Rage, rage against the dying of the light
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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 hands-on review
KOREAN ELECTRONICS GIANT Samsung's first foray into the tablet market was greeted with a lukewarm reception, but if its Galaxy Tab 10.1 is anything to go by, then Apple might finally have some real competition.
The INQUIRER got a chance to play around with the final version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 at an Nvidia event where the chip designer wanted to show off just what could be done with its Tegra 2 chip. Back in February, we played around with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 at Mobile World Congress, but in the following months Samsung has decided to go back to the drawing board, as apparently that design was just too thick.
Samsung's design revisions have resulted in a very thin tablet, though it has to be said it is not as astonishingly thin as its Galaxy S II smartphone. Compared to Apple's Ipad, you can notice a difference in thickness, however against the Ipad 2 the difference is neligible. The truth is, however, that the physical appearance isn't the biggest selling point of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, which runs Android 3.0, Honeycomb.
As for Samsung's choice of the Tegra 2, there's no other way to put it, the Nvidia dual core chip results in the Galaxy Tab 10.1 flying. The humdrum task of sifting through Android 3.0 panes are handled with ease but it's only when you start to download games from Nvidia's Tegra Zone that you start to realise the power of the chip. Although we had a limited time with the device, there was little doubt in our mind that the 1GHz dual-core chip is up to the job.
Google's hard work on Android 3.0 has clearly paid off. If you're an Android smartphone user, it takes all of thirty seconds to get used to the 'tabletised' Android 3.0 operating system that makes impressive use of the screen real estate. Perhaps the highest compliment we could pay to Android 3.0 is that it blended into the background and after five minutes we were unaware of its existence.
Samsung's original Galaxy Tab was mired in debates over whether Android was really capable of working on a tablet, but that issue simply does not exist anymore. We've seen it work with Asus' Transformer and Motorola's Xoom but it is Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 that will have the best chance of taking the fight to Apple's Ipad 2.
Compared with the device we tried back in Mobile World Congress, Samsung looks to have done the right thing by holding back its Galaxy Tab 10.1 a little, making the device thinner, and producing a final product that is just as good as the fruit pad 2. µ
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so i bought the ipad today!
after reading other reports about the galaxy problems and no respnse from samsung, definately didnt want to take any risks. so far very happy with my purchase :)
I have been having alot of problems with my Galaxy Tab since receiving it, the main one being the 'oil slick' problem that has been reported quite a bit on the net.! I have called and spoken to samsung and have found the level of service less the acceptable. I was on hold for way too long and I wasn't given any kind of conclusive advice.
Did anyone return their Galaxy Tab 10.1 due to a design fault…the “oil slick” / “Newton Rings”? As mine was a wedding gift and have since travelled leaving friends with the receipt. Can I take it to any dealer and they will recognize this problem? The email I received last week as not been followed up by Samsung: Thank you for contacting Samsung Electronics. We understand that there is a oil slick underneath the tab and the tab is not exposed to any extreme weather. We are sorry, to hear that the tab is having the issue Please check if the issue is persisting on all applications. If you are able to view the oil slick even if the tab is turned off the tab requires a service. If you are not able to view the oil slick when the tab is turned off, please perform a hard ware reset.
Samsung Philippines have admitted that there is a problem.
What do I do now?
Confused!
I have been having 'oilslick' problems and Samsung have ignored my emails about it and customer services have put me on hold for so long I gave up!
Anyone whose had the 'oil slick' or 'newton rings' problem on their 10.1, samsung have responded to the problem here:
http://www.yugatech.com/blog/personal-computing/samsung-tablets-hit-with-oil-slick-issues/
but dont get too excited, they just tell you to'call customer service'.
useless.
I too have been getting an 'oil slick' under the screen when using my Tab. Seems like it must be a common problem. Far from happy
update:
Video of the infamous 'oil slick' issue on my GT 10.1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orEJGB9r7OE
Have seen MANY many people complaining of this on youtube, andrroid and galaxy tab forums.
Anyone from the inquirer care to respond?
For those wondering about the screen freeze issue I've made a video of the problem here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_PQRom5eCg
Feel that this bug should be included in this review to stop others buying under false pretences like I did.
michael, have you played a lot of games on both tablets? is the samsung definately better for playing things?
Got this the other day after falling for all the hype and reviews.
The touchscreen has a major bug which hasn't been mentioned here at all. After a couple of hours playing and getting to grips with the tab, I started to notice a very irritating problem – at times the touch screen will become completely unresponsive, usually for 5-10 seconds.
Google Maps foe example will freeze completely for 5-10 seconds and then force close.
Infuriating to use and a complete waste of money IMO. Shoddy hardware/software disguised as a high end device. Save your money.
I own both products an I can tell you without a doubt that the Samsung 10.1 is much better than the iPad by a long shot!!! Just use both of them and you'll see what I mean.
I'm not the fruity type so I was hesitant buying an Android tablet. When I tried one out at a local Best Buy, I was floored how nice it is.
I really like the Android OS and how you can customize it. Solid product and as the article mentioned this thing is fast. I get about 7 hours on battery, wish it was a little more but not going to complain.