Galaxy tabs

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is out, and the reviews are in. (We're still waiting on our own review unit.) Overall, the reactions are positive, although the good reviews are not without their caveats. Despite Steve Jobs's somewhat confusing declaration that 7-inch touchscreens are too small, most reviewers found that size wasn't an issue. Neither was the underlying Android OS, which Google insists isn't ready for tablet devices. But there is more to the Galaxy Tab than just screen size and OS preference. After the break, see what some trusted reviewers thought of the first potentially serious competitor to the iPad.

A "Train Wreck"

Not all reviewers loved the Tab. Gizmodo's Matt Buchanan loathed the device, saying, "It's like a tablet drunkenly hooked up with a phone, and then took the fetus swimming in a Superfund cleanup site." A little over the top, perhaps, but he described the browser experience as "miserable," bemoaned the lack of apps that take advantage (or even scale up to) the tablet's screen size, and called the $599 off-contract price tag "embarrassing." On the plus side, the battery life was "phenomenal," allowing Buchanan to spend as much time as possible hating the device.

Good, But Not an iPad Alternative

CrunchGear's John Biggs was much nicer to the Galaxy Tab calling it, "rugged, well designed and speedy," although he qualified his praise by saying that it's a "good product" but not comparable to the iPad. (We respectfully disagree.) The Galaxy tab is geared for a different consumer and built on a different architecture, says Biggs. It's a best-of-breed tablet for Android lovers, but, if you're an iPad fan, you're probably better off sticking with that.

Look Out, iPad

The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg isn't hedging his bets here. He calls the Galaxy Tab the first "real rival" to the iPad. Ultimately, he found the Tab different enough to distinguish itself from the Apple device, but good enough to give consumers a "real choice" and reason to pause before plunking down their hard-earned cash. Though generally positive, Mossberg had some issues with the cameras, which produced generally underwhelming images, and the Qik-based video calling software, which proved to be unstable (though it's still in testing). Like many, Uncle Walt also questioned the pricing of the device, especially the data plans provided by the four different U.S. carriers.

Great But Costly

The New York Times' David Pogue positively gushed about the Galaxy Tab. He says "the payoff is huge" in deciding to go with a 7-inch screen. The display is not just gorgeous, but the device is truly portable and easier to hold for prolonged periods of time when reading or watching videos. Pogue did have problems with tweaks to the browser made by Samsung, and was frustrated by the inability to charge the Galaxy Tab using his PC's USB port. His biggest gripe was price, which he pointed out was equivalent to four Kindles. But, ultimately he found the Tab to be "highly refined."

Better Reader than the iPad

At Engadget, our good friend Joanna Stern was generally impressed with Samsung's tablet offering. In particular, she found that the display's smaller size and higher pixel density led to a better "e-book and webpage reading experience than the iPad." She was also generally impressed with the calendar, e-mail and messaging apps specifically built by Samsung to take advantage of the larger, higher-res screen. The Galaxy Tab impressed her with its speed during normal use, and Stern called it "the best Android tablet on the market" (which, she was quick to point out, doesn't mean much). Nevertheless, "it's the first true competitor to the iPad."