We’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on one of the new Samsung Galaxy tab devices in the Asavie offices! We’ve been big fans of the iPad for a while now so I’m really interested to see how this smaller Android device compares to the mighty Apple iPad.
Look & Feel
First thing, the Samsung Galaxy tab is smaller than the iPad (7-inch screen compared to the iPad’s 9.7 inches). Some people might not like the loss of screen real-estate but I think it’s worth it to bring the device down to a size that sits comfortably in one hand for reading or browsing.
It’s very slick-looking with a black surround to the touch-screen but the white cover on the back is made of plastic giving it a slightly “cheaper” feel than the metallic iPad.
I was a little disappointed by the weight, it’s still feels a bit too heavy for me to hold upright in one hand for any decent length of time. Though, at just 380 grams it is nearly half the weight of an iPad…so maybe I’m just being very picky!
Check out the iPad and Galaxy tab side-by-side:
Software
The Samsung Galaxy tab runs the Android 2.2 operating system. This is the latest version of Android so it’s bang up to date with all the software features. Although Android is a phone OS which is has not been specifically designed for a tablet it handles the leap to a larger screen well.
Some points of note…anyone who’s been caught out by Apple’s lack of support for Flash websites won’t have any problems here. The Samsung Galaxy tab has full flash support.
It also allows you to run multiple applications concurrently. So if you’re composing an email and need to check something online you can easily switch between the two, unlike the iPad which forces you to close out of one app before you can launch another. To help keep track of what’s running there’s a handy section on the home screen which lists all the applications that are running along with the memory and CPU they’re using up.
The tab is described by Samsung as a “smart media device”. It does actually function as a phone but to be honest you’d look pretty stupid holding it up to your ear so it won’t be replacing anyone’s primary mobile phone any time soon. It also comes with two cameras, a rear-facing 3MP one with LED flash and also a 1.3MP front-facing one to allow for video-conferencing.
Negatives
There is a slight performance difference between the Samsung Galaxy tab and iPad. Scrolling down through websites or menus is just not 100% as smooth as on the iPad. Occasionally there’s a noticeable delay between swiping your finger and the screen responding.
Business Use
As mentioned above, this device isn’t going to replace anyone’s phone anytime soon but I think it does have huge potential in the field-force automation sector. It has the screensize and touchscreen to make it super easy to use, but it’s still small enough to fit into a bag or pocket.
Take a look at Asavie’s AccessMyLan portal on the Samsung Galaxy tab:
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