So I Bought A Tablet

[radioman]

A Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1 16GB Wi-Fi 3G. I think this is the only one available here inThailand at the moment. My primary need was for a good sized e-reader with extras. Having an Android phone I also wanted to retain the same app base and functionality. So far it exceeds my expectations in most areas and it is a very convenient form factor for many uses. A few things I'm not super impressed with mostly the speed and general lagginess, maybe the larger memory models are more responsive, a friend has just bought a 64GB model in UK and I should have a chance to try that in a week or so to compare. A lot of the applications seem unfinished coming from a Windows 7 environment, but the potential cetainly seems to be there.

 

Here's what I would like.

 

Much more responsive.

More pinch/zoom functionality.

A real web browser, Dolphin is ok but it's no Firefox

Better email application. The stock aplication is useable but lacks a lot of functionality.

A real office suite, at least WP, SS and PG

 

Not had a chance to try it on 3G yet, only EDGE where I am now and just using the Wi-Fi router in my phone to get online. Will give it a bit better workout once I get back to Bangkok.

 

Anyone else using one of these? Thoughts.

[think_too_mut]

Anyone else using one of these? Thoughts.

 

I have Acer Iconia...the moment it entered the house it was seized by my daughter, taken to her room, and is used for endless watching of cartoons off the net.

When not with her, wife is using it to watch Thai soapies off the net, ended up being used as a portable TV that plays only what she wants. Takes it to the bathroom, sits it on a stool and watches from the thub.

 

I could not believe there is so much free contents on the net and they use their regular PC/browser knowledge to navigate the tablet.

 

Two things I managed to do:

- after upgrading to 3.2 kernel, it takes (recognizes) USB keyboard or mouse

- the leather casing is a must to keep it standing upright.

 

Taking it to the car on weekends and it is far better for email checking than phone (the sheer size of it) and checking on web sites and boards.

 

A very useful thing. As GPS, knows places better and trashes Garmin GPS (which needs a map, for money and knows 4 of 10 places on average by phone number), takes orders by voice (good when you can't read or write Japanese kanji, could be same with those unfamiliar with Thai script).

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

Yeah, we bought one a couple weeks back. Very happy with it. It gets a LOT of use. My wife is on it constantly watching YouTube videos (she likes to bake, so watches a lot of baking vids), checking Facebook and playing some games. The kids play games on it as well from time to time as do I. I also use it for reading (using a diff reader than the default one, forgot the name, starts with an 'A').

 

As you mentioned response is not as good as the iPad's, but still perfectly fine. Not really using much of the installed apps, so no idea about email. Also no desire to use this for 'real' work so not bothered with a lack of office suite.

 

Been meaning to try Skype on it, but not yet done so.

 

Sanuk!

[Julian2]

To speed them up turn off FlashPlayer, if you come across anything that needs it it should tell you and you can turn it back on again.

It uses a massive amount of your memory.

[radioman]

t_t_m

Interesting about the 3.2 upgrade. This one came with 3.1 Did you have to root it (non Aussie version) to do the upgrade? Like you found I think I am going to se this used as a portable tv soap box before very long. Daughter already has the you tube bit sorted but she is pretty web competent and has her own Android phone so it's simple enough for her. Erm, oh yeah, you sure about what your wife is doing with it in the bathroom

 

K.S

That would be Aldiko, I'm trying it now. I've used Kindle on my phone and thought the stock reader not too bad.

 

J2

How to do that? I looked in the Settings/Applications page and see Flash Player but it's not running (or so it suggests since the option to stop it is greyed out)

 

 

Okay, a couple more little gripes:

Dwnloading from the market seems flaky. Could just be where I am at the moment and crappy service through an edge connection but when selecting a title to download it sits waiting to download for ages. Sometimes goes to the My Apps screen sometimes not.

 

No obvious way to remove Uninstalled apps from the list.

 

Cannot turn off the camera shutter sound.

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

"That would be Aldiko, I'm trying it now. I've used Kindle on my phone and thought the stock reader not too bad."

 

Right. And yes, the default one seemed fine as well, just felt this one was a bit nicer.

 

"No obvious way to remove Uninstalled apps from the list."

 

On the My Apps screen, click and hold the icon of the app you want to uninstall, then drag to the red text ('Remove'?) in the top right. You can also uninstall from the Settings section.

 

Sanuk!

[limbo]

What was the main reason for not getting an iPad? Price?

[radioman]

Hi,

 

"That would be Aldiko, I'm trying it now. I've used Kindle on my phone and thought the stock reader not too bad."

 

Right. And yes, the default one seemed fine as well, just felt this one was a bit nicer.

 

"No obvious way to remove Uninstalled apps from the list."

 

On the My Apps screen, click and hold the icon of the app you want to uninstall, then drag to the red text ('Remove'?) in the top right. You can also uninstall from the Settings section.

 

Sanuk!

 

 

On the Uninstalled apps. Maybe we are speaking at crossed purposes here. Think you are referring to the Icons on the All Apps screens and uninstalling the apps from the settings screen. My, perhaps less clear question concerns the My Apps screen of the market application. This lists installed and uninstalled applications. There seems no way to remove a title from the list of already uninstalled apps.

 

Cheers

[radioman]

What was the main reason for not getting an iPad? Price?

 

 

No, price is pretty much the same, less than 10% difference.

 

 

Negatives: iTunes firstly, lack of drag n drop with the desktop and notebook. Having different configurations on 4 different devices with no requirement to have them synced all the same. Lack of iOS customisability (is that a word?)

 

On the plus side I like the iPad snappy feel and I think I prefer the slightly squarer form factor.

[think_too_mut]

t_t_m

Interesting about the 3.2 upgrade. This one came with 3.1 Did you have to root it (non Aussie version) to do the upgrade? Like you found I think I am going to se this used as a portable tv soap box before very long. Daughter already has the you tube bit sorted but she is pretty web competent and has her own Android phone so it's simple enough for her.

 

Mine came with 3.16 and Acer site for Japan does not offer 3.2. I think Singapore site does. It had to be downloaded from an external site (a colleague did it before on micro SSD, used it for my tablet.

The upgrade is at own risk, unsupported by Acer and it was done as root.

 

 

Erm, oh yeah, you sure about what your wife is doing with it in the bathroom

 

I can hear Thai speak from the soapies, must be some serial, annoying musical themes that I have heard before...morlam tubes are too short (for 30 mins Japanese style bath) and she knows if the tablet is dropped into the water or manipulated with wet hands, it's end of it.