Review: Samsung Galaxy Tab

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by fyrogenesis

oh dear. any other android apps with lookup feature? i read classics, so format doesn't matter much.

if no such apps, i have to remove the Tab from my wishlist.

Kindle app: Note, Highlight, Dictionary.com, Wikipedia.
nook app: Highlight, Note, Dictionary, Google, Wikipedia.
I've been told, you can sideload your own content into both apps.

[fyrogenesis]

thanks for the reply. but it seems the new nook app (for android) now doesnt have dictionary, and kindle (for android) have to be connected to the net always.

i wondered why kindle for ipad got lookup, but not android. if one argues that ipad screen is bigger, why iphone also got it (the lookup feature)?

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by fyrogenesis

thanks for the reply. but it seems the new nook app (for android) now doesnt have dictionary, and kindle (for android) have to be connected to the net always.

i wondered why kindle for ipad got lookup, but not android. if one argues that ipad screen is bigger, why iphone also got it (the lookup feature)?

I've got the most recent versions of both apps. What I've described should be the status quo.
I'll check what happens with both, if I turn WiFi off and deactivate 3G.

[fyrogenesis]

ok. thanks.
i just read the nook app details on b&n website, no mention of dictionary lookup. Kindle also. in fact, i searched all around the net for android reader software with such feature.. but no avail. everything is iPad. iPad. iPad. even the Kobo for ipad got lookup (offline dictionary).

[abeaty]

Can anyone help me understand the differences between the various American carriers? Is the hardware identical in all cases or are their fundamental differences between the units?

While I live in the US, I frequently go to Canada and Europe and would love to be able to use it abroad. Is one carrier more appropriate than another for global travel?

Thanks.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by fyrogenesis

thanks for the reply. but it seems the new nook app (for android) now doesnt have dictionary, and kindle (for android) have to be connected to the net always.

i wondered why kindle for ipad got lookup, but not android. if one argues that ipad screen is bigger, why iphone also got it (the lookup feature)?

The K4A app on my HTC EVO 4G has lookup, but yes; it does have to have a network connection in order to access Wikipedia and dictionary.com.

[=X=]

Originally Posted by abeaty

Can anyone help me understand the differences between the various American carriers? Is the hardware identical in all cases or are their fundamental differences between the units?

While I live in the US, I frequently go to Canada and Europe and would love to be able to use it abroad. Is one carrier more appropriate than another for global travel?

Thanks.

In very simple terms.

Verizon and Sprint use CDMA

T-Mobile and AT&T use GSM

Most of the world uses GSM, while most of North America uses CDMA.

If you want world access you might want to consider an AT&T or T-Mobile Galaxy Tab.

At the moment AT&T has better international rates, but rumor has it T-Mobile will provide some very good international plan during the holiday season.

If you want more details I recommend you visit a phone site like crackberry.com or Androidcenteral, XDA developers and pose this question.

=X=

[fyrogenesis]

Originally Posted by fyrogenesis

ok. thanks.
i just read the nook app details on b&n website, no mention of dictionary lookup. Kindle also. in fact, i searched all around the net for android reader software with such feature.. but no avail. everything is iPad. iPad. iPad. even the Kobo for ipad got lookup (offline dictionary).

ok guys. now i know for sure Samsung Tab supported lookup dictionary.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1PO3_iqbQ8 (@4:40)

[OrcaBlue]

Originally Posted by Logseman

The European versions are not phones either. Carriers are trying to use these tablets to sell secondary data plans. €800 ($1050) is what a free (non-bound) Galaxy Tab costs in Europe. Is this thing really selling???

I believe U.S Galaxy Tab can now make phone call by flashing the US version with European ROM.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=847273

[OrcaBlue]

mgmueller, what is your impression on the Tab as a PDF reader? How it is compared to the Ipad for web browsing?

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by OrcaBlue

mgmueller, what is your impression on the Tab as a PDF reader? How it is compared to the Ipad for web browsing?

For the last 4 weeks or so I haven't been using my iPad at all.
Mainly, because it simply is too bulky for me. On the couch I don't find a convenient holding position. Without cover, iPad is okay. But I tend to fall asleep on the couch, so I need some kind of protection.
For the less heavy and bulky Samsung Galaxy Tab that's easy enough.
I don't have any problems at all with web browsing on Galaxy Tab. iPad, given it's bigger display, probably would be even more convenient. But what good is this, if I can't enjoy holding it?

For PDFs I haven't found the right application yet. On iPad I've been using GoodReader. Didn't find anything similar on Galaxy Tab respectively for Androids. But I don't mind, PDFs aren't that important for me. I've given up, trying to do "professional work" on any tablet. It's simply way faster and precise, doing this on a (sub)notebook. So I'm rarely reading any "professional" documents on tablets. I use them for web browsing, eMails, casual reads and the likes. And for this I've only found a single disadvantage of Galaxy Tab in comparison to iPad: Stability.
Whether it's Android or the apps themselves, my Android tablets crash on me more or less every single day. I can't remember, iPad even crashing once.
Still, I very much prefer Galaxy Tab to iPad. And I'm getting more and more fond of Dell Streak, whereas in the meantime I really hate iPhone4 (since the firmware update about 6 weeks ago, the distance sensor isn't working anymore. It's getting mute or the loudspeaker suddenly turns on while speaking....):

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

For PDFs I haven't found the right application yet.

A demo of ezPDF Reader on YouTube looks pretty good, see Nook Color Rooted ezPDF Reader PDF.

EDIT: This does not show annotations, and that may be what you are looking for.

[HansTWN]

Mgmueller, if an Android device crashes every day there definitely is something wrong with it. During the last 2 weeks I only had the Streak freeze-up on me once (had to remove the battery). And that was a clear problem with the Skyfire browser it got stuck and the phone stopped responding.

My guess is that you have one or more problem apps on the phone. Try disabling or removing some of the non-essential ones one by one. Try alternative apps that do the same thing. Or perhaps you installed some system tweaks that are causing the shutdowns. I am now using an app called autostarts that lets you prevent programs from starting up by themselves if you don't want to. Dozens of Android apps have the pesky habit of starting and restarting all the time, no matter how often you close them down they will be back up seconds later -- eating your battery and using up program memory. There is no "regular" means to control them.

One physical problem the Streak has is that there is a proximity sensor that shuts off the phone when the back cover has been removed. Now if the cover is just slightly bent (it is quite thin and if you change batteries often it happens), the phone may reboot by itself quite easily. There are instructions available on how to disable that proximity switch, I just straightened the cover a little bit and haven't had a problem since. The user ROM from Steve has disabled the switch from the software side.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Mgmueller, if an Android device crashes every day there definitely is something wrong with it. During the last 2 weeks I only had the Streak freeze-up on me once (had to remove the battery). And that was a clear problem with the Skyfire browser it got stuck and the phone stopped responding.

My guess is that you have one or more problem apps on the phone. Try disabling or removing some of the non-essential ones one by one. Try alternative apps that do the same thing. Or perhaps you installed some system tweaks that are causing the shutdowns. I am now using an app called autostarts that lets you prevent programs from starting up by themselves if you don't want to. Dozens of Android apps have the pesky habit of starting and restarting all the time, no matter how often you close them down they will be back up seconds later -- eating your battery and using up program memory. There is no "regular" means to control them.

One physical problem the Streak has is that there is a proximity sensor that shuts off the phone when the back cover has been removed. Now if the cover is just slightly bent (it is quite thin and if you change batteries often it happens), the phone may reboot by itself quite easily. There are instructions available on how to disable that proximity switch, I just straightened the cover a little bit and haven't had a problem since. The user ROM from Steve has disabled the switch from the software side.

I didn't tweak Samsung Galaxy Tab or Dell Streak. But I've got tons of apps on both (more or less the very same apps on both).
Most of the time I'm able to reproduce the crashes. It's definitely "faulty" apps. Still, this didn't happen to me on iPad. On the other hand I gladly can live with that kind of instability. I don't have some kind of a "blue screen of death" or something like that, some apps simply hang themselves and block the system for maybe 15 seconds.
Maybe I'll check for the specific apps over the holidays...

[kbaerwald]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

For PDFs I haven't found the right application yet. On iPad I've been using GoodReader. Didn't find anything similar on Galaxy Tab respectively for Androids. But I don't mind, PDFs aren't that important for me. I've given up, trying to do "professional work" on any tablet. It's simply way faster and precise, doing this on a (sub)notebook. ...

Just ordered the Galaxy Tab here in Germany (as of today lowest price approx. 560 Euro).

You mentioned the lack of a "right" app for reading pdf: does it mean there is no app or not the right one . I cannot imagine that pdf is not known to Android. Btw: these are my first steps into this world.