tablet update and off to paris

I've had a busy and wonderful couple of days visiting family and friends. Today my mom and I are planning our sightseeing, packing, doing last-minute errands, and generally getting in vacation mode.

What i'm writing on

I'm loving my new Nexus 7 tablet... with reservations, or perhaps just a learning curve.

The tablet itself is terrific. Once I got up to speed with Android functionality and interface, it was obvious why people prefer tablets for most online activities, especially those with no or minimal typing. The Nexus is amazing - speed, portability, ease of use, everything. It is magnitudes better than the Samsung Galaxy I use at work; in fact, the Samsung was partly fueling my skepticism about tablets.

The reservation is still the keyboard issue. I've reluctantly made my peace with touch-screen technology, and the on-screen keyboard with judicious use of predictive text works fine for minimal needs. But for actual writing... not so much.

I bought a keyboard/case/stand combo by Minisuit. I'm very good at adjusting to all different keyboards, but even so, this one presents a challenge. It's too small for touch typing, so I'm typing with two or three fingers, which slows me down considerably. Also, the cursor often jumps on its own, so I suddenly find myself typing in a different part of the screen. Is that a known issue with Bluetooth keyboards?

I definitely see the attraction of the ASUS Transformer tablet that doubles as a netbook, but it was both out of my price range and much bigger than I wanted. I can't justify having a desktop home computer, a tablet, and a netbook; I need one mobile device that will work for whatever I need.

So this leaves me typing this blog post at about half my usual blazing typing speed.

What we're flying on

Mom and I take off tonight on XL Airways France. I had never heard of this airline before, but fares were much lower, and reviews sounded fine. Instead of paying a good $1,000 per person for a round-trip to Europe, we squeaked in at $725 each, including all taxes and one free checked bag. XL Airways France doesn't fly from Toronto, but since they serve the Francophone world, I wonder if they will eventually have flights from Montreal.

See you next from Paris.

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