Database Users

Anyone considering the Toshiba Thrive?

There's some info on Endgadget and the specs don't look too shabby, is anyone considering this machine?
Toshiba didn't exactly jump into the tablet market head first, but now that it's come clean with the Thrive, its first pad for the US market, it's wasting no time -- we just got some hands-on with the 10.1-inch, Android 3.1-powered slate -- which, by the by, is the first that we know of to sport a removable battery. It's also got a few more rarities: full-sized USB and HDMI ports and a full-sized SDHC / SDXC slot. Oh, and its $429 starting price ain't bad either. So was Toshiba's entry into the world of Android tablets worth the wait? Join us for a tour past the break, and decide for yourself.
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http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/07/toshiba-thrive-hands-on/

This does seem like a fully loaded device but I think compared to the portability of the Tab 10.1, it will soon become annoying. I think I'm going to stick with the Tab 10.1 and purchase the adapters for USB/HDMI. I'd only need to carry them on 5% of my journeys anyway.

Yes, I'm interested. 1.6 lbs is like the Ipad 1 tablet and the reviewer states that its really not that bad. Ports are important, and the user removable battery is a real plus. Thickness is a bummer, but over all, the tablet looks like a real contender

this WAS the 1 i really wanted but when i saw it had more bulk than my xoom i've decide to go with the 10.1, but i would take this over the xoom.

The location of the cameras is ODD. Seems like it would be difficult to hold and not obscure the cameras.

I like that you can change the battery but me personally I don't need all those ports. If I have to have all that I may as well get a laptop or netbook. Also I'm not keen on that chrome around the camera. It's petty but I also like looks when it comes to my devices

It just moved up to number one on my list just waiting to see what HTC comes out with with in a 10.1 tablet
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

No.
1. I hate that silver / chrome plate around the camera. It is too distracting, look cheap and ugly. I cannot stand it, period.
2. It is too bulky and heavy. I don't need all those ports, especially because I will use it rarely.
3. I don't need replaceable battery. From my experience, even after a year or two, the lithium battery is still good. And by that time, I have upgraded to a new device anyway. I know, it is a plus to have replaceable battery, but if it adds to the weight and bulkiness (because of the mechanic or whatnot), then I don't want it!
GTab 10.1 is still my number one choice ... IF I can buy one

I like what I've seen. I was following this for a few months, but scratched it off due to the Tab 10.1. Now I've written off the tab 10.1 I think, because it just leaks cheap. I'll reserve my final judgement until I see some reviews.
I'm sorta curious what the odds of being able to install Windows 8 on it might be. It appears to be the same exact design as one of Toshiba's upcoming Windows 8 tablets they showed at Computex, just with a different processor. I'm not excited about Tegra 2... but..... if it's really that bad, that is why they have return policies. A Dual boot Android / Windows 8 tablet might be a serious case of Winning!
Oh, I also am looking forward to see what HTC is bringing to the table as well. I don't want to count them out.

I am the one considering the Toshiba Thrive as well.
Yeah the Thrive is thick and heavy with the chrome camera and rubber back that sound odd, but the fact that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has no SD card and USB slot turns me off, it seems like Samsung is going to rip us off with accessories that I have seen in the youtube video shown in another thread, so Samsung learned styling and ways of money making from Apple huh?
Full size USB, HDMI and SD card port, plus attractive pricing and the Toshiba brand outweight the clumsy look. Hope XDA will have the Thrive forums soon.

bbeelzebub said:
Now I've written off the tab 10.1 I think, because it just leaks cheap. I'll reserve my final judgement until I see some reviews.
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Definitely worth reserving your final judgement because the reviews that I have read all pretty much say how premium the quality of the 10.1 is compared to what they expected before they saw it in person. I didn't bookmark all the reviews I read so can't seem to find them all but Engadget wrote:
"It's a tremendous thing to hold, and it truly oozes quality from corner to corner".
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-review/
Personally, I don't think it looks that cheap but like you, I am also reserving my final judgement until I see it in the flesh.

No XDA forum - No buy!
It's very simple, I like the device and want to get one. But with no XDA forum (yet), I'll have to wait. I do like to try out custom rom's, etc., as well as the practical uses. Right now I have an LG G-Slate, and with no XDA forum I can't do anything (other than rooting). So, if one is interested in simply "using" a device, then the Thrive looks excellent except for its bulk. For those of us who want to do more - we'll need an XDA forum.

Looks like a cool tablet. Had it come out a month earlier, I might have bought it.
These guys releasing Honeycomb tablets in July, August, and September just feel like they are a bit late to the game.

Ravynmagi said:
Looks like a cool tablet. Had it come out a month earlier, I might have bought it.
These guys releasing Honeycomb tablets in July, August, and September just feel like they are a bit late to the game.
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That makes total sense. So I take it you only buy your devices briefly after a new OS is introduced? How old is your Windows/Apple desktop/laptop?

akarol said:
That makes total sense. So I take it you only buy your devices briefly after a new OS is introduced? How old is your Windows/Apple desktop/laptop?
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With laptops/desktops, I can update the OS whenever I wish. I'm not dependent on the hardware manufacture to make a custom OS for my computer. So tablets are very different from a laptop or desktop. Though I do know people that do hold off laptop/desktop purchases if a new OS release is near, to avoid having to buy an upgraded OS later.
I love Android, but 3.0 and 3.1 have not been that good. It was a rush job and the source code was never even released. And hardware manufactures already proven they are very slow with major OS release updates. With the hope that Android 4.0 will unify the phone/tablet OS and includes major improvements to stability, compatibility, and fragmentation...
Personally I think there probably is a line in the sand somewhere where a person should ask themselves, do I really want to get into an Android 3.x tablet now with 4.0 coming soon?
I'm not sure I made a good decision getting my GT 10.1 back on June 17th (really nice hardware though). It is really going to suck if I'm still rocking Android 3.crap in 2012. Really hope that doesn't happen, but I have no idea.

Techno79 said:
This does seem like a fully loaded device but I think compared to the portability of the Tab 10.1, it will soon become annoying. I think I'm going to stick with the Tab 10.1 and purchase the adapters for USB/HDMI. I'd only need to carry them on 5% of my journeys anyway.
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I totally agree.
By looking at the photos, it seems as though the rear camera does not include a flash.

I went with the GT 10.1. LOL I got tired of waiting and I didn't like that the Toshiba doesn't have Gorilla Glass, is a lil' heavy and apparently just uses a regular LCD screen with some sort of software to make it crisper and brighter.... The GT has such a nice screen, I couldn't resist. It also feels so light in hand.
Still, different strokes for different folks. I'm sure the Toshiba has nice things about it too... like the ports. Still... I like weight of the GT sooooooo much.

I was seriously considering waiting for the thrive since its almost 100 bucks apart, you could get a 8g, plug in a 16g SD and in the end beat the 10.1 in memory.
But then I thought real hard about what I needed a tablet for. I have a NB at home and at workplace, and if I needed to do stuff that needed serious computing, I would choose the NB over any tablet even if it was quad-core.
The reason I need (or, want) a tablet is for portability, acccessibility to games, video, web surfing and data/email checking. I dont see how often I will cry over that lack of ports, if ever at all. and ports and price are probably the only things that toshiba has an edge over the 10.1. Once I decided that I really dont need the ports (especially you can get the usb dongle for $20 for the rare occasions that you need the port), it was a no brainer decision.
I would think that the Thrive buyers would have to use usb host a lot in order to feel better about the decision over 10.1. Otherwise, everytime you browse the web, watch videos, read papers, or play games on 10.1, it's just hard to think that there's a alternative attractive choice.

arnold88 said:
It's very simple, I like the device and want to get one. But with no XDA forum (yet), I'll have to wait. I do like to try out custom rom's, etc., as well as the practical uses. Right now I have an LG G-Slate, and with no XDA forum I can't do anything (other than rooting). So, if one is interested in simply "using" a device, then the Thrive looks excellent except for its bulk. For those of us who want to do more - we'll need an XDA forum.
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Here is a Thrive forum for you. Its not XDA but a good one never the less
http://www.thriveforums.org/forum/forum.php
If I just wanted to have a usb port or SD slot just once in a great while, than the Thrive is a winner. The comments that the thrive is clunky and heavy is way off base. Its been reported by reviewers that the weight is not heavy and feels good holding it. By the way, the Transformer 2 has been reported today to be coming out this October with Tegra 3, the new OS and goodness who knows what other upgrades. Some thing to consider as well

SR45 said:
Here is a Thrive forum for you. Its not XDA but a good one never the less
http://www.thriveforums.org/forum/forum.php
If I just wanted to have a usb port or SD slot just once in a great while, than the Thrive is a winner. The comments that the thrive is clunky and heavy is way off base. Its been reported by reviewers that the weight is not heavy and feels good holding it. By the way, the Transformer 2 has been reported today to be coming out this October with Tegra 3, the new OS and goodness who knows what other upgrades. Some thing to consider as well
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The Thrive is 1.6 pounds. My Acer was 1.7 pounds, and it felt a lot heavier than my Tab 10.1
I can now surf the web with one hand, unlike the Acer. The Thrive will definitely feel heavier than the Tab 10.1
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

To the owners, Is Note 10.1 worth buying?

To the owners, Is Note 10.1 worth buying?
Coming from SONY TABLET S !!!
Really didnt enjoyed good android experience on any of the tablets, do would u rate Note 10.1?
Why m hesitant is:
1. Nexus 7 price point
2. Love for Sony, Xperia Tablet coming
3. M'soft Surface, if priced well hell yeahh...
sent from seXperia S

xperiax10.awesome said:
To the owners, Is Note 10.1 worth buying?
Coming from SONY TABLET S !!!
Really didnt enjoyed good android experience on any of the tablets, do would u rate Note 10.1?
sent from seXperia S
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Since we bought it I would say we thought it was worth buying. I think the real question is do you think it is worth buying? That depends on what you plan to use it for.

Hell yes its worth buying to me. I would rate it a solid 8.75-9.0

I'm on a flight from Portland to Dallas writing this. I have the Note in portrait mode in multview connected to GoGo Wi-Fi. In the lower panel I have XDA open in a browser window and am watching a movie in the upper panel. No lag, no hiccups, pretty amazing.Try doing that on any other tablet. The guy sitting next to me (who's an ass) has an iPad and I can see him looking out of the corner of his eye in amazement. The more I use the Note the more impressed I am.

I am coming from TFP and it worth every penny.

Sony to Samsung
I was in the exact same boat as the OP. I had (still have) the Sony tablet and upgraded to the Samsung. Final verdict - Mixed bag.
The samsung is immediately and obviously faster than the Sony. The screen is of course slightly larger as is the tablet in general. The one thing you will be blown away by coming from the sony is the audio on the Note. The speakers are loud and placed directly on the front of the unit. I don't know if you are one of the people effected by the low audio problems with the Sony, but if you were you will be smiling from ear to ear.
As for all other aspects, the wifi signal strength is much improved, but the screen will be a mixed bag as well. While it is brighter, it will at first appear less crisp since it is essentially the same resolution of the Sony, but the Sony had those pixels squeezed into a smaller screen, so they were higher density. Does this cause any problems? Not in the least. The screen is still bright, crisp and easily viewed from a wide angle. I have read that Samsung "tweaked" the screen somehow so that it was not the same as every other screen out there in this resolution, and if so...it shows. Text is not as sharp as on the higher definition screens or the iPad, but it is sharper than it was on the Sony.
Web browsing is LEAGUES better than it was on the sony, and the apps that support the sPen are generally pretty decent. If you are using this for a multimedia device or games...look no further. The benchmarks for this tablet in those area are awesome. If you are a graphics artist or dabble in those things, the included photoshop is good, and I imagine will only get better with the first Samsung and Adobe updates.
Now the downsides...first, for the price, the screen really should have been better...but as I said, it's nowhere near being bad. The back of the unit is shiny plastic, so it's a fingerprint magnet...but it's upside is that since it's plastic, it has stronger wifi reception and gps. The pen that is included does NOT have the eraser you may have seen in some videos, but it does tuck away into the unit nicely and comes with several spare tips and a few varieties of them.
The biggest downside...and honestly for me it's 50/50. I started using my sony as a universal remote for every device in my home. The Samsung has such a remote, and in theory it should be FAR FAR better than the one on the sony....BUT...it only worked for the fist 30 minutes I set it up and never again. I searched online and only read more horror stories about that software (not the hardware...the note itself has no issues with its IR transmitter...only the included program). I updated the software and tried a thousand ways to fix this...but no joy. The built in software is supposed to not only control devices, but provide a visual guide of all the shows on TV, information about them, and learn your preferences much like a TIVO, but once it starts developing issues, they never seem to go away. But as with everything, YMMV, so take that with a grain of salt. I use ATT Uverse as my provider, so it may just be issues with them (although that would not seem to be the case online).
To sum it all up, I am happy with the purchase. At the moment, Amazon has a deal going on the 32GB version that is only $528 I believe, as opposed to the $549. The company providing it charges no taxes and only $8 shipping, so that's a HUGE savings. Would I purchase the unit again? Without hesitation. I picked mine up on the first day it was available, and only the 16gb version was available. I am planning on returning the 16gb and picking up the 32gb. So not only would I buy it again, but...I really am buying it again! LOL.
Hope that helped a little. If you have any questions, fire away

Totally
I had the tf300 and its not even close. The s pen is so useful and the software is much better than my last one. Highly recommended. I have not tried the tf700, but if outed like the tf300 this is the tab to beat.

As you already have a Sony tablet, I wouldn't buy the Note right now. Sony has their second attempt, Xperia Tablet, expected next month.
Wait and see how that plays out.

Hmmm, even the reviews are not very impressive considering the price tag..
sent from seXperia S

*Omnipresent* said:
Hell yes its worth buying to me. I would rate it a solid 8.75-9.0
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I really like my Note. IMO, If you're buying it for some reason other than the active digitzer + stylus combo, you've probably bought it for the wrong reason. If you buy this tablet, you're buying it for productivity.
I took mine with me to class today, was able to write some very solid looking notes quickly and easily, while simultaneously recording audio. It has a few cons, like the cameras occasionally being terrible, and the back being made of what feels like a cheap plastic, but as far as I'm concerned the pros (digitizer + stylus, side-by-side app viewing, quad-core Exynos beast + 2GB RAM for multitasking) outweigh the cons by far.
Hell, the only reason I ever bought either the iPad or iPad2 was that I had this hope that I could somehow find a good, accurate stylus that would let me take notes in class and ditch my paper-and-pen notebook. With the Note 10.1, I've found that tablet. I already love it more than I ever loved my iPad(s).
Did I mention it's great for note taking?! :silly:

Many of us bought this for the pen. In this aspect it's peerless. Combined with this, it's also very good in most other ways.
People are complaining that it should have a higher resolution screen, I disagree. Reason: My eyesight isn't all that great, and to me the difference is minimal, and I would rather have the quad horsepower dedicated to the pen, and other functions rather than screen real estate.
In a year or so, the higher resolution tablets will be standard, but until then i'd rather have it this way.
Whatever. :laugh: The point is: this tablet is fairly perfect for what I wanted: A pen interface, in the iPad/Galaxy format.

xperiax10.awesome said:
Hmmm, even the reviews are not very impressive considering the price tag..
sent from seXperia S
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I think it's really interesting how the "professional" reviews don't match up at all with the real world hands-on experiences of the people on the forums. The way I see it, I don't even bother with reading reviews anymore when you can get much more thorough and unbiased reviews from the good folks here on XDA.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

NessLookAlike said:
I really like my Note. IMO, If you're buying it for some reason other than the active digitzer + stylus combo, you've probably bought it for the wrong reason. If you buy this tablet, you're buying it for productivity.
I took mine with me to class today, was able to write some very solid looking notes quickly and easily, while simultaneously recording audio. It has a few cons, like the cameras occasionally being terrible, and the back being made of what feels like a cheap plastic, but as far as I'm concerned the pros (digitizer + stylus, side-by-side app viewing, quad-core Exynos beast + 2GB RAM for multitasking) outweigh the cons by far.
Hell, the only reason I ever bought either the iPad or iPad2 was that I had this hope that I could somehow find a good, accurate stylus that would let me take notes in class and ditch my paper-and-pen notebook. With the Note 10.1, I've found that tablet. I already love it more than I ever loved my iPad(s).
Did I mention it's great for note taking?! :silly:
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I'm considering the upgrade of my tab10.1 to the note to use it taking notes in my classes as well. How the palm rejection works when you touch the screen with the hand who is writing? And, maybe it is the response at the first question as well, can i disable all the touch input excepting the active digitalizer of the s-pen? It would be perfect to me in that case :cyclops:

aNard said:
I'm considering the upgrade of my tab10.1 to the note to use it taking notes in my classes as well. How the palm rejection works when you touch the screen with the hand who is writing? And, maybe it is the response at the first question as well, can i disable all the touch input excepting the active digitalizer of the s-pen? It would be perfect to me in that case :cyclops:
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Palm rejection is perfect, at least in the S Memo app that comes stock with the Note. Until other market apps are updated to support the Note, S Memi will probably be the one or two apps you'll want to use to take notes.. but it really is perfect. The app itself has a few quirks, but I'm sure they'll be ironed out over time. This morning when I was taking notes, it felt weird to leave my hand resting on the screen, and I was concerned my palm would get lots of grease on the screen -- but nope, everything was fine! It takes maybe 5 minutes to get used to. And yes, you can disable all touch input except the digitizer. There's a button for it in the note-taking app.
It really is that good for taking notes.

Thank you, I think you've settled the final word over my tablet upgrade with that post and your reassurances
Inviato dal mio Galaxy Nexus con Tapatalk 2

I didn't buy this for the pen.. I bought it cause it has the most powerful processor you can get in a tablet.
And that should last me quite awhile.

What is striking me as wierd is the mixture of reviews for the Note 10.1.
Gizmodo absolutely ripped into it and recommended against purchasing it while others seem to love it.

i the verge and gizmodo married they would make a new website called
ibiased.com
period.

It really comes down to what you want it for. I feel pretty sure they went with a less dense screen to improve speed, especially with the pen.
Browsing on this is as fast as with my laptop on Ethernet.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2

habs101 said:
i the verge and gizmodo married they would make a new website called
ibiased.com
period.
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Agreed, cant they put their apple fanboy status aside.
Walt Mossberg I felt gave the note a very fair review. Given that he is an apple fanboy my opinion of him is even greater because the review was very objective.

Need some extra convincing

Hello everyone,
As a student in college, I've been increasingly looking for productivity tools for note taking, solving problems, and general studying. While nothing can quite beat a paper and a pencil in absorbing information, I've found it incredibly expensive (and time consuming) to print out pages and pages of assignments and readings. On top of that, pages I printed in the past would get lost and I would also never look back on any of my written notes because everything was so disorganized.
So, as you may see, I'm looking for a paperless and organized solution and I figured some form of digitized tech would do the job. With the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and its S Pen, I felt maybe this might be that tech for me. But even after reading through all the positive comments people have been posting about this tablet, I can't seem to be fully convinced to buy it.
To make this easier, I'm just going to number off some of my concerns and questions:
1. I'm afraid this might simply be a fad for such a great tech. I love tech and just judging from all the specs and reviews, it's an absolute powerhouse of a tablet which further benefits from its stylus, but is it really as useful as it seems or is this just something I'm going to use everyday for a week and forget about it?
2. Will this tablet be outdated and forgotten? Without a doubt, this is an obvious trend strongly prominent in tablets and smartphones. I accept the fact that whether I wait or not, this tablet is going to get outdated quickly in terms of raw specs, but there always seems to be that one device that continues to do well even around daunting competition. A good example in my opinion would be the Galaxy Nexus whose raw specs doesn't compare with the GS3 or any recent smartphones, but still has a very strong community support.
3. How do you utilize this tablet in your daily lives in terms of productivity? Any specific stories regarding note taking, studying, and problem solving? I know a good number of you use this for business meetings but I have yet to experience that kind of environment. I'm just a college student studying in a dorm or library.
4. How similar is the S Pen to a normal pencil or pen in terms of feel? I generally use either a normal wooden pencil, a heavy mechanical pencil, or one of those cheap stick pens. How does the S Pen feel compared to them?
5. It'd be greatly appreciated if there's anything else that would convince me to buy this tablet.
Anyway, I know this is a long post that could be answered by simply testing the tablet myself, but there are just some factors right now preventing me from actually going out to a local best buy to play with one.
A big thank you to those who answer! I just don't want to waste my money on stuff I end up not using!

This is a great bit of tech and will serve you well as a student taking notes. The pen writes very quickly with zero lag. There are numerous apps such as Lecture Notes to choose from.
As far being obsolete soon, well you can pretty much count on it. Yesterdays beast is today's slowpoke when.it comes to tech. That being said this is Samsungs flagship product. They are encouraging devs to create for the s pen. Even if something faster comes down the pike this will still work ands that's what counts.
Just buy it. You'll piss away $500 on beer this semester. Spend it on something useful instead.
Sent from my awesome Note 10.1

404 ERROR said:
1. I'm afraid this might simply be a fad for such a great tech. I love tech and just judging from all the specs and reviews, it's an absolute powerhouse of a tablet which further benefits from its stylus, but is it really as useful as it seems or is this just something I'm going to use everyday for a week and forget about it?
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Exynos Quad/Mali make this the most powerful Android tablet on the market (for now). So even without using the pen it delivers better performance and usability then all the tablets that preceded it. If its a fad, what are they? Its Achilles Heal is that it doesn't offer a 1080P display. Tablets with S4 Pro are coming as is a Samsung 11.6" tablet with a Exynos 5250 chip and retina display (per the trial). If you need a tablet now your choices are quality and performance (Note) or a 1080P display (TF700). Either choice is just as likely to become obsolete.
2. Will this tablet be outdated and forgotten? Without a doubt, this is an obvious trend strongly prominent in tablets and smartphones. I accept the fact that whether I wait or not, this tablet is going to get outdated quickly in terms of raw specs, but there always seems to be that one device that continues to do well even around daunting competition. A good example in my opinion would be the Galaxy Nexus whose raw specs doesn't compare with the GS3 or any recent smartphones, but still has a very strong community support.
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See above.
3. How do you utilize this tablet in your daily lives in terms of productivity? Any specific stories regarding note taking, studying, and problem solving? I know a good number of you use this for business meetings but I have yet to experience that kind of environment. I'm just a college student studying in a dorm or library.
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The pen is amazing. But this isn't a tablet for those with ADD. The learning curve is steep and long. You'll get out of it what you put in to it and there's a lot to get out of it.
4. How similar is the S Pen to a normal pencil or pen in terms of feel? I generally use either a normal wooden pencil, a heavy mechanical pencil, or one of those cheap stick pens. How does the S Pen feel compared to them?
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It isnt natural if that's what you're asking. I can't imagine writing on a glass surface ever will be. But it's an acquired taste and behaves very consistently so you get the hang of it. Learning to trust palm rejection has been the most difficult for me.
5. It'd be greatly appreciated if there's anything else that would convince me to buy this tablet.
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You need to convince yourself.

mitchellvii said:
Just buy it. You'll piss away $500 on beer this semester. Spend it on something useful instead.
Sent from my awesome Note 10.1
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Went to Vegas for 21st.... this happened.. now have to wait till September 10th to buy it :/

Good info here, I had similar questions since I'm leaving looking to pick one up for school as well.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

As a student the biggest surprise for me when using this tablet is that the palm rejection actually works and is one of the biggest features of this tablet for me when using the s-pen.
Other things such as performance is great and wht i found very helpful is the extra ram which coming from the OG galaxy tab which has 1gb ram (which is by no means a little on a tablet) is very helpful.
Sure u will need to learn new things about the usage of this tablet to take advantage of its feature but the return should be worth it.
As with the tommorow's tech question, with all tech there will always be something bigger and better around the corner. If you keep looking foreward to see what is coming u wont have time to enjoy what is available now. My advice dont wait too long if ur going to buy thos tablet, get it while its new to not be tempted by the differences between it and what might come a few months from now.
Good luck
Sent from my GT-N8000 using xda app-developers app

I wonder what the next step could be and if further development could significantly increase usabilty and/or productivity.
Well: screen res could be increased but maybe for the sake of batt life ?
Batteries are the bottle neck and for this the SGN10.1 is more than brilliant (10 hrs. + )
For me the SGN10.1 can hardly be topped although I´m an early adopter and crazy for new tech.

mitchellvii said:
Just buy it. You'll piss away $500 on beer this semester. Spend it on something useful instead.
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I don't drink! But thanks for your advice
BarryH_GEG said:
You need to convince yourself.
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That's very true. ;D I think I might wait a bit longer though. I have a hunch something is in the horizon.
kuwari316 said:
As a student the biggest surprise for me when using this tablet is that the palm rejection actually works and is one of the biggest features of this tablet for me when using the s-pen.
Other things such as performance is great and wht i found very helpful is the extra ram which coming from the OG galaxy tab which has 1gb ram (which is by no means a little on a tablet) is very helpful.
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Palm Rejection is indeed a very important aspect of the tablet. I feel as if this reviewers aren't pointing out the importance of this enough.
troed said:
I wonder what the next step could be and if further development could significantly increase usabilty and/or productivity.
Well: screen res could be increased but maybe for the sake of batt life ?
Batteries are the bottle neck and for this the SGN10.1 is more than brilliant (10 hrs. + )
For me the SGN10.1 can hardly be topped although I´m an early adopter and crazy for new tech.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screen resolution is definitely going to increased to compete with the future iPad. The rumored Samsung 11.6 inch tablet is said to have a resolution very close to the iPad's.
They can also put an Super AMOLED screen on there once they can make it more cost efficient.
S Pen input will probably be further improved.
The rest is whatever new comes up. I think the Galaxy Note 10.1 has almost everything a Tablet can have as of now.
Anyway, thanks for all your input. Well, I made my decision actually to not buy it yet. I am going to wait for further announcements as I have a hunch that something might appear soon. Of course, if that thing doesn't come, I'll be hurting myself, but I'll take the chance. It worked well for me with the GNex.

I doubt an 11.6 inch pad with retina display will sell for $500. Also that thing will be MASSIVE. With a case it would be close to 12.5 inches across.
People are so spoiled by cheap tech now. Everyone forgets the fiirst most basic Razor phone was $500 on contract.
Sent from my awesome Note 10.1

mitchellvii said:
I doubt an 11.6 inch pad with retina display will sell for $500. Also that thing will be MASSIVE. With a case it would be close to 12.5 inches across.
People are so spoiled by cheap tech now. Everyone forgets the fiirst most basic Razor phone was $500 on contract.
Sent from my awesome Note 10.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you misunderstood my post. Those are just possible upgrades that can happen in the future. I'm not saying all those additions will be in the next iteration of the Note nor do I think such a massive price increase would appeal to the general consumer.
I am very aware of cost increases as a result of adding features. I am not refusing to buy this tablet due to its low resolution. In fact, I have never seen the new iPad in my life so I wouldn't know what a high PPI tablet would look like. Furthermore, I have always prioritized a quality screen over a quantity screen. I've done this with my iRiver Clix2 which had an AMOLED screen and my Cowon S9 which also had an AMOLED screen.
There isn't anything wrong with the Note as far as I can see. It's actually perfect for me, but I just like to wait a bit and see how things go. It doesn't hurt to wait, and even if I do wait too long, a new Note will come and I can be sure of it then.

Addendum:
I forgot:
The next step will be the "Google Glasses Project" after an introduction- and maturing-period of 1-2 years (or longer).
Once Google Glasses will be fitted with gesture-recognition and res 720p maybe You can write notes with Your finger in the air and record conversations/lectures in StT (Speech to Text).................. :highfive:
This will definitely come, the question only is: WHEN ?

Why I chose the Galaxy Note... one mans journey

I had been in the market for a tablet for a few weeks, having not owned one before, I felt it was time to take the plunge. The main purpose was for evening internet browsing, maybe accompanied by a pint of beer. I'd previously purchased a galaxy Note phone for this very purpose, but I found even that was too much of a compromise screen wise, 5" just wasn't doing it for me, I had to go large. And if I had a tablet I could downgrade to a smaller size phone in future.
After extensive research on the net I narrowed the choice down. A 7” tab would be too small a leap in screen real estate for my needs, so the Nexus was ruled out, which left the front runner been the Transformer TF300, I though a keyboard would be nice for my very basic needs of Word and Excel, and of course it had the Tegra 3, which I had convinced myself I needed. I was aware the 300 could have a few ‘issues’ after reading the xda forums.
I resisted the urge to purchase as the Berlin IFA was about to commence, and Samsung and others would be releasing their latest tech there. Along comes the Note 10.1. And with that comes more frantic Googling for the latest internet reviews ( I ain’t gonna let go of £400 without knowing exactly what I’m buying!).
After reading the review at Android Police the Note seemed a pile of crap. A turd in the bath. A stink in a cesspool. However, my research goes further than that and I started reading user reviews and of course the review from Lisa Gade on youtube. All these seemed to counter what android Police had stated. With my head spinning I had to put some rational thought to my purchasing decision, and my thoughts were…
Do I need a keyboard – would be nice, but given my very limited use of work related stuff, and a large onscreen keyboard on tablets anyway, it would be possible to manage without, I shouldn’t compromise other factors just to have a keyboard.
Front facing stereo speakers – basic design principles tell me this is the way it should be done.
S pen – never really used it on my phone, but I was intrigued by the ‘hover’ function when viewing the web.
Charging cord – Another bummer mentioned at Android Police, its only 3 feet long, no way I could use the Note when its charging. Solution, charge it overnight.
Build quality – now that review at AP had a lot to say about flexing, squeaking and poor fitting. I saw the videos on that site and I agree with what the reviewer was showing us there. But I can only conclude that the unit he had must have been either pre production or had been subjected to some fairly vigorous tear downs.
I have my Note here and I must say it has very high build quality, absolutely no squeaking, all panels are flush fitting, and the only flex is right in the middle of the back panel, which incidentally is where I never hold it anyway. Also I’ve never had an issue with lightweight back panels, right from my first Samsung Galaxy phone. The technology is there to make things like that these days, it just makes sense, lightweight and no signal interference.
Tegra 3 – The reason I was after a Tegra device was so that I could ‘enter the tegra gaming zone’. It seems a nice place. But then again I don’t spend much of my life playing games and I can easily get my fix from whats available on Google Play.
Now that I have a Note I’m very happy in the knowledge that I have an even better processor, preloaded with masses of codec support and developed hand in hand with the Note to give a great browsing performance.
Cameras – I have no need for cameras on a tablet, waste of time. Oh hang on though, what have Samsung got here, this thing watches my eyes and doesn’t dim the screen unless I fall asleep, clever b******s.
GPS – I’ll only want this if I use Google Sky maps, I usually know where I am if I’m in my own house.
But it’s good to know that Glonass is included on the Note, another thumbs up in the high quality components list.
Audio quality. - Note has a Wolfson DAC. Nothing more to add here.
A note about resolution. One tablet I considered was the transformer Tf700 for its high res screen. Much talked about and much coveted. I wouldn’t turn it down. But when people are buying a tablet they need to consider what device they will be replacing. For me it will be primarily replacing my laptop, which has a 17” screen with a resolution of 1600 x 900. So just by downgrading to a 10” size screen with 1280 x 800 I’m getting higher res anyway, and given that it’s a PLS screen its higher quality to boot. So I’ve already gone ‘high res’ just by getting the note.
I’ve only wrote this review because I’m so impressed with my Note. I hope many others buy it and it gets the success it deserves.

Nice review, enjoyed reading it and hopefully teaches people not to be in haste at knocking a device without seeing real world usage user reports.
I think you have made a good choice and am happy that you are enjoying your note as it is out of the box, hopefully with the Jelly Bean update around the corner it will get even better.
Also love Lisa's reviews because her reviews do not seem to be biased unlike a number of other 'professional' reviewers.

same things i considered and bought note on its day of launch in india..
btw u forgot multiscreens and an extensive battery life
Sent from my GT-N8000 using XDA Premium HD app

Here's my bottom line. If I could have bought a 10.1 inch tablet with a 1920 x 1200 screen and a wacom digitizer and pen along with a 1.4 ghz quad core CPU and zero lag for $500 instead of this I would have.
Doesn't exist.
So I bought this.
** The problem I have with reviewers who have slammed this tablet is that they are comparing it either to tablets that do far less or simply do not and cannot exist at this price point. The lowest price for a pen based Windows RT tablet from Samsung will start at $150 more. And that will have worse dpi than this.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2

mitchellvii said:
Here's my bottom line. If I could have bought a 10.1 inch tablet with a 1920 x 1200 screen and a wacom digitizer and pen along with a 1.4 ghz quad core CPU and zero lag for $500 instead of this I would have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehe, +1.
mitchellvii said:
Doesn't exist.
So I bought this.
** The problem I have with reviewers who have slammed this tablet is that they are comparing it either to tablets that do far less or simply do not and cannot exist at this price point. The lowest price for a pen based Windows RT tablet from Samsung will start at $150 more. And that will have worse dpi than this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get a sense that what the OP and I need is more like Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 with GN 10.1 specs less s pen + better screen / premium quality. I don't really care that much for the s pen. I do need everything else you mentioned out of the tab though. So, I feel that some of the low points of this tab, screen resolution and lack of premium build feel, could've been mitigated had Samsung saved the money on S Pen and associated hardware and software expenses.

SM05 said:
Hehe, +1.
I get a sense that what the OP and I need is more like Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 with GN 10.1 specs less s pen + better screen / premium quality. I don't really care that much for the s pen. I do need everything else you mentioned out of the tab though. So, I feel that some of the low points of this tab, screen resolution and lack of premium build feel, could've been mitigated had Samsung saved the money on S Pen and associated hardware and software expenses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, yeah that crazy Samsung with their crazy s-pen.
It's simple, if you don't need or use pen input, why the hell are you buying this tablet? Buy an iPad or an Infinity that are pure consumption devices. The SGN 10.1 is for people that want to do WORK with their tablet.

mitchellvii said:
It's simple, if you don't need or use pen input, why the hell are you buying this tablet? Buy an iPad or an Infinity that are pure consumption devices. The SGN 10.1 is for people that want to do WORK with their tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it were that simple I wouldn't be replying on my GN 10.1. I posted this before but yeah, consumption device is what I mostly need. I don't plan on buying any Apple devices, don't wanna say ever but for a long time. That leaves android, which I prefer anyways (GS2 is my current phone). There aren't that many stable, fast and well built android tabs out there. Build quality + specs is why I went with GN. S pen is just an appendix as far ad I'm concerned. Lol
So, if you're listening Samsung, give us galaxy tab 10.1 with the same specs as GN, premium/better finish and improved screen dpi, if possible, and no s pen. All under 500 please. Lol

SM05 said:
If it were that simple I wouldn't be replying on my GN 10.1. I posted this before but yeah, consumption device is what I mostly need. I don't plan on buying any Apple devices, don't wanna say ever but for a long time. That leaves android, which I prefer anyways (GS2 is my current phone). There aren't that many stable, fast and well built android tabs out there. Build quality + specs is why I went with GN. S pen is just an appendix as far ad I'm concerned. Lol
So, if you're listening Samsung, give us galaxy tab 10.1 with the same specs as GN, premium/better finish and improved screen dpi, if possible, and no s pen. All under 500 please. Lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, they need 2 models. Consumer - $400, without the pen. Creator / Producer - $500 includes pen . Display on both needs to be the same (highest resolution and quality they can manage without slowing the system down.)

mitchellvii said:
Lol, yeah that crazy Samsung with their crazy s-pen.
It's simple, if you don't need or use pen input, why the hell are you buying this tablet? Buy an iPad or an Infinity that are pure consumption devices. The SGN 10.1 is for people that want to do WORK with their tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say the infinity is a pure consumption device. I like my note a lot more then the prime I owned but with the keyboard dock it really does move it out of a pure consumption device.

nice review. exactly what i went thru lols

I mentioned it elsewhere, but the first review I read was from Lisa. Always unbias and as someone that knows about stylus's and wiacoms, she was very to the point about the device. Most if not all the others, reviewed the device as a competitor to the iPad, Transformer etc, when in reality those devices do not do what the Note does. After reading that stupid review from AndroidPolice, and I say stupid since no journalist/writer would make such a headline or put in stupid comments of the device giving them cancer, I went to the store to test it myself. It was nothing like what the reviews mentioned and right then and there I knew this was the tablet to get. A few days later I got it.
Haven't regretted it since.
is it the perfect device, No. nothing is, no matter what any one says, including Apple. Each and every device has its pro and cons, but this device runs circles around my previous Lenovo and overall, its one awesome device.
TS

As has been noted, I did not buy the Note for its pen, this was low on my list of needs as I had never found much use for it on my Galaxy Note phone (I found it just too cramped a space for my liking). I was instead drawn more by its quality and cutting edge components. However, given that the pen was there I’ve been giving it a go anyway, and I’ve found it a much better experience on this larger screen, infact I’m now beginning to use it all the time, it just seems easier and quicker for most things.
Websites are not designed to be prodded at with fingers, but to be used by a precise pointing device, so navigating using the pen feels quicker and more natural. When playing games (Air Attack HD) its easier to slide the pen around the screen and fingers are not blocking out the action.
Oh, I forgot about another reason that swayed me towards buying the Note, and that was to do my own little bit to support Samsung against the dark forces of crApple and its abuse of the (broken) patent system. Or as someone else on the net succinctly put it – the American patent system is a pile of ****, and Apple is sitting on top of that pile.
I’ve been listening to the sound quality of this thing, I’m going to put up a new post about it so its easier for people to find.

Do not upgrade to Tab S3!

Folks if you are thinking of upgrading to the Tab S3: do not do it, it has a massive power drain bug that is likely a hardware issue at this point:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-s3/how-to/wifi-power-drain-bug-please-report-to-t3624872
I miss my good old S2.

Wouldn't touch it - don't like the available sizes. Happy with my 8" Tab S2.

...........
I wasn't interested in it either. The breakable glass back totally turned me off, as well as the unimpressive processor. I don't think Samsung put the proper effort into it, except for designing the price tag, and my two Tab S2's are going good, and if the screen didn't break my older Google Nexus 7 would be too. What I have been ogling is the new Ipad Pro 12 or 10, tho I never owned an Apple product before.

penguinjoe said:
Wouldn't touch it - don't like the available sizes. Happy with my 8" Tab S2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree penguin. Battery isn't great, but ergonomically, the 8" is the best tablet you can get. You can hold this for ages and your wrist doesn't get tired.

Masteryates said:
Totally agree penguin. Battery isn't great, but ergonomically, the 8" is the best tablet you can get. You can hold this for ages and your wrist doesn't get tired.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have two Tab S2's, the 8 and the 9.7. For my purposes I now prefer the 9.7. The easiest to hold tho was my old Google Nexus 7, even though it was heavier it was narrower and my hand could grip it.

Bullwinkle J. Moose said:
I have two Tab S2's, the 8 and the 9.7. For my purposes I now prefer the 9.7. The easiest to hold tho was my old Google Nexus 7, even though it was heavier it was narrower and my hand could grip it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that you could get your hand around a Nexus 7 but that was at the expense of screen. On websites, this was a pain. That's why I think the Tab S2 8" is the best of both worlds.

Masteryates said:
I agree that you could get your hand around a Nexus 7 but that was at the expense of screen. On websites, this was a pain. That's why I think the Tab S2 8" is the best of both worlds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have both the gen 1 and gen 2 Nexus 7's and agree that while the size was nice for gripping, I much prefer the additional real estate and general quality of the 8" S2 display. I use a Moko case that has a handle to facilitate holding the S2 - I don't have big hands and I also kept hitting the screen with my fingers and palm when holding with one hand.

sparksd said:
I have both the gen 1 and gen 2 Nexus 7's and agree that while the size was nice for gripping, I much prefer the additional real estate and general quality of the 8" S2 display. I use a Moko case that has a handle to facilitate holding the S2 - I don't have big hands and I also kept hitting the screen with my fingers and palm when holding with one hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes sparks. I find that because the S2 is so light, I don't need to hold as much of it to feel secure in my hand. I'd say I've medium sized hands. I think the 9.7" version would be a different proposition all together.

...............
sparksd said:
I have both the gen 1 and gen 2 Nexus 7's and agree that while the size was nice for gripping, I much prefer the additional real estate and general quality of the 8" S2 display. I use a Moko case that has a handle to facilitate holding the S2 - I don't have big hands and I also kept hitting the screen with my fingers and palm when holding with one hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, and I like the real estate on the 9.7 even more. I've even been ogling the new 12" Ipad, but like I said I don't even know how to work them. I'll have to look into the Moko case. What I do now is use no case at all except for transport, but a glass shield to protect the screen. Seems to me that the added weight of a case defeats the purpose of these ultralight devices, but a case with a convenient gripping handle might be good...
PS It's a hassle posting on here: "the string you entered for image verification doesn't match"......huh? what string? It just says check box if you're not a robot and I did (and so would a clever robot!)

Bullwinkle J. Moose said:
I agree, and I like the real estate on the 9.7 even more. I've even been ogling the new 12" Ipad, but like I said I don't even know how to work them. I'll have to look into the Moko case. What I do now is use no case at all except for transport, but a glass shield to protect the screen. Seems to me that the added weight of a case defeats the purpose of these ultralight devices, but a case with a convenient gripping handle might be good...
PS It's a hassle posting on here: "the string you entered for image verification doesn't match"......huh? what string? It just says check box if you're not a robot and I did (and so would a clever robot!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Two years ago I bought an iPad Air 2 even though I've never been a fan of Apple products - I've had a lot of Android devices and my home PCs/laptops are Windows. But I must admit I am very impressed with the iPad- very polished and very stable. The iOS ecosystem has a lot I don't like - the sandbox approach to file management for one - but a lot of the apps available are extremely well done and sophisticated. Look at "Complete Anatomy" for one - I tried it out of curiosity and didn't buy the full edition but it is absolutely amazing. My doctor saw it and said he wished he had it in med school. My last large Android tablet - an Asus TF700T - was a PoS that I only used for screwing around with custom ROMs; it was pretty but it's performance was terrible. My brother has the 12" iPad and it is very nice and could make a good work machine. But I'm a retired S/W Systems Engineer (started in '71!) so work is foreign to me ...

Sparksd - Was it hard to learn to work the Ipad coming over from Windows and Android? I'm lazy and don't want to put a lot of effort into learning a whole new system...besides I' m already all tuckered out just from reading that 4-letter word you so rudely wrote...eek!...work! I don't see anyone else putting together such a nice tablet as Apple, though.

Bullwinkle J. Moose said:
Sparksd - Was it hard to learn to work the Ipad coming over from Windows and Android? I'm lazy and don't want to put a lot of effort into learning a whole new system...besides I' m already all tuckered out just from reading that 4-letter word you so rudely wrote...eek!...work! I don't see anyone else putting together such a nice tablet as Apple, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was quite easy. In fact, what originally got me interested was when my 94 year-old Mom was given an older iPad by my nephew and she was able to use it on her own. I don't think I would have left her with an Android device or PC. The most difficult aspect to get used to and understand was the iOS file management philosophy but once I read up on it and got a couple of file management apps (FileBrowser, GoodReader, and Documents) I could deal with it.
And apologies for using the word for That Which Should Not be Spoken Of. Retirement is great!

I may give it a try, Spark. If I do I'll buy it at Costco. I'll have 90 days to decide if I want to keep it then. Plus Costco extends the warranty by a year.

To be honest, unless you have an existing investment in Android or Android apps, or have a specific need that Apple doesn't support, the iPads are better tablets. They are built better, work smoother, and have much better battery life over all. I am the lone hold out in my family with a Nexus 7 and a Galaxy Tab S2 (because the N7 is starting to get creaky)
The only issues I get from my family, who are uniformly Apple users, are that printing directly from apps doesn't work right (generally solveable by using the Brother print app), occasionally the bluetooth will glitch and cause the music player to start automatically, and Safari will crash under moderate load. Dolphin generally solves that latter issue, though I'm not sure how. Oh, and there are no obvious ways to block ads outside of the web browser. That's it - really. Otherwise, they love the things. We have upgraded through the iPad 2 to the iPad Air and now my wife is on an iPad Air 2.
Given Google's lack of interest in tablets and tablet software, the only thing keeping me on Android tablets is the fact that I own a lot of Android apps and games for them, and several reasonable firewall and privacy apps are available for it. Obviously, as an XDA member, I tend to prefer a higher level of control and modification of my devices, but if I were suggesting something for a non-technical user, I would point them at the new iPad 5. (unless they want to do art or technical work, then an iPad Pro 9.7")

jshamlet said:
To be honest, unless you have an existing investment in Android or Android apps, or have a specific need that Apple doesn't support, the iPads are better tablets. They are built better, work smoother, and have much better battery life over all. I am the lone hold out in my family with a Nexus 7 and a Galaxy Tab S2 (because the N7 is starting to get creaky)
The only issues I get from my family, who are uniformly Apple users, are that printing directly from apps doesn't work right (generally solveable by using the Brother print app), occasionally the bluetooth will glitch and cause the music player to start automatically, and Safari will crash under moderate load. Dolphin generally solves that latter issue, though I'm not sure how. Oh, and there are no obvious ways to block ads outside of the web browser. That's it - really. Otherwise, they love the things. We have upgraded through the iPad 2 to the iPad Air and now my wife is on an iPad Air 2.
Given Google's lack of interest in tablets and tablet software, the only thing keeping me on Android tablets is the fact that I own a lot of Android apps and games for them, and several reasonable firewall and privacy apps are available for it. Obviously, as an XDA member, I tend to prefer a higher level of control and modification of my devices, but if I were suggesting something for a non-technical user, I would point them at the new iPad 5. (unless they want to do art or technical work, then an iPad Pro 9.7")
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely agree with your assessment. I do like the level of control and modification that Android gives but that's the engineer in me who likes to really play around with the settings, ROMs, etc. As a "tablet user" though, give me my Air 2. It just plain works well and as I mentioned earlier, the level of polish and sophistication in a lot of available apps is outstanding. I'll always have Android devices but my next tablet upgrade would be another iPad. The S2 is a big upgrade from my Nexus 7 (and it blows my Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T away) and is fun to use but my Air 2 is a better tablet. And this is from a guy who never thought he would buy an Apple device.

Yeah, I've been deeply disappointed by Google's lack of interest in tablets. I was hoping that after all the effort that went into Honeycomb they might actually reach parity with iOS, but nope. It is all still phone centric.
What is more baffling is that Samsung hasn't picked up the slack either, and despite being "Galaxy" devices, the Galaxy Tabs aren't really being treated that way. I still like my Tab S2, and it is at least as good as my wife's iPad Air 2 in terms of performance, but it isn't anywhere near it in terms of battery life. That last one is frustrating because it's a tablet. Make the thing a millimeter thicker and put a real battery in it. Our old iPad 2, despite being practically geriatric at this point, outlasts my Tab S2! (I keep it around as a Facetime client)
Same with my phone - I could tolerate an extra few millimeters if it meant the battery lasted longer. I really hope this thin fetish ends at some point...

jshamlet said:
Yeah, I've been deeply disappointed by Google's lack of interest in tablets. I was hoping that after all the effort that went into Honeycomb they might actually reach parity with iOS, but nope. It is all still phone centric.
What is more baffling is that Samsung hasn't picked up the slack either, and despite being "Galaxy" devices, the Galaxy Tabs aren't really being treated that way. I still like my Tab S2, and it is at least as good as my wife's iPad Air 2 in terms of performance, but it isn't anywhere near it in terms of battery life. That last one is frustrating because it's a tablet. Make the thing a millimeter thicker and put a real battery in it. Our old iPad 2, despite being practically geriatric at this point, outlasts my Tab S2! (I keep it around as a Facetime client)
Same with my phone - I could tolerate an extra few millimeters if it meant the battery lasted longer. I really hope this thin fetish ends at some point...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't look good these days for the overall tablet-only market, with a greater emphasis on hybrid and detachable devices - look at the Surface and where Apple is going with their Pro line. I think Google sees their niche in Chromebooks, which leaves Samsung as the big Android player. And if I'm an app developer, I'd be focused on either targeting phones (Android or Apple) or Apple tablets, not Android tablets, making Android tablets even less desirable as an end-user device. (Regarding battery - charged my Air 2 last night and this morning it was still at 100% with Bluetooth, WiFi, and location all enabled. Usage drain is also better than any other device I've owned.)

jshamlet said:
Yeah, I've been deeply disappointed by Google's lack of interest in tablets. I was hoping that after all the effort that went into Honeycomb they might actually reach parity with iOS, but nope. It is all still phone centric.
What is more baffling is that Samsung hasn't picked up the slack either, and despite being "Galaxy" devices, the Galaxy Tabs aren't really being treated that way. I still like my Tab S2, and it is at least as good as my wife's iPad Air 2 in terms of performance, but it isn't anywhere near it in terms of battery life. That last one is frustrating because it's a tablet. Make the thing a millimeter thicker and put a real battery in it. Our old iPad 2, despite being practically geriatric at this point, outlasts my Tab S2! (I keep it around as a Facetime client)
Same with my phone - I could tolerate an extra few millimeters if it meant the battery lasted longer. I really hope this thin fetish ends at some point...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to disagree Jshamlet. The thing that made me buy this tablet was the weight, and I notice how heavy any other tablet is when I holding. Maybe Samsung could attempt something like last years Motorola phones where there is a back plate which includes a battery, giving the best of both worlds?
---------- Post added at 11:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:48 AM ----------
jshamlet said:
Yeah, I've been deeply disappointed by Google's lack of interest in tablets. I was hoping that after all the effort that went into Honeycomb they might actually reach parity with iOS, but nope. It is all still phone centric.
What is more baffling is that Samsung hasn't picked up the slack either, and despite being "Galaxy" devices, the Galaxy Tabs aren't really being treated that way. I still like my Tab S2, and it is at least as good as my wife's iPad Air 2 in terms of performance, but it isn't anywhere near it in terms of battery life. That last one is frustrating because it's a tablet. Make the thing a millimeter thicker and put a real battery in it. Our old iPad 2, despite being practically geriatric at this point, outlasts my Tab S2! (I keep it around as a Facetime client)
Same with my phone - I could tolerate an extra few millimeters if it meant the battery lasted longer. I really hope this thin fetish ends at some point...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to disagree Jshamlet. The thing that made me buy this tablet was the weight, and I notice how heavy any other tablet is when I holding. Maybe Samsung could attempt something like last years Motorola phones where there is a back plate which includes a battery, giving the best of both worlds?
Talking of picking up the slack, I'd love One Plus to put there foot in the door. Samsung have had there chance......

Hi folks.
I was close to buy an iPad air 2 also, but:
- no GPS
- expensive
were the two reasons that I preferred the tab s2 instead. Also, I found it for a very good price.
I agree that for general usage the iPads are better tablets, I would never buy my mother an android, but for an engineer like me, with low budget, this was a better choice.
The alternative for me was to an even cheaper tablet, like Amazon fire, but the quality is even lower.
And I think the screen of the Tab S2 is amazing.

mauricempc74 said:
Hi folks.
I was close to buy an iPad air 2 also, but:
- no GPS
- expensive
were the two reasons that I preferred the tab s2 instead. Also, I found it for a very good price.
I agree that for general usage the iPads are better tablets, I would never buy my mother an android, but for an engineer like me, with low budget, this was a better choice.
The alternative for me was to an even cheaper tablet, like Amazon fire, but the quality is even lower.
And I think the screen of the Tab S2 is amazing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its funny that I bought my 65 year old mother a Nexus 4 back in 2012, thinking it would be too complex. She loved that phone and took an even bigger risk by replacing it with a Huawei P9 Lite. She's now an Android FanGranny and snaps at my sister whenever she suggests getting her an iOS device.