24 replies to this topic

[RV]

Ok I took the plunge and got a like new Galaxy Tab 10.1 and am looking for other owners of the same one for some tips and tricks. I already started using the email, took one HD Movie and some pics, did some web browsing and am just loving it so far. I swapped my old perfect shape laptop for it and since I had just gotten a new laptop (another Toshiba but brand new) it was a perfect deal for me. I am looking to talk to folks who bought accessories and which ones to avoid, as well as any must gets ones. I have the Belkin protective cover that is nice and stands up that came with it as part of the deal, as well as a nice headset. Also I am seeing that there are many posts on updates that caused trouble and updates that fixed them, as well as online comments about using other versions of android especially the newest Ice Cream sandwich with free downloads after rooting it with instructions for doing that from several sites. I can't believe the sound from those tiny tiny stereo speakers. No loud volumes and for serious music listening I use my bigger systems. But for solo or watching a movie on the go, awesome!

Mine is the 16 GB GT-P7510 GH69-13691A Rev. 1.2. I am pretty new to this so any experts on the system here I would appreciate some feedback on taking it further. This thing continues to amaze! It rocks! It will not replace my computers but sure is nice for a portable and for sitting nearby to look up names and other items that are on the tip of my tongue but just won't come to me right away. I will also try an ebook with it just for grins. I know it won't be like the e-ink readers in sunlight but what the heck. Heckuva toy!

Like when I get a new computer since I really have no data in it, I also want to start from scratch as the previous owner may have bunged up some updates, not done updates, or named it. I haven't gotten that far into it yet as I have had it one day. I did find an online owner manual for it I downloaded. This one will take time to get to messing with it as a tech.

Edited by RV, 14 February 2012 - 01:27 PM.

[BrianT]

"Live long and prosper."

Star Trek has arrived.

Enjoy the new toy.



Brian

[Newt]

Dog gone RV, you beat me to it.

So far, I've managed to restrain myself.

Newt

[Bill Joyce]

We enjoy having a tablet but I can't help you with specifics since my wife's is an Acer Iconia A500, which is similar but not the same. It is all configured for her since she takes it on trips, but I mess with it a lot. You might find an external keyboard useful, we do. Many prefer the Dolphin HD web browser to the stock one, it is easy to give it a try. Download Google Sky Map, it is fun and great to show other people. We use ours for Kindle books, which works fairly well inside though it is a bit heavy to hold for long.

Enjoy it. I know multiple people with Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1s and they are happy with them.

[Jack Mayer]

Derek, I'll be interested in your experience. I was just in Verizon 2 days ago looking at them. The one I saw I believe had ICS on it....it also had LTE. But I refuse to purchase until Verizon has a shared data plan. (e.g. what I call a Family Plan, for data). Once they have that I'll likely buy the Galaxy. Not sure if I really need the LTE or if wifi will do. But I do use my phone a LOT on data where there is no wifi....just wondering if I will actually carry the tablet that much, or use it at home....I know....no one can answer that but me.

[irish]

But I refuse to purchase until Verizon has a shared data plan. (e.g. what I call a Family Plan, for data). Once they have that I'll likely buy the Galaxy.

I ditto that

[Bill Joyce]

Every once in a while we wish we had a data plan for the tablet, but not enough to commit to $30 a month. Since Diane uses it on trips she finds wifi at airports and motels, so she is fine. Maybe if I had a tablet I would take it with me and miss a data plan more. I just talked to a guy with a 3G iPad who uses it as a GPS both in his RV and airplane. I saw a guy walking around Skyping with his notebook to show the RV Resort off and said I would use my tablet. He gave me a surprised look and said he was going to check if he could Skype with his iPad since it would be much easier to carry around.
The Galaxy Tabs from Verizon show they are running 3.1, Honeycomb, not ICS but I think they update to 3.2 about immediately and I also think Samsung says it will eventually get ICS. At least 3.1 is true for their pre-owned sale, where a 16BG model is $279.99. Our Acer came with 3.1, immediately updated to 3.2 and Acer has said it will get ICS in April.
Tablets are not for everyone but they are handy. I am glad we have one and look forward to the $250 7" Asus releasing and similar models coming from others. At that price I would buy one for me.

[RV]

Jack,
I don't have enough experience to even begin to say how I am going to use this in the long run. I can tell you what I hoped it would do, and what it did for those hopes for me. Remember mine is WiFi only as I don't do cell phones. I have borrowed my SH's cell once in the last week to go and meet the Craigslist folks for the laptop and the Tablet, just for security beyond what I have in the car/truck. Before that I borrowed it once several years ago. So phone was not in my plan at all. (Nor really was a tablet until this past Sunday) I am always forgetting names when we are watching a movie like Morgan Freeman, Tom Selleck etc. So I would go to the office and check on my always on desktop. A PITA really.

So with four computers Two Win 7 desktops one 64 bit premium, the other 32 bit Pro, a Win 7 premium 64 bit new laptop with soon to have 8 GB of RAM, my old trusty Netbook, and now a tablet? I found an ad that had my laptop new and unused for cheap, and my old laptop was excess that needed to be gone fast. I knew my old Vista Toshiba 15.6 screen 3 GB laptop was not going to bring much on craigslist even though it spent most of its life sitting up in a case and taken out only for updates monthly. A teen with parental permission ( I went over to their house and talked with his parent first) had it advertised as 400 or trade for a laptop to play games with. He tried my laptop and was tickled. We traded even, he was worried I would ask for money so apparently he talked to some rip offs with bad equipment to offload. He was the original owner and had the box and cables, little instruction paper, and a headphone with cushions, and a Belkin cover/stand that I saw at WalMart last night for $39.95! I am glad it came with the tablet as I would have not bought it for that price for months until I realized how badly I needed it.

So I wasn't actively searching for a tablet Newt! This one literally dropped in my lap . . . top.

As silly as it sounds I wanted something I didn't have to wait to boot, and would sit near me wherever I was when out of the home office. I also didn't want to constantly have to plug it in every few hours because of battery. I actually fixed that one with a 9 cell battery for the netbook. So I got it home, figured out how to turn it on, and learned a few basics trial and error, went online and learned a few more, and set up my email, and tried out the webcam/camera/camcorder functions and sat down. I retrieved email (I can't send yet and I goof that every time I set up a new computer and then realize which security setting it was. I can receive my mail not removing it from the server so it still comes to my main desktop as I wanted.

I loved it, and started playing with it and missed most of whatever show was on, because it was just there. And if I set it down it slept pretty fast and woke up with a button press instantly back where I was. I played with it for two days after my first charge and charged it last night for the second time.

It fulfills the wireless lookup and play functions way beyond any expectations. It plays music and the tiny speakers let me hear it. No I would not use it as my primary, and I can use headsets with it, but I also have High end audio systems here. I am listening to the Four Seasons now as I type on a three piece Altec Lansing system from ten years ago that blows away all the new stuff, even Bose. It is on my main desktop. However, if I want to watch a movie in a quiet place or listen to some sound clips etc. the extremely tiny speakers are an absolute trip!

I have already realized that I could take it with me and use it like a smart phone and connect most places with free wifi, and that with the case it was pretty secure from all but me leaving it behind or setting it down and forgetting to watch it. This is not going to fit in my pocket. But is pretty lightweight. In fact that was one of the things Apple said was copied in their suit wasn't it?

So can it replace a laptop or desktop for me? No not really. However it is a different animal and I now see why the Metro apps look like they do on Win 8. Since it is an open hardware not locked down like Apple's iPad, I bet that someone will get Win 8 to run on it, if not I now look forward to trying Win 8 metro with a tablet or smart phone. If you use a smart phone you are already there. I have gicewn up on keeping fingerprints off the screen, I just wipe at the end of the day and they don't interfere anyway. You can only see them at an angle, straight on they disappear. I have to explore the connectivity as it has a USB cable and USB charger and I am not sure yet if that also handles data for updates etc. There is something called KIES that you download tpo a computer first and then do changes to the tablet.

OK folks that is all for now. I am sick and have "the crud"/infected sinuses and will be seeing the doc later this afternoon. So I am not really "getting it" with my new toy. In a week or so when I am sleeping at night and coherent I will delve into the OS and the apps much more. Right now it works, I don't.

Edited by RV, 15 February 2012 - 11:17 AM.

[RV]

Bill,

ICS?? Oh I just got that. Ice Cream Sandwich! You're right on 3.2 but I have yet to figure out what I have and what it needs yet. Later when I can get two brain cells to fire at the same time. I have to leave my one remaining cell free for multitasking my autonomic functions like heartbeat etc!
Here's the Galaxy skinny on that and I may have it already: http://www.samsung.c...ab-10-1-updates

Bill mine is WiFi only but ICS is all about merging the code for phones and tablets.

"One of the earliest and most important parts of Ice Cream Sandwich that Google announced was that it would integrate the code and user interface for phone and tablet versions of Android. We know that ICS tablets are due pretty soon, with Asus committing to a quick update for the upcoming Transformer Prime and Samsung already promising upgrades for its myriad tablets. Galaxy Tab 10.1 owners may not have very long at all to wait: Steve "Cyanogen" Kondik has announced that his extremely popular ROM series CyanogenMod will be coming to the Galaxy Tab when it upgrades to ICS in version 9."
http://androidcommun...-10-1-20111121/

The reason I am going to do some heavy research before I try any changes or updates, or a factory destructive restore for ICS remains to be seen. Samsung pulled the original 3.2 update because it broke machines, and I read somewhere else that they have fixed the issues and that 3.2 is OK to update to. We'll see next week when I am off drugs. Samsung pulls 3.2 update: http://www.androidce...1-update-pulled They try again: http://www.slashgear...pdate-22197329/

ICS on it? http://www.droiddog....is-waiting-for/

Ice Cream Sandwich available now?
Excerpt:
"The official update for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi is still not out, but the good news is that your Galaxy Tab 10.1 can now get ICS via a custom ROM based on CyanogenMod 9. The great thing about this custom ROM is that it looks exactly like Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. So, if you are not willing to wait for the official update that might take forever to arrive, then try installing this custom ROM and check it out. Provided below is the updating instructions that you need to follow to successfully update your Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi with Android 4.0. Follow the instructions carefully to avoid any damage to your device."
http://www.androidau...i-how-to-41127/

Bill and Jack like I said, I will wait until I get over this virus and off the drugs. Mine was second hand so no warranty or support like my new laptop. I also have yet to create an account at Samsung to access the history or current state of mine. Right now I am focused on getting more shots/drugs from the Doc and going back to bed. I need to see who the Android Authority is, what the Android Market is and about a million other details that I have to know to be able to tweak it as i want to. Right I am a newby.

Edited by RV, 15 February 2012 - 11:15 AM.

[RJRobb]

We have the Asus Eee Pad Transformer which is similar also. I haven't used it in an office environment (creating documents or spreadsheets) but works well for e-mail and general web browsing. If you play facebook games, it's not going to work well. Either they play to slow or fail to load. Plus you are downloading the game every time you play them, so it gobbles up your data plan. Most games are available standalone but then they don't interface with facebook.
There are many apps available in the android market or elsewhere, but some do not rotate or don't run on honeycomb or ics (like passport america).
As a book reader it works well but a 7-8in model may be better do to size and weight.
For music and video they work well also.
While they won't replace a pc for for everything, they are convenient for many tasks.

[Budd]

Youtube has a lot of videos up comparing the various Tablets dimensions and capabilities. Start here and work through the associated videos down the right side of the pages or search for a particular combination you are interested in seeing.

http://www.youtube.c...db9RVAAAAAAAABw

A good side by side comparison of a Galaxy 10.1, ASUS Transformer, IPAD2, Toshiba Thrive, Xoom can be seen in 2 parts.part 1 is mostly dimensional and basic features comparisons. Part 2 is a very good performance comparison of these 5 tablets.

http://youtu.be/hpsJ7-Oibj4

Enjoy.

[RV]

RJ,
Thanks for the feedback on the Asus Transformer. I don't play computer games at all, and nothing against folks that do, so that isn't what I had hoped for at all. Read my next post for my initial impressions.

Emery,
Thanks so much for that link. It reflected what both of us thought about the Galaxy. Super light, extremely responsive, magnificent picture. Long battery life, although I haven't run it low enough to go into the battery saver mode mentioned on the video. I get three days before charging as we use it only at night and it goes to sleep a lot. For others trying to decide about tablets I will go further in depth in my next report. However I realized how those comparison videos helped me not at all until I got one and had the use and feel of a tablet for several days. Specs take you only so far on a new format or device. I can tell by specs alone on desktops and laptops in most cases, backed up by consumer reviews, but tabs were brand new to me until this one. I was tickled at how I literally dumb-lucked out.

[RV]

I am typing this with the Galaxy tab the keyboard and it is slow but not too bad at all!

One thing that has become very clear to me is that it's not a computer replacement but does alot of what one can do. I am amazed at how intuitive it can be one minute, and then have it stymie me the next on how to do something simple. It has voice input that also looks interesting. I am sitting in my reclined with the Tab in my lap and it is really on my lap and no heat, fans, or any weight that is uncomfortable. Can check my emails, tv listings, and read and respond to forums,watch movies, listen to music, or anything really. The best part is that it is smooth and responsive to touch. Did bot expect it to be this easy.

[Bill Joyce]

I have used the voice to do GPS navigation but it can sometimes come up with the wrong place. We all thought it was funny when I tried to demonstrate to a group by saying "Frank and Al's", a local Italian/Pizza place we were thinking of going to in Port St. Lucie FL, and it tried to navigate me to Senator Al Franken's office many states away. There are definately some oddities like some app screens have menus and some don't and some things need to be done with a long press, like deleting wifi hotspot names.

[FurBall Express]

RV, keep the info comming. We're thinking on a Tablet and trying to decide on an IPad or Samsung Galaxy.

[Jack Mayer]

My current #1 choice for a large tablet is the Asus Transformer Prime. Any comments on that selection?

Unless the new iPad is different than the leaked specs/capabilities I'm not interested in it. Too far behind on feature/function for the price.

I AM interested in critique of the Transformer Prime,though. (Note I said Prime).

[RV]

Greg and Jack,

The link that Emery gave earlier (this one http://www.youtube.c...eature=youtu.be ) part 1 with a link to part two, is the best review of the top five tablets. It is actually the top four Android tablets compared to each other with the iPad in line for a referent. The Galaxy does quite well and the zoom wins for its connectors.

Having said that, what I am trying to get across is that until you have one, and use it with your Internet and/or phone service, those reviews make little sense. If you already have an iPhone or Android phone, then you will likely get more out of them than I did before owning this tablet. Also consider that I was not shopping for one, and dislike the privacy intrusions of Google. I was innocently minding my own business thinking about getting rid of my netbook and Vista laptop when a Xmas present laptop that is perfect and Win 7 comes up at 1/2 off and at the same time i find a Galaxy offered for trade for a laptop, any laptop in excellent condition capable of playing a certain game. I went over and picked up my new laptop after checking it out, and had brought my old one with a promise to call the person with the Galaxy Tab as soon as I was ready to come over, I called, and we swapped.

So I did not shop this, I did not choose this, I stumbled across this! I figured the Galaxy would sell faster than a Vista laptop regardless of how cherry it was or how tweaked if I decided I didn't like it. I consider it a trade for fun, not intent, and now am kind of glad I did. But until I actually owned one, not read about one, not picked up one with no Internet access in a store, not watched a million videos, would I be able to grasp what they are talking about. Perhaps I am a good objective user report because I refuse to have any electronic leash (Read cell Phone) personally. ( My SH has one) So I have no previous tablet experience or android/iOS experience and even had to go online to figure out how to swipe it on with the unlock button. None of them come with a manual, that is downloaded online which I did. I haven't gotten into apps yet beyond what is there. I am focusing on the android version and possibly learning to root it to a custom ROM for Ice Cream Sandwich. I do better once I understand the OS and the hardware, before I start picking software apps. I now know I have 3.2 and screwed up my email when I switched my desktop to Outlook for email, and it turned my accounts to IMAP so none of my pop3 accounts work anymore. I am waiting for the ISP to get back with level 2 and a fix. I can change my local computers, but the server is stuck on something and won't go back to POP3. So I got sidetracked while setting up email on the tablet.

I am still learning the multi desktops, and basic apps. My next learning curve is connecting to the desktop and looking into back ups. It would be nice to be able to system image it somehow. Then I would not worry and can make major tweaks. I doubt that is available for tablets but you never know. But first priority now is the get the email back to POP3 at my ISP right now.

The biggest thing I can say is that nothing brings home the things we see in videos and reviews like owning one. Most ads assume we know what the heck they are doing that is better than the next one.

My Galaxy is far and away much more useful and fun to use than I realized it would be, and even feels good to the touch. There is a debate on whether the day of the desktop (which includes laptops by all manufacturers and OS') is over and tablets/smartphones will take over. For me my desktop and full size keyboard will stay king, but there is room for the others as adjuncts. I am hoping for a Windows 8 tablet with metro. Or to find out this Galaxy can be rooted for it. Then my computer ecosystem remains the same. Remember I have played with Win 8 and hated Metro before i had a touchpad tablet. Now I understand and want to try it out. The Win 8 full Consumer Preview (read beta) debuts a week from next Wednesday, the 29th. It is free to anyone that is willing to download it, and can be used until the retail version is ready. I just image my laptop and Netbook and load it on each and decide which stays with it and then restore the images back as I finish testing it or I leave one with it on to test all the updates and changes of the final RC (Realease Candidate.) The RC is the completed as going to be released, last reality check, before putting the OS out for sale to the end users and vendors.

There are those that say that MS is evil, that Apple is Evil, and now that Google is evil, and even some that now think that Samsung is evil!

Instead of the old days when we waited to see what Apple or Windows would come out with next, now in the smartphone and tablet wars there are three. I am in the Google Android camp and MS camp by ownership at the moment. Whether I go all MS or stay straddling both fences remains to be seen as MS comes out with their touch and portable answer.

Edited by RV, 19 February 2012 - 12:06 PM.

[Bill Joyce]

The current Prime has GPS issues since there is too much metal where the GPS reciever is, http://techcrunch.co...rmer-prime-gps/ . An updated model is coming soon with higher density screen and the GPS issue is expected to be fixed in that one. We like having a working GPS in our tablet, it helps with mapping and anything else that uses location services. Without the GPS Google likes to place us the last place they detected our Wifi hotspot with one of their Street View vehicles and that might be thousands of miles away.

[RV]

An interesting sidenote:

" According to analysts at Canalys, two major computing milestones were achieved at the end of this year: smartphone shipments outpaced PCs for the first time ever, and Apple became the world's largest PC maker, if you count iPads as PCs (as well you should)."

Now that I have a tablet, yes indeed they do more than my 1986 Mac, or Commodore, or first IBM XT ever did. That does make Apple the top PC vendor in the world.

(edited because I had 1086 instead of 1986 for the year I used a Mac.)

Edited by RV, 19 February 2012 - 07:44 PM.

[Budd]

My current #1 choice for a large tablet is the Asus Transformer Prime. Any comments on that selection?

Unless the new iPad is different than the leaked specs/capabilities I'm not interested in it. Too far behind on feature/function for the price.

I AM interested in critique of the Transformer Prime,though. (Note I said Prime).

If you have not seen these video reviews of the Prime, some are really helpful. http://www.youtube.c...1.1.5.1.6-1l9l0

I am also focusing on the Prime... but for the money. The big addition of the SD card slot and the mini HDMI port are great improvements over the TF101. The form factor is greatly improved as well. If I had the money, it would be in my hands at the moment. My second choice is the Galaxy 10.1, though. As a gift, I would not refuse either.

There used to be a lot of competition between PC, and Macs. But now, Apple, Microsoft and Android are moving along different universe branes so I don't bother much with competitive rhetoric anymore. I just try as much as I can and use what I like the most.