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tablet market's heating up: Samsung Tab 10.1 v2

Looks really nice, but it seems everyone's main gripe with Honeycomb is apps.

Quick question, can Android tablets not run the existing apps made for Android phones? I'm guessing no, but I haven't been able to actually use an Android tablet yet to see for myself.
 
They seemed to not have any of the gripes everyone else has had about other Honeycomb tablets - namely, choppy performance, instability, and other "half baked" type comments we've heard before. I wonder if they are actually not present in the Tab 10.1, or if they've just gotten so used to them that they glossed over it?

Either way, very solid looking hardware. I'm still not terribly sold on Honeycomb, but its got potential for the future.
 
Red Storm said:
Looks really nice, but it seems everyone's main gripe with Honeycomb is apps.

Quick question, can Android tablets not run the existing apps made for Android phones? I'm guessing no, but I haven't been able to actually use an Android tablet yet to see for myself.
Click to expand...

Yes the tablets can run normal Android apps perfectly fine. There are probably issues with some (improper scaling) but all apps should work fine. There is just a lack of "Tablet specific" apps at the moment.
 
Red Storm said:
Quick question, can Android tablets not run the existing apps made for Android phones?
Click to expand...
Of course they can, and Android handles scaling rather better than iOS.

Problem is, fullscreen on a 4" phone is rather different from fullscreen on a 10" tablet.
 
Red Storm said:
I see. So is something like Rockplayer virtually useless on an Android tablet since it stretches the app?
Click to expand...

It really depends on how the developer designed the app. Some apps can scale to higher resolutions without issue. Some can't.
 
Red Storm said:
I see. So is something like Rockplayer virtually useless on an Android tablet since it stretches the app?
Click to expand...
Rockplayer is redundant on a Samsung Android device -- the native video app plays every format/codec out of the box.
 
Deeko said:
Yea, its like running iPhone apps on the iPad. They work - they just aren't ideal.
Click to expand...

when they do scale properly, they look much nicer than scaled iphone apps on the ipad. (imho)

ipad gives you 2 options - tiny app in the middle of the screen, or double the pixels to fill the screen but everything is blurry

android will scale the app up to full screen. in well-coded apps this can look fine, but in apps with poor layout, it can look like crap as well.
 
Naustica said:
I think engadget is getting bribed/paid off by Samsung. Im pretty sure.
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I'm not trying to start anything but it`s fairly well known that Engadget slightly is Apple biased but that never stops me from visiting their site.


I think Samsung might be one of the few that can actually make a tablet @ $500 and still make money since they make most of the parts themselves which is why the Xoom is so expensive, they can't get the parts deals like Apple can.
 
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Engadget is biased towards all the manufacturers. When's the last time they've had anything but praise for some new gadget, even if it's not up to snuff? They're too afraid to step on anyone's toes because they might offend a manufacturer or annoy some of their readership. Their reviews are just fluff pieces that shy away from solid criticism.

Not to say that the new Galaxy Tab is a POS; it's probably quite good. I think the problem that it's going to run into is that it might not be $100 better than the Transformer. Hopefully Anand will review both devices and provide good comparisons between the cameras, screens, etc.
 
MagickMan said:
Yeah, but Android tabs need every advantage they can try to scrape up, since they're already so far behind the curve.
Click to expand...

Not that I disagree, but I have a feeling we're going to be in for a repeat of the smartphone market -- initial Apple dominance followed by an Android wave. Granted, Google needs to get its ass in gear and get Android up to snuff.
 
Engadget had a huge iPad 2 banner on top of its site for months after iPad 2 launch.
Anyways, Android 3 is in many ways ahead of Apple iOS. It's designed from ground up for tablets, has widgets, Flash, etc. It's not as refined, and HC specific apps may be lacking initially, though most Android apps scale well to display. Many people don't really use the apps, but mainly web browser, gmail, calendar, and other stuff that Google does great.
 
Mopetar said:
Engadget is biased towards all the manufacturers. When's the last time they've had anything but praise for some new gadget, even if it's not up to snuff?
Click to expand...
Playbook

Tab vs Transformer probably comes down to use: sitting on couch favors the lighter Tab, while the Transformer dock offers a whole mode of use no other tablet has.
 
Ns1 said:
xoom1? playbook? tabv1?
Click to expand...

s44 said:
Playbook

Tab vs Transformer probably comes down to use: sitting on couch favors the lighter Tab, while the Transformer dock offers a whole mode of use no other tablet has.
Click to expand...

They were pretty soft in their reviews. If I had to review the Playbook I would have torn it the new asshole it deserved, and as I haven't yet had a chance to play with a Honeycomb device (Though a friend has a Transformer arriving soon so I that may be remedied) so I can't say how good or bad it is, although I've heard reviews swing both directions.

If Engadget ever finds some fault in a device, they make sure to spend at least twice as many paragraphs heaping praise on some other aspects, which may not even be terribly praiseworthy. Every single one of their reviews comes of as apologetic and doesn't bother to provide me with enough useful information to make an informed purchasing decision.

Engadget review philosophy: "Every device is a winner, and even if it isn't that good now, fairies will sprinkle magic dust on it so that everything will work out in the future. If it's a giant stillborn turd, let's focus on the positive aspects, like the brilliant yellow color on that flake of corn embedded in said turd." They're a decent site for tech news, but their reviews are largely worthless.
 
Mopetar said:
They were pretty soft in their reviews. If I had to review the Playbook I would have torn it the new asshole it deserved, and as I haven't yet had a chance to play with a Honeycomb device (Though a friend has a Transformer arriving soon so I that may be remedied) so I can't say how good or bad it is, although I've heard reviews swing both directions.
Click to expand...

Frankly - the PlayBook ISN'T that bad, even if you want it to be. The reviews weren't excessively negative because there wasn't a reason to be. How many times can they repeat "there's no email app and the market doesn't have a lot yet" before it reaches your bar of "tearing it the new asshole"? For the most part, its a solid device...and even still, their summary wasn't exactly a glowing endorsement:

Right now, the BlackBerry PlayBook is a tablet that will come close to satisfying those users who gravitate toward the first word in its name: BlackBerry. Those who were more excited about the "play" part would be well advised to look elsewhere, at least until Android compatibility joins the party. Then, well, anything could happen.
Click to expand...

Engadget review philosophy: "Every device is a winner, and even if it isn't that good now, fairies will sprinkle magic dust on it so that everything will work out in the future. If it's a giant stillborn turd, let's focus on the positive aspects, like the brilliant yellow color on that flake of corn embedded in said turd." They're a decent site for tech news, but their reviews are largely worthless.
Click to expand...

*sigh* like it or not, there IS a market for most devices. While it might not fit what you are looking for, chances are, it fits what someone wants. So while you might look at something, scoff, and say it deserves a 2/10...there's probably plenty of people out there that will still buy it, and maybe even like it.

The tech crowd is very cliquey and wants to jump on a bandwagon, shrieking "THIS PRODUCT IS GREAT AND EVERYTHING ELSE SUCKS SO HARD LOLZ @ U FOR NOT AGREEING". Like it or not - that's not the case.
 
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