http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&rh=n%3A389579011&page=1

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&rh=n%3A389579011&page=1

so the question still stands! 

in regards to the notetaking app and evernote, will the HTC flyer be able to read microsoft word documents, powerpoints, PDFs, etc.? I was thinking of using this for school.

and… on a side note, it’s a pity that the pen makes a lot of noise when you’re taking notes.

I’m pretty curious about that stylus.. would it work on an ipad?

First off, I need  to preface that as an architect, my use case is very specific. To fully understand why I find the Flyer to be an ideal tool, you would have to be very familiar with the workflow and responsibilities of an architect at various stages in the design and construction process.

I can assure you that while in the field doing construction observation, I have never felt to need to have my entire suite of CAD software at my disposal. In my view, firing up autocad or some 3d modelling software (both of which I have serious doubts would have very good workflow on an HP Slate) while having a conversation with a contractor or one of his/her subcontractors, would be massive overkill when a quick sketch would suffice, and actually be more effective. Trying to modify a 3d model, or a CAD file would be a wast of time, a wast of billable hours, and not an appropriate work flow. I for one would not want to make modifications to contract/construction documents while in the field.  If I did however, feel the need to make annotations to my autocad files, that is simple enough. I can just run AutoCAD WS on android, which allows me to do just that. Again, the appropriate tools for the appropriate place. 

Like I said, from the perspective of a non-architect, this probably doesn’t totally make sense. We still use a mix of hi-tech and low-tech techniques to get the job done. 

Oh and jb82… I don’t think your 8 year old smartphone had a high resolution 7 inch screen that would allow you the room to sketch rough details and annotate them sufficiently for use as an architectural clarification drawing. :)

There’s something to be said for the 7″, light form factor, plus HTC has a great reputation for building sturdy devices. Let’s see what he says.

Anyway, I understand your use for a stylus on a tablet in the field. What I don’t understand is why someone with a “large gadget budget” would buy an untested tablet with a brand-new OS (Honeycomb) still rife with bugs and few applications when you could go get yourself a Windows 7 tablet.

Not only could you do simple sketching, but you’d have the ability to load your desktop applications as well, giving you access to information you wouldn’t have avialable on an Android tablet. Of course, you couldn’t run full-blown CAD on a Win 7 tablet, but you could at least do some functions that would be impossible on an Android or iOS device.

One of the central roles of an architect on any given job is construction administration, which involves regular site visits. During a site visit you are observing ongoing construction to verify that it complies with the architects intent. This always involves photographing specific construction conditions/details which are then cataloged for future reference. It would be very powerful if one was able to annotate and sketch on top of those photos while in the field with the built-in sketch app on the Flyer. This way, when the photos are referenced at a later date, it is immediately obvious why the photo was taken, and what condition or perhaps defect the photo was meant to call out.  It is all too often the case that an architect will look at a construction photo that was taken a month, six months, a year, prior, and not know what they were specifically observing in that photo.  I can’t think of another tool other than the Flyer which has the potential to pull this off so easily. 

Furthermore, this is useful in a fast track project, where portions of the building are being designed as construction has already started.  One could take a photograph in the field of a specific condition and start to sketch over it right in front of the contractor, and then email that sketch to the contractor and client right from the Flyer. This an extremely valuable tool for collaboration between architect and builder. 

So you see, in my specific industry, it is not always about having fancy CAD software on all your devices. Much of what we do comes down to communication through hand sketching, and in-the-field documentation. A very smart digital sketching tool, that has access to a camera, that has access to gps data promises to make that process much more powerful, and potentially streamline the whole process.

As for a better choice, I like the  asus eee note for my mechanical designs, this has a real Wacom digitizer not the copy cat one. its black and white 8″ screen with a price tag of around $250. So to add a colored screen and an open source OS, i need to pay an extra $330. that dos not make since especially when its not even a Wacom digitizer.

As for apps, i have both an android tablet and a iOS tablet, android have been saying apps are coming and i have not seen any thing yet, whle iOSs tablet app librarry is growing like crazy. I think ill be waiting for a very long time before i can see quality apps on android with stylus. I blame mostly the side loading on android, developers dont want to lose money, thus they stick to iOS and other more secure platforms.

I wish you luck with that HTC tab, i think ill be getting the Asus one even if its Black and white.

Doom dance! Doom doom doom doom dooomeee doom doom …

I wonder what kind of “software” will ever run on Android to take advantage of such a stylus? Maybe Adobe will release CS5.5? Or next they’ll announce the full version of Photoshop for Android?

Please, oh please, tell me what design software you’re going to use this for that would make it a worthwhile purchase for an “architect and designer”.

As far as pricing goes, you have to keep in mind that this tablet has an active digitizer that allows for palm rejection while using pen input. I’m happy to put up $500 for this. I does suck that in the US I’ll have to pay extra for the pen, but I’ll put up with it. If you want something cheaper or bigger, there are other options out there. This tablet suits my needs well as an architect and designer, and I have the luxury of a large gadget budget.

As far as pricing goes, you have to keep in mind that this tablet has an active digitizer that allows for palm rejection while using pen input. I’m happy to put up $500 for this. I does suck that in the US I’ll have to pay extra for the pen, but I’ll put up with it. If you want something cheaper or bigger, there are other options out there. This tablet suits my needs well as an architect and designer, and I have the luxury of a large gadget budget.