Wi-Fi Only Galaxy Tab and the iPad

[DroidDev]

With the news from good ole' Android Central that Samsung will be releasing a Galaxy Tab that is Wi-Fi only at an initial price of $499 (unofficial?) I go excited. After thinking about it the 9.7 inch screen and an amazingly well made Wi-Fi only iPad is the same price.

Disclaimer: I AM NOT an apple fanboy. I do not own anything made by apple.

I want a tablet and will be buying one in the coming months. I am trying however to decide between the Apple Wi-Fi only iPad or the Wi-Fi only Galaxy Tab. The Only advantages I see the Galaxy Tab has over the iPad at the moment is the fact that is has removable storage and it runs android. They are the same price (unofficially). I dont know yet if the Galaxy Tab has a removable battery. Will have to look at one.

Anyone out there have both? Would you mind breaking it down for me why you like which one?


Edit: This makes me Happy. <3 ASUS

 

[tucsonstan]

I too will be buying one or the other in the near future. Right now I'm leaning toward the Tab because of the removable storage and the size. Now if Apple came out with a 7in iPod, it might be a whole new ballgame. It's going to be a tough call, will have to play with both of them and then take the plunge.

 

[DroidDev]

So you think the 9.7 inch screen might be a bit too large? I was thinking that. Seems logical to get the Tab with its 7 inch screen. My Droid X has a 4.3 inch. And my ASUS ROG laptop is 15.4 inches. So 7 Inches would be a good inbetween. lol. But that iPad is sexy.

 

[bubbatex]

I will wait until the Tab comes out to see it in person vs. the iPad. To me, the Tab could be the perfect size. BTW - Another advantage of the Tab vs the current iPad is front and back cameras. But I think the next iPad will take care of that.

 

[thekarens]

Personally, I'm waiting to see what's announced at CES. I can't stand Apple, but the iPad as it stands it heads and tails better than the Tab. If I absolutely had to get one right now it would be the iPad.

 

[icebike]

I will wait until the Tab comes out to see it in person vs. the iPad. To me, the Tab could be the perfect size. BTW - Another advantage of the Tab vs the current iPad is front and back cameras. But I think the next iPad will take care of that.

The other and most obvious advantage of the Tab is that its not locked down, and Steve has no say in what you are allowed to run. I guess the Apple fans will dump on me for saying that, but its true.

I'm far more impressed with the Asus choice of sizes than the Sammy choice.

 

[icebike]

Personally, I'm waiting to see what's announced at CES. I can't stand Apple, but the iPad as it stands it heads and tails better than the Tab. If I absolutely had to get one right now it would be the iPad.

Define better.

When you see them side by side, you wont make that assertion.
Listen to podcase 36 Sometime.

 

[vladk.ru]

I wouldn't buy an iPad right now. The 2nd gen should be right around the corner.

 

[zmetl]

Actual Use Results - Very Positive

I've been using the Galaxy Tab for about 3 days now and I'm impressed. To clarify my IPad experience, I only had a chance to work with one for about 3 whole minutes. As far as the Tab is concerned, it's a solid piece of equipment. Mine is actually a German version (I'm in the US) so I was able to use a h2o SIM card and now it's also usable as a phone, although I usually use my Evo 4G as my Hot Spot. I'm still exploring all of the details of the Tab, but I'm very happy with this model. Let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer them.

 

[VespaMatt]

I just sold my iPad 64GB WiFi + 3G in anticipation of the Tab. This will be my first Android product and I'm actually looking forward to it. I owned the iPad since the first day they were available.

To put this in perspective, my only experience really with Android is my father's Motorola Cliq which I loathe. Its a cramped screen for all those widgets and a lot of stuff just doesn't seem intuitive... I like my iPhone 4 for how simple and easy to operate it is.

However, that is NOT what I want in a tablet form factor. I don't want simple, I want to be able to do multiple things and have information at a glance - and from all the reviews I've read and videos I've watched about the Tab, it looks like it handles this very well.

I just purchased a 13in Air and that more than anything made the iPad redundant. I love Apple stuff but seriously, the iPad makes even some of the simplest things ridiculous. Trying to load movies on it? Have to convert it to a compatible format... (although a VLC app just came out). Want to upload your photos to flickr? You have to get an app for that. And its RAM is so limited that browsing multiple web sites at once with tabs is made pretty impossible without the pages constantly reloading, not to mention the browser crashes a lot when it gets overwhelmed. I ended up having to jailbreak my iPad to do a lot of stuff that I really think it should have been capable of, and I think that lead to it being even more unstable.

I think the Tab fits my usage WAY better than the iPad. I'm a huge fan of the tablet form factor and touch interface, it really is like something out of science fiction. Despite what Steve Jobs has to say about a 7in tablet, the tab can easily be held in your hand and is perfectly sized as an eReader. The iPad, as light as it is, is still heavy to hold up for any period of time and can't be easily held with a single hand. I'm glad I bought all my books in the Kindle store. Oh, and the Tab has a higher DPI so text will be more crisp on its display versus the iPad.

Beyond that, I'll use the tab for light web browsing mostly around the house, in bed, etc... when you're laying in bed, holding up the device, the weight is most noticeable. I would often choose to browse stuff on my phone rather than the iPad just because it was such a pain in the *** to hold up or prop up while you're on your back.

I really think the iPad blows a netbook out of the water, and that is its real competition. If you're looking for something to sit in your lap while on the couch and browse the internet, its great for that. If you're looking for a compact companion to a laptop you already own, and actually plan to bring it out of the house, the size and capabilities of the Tab are superior. The way I see it, its not an all out laptop replacement, but a really kick *** side kick to one.