http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-review/

Not bad. I am still going to wait and see what is around towards end of year though.

 

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I've been back and forth between this and the Transformer.

I own a Transformer right now. It's my second Transformer. The first had a screen defect and eventually had to return for a refund because the retailer was constantly out of stock. A couple weeks later I saw one in stock and decided to give the Transformer another try. And there is a lot I do like about the Transformer. Unfortunately this second unit also has a screen defect. And again the retailer has no inventory to exchange with.

For a while I planned to keep the Transformer once I got one without any defects. Because I really do like having the micro SD slot. And I think the netbook style dock and spare battery is pretty handy as well. But an issue with the Transformer that is starting to bother me more over time is it's speakers. They are weak and the right side is louder than the left. The off balance audio issue is so common that I don't believe exchanging will help, though ASUS says you can RMA the tablet and they'll fix it.

Been watching Galaxy Tab 10.1 reviews. And apparently the speakers are pretty nice and loud. Also seems to have a bit more bass where the Transformer sounds really flat.

The PLS display has really nice colors. I thought the IPS display on the Transformer was nice, and it is, but a video review showing the two together you could see a difference in the color quality, the colors really pop more on the Samsung.


I'm starting to think the Galaxy Tab 10.1 might be worth the extra $200 I'll need to spend on the 32GB model due to it's lack of micro SD.


Another thing I'm a little bothered by is the thundering lack of accessories for the Transformer. There is the epic netbook dock from ASUS. But almost no third party accessories. The tablet has been out almost a month and a half, it's still a bit early, but I expected some. I think this will be different with Samsung, I think the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be more mainstream successful, so will probably have a lot more accessories from third parties, lots of cases and such. And the dock connector in the 10.1 is the same as on the 7 inch tablet, so apparently Galaxy Tab 7 accessories should work with the 10.1 dock connector.

I returned my Transformer a week ago because of the screen defects and poor speaker quality.

Today I just got back with my new Galaxy Tab 10.1. I haven't even played with it yet. I'm still just admiring the shiny right now.

I feel there should be a Gollum quote in there. Post some thoughts about it after you done admiring it .


I waiting to see how visio's tablet works out. With an IR Blaster it might just be the ultimate home theater accessory . But besides that, the GT10.1 has my full attention.

 

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Looks like the Vizio 8 inch tablet is 6 weeks out according to a leak from Walmart.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/17/vizio-tablet-fits-walmart-into-its-hectic-schedule-shipping-in/

Regarding my precious...


Very briefly. I am loving the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

First let me get this out of my system one last time. Was really sad Samsung didn't include the micro SD slot. Many tears have been shed. So this did prompt me to buy the 32GB model. I'm sure that'll be plenty of space, but ended up spending a tad more than I wanted.

Despite that, I'm really happy I returned my $400 Transformer and bought this $600 Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a true tablet in it's feel. It's surrounded by a rounded bezel and very thin, so is just an absolute pleasure to hold, something I couldn't say about the Transformer.

There is a white and dark gray model. I got the dark gray one. The dark gray has a lighter gray trim and the plastic back feels nice and has a brushed aluminum looking texture. The white model has silver trim and the back is smooth and glossy. I picked the dark gray with the texture because I think it will hide any scuffs and marks that might occur easier than the glossy white.

The screen is great. It's very smooth to the touch, much more than the Transformer. I think Samsung must of put some coating on it, because it has an iPad feel. Google IO limited edition owners said they didn't have any coating, so this seems to be just on the production models. Finger prints wipe off very easily, it took some deep rubbing to get some finger prints off the Transformer.

Samsung uses a Super PLS display and it looks great. It's based on IPS, so has very good viewing angles like the Transformer. But the colors are more vivid. It might be up to the individual if it's too vivid or not, but I how it looks. And the contrast looks a bit better too. Love the display.

Auto brightness though is wonky, keeps changing the brightness way too frequently, so I can't use the feature. My Transformer didn't have this issue, though it wasn't much use either since it defaulted to a setting too dark for my taste.

The speakers sound good. Loud enough for a tablet and the balance is good. Transformer just didn't get loud enough and the balance was way to the right, still not sure if that's hardware or software problem on the Transformer. Was really enjoyable watching videos on YouTube and having that nice stereo effect.

A pair of ear buds were include, which has a mic and stop/play button. It's the same ear buds that came with my Galaxy S Vibrant phone, they are okay.

I'm very happy with the tablet. This is what I really wanted all along. The Transformer was cool, but in hindsight, I really didn't want a netbook/tablet hybrid that failed to excellent at either task. If I'm in a situation where I really need a keyboard or output video to a TV/monitor, I think I'm much better off taking out my laptop for that task. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a pure tablet and it does it very well.

In 3 days Ravyn will post his "I returned my Tab" Post haha*runs from Ravy*

 

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I wish I could just test drive one for a few days to see if it's a good fit. I've been waiting to replace my first gen iPad.

 

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One day down, 14 more to go during my return period. We'll have a little party for me on the 15th day if I still have this.

Some criticisms so far.

The volume buttons are upside down. Kinda weird, design decision.

Second is the stock browser.
The 3.1 update created a lot of keyboard lag with the stock browser, but I don't think it's just the keyboard, the browser just doesn't feel as smooth as it did with 3.0.1. I saw this first on the Transformer and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 seems to suffer from the same problem. This is Google's screw up, so I won't blame Samsung.

There are some options missing from the stock browser that the Transformer had. The User Agent string is missing (have to enable debug mode to get to it). And the new page recent visits page (forget the exact name of it) is missing (along with the entire Labs section).

Also this is bizarre, but when I visit a bookmark, that bookmark get moved all the way to the bottom. So basically I'm finding the bookmarks I used the most are being moved to the bottom of my bookmarks list, forcing me to always scroll down to visit them. This is very backwards (must from the same guy that installed the volume button).

They are all minor issues (uh-oh, that's how it started with the Transformer) though.

Nah, I'm still really happy with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 so far. I'm pretty sure I'm finally keeping this one. The only reason I might return it is if I just get tired of how buggy Honeycomb is. The 3.1 update sure has been a huge fat disappointment from Google. But I think I'll stay on the wagon and hope more updates come soon and that this tablet eventually gets Ice Cream Sandwich.

That bookmark behavior sounds ultra annoying. Why would they do that?

 

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My problem is that I can not buy it in Canada. I wish I could send it to a friend in the US and have them ship it but whatever.

 

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