Samsung Galaxy Tablet WiFi Only
By: KSoD
TABLET SPECS
Carrier
- Wifi Only
- Android 2.2, Froyo
- Front Camera: 1.3 Megapixel
- Rear Camera: 3.0 Megapixel Auto Focus with Flash
- Features: Auto Focus, Shot Modes, Smile Shot, Geo-tagging, Editing Modes, Camcorder, HD Recording, HD Playback, Video Share, Online Image Uploading
- 7.48 x 4.74 x 0.47 inches
- 13.58 ounces
- Li-Polymer, 4000 mAh
- 16GB Internal Memory
- Up to 32GB Expandable Memory (microSDâ„¢)
- WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n
- USB 2.0
- 1GHz A8 Cortex Processor
- 7.0" WSVGA Display
- 600 x 1024 Pixel Display Resolution
- 3.54" x 6.05" Display Size
- 16M TFT Display Technology
- MP3, OGG, AAC, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, WMA, FLAC, WAV, MID, AC3, RTTTL/RTX, OTA, i-Melody, SP-MIDI
- Codec: Mpeg4, H.264, H.263, Divx/XviD
Format: 3gp(mp4), wmv(asf), avi(divx), mkv, flv
Full Specs Listed on the Samsung Website here.
INTRODUCTION
The Samsung Galaxy Tablet WiFi Only is the latest installment in Samsung's product line. This is the same Tablet that has been available from various carriers all over the world, but now with WiFi only. This means that there is no data plan needed with a wireless provider in order to use the device. It can be used anywhere there is a WiFi hotspot and on your home network. It is great for those who do not want the additional plan with a wireless provider but still want the freedom to use a Tablet on the go.
PRODUCT IMAGES
THOUGHTS
At first my impression was that this device was just a large version of the Samsung Galaxy S lineup offered to the States, which is in fact true. Given that I owned the Samsung Captivate for a few months, jumping in and using this device was simple. The look and feel of the device is exactly the same which was a relief to me, as I had just got done trying to figure out how to use the Archos 70 Tablet, and that was no joy. So being familiar with the device was something that made working with it a great experience.
Jumping right in and going to the Android Market was a welcome experience. The apps offered are not the same selection as you see on your mobile phone; the selection is geared toward the Tablet device and that makes life much easier. I was able to find and install many familiar apps, a few I found were installed on my mobile phone but were even better on my Tablet. Having a larger screen to work with made using Twitter and Facebook apps easier. The Samsung Galaxy Tab also has the option built right in to allow for installation of 3rd party applications. Being on the AT&T network, this is not something I am accustomed to. The AT&T network doesn't allow for this and as such being able to just download apps from the Amazon AppStore made life much easier.
Naturally I installed games such as Angry Birds, Gun Bros and a few others. These games on the Tablet are fantastic; the larger screen allows for much more detail to be presented and it made the overall experience of playing such games much more enjoyable. In fact, I've removed many of the games from my phone and now only play them on my Tab. The larger screen on such games as Gun Bros allows for me to see much more of what is going on, and the controls for the game are in adjacent corners so that I did not have my hands bumping into each other as i played the game.
I installed the SpeedTest.net App on the Tablet and my speeds allow me to do what I want without much waiting time. The speed on the tablet is comparable to the speed I receive on my Motorola Atrix, at roughly 6Mbps down on average. It operates extremely well and even though it doesn't have a Dual Core Processor, the speed in which it does things is comparable to that of the Galaxy S Phones. It is a tad slower than my current phone, the Motorola Atrix 4G, which does have a Dual Core processor and 1GB of RAM installed, but the speed difference is completely acceptable.
The quality of the display is one of the Tab's best points. I transferred some pictures to the Tab from my phone, as well as some from my PC and a few more from the Zedge App. The image quality on the display was far above my expectation. The orientation shifts when you move the device, as expected, but not only does the icons and that move, but your background image adjusts to the new layout as well. This is something I never experienced on my Captivate nor on my Atrix.
Now that you kinda get an idea of what images look like when viewed on the Tablet, here are some photos I took with the tablet's back 3.0MP camera so you can see the photo quality that this device takes:
The on screen keyboard is sufficient and performs well above what you would have thought. When holding the device in portrait mode you can hold the device comfortably between your hands and reach every letter and type easily. When holding in landscape mode, the keyboard is a bit stretched out and you have to adjust your hands to reach the middle set of letters. Not a big inconvenience, but one that could be multiplied by someone with much smaller hands. I find myself when using landscape and typing that my fingers are very close to the edge having the device being held on by my finger tips at the first knuckle. Still very stable in my grasp so I don't have to worry about dropping it at all. The device also comes with Swype built in, so instead of using the default Samsung keyboard or my keyboard of preference, the Gingerbread Keyboard, I could easily switch to Swype and hold the device in one hand while I Swype with my other. Those with smaller hands will no doubt appreciate this...little feature.
Watching videos on this device is a wonderful experience as well. Movie trailers, hockey fights and various other things play just like I was watching them on my PC. The videos I transferred over played with ease, without needing to be transcoded. They were videos I had taken on my LG Vu phone of my child being silly, and played without any issue. Everything I have thrown at the device it has done with precision and ease.
The battery life is excellent; I have been able to use the device for almost 2 days without having to charge it. Granted those 2 days I also had work and was not on it non stop. The days that I was on it nonstop running intensive applications I was able to operate it for almost 8 full hours before it started to scream at me to connect my charger.
With the mention of the charger, that is the only downfall of the device. When you get the package you get the main plug, which has a USB port which is used to connect the charger cable. Also included are various adapter pieces so that if you're using the device while traveling you can plug it in without the need for a travel adapter, a plus for anyone who will use the Tab overseas. The downfall is that the port for the device is proprietary, it resembles Apple's connector for iPhones/iPods. This is my biggest issue, that you must have this cable in order to charge or sync it with your PC. If you lose the cable you must replace it with one from Samsung at this time. Not a great addition in my book.
CONCLUSION
Overall the experience of owning the Samsung Galaxy Tab WiFi Only has been great. While at first I was a bit skeptical about having a phone and now a Tablet both running Android, and not sure if the device would be used a great amount, my fears were put to rest almost instantly. While the device is nothing but a large phone without the ability to make calls, it saves my phone from being over used and having to constantly be charged. This has allowed both devices to have greater battery life and not spend as much time on the charger or with a charger attached than was the case previously. I would highly recommend someone to get a device like this if they are considering it. Even if you already have an Android phone, having a device like this will be of great use. It will save your phone from being constantly used and charged along with giving you the satisfaction of being able to do what you want, where you want. In the short time I have owned the device, I have used it far more than my desktop, which has a quad core CPU and 6GB of RAM. The freedom that it offers is amazing, even with having a laptop available it is still much more fun to use this device than the laptop. No cooling pad needed, no lugging around a big bulky laptop. I can do what I want, where I want, and that's the whole purpose of the device.
RATING
