Galaxy Tab 7" 3G vs HTC Evo View 7" 4G
OK Folks, I am new to the site, new to Android, am in a bit of a pickle, and cant seem to come to a conclusion to what I should do.
Background:
I have been an iPhone / iPad user in the past. I have an iPad2 (wifi) and an iPhone 4 (on Verizon w/ mobile hotspot). I am somewhat knowledgeable when it comes to technology, but the Android / tablet world is a little new to me.
I am in need of a 7" tablet (as mentioned, I have an iPad, looking for more portable but still usable. No 8.8" or 10", I want the 7" form factor). Additionally, twice a year (at least) I will be connecting to my Slingbox (while attending races at Daytona), so I will need some sort of fast wireless connection (preferably built in) during those times. I dont want to take the iPad and use Hotspot, as a) its too big for what i need, and b) its expensive and is asking to get stolen and c) thats 2 items I have to keep powered for a 24 hour race (ipad and hotspot).
The Pickle
I purchased an Verizon 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab 3G (Verizon) on a Woot! deal last week. Even though it is older, I believe it serves all of my needs (Built-in connectivity, GPS, 7" form factor) But I have concerns about the 3G speed (for viewing slingbox) with all of the crowds at the races. Also, while I am pretty sure that Gingerbread will suit all of my needs on this tablet, Should I be concerned that it will be outdated soon? I can activate this not-on-contract for $30 including wifi-hotspot. This would allow me to drop the hotspot on my phone and basically give me a 3G tablet for $10 a month.
It was that concern that led me to do what I did today. 1-sale-a-day was offering the HTC Evo View 4G (Sprint) for $229 with no contract. So i decided, "Hey, 4G speeds will fix all concerns about speed for Slingbox.. And its a newer tablet, so its possibly going to get Honeycomb!" Awesome!
Except after i bought it, I found out one not-so-awesome thing: Sprint REQUIRES that you have a 2-year contract if you have 4G; no month-to-month, EVEN if you bought the item outright. :'( (They also have no free hotspot which confuses me ) It is MINIMUM $34.95 for 4G, plus $29.95 if i wanted to add hot-spot... (which isnt gonna happen). Seeing how we dont have 4G where we live and basically are gonna need the 4G coverage 2 times a year, a contract without hotspot doesnt look so appealing...
The Decision that needs to be made
I cant keep both, so I will be selling one. Should I
A) Keep the older, not as fast Galaxy Tab, activate it month-to-month on Verizon, hope that 3G works well during the races for watching Slingbox, use it as my hotspot (drop the iphone hotspot) and live happily ever after. Adds $10 a month to my bill.
or
B) Keep the HTC, use my (iPhone) Verizon 3G hotspot and hope it works well for the races. Just ignore the fact that its 4G.
(Will the GPS navigation even work like this??) Adds nothing to my bill, but is less convenient.
or
C) Keep the HTC, activate it on Sprint. Pay the $34.95 and be stuck in a 2 year contract. (I need hotspot so id keep that on phone. This would add $34.95 to my monthly bill).
After all this, I guess my question comes down to this: Is the performance of the HTC Evo View THAT much better than the Galaxy Tab that I should keep it, even though it doesnt meet my connection needs?
Thanks in advance for your help/opinions!
OK Folks, I am new to the site, new to Android, am in a bit of a pickle, and cant seem to come to a conclusion to what I should do.
Background:
I have been an iPhone / iPad user in the past. I have an iPad2 (wifi) and an iPhone 4 (on Verizon w/ mobile hotspot). I am somewhat knowledgeable when it comes to technology, but the Android / tablet world is a little new to me.
I am in need of a 7" tablet (as mentioned, I have an iPad, looking for more portable but still usable. No 8.8" or 10", I want the 7" form factor). Additionally, twice a year (at least) I will be connecting to my Slingbox (while attending races at Daytona), so I will need some sort of fast wireless connection (preferably built in) during those times. I dont want to take the iPad and use Hotspot, as a) its too big for what i need, and b) its expensive and is asking to get stolen and c) thats 2 items I have to keep powered for a 24 hour race (ipad and hotspot).
The Pickle
I purchased an Verizon 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab 3G (Verizon) on a Woot! deal last week. Even though it is older, I believe it serves all of my needs (Built-in connectivity, GPS, 7" form factor) But I have concerns about the 3G speed (for viewing slingbox) with all of the crowds at the races. Also, while I am pretty sure that Gingerbread will suit all of my needs on this tablet, Should I be concerned that it will be outdated soon? I can activate this not-on-contract for $30 including wifi-hotspot. This would allow me to drop the hotspot on my phone and basically give me a 3G tablet for $10 a month.
It was that concern that led me to do what I did today. 1-sale-a-day was offering the HTC Evo View 4G (Sprint) for $229 with no contract. So i decided, "Hey, 4G speeds will fix all concerns about speed for Slingbox.. And its a newer tablet, so its possibly going to get Honeycomb!" Awesome!
Except after i bought it, I found out one not-so-awesome thing: Sprint REQUIRES that you have a 2-year contract if you have 4G; no month-to-month, EVEN if you bought the item outright. :'( (They also have no free hotspot which confuses me ) It is MINIMUM $34.95 for 4G, plus $29.95 if i wanted to add hot-spot... (which isnt gonna happen). Seeing how we dont have 4G where we live and basically are gonna need the 4G coverage 2 times a year, a contract without hotspot doesnt look so appealing...
The Decision that needs to be made
I cant keep both, so I will be selling one. Should I
A) Keep the older, not as fast Galaxy Tab, activate it month-to-month on Verizon, hope that 3G works well during the races for watching Slingbox, use it as my hotspot (drop the iphone hotspot) and live happily ever after. Adds $10 a month to my bill.
or
B) Keep the HTC, use my (iPhone) Verizon 3G hotspot and hope it works well for the races. Just ignore the fact that its 4G.
(Will the GPS navigation even work like this??) Adds nothing to my bill, but is less convenient. or
C) Keep the HTC, activate it on Sprint. Pay the $34.95 and be stuck in a 2 year contract. (I need hotspot so id keep that on phone. This would add $34.95 to my monthly bill).
After all this, I guess my question comes down to this: Is the performance of the HTC Evo View THAT much better than the Galaxy Tab that I should keep it, even though it doesnt meet my connection needs?
Thanks in advance for your help/opinions!
Last edited:
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