Comment on Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus 16GB (Dual Core, Universal Remote, WiFi) Reviews by Rob Kaulfuss.
An Ergonomic Delight – Best 7″ Tablet,
UPDATED – 12/31/11
In a never ending quest for the perfect tablet, I have now replaced my 7.0 Plus (now for sale here) with a Galaxy Tab 8.9 Which I got for $399 at BustBuy. The 8.9 is slim and much lighter than the full size tablets but still large enough to be able to type on the virtual keyboard with two hands. In addition, the screen resolution is incredible at 1280 X 800 vs. 1024 X 600 for the better 7″ tablets.
EXPERIENCE WITH TABLETS (pre-8.9)
I use tablets mainly for browsing and reading blogs. (I use a smart phone for GPS and camera and laptop for anything requiring much typing.) This was my third tablet starting with the original iPad which I kept for only a week because it was too heavy to hold up and was killing my neck and shoulders from hunching over if on my lap. (I realize that my ergonomic problems do not apply to everyone.) I then found the 7″ Archos 70 Internet Tablet which was extremely light at about 11 oz, although with limited resolution (800 X 480) and not much horsepower.
SAMSUG 7.0 PLUS VS OTHER NEW 7″ TABLETS
The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus weighs 12.2 oz (much slimmer and lighter than the original Tab). The Kindle Fire is heavier at 14.6 oz and lacks other features such as GPS and camera. The Iconia A100 is also much too heavy (at over a pound) and supposedly has display viewing issues. Although the Kindle Fire price is half ($199 vs $399), the Fire is in its first generation, the specs are not as good, it lacks important features as previously mentioned, and from what I can tell from the reviews, also has a UI overlay that ties you into the Amazon system (which some might like). You get what you pay for, although I have heard that Amazon subsidizes the Fire to the tune of $50 and makes no profit. It is supposed to have a super fast browser due assisted by its Amazon’s cloud services. The premium 7″ tablets are all at about $330-400 and the price is worth it.
CASE AND HANDLING
For a case for the 7.0 Plus, I got the Navitech Black Bycast Leather Flip Open Book Style Carry Case (make sure you get the one for the 7.0 Plus). The case is also very light and I use it in landscape mode with the cover hanging down below to assist in holding the device up (one had on each side) while resting my elbows on the bed or couch while lying down (for long term use). Some have criticized the Galaxy tabs as being plain slabs in terms of aesthetics (I actually like them), but the build quality is excellent and it doesn’t really matter if you have it in a case.
OS AND USER INTERFACE
As for Honeycomb 3.2 and TouchWiz (the latter being unique to Samsung), the jury is still out. The Home, Back, and Settings icons and access have been rearranged and I’m not sure if I prefer the new way. (After a couple of weeks, I like the Honeycomb changes. The new settings access control is much handier. The TouchWiz overlay extras are nifty and don’t get in the way. I have not tried the camera or universal remote yet. Battery life seems good so far.
7.7: THE NEXT BEST THING?
If you want to wait and spend a lot more money (which I did not), the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 is on its way. Although larger, it is actually a little lighter (11.86 oz) and thinner (I think because it lacks the universal remote transmitter, not sure), and has a Super AMOLED higher resolution (1280 X 800) display. My Samsung Infuse 4G has the Super AMOLED display and it is really something and definitely superior to the 7.0 Plus screen, nice as it is. No word yet on pricing or availability, although I think I saw a guess of $599-699. This is going to be their super premium tablet.
ERGONOMICS OF TABLETS
As you can see, I am obsessed with ergonomics as I have had some old injuries to back and shoulder. I am afraid that the larger tablets are going to prove to be ergonomic disasters for long term use for many people (not all) because of the need to either hunch over or reach up with your arms and hands depending on how they must be positioned. And you certainly can’t sit for very long with your feet up on a table as pictured in the iPad ads.
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