Anyone else here in the post-PC era?

We all have heard of the ipad and ipad 2. Being a geek, I was excited when the post-PC gadgets were coming out. But I didn't get the ipad or ipad 2 because I couldn't justify getting it. For me, it was only worth it if I could be productive with it. But when I looked at the ipad and ipad 2, I couldn't see myself being very productive with it. Sure, it's a nice gaming platform. But that's about it.Well, recently, another company came out with something far better. I'm referring to the asus transformer. Google it if you don't know what I'm talking about.I must say, I have not touched my laptop for 3 months now. The device is quite an engineering marvel. I can use it both as a tablet and as a laptop when I want to. Not only that, I am finding myself hating more and more the touchpad that comes with every laptop out there. Touch screen is 10 times more convenient.To add on top of that, I recently soldered in a 500 GB hdd into the keyboard dock as well as a little switch that turns on/off the hdd to save battery life. It's quite cool.Anyone else here has moved beyond the PC era?

My wife and I got iPhones to celebrate her getting her PhD in May, and it's amazing how it's become my auxiliary brain. I don't even bring my laptop anywhere (though I still use it when I need to type.) I'm not sure I'm "post-PC" or that I ever will be, but I'm totally with you.Still wishing EvC had a mobile version, though.

I would hardly call it a "post-pc era". there's far too much tablets can't do to be a post PC era. post laptop era? sure, I'll go with that. they just need way more storage space to really be feasible.

As much as I love my iPhone and iPad*, they can't compete with my PCs for my work, where I have multiple browsers, some with 60+ tabs open, some 30+ excel sheets, etc. Though possibly that's more a symptom of my poor working style than a deficiency in the touch-screens *(which I invented, by the way, 16 years ago whilst endlessly commuting on crowded London-bound trains with zero elbow room for typing or turning the pages on anything larger than a pocket diary)

I barely touch my laptop this days. I can watch ripped films straight from a HD via bluray player, read comics, check emails and surf on my iPhone.The only thing I really use my laptop for is iTunes. If I knew I could plug in a HD to an iPad2 I would have one yesterday.

Remember when everyone had the same Nokia (or at least one of a few very similar models) and so you could borrow anybody's phone charger without worrying about compatibility? I still have one of those models - black and white screen, no camera, no internet connection, chunky buttons that I can press without having to look and see what I'm doing, battery that lasts for a week without charging.Maybe I'm becoming a luddite with age, but I've never been able to get on board with smart phones or tablets. I don't need to be connected to the internet when I'm out and about, I hate touch screens and when I'm using a computer I like a nice, big screen. I'm firmly in the PC age still.

If you mean the 3210s or 3310s then I totally agree.They were great phones, tough as old boots and lasted for ever.I was always proud to put that phone on the table in the pub.Edited by Larni, : No reason given.

I actually have a slightly more modern variation on the same design. It's a little bit more streamlined, with better buttons, and it's my favourite phone ever. I think it was designed for emerging markets in Africa, so durability, simplicity and low power usage are the priorities.

I have an iPad, and it's fine for reading a book, general surfing and portability.I had a laptop, but I gave that to my sister.I have a cell phone that could connect to the internet or watch movies, but all I use it for is to make or receive phone calls.All of them have a camera, but I use my DSLR to take pictures.When it comes to work though I return to a computer.I cannot imagine a tool box with only one tool in it unless the tool was a sonic screwdriver.

For work I require a keyboard and a large screen.For play a tablet works fine, though I dislike it for anything that requires more than minor typing.I agree that we have entered the post-PC era. I think that increasing numbers of people will find they don't really need a desktop or laptop, and if you need to do a lot of typing then the tablets can all Bluetooth to a keyboard. Easy interfacing to large HDTV's can't be too far off. The changeover might come very gradually in the same way that more and more people are giving up their land-based phone lines.--PercyPS - I know that tablets can already easily interface to HDTVs, I've done it with my iPad2, but it ain't pretty, some sites like Hulu don't support it, others like Netflix restrict content, so I still consider this feature very much a work in progress.

I have been looking at the Transformer. MY wife needs a tablet of some sort for her work. She is currently still using an old Palm Pilot she originally got in residency 7 years ago. There have been some battery issues and app support for it is drying up. Lots of people are suing the Ipad but I see huge issues with it. Primarily that you need an Itunes account to effectively use it. Also, I do not want any tablet that is tied into a wireless carrier. I am not going to pay extra for a data package. If there is no wifi available then we wont need to access the internet.I has high hopes for the HP Touchpad, but it seems it was oversold and underbuilt.USB support is a big thing for me. I do not want to have to transfer everything wirelessly. I understand a new transformer is due in October. This will ahve the new Tegra 3 Kal-El chip and run the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. If the reviews are good and if the new medical records system at the clinic will support it, I think my wife may get one for Christmas.I am willing to take other suggestions, but I really want to stay away from the Ipad.

Can you elaborate on the iTunes objection? iTunes accounts are free, and basically any tablet is going to have some kind of media store which will require an account to use. The Nook requires a B&N account, Android tablets require a Google account, the Kindle requires being linked to an Amazon account, and so on.Wifi-only iPads are available and aren't tied to any wireless carrier. I think that's probably what most people get. I'm not trying to be the Apple booster, here, but it seems like not wanting an iTunes account isn't a very good basis on which to make a decision about a tablet. And almost everybody finds the iPad superior to the alternatives; iOS has a "fit and finish" to it that Android really doesn't (too many fingers in the Android pie to get that kind of cohesive software design.)

You can buy an iPad2 with just wifii and it works just fine.

I have serious issues with the fact Itunes wants to be the end all and be all of the tablet. I do not like that there is one avenue to get data and apps.I am a freaky privacy issue type of guy. Apple is terrible in the realm of privacy. So is Google. The difference is I have already sold my soul to Google and see no reason to sell it to a different devil. Well this is a personal thing I think. I have used some android devices and I do not find the IOS superior in anyway. I do not find it inferior either but I do not find it superior. I also like the idea of a system that is not controlled by one entity.

I understand that. Just mentioned it as one of my criteria, it was not meant to be a comment about the Ipad. Sorry if that was confusing.