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My Galaxy Tab Experience

JOHNGAETANO

JOHNGAETANO

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 3, 2002
347
170
Akron, Ohio
Since I already own an iPad, which I love, I thought I would try out a Galaxy Tab using Sprint's 30 day money back guarantee.

Things I didn't like:

1. The Media Hub experience was terrible. I rented and downloaded two movies for an airplane trip. When I went to watch the movies on the plane I found out that I needed a WIFI connection to watch the movies? What a bunch of crap that was. Very disappointing.

2. The browsing experience was poor at best. The stock browser was jerky, and just not smooth. It was also very awkward compared to the iPad.

3. While the 7" screen is nice and portable, it's just not ideal for browsing, or even watching movies. I found myself always looking for more screen real estate.

4. The OS is just not ready for a tablet. In fact, it's a long way off from competing with the iPad.

5. The overall speed of the Tab was just not as snappy as the iPad. The iPad and the Apple apps are just 2nd to none.

I'm glad I was able to use the Tab for a month, but what a joy it was to finally start using my iPad again. Not using the iPad for 30 days was tough, but you really appreciate how nice the iPad is after that time.

JOHN
 
Out of the box it's weak but...

A visit to XDA and many quickly have a phone capable unlocked Tab.
That's a plus over the iPad.

The stock browser is poor on stock firmware, but the free Dolphin HD browser runs great and has many more features. Others are loading beta firmware that improves the stock browser as well.

Size I found it too big, with the iPad I never consider putting it in a pocket.
with the tab it would just about fit, and I wished it was smaller.

I found the os similar to iOS, you push a icon the program launches?

Gmail worked great with it, instant notification of email.

Screen was very nice and the zoom and auto format/fit text I miss on the iPad.

I think 399 no contract is the right price for them...
 
JOHNGAETANO said:
Since I already own an iPad, which I love, I thought I would try out a Galaxy Tab using Sprint's 30 day money back guarantee.

Things I didn't like:

1. The Media Hub experience was terrible. I rented and downloaded two movies for an airplane trip. When I went to watch the movies on the plane I found out that I needed a WIFI connection to watch the movies? What a bunch of crap that was. Very disappointing.

2. The browsing experience was poor at best. The stock browser was jerky, and just not smooth. It was also very awkward compared to the iPad.

3. While the 7" screen is nice and portable, it's just not ideal for browsing, or even watching movies. I found myself always looking for more screen real estate.

4. The OS is just not ready for a tablet. In fact, it's a long way off from competing with the iPad.

5. The overall speed of the Tab was just not as snappy as the iPad. The iPad and the Apple apps are just 2nd to none.

I'm glad I was able to use the Tab for a month, but what a joy it was to finally start using my iPad again. Not using the iPad for 30 days was tough, but you really appreciate how nice the iPad is after that time.

JOHN
Click to expand...

The problem with Galaxy TAB.

It's made by Samsung and god knows when they will release software update on this tab. They promised honeycomb will be running on this device, but I seriously F doubt it.

Samsung is the absolutely worst companies in the world I have ever dealt with in mobile. They are great with Tv, but mobile? No.

They apparently let their customers suffer with Android OS 2.1 Eclair while others run 2.2 froyo or 2.3 gingerbread. Stupid of me for ever even thinking about buying galaxy S phones.

I will never buy any samsung mobile devices. They are awful and I hope they fail with this galaxy S 2 phones. I hope these US customers realize how terrible samsung is.
 
JOHNGAETANO said:
2. The browsing experience was poor at best. The stock browser was jerky, and just not smooth. It was also very awkward compared to the iPad.
...
5. The overall speed of the Tab was just not as snappy as the iPad. The iPad and the Apple apps are just 2nd to none.
...
you really appreciate how nice the iPad is after that time.
Click to expand...

Interesting observations because they almost exactly mirror my frustration with my Samsung Vibrant. My iPod Touch has been usurped by my family members so I'm sticking with just the Vibrant and whenever I go back to the iPod Touch after a whole day of my Vibrant, it's almost a "ooh and ahh" experience just marveling at how smooth everything is from the keyboard to web browing to the email app to scrolling in general. The Vibrant isn't slow per se, but it's just small bump here, slight delay there that adds up to a frustrating experience at the end. Oh and copy&paste is just horrible on Android.

Oddly I personally don't mind using TouchWiz that much but much hyped the widget experience just doesn't add up to much in my usage. The amount of information displayed on a widget just isn't enough. I found myself almost always going into the main mapp to do everything, and I just stopped using widgets altogether. Maybe it's better on a 10" tablet.

The worst part all this though is that my experience is based with XDA custom ROMs, not the stock version. With the stock ROM the Vibrant feels even slower and rough around the edges and that's the Android phone you get out of the box.

On the other hand the Google apps are in general excellent although without the level of polish you'd expect elsewhere. Thus if you use the Google Nav, Google Maps, etc a lot, Android is a good choice. And yes, you can access your files directly if you need that.
 
The tab isn't even worth mentioning anymore. Androids real first tablet will be the xoom. Curious to know how it will compare to the iPad, iPad 2 that is.
 
Blakjack said:
The tab isn't even worth mentioning anymore. Androids real first tablet will be the xoom. Curious to know how it will compare to the iPad, iPad 2 that is.
Click to expand...

ouch! :)

Sucks to be a Tab owner, I guess. What, it's been available for about two months and is pretty much DOA, just like Steve Jobs said?
 
hcho3 said:
The problem with Galaxy TAB.

It's made by Samsung and god knows when they will release software update on this tab. They promised honeycomb will be running on this device, but I seriously F doubt it.

Samsung is the absolutely worst companies in the world I have ever dealt with in mobile. They are great with Tv, but mobile? No.
Click to expand...

I made the mistake of buying a Samsung Blu ray player after the good experience with my Samaung LCD TV. Worst purchase ever. They were slow to update the firmware and one update resulted in terrible audio sync problems and no further updates. I returned it after six months and a replacement unit suffered the same fate as soon as the firmware was updated so I gave up and switched to a Panasonic which has been excellent.

Samsung joins Sony on my list of companies I avoid now.
 
I have a droidx and the stock google browser is bad, but there are replacements like dolphin which is highly regarded.

The size is probably the biggest draw, small enough to make it very nice to travel.

Google has honeycomb which is geared for the tablet so your statements are accurate when talking about android 2.2 or 2.3
 
ZilogZ80 said:
Google might have Honeycomb but nobody else does as far as I know.
Click to expand...

Not yet, the xoom is coming out shortly and I think samsung is already prepping the tab 2 so it can run honeycomb.

I've said this in other threads, I have some co-workers who have opted for the Tab over the iPad, in fact one was using an iPad and chose the tab instead.

They prefer the tab for a number of reasons, but probably chief among the reasons is the size. 7" is great for a number of tasks, they have no problems with the browser, email or dealing with apps.

android is a stable and extensible operating system and while 2.2/2.3 is geared more towards the phone, it being able to easily extend to the tablet shows its power.
 
ZilogZ80 said:
OK. Let me know when there is actually a usable Android tablet available and I will check it out.
Click to expand...
As I stated the Tab is a usable android based tablet.

Make do with any product you choose. Different strokes for different folks. You prefer the iPad as I do, but that doesn't mean any competition to the iPad is inferior. While honeycomb appears to extend the power and flexibility of android, the current version seems to be working quite well.
 
GreatDrok said:
I made the mistake of buying a Samsung Blu ray player after the good experience with my Samaung LCD TV. Worst purchase ever. They were slow to update the firmware and one update resulted in terrible audio sync problems and no further updates. I returned it after six months and a replacement unit suffered the same fate as soon as the firmware was updated so I gave up and switched to a Panasonic which has been excellent.

Samsung joins Sony on my list of companies I avoid now.
Click to expand...

Good to know. I'm about to buy a Samsung LED TV with matching BluRay player, but not anymore. I may just get the TV, and look for a better BluRay player. Thanks!
 
maflynn said:
You prefer the iPad as I do, but that doesn't mean any competition to the iPad is inferior.
Click to expand...
That is exactly what it means. I will use whatever tool gets my work done best (regardless of whose logo is on the front of it). At the moment that tool is the iPad therefore all other competition is by definition inferior!
 
JOHNGAETANO said:
4. The OS is just not ready for a tablet. In fact, it's a long way off from competing with the iPad.
Click to expand...

No kidding. Everybody knows that Android 2.x is a PHONE operating system. The forthcoming Android 3 will be the first release to officially support tablet computers. And based upon the latest reviews by people who have actually had the Xoom with Android 3 in their hands, Apple will be facing some very serious competition once that platform is released.

Enjoy your iPads while they are still leading the pack, but the times they are a-changing. The flood of Android devices that will hit the shelves over the next two years will drown Apple's locked down iOS platform. It has nothing to do with which platform is "better", it's only about the numbers -- prices and amount of produced and shipped gadgets. Android 3 is more than just good enough to give Apple a run for their money, and the entire industry is jumping on Android.
 
Last edited:
JOHNGAETANO said:
Since I already own an iPad, which I love, I thought I would try out a Galaxy Tab using Sprint's 30 day money back guarantee.

<SNIP>

I'm glad I was able to use the Tab for a month, but what a joy it was to finally start using my iPad again. Not using the iPad for 30 days was tough, but you really appreciate how nice the iPad is after that time.

JOHN
Click to expand...

Well thanks for driving up the price of electronics so you could "try it out". Why didn't you do the honorable thing that all tech nerds do; buy the product and then sell it at a loss after you've used it?
 
Winni said:
No kidding. Everybody knows that Android 2.x is a PHONE operating system. The forthcoming Android 3 will be the first release to officially support tablet computers. And based upon the latest reviews by people who have actually had the Xoom with Android 3 in their hands, Apple will be facing some very serious competition once that platform is released.

Enjoy your iPads while they are still leading the pack, but the times they are a-changing. The flood of Android devices that will hit the shelves over the next two years will drown Apple's locked down iOS platform. It has nothing to do with which platform is "better", it's only about the numbers -- prices and amount of produced and shipped gadgets. Android 3 is more than just good enough to give Apple a run for their money, and the entire industry is jumping on Android.
Click to expand...

a negative post from you? colour me SHOCKED.
 
TBi said:
Well thanks for driving up the price of electronics so you could "try it out". Why didn't you do the honorable thing that all tech nerds do; buy the product and then sell it at a loss after you've used it?
Click to expand...

that's the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard.
 
Winni said:
No kidding. Everybody knows that Android 2.x is a PHONE operating system.
Click to expand...
Everybody except Samsung and others who have released tablets running it, of course.

Winni said:
Enjoy your iPads while they are still leading the pack
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice. I was just about to bury it outside and dig it up to enjoy in a years time.
 
hcho3 said:
The problem with Galaxy TAB.

It's made by Samsung and god knows when they will release software update on this tab. They promised honeycomb will be running on this device, but I seriously F doubt it.

Samsung is the absolutely worst companies in the world I have ever dealt with in mobile. They are great with Tv, but mobile? No.

They apparently let their customers suffer with Android OS 2.1 Eclair while others run 2.2 froyo or 2.3 gingerbread. Stupid of me for ever even thinking about buying galaxy S phones.

I will never buy any samsung mobile devices. They are awful and I hope they fail with this galaxy S 2 phones. I hope these US customers realize how terrible samsung is.
Click to expand...

Quoted for truth. I sold the Fascinate last week to fund my iPhone purchase and I will never buy another Samsung mobile device. The Fascinate is still stuck on 2.1 and there is no evidence that they will ever upgrade that to 2.2. Their new 4G Galaxy S phone is coming to Verizon and I'm sure they want people to buy it so they most likely will not update the Fascinate. It also took them like 4+ months just to release a GPS fix. I've heard the same horror story from people who own Samsung smartphones on any carrier.
 
Sort of off topic but the release of the iPhone 4 on Verizon, and its almost immediate success (sold out in 18 hours and is the most successful phone launch in Verizon history) is going to set back Android in both phone and pad sales. Android sole popularity was due to no iPhone on Verizon. Thousands flocked to Android as a acceptable stop-gap until Verizon got the iPhone.

Android phone sales will drop and interest in anything Android will plummet.
 
Winni said:
Enjoy your iPads while they are still leading the pack, but the times they are a-changing.
Click to expand...

I will enjoy my iPad regardless of how many they sell. I'm not sure why people feel the iPad needs to be the best. More competition is good for the consumer.
 
Winni said:
Enjoy your iPads while they are still leading the pack
Click to expand...
We actually purchased our iPads not because they were leading the pack but because they're fulfilling a need.

But you cannot be bothered by details in your zeal to slam anything apple :rolleyes:
 
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