What You Get ================================ The tablet is about the size and weight of a hardback book, although its rather thinner. It comes packaged with a data cable and a charging plug (the data cable doubles as the charger cable). There is also a headphone set (the device takes a standard headphone jack). That’s all that comes in the box.
Charging & Battery Life ================================ The tab is pretty much ready to go – mine didn’t need charging – so there’s none of that frustrating waiting around before you can start playing. There’s a good day’s worth of play in a full charge – maybe more, depending on how much you’re using it. It doesn’t take long to charge, though although you may want to be charging it overnight for use during the day.
Getting Started ================================ The instruction booklet is rather small and only just detailed enough to get you started, after which you’d be well advised to seek out the full manual from Samsung’s website product support page. It’s easy enough to find, is actually quite readable and it does provide a lot of useful information that will help you get the most out of the tab.
If, like me you’re a tablet novice and are more used to the “IBM” format of most keyboard operated laptops and desktops, you will need to spend some time mucking around getting to know the tablet and familiarising yourself with the operating format. For instance, you don’t need to “turn off” apps when you’ve finished with them. Simply return to the home page and the app will remain dormant in the background. However, the whole thing is pretty intuitive and it won’t be long before you’re doing Loop-the-Loops and Immelmann Turns.
Apps & Capabilities ================================ As for apps, the tab comes with lots of them preinstalled and with access to a couple of app stores (including Samsung’s own) where you can download plenty more for free or for good money. I downloaded Angry Birds – I’ve never encountered that game before and I’m hooked! I also downloaded Skype so I could talk to my brother in Australia and a couple of flight trackers so I could watch him fly home and pick him up from the airport on time.
The tab has several movie and music players, ereaders (including a Kindle app), email and social networking apps, an internet browser (you have full web access) and several memo apps. There’re also a couple of map/navigation apps – the tablet has a built in GPS, which is independent of the wifi – your tab communicates with sattelites! How cool is that?!
Also, there is an QuickOffice app which allows you to create and edit word processing, powerpoint and spreadsheet documents. It’s compatible with MS Office formats but the conversion from Excel into QuickOffice spreadsheet in particular is very patchy and the spreadsheet functionality is extremely limited. I bought (for a few quid) Documents-To_Go which is a similar and slightly better MSOffice clone.
Interfacing (inc. Bluetooth problem fix) ================================ The Galaxy interface cable is a USB connector at the far end and a proprietary plug at the tablet end.
Setting up a WiFi connection is easy. The Galaxy automatically searches for nearby networks and then prompts you for a passkey (if it’s a secure or private network), which you only need to supply once. I will say that the strength of the connection varies from room to room and the Galaxy does struggle to make contact at times. My daughter’s iPad has the same problem, so I suspect that it’s my WifFi, not the tablet (see Accessories).
Data input is by an on-screen keyboard, of which there are several different formats according to your preferences.
As you probably know, there is no mouse. All that sort of stuff is done via the touch screen which requires you to learn a new “language”. That said, it is easy to cope with although I found my fat fingers are a little bit clumsy, especially when trying to select some of the smaller icons or hyperlinks, so a stylus would be a good idea. However, you CAN zoom in on the screen to make these targets bigger and easier to hit.
An inbuilt gyroscope allows you to rotate the tab through 360 degrees and view the screen in portrait and landscape mode. I have found it a little slow to respond – although it’s more of an irritation than a real failing.
You can also interface via Bluetooth. Now, I was having a terrible time trying to get this to work – try as I might, I couldn’t get my laptop or moby to send a file TO my Galaxy – for some reason the sending device kept complaining that the transfer had failed or couldn’t be honoured, despite the fact that the device could SEE the Galaxy. Then I discovered that I could send a file FROM the Galaxy TO the device with no probelm, and that miraculously cleared the pipeline and…
Got a Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 WiFi a few days ago and am very pleased with it.
I have been a long time tablet sceptic but I repair and build computers for a living and figured I would have to take the plunge with tablets sooner or later. This was brought to head with a number of clients asking for advice.
I have played with iPads before but wasn’t impressed and so I decided to try Android. I tried a cheap altenative but returned it for a refund and finally settled on this device.
The initial impression is of a well made and robust device but note there is some confusion over what is and isn’t included in the box.
My “White WiFi only” tablet (no point in 3G as I live in an area with terrible 3G coverage) came with only the USB cable and plug unit and the tablet itself. There were no headphones included (and nowhere in the box where they should have been). Also there doesn’t appear to be the famed InfraRed blaster that can be used for TV remote control – presumably Samsung have either changed the spec of this device or have a different spec in the UK to the US.
Set up was a breeze and took only a few minutes to get going and downloading some apps from the store.
On setup there are some rather large widgets on the Home Page (mainly Samsung trying to get you to pay for books, music and video) but these can be dragged to the bin at the top of the screen (they aren’t deleted just removed from the screen – you can still find them in the widgets panes) or off to one side to a subsidiary Home Page.
Some people have commented on responsiveness of the screen – I haven’t encountered any issues – seems very responsive to me, even with a screen protector applied. I have also played some HD games and it seems to cope very well.
Things you will need to consider when you buy this are the additional cost of a case, screen protectors (though they will drive you mad applying them but worth it to stop the screen getting scratched) and possible the USB adapter so you can plug in a range of USB devices (make sure to read the instructions on the order to plug things in – it isn’t obvious but you can do damage if you plug things in the wrong order – basically the last connection to make/first connection to break is the adapter into the tablet.)
I have tried a number of USB devices and they seem to work without issue. I also tried a Blue Tooth mouse which worked fine. I have ordered a keyboard docking station and can see this replacing my webbook computer!
The GPS seems sensitive – I live in a stone built house and yet it still managed to find my location to within 30m (more than may Garmin GPS can do indoors).
The only niggles I had are:
1. the onscreen keyboard had predictive text enabled by default and it is horrendously bad (it wouldn’t let me type my name into web forms as well as predicting about 99% incorrectly!!!). Just turn it off and forget it. Also it my be my voice but voice recognition has a long way to go to assume useful status!
2. The cameras are pretty pants (front and back) with fuzzy poorly focused images with over-saturated colours. If there is a flash function I can’t find it. Having said that, I didn’t want to use it as a camera so I am not unduly bothered.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I was going to wait for the galaxy note 10.1, but then decided that I didn’t really need a top spec tablet at a top spec price. I managed to get mine a few weeks before the u k launch, on Amazon but it cost me a little more £329 when AMAZON HAVE IT IN STOCK you should not have to pay more than £299, if out of stock they seem to get them again in a day or so, so don’t get stung on the price as some are charging more.After sseeing some videos I was a little disappointed as mine had not arrived at that time ……. I think a lot of the reviewers were concentrating on the fact that this tablet was a replacement for the galaxy tab 1. They were expecting a tablet of the highest spec so only concentrated on knocking this tablet in relation to the upcoming Galaxy Note 10.1 which is going to be Sammys top of the range tablet with a price to match. I like the feel and quality as well as the experience of the Samsung Galaxy range so did not want to stray in to other tablets around the same price range.
I have found this tablet to be just a job for what I am wanting, E-mail gmail browsing the web, BBC i player, U tube, stream videos from my 2tb network drive via wifi (all share), play videos from the sd card, have a clear bright screen, it seem smooth and fluid to me, so I am pleased in that respect also, and the sound is good with the front speakers, but it’s fantastic when I use the the Bluetooth to stream the sound to the Philips Android speaker unit. Almost forgot the flash player works great, watch the BBC and Sky News clips just like on the PC.
I have now put in a 32gig memory card in the slot, so now that takes storage up to 48 gig. I have also used a usb adaptor to connect a 32 gig pen drive which has movies etc on, this works with no problem as does the small keyboard.
What I don’t need is a tablet to play fast action games and have not tried any, only my usual games like Random Mahjong etc.
I do like to use the microphone to dictate text into applications as I am doing now for this amazon review. I have a galaxy s2, a galaxy note and an ipad 1 so I can give a balanced view in respect of performance . So my review is if you want a samsung quality tablet without breaking the bank buy a galaxy tab 2 10.1
I just love the way of my google contacts and appointments keep syncronised no matter which item of hardware I use. Just a note that if you have problems connecting to your wifi , try altering the Channel in your router settings, I had to do this for the pad 1 but no problem with the tab2.
Well I hope this helps you make your mind up, at least you can see review from a actual owner with no vested interest involved.
Tony Now going to watch a film on this great bit of kit.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This tablet is legally “not cool”. That counts for a lot as far as I’m concerned.,
What You Get
================================
The tablet is about the size and weight of a hardback book, although its rather thinner. It comes packaged with a data cable and a charging plug (the data cable doubles as the charger cable). There is also a headphone set (the device takes a standard headphone jack). That’s all that comes in the box.
Charging & Battery Life
================================
The tab is pretty much ready to go – mine didn’t need charging – so there’s none of that frustrating waiting around before you can start playing. There’s a good day’s worth of play in a full charge – maybe more, depending on how much you’re using it. It doesn’t take long to charge, though although you may want to be charging it overnight for use during the day.
Getting Started
================================
The instruction booklet is rather small and only just detailed enough to get you started, after which you’d be well advised to seek out the full manual from Samsung’s website product support page. It’s easy enough to find, is actually quite readable and it does provide a lot of useful information that will help you get the most out of the tab.
If, like me you’re a tablet novice and are more used to the “IBM” format of most keyboard operated laptops and desktops, you will need to spend some time mucking around getting to know the tablet and familiarising yourself with the operating format. For instance, you don’t need to “turn off” apps when you’ve finished with them. Simply return to the home page and the app will remain dormant in the background. However, the whole thing is pretty intuitive and it won’t be long before you’re doing Loop-the-Loops and Immelmann Turns.
Apps & Capabilities
================================
As for apps, the tab comes with lots of them preinstalled and with access to a couple of app stores (including Samsung’s own) where you can download plenty more for free or for good money. I downloaded Angry Birds – I’ve never encountered that game before and I’m hooked! I also downloaded Skype so I could talk to my brother in Australia and a couple of flight trackers so I could watch him fly home and pick him up from the airport on time.
The tab has several movie and music players, ereaders (including a Kindle app), email and social networking apps, an internet browser (you have full web access) and several memo apps. There’re also a couple of map/navigation apps – the tablet has a built in GPS, which is independent of the wifi – your tab communicates with sattelites! How cool is that?!
Also, there is an QuickOffice app which allows you to create and edit word processing, powerpoint and spreadsheet documents. It’s compatible with MS Office formats but the conversion from Excel into QuickOffice spreadsheet in particular is very patchy and the spreadsheet functionality is extremely limited. I bought (for a few quid) Documents-To_Go which is a similar and slightly better MSOffice clone.
Interfacing (inc. Bluetooth problem fix)
================================
The Galaxy interface cable is a USB connector at the far end and a proprietary plug at the tablet end.
Setting up a WiFi connection is easy. The Galaxy automatically searches for nearby networks and then prompts you for a passkey (if it’s a secure or private network), which you only need to supply once. I will say that the strength of the connection varies from room to room and the Galaxy does struggle to make contact at times. My daughter’s iPad has the same problem, so I suspect that it’s my WifFi, not the tablet (see Accessories).
Data input is by an on-screen keyboard, of which there are several different formats according to your preferences.
As you probably know, there is no mouse. All that sort of stuff is done via the touch screen which requires you to learn a new “language”. That said, it is easy to cope with although I found my fat fingers are a little bit clumsy, especially when trying to select some of the smaller icons or hyperlinks, so a stylus would be a good idea. However, you CAN zoom in on the screen to make these targets bigger and easier to hit.
An inbuilt gyroscope allows you to rotate the tab through 360 degrees and view the screen in portrait and landscape mode. I have found it a little slow to respond – although it’s more of an irritation than a real failing.
You can also interface via Bluetooth. Now, I was having a terrible time trying to get this to work – try as I might, I couldn’t get my laptop or moby to send a file TO my Galaxy – for some reason the sending device kept complaining that the transfer had failed or couldn’t be honoured, despite the fact that the device could SEE the Galaxy. Then I discovered that I could send a file FROM the Galaxy TO the device with no probelm, and that miraculously cleared the pipeline and…
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|Initial impressions are very good,
Got a Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 WiFi a few days ago and am very pleased with it.
I have been a long time tablet sceptic but I repair and build computers for a living and figured I would have to take the plunge with tablets sooner or later. This was brought to head with a number of clients asking for advice.
I have played with iPads before but wasn’t impressed and so I decided to try Android. I tried a cheap altenative but returned it for a refund and finally settled on this device.
The initial impression is of a well made and robust device but note there is some confusion over what is and isn’t included in the box.
My “White WiFi only” tablet (no point in 3G as I live in an area with terrible 3G coverage) came with only the USB cable and plug unit and the tablet itself. There were no headphones included (and nowhere in the box where they should have been). Also there doesn’t appear to be the famed InfraRed blaster that can be used for TV remote control – presumably Samsung have either changed the spec of this device or have a different spec in the UK to the US.
Set up was a breeze and took only a few minutes to get going and downloading some apps from the store.
On setup there are some rather large widgets on the Home Page (mainly Samsung trying to get you to pay for books, music and video) but these can be dragged to the bin at the top of the screen (they aren’t deleted just removed from the screen – you can still find them in the widgets panes) or off to one side to a subsidiary Home Page.
Some people have commented on responsiveness of the screen – I haven’t encountered any issues – seems very responsive to me, even with a screen protector applied. I have also played some HD games and it seems to cope very well.
Things you will need to consider when you buy this are the additional cost of a case, screen protectors (though they will drive you mad applying them but worth it to stop the screen getting scratched) and possible the USB adapter so you can plug in a range of USB devices (make sure to read the instructions on the order to plug things in – it isn’t obvious but you can do damage if you plug things in the wrong order – basically the last connection to make/first connection to break is the adapter into the tablet.)
I have tried a number of USB devices and they seem to work without issue. I also tried a Blue Tooth mouse which worked fine. I have ordered a keyboard docking station and can see this replacing my webbook computer!
The GPS seems sensitive – I live in a stone built house and yet it still managed to find my location to within 30m (more than may Garmin GPS can do indoors).
The only niggles I had are:
1. the onscreen keyboard had predictive text enabled by default and it is horrendously bad (it wouldn’t let me type my name into web forms as well as predicting about 99% incorrectly!!!). Just turn it off and forget it. Also it my be my voice but voice recognition has a long way to go to assume useful status!
2. The cameras are pretty pants (front and back) with fuzzy poorly focused images with over-saturated colours. If there is a flash function I can’t find it. Having said that, I didn’t want to use it as a camera so I am not unduly bothered.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Smashing Sammy Budget Tablet, I Love it.,
I was going to wait for the galaxy note 10.1, but then decided that I didn’t really need a top spec tablet at a top spec price. I managed to get mine a few weeks before the u k launch, on Amazon but it cost me a little more £329 when AMAZON HAVE IT IN STOCK you should not have to pay more than £299, if out of stock they seem to get them again in a day or so, so don’t get stung on the price as some are charging more.After sseeing some videos I was a little disappointed as mine had not arrived at that time ……. I think a lot of the reviewers were concentrating on the fact that this tablet was a replacement for the galaxy tab 1. They were expecting a tablet of the highest spec so only concentrated on knocking this tablet in relation to the upcoming Galaxy Note 10.1 which is going to be Sammys top of the range tablet with a price to match.
I like the feel and quality as well as the experience of the Samsung Galaxy range so did not want to stray in to other tablets around the same price range.
I have found this tablet to be just a job for what I am wanting,
E-mail gmail browsing the web, BBC i player, U tube, stream videos from my 2tb network drive via wifi (all share), play videos from the sd card, have a clear bright screen, it seem smooth and fluid to me, so I am pleased in that respect also, and the sound is good with the front speakers,
but it’s fantastic when I use the the Bluetooth to stream the sound to the Philips Android speaker unit.
Almost forgot the flash player works great, watch the BBC and Sky News clips just like on the PC.
I have now put in a 32gig memory card in the slot, so now that takes storage up to 48 gig. I have also used a usb adaptor to connect a 32 gig pen drive which has movies etc on, this works with no problem as does the small keyboard.
What I don’t need is a tablet to play fast action games and have not tried any, only my usual games like Random Mahjong etc.
I do like to use the microphone to dictate text into applications as I am doing now for this amazon review.
I have a galaxy s2, a galaxy note and an ipad 1 so I can give a balanced view in respect of performance .
So my review is if you want a samsung quality tablet without breaking the bank buy a galaxy tab 2 10.1
I just love the way of my google contacts and appointments keep syncronised no matter which item of hardware I use.
Just a note that if you have problems connecting to your wifi , try altering the Channel in your router settings, I had to do this for the pad 1 but no problem with the tab2.
Well I hope this helps you make your mind up, at least you can see review from a actual owner with no vested interest involved.
Tony
Now going to watch a film on this great bit of kit.
Was this review helpful to you?
|