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Seen in The Wild

Hark, a Kindle Fire

For some time now I’ve been thinking about noting the devices I see on my trips. I don’t know about you, but gadgets always catch my eye. I usually try to identify the devices, just for my own curiosity. I like to get a feel for what type of professional buys which type of gadget.

For example, I didn’t see any Android tablets at PLA 2012, but I did see a couple iPads, one Kindle Fire, a K3, a Sony Reader Wifi,  and 3 BB Playbooks. And that was 3 different  Playbooks owned by 3 different librarians. If you’re wondering why RIM is still making them, clearly someone is still buying.

Today at the NAPCO conference I didn’t see any Playbooks but I did spot a Kindle Fire, a dozen or so iPads, and a couple Samsung tablets.  And of course there were dozens of different smartphones in use in the sessions, but I couldn’t get a close enough look to identify the models.

Admittedly, my results are only anecdotal and based on a small survey group, but now I think I see why there’s an iPad market and a tablet market. Also, for all this talk of lots of Android tablets sold, there’s not a whole lot them being used for work.

So what have you seen in the wild?

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Comments


Mike Cane March 19, 2012 um 7:22 pm

Yeah, good luck trying to snap pics without people noticing. I’d have plenty of In The Wild pics on my blog if I didn’t fear getting my throat cut or a cop summoned.


Sturmund Drang March 19, 2012 um 8:20 pm

If you zoom in tight you can see she’s reading The Anarchist Cookbook. When did they digitize that?

Mike Cane March 20, 2012 um 6:58 am

TAC has been digitized illegitimately for ages.

Sturmund Drang March 20, 2012 um 7:12 pm

Yup.


Ryan Crierie March 19, 2012 um 10:37 pm

A really good cross-section can be found on Amtrak long distance train trips of what kinds of electronic gadgets are really being used in the wild by the average end user; as even Amtrak Coach class has two power receptacles per seat pair, so keeping your devices running isn’t a problem.


Rose in Arizona March 21, 2012 um 10:36 am

The home health care worker that came to our house said their company gave them all Galaxy Tabs for record keeping. She said they all went out and bought keyboards to make full/easier use.


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