Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 - worth buying?

[bobk_nyc]

Virtually every review of this tablet is extremely positive, however i've read numerous reviews from users who say it's not as good as they thought it would be.

So, for those who have invested in a Samusng Galaxy Tab 10.1, has it met or exceeded your expectations?

I plan on buying one from Dixons duty free next week but it's a lot of money to spend so I need to be sure it'll be worth it!

I am pretty happy with mine. but you have to understand it isn't a PC. there a few things that are just better in windows, and that includes ipads...a tablet is a tablet, and a pc is a pc...as there are more apps, it will be more useful, but the screen is so small. you will just be limited.

 

[bobk_nyc]

Sound to me like you want to look at the Ipad2 or the 3 soon to be released. All these feature work out of the box, polished and stable. Plus the googles of apps and accessories

I pads are the same thing, but proprietary, so you are stuck with the cool aid...stick with a android, and if you need more function, get a PC notebook. they are so cheap now, you could have both...

 

[rumbataz]

It looks like Skype video might be working now, according to this thread:

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1/421296-good-news-skype-w-video-now-works.html

Would someone be kind enough to confirm this please?

 

[android1561]

I have 3 people in my house that love there's, I am not sorry at all I bought all 3 of us one of these tabs. I'm using it right now.

 

[Deleted User]

First, the battery runs out as quick as my phone. Perhaps I'll notice a difference with the WiFi sleep policy change (when screen turns off). I had it on never sleep, which is dumb because I have the Wifi model. However, the only way I get past a day of mild usage is if the WiFi is turned off completely.

How is your battery life now that the newness has worn off?

Second, the transformer outlet plug. Why the hell does it have to use ONLY Samsung's? That's low. I keep a generic USB outlet plug at work and was hoping to just carry my cord as "backup" in case I needed power. Nope, can't do it. I can't even charge it via my computer! (Yeah, it draws more power, blah blah blah... but seriously... why not a pop-up telling us that it will charge slower rather than this weird X over the battery?)

It's a reliability design to ensure the battery is properly charged. The battery is a 7,000mAH pack which takes a fair amout of juice to charge it up. Using a very low current flow will barely charge it and Li-Ion works better and lasts longer when charged at a higher rate. Even at C/10 rates that's 700mA of current for a slow 10 hour charge, and most computer USB ports are limited to 500mA of current. Do the math and a higher current design is required. Most if not all of the 10 inch tablets have a proprietary charging port.

Third, the 30 pin connector. Why couldn't they give us a secondary micro USB port for charging and whatever else?

As stated above, micro-USB is not rated for 2,000mA of current so a different charging port is needed. But they could have incorporated a USB port for data exchange.

Fourth, after the update, it randomly turns off while charging. Last night, I plugged it in and after a few minutes, I came back to check something. It wouldn't turn on. I thought it might be the extension cord (for whatever reason) and so I plugged it into another spot and turned it on. Then I went to bed. This morning, it was off again. WHY!?

Do a factory reset to wipe the tablet clean. This will initialize the tablet with a fresh firmware setup. If it continues to occur, then look for other causes such as a tight fitting folio case that presses the power button (I had that problem and it drove me nuts for an hour until I realized what was happening), or perhaps rogue apps.

Fifth, screen lag. On my other phones and a friend's iPhone, Sketchbook Mobile works flawlessly. On the 10.1, it dots and lags. This isn't just SBM's issue. Even their own note taking fastapp (or whatever it's called) has lag issues. You can't draw a damn thing that doesn't look like a five year old did it (and I can actually draw).

No lag issues with mine, but I'm not using that app. Perhaps it's not optimized for the tablet yet?

Sixth, that damn screen capture button that came with the new update. How do I get rid of it? I like the option to screen capture, but I don't need it every freaking minute.

I agree 100% on that one...screen capture is great, but it should be an option somewhere in the menu or a separate app. I've hit it by accident a few times now and it's annoying.

Seventh, when is that damn bluetooth keyboard coming out?

There are several models of bluetooth keyboards available. Any one of them should work fine.

Please tell me I am wrong on these issues

.

OK, you're wrong.

 

[bishop92t]

I've actually been really happy with battery life on mine. My typical day on my Tab starts with browsing in the morning, using it as my textbooks in school, doing homework on it, then some gaming after work. I charge it every 2-3 days. The screen capture button is very annoying, but overall the touchwiz update is great.

 

[Deleted User]

I've actually been really happy with battery life on mine.

Same here...much better than the Transformer I had previous, but that was likely due to the TF using WiFi all the time versus the Tab with its 3G wireless connection.

but overall the touchwiz update is great.

I haven't been a fan of TouchWiz previous to this tablet. I found it often a bit laggy and too "cartoonish". But this one isn't too bad...the graphics and icons are nicer with less of the gawdy colours and cartoon like designs.

I'm quite happy with the Tab. I took it geocaching today to try out it's GPS in the field and it worked well. But I won't be doing that very often, you get a lot of funny looks when you're in the woods with a tablet.

 

[substring]

I am attending a professional conference this week and I am just carrying my 4G Galaxy Tab instead of my laptop. I have been using it all day during the conference and it is still at 30% of battery remaining right now at night. I am very happy with the battery life.

I actually showed it to some of the conference attendees who are using the iPad, and they all complimented on how beautiful the Tab is. They can't believe it is an Android tablet.

As I have been saying all along, not all Android devices are made equal. In my humble opinion (it is my personal opinion, so no flame please), Samsung Android devices are leading the pack by a mile.

 

[bds1958]

Quick question as I'm considering either a Xoom or the Galaxy.

Due to the no SD card on the Galaxy I assume you lose everything if you have to do a reset as opposed to the Xoom where a lot of your stuff is safe due to the SD card.

Yes?

 

[Deleted User]

Quick question as I'm considering either a Xoom or the Galaxy.
Due to the no SD card on the Galaxy I assume you lose everything if you have to do a reset as opposed to the Xoom where a lot of your stuff is safe due to the SD card.
Yes?

Yes, it wipes all the data. But since you can drag and drop entire folders, I just copy my music, pics, vids, whatever to the computer and back as needed. Since I don't reset often it's not really an issue.

 

[Szadzik]

Quick question as I'm considering either a Xoom or the Galaxy.

Due to the no SD card on the Galaxy I assume you lose everything if you have to do a reset as opposed to the Xoom where a lot of your stuff is safe due to the SD card.

Yes?

Yes.

That is why I bought the USB connection kit and use an SD card as a medium between my computer and the Tab. I carry the SD with me so that if anything happens on the road I still have my data ready for the Tab.

 

[bds1958]

I'm getting more interested in the Galaxy by the day.

Can it be used with a Bluetooth earset as a phone?

 

[Szadzik]

I'm getting more interested in the Galaxy by the day.

Can it be used with a Bluetooth earset as a phone?

It cannot be used as a phone.

Still the best tablet available (if you need phonecalls maybe think about 8.9)

 

[Deleted User]

It cannot be used as a phone.

Not as a cell phone, but will it work using an internet app like Skype and the headset which does have a mic?

 

[Headsong]

We've not been pleased. Got it June 30, so we've had it long enough, and it's been disappointing on about every level. Where to begin?

It's slower than snot in the winter, browsing. Either stock or Firefox, takes many seconds for pages to load.

Similar, but using K9 for email, they take a really long time to even load.

Still trouble with video, tho' haven't tried lately.

When using the keyboard dock, it's still often confused as to what's plugged in, sending up the screen keyboard while plugged in to the hardware!

Wifi has been wonky, so I've changed some settings to see if it improves, but basically even one room from the super router, it's waaaay slow on the connection.

Using the aux USB adapter isn't terribly intuitive either. Kind of flips on and off, making moving files around challenging.

What else? This is not ready for market, in my opinion. I want it to be, but it's too frustrating right now. We've actually resorted to using our Android phones instead since they work!

Oh, Office. Wife found a program, bought the premium version to run her Word files and all, but they aren't really Word on here. You give up a ton of basic formatting options and all. So it's no netbook replacement.

 

[Szadzik]

Not as a cell phone, but will it work using an internet app like Skype and the headset which does have a mic?

It does have a mic.

 

[Deleted User]

It does have a mic.

Duh...yeah it does. Don't know what the heck I was thinking.

 

[Deleted User]

It's slower than snot in the winter, browsing. Either stock or Firefox, takes many seconds for pages to load.

While the browser isn't the fastest, it's better than the ASUS Transformer and better than my phone.

Similar, but using K9 for email, they take a really long time to even load.

Funny, using Gmail I have no complaints.

Wifi has been wonky, so I've changed some settings to see if it improves, but basically even one room from the super router, it's waaaay slow on the connection.

Maybe it's your router?

What else? This is not ready for market, in my opinion. I want it to be, but it's too frustrating right now. We've actually resorted to using our Android phones instead since they work!

Oh c'mon, now you're sounding like a whiner...if you think your phone is better maybe you're expecting too much. Tablets are essentially just large screen phones without the calls.

Personally I love my tab...it's decently quick and the large screen is great for browsing, Google Sky, docs, etc.

 

[cmcollins001]

I've had mine for about a month now. I use it almost everyday, I have purchased the keyboard dock and the usb adapter. My opinion...I love it!! I use Dolphin Browser HD as my primary browser and it's fast and works great. The usb adapter gives you the option to use a usb thumb drive or usb sd card reader and transfer files, a lot quicker than I was expecting. The keyboard dock works perfectly for me. I have had no problems with the video, browsing, Skype works great for me with video chat, so does yahoo messenger with video chat ( I did have to side load that one, but it works great). Facebook works just fine for me as well. I use my tab for email, connected to my gmail account and my work exchange account. There is an app you can download for exchange that my boss loves on his phone and tab called touchdown.

For me, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is perfect. I realized I didn't need the usb or sd card reader built in, I simply don't need to use them that much, so the adapter works for exactly what I need, and it is small enough to keep in my pocket. I picked this tab because it's just plain sexy and does everything I need it to, and it does it well.

 

[Karuk]

I traded my 1st gen ipad for the 32gb SGT 10.1. It came with the keyboard and a really nice belkin case.

I have the tab dialed in so perfectly is can easily replace my work laptop. I live in the cloud for work so everything is accessible. I also get access to all of my favorite android apps. Highly recommended.

 

[choccy]

I need to rob a bank to get one of these :-(

 

[Deleted User]

I need to rob a bank to get one of these :-(

Don't do that...you'll get in poopoo! But c'mon they're not that expensive really for a one-time purchase...you can get the 3G or LTE version on contract for half price, and the WiFi version is $500 which can be spread over a few payments on a credit card if you're that tight for cash.

 

[Headsong]

Update after working with the wifi. She took it into work and it ran flawlessly. I have the highest speed/best antenna router that you can get, and yet the tab can barely get a signal two rooms away. I plugged in a Clear hockey puck (4g) right next to it, and it ran much better.

So am I happy? No. The wifi antenna apparently sucks. It's not whining, it really does suck. When all my phones, netbooks, PS3's etc. can get the signal from across the street! (ok, that's exaggerating), and this can't get it two rooms away...something is wrong. And yet at work, she was getting a great signal. Maybe there's another setting to screw with on the home wifi setup.

 

[Deleted User]

Update after working with the wifi. She took it into work and it ran flawlessly. I have the highest speed/best antenna router that you can get, and yet the tab can barely get a signal two rooms away. I plugged in a Clear hockey puck (4g) right next to it, and it ran much better.

So am I happy? No. The wifi antenna apparently sucks. It's not whining, it really does suck. When all my phones, netbooks, PS3's etc. can get the signal from across the street! (ok, that's exaggerating), and this can't get it two rooms away...something is wrong. And yet at work, she was getting a great signal. Maybe there's another setting to screw with on the home wifi setup.

Clearly it's not an antenna issue as it works "flawlessly" on the work router, and my Tab connects to WiFi all around the yard just fine as well as detecting several neighbours' routers. My phone finds the same group of routers in my area as my Tab, so it's not a design issue.

The issue is likely your router configuration, specifically channel congestion. Most people just leave the channel setup to the default, so many people in your area may be on the same channel (frequency), causing interference on that channel limiting range of the signal. Go into the router setup and change the channel assignment. On my router the default was channel 11 sub channel 7 so I changed it to channel 6 sub 2. Your router and signal area may require different settings so play with the channel assignments until you find a setup that works well.

 

[Szadzik]

Clearly it's not an antenna issue as it works "flawlessly" on the work router, and my Tab connects to WiFi all around the yard just fine as well as detecting several neighbours' routers. My phone finds the same group of routers in my area as my Tab, so it's not a design issue.

The issue is likely your router configuration, specifically channel congestion. Most people just leave the channel setup to the default, so many people in your area may be on the same channel (frequency), causing interference on that channel limiting range of the signal. Go into the router setup and change the channel assignment. On my router the default was channel 11 sub channel 7 so I changed it to channel 6 sub 2. Your router and signal area may require different settings so play with the channel assignments until you find a setup that works well.

I have no problems either and the above post is a great way to start investigating into the issue.