Should I buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1?

MC Nice Andrew

Hi all,

New member, so please bare with me!

I'm considering buying a tablet. I have an iPhone 4 but I'm really sick of Apple's restrictions with customisation, lack of Flash, etc, so I don't want to get an iPad 2. I have been looking at alternatives. Apparently the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the best alternative to the iPad 2.

My main question is what I'd use it for!!? What do other tablet owners use their tablets for? I have an iPhone, so if I'm on the couch and want to look something up really quick, I do it on my phone. I have a PC upstairs, and an iMac in the kitchen. I drive 5 mins to work, so don't have a commute. I have a laptop for holidays/travel which I use for work (video editing). I stream all my media from my PC to an AC Ryan box over my LAN.

So, I like the idea of owning a tablet, but I can't see how it would fit into my life, and was wondering what other people use their tablets for!? I need to justify buying one!

And my technical questions are as follows, re the Samsung:

• Does it play DivX & Xvid files?
• Can I stream video files to it via wifi from a shared PC folder?
• Where do I get apps? Is there an app store?
• I have all my music & playlists sorted in iTunes - how can I sync it with iTunes, or is there a workaround?
• Can it download Podcasts? I currently have a few I subscribe to, but again; through iTunes.

Thanks in advance for replies.

seanybiker

Does it play DivX & Xvid files?Can I stream video files to it via wifi from a shared PC folder?Where do I get apps? Is there an app store?I have all my music & playlists sorted in iTunes - how can I sync it with iTunes, or is there a workaround?Can it download Podcasts? I currently have a few I subscribe to, but again; through iTunes.



Yeah plays most video files.
Yes you can stream movies over wifi/3g.
There is a marketplace. Market.android.com
I don't use iTunes. I downloaded an app last week where I can just pick a folder to share on my puter and now I can listen to music anywhere on my mobile, streaming from the puter.
Podcasts can be downloaded yes.

pickarooney

This is very much an arse-about-face approach to buying a tablet!

You've picked the tablet you think you want but want us to tell you what you'd use it for?

Mine basically serves the purpose of a TV in the bedroom or when someone else is on the PC, as an e-book reader, quick bit of web browsing and all of the above when travelling. I don't have a smartphone or a TV so it fills some gaps that you wouldn't have. All the requirements you list can be filled by pretty much any Android tablet so the deciding factors then, once you've convinced yourself you need a tablet would be budget and bling and the Samsun rates highly on both scales.

danthefan

The one issue I'd have with the Galaxy Tab is it doesn't have an SD card slot.

tfitzgerald

I'd buy one before I'd butane iPad if only for flash . Now all I need is money:(

mickoneill30

MC Nice Andrew wrote: »

[*]Can it download Podcasts? I currently have a few I subscribe to, but again; through iTunes.

Loads of podcasts apps. I use this
https://market.android.com/details?id=au.com.shiftyjelly.pocketcasts&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImF1LmNvbS5zaGlmdHlqZWxseS5wb2NrZXRjYXN0cyJd

You don't need iTunes to download the podcasts. The podcast app will download it directly to the tablet.

MC Nice Andrew wrote: »

My main question is what I'd use it for!!? What do other tablet owners use their tablets for? I have an iPhone, so if I'm on the couch and want to look something up really quick, I do it on my phone. I have a PC upstairs, and an iMac in the kitchen. I drive 5 mins to work, so don't have a commute. I have a laptop for holidays/travel which I use for work (video editing). I stream all my media from my PC to an AC Ryan box over my LAN.

I don't think a tablet can fit in there

ceejay

DivX support is available in the video player app that comes with the tablet. Not sure about Xvid.

There are several apps that allow you to browse files from the local network. I prefer to use Subsonic which runs on the PC and shares my media, and the Subsonic app on my phone & tablet to browse & stream/download the media, even over the Internet.

The apps are available via the Android Market, the feature is built into the tablet, and you can also see the apps and purchase them online at http://market.android.com. You can queue up apps to download to your phone if you buy them on the web site.

I believe the Samsung Kies app for the PC that you can download includes iTunes sync, but if not then there are other apps that can do so such as DoubleTwist and maybe WinAmp.

There are lots of podcast apps - I use ACast personally. As for podcasts you download into iTunes, maybe they would be synced with DoubleTwist? I'm not sure.

These are the use cases I have for my tablet:

• Work email and calendar using TouchDown - I like to keep it separate from my personal email/calendar, plus I can set it only to check during normal working hours so it doesn't bother me in the evenings or weekends
• Note-taking using Evernote - this is a great app, and it syncs your notes to the cloud so I also have access to them via my PC and my phone. I use this for work and personal notes, and you can attach photos, audio clips, and extracts from web pages. And it's free!
• Reading ebooks - I use the Kindle app, and Whispersync allows me to also read the books on my phone if I want and it keeps the location I was last at in sync between my devices, including PC if I want
• Reading comics - I use the Comixology app and the Dark Horse Digital web site. Using the tablet in portrait mode gives a perfect full page view of the comics, plus you also have the option to zoom in if you want. The Comixology app is great, and I can't wait for Dark Horse to get their app out. Their web site uses Flash, and it's fine, but I prefer an app and to have the comics on local storage in case I want to read them offline. (Note that Dark Horse Digital have the whole Sin City series for sale right now for $39.99!)
• Reading magazines - I use the Zinio app to read magazines like Edge and Total Film. They have a wide range of titles available. The app is based on high quality PDF images of each page in the magazine so you can see it exactly as it is in the print edition, including the ability to zoom in, etc. They also provide a text-only version of the articles if you prefer to read them that way. Subscription prices are also a lot cheaper than the print editions too.
• Watching movies - the 720p 16:9 screen is excellent for watching movies, and the Belkin case I have also acts as a stand for hands-free viewing. I'm hoping that when Netflix comes to Ireland next year that they'll have an Android app for us that will work well on the tablet
• Web browsing - the browser is pretty good, you get a tabbed browser experience in the default browser, plus there are alternatives available in the Market including versions of Opera and Firefox. The Dolphin browser seems good too. And of course you get Flash support, which is pretty good. There are some occasions where the Flash content is not really designed for touch interface, and can be fiddly to work with.
• Games - The usual Angry Birds etc. are available, plus for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 there's the "Tegra Zone" app which showcases apps built to maximse the use of the Tegra chipset - some of these games are quite impressive.

I do have music and social media apps set up on the tablet, but in fact I tend to use my phone for those mostly. I use WinAmp & Subsonic for music, ACast for podcasts, and TweetDeck for Twitter and Facebook - though I do also have the dedicated Twitter and Facebook apps installed so that the contact details and latest status are synced into my contacts

Hope this helps!

uberpixie

danthefan wrote: »

The one issue I'd have with the Galaxy Tab is it doesn't have an SD card slot.

You can buy an adapter to allow usb and sd connections..

Currently typing this post on the galaxy tab. Overall very happy with it. Makes casual web browsing from the couch a joy. Good battery life and a great screen.

Ipad2 is a great device and I did consider getting one but dislike itunes and a lack of flexabilty that comes with Apple products. Also the tab is a bit lighter than the ipad meaning it is more comfortable to hold over a long time.

mickoneill30

ceejay wrote: »

[*]Reading magazines - I use the Zinio app to read magazines like Edge and Total Film. They have a wide range of titles available. The app is based on high quality PDF images of each page in the magazine so you can see it exactly as it is in the print edition, including the ability to zoom in, etc. They also provide a text-only version of the articles if you prefer to read them that way. Subscription prices are also a lot cheaper than the print editions too.

What a great app. I've never seen it before. Mags are for much cheaper. I buy PC pro every so often. Its about €7 a month. On Zinio a years subscription is £20 or £3 a mag.

It works well on my tablet. In portrait mode yo can read each page comfortably.

squire23

Yes.

/thread

coach22

Hi I just got a Samsung Galaxy Tab in the last couple of days. I know absolutely nothing about android and was just wondering is it necessary to get anti-virus software for it?