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Tablet / ChromeBook / laptop for tech hobby?

ntewinkel

Hi all, 

I’m thinking of getting a new tablet so that I’m not tied to my desk for hobby type projects.
I have a Mac as my main computer that I can use when I really need power and screen size, but for hobby things I’d rather work from the couch or table or art studio so I can be around my SuperArtGirl more.

I’m thinking an Android tablet gives the most choice and might be more compatible with external hardware.

I don’t know much about ChromeOS, but am curious what it can do.

We’re pretty much locked into Apple for everything else, so it might make sense to just go iPad in that it integrates with everything else.

Maybe upgrading my iPhone 8 Plus to something with a bigger screen might work? But then it would still have to be very portable, like pocket sized!

Mostly I’m wondering if a tablet allows me to work directly with Arduino and things like the Pi Pico, and tools like usb capable oscilloscopes and microscopes. Maybe the occasional 3D slicing and transfer to SD card for the printer, or run the CNC.

Maybe some functions can be sent to a Raspberry pi for final handling.

I feel like a laptop might be too big for general around the house browsing use.

What do you recommend?

Thanks!

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  • Here are some general notes, I’ll share here as I bump into things in case it’s useful or interesting for others too…

    * Android 13 has virtualization support, and people were able to run Windows 11 in a virtual machine on a Google Pixel phone!

    https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/02/android-13-virtualization-hack-runs-windows-and-doom-in-a-vm-on-android/?amp=1

    * Apple tablets are more expensive, but they support hardware longer than any Android vendor -  for example, iOS 14 will run on the 6s that was released 7 years ago. Has this improved since my last Samsung phone that was not updatable as little as a year after I got it?

    * Screen resolution is important - it looks like Apple might be ahead there too.

    * Apple is more restricted than Android in general, does that impact working with hobby dev boards?

    * Many Android tablets have easy access SD card support = very easy to upgrade storage. I’ve seen support up to 1TB.

    * Can tablets work with hobby dev boards via other ways, such as OTA or Bluetooth?

    * The Samsung DeX looks interesting - it’s essentially a docking Android tablet with the option to switch to a mouse/touchpad centric UI. Docking turns it into a full desktop computer, with large external monitor, keyboard/mouse/touchpad, external drives… it’ll be interesting to see how much hardware it will ultimately support… maybe with Android 13 running a windows VM? edit: by "docking" I mean with a USB-C connector, not some proprietary connector.

    That’s all I’ve got for now Smiley thanks for all the advice so far!

  • in reply to ntewinkel

    Update: I was able to program an Arduino Uno from my Android phone!

    I used Anton Smirnov's app ArduinoDroid, and it seems fairly straightforward to use. I haven't put it through any difficult tasks yet but the basics went without any hiccups.

    Upload can be done via USB-OTG, as I did, but also via WiFi (not sure how that works yet... might be an ESP-8266/32 thing).

    Here are some screenshots:

    All I did was connect the usual Arduino USB cable to the USB-OTG adapter. The Arduino gets powered by the phone, but the draw doesn't seem too terrible. I didn't use it for very long, but I also imagine it would stay unplugged while doing the coding.

    Arduino from Android

    On this phone the code editor is tight, but not impossible. I imagine it would be much nicer on a tablet:

    Android Arduino code editor

    Nice that it supports my favourites right out of the box - the Uno and the Wemos D1 R2 Slight smile

    Android Arduino supported boards

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  • in reply to ntewinkel

    Update: I was able to program an Arduino Uno from my Android phone!

    I used Anton Smirnov's app ArduinoDroid, and it seems fairly straightforward to use. I haven't put it through any difficult tasks yet but the basics went without any hiccups.

    Upload can be done via USB-OTG, as I did, but also via WiFi (not sure how that works yet... might be an ESP-8266/32 thing).

    Here are some screenshots:

    All I did was connect the usual Arduino USB cable to the USB-OTG adapter. The Arduino gets powered by the phone, but the draw doesn't seem too terrible. I didn't use it for very long, but I also imagine it would stay unplugged while doing the coding.

    Arduino from Android

    On this phone the code editor is tight, but not impossible. I imagine it would be much nicer on a tablet:

    Android Arduino code editor

    Nice that it supports my favourites right out of the box - the Uno and the Wemos D1 R2 Slight smile

    Android Arduino supported boards

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