I agree. It's far more mobile than netbooks and laptops (it can comfortably be used sitting, standing, walking etc), but lugging it around when it is not being used is annoying. The reasons I went for a tablet rather than a smart phone don't seem to be significant any more, and once I decide on a smart phone, the tablet will become a portable desktop.
There are limited charting packages and broker apps for the iphone already so why not an expansion of that for the ipad. I'm sure the ipad and notebook computers are going to evolve further and traders will want packages for what hardware they use. Presently I use a notebook computer and don't see a need for more monitors for what I do. Maybe at some point I will see a need for multiple monitors and a fixed trading station but not now.
That would be the fault of the trader, not the equipment. Anyone running an IB account on an android phone? Does webtrader work? Experiences between mobile tws and webtrader? I've seen the remote option mentioned on another thread. At some point a 12+ inch tablet will be able to fold up into something the size of a smartphone and have a battery that lasts days. Then I'll be interested.
I've used WebTrader on Droid X and it works fine. I mainly use my phone to remote into my trading computer, not trade, and in a view only mode. I wouldn't be using it to trade except in an emergency. Maybe once IB has a Android app it will be more feasible but I don't think it will replace trading from a real screen any time soon. The necessary trading interfaces just don't translate well to a touchscreen yet and it would be very easy to make a mistake.
Mobility as in you can sit down in a restaurant/coffee shop and trade? Or you holding an ipad walking down the 5th avenue and continue to tap on the screen to trade on the street? In the former case, one can do it with a laptop at wifi locations or get an aircard. In the latter case, laptops wouldn't work. Wondering how desirable that would be. Also it would need to be covered by the service providers. Also, the data throughput would be a concern.
Future headline - "NY POST: Man struck and killed by vehicle near 5th Avenue" Walking and trading just seems like a really bad idea. I think the usefulness of trading on the go from an iPad is a novelty at best. Do people really carry around iPads with them when they go out of the house? Seems like more trouble than it's worth.
It's comfortable to use commuting and walking around. I wouldn't trade while I was walking (it's a bit clumsy), but looking at data is fine. Data useage is going to vary greatly between traders. My guess is that on a mobile platform, most will have 1 data source and watch a limited number of markets, so data useage should be light. If a trader finds mobile trading useful, the cost of data would be justified. Most people pay more to commute to work or on morning coffees than what a typical trader might use for mobile data. You would have to adopt a man-bag to do it. Actually, where I take mine is probably decided by whether I'll need a bag for it. If I'm out walking, at a park or a friend's place, I might take it. If I'm running around the city, I won't. Either way, a smartphone is more convenient. I'll mention my tablet. It's not an Ipad, it's a Hanvon bc10c. It's specs put it above a netbook (i.e. weak laptops), and on the lower end of proper laptops. It'll run TWS and other software (I run amibroker) very well, and this is one of the two main reasons I bought it over an ipad or smartphone. The other reason was the size of the screen (10 inches). However, that screen size really isn't necessary for a mobile platform (I only need to view recent data), and I probably don't need a full operating system. As a result, I feel my tablet is overkill and oversized for the specific use I intended. I think it's great as a laptop replacement - it's powerful enough, runs two external monitors standard, more with matrox/usd, and features a couple of usb outs. What it is not is a truly mobile solution. For that, I want a smartphone.
I find the tablet is fine, and the resolution isn't that much greater than some of what the smartphones offer (e.g. the droid x). My trading doesn't require speed, so I don't think making a mistake would be an issue for me. Have you run mobile TWS on Android? I know there are some java converters floating around (apparently this is used to run esignal on Androids), I was wondering whether it would run.