Samsung Galaxy Tab - Tablet Computer

It`s great to see some competition for the iPad... this pad revolution will certainly help develop the new generations of tablets.

When it came out everyone said iPad was "just a larger iPhone"... the same can be said about this Samsung Galaxy Tab which seems to be basically an enhanced version of the latest Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

But as for the criticism of the iPad, here too, that comment is unfounded.

Galaxy Tab is much more than just a phone with larger screen. It is a true competitor to the iPad.

It is more versatile but not everything is perfect. Let's see it in detail.

The 7-inch screen makes it more portable than the iPad.

Of course that a bigger screen will allow us to see more content or to better enjoy movies and higher resolution games but the Galaxy`s screen doesn`t disappoint even the most demanding buyers.

Web browsing has also improved with larger screens which help while navigating. However, most popular sites already have mobile versions which means that the Galaxy Tab is "seen" as a smartphone and therefore the contents are presented in mobile version.

As expected, this touchscreen from Samsung is a magnet for fingerprints which has consequences every time lighting conditions are adverse. This makes it more complicated to watch the content in broad daylight.

The tactile experience is very good. The display responds quickly and there are few "false touches" where nothing happens. The few times it happen often relate to zooming the text.

Sometimes the touch screen does not produce this effect and we must insist. As expected the screen of this tab is multi-touch making it much easier to zoom.

The Samsung interface introduces very few changes to the Android. However there is access to the Korean manufacturer widgets themselves, and of course the Samsung Apps (applications made by Samsung for the Bada operating system).

Everything looks great in this screen despite not having the resolution of the iPad. It takes advantage of the full 7 inches to show us good color and contrast. The visual experience is therefore very good and the accelerometer works fast - which makes the screen orientation change depending on how the Galaxy is raised up.

The build quality of this Tab is reasonable. Better than the Toshiba but lower than the iPad.

All the Android applications that were not planned for this screen size became unformatted.

For example, the popular game Abduction is one of the victims - the little cow ends up leaving the screen. However, there were many other applications that worked perfectly.

The applications from Samsung are interesting and give the Galaxy Tab an advantage which Apple does not have. That is, you can install applications that are derived from two markets: Android and Samsung.

It`s true there should be a "normal" one-size USB port for file playback. There`s only a MicroSD and a PC connection available. Not quite the freedom that we would expect to see after all the criticisms that were pointed out to the iPad and its lack of connections.

In terms of connectivity the Galaxy is the most complete. It has everything: Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth and A-GPS.

The speakers and microphone worked perfectly. It`s possible to put a video call on hold and make another one and the video works without problems.

You can even take pictures and record video of the conversation. Unfortunately the software does not allow to change between cameras making impossible to show something without having to flip the tab in its direction.

Web browsing

The Samsung allows to surf the net fast enough and without any problems. The Android browser has the Flash Player 10.1 and the ability to read RSS feeds.

It can read web content in flash format (games and video, mostly) without any problems.

Everything is very fluid with the Galaxy but when you start abusing the system opening many applications the system tends to be slower.

Fortunately it comes with an integrated application from Samsung that lets you control the applications that are open and even to see what is consuming more memory.

The battery has capacity for almost 7 hours. This is due to a smaller screen size than the Folio or the iPad.