# Forum Other Languages Germanic languages German  Wetab

## Hanna

This is a message for anyone in Germany... Has anyone bought a Wetab? What do you think about it?   Can I run "Anki" on it?       

> *1 Was ist das WeTab?* __________________________________________________  ___________________________ 
> Das WeTab ist ein Tablet-Computer und bietet dem Nutzer einen schnellen 
> Zugang zum Internet, viele Applikationen zum Herunterladen und einen 
> einfachen Zugriff auf Bücher, Fotos sowie weitere persönliche Dateien.   __________________________________________________  ___________________________ *2 Welches Betriebssystem läuft auf dem WeTab?* __________________________________________________  ___________________________ 
> Das WeTab OS basiert auf einer aktuellen und leistungsfähigen 
> Linux-Distribution. Die gesamte Benutzeroberfläche wurde jedoch komplett 
> neu und speziell für Touch Pads entwickelt.   *__________________________________________________  ________________ 3 Welche Software läuft auf dem WeTab?* __________________________________________________  ___________________________ 
> Neben den eigenen WeTab Apps werden auch Android, Adobe Air, Standard Linux 
> Applikationen sowie komplett webbasierte Dienste unterstützt. Starker Fokus liegt 
> ...

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## bitpicker

It's not worth trying. These tabs are all running old versions of Android these days (version 3.0 is almost out), and until someone comes up with a way to install a full-fledged Linux on it, you're at the mercy of the provider as to what kind of software you can install on it. Furthermore, the non-iPads all still have resistive instead of capacitive touchscreens, which suck. That's one thing the iPad has which is really worth the steep price tag. But I would suggest giving the pad / tab business another year or two to develop sensible gadgets. 
A Windows program won't run on them anyway.

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## Hanna

Yeah, but I think you can put any OS on it... 
It comes with something called MeeGo which is a kind of Android (I don't really understand what the difference is). One of the reasons I want this is because it is NOT iPad and it has lots of advantages that iPad doesn't (multitasking to start with)  

> the non-iPads all still have resistive instead of capacitive touchscreens

 What does that mean? I checked some people playing around with WeTab and it seemed to have good multitouch? What did you hear?  
This person and some others on Youtub put Win7 on it; he's even got a dual boot menu. I assume that any Linux would run on it too, what do you think?   
Anki is a very cool open source learning program which exist for almost all types of OS including many Linux and Android: Anki - friendly, intelligent flashcards (bottom of page) I use it for my language studies.     
I think it seems better than iPad (a little bit) and the exoPC... and I think I'll be an "early adaptor" on this....

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## bitpicker

Well, I'm not stopping you, but it doesn't exactly get rave reviews, not even in the Linux press, which should be all over it. But these gadgets as well as smartphones have so far been more of an example of Linux done wrong. 
No pad I've heard of yet is powerful enough to run Windows decently. But well, if you ask me, there is nothing decent about Windows anyway. :P  
Meego is another type of Linux oriented towards mobile machines, just as Android is. But it seems that a lot of the freedom gets dropped in the process, which comes with the fact that you need to connect to an internet provider one way or the other to fully utilize the gadget, and to access, for instance, an app store. You are practically bound to use the system software which is provided with the pad or smartphone in question, and that means you're much more dependent on vendor mercies. Vendors as a rule don't understand Linux and the freedom which comes with it. 
Simply spoken, a resistive touchscreen gets its information by resisting your touch, that means, you have to press a little harder than you would have on a capacitive touchscreen, which works with the small electrical charge your touch causes. That makes resistive touchscreens less responsive and puts more wear and tear on them. 
If you do in fact get this pad or any of the others, I'd be interested in hearing about your experience with it. I personally will only consider a pad or smartphone if it will let me put my own choice of OS on it and still connect me with a service provider.

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## Hanna

Thank you for taking the time to write your views on this. I was hoping that you'd respond! 
In principle I really think you are right: It's a bit too early to get one of the bigger tablets, they haven't been around long.  But I want it early anyway and I think I'll get it, the question is what to do after that - leave it with the default OS and setup... or put something else on it.    I currently have a 1 hour commute each way, to work. having this would allow me to use that time more productively (if I can get a seat...) I never take my work laptop home if I can avoid it, too heavy.   I plan a long trip eastwards (take a long break, practice Russian  etc) in the spring and I need a lightweight computer to bring with me.   Because I am a geek at heart but have been feeling a bit "anti" new tech for a few years; HOWEVER this is something i feel quite positive about.   Don't want to buy an iPad (too hyped up, lots of limitations and I already have several things form Apple, that's enough..) or some mainstream junk with Windows on it. I like that this product is European.  Want to use it for my language studies. I have been spending WAY to much time in front of my computer at home since I started studying Russian.This would allow me to do the studying while out and about.
 Thanks for explaining about the screens.  
I don't really know how touch apps work; I guess they have to be created with that in mind to start with, right? 
There IS *Linux Touch OS*, called Jolicloud which is based on Ubuntu and can run any Ubuntu applications.   *I am going to try to find out whether that would run on the Wetab* -- it's been getting great reviews. 
I am having trouble following the debates about Wetab because my German is not good and I don't want to actually write anything in German.

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## bitpicker

If you find anything in German you'd like to understand just point me at it. 
One more thing I thought of this morning: it has no keyboard, and there is no guarantee that an on-screen keyboard can be switched to Russian. That's something which would be a definite show stopper for me, I'd like a tablet to use with pons.eu as my dictionary when reading in bed.  ::   
The iPad of course is absolutely out of the question. I don't like prisons, even if they are gilded cages. It's not Jobs' job to tell me what I can and cannot do.

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## Hanna

Thanks! 
Well there is a pretty nice forum about Wetab and I can more or less understand what they talk about but i don't want to write anything because it would be terrible grammar or writing in English when the people clearly prefer to write in German.  
I can't decide what to do with this - there is no seriously good similar product on the market that's due anytime soon as far as I can tell. Other than iPad or WeTab there is something called ExoPC  that runs Windows...   
Thing is I REALLY don't want to use Windows if I can avoid it...  
Oh, cool  --- the ExoPC is in fact the exact same hardware as the WeTab, only they've put Windows on it. 
There is a touch screen Linux called JoliCloud and I wonder whether that would run on it.

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