About to buy a tablet specifically for Logos. Is the Android app good enough?

David Rudel
David Rudel Member Posts: 23
edited November 21 in English Forum

I'm about to buy a tablet specifically for logos, and obviously buying one with Android would be much cheaper. (I'm looking either at Samsung 700T series, which has 5GB RAM or an Android with 8GB).

I'm writing to ask if the support for android is sufficient to get the full power of logos if i were willing to just download my entire library to the tablet.

Some posts indicate that android does not work well offline, but the FAQ says you have access to downloaded books.

I'd appreciate any info from people who use logos on a tablet.

Tagged:

Comments

  • Graham Criddle
    Graham Criddle MVP Posts: 32,482

    Hi David, and welcome to the forums.

    The Android app is not as far advanced as the iOS app at the moment. For example, it doesn't support notes or highlighting.

    You do have access to all your mobile-enabled resources (not all resources are available for mobile apps at the moment) and can run searches and do lookups when online.

    You can download resources to your device so the resources themselves are available when offline but searches and guides don't currently work when offline.

    So for reading resources when offline it is fine, but for most other things you need online access.

    You refer to the "full power of Logos". Please be aware that neither of the mobile apps provide all the functionality and flexibility of the desktop application so it is important to think carefully about what functions are important to you.

    Hope this helps

    Graham

  • David Rudel
    David Rudel Member Posts: 23

    Thanks, Graham. Do searches/crossreferences work in iOS app?

    If I got an iPad, would I just be able to install "Logos for Mac" on it and use it as a normal computer?

  • Rosie Perera
    Rosie Perera Member Posts: 26,202 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thanks, Graham. Do searches/crossreferences work in iOS app?

    If I got an iPad, would I just be able to install "Logos for Mac" on it and use it as a normal computer?

    I'm not Graham, and I can't answer the first question for you, but no you can't install Logos for Mac on an iPad. Only the much less full-featured Logos iOS app will run on an iPad. Logos for Mac requires a Mac.

  • Tom Reynolds
    Tom Reynolds Member Posts: 1,448 ✭✭✭

    If you can wait until Intel's new chips are released (later this month) and/or Windows 8 is out (later this year) you might be surprised to find that a small factor powerful tablet-computer would fit your needs. You can only realize the "full power of Logos" on a computer running Windows or Mac OS. The Android and iOS versions only run a reduced functionality version that suits their smaller form and limited power (processor, graphics, RAM). L4 requires a lot of oomph to run and tablets simply can't deliver that.

  • David Rudel
    David Rudel Member Posts: 23

    Thanks, Tom!

    Maybe I'll wait until the new chips are released and buy a tablet with those chips...I can always put Windows 8 on it later.

     

    Of course, the above provokes another question: how much work will be involved for logos to work on Windows 8 after it has been released... I suspect the logos team is going to have to put some work into that.

  • Graham Criddle
    Graham Criddle MVP Posts: 32,482

    Hi David

    Search works in the iPad, even when offline though (obviously) only for books you have downloaded.

    Cross references are included in the Passage Guide in the iPad app, they are also there in the Android app.

    In terms of Logos 4 on Windows 8 there are a few threads on the forums discussing this. People have got it working on prerelease versions wit varying levels of issue.

    Graham

  • Scott E. Mahle
    Scott E. Mahle Member Posts: 752 ✭✭✭

    Of course, the above provokes another question: how much work will be involved for logos to work on Windows 8 after it has been released... I suspect the logos team is going to have to put some work into that.


    Here are a couple of discussions you might find interesting.

     

    http://community.logos.com/forums/t/48392.aspx

    http://community.logos.com/forums/t/38163.aspx

     

    Logos Series X Pastor’s Library | Logos 3 Leader’s Library | 4 Portfolio | 5 Platinum | 6 Feature Crossgrade | 7 Essential | 8 M & W Platinum and Academic Professional | 9 Academic Professional and Messianic Jewish Diamond

  • Bruce Lundquist
    Bruce Lundquist Member Posts: 100

    These are all really great questions. I run the full Logos 4 on a Fujitu tablet. It's fine, but and I can go into tablet mode, but swiveling the monitor around. However, it isn't an iPad.  It would be great to have a tablet like an iPad size-wise, but space would be a huge problem I think. I'm running the Platinum version, and along with Microsoft Office, and iTunes, etc, I'm thinking that space would always be a problem.

    Is there an iPad sized tablet on the market that has sufficient disk space and speed?

    Will there be such a thing with Windows 8?

    Apple MacBook Pro Sonoma 14.5
    Logos Bible Software 32.1.31


    http://fcov.org (Faith Church of the Valley)

  • David A Egolf
    David A Egolf Member Posts: 798 ✭✭

    Hi David,

    I use both Logos and Vyrso on both my iPad and my Toshiba Thrive Android tablet.  As mentioned by others, the features are clearly lagging on the Androids.  I would add that there is currently no bookmark or favorites capability.  So for taking notes and highlighting I have to use either my PC version or my iPad. 

    On the other hand, the Toshiba Thrive has a 10" screen, which, in portrait is wider than an iPad.  It's not much in inches, but enough to make three columns quite comfortable.  So I like to read on my Android using two columns for my book and one column for a Bible version for INSTANT referencing.  It is really fast and the "history" is good enough to revisit previous verses.  Each column is still skinny, but that is an advantage for speed reading.

  • David Rudel
    David Rudel Member Posts: 23

    Unfortunately, I'm having trouble finding anything on specific tablet roll-outs using Ivy Bridge. I see lots of references to other kinds of notebooks, but cannot find any true tablets that look lined up to use them early.

  • Everett Headley
    Everett Headley Member Posts: 951

    I was just wondering how you got three columns on your Thrive tablet?

  • David A Egolf
    David A Egolf Member Posts: 798 ✭✭

    Under "View Settings" I have my "Max columns" set to "auto".  It can be set to Auto, One, or Two.  That applies to one resource "window" and means that any one resource you read could be displayed in either one or two columns based on space.

    While you're in "View Settings" note that this is where you can set the controls to "link" the two windows.  This might be handy for some types of study, but not for what I generally do.

    Then I use the "handle" on the lower right corner.  Pull it over and a second "window" will open. The "handle" will remain at the bottom of the screen with a vertical line extending to the top of the screen.  I suggest doing this in landscape mode in order to get maximum columns.

    At this point, you will have the same resource open in two windows.  Unless some artifact within the document is interfering, for instance, a graphic, then the left window should have two columns and the right will start with one.  I have the Fee and Douglas "How to Read the Bible for All its Worth" in my left window.

    Put the focus in the right window by touching the screen.  Then go to the Library and select another resource (this will usually be a Bible).  The selected resource will open in the right window.  You now have one column of Bible and two columns of the resource which was originally being read.

    If you go back to the handle, you can slide it back and forth.  For the resources I have open, as I slide it to the left both resources change to single column mode. Then, as I slide further, the right resource changes to dual column and I am back to three columns.

    I'm sorry if you thought I was able to get three columns for one resource.  I don't know how to do that. Perhaps forcing "Max columns" to two might even get you four!?

    Note that if you are using a Bible in one of the windows for quick references I would download it so that it is really fast.

    Regards!

     

     

  • David Rudel
    David Rudel Member Posts: 23

    I wanted to make an update here. Because I was unable to confirm that any company was looking to use the new intel chips in tablets (rather than ultra-portable notebooks), and because Windows 8 is still a ways off, I went ahead and took a chance on a Windows7 tablet. According to cnet, the best windows7 tablet is the ASUS B-12 (OR the US version: EP12), unfortunately that computer is not available here, so I went with the ACER W-500, which has an SSD and 2 GB of RAM.

    I'll write a more in depth post on the general forum, but just wanted to say here that so far it is working pretty well running the full-blown L4.