I have an iPad Mini 2. I bought it back when a girlfriend had an iPhone and we liked to video chat. That would be over 6 years ago now. Now, I use it for exactly 2 things. When I sit on the patio on nice days, I watch TV on it. That one is "normal".
BUT!! I like to cook, and one thing I do well is soups. Well, you need to bring that big pot to a boil and then back it off to a simmer. I am not about to stand there for however many minutes it takes to bring a big pot to a boil. So I set up the iPad with an app called Alfred, a home camera system, and aim it down into the pot from a perch on top of the Ninja Foodie Air Fryer/Toaster/Broiler/Oven. I watch it on my phone from the office where the computers are that I sit in most waking minutes.
I know that's kind of weird, but it works well for me. When I see the pot bubbling, I go in and turn the induction cooking unit down from 10 to 3 and after a half hour, the soup is done.
That makes me think about how much I do from this one chair. I pay bills, I look for toys to buy, I keep my budget, my calendar, watch TV on another monitor, edit video, write music... Today is sports day. I have Premier League Soccer on a screen right now with the sound muted, and NFL Gameday preview on another while I edit the video from Brian Culbertson's concert from Friday night in the background. (Which will take all day with slow rendering times. Kind of why I have 3 monitors.)
So now you have me thinking about that A7 tablet... I don't have an Android tablet. Have to wait though as I just bought a new Glock 17 yesterday. One toy at a time.
Last edited by eddie1261; 11/07/21 05:19 PM.
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Eddie..
re premier league soccer.
i'm on a massive high right now , as my team the hammers
beat liverpool 3-2.
i can tell you the whole of east london uk is partying right now. ..so now we are third in the premier league.
plus we are top of our euro league section.
moyes the whu mgr has done a fab job.
if your ever of a mind have a listen to a song of mine in the user showcase called 'my grandad'. its all bout when
my grandad used to take me to see whu the hammers play when i was a kid ...and another is called 'punk city'
bout east london etc etc.
i'm so blinkin happy right now cos we never beat liverpool. i just watched the goals on my wifes android
phone.
ps love your bobblehead.
best
om ...lifelong hammers supporter.
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 11/07/21 08:35 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs(90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
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eddie1261
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eddie1261
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Eddie..
re premier league soccer.
I have ESPN's streaming service. Between that, NBCSN and network TV that carries the occasional Premier League game I get to see quite a bit. ESPN shows La Liga Spain, La Liga MX, MLS, ASL, CONCACAF and a bunch of lower recognition leagues. The difference between quality of play between Premier League and ANY of those other leagues is remarkable. I got into soccer when American sports quit during Covid, and I learned a lot about the game from Rog as well as just observation. That league is just many cuts above everything else. Harry Kane is just crazy good. Never saw him make a bad pass or a mistake on defense. Naymar, Ronaldo... so many good ones. My allegiance is to Aston Villa because the owner previously owned the Cleveland Browns in the NFL, my home NFL team.
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eddie1261
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This thread has me looking into used tablets with SIM card slots. As I travel I don't want to chew through my real data but I can buy SIM cards for a buck and put them on month to month carriers with no paper trail. I could sign on as Peter Norton or Bill Gates, pay for the month with a prepaid Visa card, and sign in with a fake address so I would be untraceable. I have done this in the past when I wanted to have some fun with scammers, texting and emailing back and forth as if I was a viable target for them. In fact I have a drop phone right now that I have not yet activated.
You can buy Simple Cellular and Mint Mobile cards for a buck or two at Best Buy and Target. $15 a month for service.
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The Galaxy A7 is rather nice.
The display is better than my old iPad (of course iPads are probably better now too), it's light, and faster than my Galaxy A2 which is of course much older.
I think if your computer system is Apple, it makes more sense to get in iPad, and if you are Windows with your main computer, an aPad (Android Pad) is a better way to go.
Why?
File sharing. I can put a USB flash drive and transfer files from the computer to the android and back.
Getting files from my computer to the iPad sometimes required them to upload them to the cloud and then download them to the iPad, and since my Internet connection isn't lightning fast, it was very time-consuming for 700 hi-def vacation pictures, just to show my sister.
Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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eddie1261
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eddie1261
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File sharing. I can put a USB flash drive and transfer files from the computer to the android and back.
Getting files from my computer to the iPad sometimes required them to upload them to the cloud and then download them to the iPad, and since my Internet connection isn't lightning fast, it was very time-consuming for 700 hi-def vacation pictures, just to show my sister.
Notes ♫ This is something you might find useful. A small app that lets you transfer right from computer to device. Free in the app store. WiFi Transfer Pro
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eddie1261
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Piggybacking on this thread by changing the title, does anybody have a laptop with a SIM card slot in it? There are not many that I can find, but I know they exist. I think my old Chromebook had a SIM slot in the battery compartment. That would be nice to have. I buy $1 SIM cards from Best Buy and target and sign on for a month at a time with those off carriers like "Joe's Sell Fone Service Place". I sign up with a "drop phone" fake name like Mark DeShark and pay with a prepaid Green Dot Visa card. Then anything I sign up for thinks I am Mark DeShark and if they want to trace back to the phone number, it will be dead in a month anyway, so nobody can bother me. And that's why I'd like a laptop with a SIM card. Also, if you want to go to a place that requires an email address, visit 10 minute email where you get an email address for 10 minutes, allows you to respond to the immediate "confirm your email" message, and then goes poof. For places you will never go back to and don't want to have your real email sold to spammers who will clutter your mailbox, that place is a dream!! I also make sure the VPN is running as well.
Last edited by eddie1261; 11/08/21 05:02 PM.
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A lot of Lenovo Thinkpads have the option for a sim card, as do some other "professional" or "business" models of laptop.
I work here
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I'm a big fan of Lenovo ThinkPads. I use them on the gig. One-nighters are notoriously hard on gear, I've been using them since 2000, and I've only had two failures (1) CMOS battery failed - $5 replacement (2) hard drive started making a mechanical noise, replaced it the next day.
I still have a working 2000 model, that I recently retired from the stage simply because I have a newer, hand-me-down ThinkPad (Win7) that is too old to use while on the Internet (lack of support).
Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Be aware that while my ThinkPad P17 gen 1 master blaster laptop has a slot for a Nano-SIM card, you also need a WWAN card, like the Fibocom L860-GL, an LTE CAT-16 M.2 adapter card (there's an internal spot for it). The only driver support listed for that card is Linux. You would need to check with Lenovo at order time to see if: a) you can buy a ThinkPad preconfigured with a WWAN card, and b) if there is a Windows driver for it.
Last edited by TheMaartian; 11/11/21 04:47 AM.
ThinkPad i9 32GB RAM 7TB SSD; Win11 Pro; RME Fireface UCX II; BiaB 2026 Ultra
Bitwig Studio 6; Studio Pro 8; Reaper v7; Melodyne Studio 5; Tonalic Studio 1
Gig Performer 5; NI S61 MK3; Focal Shape 65; Beyerdynamic DT 880 & 770
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eddie1261
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I will likely end up with a 5G ready Samsung S7. They seem to be $669 everywhere and I do NOT want to get one from my cell provider because that would require a line for it and this won't get used enough to pay a cell phone bill for it every month. When I want to use it for a month or so I will pop in a sim from Simple Mobile or Mint Mobile or one of those "off-brand" cell providers. And if the plan fizzles, the worst that happens is that I will have a slick new tablet!!
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
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