Fryed

[billroper]

So on the way back from picking up the aforementioned speaker, I was driving past Fry's and figured that I would pick up the Microsoft Mouse that I'd seen at Staples, but which was out of stock. I could also pick up a USB to serial port converter for a project that I'm working on. And I could look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 that they were advertising heavily.

They didn't have the model of mouse that I was looking for. They had several more expensive ones and several that were way too cheap for what I wanted, but nothing in the sweet spot. They didn't have any USB to serial port converters in the spot on the wall where they were supposed to be, although there was one in a different aisle that had been opened and resealed. I decided I didn't want to buy someone else's problem, so I passed on it.

At least I could look at the new Galaxy Tab and lay hands on it.

Except that they didn't have a display sample out where you could see how it worked. They had one under a thick plastic cover that wasn't even powered on so you could see what the screen looked like.

0 for 3.

Not a very good batting average.

I've ordered the mouse from Staples online to be shipped to my nearby store. I've looked at the USB to serial port adapters on Newegg and am continuing to mull that problem over.

And I think I'm going to be buying a Toshiba Thrive shortly when they come out.

Online. Because there's certainly no point in going to Fry's to look for one...

Comments

[starmalachite.livejournal.com]

stevemb & I were considering the Samsung Galaxy too. We tried it out at Best Buy & liked both the design & the functionality. But its complete lack of an SD chip & limited connectivity options crossed it off our list.

Except that they didn't have a display sample out where you could see how it worked. They had one under a thick plastic cover that wasn't even powered on so you could see what the screen looked like.

Micro Center beat that. When we asked to see the Galaxy & another model tablet, they went & got them out of the stockroom -- and then *wouldn't take them out of the boxes.* We were supposed to decide whether to buy them by reading the text on the cartons. I mentioned as we left that it was our 1st visit to Micro Center (it's not far, but a pain & a half to get to) & was also going to be our last.

We ended up preordering the Toshiba Thrive. For us, its storage capacity & connectivity (USB 2.0, mini USB, HDMI & Bluetooth) far outweigh its extra weight. (We're talking ounces, not pounds, after all.) It currently doesn't do 3G, only wi-fi, but we didn't want 3G anyway. We shall see how it works out.

Edited for clarity.

[stevemb.livejournal.com]

"We ended up preordering the Toshiba Thrive. For us, its storage capacity & connectivity (USB 2.0, mini USB, HDMI & Bluetooth) far outweigh its extra weight. (We're talking ounces, not pounds, after all.)"

IMO, that factor delayed the takeoff of the tablet market. Too many were aping the iPad and missing the opportunity to effectively compete with it by adding enough connectivity options to completely break from the walled-garden model.

[jeff-duntemann.livejournal.com]

My favorite mouse is the ordinary, 2006-era wired Dell optical mouse, part # 0CJ339. I've gotten them for $4 for eBay. Wired mice have the advantage that they don't hiccup from inevitable battery deplation, and they don't go missing as much because they're tied to the machine.

I played with a Galaxy Tab at a mobile phone provider kiosk in Denver, and it was gorgeous, but it doesn't have a card slot so it was no sale. The Thrive is still on my list because of external ports. Ports matter crucially. I am not a cloud kind of a guy.

[sffilk.livejournal.com]

Have you noticed that Fry's seems to be losing its sense of whimsy?

I mean, the stores I used to frequent in California had themes - 1950's science fiction films (with a flying saucer with Cadillac-type fins flying into the storefront) or Alice in Wonderland, but here in Georgia, it's a brick-colored box.

That said, I'll still go to Micro Center before I go to Fry's.