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Ya take the good, ya take the bad, ya take 'm both and there you have the Galaxy Tab

A Pocketable Train Wreck - Wonder if the domain is still available. :D
 
Ouch. They didn't much like it.

This is it. The Galaxy Tab is the first Android tablet meant for humans. But is it actually fit for humans? No.
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That line made me laugh.

I really don't like 7" tablets much. I'd rather use my iPod Touch or iPhone at that size. And their US$599 price for essentially a "mini tablet" is too high. (iPad is US$499 for comparison.)

I want to see some solid competition, but I'm still waiting. I really hope HP's webOS powered Tablet comes out with a decent screen and sensors. That could give Apple a run for its money.

A lower cost ($299, $399) Google Chrome OS tablet could also be a winner.
 
Don Kosak said:
A lower cost ($299, $399) Google Chrome OS tablet could also be a winner.
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That's their problem. Apple locked them out on price. That's why you're not seeing any real competitors. They can't build it at Apple's prices.
 
Don Kosak said:
And their US$599 price for essentially a "mini tablet" is too high. (iPad is US$499 for comparison.)...A lower cost ($299, $399) Google Chrome OS tablet could also be a winner.
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Its actually quite price competitive.

Currently its 400 with a Sprint contract, but if you planned on paying for 3G data while you have it why not take advantage of the deal. If you keep your iPad for two years, wouldn't you rather have gotten it cheaper since you were already paying for the data.

Off contract it is 599, which is 30 cheaper than the 3G iPad. This is what it should be compared to since the Galaxy has 3G + Wifi + GPS.
 
Another quote from Gizmo:
"This thing is just a mess. It's like a tablet drunkenly hooked up with a phone, and then took the fetus swimming in a Superfund cleanup site."

Let's face it, there will be some real Ipad competitors and eventually we may see Android or Chrome based models outselling IOS, just like phones. The Tab just ain't there yet.
 
They didn't even run down the battery to see how accurate the indicator is. But if 4 hours leaves 40%, then by my calculation that means a 6.67 hour battery (again, if you can trust the indicator). That's not terrible, but it's not really in the iPad's 8-12 hour territory either. And it's hardly something I'd describe as "thoroughly phenomenal" as the reviewer did.

On the price, yes you can argue it's price competitive (although I think that's a hard argument with the screen size difference), but only if you need 3G. There is no cheaper WiFi only version if you don't, as far as I can tell. And unlike the iPad, if you go for the subsidized contract, you can't decide to jump off it if you decide you no longer need it (or move to the lower data plan that AT&T offers).
 
HiRez said:
They didn't even run down the battery to see how accurate the indicator is. But if 4 hours leaves 40%, then by my calculation that means a 6.67 hour battery (again, if you can trust the indicator). That's not terrible, but it's not really in the iPad's 8-12 hour territory either. And it's hardly something I'd describe as "thoroughly phenomenal" as the reviewer did.
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Its a hard comparison to make unless they turned flash off and did similar tasks. But the Tab has a 4000mha battery and the iPad's is in the range of 6500 mHa. While it might be possible that Android is less power hungry when doing common tasks, the higher capacity of the iPad battery wins. You could probably get by just charging the iPad once a day.

On the price, yes you can argue it's price competitive (although I think that's a hard argument with the screen size difference), but only if you need 3G. There is no cheaper WiFi only version if you don't, as far as I can tell. And unlike the iPad, if you go for the subsidized contract, you can't decide to jump off it if you decide you no longer need it (or move to the lower data plan that AT&T offers).
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The Tab's screen is smaller (that's one of the features of it), but its a similar resolution so things will look crisper in the same way that the Retina display looks better than the old iPhone or iPod touch display, and the new Air's high res display looks better than the old Air's display. You have to do less zooming on the Retina display because the text is easier to read so the smaller screen size won't necessarily require more zooming than its smaller size would have you believe.

I realize there is no wifi version. I mentioned it should be priced against the 3G iPad because the Tab is 3G as well. People seemed to be comparing it against the cheaper wifi-only iPad. Also true that if you sign the contract you can't jump off or change to a cheaper plan, but that's what you get for saving $200.
 
Gizmodo review is a bit odd. It's not very detailed. I think they're just trying to kiss Apple's behind after stolen iPhone fiasco. They've been banned on all Apple events.
 
dojoman said:
Gizmodo review is a bit odd. It's not very detailed. I think they're just trying to kiss Apple's behind after stolen iPhone fiasco. They've been banned on all Apple events.
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All their reviews are a bit odd, it's not Consumer Reports, it's a subjective blog site. As for kissing Apple's ass, they tend to criticize everybody at some point or another.
 
poloponies said:
All their reviews are a bit odd, it's not Consumer Reports, it's a subjective blog site. As for kissing Apple's ass, they tend to criticize everybody at some point or another.
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Eh, there are times when I really PREFER a subjective review... If something sucks, TELL me so (but tell me WHY). Too often reviews these days refuse to come out and say when something is bad because they don't want to upset the company, thus potentially locking them out of getting future review units to try out, or because the site is getting advertising dollars from the manufacturer...

I occasionally write for a site called GizmosForGeeks and when we do reviews we make an effort to list the good and the bad, but we in NO WAY say that we are "unbiased". We all are tech professionals, with many years of experienced in different areas of tech, and if there is something about a product we find bad or lacking, we say so, damn the torpedos! I just think it's a lot more honest.
 
I thought the review was fine. I'm so sick of people who scream 'bias!!!' at any mention of an Apple product.

The review confirms what I had suspected would be the biggest problem with the Tab - it's size. Why anyone would want a 7" tablet is completely beyond comprehension to me. As the review says, this leaves a screen area which is only marginally greater than a phone and significantly smaller than the iPad. Just look at the Giz story picture. The thing is only a little larger than an iPhone, and even less substantial compared with some of the larger Android phones. This problem is made worse by the aspect ratio, which further limits the screen's total area. In the end, developers can't really design their apps much differently than the phone versions. It also seems to completely ruin the onscreen keyboard, which is one of the iPad's strengths.

A total waste of money for whoever is suckered into buying one. But it is totally amusing seeing all the people who pissed all over the iPad when it was announced for using iOS now defending a worse tablet which also uses a mobile OS, only one not even designed for tablets. But hey, at least it plays flash - poorly.
 
There are plenty of people who want a 7" device and I personally think they have their place.

It's also a more natual feeling for reading, and also easier to thumb type on.

I see a 7" device for more of on the go where I see the iPad as more of a home device, but you could still carry it around it you want. Different strokes for different folks.

This Samsung Tab promo commerical is how I see using a 7" device. The Tab fails because of it's price, not because of the screen size or because SJ says so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHOZZJ_2Wjg

One of the problems I see with Android tablets is no clear direction from Google about OS releases. I head Gingerbread is coming out at the end of the year and then Honeycomb comes out in early Q1 but they never say what to expect and some of the tabs out now are running 1.6,2.1 and 2.2 too much diveristy and it's not made clear if prior tablets will be able to get updates

I also tend to go with Engadget more than Gizmodo
 
Can someone tell me what a "Tab" is? What's a Galaxy doing in front of the word?

I'd heard a while back that Samsung was building a tablet, and the code name was "SPad". The way the guy pronounced it, it sounded like "asspad". True story.
 
A couple notes from other reviews on the battery:

Mossberg: "Also, in my tests, the iPad’s battery life was about five hours better than the Tab’s"

Pogue: "The iPad gets 10 hours on a charge; the Galaxy, about 6 hours."

So, a 5 to 6 hour battery? For a device you take out and use casually during the day, that might be acceptable. Barely. As a travel companion? Not so much.
 
rdowns said:
That's their problem. Apple locked them out on price. That's why you're not seeing any real competitors. They can't build it at Apple's prices.
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That is a saying you don't really see about Apple products. :)
 
Posting this from my tab. I went this morning and got a Tab after selling my 64gb wifi + 3G iPad, which i had since launch.

I like it. Im in bed and the weight is more comfortable. Battery life since last charge is close to 6 hours and im at 15%. Downloaded a lot of apps today! Miss netflix and flipbook ):

Personally I prefer this size, although just one more inch might make it perfect. Its a better companion to my new 13in Air than the ipad was. This is my first android device and while i have no interest in the phones, i think its a great tablet OS.

So yeah, overall i like it. Plus i was tethering my Air to it earlier and consistantly pulling 2-3mb down.

As for the gizmodo review, its horrible. Its like.someone who.bought a 22 inch tv complaining its not 57 inch. There are plenty of fair reviews of the tab from engadget, slashgear, and even consumer reports so check them out.

And there is a wifi only tab coming out but its been delayed till after the holidays.
 
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