Database Users

Thinking of buying Galaxy Tab

Heyy,
Im a huggeee android fan n was looking forward to getting an android tablet next month...before buyin i wanted to ask some questions regarding the tablet.
1. Will it get honeycomb update? Is the hardware powerful or outdated to the dual core chips?
2. How is the video calling on it? Which software can i use for Video chatting on PC and tablet?
3. Is there any other alternative tablet better than this? Is it gonna be outdated in a few months due to the hardware??
4. Can I put custom Roms in it? Or its not possible?
Thanksss

Just a FYI, if you keep thinking about the future all the time, you cant live in the present.

ConceptVBS said:
Just a FYI, if you keep thinking about the future all the time, you cant live in the present.
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loll i know that but im askin should i wait for another 2 3 months or should i go for this one, my main question is will the hardware support honeycomb easily like future devices will be comin preloaded with

mohsin125 said:
loll i know that but im askin should i wait for another 2 3 months or should i go for this one, my main question is will the hardware support honeycomb easily like future devices will be comin preloaded with
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Then I'd say wait it out.

If you're a huge Android fan you'd already have a Tab!
My advise is, if you can wait, wait. Personally, i've been waiting a long time for a decent Android tablet - I even bought a cheap chinese iRobot, and had a Huawei S7 on preorder (cancelled when the shipping date kept slipping).
So far, the Tab has exceeded my expectations for an Android tablet, given that the OS is supposedly "not optimized" for tablets, which is a phrase that many reviews have used, but few (if any) have actually demonstrated due to incredibly lazy journalism.
Regards,
Dave

...the OS is supposedly "not optimized" for tablets
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I'd like to strangle that Google exec that said that. He's done more harm to both Google and the manufacturers than he can realize.

Croak said:
I'd like to strangle that Google exec that said that. He's done more harm to both Google and the manufacturers than he can realize.
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Indeed! Just look at the comments in most of the reviews, and this invariably crops up time and time again from people who haven't even tried the Tab!
When an iPad displays an iPhone app in a "window", it's a feature of the OS that allows the tablet to take advantage of the iPhone ecosystem, yet when the Tab does the same for Android apps it's because the OS is "not optimized" for tablets.
Got to love those reviews that say that Android doesn't support the Tab's native resolution, when in actuality it supports any resolution and a well-coded app can take advantage of it. All because it's not an "official" Market resolution, which Google could "fix" by just saying that it is so!
Regards,
Dave

foxmeister said:
...When an iPad displays an iPhone app in a "window", it's a feature of the OS that allows the tablet to take advantage of the iPhone ecosystem, yet when the Tab does the same for Android apps it's because the OS is "not optimized" for tablets....
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Couldn't have said it any better!

I've been a long time WM fan, but just got a Tab about an hour ago! cant wait to try it out properly! i used a demo at carphone warehouse and it is the ideal android device, its very quick! im new to the android world so i dont know much. but i highly recommend it!

Thanks for the help guys....i know the OS its not optimized for the device but will it support gingerbread and honeycomb or the processor is too weak for that?
Also will it support custom roms like cyanogen?

Well ive been a Windows fan for some years but ive had my galaxy tab for over a week now and i cant put it down, im really happy with it
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txjockey said:
Well ive been a Windows fan for some years but ive had my galaxy tab for over a week now and i cant put it down, im really happy with it
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
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i know its an amazziinnggg device but i wanna know the answers to my questions in original post

Here, answers below in red.
mohsin125 said:
Heyy,
Im a huggeee android fan n was looking forward to getting an android tablet next month...before buyin i wanted to ask some questions regarding the tablet.
1. Will it get honeycomb update? Is the hardware powerful or outdated to the dual core chips?
The 1ghz Hummingbird and PowerVR 540GX GPU is the most powerful single core SOC on the market right now, and it's arguably competive or superior to the Tegra 2 in graphics performance as well. It can handle 2.3 just fine, and should be good for 2.4 or whatever version number Honeycomb gets as well. Nobody can answer if Samsung will support it, but the community should have all the tools to do so as well.
2. How is the video calling on it? Which software can i use for Video chatting on PC and tablet?
Video calling is ok to good, same as any mobile device, but with BIGGER FACES. Qik, Tango, Fring and Skype are your current choices for software. All work best on WiFi, obviously
3. Is there any other alternative tablet better than this? Is it gonna be outdated in a few months due to the hardware??
There's no REAL alternative at the moment. There's a lot of lesser alternatives (no phone, no GPS, lower quality materials, lower resolution, etc), but nothing better in this form factor. In the mobile electronics world, there's always something better coming.
4. Can I put custom Roms in it? Or its not possible?
In time, you can, because Samsung didn't lock the bootloader and they've released the source code for all the shipping variants. Just keepin mind that no Android device has custom ROM support right out of the gate, not even the vaunted Nexus One. It takes time, multiplied by sales. I should also mention that the Tab has sold nearly as many units as the Nexus One, if the reports are accurate.
Thanksss
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Croak said:
Here, answers below in red.
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THANKS!!! couldnt have asked for a better answer

Dell Streak gets HoneyComb

So, there is a very,very early alpha build of Honeycomb running on Dell Streak. And the developer notes that inspite of everything running in software (no 3D Acceleration for now obviously) it performs slightly better than 2.3 did!
Source:
http://android.modaco.com/content/dell-streak-streak-modaco-com/331766/yawn-ive-been-bored-tonight/
I can only wish for something for our Tabs

Whilst this is great news its still only a new port.
Id love to see it on my tab but wud want a proper release or at least one that has most of the tabs features running lol.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App

i REALLY just dont get why no one has even attempted this on the tab...what a shame. guess no one is "bored" enough i know it would be useless but something to brag about.

+1 on that
WTF, why are we getting left behind. As if a stupid ebook reader getting Honeycomb wasn't bad enough, now a 5" phone err Tablet has a Honeycomb beta ROM. Granted, very preliminary, but we can't even get a solid ROM going on.........I love the tablet and I know our Dev's kick butt, but this is just getting ridiculous. Am I the only one upset by this
ayman07 said:
i REALLY just dont get why no one has even attempted this on the tab...what a shame. guess no one is "bored" enough i know it would be useless but something to brag about.
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Yes I'm upset too. I upgraded from HD2. I was used to see everyday one or more new roms. But there are really a few development going on our lovely tab :'(
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[Q]Hineycomb, anyone?

I was wandering around the forums, and ended up being jealous of all the EVO, nexus one and nook color users(possibly more), so I was wondering, will we poor HD2 users ever get a taste of the sweet honeycomb? I'd simply love to see it running on HD2, even if it is a bit laggy. Or a lot since it's the SDK.

woops - I obviously meant Honeycomb in the title

peter768 said:
woops - I obviously meant Honeycomb in the title
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Waaahaha, your killing me man. Great misspelling though

Don_Esteban said:
Waaahaha, your killing me man. Great misspelling though
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ummm not quite the answer I was looking for, but, thanks anyway?

Yes I think like you.
Why we do not see honeycomb at hd2

Honeycomb wouldn't be extremely handy on our phones due to the obvious fact that it's meant for tablets, but I agree that it would be nice to be able to boot it up, preferably from SD, if only for the wow factor, or to test drive the OS if considering purchasing a tablet. I find it a little odd that the usual response for honeycomb questions/requests is that it would be of no use on our screen size, when everybody loves being able to boot Ubuntu, which is made originally for PC's, not cel phones. What's the big difference with Honeycomb right?

huggs said:
Honeycomb wouldn't be extremely handy on our phones due to the obvious fact that it's meant for tablets, but I agree that it would be nice to be able to boot it up, preferably from SD, if only for the wow factor, or to test drive the OS if considering purchasing a tablet. I find it a little odd that the usual response for honeycomb questions/requests is that it would be of no use on our screen size, when everybody loves being able to boot Ubuntu, which is made originally for PC's, not cel phones. What's the big difference with Honeycomb right?
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Right! But I have a hunch that google will release a phone version as well - now that android is all that popular, google shouldn't cut us off at 2.3.3! I mean, there has to be an update for us as well, hasn't there??

LMAO that's a Tragic Typo. Once on yahoo answers I saw a question that said "At what age should I expect my daughter to do her own hoework and stop need my help?" Anyway, HC is nice but I have a nook and I don't think it will translate to the phone sized screen well. I also have an EVO and I haven't tried it on there for that reason. I think that HC will come eventually, I just don't feel that it will be as good of an experience because of the lack of screen real esate. Hc has a bunch of onscreen buttons and stuff that will probably be too cramped.
huggs said:
everybody loves being able to boot Ubuntu, which is made originally for PC's, not cel phones. What's the big difference with Honeycomb right?
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HC UI is specifically made for tablet screen sizes.
peter768 said:
google shouldn't cut us off at 2.3.3! I mean, there has to be an update for us as well, hasn't there??
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Rumor has it the next MAJOR version of android (Ice Cream) will attempt to unify gingerbread and honeycomb...or at least bring some elements of HC to phones.

The next MAYOR version of android (icecream) won't be happening for a while, since the word on the net is that the next version of android is 2.4, and there's not gonna be sufficient changes on the OS to require a name change, like when android went from 2.0 to 2.1 it stayed with the name Eclair, so when we get 2.4 it's still gonna be Gingerbread, so I wouldn't expect IceCream to be around 'til 2.5 maybe. We're certainly not getting an official version of Honeycomb for our phones.

Buff McBigstuff said:
HC UI is specifically made for tablet screen sizes.
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well, shouldn't we able to work this out with a tweak in LCD density??

BEST THREAD NAME EVER.
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Help Me Choose a Tablet- Xoom or Flyer

Which one do you think is better, and why? I'm leaning towards the HTC because I'm a sucker for HTC Sense. Any chance Sense will be ported to The Xoom? Any word on the Wifi-Only pricing? I heard it will be about $640 for the 32GB, anyone know if that's true? Sorry if I'm asking too many questions.
P.S. Mods, if this is against the rules, I'm sorry. Feel free to delete if it is. However, if you'd show mercy and not delete it, I would greatly appreciate that!

CCBPES34 said:
Which one do you think is better, and why? I'm leaning towards the HTC because I'm a sucker for HTC Sense. Any chance Sense will be ported to The Xoom? Any word on the Wifi-Only pricing? I heard it will be about $640 for the 32GB, anyone know if that's true? Sorry if I'm asking too many questions.
P.S. Mods, if this is against the rules, I'm sorry. Feel free to delete if it is. However, if you'd show mercy and not delete it, I would greatly appreciate that!
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Pretty unlikely that the Xoom will get Sense, that hasn't really been ported to any device other than HTC's. With the xoom you get stock google experience, so it gets updated first, Flyer when HTC chooses. I have heard that the Xoom wifi will be $540 at Sam's Club, but just a rumor so who knows for sure? Not us... I love my Xoom, yes it has some issues but I feel those will be addressed in a couple weeks with the first update.
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kenhunt said:
... heard that the Xoom wifi will be $540 at Sam's Club...
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The Xoom suddenly sounds a lot better.

First off, HTC sense CAN get ported and has gotten ported to devices other than HTC products. Also HTC is doing away with dual core and using a single core 1.5 ghz chip. And they aren't touching gingerbread and using a heavily modified 2.2.3 or some ****. I'm taking a **** right now
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

dudeimgeorge said:
I'm taking a **** right now
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This made me laugh
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

dudeimgeorge said:
First off, HTC sense CAN get ported and has gotten ported to devices other than HTC products. Also HTC is doing away with dual core and using a single core 1.5 ghz chip. And they aren't touching gingerbread and using a heavily modified 2.2.3 or some ****. I'm taking a **** right now
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
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The Flyer is actually running a modified 2.3 build with a tablet-specific version of Sense.
Sense eventually will come to the Xoom via some kinda port, but HTC has to release a tablet with 3.0 and Sense first. They have yet to even build Sense for 3.0 so it won't necessarily be available at the moment...
OP, these aren't really comparable imho. The Flyer is only 7" and runs 2.3 like I said and has a single core 1.5ghz processor, and the Xoom is 10" with 3.0 and running a dual core 1ghz processor. It really comes down to which size you prefer and how important 3.0 is to you.
Also, based on some rumors, the Flyer is not going to be much cheaper than the Xoom, which is kinda disappointing considering its only 7" and has a single-core processor.

I thought flyer had gingerbread -> honeycomb - not Froyo - so 2.3.3 not 2.2.3...?
Also I thought about this same question myself....
I came to the conclusion that:
1) I am using the tablet 99% of the time at home (so a bigger screen would be better, aka Xoom 10" over Flyer 7"
2) I won't be needing a 3g/data bundle as if I do need to then I'll use my phone - either Xoom or Flyer would be ok here.
3) I'm not overly bothered by note-taking or playing around with the pen - don't get me wrong, its an amazing feature if it works well as expected - but it's not that important to me (Xoom)
If I was out and about and wanting to make some quick notes in a meeting or such - then the Flyer would win in my opinion.
As I am going to be using it as a home-device in place of a laptop probably - then the Xoom with its larger screen wins it for me.

Lothaen said:
I thought flyer had gingerbread -> honeycomb - not Froyo - so 2.3.3 not 2.2.3...?
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This is correct. Coming out with 2.3 + Tablet Sense. But I'm unsure on its upgrade path to 3.0.

Pretty sure HTC have said they'll be upgrading the Flyer to Honeycomb but they haven't given a date. Since they first need to port Sense to it, it might be a while.
Flyer looks like a good product but I'm not a fan of the 7th inch form factor.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

burden010 said:
Pretty sure HTC have said they'll be upgrading the Flyer to Honeycomb but they haven't given a date. Since they first need to port Sense to it, it might be a while.
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I recall them saying that too.
Realistically Honeycomb will probably be at least 3 months from Xoom release - that seems to be a pretty much standard release time giving the last few releases...
that may be because google want their prime device to stand out among the rest for awhile - or because it takes people around 3 months to develop their sense/touchwiz/blur/whatever and test with multiple devices before roll out

I wouldn't by a flyer because it only has a single core cpu, and there's bound to be loads of heavier apps and widgets released that required a bit more steam when fitted to a tablet.
The Galaxy Tab 10 spec looks good. And the Galaxy Tab 7 is a bloody good tablet, so it has some pedigree.

checkbox111 said:
I wouldn't by a flyer because it only has a single core cpu, and there's bound to be loads of heavier apps and widgets released that required a bit more steam when fitted to a tablet.
The Galaxy Tab 10 spec looks good. And the Galaxy Tab 7 is a bloody good tablet, so it has some pedigree.
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I get what you're saying. There will, hopefully, be a lot of apps which will be optimised for a dual core processor. But a 1.5ghz single core is by no means a slouch. Imagine overclocking this to even 1.8ghz... nice!

dudeimgeorge said:
First off, HTC sense CAN get ported and has gotten ported to devices other than HTC products. Also HTC is doing away with dual core and using a single core 1.5 ghz chip. And they aren't touching gingerbread and using a heavily modified 2.2.3 or some ****. I'm taking a **** right now
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
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Just curious, what devices other than HTC's own has Sense been ported to? I wasn't aware of this, so I kindly retract my statement.
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Somewhat ported to the Droid, ported to the G2/Desire Z, failed porting to the Galaxy S.

TheSonicEmerald said:
Somewhat ported to the Droid, ported to the G2/Desire Z, failed porting to the Galaxy S.
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Its on the G2 because it comes stock on the DZ (both are HTC Vision).

out of curiosity, am i the only one asking myself why on earth would you want a sense ui port? i mean big girls need love too but dang, that is the Fattest, Slowest ui on earth. some of the widgets are nice i guess, if your too lazy to click on the app drawer and open your app...
i'm not taking a ****

idkwhothatis123 said:
out of curiosity, am i the only one asking myself why on earth would you want a sense ui port? i mean big girls need love too but dang, that is the Fattest, Slowest ui on earth. some of the widgets are nice i guess, if your too lazy to click on the app drawer and open your app...
i'm not taking a ****
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"big girls need love too". I think this sums up Sense ports perfectly LOL. I got Sense off my Evo ASAP when I bought it lol.

idkwhothatis123 said:
out of curiosity, am i the only one asking myself why on earth would you want a sense ui port? i mean big girls need love too but dang, that is the Fattest, Slowest ui on earth. some of the widgets are nice i guess, if your too lazy to click on the app drawer and open your app...
i'm not taking a ****
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I just like the way its setup, thats all. First Android I ever used was the HTC Hero running Eclair, I think. Does anyone know what kind of screen the XOOM has? I really liked the vibrant colors that HTCs seem to have. What are they? OMLEDs?
That's another reason I like Sense, everything looked so vibrant and colorful. When I look at pictures of the Xoom's homescreen, it looks dull and boring.

more Xoom2 news

http://www.bgr.com/2011/07/14/motorola-building-ice-cream-sandwich-tablet-with-high-res-screen
This makes me want to return my xoom and wait for this 2nd gen

IceCreaMan said:
http://www.bgr.com/2011/07/14/motorola-building-ice-cream-sandwich-tablet-with-high-res-screen
This makes me want to return my xoom and wait for this 2nd gen
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4:3 aspect ratio??? WTF

it's because the ipad is 4:3. I dont see the benefit really. movies get all meh, games are harder to play (sans emulation maybe, i just stretch it anyway), comics and books wont fill the whole page... i dont get it.

If thats all that is coming for the Xoom I will stick with my Xoom. I mean sure the quad-core may sound nice but for now the duel-core is more then enough for me.

Will the XOOM be updateable to Android 4.0? or does 4.0 require the new Tegra 3?

Chubby_Skunk said:
Will the XOOM be updateable to Android 4.0? or does 4.0 require the new Tegra 3?
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As far as I know google doesn't put a requirement for hardware needed per android update... per say

Chubby_Skunk said:
Will the XOOM be updateable to Android 4.0? or does 4.0 require the new Tegra 3?
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The idea behind ICS (4.0) is to get every android machine on the same OS. We will get it for sure. Its gonna be for phones and tablets...
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I am saving my pennies! I WANT one!

A quad proc tablet will be sick

Well im in UK so no more xoom`s for me.. at this point im done with moto
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IceCreaMan said:
A quad proc tablet will be sick
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Yep, as long as it isn't made by Moto..lol!!!