ammyt | # 1371 | 2010-11-28, 18:22 | Report

I just noticed on the TAB's specs that it runs the same ARM Cortex A8 of the N900, @1GHZ? Well that's just a proof that these processors are capable to run at 1000MHZ and the fact that some ppl are overclocking their N900, is when you boost it at more than 1000MHZ. Am I right?

Capt'n Corrupt | # 1372 | 2010-11-28, 18:41 | Report

The Tab runs a Cortex A8, but it's not the same as the one in the N900. I don't know enough about System on Chip architecture, but I do know that they have different clock rates and different GPUs amongst other things.

Laughing Man | # 1373 | 2010-11-29, 16:23 | Report

Anyone test out the flash capability on Hulu or Crunchyroll yet?

Capt'n Corrupt | # 1374 | 2010-11-29, 17:35 | Report

I. Just. Played. With. The. Tab.

Ok, this was a long time coming, but I'm glad that the moment has arrived! Forgive my sloppy writing in advance. This is going to be a mental upchucking.

I wish I could give a first impressions that was different than literally all other first impressions on the net, but it all has been covered quite a bit, and I only got to play with it for around 20 minutes in a local Bell store.

The unit is bloody gorgeous. Seriously.

The first thing that I noticed was how small it was, but this isn't a complaint. It's a fantastic size for holding in one hand is a pleasure to read on and to interact with. The build is very solid, and the device is very light. It's not as light as a smartphone, but it's very light for its size. The point? I expect this thing to be at my side every hour of the day. No joke. I couldn't do this with a larger device, and I wouldn't get as much use out of a smaller device. 7" really is the sweet spot.

The black patterned back was very nice as well. Although there were fingerprints, it wasn't all that bad, and it was by no means difficult to hold on to. A very attractive device from any angle.

There's nothing chunky about the unit as many reviews would lead one to believe. It's not as thin as the streak, but it's also not fat either. It's a very comfortable thickness, and feels great in the hand.

But interacting on that 7" screen is a revelation. Though the screen looks small when the unit is off, it's actually very spacious when the unit is on. I had a round of Angry Birds, and I can see the appeal. This is a must own title, and illustrates how fun it is to play a game on the 7" screen. I also watched a full-screen video of Starcraft II being played, and immediately felt a little weak in the knees, knowing that this type of title is not only possible, but would work perfectly on this display. I can already tell that gaming is going to become a major use-case.

I don't know if I was expecting something a little larger than my N810 when turning on the Tab, but I got something that's in a different league in terms of screen usability. The on-screen colours are bright and well saturated, the pixels are small enough to be ignored, and the viewing angles leave NOTHING to be desired. In fact, the only areas where this becomes an 'issue' is if you're acquiring formal metrics. Otherwise, it's a fantastic screen.

Now on to some apps.

The stock browser scrolls very well. The videos online make the scrolling problem seem so much more than it is, and people (including me, to my eternal shame) make this to be a far larger issue than it is. Even with flash turned on, the scrolling wasn't annoying in the least. But I only tested sites with a handful of Flash ads. Heavy sites may have more problems, but this isn't a concern for me as they are annoying on a laptop as well, and on-demand viewing is always an option. Of course, getting dreaded mobile sites was another matter, and I can appreciate using a browser like Dolphin to set the user-agent and view the web as it was meant to be viewed. All in all, it was a very pleasant experience.

I had a chance to check out the reader's hub. The Bell hub has a beautiful interface, and is very different than the ones you typically see. Instead of groups of newspapers/books/magazines lying on a flat surface, there are three modern shelves containing the three items. Its very clean, and very nice. Reading a newspaper on the device was actually quite a pleasure. I was concerned that given the screen size, it would be problematic, but the scrolling and pinch-zooming were a charm. It was a nice touch to be able to see the article free of formatting by hitting the title. There were no books on the device, but I could tell that the size would make it a wonderful reading experience.

I was actually surprised at the scrolling rate of the touchwiz home screen. While it's consistent, the frame rate seems capped at 30fps rather than a silky smooth 60fps. A little launcher pro should clear that right up! No doubt that this and the browser are what apple-heads are referring to when they mention that the 'UI' isn't as smooth as that on Apple's products. Samsung would be well advised to optimize Touchwiz, or license launcher pro.

Gaming was FUN. Serious fun. Angry birds was a joy. The framerate was perfect. The game was instantly addictive with its easy to use controls, and the size of the Tab made the game very fun to play. I also got a chance to play that ball labyrinth title, and it was a lot of fun as well. I enjoyed the 3D wall effect as the device tilted! Sorry, I didn't play any more than this, but would seriously love to play an RPG or FPS.

Damn, I wish I could play starcraft on this system. WOW!

I stealthily installed the Opera Browser on the device, and I was incredibly impressed at how easy it was to install an app, and how quickly it happened! The market seemed fine to me, but remember, I'm coming from an N810, and an early iPod touch. The browser itself was good, though there was an intermittent hiccup when scrolling. It would happen maybe twice a second, which interferes with the otherwise ultra-smooth scrolling. It's still 100% functional, but does ruin that silky smooth effect. Perhaps the lag fix needs to be applied? The only real complaint that I have is, again, the mobile pages that websites default to. User agent setting is a must.

In short? I'm in love. It's hard to describe just how much use I will get out of this unit, and the size means that it will be with me 95% of the time. Yes, I will sleep with it, and it will be playing me tunes as I shower. Hands down, I am 100% sold on 7". It really is a magical size, and great for toting about. Not only in bags, but just casually holding as you change locations. I doubt that the same could be said about 10". As apple fanboi's users often argue: it's about the details!

There was nothing that jumped out at me as being annoying, and my head is already spinning with the app and configuration possibilities. If I were to choose additional cons, it would be senseless nitpicking, and not worthy of inclusion. It's quite a flexible device and really well put together!

Even at $649, this device is a steal ($549 in the US ). It encompasses the functionality of so many devices, in a package that's actually fun to use for extended periods. Would I buy a cheaper device? Nope. Having 3G baked in already proved to be a fantastic feature. Also, the build, the screen, the battery life, etc, I wouldn't want to compromise on to save even $200.

I *will* actually use this device for productivity. Thanks to apps like Thinkfree, text editors and my BT keyboards, there's no reason that this cannot replace my laptop in a number of scenarios. There are still some apps that I would need a laptop for, but I would gladly leave the laptop at home with this tiny thing in my jacket pocket, portfolio, or man bag.

I'm still waiting for that stylus! The ability to writing on the screen would be transcendental.

For those that have any questions, I will be only too happy to answer them. Of course, having only spent a bit of time with the unit, I may not actually be able to! But ask anyway!

Capt'n Corrupt | # 1375 | 2010-11-29, 18:18 | Report

It seems Chippy of carrypad.com fame, loves his Tab, but posted this 'limitations' document which has stirred the pot of doubt:
http://www.carrypad.com/2010/11/29/g...rs-are-unhappy

My take? These points are really, really, really, minor and somewhat blown out of proportion based on the scope of the document. But that's just me.

Of course, he *has* used a Tab longer than I have (16 weeks vs. 16 minutes) .

etuoyo | # 1376 | 2010-11-29, 19:21 | Report

Thanks for the hands on. Sounds like you really enjoyed it. Definitely agree that 7 inches is the sweet spot. The lack of smoothness would not be an issue for me. Far more interested in the ability to customize a device than in smoothness.

Capt'n Corrupt | # 1377 | 2010-11-29, 21:39 | Report

I did really enjoy it! I mean, it wasn't 'life altering' but it was a joy to use, and would be a joy to own. It's just such a useful device, and is quite beautiful.

The smoothness is something that's easily attainable, and one that I wish was more paid attention to. Not for me: I know how to load launcher apps and know that there are different browser alternatives, but for others that don't know how to do these things. I feel that Android's bad UI rap is largely due to some poorly optimized code in key usability areas. This is something that a person with an eye for usability would catch right away, or even a focus group would quickly point out. Sadly, few companies do this, and Apple (rightfully) takes the credit.

But even without the 'smoothness' it's still plenty smooth , and a pleasure to use. In earnest, I'd be using it right now, given the opportunity, and am eager to share the experience with my friends and family (who would love it).

I'm with you, the ability to adapt the device to my tastes trumps a tiny bit of smoothness. I also am giddy that Android v2.3 and v3.0 will see the light of day on the Tab, by virtue of Samsung and the community. I'm expecting some big things, and certainly the iterative release cycle of Android has proved that incremental changes lead to big changes over time! Looking how far Android has come is really stunning.

But this is the true convergence device! Can it improve? Sure. Anything can, and in time specs will get better and better. However, this is, IMO, the first device that jams all other popular electronic devices into it in a portable, and equally important, usable way.

I already have a title or two that I plan to purchase via the Kindle book store! I'm going to delve into the world of digital reading to see what it's all about. Plus with a library of classical works, it may be enough for me to swear off paper. The convenience is extraordinary, and being able to hold a library on a device that small, is nothing short of remarkable.

I also plan to jump back into gaming. I wish that the PSX emulator was GPU accelerated, but there are still tons of great looking games available for the platform. I'm eager to try Nova, and Reckless Racing, and many others that I can't recall the names of!

Oh, and I *love* the 3G. I absolutely love it. I would not want to purchase a WiFi only device with prepaid plans available. The freedom that you have with 3G is a killer feature that should not be underestimated. Yes, you can tether the phone, but I would guess that the convenience of having it in one device is one less step and one less thing to worry about, that makes the experience all the more special.

I could go on and on and on. Mark my words, come hell or high water, I will own this device!

Here's a question for you all, what are your use cases? How do you expect you'll use the Tab that's somewhat different than the normal surf and read?

Capt'n Corrupt | # 1378 | 2010-11-29, 22:24 | Report

Sorry Mr. Man.

We don't get hulu in Canada, except for some vpn trickery and I didn't actually get a chance to check out flash video playback.

Why am I just learning about Crunchroll now?!

wmarone | # 1379 | 2010-11-29, 22:51 | Report

offtopic:

Because for your own sake you'll avoid reading comments attached to videos there, they make youtube comments seem positively intelligent.

Also, they basically blackmailed the companies whose works appear on their site into working with them, thus I despise them and their existence

Capt'n Corrupt | # 1380 | 2010-11-29, 23:19 | Report

Haha.. Now I *have* to read the comments.