After months of anticipation, the Samsung Galaxy Tab arrived and it delivered. Having used the Archos and Augen Android tablets before it, Samsung got the tablet form factor right without a proper tablet OS.
The Tab’s piano black frame and glossy rear panel looked sharp but were smudge magnets. Without a case, the device was slippery. The 7-inch screen was sharp enough for movies and YouTube, and the proprietary charging port, while not Apple’s, was a minor inconvenience. The battery was not user-replaceable. A microSD slot, SIM slot on the T-Mobile model, volume rocker, flush 3.5mm headphone jack, and a rear camera with LED flash completed the physical design.
Why It Won Over the iPad
True multitasking was the main reason to choose the Tab over the iPad. Apps like Twitter, IRC, Gmail, and work email stayed running in the background and updated continuously, just as on any Android phone. iOS 4.2 still didn’t maintain app state, requiring a reload each time. Widgets were present and welcome. Access to the official Android Market was essential; tablets without it were nearly unusable. The microSD slot allowed direct file transfers without syncing. A 16GB internal storage card plus a 16GB microSD added up to a practical 34GB of total storage. The T-Mobile version also functioned as a true Wi-Fi access point, not just an ad-hoc hotspot, meaning other Android devices could connect to it.
At 7 inches, the Tab was portable enough to carry daily and usable one-handed. It replaced an iPad for day-to-day use after just one week.
Dislikes
- Speaker volume was low for open-room use; headphones or external speakers recommended
- Very slippery without a case
- Battery life of around seven hours was acceptable given continuous background operation
- Qik, Fring, and Yahoo Messenger had issues with the front-facing 1.3MP camera
Wrap-Up
The Galaxy Tab wasn’t for everyone. But for anyone who wanted a portable second screen with real Android multitasking, widgets, and the full Android Market, it was the best option available before Honeycomb arrived.
