Saturday, November 12, 2011

Cold Front

Orange City, Florida

A cold front arrived last night and we got down to 37 degrees!    Once the temperature started dropping, it dropped quickly.

The campground is full of tenters,  and I’ll bet they froze last night!  We  kept the heat pump running last night and turned the electric blanket up.  We kept nice and warm.  The kitties even have their own electric blanket!  Hey, they’re Florida kitties and wimps like us! 

Last year we didn’t have a heat pump on the old motorhome (and we didn’t know such a thing existed actually) and had to rely on the propane furnace only.  It got very expensive to use.  We sure do appreciate having electric heat with the heat pump.

The good news is that the cold front iwill be short lived.  It’s supposed to be back up in the 70’s today and 80’s Monday.  Gotta love Florida in the winter.

 

Thanks for all the comments on the iPad verses the Xoom.  I gotta say, at first blush, we like the Xoom much better.  The main reason is that there is a “back” button.  Such a simple thing, but so important!  It works like my Droid which is more like a Windows based system than the iPad.  I guess you get used to that system, but I think it’s much more difficult to navigate around the internet.  I like the keypad on the iPad better…mainly because it’s a little larger.   If you are considering an iPad, I suggest really playing with it.  Go to some websites and see what you have to do to flip between sites or go back to where you were just at.  For instance, if you read a blog and click on another blog from the first on.  Easy with Xoom, and a pain with the iPad…at least in my opinion.

A good thing about the Xoom is that I don’t have to log on to iTunes in order to even look at an App.  I hate that!  I also hated that I had to give them a credit card number before I ever bought any apps!  With Droid or Xoom, you don’t have to do that.

I also prefer a laptop, and I would never give up my laptop for a tablet.  I probably won’t use the tablet much, except for when we’re traveling.  I use my Droid X a LOT for navigation and to find particular things and will probably use the Xoom a lot.  It’s just so much easier to navigate than the iPad.   My laptop is always going to be my favorite.  I agree about needing a keyboard! 

The Xoom or iPad  is mainly for Al.  He’s not the most computer savvy  Smileand the touch screen is nice for him.  He is a two fingered typist (and not a every good one at that).  he’s going to kill me when he reads this!

He will not be writing a blog, downloading pictures or sending a lot of e-mails.  He mostly just likes to surf the web, read his sports articles and the USA Today, so a tablet is good for him.

When we bought the iPad, it was an impulse purchase.   It looked pretty cool in the store, but until you actually get one home and use it,  you don’t know how you will like it.  From the beginning, I had a lot of trouble with it.  I thought it was just operator error and once I learned how to use it, it would be wonderful.   The problem was that it was only partially operator error…mostly the problem  was that was just the way the iPad operates.  You don’t navigate it like you do your laptop or  your Droid smart phone.  There is no back button.  You don’t just easily flip back and forth between “windows”.   After we learned how it actually operated, it was too late to return it.  We got it for a real good price because the ipad2 was just about to come out.  I’ve been looking on ebay and Craigs list and I feel sure we can sell it for what we paid for it. 

I have been doing some research online to compare the two tablets.  Here is a chart I found that was a pretty good comparison about some of the technical things.  This comparison is with the original iPad, which is what we have.

We use a Verizon Mifi for internet and I find the iPad is slower than the Xoom.  I don’t know why.  My laptop runs fast using the Mifi.   Something to do with the processors, I guess. 

Comparison Chart  Motorola XOOM vs. iPad  Updated  – Droid Life  A Droid Community Blog

The Xoom has usb and HDMi ports. The iPad has no ports!  I like usb ports!

We have 2 weeks to decide on the Xoom.  We don’t want to make another mistake.   If we don’t like, it we will return it to Walmart.  I’m pretty sure we are going to keep it though.  I love my Droid X phone,  and this is basically just a larger version.

Any of you that are considering an iPad…please give the Android operating system a close look.  After using both operating systems, I very much prefer the Android.  Maybe it’s just me.

13 comments:

  1. Great info Karen ~ I am thinking about getting my honey one for Christmas and I will definately be looking for your input on the Zoom!!!
    It's pretty chilly hear this morning and we turned the heat on for a little while just to warm up the place...
    Have fun & Travel safe
    Donna

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  2. Enjoy that warm weather. Winter is just starting to set in here in Maryland!

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  3. we all do those impulse purchases and then wish we never did!..good luck with selling the Ipad..you won't have any trouble..glad that Al likes the Xoom!

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  4. Karen..I may be interested in buying your Ipad from you...how much are you looking for it? karen41262@gmail.com

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  5. I would sure miss our heat pump. We used to use electric blankets, but we had some problems with them when used with the inverter or ran the generator, so we decided to do without, since the fire risk did not seem worth it.

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  6. We turned on the heat pump when we were at the Pinnacles, but it was very loud compared to the propane. We were also leery about the pedestal power.

    I hope we have that surge protector installed before our next trip!

    How much do you want for the iPad?

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  7. Thanks so much for this information. I'm with you on the laptop, keyboard (especially since I can type with all 10 fingers). I like my droid but would love to know what apps you have for it that are your favorites.

    I was totally shocked when I a freeze warning for Ocala and a frost warning for Cedar Key or maybe it was the other way around predicted for last night.

    Our heat pump is noisy. I can't really sleep with it since if it kicks in, it wakes me up. Is yours quiet??

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  8. Thanks for your 1st hand info on the iPad and Xoom. I'm about ready to pull the trigger and get a tablet-got Xmas and an anniversary 12/29. FYI, we love our heat pump also!

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  9. Just looking at the comparison chart, it would appear that the Xoom is the best. I don't know price comparison though. I feel that I am so far behind you in technology - I can't even make the decision to upgrade my iPhone to the iPhone 4S...I can't figure out why I need to speak to my iPhone, especially when I've heard they don't understand voices very well. I think having an iPad or Xoom would be a fun toy though. Looking forward to reading how well you like the Xoom.

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  10. Too many choices! Almost make you yearn for the good old days when none of this stuff was around. ;c)

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  11. Looks like you made a great choice, Karen. The first thing that popped out at me between the two was the fact that the Zoom had 1GB of RAM compared to only 256MB for the iPad. That alone would count for the difference in speed between the two!

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  12. Here in SoCal when it gets below 70 our local TV weatherman tells us we better bundle up! I'm surrounded by sissies! :-)

    Take care and have a nice day :-)

    Thanks for your recent comment on My Blog

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  13. Great info. I keep wanting to look at the new iPad at Walmart - three tries and no-one to wait on me. Now I'm thinking maybe I'd be happier with the Zoom. Lots to think about, and I'm looking forward to hearing your review of the Xoom. Thanks!

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