The Samsung Galaxy Tab is an impressive piece of technology, but it’s not really an iPad competitor.
Yesterday, I decided to break down and purchase a Galaxy Tab, hoping it would finally fulfill the promises of being a general-purpose Android tablet that could fill the role that my iPad is currently performing today — a device which I could use to browse the Web, do some productivity tasks, use tablet-style applications, and also use as an e-Reader.
Also See: Samsung Galaxy Tab (Gallery)
Also See: Samsung Galaxy Tab (C|Net Reviews)
Also See: Samsung Galaxy Tab (Jason Hiner)
As I am a current Verizon customer and I am happy with the carrier’s overall 3G data coverage on my Motorola Droid, I decided to purchase the unit at my local Verizon Wireless store, in Paramus, New Jersey. It should be noted that unlike T-Mobile, which also just launched the device on their network, and can be purchased off-contract, that the Verizon model isn’t currently being sold without an additonal data plan.
You can buy a month-to-month, contract-free $20 1GB data plan, but there’s a $35 activation fee (unless you’re a corporate customer with special terms) for each time you re-activate service, should you decide to terminate the data plan and then turn it back on later. For those of you who don’t want this device with 3G, a Wi-Fi only model is destined to hit the US shores shortly, and will be about $100 cheaper, so you should wait.
There are a number of comprehensive reviews of this device on the web already, most notably from our own C|Net sister site, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. If you’re looking for a super nuts and bolts drill-down into this thing, stop reading this article and look at those instead.
What you’re going to get here is not a review from someone who worked with Samsung PR to procure a review device and has had it in their possession for several days or longer who has been under non-disclosure until yesterday. This should be considered an off-the-street, first impression of someone who just laid down cold, hard cash for this thing yesterday morning.
So having plunked down $641.99 after taxes plus a $35.00 activation fee and a pro-rated $20 per month plan, I decided to give the Galaxy Tab a spin at my local coffee shop and on my home wireless network and see how the device performed in the real world.
First, a few observations about the hardware. I’m currently an iPad and a Motorola Droid user, so that’s my two frames of reference regarding the software stack(s) and expectations about build quality. The Samsung 7″ 1024×600 capacitive LCD touchscreen is absolutely gorgeous and extremely bright — it’s the first thing that jumps right at you. When compared with the iPad’s 9.7″ 1024×768 screen, it actually appears sharper, because of the higher pixel density. So no complaints there.
In terms of being able to use the device as an e-Reader, since the Galaxy Tab’s Android 2.2 currently supports both the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook apps at native resolution, it has the same practical limitations as the iPad — lousy outdoors in bright sunlight, but excellent indoors and during the evening. This is not a dig at backlit LCD technology, this simply is what it is.
