06-25-2012, 05:49 PM | #1 |
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Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 - a reasonable choice?
Knowing next to nothing about Android (never used it - only ever seen a friend's Galaxy Note phone) I've just bought a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 on impulse; the price seemed reasonable and the specs decent enough.
Any thoughts on this device? Good buy? Waste of money? Have to admit that I was forced to do a Google search to figure out how to do some rather elementary things on it; the Android UI is not obvious for a long-time iPhone/iPad user like me! The thing that took me the longest to figure out was how to create folders on the home screen: all the info I found said "tap and hold and you get an option to add a folder". Oh no I don't - I can add apps and widgets (what's the difference, by the way?), but no folders. Eventually spotted that when I held the home screen there was a vaguely folder-ish icon at the top of the screen. Dragged an app to that and a folder finally appeared. Is this something that's changed in Android 4.0? Looking forward to having fun with this tablet - please forgive my doubtless elementary questions! |
06-25-2012, 05:55 PM | #2 |
monkey on the fringe
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For me, it's the opposite. Even though I've had an iOS device longer than an Android device, I find Android far more intuitive. Go figure.
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06-25-2012, 06:11 PM | #3 |
Wizard
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I got my Galaxy Tab a few months after getting my Kobo Vox and found the Vox forums very informative as to the widgets and menus/settings in Android. I had had an iPod Touch and a Blackberry and didn't know a thing about Android.
Just from reading the Vox forums, by the time I got the Tab, I was pretty familiar with how Android works and now I have an Android phone as well. I can share my apps on all 3 devices (most of them except DroidTV which has a minimal subscription per device). Google integration is fantastic and easy to use and the way notifications are done is great! You'll love it, won't take long... |
06-25-2012, 06:12 PM | #4 |
monkey on the fringe
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It would've been a great buy last Christmas, but I'm not so sure now. Quad-cores are about to hit, so it would probably depend on the price paid and the features you need.
Google will probably announce their tablet on Wednesday. If the rumors and leaks hold true, it'll be:
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06-25-2012, 08:09 PM | #5 |
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I'd been thinking for quite a while about buying a tablet of some kind. My JBL is great but I can't read comics on it.
Kindle Fire has limited space (one is supposed to use The Cloud for storage) and it seems users have to talk to their Fire through email, so wi-fi presence and use is extensive. Nook Color has a card slot and reads epub but B&N wants a credit card # even though one may never buy a book from them. I kept searching and came across the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0), like you did. While I knew zero about Android, let alone the newest flavor, I figured that if I can force Windows 7 to bend to my will (which I can, almost), Android 4.0.x shouldn't be a problem -- but best of all, it didn't seem to require a wi-fi connection to even get started. Later I found out our apartment complex leasing office stopped offering Wi-Fi, drat... I guess one day I'll have to go to the Flying Star, have a meal and use their wi-fi. I wanted to buy the SGTab in town but the closest store, Staples, didn't have it; neither did Wal-Mart. I wound up getting it from Amazon and on a whim paying for next-day delivery. Turns out that the delivery charges were a few $ less than the taxes I would have paid locally, making the purchase somewhat cheaper overall. Cool! I had done a lot of studying ahead of time. A good site seems to be www.thegalaxytabforum.com which even offers a link to a user manual, though I got a copy from the Samsung site. After charging the device (which is the First Thing You Should Do and takes at least 4 hours)*, I played with it a bit and discovered that it could handle everything... except epub format. Fortunately, earlier on delivery day I had found the site for alkido (app writer's website) and downloaded a free version of the apk, which I sideloaded (loaded via the microSC card), and that works for the epubs, though not on the pdf files in landscape. For them I discovered ezPDF reader; I got the apk file for that at a Site That Shall Not Be Named. Note again that I'm one of the few people in the world who doesn't have wi-fi, not even at work, so no Amazon App store or Google store for me at this time. I want to find and load the programs myself, but those two stores have a near 100% monopoly. So with the edition of these two pieces of software, my Tab does everything I want it to do. I can read books and comic books (in PDF format), and watch TV in flv, avi and mp4 format. What I don't like is that it comes with a lot of apps that I don't think I'll ever use but I don't want to uninstall them; I'd just like to hide them but can't. I did make a folder with my favorite apps in it (I learned about this at the Tab site noted above). I also replaced the generic wallpaper with my own digital picture. If I can do something in Windows, I should be able to do it, if only in a limited manner, in Ice Cream Sandwich. My friends who have seen the Tab at work are impressed (even the friend who has a Kindle Fire). *I learned on that site that one should not leave the device charging overnight or, say, while you're away for the day. The thought is that over charging might hurt it. But you can read about it and add that info to your arsenal Last edited by DebbyS; 06-25-2012 at 08:13 PM. |
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06-25-2012, 08:57 PM | #6 |
Wizard
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Thanks for the review & the website.
This is most likely the tablet I'm going to get at some point. |
06-25-2012, 09:18 PM | #7 | |
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It's a good buy, it's a device I would recommend and one I earnestly considered purchasing myself. Samsung tablets have the best build quality. I think only ASUS compares to their build quality. The only reason I've held off on the purchase is the rumored Google Nexus tablet slated to be revealed this week.
=X= Quote:
Last edited by =X=; 06-25-2012 at 09:23 PM. |
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06-26-2012, 03:52 AM | #8 | |
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Quote:
Thanks for the explanation of apps and widgets - much appreciated. |
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06-26-2012, 04:24 AM | #9 | |
GUNDAM PILOT
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Quote:
00%of my apps are sideloaded android apps I dont use amazon's ecosystem for anything these days. I use Comic reader mobi and perfect viewer to read my existing comics in .CBR format. I use Alkido pro for my novels and sometime Cool reader. |
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06-26-2012, 04:40 AM | #10 |
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Just out of curiosity HarryT, how much did it put ya back? If you don't mind sharing, that is.
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06-26-2012, 05:09 AM | #11 |
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06-26-2012, 06:47 AM | #12 | |
Wizard
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Quote:
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06-26-2012, 07:55 AM | #13 |
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Thanks, Chantal. Now I know how to create folders, I'm fine. I was just confused by the fact that the information I found online didn't seem to work.
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06-26-2012, 08:30 AM | #14 |
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Got this from The Galaxy Tab Forum:
Creating a desktop Folder for Apps on a Tab 2 7" "You can create a desktop folder by taking an icon by dragging it to the top of the screen and when the menu drops down, move the icon to the file folder icon and a folder will be created on your desktop with your app icon already inside. You can then name the folder by touching the folder, and then touching the area where it says Unnamed folder...." This did work for me, and I added other app icons to that folder by repeating the process up to where the folder I previously made appeared on the desktop, at which point I dragged the app icon to that folder and it was added. I have 8 apps in that desktop folder and can ignore the screens with the dozens of apps I won't use. My 8-app folder is on a screen by itself, and the screen has a picture I took of a cute nuthatch -- and that's it, no distractions or searching And Anabran, thank you for reminding me about the USB port on the Fire. That is helpful. However, the internal storage on the Fire is so small I have also read that Android apps can be used on the Fire as the Fire uses some form of Android already, so while it might require some research (asking in Fire forums), the ability to use them is a good thing |
06-26-2012, 08:35 AM | #15 | |
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