Pixel tablet - No haptic feedback - Are you serious google?

Dumdum

MolRas66 am aware of aftermarket keyboards, I may get one, but why would I bother? I may as well just carry around a laptop that's running a real operating system in that case.

Because your GrapheneOS tablet is likely to be more secure than your laptop unless you use a Chromebook I think.

MolRas66

Dumdum Are chromebooks comparatively more secure? I never paid attention to them as I have a lifelong distrust of google. I have been using windows on a laptop for uni just because I didn't have the bandwidth but I can't do it anymore going to wipe it and just use ms office stuff on GOS tablet in a separate profile. The other laptops I have one is t440p running libreboot and openbsd with minimal extras (bspwm, Firefox, keepass) and the other I use qubes OS but haven't fired it up in a while. Might see where qubes is these days with windows in a HVM for if it's required. I'm not knowledgeable enough to assess the relative security vs security theatre of qubes but I have some faith in the developers. And I do like the compartmentalisation of qubes like it makes it easy to put different activities in different buckets.

MolRas66

treequell Thanks for taking the time to make such a detailed reply :-). Especially considering my post was a long angry rant haha. None of those settings are there at all. I found a single post on reddit asking about it with a single reply saying it's lacking the hardware for vibration completely. I'm getting over it, very slowly lol. My main use for it is for reading and handwritten annotations on documents, and it works fine for that. I'll probably do most other editing in obsidian on my laptop. Just blown away that google wouldn't allow it to vibrate. Like it doesn't take a sim and I wouldn't want it to but even as a media consumption device people use them for video calls and conferencing etc and I just can't stand blaring ring tones. Oh well such is life :-/.

treequell

MolRas66 None of those settings are there at all.

Wow! I am also surprised, and can appreciate that is frustrating.

biscuit_tosser_88

MolRas66 What are you using for handwritten annotations on documents?
I came from Samsung Note and S series phones and I was very spoiled with their stylus and software.

MolRas66

[deleted] ahh yeah fair enough heh. I can see how it would be annoying for someone too. It's just how my brain works it's like it doesn't register that I'm aiming for discreet boxes on the screen and hitting them without physical feedback. It's not the end of the world just wish it was available. I'd rather it be available and be able to turn it off than it be unavailable and not be able to turn it on. Surely I can't be in an extreme minority wanting haptics.

Dumdum

MolRas66
The Chromebooks are, unsurprisingly, built with the same security (Titan chip) as the Pixels (except in the note below). Of course, without GrapheneOS, I doubt that Chromebooks enjoy the same privacy as we do with the Pixel though, so its understandable for you to avoid them unless there's a GOS equivalent for them that I'm not aware of.

https://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/chromebook/meet-chromebook/

7 As of March 2024, there has been no evidence of any documented, successful virus attack on ChromeOS. Data based on ChromeOS monitoring of various national and internal databases.

8 All Chromebooks launched since January 2019 come with the Titan C or C2 security chip, except for the Lenovo 100e Chromebook 2nd Gen MediaTek and the Lenovo 300e Chromebook 2nd Gen MediaTek, which come with a different security chip.

xmachina

MolRas66 Might see where qubes is these days with windows in a HVM for if it's required. I'm not knowledgeable enough to assess the relative security vs security theatre of qubes but I have some faith in the developers.

QubesOS is a mature, very secure, platform. Sadly, current support for Windows is lacking, but Windows is still perfectly functional; it's just not as well integrated (ex.: you may not be able to use USB devices in Windows qubes, and instead have to manually copy). Frankly, I stopped using Windows 3 years ago and haven't looked back except for a few things I literally cannot do elsewhere (ex.: work/school apps). And the longer I stay away from Windows the more I despise it and loathe the time I have to spend on it.

Anyways, sorry about the rant. TL;DR Qubes is great and just about the best security you can get these days when used correctly.

MolRas66

Dumdum oh that's interesting to know! I was under the impression that they require you to be online and connected into Google's ecosystem to be functional. That was the main reason I ignored them. I see they run coreboot, that's cool. As an aside, in looking that up I fell down the rabbit hole of wanting to blow my savings on a framework laptop and putting one together on their website rather than getting on with the day, thanks a lot :-P

MolRas66

biscuit_tosser_88 I've been using xodo for drawing on PDFs. There is a tiny bit of noticeable lag, and stuff like dotting i's isn't always picked up. It has a setting for writing with a stylus and navigating the document with your finger, which appears to function as expected. It works reasonably well, but it's my first experience writing with a stylus so I have no real comparison. I don't fully trust xodo, but I'm yet to find a reasonable alternative and I'm limited by the fact that I refuse to pay for software through Google. For writing on .docx I have only tried MS word app. It seems to work OKAY but not as fluid and palm recognition is terrible. I've read a few recommendations for Saber on here, and it works BEAUTIFULLY. It's just a note taking app AFAIK though so no document editing. Xodo with PDF appears to be the best option currently. The free version can't export as office format though which is the only real limitation I have faced. I've also been playing with Excalidraw plugin for obsidian. It's nice but definitely has pen lag.

mmmm

As a side note, a little bit unrelated, but iPads also dont have haptic feedback (at least up until the generations I have purchased. I was similarly disappointed. I think its not uncommon to have it missing on a tablet though.

MolRas66

mmmm oh really? That surprises me. Do they have a vibrate setting at all? I just always thought it was the norm but I haven't used a fruit flavoured device since the Macintosh plus haha. In fact I'm not sure ever ever owned a tablet at all. Huh. I just assumed a tablet would have feature parity as it's essentially just a big phone.

MolRas66

xmachina haha no sorry rant away! I used qubes a lot in the past. I love the setup. I also dig Joanna Rutkowska I remember reading some papers she authored on x86 architecture. I just got the shits with tinkering and needed a more efficient workflow. I've paid the price in privacy/security though trying to drag myself back.

biscuit_tosser_88

MolRas66 thanks for responding. I'll look at those options.

I did install saber. You can create a new note, import a PDF into it, and annotate it. It just feel slightly clunky compared to what I'm used to.