I've had my Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus for a couple of days now, adding apps and tweaking settings and such. I must say, that this is a really nifty tablet. The screen size is right where I want it; big enough to comfortably view websites and small enough to carry around the house and on the go.
The tablet is very responsive and the interface navigation and customization via the settings is excellent. The pre-installed software (aka BloatWare) is actually more than half useful and easy to remove from sight, residing in the app section where you never have to see them, but available to use or put back if you change your mind.
The screen display is very nice and I suppose if you were to do a side by side comparison with other tablets, you would find that a few of them have better screens that only then would be noticeable, but know this, the screen in the Tab+ easily meets my expectations for a quality display.
The camera (front 2 megapixel and rear 3 megapixel) and the video option are simply adequate. Good for Social Media and such, but certainly not a replacement for a good digital camera or smart phone. Does have a flash which is nice.
One feature that tilted me toward this tablet was the microSD slot. Being able add and swap out as needed 32gb is pretty sweet.
I have two 32gb cards; one with all my music and documents and one that I dedicate for movies and photos. When shopping for any tablet, if you can, try to get one with this feature. You won't regret it.
You hear a lot of gas about the Android Marketplace vs. the Apple App Store. I honestly don't care which store has the most apps. What I care about is do they have the apps that I actually use on a daily basis.
I would suggest you go to the Android Marketplace via your browser and have a look. It had versions of all the apps that I wanted. Though since I don't game on my tablet, I can't vouch for that aspect.
Right now, my apps are a mix of pre-installed and thru the Android Marketplace (both paid and free):
Pre-Installed:
Amazon Kindle - a few minutes on Amazon and I had it ready for downloading books.
Video Player - I may change this out for something else. Still undecided.
YouTube - it's there, just in case. You never know when Rebecca Black is going to release a new video.
Camera - simple to use, adequate for my needs. Though I do wish they would have increased the quality.
Polaris Office - mobile version of MicrosoftOffice? You can create documents, spreadsheets and slides.
Contacts - using the pre-installed; though I imagine that there are fancier ones on the Marketplace.
Calendar - same thing, meets my needs, but power users will want to head on over to the Marketplace.
Maps - ala google; very handy to have.
Of special note:
Social Hub - this Samsung App is pretty cool. It's a one stop app for my Facebook and Twitter feeds plus gmail. Two thumbs up.
Peel Smart Remote - another feature I was very interested in. Pretty darn easy to set up. Got my HD TV, Audio System and TIVO box dialed in and ready to go in a matter of minutes. Beautiful interface too. But all said and done, a resounding "Meh". If you are familiar with the look of NetFlix this is kinda how they did the navigation interface. My deal is that I just want to cut to the chase. My TIVO records all the shows I'm interested in and I use my universal remote to channel surf when I feel the need. Peel just doesn't quite fit the way I watch T.V. Others may disagree. Again, really slick interface, just a wrong navigation convention for me.
Android Marketplace Apps (paid and free)
Dolphin Browser HD - EXTREMELY happy with this browser for the internet. Very speedy, great interface and easy to use. You really need to consider this one.
Pulse - Wow. I was able to take all the info websites that I normally visit one at a time and put them all into this newsfeed aggregator. I can get my daily fix of news and information in half the time. You can also separate your feeds into different tabbed sections; News, lifestyle, fun stuff, etc.
AutoDesk SketchBook - Great way to sketch out concepts and ideas. Kudos on the interface and ease of use.
Skype - Video chat and all of that.
RadioScanner - who doesn't want to know what local law enforcement is doing? This app is an absolute 10-34.
UNO - a time-waster's dream of card gaming heaven.
iHeartRadio - internet radio of ClearChannel stations.
SpeedTest - gives you a fair idea of how fast your wifi connection is to your tablet.
Of special note:
mSecure - way to secure all your logins and passwords into one handy location. You only have to remember one password to get in and from there jump to the various websites that have login screens. The cool thing is that they have Android, Windows, Apple and iPhone versions that can synch with each other via WiFi.
Conclusion:
This was a big step for me since I have been in the Apple environment pretty much exclusively. I kinda feel like Logan's Run; escaping the Apple BubbleDome to see what the real World is actually like. Thanks to WiFi, my iMac, iPhone and now my new tablet are best of friends and play well in my own little networked playground.
g.
| Standing screen display size | 7 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1024x600 |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1024 x 600 Pixels |
| Hard Drive | 16 GB |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel Integrated Graphics |
| Chipset Brand | No Information |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11n, 802.11b, 802.11g |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 10 Hours |
