MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Do you have a tablet? Would I like it? Should I wait to buy one? Please Post.

jgray · 07-10-2011, 06:08 PM

My only experience with the current batch of Android tablets has been hands on at the local Best Buy and reading reviews. I bought the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The current Android tablets running Honeycomb (v3.0, v3.1) have very much the same internal hardware. The differences are the LCD screen, how the guts are packaged (the shell) and peripheral slots. Each manufacturer also adds some additional apps that may be different from the other guys.

Be aware that the HP and Blackberry tablets do not run Android, but their own OS. Of course, if you want an iPad, this is also true.

The primary reasons I chose the Galaxy Tab over the other tablets were: thin; light; excellent display that is viewable over a wide angle. Reviews that I have seen confirm that the GT has a better screen than the other 10 inch Android tablets. Some have said that it is even better than the iPad screen. Not having used an iPad, I can't say myself.

Now for the drawbacks. Because the GT is so thin, there is no USB, HDMI or SD slot built in. You have to buy an adapter that plugs into the 30-pin connector on the bottom for each of these functions. The tablets that have these ports built in are substantially thicker and heavier. Because of the lack of an SD card slot, I bought the 32 GB GT.

The USB and SD adapters are $20 each. I plan on buying just the USB adapter and using an SD-to-USB adapter for reading SD cards. Still two things to carry if you need them in the field.

The lack of ports is somewhat of a nuisance, but I guess it depends on how often you need those ports. For me, I would rather have the light weight and thinness, which makes it much more pleasant to carry and hold the GT vs other tablets.

For comparison, I had a Nook Color (7 inch) for a while. Although the GT is larger (10 inch), it is thinner than the Nook and only weighs 4 oz more than the Nook. I especially like the larger screen for reading PDF files. With margin cropping, I can comfortably read a full page PDF. And if I squint, I can read it without margin cropping.

For reading, I currently use Aldiko Premium and ezPDF. I may buy Mantano if it keeps improving. BTW, ezPDF has recently added some very nice annotation features.

For getting files onto my GT, I use Dropbox. I have only plugged the GT into my PC via sync cable once. Using Dropbox is much easier. In fact, Dropbox minimizes my need for a USB or SD port. You get 2 GB with a free Dropbox account and more with refferals. I'm up to 3.75 GB of free storage so far. BTW, you can stream music and video directly from Dropbox. You don't have to download the files to your tablet.

Oh, the quoted 9.5 hours of use in the specs is accurate, according to my experience. I generally charge every other day.

Joe

07-10-2011, 06:08 PM	#3
jgray Fanatic Posts: 554 Karma: 2928497 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: Clara 2E & Sage	My only experience with the current batch of Android tablets has been hands on at the local Best Buy and reading reviews. I bought the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The current Android tablets running Honeycomb (v3.0, v3.1) have very much the same internal hardware. The differences are the LCD screen, how the guts are packaged (the shell) and peripheral slots. Each manufacturer also adds some additional apps that may be different from the other guys. Be aware that the HP and Blackberry tablets do not run Android, but their own OS. Of course, if you want an iPad, this is also true. The primary reasons I chose the Galaxy Tab over the other tablets were: thin; light; excellent display that is viewable over a wide angle. Reviews that I have seen confirm that the GT has a better screen than the other 10 inch Android tablets. Some have said that it is even better than the iPad screen. Not having used an iPad, I can't say myself. Now for the drawbacks. Because the GT is so thin, there is no USB, HDMI or SD slot built in. You have to buy an adapter that plugs into the 30-pin connector on the bottom for each of these functions. The tablets that have these ports built in are substantially thicker and heavier. Because of the lack of an SD card slot, I bought the 32 GB GT. The USB and SD adapters are $20 each. I plan on buying just the USB adapter and using an SD-to-USB adapter for reading SD cards. Still two things to carry if you need them in the field. The lack of ports is somewhat of a nuisance, but I guess it depends on how often you need those ports. For me, I would rather have the light weight and thinness, which makes it much more pleasant to carry and hold the GT vs other tablets. For comparison, I had a Nook Color (7 inch) for a while. Although the GT is larger (10 inch), it is thinner than the Nook and only weighs 4 oz more than the Nook. I especially like the larger screen for reading PDF files. With margin cropping, I can comfortably read a full page PDF. And if I squint, I can read it without margin cropping. For reading, I currently use Aldiko Premium and ezPDF. I may buy Mantano if it keeps improving. BTW, ezPDF has recently added some very nice annotation features. For getting files onto my GT, I use Dropbox. I have only plugged the GT into my PC via sync cable once. Using Dropbox is much easier. In fact, Dropbox minimizes my need for a USB or SD port. You get 2 GB with a free Dropbox account and more with refferals. I'm up to 3.75 GB of free storage so far. BTW, you can stream music and video directly from Dropbox. You don't have to download the files to your tablet. Oh, the quoted 9.5 hours of use in the specs is accurate, according to my experience. I generally charge every other day. Joe Last edited by jgray; 07-10-2011 at 06:21 PM.