Although the ipad/android screens are smaller than I like, (I'm still using an old laptop that still folds flat 180 degress sideways on a music stand) I am thinking of the future and like the idea of have the tablet set up the keyboard or visa versa.

While the ipad seems to have everything we need already, I believe the above procedure along with foot switch turning pages can be done a lot cheaper on an android. I am pretty much just wanting to use it for music and don't care about all the other fluff.

So, with that in mind, I have two questions.

If an app for android were availabe that did what you can do with unreal book, or songbook+ as far as choosing a song by either using the tablet or the keyboard to set everything up, what kind of ports/jacks and abilities would the tablet have to have in order to do those things?

Can this all be accomplished on an android with the correct app or is something lacking for this?

Actually, three questions I guess, I have already been in touch with android app developers, one in particular interests me because he already has a sheet music app available, and it was stated that he was very interested in adding that to his app, but he needed to learn all the stuff needed to add midi to it.

I had already asked the developers for unreal book and songbook+ if they would make their apps available for android and the answers from both was no. The guy for unreal books said he was interested in possibly doing it for Windows though.

I have a sense that android as a whole has a big future. I have held back so far because of the rapidly changing technology.

Can anybody help fill in the blanks for us, please?

Closest Android App to Unrealbook, OnSong et al is Mobile Sheets.

I have used it on an Android tablet (10") and it is okay. None of the smoothness and the feeling of "it all just works smoothly and without glitching" that you get with the iPad. But it is about the best Android one available. Works with Airturn pedals via BT

About the only thing you can get on an Android tablet is a USB or MINI USB port..Although you do need to check as it is not a "standard" for Android tablets, but is included on some models.

Oh, and the ability to increase storage by the use of SDHC SDXHC memory cards for those Android devices that have the ports.

I did try the Android system for a couple of months - went back to iOS and was very happy to do so!!!!

Hope that helps some..

Dennis

I was actually about to start a thread on this.

I have an Android tablet, and I never started using it for sheet music because I prefer having a real sheet.

However, I like the iPad app that can play the sheet music because I'm not an incredible note reader, and this would be a help.

Moreover, I am intrigued by the Yamaha app for the iPad that you can use to edit voices and styles, and they also have apps for the Music Finder database and for instruction.

For this reason, I just purchased a refurbished iPad 3 from Yamaha's store and a used Yamaha iMX1 MIDI interface http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-Y...CFeZDMgod-EUAIQ that I found on Amazon.

I will be selling my Android tablet immediately. I am turned off by how expensive Apple products are, but I won't switch back to the Android until they have more apps including the ability to interface with my PSR-S950.

Love my Android tablet (X00M) and phone both. I don't use it for music though, but I have the USB drive loaded with lyrics/chord charts, and some PDF files in preparation for doing that.
DonM

Don, my Xoom has slowed down quite a bit since ICS. Have you noticed this?

chas

Everything out today will be ancient next year
look ahead,....way ahead, when it comes to technology.

... but we still have to LIVE with today's technology ... I don't know if we can even imagine what tomorrow's will be ...

Haven't noticed, but I haven't been using it for anything very intensive. It surfs the net faster than my desktop!
DonM

The Korg Kronos is already out, and a pointer to a possible future for our arrangers. It has a larger touch screen than any current arranger (if you discount the soft arrangers run on computers), and if the display were leveraged for lyric display of .PDF's, would make a credible alternative to having to tote another piece of kit for lyric and music display.

The cost of large touch sensitive displays has dropped radically since the start of the tablet craze. It is about time some of the arranger manufacturers realized what a boon to the type of acts we do something that large could be. Not to mention the offsetting cost savings of getting rid of most of the sliders and knobs, in favor of on-screen sliders, etc..

There are 20"+ touch screens for sale at little over $200 retail, so manufacturers' cost will be substantially below that. That is probably less than the replacement cost of any arranger's CURRENT touch screen!

Time to get cracking, Korg, Yamaha... (I doubt we'll see Roland move back into TOTL arranger very soon!).

Actually, I decided to make one last attempt to see if the midi sending and receiving thing would work on an android. It sounds to me like midi is not well developed if at all on androids.

It also seems that if one were to want to use an android that MobileSheets would be the one to use, which I see you agree with Dennis. Then it would be a matter of having a tablet that supported bluetooth for air turn or the other one that starts with a letter c for page turning. Or it would have to have some type of usb port to use Footime page turner which I already have. Then it would simply be a matter of manually bringing up the pdf's.

It also seems to me from what I've gathered so far is that we won't see a cheap 8 1/2 x 11 android because the size sucks up too much battery, unless some modifications were made to the os. I am not including the $1200 larger tablet type that to me makes no sense cost wise.

So, unless someone else chimes in with info contrary to what I've alread heard and suspected I guess if I go to a small tablet it will be an ipad. Probably ipad 2.

But for me I may be better off to stick with my older laptop on it;s side which is a much better viewing area for the eyes.

Scott