Sorry for making a separate thread, but there 5 + different tablet threads and my questions were getting lost in them.

Who has them? What do you think of them?

In the next month or two I'll be getting a new laptop/phone/tablet (never had a tablet). I'm sticking with Apple for the laptop and Android for the phone...mostly like Samsung as well, but I'll definitely be looking around (I've really loved my Captivate). I thought about going the iphone/ipad combo route, but I keep playing with them and I honestly can't leave Swype. I type large emails all the time from my phone and I hate the touch keyboard soooo much. I've mastered Swype and I just can't make the switch.

Looked at Consumer Reports the other day and it had Samsung's tablets rated the best, yet I don't see too many people talking about them on t-dub (and I respect the opinion, very much so).

I want to use the tablet for recreation/part work. Will probably be reading books and watching movies. I don't play any games on my computer, so that's not a big deal. But I would like to be able to pull up files on my tablet and work on them if I'm not in my office.

Thoughts?

2/29/2012 12:41:23 PM

The Samsung Galaxy tablet itself is not anything special. The only thing it had going for it was that last years model was the thinnest 10" Android tablet. But, the new one is thicker (Engadget just put out a short demo video about it). It lacked some of the connectivity features that other competitors like Lenovo and Asus had on their tablets.

The old 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab is outdated now. Old Android, old processor. There is a refreshed model that came out last year called the "7.0 Plus", but I wouldn't bother spending my money on it since the new one just announced and it looks better.


If you take a look, the hardware in most Android based 10" tablets are all ridiculously similar. It's as if they were made at the same manufacturing plant (somewhere in China )

1) All of them have the same processor (Tegra 250)
2) All of them have the same amount of RAM (1GB)
3) All of them have the same storage sizes (16GB, 32GB, or 64GB)
4) All of them are pretty much the same price (within $100 of each other)

The only differences are:
1) Form factor (size, design, shape, etc...)
2) Custom software (whatever customized Android O/S skin they've put on)
3) Battery size (which is probably the only difference that matters to me)


In the end, questions you really need to ask are:
Do you like the company? And is their customer service good?

[Edited on March 1, 2012 at 11:34 AM. Reason : to be or not to be]

3/1/2012 11:26:12 AM

Go with the Acer Iconia Tab A200. Its the cheapest (they removed the rear camera for example to make it cheaper, its NOT cheaply made) and because of what he ^ said. I got one and I am highly satisfied and you will get ICS update which many 10 tablets don't have yet or may not even get.


[Edited on March 1, 2012 at 1:53 PM. Reason : /]

3/1/2012 1:52:17 PM

^^is not at all true.

There are at least 4 different CPU/GPU combinations in the top tier 10" tablets:

Tegra2, Tegra3, Snapdragon + Mali, and OMAP.

Some will have 512mb of ram, others will have 1gb.

Storage ranges from 16-64gb, but the more important thing is that not all tablets have an SD card slot for expanding the storage.

Many tablets don't have GPS either, especially ones without 3g/4g radios.

3/1/2012 2:38:06 PM

I have the 10.1 and like it a lot. However I am not a fan of the Touchwiz skin. I currently run ADW's launcher to cover up as much of Touchwiz as I can. Also, Samsung takes forfuckingever to do any major update so keep that in mind when anticipating a big upgrade like ICS. However, the performance is pretty good, the display blows most of it's competition out of the water, battery life is a SOLID 9-10 hours, and the size factor is lightweight and thin (which was why I bought it).

I've used the Iconia Tab and while it's cheaper, it definitely doesn't compare in battery life. It also seemed a lot laggier even though I believe the specs are identical or close to it.

The Galaxy Tab 2 is getting ready to roll out this summer (I think) so I would wait. That should push the price down on the original quite a bit.

comparison - http://www.theverge.com/products/compare/3853/385/4069/2750/1643

[Edited on March 1, 2012 at 2:46 PM. Reason : .]

3/1/2012 2:46:17 PM

I get 7 solid hours out of my battery so far. I am not saying the Iconia Tab is the best or its great, but if you just want something to play around with the A200 is the way to go. If you feel like waiting, then wait lol.

By the way, ALL Android devices lag. I have not see one, in terms of tablets, then don't at least stutter from time to time.

3/1/2012 5:29:14 PM

ADW eliminates almost all of the lag from the standard launcher

[Edited on March 2, 2012 at 11:06 AM. Reason : at least for me anyhow]

3/2/2012 11:06:07 AM

I got one of the original Motorola zooms and I love it. I like the OS but the tablet app support is awful on Android. I'll probably go iPad whenever I upgrade just because of this.

3/3/2012 12:31:33 AM

I am getting the Acer Iconia Tab A200 Monday...what are necessary apps to put on it and the highly recommended apps. I am not really tech savy, but I can handle the tech I use. Any insight is great.


III

3/3/2012 1:35:50 AM