Words

Woah, wait no score at the end of the review?

Human error, not intentional decision ) It’s there now.

They either forgot or cancelled it. Either way it looks like a 6.

*delete.. David was faster by a second.

In 2012, this is unacceptable in a flagship product.

It’s not their flagship.

No? Then which tablet is Samsung’s flagship?

Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Galaxy Note 10.1

So… a Honeycomb tablet and a tablet that isn’t even out yet are their current flagships? Really?

This is Samsung, why are you surprised?

They were just delayed for a quadcore upgrade

As for this tablet, it’s really disappointing. They could have at least used the same PLS screen from the original Tab 10.1

As for the Note 10.1 preview, http//www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_galaxy_note_101-review-744.php

So, in other words, the tablet that this article reviewed is Samsung’s top tablet right now.

Isn’t it? They have so many different tablets now that I honestly don’t know what their flagship is (if not this)..

not even close to a flagship… its $399.

And David still thinks that’s too high for what you’re getting. I would have thought Samsung would have been able to meet a $399 price tag without making as many sacrifices — isn’t the new Transformer the same price?

The TF300 is retailing for $399 too. This product is completely outdone even in the Android tablet market. It’s really sad.

Samsung sucks at everything, when are people going to free themselves from Samsung’s reality distortion field now?

First we gotta escape the Apple distortion field, that has a stronger attraction

Due to the industry leading tablet they’re offering?

It appears the gravity really is stronger…

Yeah, it has nothing to do with Apple making a better tablet than Samsung.

Nope, a 32GB TF300 is $399, the competing 16Gb is actually $30 cheaper than this piece of crap.

What is their flagship tablet then?

They have yet to announce it

Then for the time being, this is their flagship tablet.

That’s like saying, the iPhone 4S isn’t Apples flagship phone, the iPhone 6th gen is.

If you read the beginning of the review, the clearly states Samsung is aiming for a mid-range here. It costs the same as the iPad 2- so it’s clearly competing with that, not the newest generation.

Cannot you read?

Who cares about the price and what Samsung is aiming. If this is the latest and best Samsung tablet, then this is Samsung’s flagship tablet at this moment.

it is not the best at the moment. the 7.7 is so if you are really looking for for Samsung’s flagships, it is the 7.7 in tablet.

Samsung releases products for all price ranges and levels unlike a single ipad a year

Umm…clearly Samsung’s flagship is whatever tablet they sell (currently) at the highest price.

When did people forget about that?

I disagree. Because of the different screen sizes, price is not directly related to class. A 7 inch tablet with top-of-the-line specs and features can conceivably still cost less than a 10 inch tablet with less-awesome specs and features that belongs to a lower-class line.

Fine, the 7.7 is the flagship, that is totally fine.

Aslong as nobody is thinking an unreleased unannounced tablet is somehow their flagship.

Not everyone strives to make a better product on each release.

Well that’s just sad then.

I think what he meant was “not everyone strives to make a higher performance product on each release”. Apple’s model is “take last year’s”. Samsung’s model is to make a new model.

This was obviously an effort to reduce price, not increase performance.

Yeah, if Apple had multiple current gen iPhone models. Which they don’t.

Are you saying if Honda released the new civic, it’s the new flagship until new accord gets released?

Samsung has already teased out what their flagship tablet will be if you tea between the lines

1) 11.6″ QWXGA screen resolution (2560×1600) Super AMOLED+ display

2) Exynos 5 Dual CPU (first shipping Cortex A15 SoC).

3) All the other usual tablet stuff

The parts in #1 and #2 are brand new and have started production this quarter. Samsung has already state that they no longer want to announce a product and ship it 6 months later, this no early reveals at CES or MWC. I’d expect somethig in Q3-Q4, with some screens popping up in high-end Android and Windows 8 tablets.

What a wishful thinking! D

1) 11.6″ QWXGA screen resolution (2560×1600) Super AMOLED+ display

I see this but without the +

After the GS3 I get the feeling their abilities with super AMOLED+ are more limited than we thought.

And either way, that product doesn’t exist yet, so this is currently the flagship tablet. That’s like saying the iPhone 6th gen is Apples flagship phone.

you both underestimate how much such AMOLED screen would cost … just look at the price of their new OLED TV and they even had to cut the cost on their flagship phone … even with pentile screen its unthinkable with current state of technology that such a tablet would be affordable |

Are there not AMOLED displays on any tablets/anything larger than a phone?

OLED, not AMOLED. You’re referring to TV’s, right?

AMOLED=OLED, the AM stands for “active matrix”, which all OLED displays used in TVs, phones, and tablets are.

Not quite. AMOLED is a type of OLED. PMOLED is other kind. Semantics for this argument though, ive only seen the passive displays on things like a voltage meter.

Galaxy Tab 7.7, have you not heard of it? 7.7 inches, Super AMOLED Plus at 1280 × 800 (196 ppi). It doesn’t seem that hard to believe they could go a little bigger and better almost a year later. 11.6 inch 2560 × 1600 Super AMOLED (possibly Plus) 260ppi, not too unbelievable for a $500+ flagship tablet.

50% higher PPI isn’t just a little better.

…and 7.7 inches and 1280×800 is already bleeding edge.

Remember the Galaxy Nexus is 316ppi Super AMOLED, so we know they can do it at high pixel density. Also, non-plus (which is what I’m expecting) is totally feasible at 260ppi on a tablet when you compare it to the 196ppi Super AMOLED Plus, since they are near the same effective pixel density (measuring subpixels per inch) due to pentile.

So, you want to count all sub pixels as separate pixels. Am I right?

I literally guffawed when I read that 316 ppi.

Yeah, we were talking about that, I meant aside from that.

Pentile or otherwise…

But Apple only has one line of phone’s so every newest phone is its flagship. On the other hand, Samsung releases devices from the low to the high end. Let’s say it just released another Galaxy Y for $120 off contract this week. It doesn’t mean that S3 isn’t the flagship anymore. Currently the previous Tab 10.1 is the flagship as this generation’s Tab line has been relegated to mid and low tier.

Let’s say it just released another Galaxy Y for $120 off contract this week. It doesn’t mean that S3 isn’t the flagship anymore.

No because the GS3 would remain the higher spec device.

As it stands this is Samsungs highest spec tablet, and so, is their flagship tablet.

If you take the 10″ tablet as it’s own market, sure. I think Samsung views it as an aggregate – meaning the 7.7 would still be the flagship.

Oops, I did not mean to out the +. They have already shown off a PenTile version of the display last year, so it isn’t vapor ware.

“Meant to out the +” did you mean to say “put”?

As in, you expect pentile, not AMOLED+?

I’d expect samsung to do something like that.

It’s not like they really care about user experience, just being different than Apple.

Yea i dont see it being non-pentile /

maybe not even OLED

The flagship will be the Galaxy Note 10.1. It is due out sometime in June. Release was delayed because they are going to use the new quad-core exynos instead of the originally planned dual core.

http//androidcommunity.com/samsung-galaxy-note-10-1-delayed-to-june-getting-upgrade-to-exynos-quad-core-20120406/

Is it a phone or a tablet its galaxy note. 10.1.

INSERT picture of someone talking on a 10in tablet / someone with a 10in tablet in their pants.

“It is not a phone, neither a tablet! IT’S GALAXY NOTE!” ‘D

OH WAIT!! It don’t answers the question…

So it doesn’t exist yet?

Then for the time being, this is their flagship tablet.

That’s like saying, the iPhone 4S isn’t Apples flagship phone, the iPhone 6th gen is.

NO, if you are looking for a flagship that is on sale for Samsung, then it is the 7.7. it is the flagship in both specs and price.

While waiting for the NOTE10.1, the 7.7 is the FLAGSHIP

Fair enough, the 7.7 is the flagship. That makes far more sense than the non-existant tablet being the flagship.

10.1 has been previewed by a few folks and was delayed due to hardware upgrade.

It looks like it’s getting a big upgrade

http//www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-10.1-tablet-to-feature-powerful-ARM-Mali-T-604-graphics-adding-to-a-quad-core-processor_id30172

So it exists then! )

If this isn’t Samsung’s flagship tablet then what is?

7.7

Sad that it runs Honeycomb. Hard to be a flagship with last gen software.

Lol, the note ships with Gingerbread, no?

If this isn’t their flagship tablet, what Samsung tablet that you can buy today is?

I think you’re nitpicking a bit much there. I realize the new iPad is much better in this regard, but 99%+ of people actually can’t tell the difference. That’s why the new iPad is called “the iPad” and not the iPad 3 or something.

Pixels is not the reason the new iPad is called “new iPad” and not iPad 3.

I beg to differ. Put a new iPad alongside this or an iPad2 and anybody can see the difference.

The reason it is called the new iPad is they don’t want to get into iPad. 2.3.,4 etc.

The New iMacs, Macbooks and everything else is the same and the iPhone will probably follow suit .

Having said that, this is not a flagship, it is an iPAd2 competitor

Isn’t it because Apple wants to move away from product names with numbers after them? And just go by the generation.

Also because there’s not much difference between the different generations in terms of appearance. Whenever a product gets a redesign, it gets a new moniker, such as the new Macbook Air.

Thhhhaaats not true at all. Products aren’t given a new moniker when redesigned; they’re named when they are first released. Remember that MacBook Pros used to look completely different 5 years ago, they updated internals and the design but kept the name. The “new iPad” naming scheme is Apple’s way of ending the numerical addition to the name because it would eventually have lead to the iPad 11, or some ridiculous number, when all the consumer needs to know is that it’s “The iPad.”

I’ll find it hilarious when people have to specify which iPad they want next year. “I want an iPad” “which one” “the 32GB last year’s model”.

The iMac has gone from a huge CRT machine to a screen swivelling on a pod to a white all in one to 2 different designs of an aluminium all in one.

Also MacBook, MacBook Pro.

They redesign & keep the same name.

MBA is not a redesigned macbook, it’s a wholly new model. Apple doesn’t generationize the names of products normally. What they do is vary the same line with models

1. Macbook, Macbook Air, Macbook Pro

2. iPod Touch, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, iPod Shuffle

This video says otherwise. Keep in mind, the people who comment on these articles aren’t average consumers. We’re obsessed with tech to unhealthy levels.

Was going to say something to this effect (took my a few seconds at the Apple store), didn’t know there would be a video to attest to this!

I got a couple friends who all just got new iPads and went and bought the old one because looking side by side they really couldn’t tell the difference to an extent that mattered.

Unless your friends are dogs or they never turn on the machine

I don’t know how any human being cannot tell the much improved color and pixel density of the new IPad

the problem is it’s impossible to tell from just looking at the home screen and even when people are buying one they rarely go past the home screen or maybe an app or two that isn’t the best for gauging the display quality.

Yeah very objective and conclusive video showing the home screen (not text where it matters most?), at night in her shaky hands and her huge boobs obscuring half if the iPads. Nice try, though.

LOL seriously?

Ask a random stranger in the street who doesn’t even look at the product to blindly choose one. Then claim they can’t discern the difference….

Yet the guy who actually bent down and looked, knew which one it was in less than a second.

Did you read the accompanying journal piece? where he states outright its no scientific test and he was just having fun trolling in the street?

Sigh….. On the same level of professional-ism. My friends with iPad 2s look at the screen on my new iPad and “gasp”. Thus by this same reasoning, I reject your reality and project my own. Neiner neiner neiner.

Notice the people who actually bent down and looked could pick the right one. Doesn’t help this was at night, shaky and the things kept turning off. Also just a home screen?

I do t think the video proves that much on the home screen at least. It’s stupidly easy to see when reading text though.

That’s what u believe and probably tell yourself so you feel better about what you own and then you can come to tech sites and say that there’s no difference, but there is. There’s a very big difference.

Knowing that you’re the first person saying that stupid iPad 2.3 non-sense should give you a hint of how dumb you sound.

You haven’t seen those videos where ordinary consumers had no idea what the differences were between the 2 and 3rd gen iPad and couldn’t tell them apart. coded

Sorry, but that’s a sweeping oneralisation.

For some things, definitely – its rendering of text, especially at smaller fonts is clearly superiour. But for most things, you really can’t tell the difference even when side by side. It does, however, draw a lot more current, so to get that occasional improvement in display, you end up with a thicker, heavier tablet with shorter battery life.

Nothing comes for free.

I beg to differ…

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=iox5Q2nWi-Q

That whole taking away the number from the iPad thing in my opinion just seems like a way to scale back disappointment every time a new version comes out. Because with numbers folks expect big change, like going from the PS2 to PS3 big, if its simply the New iPad rather than iPad 3 it’s folks kinda expect slight tweaks and if something big happens then it’s more of a surprise.. This theory makes Apple naming the the most recent iPhone the 4S rather than the iPhone 5 make sense, because the small updates would have been more disappointing in an iPhone 5.

To some extent, and also after a while people just don’t care enough.

You’re kidding yourself if you believe people can’t tell the difference between the screen on the new iPad and screens like this.

I’ll be 100% honest…both side by side in Best Buy and while i noticed a difference….i was actually underwhelmed because i thought it would look stunning. And to be honest…i wasn’t stunned. Could be cause the gap between the glass isn’t as good as say the iPhone 4…or maybe just too much hype on the internet.

Of course i’m just one person, i’m sure others might notice a bigger difference….but I’d bet there are tons of people like me as well.

There’s a difference between “not noticing” and “not thinking it’s a big enough difference”

I do think it depends entirely on the apps you use, as some apps are just better optimized and better suited to the hi-resolution display.

It’s a case by case situation. If you are up close looking at text I think it’s noticeable, but otherwise you really have to inspect and know what to look for to tell. Just check that guys video a couple posts up.

No that is totally untrue. The guys in the video were shown the home screen where it’s difficult to spot any difference. Once you start using the device, you see how huge the jump is compared to the previous gen especially in games and Full HD video being played. You won’t notice much if you directly are picking up a new iPad, but if you are upgrading, then it’s DEFINITELY noticeable.

It’s not totally untrue. I’ve used both, it’s my opinion and one I think shared of the average consumer. Full HD video we couldn’t tell the difference at all (played some trailers from apple in 1080p). Games maybe if they are upgraded to Retina graphics. Text is where the new display really shines and is quite noticeable. Upgrading you’d be automatically perceiving a better experience, but going in cold, never using or owning an iPad, most consumers won’t notice the difference until it’s specifically pointed out to them in certain case scenarios.

You even said it yourself, it’s not noticeable across the board, like on the home screen, just in specific apps and scenarios.

It’s noticeable if you have ever used a previous iPad… It’s not evident on the home screen because the iPad comes with a bland background out of the box (that grayish tinted one) where it’s very difficult to spot any difference.

And for someone new to buying an iPad, it would obviously not seem like a huge jump. I’ve seen people see the iPhone 4 Home screen and 3GSes home screen and it’s hard for them to call out any difference. Same is the case here…

I’ve used a previous gen iPad extensively and it used to get really heavy on my eyes. But with the current iPad, it’s much much better and less heavy. Also, the colors have also improved on the newer screen.

And the point I was making is that if I were in the market for a tablet and was willing to spend 400-500$, then why would I get something like the Samsung tab when at just 100$ price more, I can get an iPad with a truly amazing display (the display is amazing no matter what people say… If it weren’t then it wouldn’t be getting such rave reviews.. heck I even trust my eyes on this 1)… Also, text is also a huge factor. In fact… 80% of the tasks involve text and so it’s a huge improvement from the previous version.

Everything depends on how close your eyeballs are to the screen. When you just look at images, you tend to have your face further away, but when you try to read small text, you naturally move you head closer. Its only at that point that the new “retina” screen registers it’s full effect.

Completely agree. I thought it would be jaw dropping or at least no contest. It was a lot closer than imaged and I think you’re right that it has to do with the gap between the glass.

I thought it would be a 9.7″ iPhone screen. It wasn’t quite that. Which is a bit disappointing.

I agree. I owned the iPad 2 and now I have the new iPad, and while there is clearly a difference in the screen quality, it is not particularly stunning. That said, the overall user experience, including the performance increase, better cameras and voice dictation, make it a worthwhile upgrade. I find myself using the new iPad a LOT more than I used my iPad 2, and WAY more than I used the original iPad. This is the result of subtle improvements that add up to a better user experience.

Completely agree. I have and iPad 1 and my friend just got a 3. I really was hard pressed to see a reason to upgrade, and I was really looking for one. The battery and performance improvements over the 1 are more compelling than the screen. Although it is very nice, I just could not be wowed by it.

This is definitely 1st world problems..

Any complaint/criticism in any tech forum is by definition a 1st world problem. Your comment is as redundant as it is dumb.

Overreact much? No need to call him dumb.

Good thing he didn’t call him dumb then, isn’t it.

Great contribution. Thanks!

You know what, your completely right. Pentile screens are a sin against god, deserving of being burned at the steak, how do we live under these conditions.

I know you’re pointing out the horrible screen quality, but I can’t help but notice that ‘Youtube’ is being repeated twice in the graphic and app name. This is what we mean when we say Apple is better at design. It’s like having a widget that shows the time when the time is already shown in the lower right corner. Amateur stuff.

http//www.mac-guides-and-solutions.com/image-files/mac-os-x-snow-leopard-dashboard-large.jpg

That isn’t a default screen.

That widget is specifically designed to show the time in a different timezone.

Shows same timezone in the screenshot.

No kidding… It’s not like it’s going to prevent you from using the same time, and it’s a natural default.

Also, the default behavior in 10.7+ is to have the dashboard in its own space, where the system clock isn’t even visible.

And if they had it set to non-local time by default, people would call AppleCare “My round clock always shows the wrong time but the digital one is right. It’s always half an hour slow, do you need to wind it?”

I was referring to the amateur Android designers who like putting loads of widgets on their phones and post them. Check the Android forum here to see what I’m talking about.

I wasn’t referring to the fact that these widgets exist.

What you posted was a widget that most OS X users don’t use.

It’s not bad design that YouTube’s signature logo has its NAME in it. I never understood where apple came up with its logo for youtube… a old CRT TV? Thats, like the opposite of YouTube.

nothing wrong with the display…this is getting lAme by the minute

As the owner of a couple of iPad 3’s I can tell you with a certain degree of confidence that putting a screen in a tablet that has an incredibly high pixel density adds pretty much nothing to the way a tablet is used.

I’m actually not even convinced that the new high PPI screen on the iPad 3 is worth the quirks with the battery.

I’m not saying it’s impossible to tell the difference between the two. It’s actually quite easy once you know what to look for.

I’m just saying that after the screen density gets to the point of being clear and legible increasing it further doesn’t really add much to the experience (pro photographers using their iPad 3 as a monitor aside)

Personally I can’t believe current tablets don’t have stylus support.

If Apple released an iPad with an active digitizer without affecting the quality of the capacitive touch screen along with a decent pixel density (e.g. >150 PPI) I’d dump the high-PPI iPad 3 screen in a heartbeat.

While it doesn’t really change the way one uses the tablet, and IMO it is much more useful and important on a cell phone, a “retina” display is an important step in towards achieving immersion. Since it doesn’t cost any more than previous iPads, and the difference in weight and thickness are small, I’m willing to make that trade-off.

But, in all honesty, it’s like newspaper vs. magazine both are used similarly and the difference is only in quality.

putting a screen in a tablet that has an incredibly high pixel density adds pretty much nothing to the way a tablet is used.

In my experience it does. With iPad 1 and 2, it’s often hard to read text in portrait mode and turning the device landscape is required to increase the text size. No such limitation with the new iPad. Even in portrait mode the text is legible all the way, which makes portrait mode to be used a lot more often. That’s one example where the usage can actually change because the improvement in resolution.

I think Samsung made a mistake with naming. It’s really just a Samsung Galaxy 10.1 ICS Edition.

It’s not even as good as last year’s model. A shame, really.

Btw, where is the ICS update to MY Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1?

Sorry. Looks like you just got Samsung’d.

no..the ajiphoney got that

Guess Samsung gave up on the tablet market huh? Releasing the same tablet 2 years in a row. What a waste.

That’s not exactly true… This one is thicker and heavier than last year’s model! That actually would be fine if they had included a better screen, or a good camera, or a huge battery, or a super-fast processor… but they didn’t. They didn’t actually improve upon last years model in ANY way.

Honestly, I have no idea what Samsung was thinking with this one. They should have just dropped the price on last year’s 10.1 to $300, and hoped for the best.

Dunt know about the US but the shelves here in the UK are still full of unsold ones from last year.

And I always see loads of unsold iPads in the stores, funny how that works…

/s (?)

Same here in Korea… I’ve met people who regret getting their Galaxy Tabs…

On a side note… Here’s the iPad 2 and the last Galaxy Tab.

Generally store shelves ALWAYS contain unsold items. What else would they have?

IR and some software….but I agree.

“That’s not exactly true… This one is thicker and heavier than last year’s model!”

I guess they just wanted to copy Apple. Kind of like when you cheat at a test and it turns out that the answers you’ve copied are false.

Difference is Apple made theirs thicker & heavier to allow a crazy screen and graphics upgrade.

“Graphics upgrade”. Right, because the GPU weighs so much. It’s mostly due to much bigger battery.

Lol. Don’t think your understood properly. Or you missed the part where he said

“TO ALLOW a crazy screen and graphics upgrade”. Thicker and heavier ALLOWS for a bigger battery which ALLOWS for that graphics upgrade (and the screen).

Upon the path to completion, you stumbled and faceplanted.

A) Yes the SOC is bigger…

B) To power said components the device has a significantly larger battery.

Jutst when you thought arguments couldn´t get any sillier, the iSheep strike again…

Wow, really? You’re so quick to accuse people of being “sheep” that you don’t even realize he is criticizing Apple in his comment. Unbelievable.

Have the fixed the so-called Newtons ring problem?

So there’s absolutely no reason (barring maybe the IR blaster) to get this over the Transformer Pad 300, which costs the same and kills it in performance.

…and it has a killer accessory w/ the keyboard dock.

POS

do you own one? tell me more

You don’t need to own one to tell that it’s bad. Just admit that this is a crappy tablet.

This is what I always hate about iFans. There’s an underlying assumption that they’re always right and iOS is superior in every way and that the only thing standing between them and total dominance of Apple on tech blogs is not legitimate criticisms, preferences or arguments, but rather people who just won’t admit it, who just haven’t seen the light. Irritating++.

True. When people assume its worse simply because it isn’t Apple, (or any other brand) that’s wrong, and annoying. In this case though, the ecosystem and software is worse, the screen is worse, (which is the most important hardware part of a tablet IMO) it has a ‘poor camera’ that does 720p not 1080p, and 3MP instead of 5MP. In this case, it is an inferior product. However there are still pluses related to the operating system itself, depending on your needs. Hardware wise, the new iPad is much better value. Software wise, it depends on your needs, but the AppStore is generally considered superior especially for Tablets.

I still wouldn’t call this a “crappy tablet”. It’s decent though not great for what it does at the price it charges. So “average” would be a better term to describe this. If I were to buy this tablet (still holding out for Note 10.1 or Nexus though) it would mostly be for software. I do like the features Samsung puts in TouchWiz (can’t stop giggling at the image that name brings up) like Mini Apps, Peel, and handwriting recognition. But due to the hardware, this gets a straight “C” (7/10) in my book.

I like Android. Sure, I like the iPad more, but I still think Android has some really cool features and does some things better than the iPad. I even considered the Transformer Prime before I bought the iPad.

Ever think that I may legitimately believe that this is really a crappy tablet? No, because all you can see is the “i” in my username. I am not an “iFan”; I am a person who assessed both sides carefully and chose to buy Apple.

Thank you for your time.

I own the first 10.1, and that sucks, hard.

6/10 that about meets my expectations. I was hoping for much more at its announcement.

That score should hopefully stick a rocket up Samsung.

You really think Samsung gives a squat about score.

Everyone from Tom to Dick and via Harry knows that (editors or followers) are just elitists. It’s a fashion here to hate or Samsung or LG or Moto. They are just too mainstream for the hyperbolic purple tinted mentality of editors.

Case in point Speakers are rated at 7. Now please read the entire article and tell me where did they actually talk anything about speakers.

And yes, I have read the article http//www.the.com/how-we-rate

Battery Life Rating shows 9. On what basis? I am starting to doubt whether the editors have actually used the Tablet for few days to be a judge on the battery life.

Why bother reviewing the product if you think that it’s against your image?

I know specs is taken as anti-status symbol around here, but don’t talk about it if you know nothing. Atleast you don’t end up sounding like an idiot.

Or, maybe, hold on to your teabags…

It actually deserves a 6.

No, it could be much less than 6. Point is not the score, but how they judge. Of all the parameters, have they explained how they judge? I challenge them to prove that they have used the product for more than a week extensively. If not how can they judge the battery life? They are just getting numbers out of their ass and simply printing them.

Have you checked how the speaker perform in this device? Because I can’t seem to get any detail on why they were rated 7.

I don’t have a problem with the score, but I do doubt the integrity of these editors and the site as a whole.

BTW, why is that always has a review for any product at the earliest possible time? How can they always review a product faster (or maybe just near to fastest) than any other website?

Either they are super humans, or they are cutting corners and simply cheating in the name of a review.

If you’re complaining about how they rate, not giving it enough time you could also apply that to positive reviews your company of choice (which for some reason to appear to have) gets.

Also, re-read the article, they clearly talk about the speakers.

Again for the last time, not talking about scores. Forget scores, how is it possible that they have a review for any product just within days of release?? Infact they have reviews for some products within 1-2 days of launch. It sounds incredibly fishy to me.

Now many would argue that they might have the device prior to the official launch. Fair enough. How is that their reviews are never (I do mean never ever) as good as that of Anandtech or as comprehensive as GSMarena or other little-known sites like Nordichardware or Tomshardware? How they always have their reviews published sooner than all of them each and everytime? Are they so efficient or are they just skimming the surface?

And to your question about positive reviews of products for my company(s) of choice , my statement is still the same. How do they rate anything for any company for all parameters without explanation irrespective of the score?

A) yes they often have the devices beforehand.

B) If you want 30 page reviews, read Ars Technica. I do, they’re great. But not every review needs to be 30 pages long.

Standard procedure as that reviewers often get the product well before public launch but are under embargo from publishing or even talking about having it. It’s kind of obvious they get them early.

Not to everyone apparently. )))

“The two silver speakers along the side of the display output impressively loud, clear sound for a mobile device. Some of that is certainly due to the fact that the sound is actually coming toward you, whereas most tablets have speakers on the side or back that direct audio away from you. The speakers are also set high up on the tablet as you hold it horizontally, so your hands won’t get in the way. There’s not much in the way of a stereo effect, but it’s loud and good enough for watching YouTube videos or feeling more immersed as you play games.”

I guess that’s an F in reading comprehension, hmm?

but does that rate a “7” for speakers? Sounds like they were impressed.

With a qualification like “for a mobile device” I would say so.

So, there is a parameter of audio/speakers. The only things they mentioned about audio/speakers are

1] The two silver speakers along the side of the display output impressively loud, clear sound for a mobile device.

2] There’s not much in the way of a stereo effect, but it’s loud and good enough for watching YouTube videos

These are just 2 sentences. Now tell me on what basis did they rate the speakers 7/10?? If you think you know so much on how they rate, give me an explanation of the audio rating. Why not 5/10 or 9/10??

Case in point Speakers are rated at 7. Now please read the entire article and tell me where did they actually talk anything about speakers.

I was referring to this. The reviews on The are usually not very geek friendly, ie. no real test standards. You’ve got to accept the “score” or just don’t. I myself am not a huge fan of these arbitrary scores anyway, so if the reviewer says the speakers are above average I will have to make that leap of faith and believe him/her. I’m not going to base the investment of my money on a score between 1 and 10 (or 1-100 for that matter)

Wow, you really are a tinfoil hatter, old school, “The iPod cannot possibly be better than my Creative Rio” type. People who work at the review tablets, it’s their job. It’s pretty easy, in their professional capacity, to rate the sound quality of any given tablet relative to its peers and give it a numerical score.

The iPad speaker is freakishly good. There’s your 9, work your way down from there, with 7 being decent and 5 being downright poor.

Dude, it has the same battery as the old one and the same specs, mostly. So it’ll probably have the same battery life. Pretty simple.

Right..

1] You know for sure that both screens suck same battery life.

2] Both SoC have same power requirements.

3] All sensors/radio have same power requirement.

4] OS/software problems or optimization does not play any role.

My problem is not the score what they give. I need explanation on how they score. Don’t just tell me it’s 9/10 or 5/10. Tell me why it’s good or bad and explain that. I couldn’t care less about scores. But I definitely want to understand why something is positive or negative.

Why else would I read a review?

Uhm the battery is good because it lasted an acceptable amount of time? How much more do you want? I mean really what are you expecting from a rating of the batter?

Timefinder is beyond even professional help, you are wasting your breath.

I’m sure most people don’t need the details, and actually the truth is there probably are no details. Reviewer is given the device for a few days, and reports his or her comparative impressions, providing a set of numbers “the score”™ as a rough figure of merit. That’s all there is. It is a qualitative, not a quantitative process. The numbers do not have physical significance.

Reads review. Reads qualitative ratings. Wants review on the ratings.

“There’s also no autofocus to speak of, which means anything close to your camera is near-impossible to get in focus.”

sounds very misleading, it just has longer focal length.

Autofocus is the automatic adjustment of the focal distance based on subject distance, down to some minimum limit. For fixed focus lenses, the focal distance is preadjusted and constant, often set at the hyperfocal distance. Objects closer than this distance will be out of focus, more or less so depending on the depth of field.

“The same 1GHz dual-core TI processor powers both Tab 2 models, and though it works well enough on the Tab 2 7.0 it’s not quite as up to the task of powering a larger device with a bigger display.”

This doesn’t make any sense – physical size of a screen doesn’t make any difference to speed; it’s the resolution that matters. If both tablets have the same resolution display (1280 × 800) then they should perform equally well; if the 10.1 performs worse it’s for another reason.

“that fels ready for a tablet”

#corrections

Yup. Solid reporting.

Tab 2-7 has 1024×600 resolution so the 10 inch version has 66% more pixels. Theoretically 2 core 1ghz should still be able to handle it but who knows.

Both tablets don’t have the same resolution display though…

Fixed the fels bit, thanks! Also, as a couple of people have pointed out, there is a difference in resolution — that may not be the only reason for the performance issues, but it’s certainly the most obvious culprit.

Ah, cheers. I misread this sentence in the 7.7 review – “The Tab 2’s 7-inch, 1024 × 600 TFT display is good, but it’s no match for the 7.7’s gorgeous 1280 × 800 Super AMOLED Plus display”. Damn similar naming conventions 😉

I think it worth to spend 100$ more to get the ASUS Transformer Prime

Except you can’t. The Prime is dead so you would actually buy the 300 which is the same price and probably better.

With such a strong showing by google and their hardware partners I predict this will be the year of Android on tablet. Apple simply can’t keep up with the amount of innovation that is going on.

/s?

I pray that it’s /s.

Judging by his avatar, it’s not sarcasm.

The problem is that the iPad, even if it was free, would still be unusable to me as a work tablet. No mater how cheap or great a tablet is, the iPad still has no file system access for file editing and manipulation, as well as file access from every single app in the tablet. Can I browse the youtube app and share a video I like to Facebook? Or anywhere that is not twitter? Nope. The iPad may have some good apps but that isn’t everything. Android tablets can do SO much more than just look pretty, or run apps. They are a true laptop replacement. I will take a Galaxy Tab any day over any iPad…

Your choice,

You’re wrong on both counts of course but there you go.

He’s not wrong, he wants a file system. That’s up to him

I will be getting an iPad at some point but I’d prefer it with a file system.

Hopefully Apple are working on a neat way to share documents between apps.

There is a file system, it just isn’t accessible but there are plenty of apps that allow document management if you want it.

While you are right, wayaway is too. A singular space for files that all apps have access to would make workflow so much easier, not to mention the quite often you’ll end up with doublets among the differents apps. You’ll get iFile when jail broken which is nice but doesn’t quite cut it.

Semantics, you know what we both meant. A way to organise and share files across apps.

Apps can do this to a limited degree. You can have send a file to another app in specific cases. You won’t have a file browser because that is beyond the purpose of the iPad. The iPad is not a replacement for a full desktop or laptop if you need it. But the reality is most don’t need that.

Whats wrong is simple things like editing a PDF thats in my dropbox. I have to open it in Adobe, and when I do it creates a local copy in the Adobe app’s own little space. To save the changes back to dropbox, I need to share the damn file back to dropbox. This is a poor experience.

And the beautiful thing is that you’re personally welcome to. The overwhelming majority of consumers don’t agree, but no one will run up and smash your Tab out of your hand and replace it with an iPad.

I would take an iphone and an ipad over any android device. But thats me. And thats your opinion.

Is there any decent office software for Android? Anything close to the capabilities of iWork?

Oh and you can share a YouTube video, you do it like on a PC, click share, copy the URL, paste into social network of choice.

If you’re such a power user like you claim you are, you could long have figured that in the YouTube app you get the URL under the share options, which in turn you can share to Facebook.

They are a true laptop replacement.

I don’t see that they are, iOS or Android, file system or no file system. Heck, sling Windows on there, it still doesn’t change anything. Touch input tablets are frustrating to use when you have to get work done and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

wait, no video review?? i love these!

They need to just contract and make the next kindle fire.

In terms of the android market it seems Samsung will get the majority of 7 inch tablet sales and Asus will take the 10 inch sales. Of course this assessment could change depending on what the final transformer infinity and galaxy note 10.1 is like. And looking at the trend of the phone market I say budget pricing is going to net android 40-50% of tablet sales up from 30-40% today.

Dream on. Deduct the craplets, Kindle Fire and Nook and “real” Android like GTabs and Transformers are about 10-15%. If Apple releases the 7.85″ iPad mini (which seems increasingly likely) and prices it under $300 then Android can kiss goodbye to any attempt at market dominance. IPads are like iPods, no pesky carriers to get in the way. Android phones have the highest sales volume thanks to the punch of carriers who didn’t have or didn’t want the iPhone and it makes them more money (cheaper subsidy). In every other metric (revenue, profit, apps, devs, Dev dollars, customer satisfaction, OEM success, repurchase rates, content, etc.) it is second best. Without the control of the distribution channel like phones, Android’s a lot weaker than its fans would hope. With the intense fragmentation, Samsung crushing the other OEMs and Google losing control of the ecosystem (Nook, Amazon) and Samsung likely to fork Android too, there is no reason for Android to win in the tablet market. Just sayin’

I think having ‘camera’ as a rating category on a tablet is kinda dumb, how many people would actually use a tablet camera over the smartphone camera they undoubtedly also have…

I also think rating the same ecosystem on a tablet vs. phone so dramatically different is not just. Yeah there aren’t a ton a good tablet optimized apps… but a 5/10? They still have all the apps, its not like the functionality magically left the ecosystem.

those issues aside, 6.5 range is probably right for this tablet… but the price will definitely be dropping quickly.

one more thing, from the pictures you show in the gallery… i’ve seen plenty of far worse cameras.

If it’s dumb to put a camera on a tablet, then why did Samsung do it?

If it’s there, it has to be judged.

Why rate the performance of the processor? Sure people have a full notebook or even desktop system they use for number crunching.

You don’t wanna know how many people I have seen using the camera of their ugly tablets making a fool of themselves..is its there it deserves to be rated.

They may have access to the same apps but access does not make the app useable on a tablet. Taking a phone app and making it bigger does not make a good tablet app or tablet ecosystem. That is why you can rate them different. The store may be great if you have a phone but you true tablet options may suck.

I’m still really curious if the first Windows RT tablets will be hardware like this with a software switch.

The bezel has it’s own bezel. It’s bezels all the way down…

like the Lumias and HTC One X…people seem to like it

You are correct. It really is the season for bezels.

Not a big fan myself but they do give a space to hold a device (fingers wrapped around). However, I would say that the sheer amount of bezel (on the shortest edges) appears “unusual”.

Avoiding Apple design like a boss. Literally.

So tired of the microscopes taking close up pics of screens. Nobody’s eyes are microscopes, the .

its impossible to show the screen quality on 600×400 image in the review, even the worst one will look sharp and good … hence the close up

The differences you see in real life can’t be conveyed with life sized images when the monitor you’re viewing the picture on probably has an even lower pixel density. The closeups are really the only way to show this.

I’m really liking Samsung’s new design language (yes, this includes the SG3), I hope they keep it up.

Another expeditious half-assed review written on one’s knees. Reminds me of the Sammy 7.7 LTE tablet. That one was similarly poorly written. I wonder why.

No consistency compared to the ipad review for example. The reviewer didn’t care at all to invest more time into this. He spoke about the battery but no data about it whatsoever. He decided on an arbitrary 9. I recall the last Sammy tablet reviewed(also a battery 9) had by all other accounts(Engadget included) 11 to 12 hours of battery life, 2 hours more than the ipad rated with a 10. I don’t think I need to add other issues that others above have raised, like the superfluously treated speakers.

Most surely the attitude was “bollocks … another Android tablet; might as well get it over with”.

I rate you with a 1.3 David for wasting my time and frustrating my general opinion regarding this site(not the product).

If you have so many problems, you should just leave and stop polluting this site with your trolling.

I don’t have any problems. What’s it to you? Care to argue my points ? Is everybody suddenly perfect and criticism banned ?

Rather than calling people names you should follow your own advice.

Why do they keep making android tablets ?

Because they sell. Not on the scale of the iPad, but they do sell.

in hope that it will eventually sell like android phones … but there are no carriers around this time to push them into the market

I think next issue would be more compelling if the 15 dollar a month sub got you, let’s say, access to a few news papers of your choice; dailies that is. that would make it much more compelling

Tab 2 7.0 plus please…

Oh hey look, a low score. Are the Android fans going to crawl all over message board labeling the and their staff satanic devil worshipers spreading filth and lies about their beloved devices?

Naaaaaah…… Step your game up Windows fanboys.

Instead, you post hateful, hyperbolic comments like this on a daily basis. Aren’t you the angel?

I have a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 and love it. The 10.1 seems like it is priced too high to really compete with the iPad 2. If a consumer has $399 they are most likely going to grab a 16GB iPad 2. I guess I figured Samsung would be bringing a 10.1 tablet at closer to a $299 price point.

How does a Galaxy Tab 8.9 compare? Is it still worth buying?

The Tegra 2 in the 8.9 should be faster than whatever’s in the Tab 2 10.1.

I like the screen size and extra pixel density, and you can get them cheap. Best Buy had a deal recently that was $300 for a refurb with media dock, keyboard dock, SD card reader, and sleeve.

I bought the new 10.1 tab 2, and I absolutely love it. I’ve been wanting a tablet for over a year. I could do easy internet stuff like twitter, facebook, surfing, and listening to internet radio, podcasts, and music that was smaller and more mobile then my laptop. And also i like play HD game with this gadget and run smoothly. Music sounds great. YouTube is cool to watch. Its nice to review my photos on a lightweight screen while sitting in bed.The display is bright and crisp, text is very easy to read even when I have screen brightness all the way turned down. There is nothing negative I have to say. This is THE tablet to have!

If you want to buy one, just buy on amazon the cheapest and trusted merchant on the earth. Simply click this link

I bought the new 10.1 tab 2, and I absolutely love it. I’ve been wanting a tablet for over a year. I could do easy internet stuff like twitter, facebook, surfing, and listening to internet radio, podcasts, and music that was smaller and more mobile then my laptop. And also i like play HD game with this gadget and run smoothly. Music sounds great. YouTube is cool to watch. Its nice to review my photos on a lightweight screen while sitting in bed.The display is bright and crisp, text is very easy to read even when I have screen brightness all the way turned down. There is nothing negative I have to say. This is THE tablet to have!

If you want to buy one, just buy on amazon the cheapest and trusted merchant on the earth. Simply click this link http//amzn.to/samsunggalaxytab2-10inch

I got the 7″ model after its launch and absolutely love it. The ‘weak tablet app ecosystem’ isn’t a big deal on a smaller tablet as Android upscales to higher resolutions nicely. That said, I could definitely see it being a knock on larger screens like this.

Physical design (and to a lesser extent, perceived build quality) are almost non-issues for a tablet IMO. When was the last time you saw a tablet without a case? Even the people who jumped onboard the gimmicky iPad 2 (not case) have mostly abandoned those now for a full-on case.

Ok.. What is this massive page of crap? Where to start. I like this site called theverge. However they get lots of posts that they serve using ajax – as a result these do not get indexed. This is a test to see if they get indexed. I hope to be able to approach them down the road and say " Hey guys, missing traffic".

There are 8,863 words in this article. I am wondering if that is long tail enough.

I’m really wondering how programs like Splashtop (and the Tegra 3 version) work with the keyboard dock and mouse. I use my Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a bluetooth keyboard with splashtop, and it’s like having a laptop with a 12 hour battery life. Would really love to upgrade to a Prime.

I would stick with the Tab, as that’s what I use, and it serves its purposes more than adequately.

It’s just extremely inconvenient to have to find a place to set up the little stand the keyboard comes with. It would be much easier to have the whole thing contained in one package.

Really, it’s that inconvenient to find a stand?

I like the Logitech keyboard, which has a case that doubles as a stand.

That’s the exact keyboard I own. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to separate they keyboard from the screen, but there are situations like public transportation which would cause issues with that configuration, where it would be easier to set the whole thing up on your lap.

I’m sorry, I misread your comment. You’re finding a place to set up the stand.

I don’t think I would bother with the keyboard unless I had a desk or table to put the whole thing down on. Otherwise I’d just make do with the screen keyboard.

I’m not sold on using a tablet or laptop on public transportation, period. It seems awfully conspicuous and unwieldy. Easy to drop, break, or have stolen. I’d rather use my phone on the train, which I can use in one hand and easily pocket when I’m done.

Hmmmm, true, true. I guess it would really come down to the amazing build quality of the Transformer and the excellent screen (not to mention Tegra 3). I get your point about public use and the oddities that come with it. If Samsung were to push out the ICS update for the original 10.1 this month I would be completely satisfied…(hint hint, Samsung)

“public use and the oddities that come with it” reminded me of this.

Thanks jerks. Now I feel like a real jerk. And I can’t edit or delete that post.

They’re the jerks because you hotlinked their image?

You’ve hit on the only use case that really makes sense to me for the dock.

By having the tablet physically attached at the hinge, laptop-style, you don’t need somewhere to prop up the screen. Makes sense for more locations than just the train, too, such as lying in bed or on the loo. In those situations, typing on the screen might be a bit tricky too. Hard to get a good angle with the screen and keyboard together.

Hmm. Maybe there’s more to this whole laptop form factor than I first thought. My only tablet is a Kindle Fire that is mostly my wife’s, so I don’t have any first-hand experience using a full-size tablet with a keyboard.

Maybe Microsoft is actually on to something with their convertibles.

Then again, the slate form factor is way better for reading and browsing and such. I guess it depends on how much of each you do?

It’s really quite a conundrum lol. I guess it depends on if you want a potential laptop replacement or primarily a tablet.

I’ve got that one too. It’s pretty great.

The keyboard dock of the Transformer here, is a big part of the attractiveness. The extra battery life as a result seems tailor suited to your use scenario.

Use a 50pk CD Spindle

Splashtop makes this the best tablet in the world. Remoting takes away any performance issues and greatly increases the capability.

I’m a massive fan of Splashtop THD and with the keyboard dock on my Prime and a wireless mouse (connected to my PC) I get plenty of gaming done over my local wireless network.

The only oddity I have is having to set the tablet keyboard to the Android keyboard prior to gaming (key presses are registered as taps instead of long keypresses when set to the Asus soft keyboard. Select the Android keyboard and WSAD works lovely)

Overall I do prefer my Prime over our iPad 2 thanks to Splashtop alone.

An iPad is actually better. I should know, I have a PHD.

Is it really responsive enough? Whenever I use Splashtop, even between computers on my LAN, it’s extremely laggy.

> Battery Test crashed the Android browser every ten minutes

Does it crash Chrome as well?

Yep. I think it’s largely the test’s fault (we’re working on that), but it runs fine on a desktop browser, so I’m still blaming Android.

File a bug maybe?

“And don’t buy it for its selection tablet apps.”

Then there’s no reason for Android. AT ALL.

I had this tablet for 24 hours. Was a horrible mistake and a waste of $100 that I lost when returning it to Newegg. The app selection is beyond horrible.

Which ones were you having trouble finding?

Ironically, all of the Google Reader apps for Android suck compared to the ones for iOS. I also have yet to see an eBook reading app for Android that doesn’t feel like a piece of crap. The Facebook app sucks too, and the browser is not very good, compared to the browsers on iOS. (For example, loading takes about 4-times as long.)

So, of the four things that I actually want to do with a tablet, Android can’t really do any of them very well. I will say, however, that the Gmail app is awesome, and the freedom to customize the home-screens is fantastic. Other than those two things, Android is horrible on a tablet.

1. Adobe Reader is an excellent e-book app, now that they’ve updated it to have nearly every feature of more expensive readers.

2. The Facebook app actually no longer sucks quite as hard since the last update or two. They had an AMA on reddit and really took the suggestions to heart.

3. Which phone are you loading the on? That makes as much difference as the browser. Also, have you tried Chrome Beta or Firefox Beta? They are quite good.

For Facebook, use “Fast for Facebook”. Very good app.

That is interesting because I think the app gReader is excellent.

https//play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noinnion.android.greader.reader&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDMsImNvbS5ub2lubmlvbi5hbmRyb2lkLmdyZWFkZXIucmVhZGVyIl0.

Well I never knew of that. Installing now, thanks!

? Have you seen Google Currents? It’s pretty awesome.

Hmm, I’ve never used Google Reader before. I find Pulse to be awesome.

Yeah, which apps you wanted to have, and haven’t been able to?

I actually don’t think the problem is selection. There are plenty of apps, they’re just all terrible.

I’t actually not that bad. I had this tablet too, but returned it for its hardware issues. There are a lot of great applications for Android.

As for tablet optimized apps, besides the Google apps like Gmail, and YouTube, I used GReader Pro, Evernote, Chrome Beta (full tabs), Rdio (the first screen isn’t optimized but the “now playing” screen is), Play Music, Google Currents, Draw Something, Stumbleupon, Angry Birds Space, IM+, and a whole bunch of games that I don’t want to link because it’s too time consuming.

Just look here

https//play.google.com/store/apps/collection/tablet_featured?start=0&num=24

Needs some Windows 8 on there…

That is the dream. Transformer Infinity w/ more storage and running W8 and with the new UX31’s build quality. Make is so, Asus, and I’ll ditch my ageing VAIO in a heartbeat.

Soon enough. I still want intel on the inside though.

The problem with Intel inside means either pokey performance (Atom) or high price (Sandy Bridge). -/

I previously owned a Transformer and just yesterday I was looking at the Prime in Best Buy. From hardware standpoint, I’m in love. It’s exactly what I want. But having used Android on a tablet, I’m underwhelmed by the OS and just can’t bring myself to buy it.

All that said, give me Windows 8 and I’m sold. -)

Only for tech reviewers is last year a couple of years ago.

You guys must age at an incredible rate.

btw, the latest update to the 300T does wonders to the UX….now there are rarely any stutters or slowdowns (when updating a couple of apps), etc

The Padfone is reported to be compatible with the Transformer dock so it is a little strange this isn’t.

Btw turning on wake by keyboard press is supposed to drain the dock battery so I probably wouldn’t bother turning it on.

Any android in the 300+ price range is going to be a hard sell because of the iPad2. If what you mostly do is watch video, read/annotate pdfs and surf the web, an Android tablet like the Prime is going to be a better buy than the iPad2.

I don’t understand how the Prime is a better buy than the iPad 2, when the iPad 2 is cheaper and has a way better app selection.

Do you mean the Kindle Fire or the upcoming Nexus tablet instead? Those are actually cost effective for casual light use, unlike the $350+ tablets.

What makes me look Android way for tablets is the fact that it involves much less hassle with playing MKVs. And the entire content management seems to be a lot easier on an Android device than on an iOS device.

That’s undeniable, but unless you’re watching a ton of MKVs, can one positive outweigh that many “negatives”?

I see tablet as a platform for content consumption, mainly. For me that would primarily consist of watching stuff(local content), browsing the web and reading.

I think overall browsing and reading would even out between the new iPad and, say, Transformer Pad Infinity/TF700 (most comparable resolution).

– Both have decent resolutions.

– iPad’s browser might be smoother, but Android has Chrome, which syncs to desktop. Given a choice, I prefer sync to desktop (for a tablet, anyway).

Thus video becomes a tie-breaker. In addition – I don’t have to go through iTunes to get stuff onto my device.

On top of that, having the keyboard dock for Transformer Pad Infinity would let me leave my desktop replacement of a laptop at home and take notes at school on the tab, assuming a tolerable typing experience.

I am not particularly concerned with app selection. I need a good browser, RSS (feedly), and means to play my content. Gmail app seems awesome on Android; Pocket and Evernote are available on both.

I am streaming mkv to iPad using AirVideo application. Indeed Android’s content management is by far easier for the tech savvy but the iPad does have some other significant pros over Android tablets

“FINALLY, YOU CAN ACTUALLY GET THINGS DONE WITH A TABLET”

I don’t understand this line. How is the dock much different from using a wireless keyboard or the Apple keyboard dock? Is it the integrated trackpad? You can use a bluetooth mouse or the magic trackpad with any Android ICS device, too.

I don’t really like the dock all that much. Mushy 90% size keys with a crappy tiny right shift key? No thanks.

I’d rather get a good bluetooth keyboard instead (Apple or Logitech). I would much rather have half-height arrow keys than the tiny right shift key. I wish Asus would quit doing that.

I guess you don’t get the double battery, but is that really a killer feature? Is it the extra ports? With a wireless keyboard, you can use the ports on the tablet itself. And you get to pick landscape or portrait orientation.

Yes but the dock adds 5 hours of battery life to it, the touchpad is actually pretty nice and works great, you get a USB port and SDHC/SDXC port, and it really turns it into an Android notebook. I think it’s totally worth it. $150 for a 5 hour battery extender and you could store a bunch of movies on a USB or SD card from your PC and use it on the tablet.

You could do the same thing with any Android tablet with a magic trackpad or BT mouse and the USB/SD card reader dongle.

I would rather have a better keyboard, an optional trackpad/mouse, and an optional USB/SD card reader, rather than have them all integrated so to use one I have to use them all.

The extra battery is pretty slick, but you can get battery packs, too. I forget which model my friend has, but it’s similar to this one http//www.amazon.com/EZOPower-Universal-External-Rechargeable-CellPhone/dp/B004I0J4F0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337969878&sr=8-2

Then again, to carry all these accessories at once would require a bag with a lot of pockets and possibly be bulkier than the clamshell docked and closed transformer tablet.

Yes, it’s way more convenient to have the tablet in the dock and just close it. Also, using bluetooth peripherals will deplete battery life, while using the dock will increase battery life.

As cool as the concept is for the Transformer line, I wouldn’t recommend buying one. Read my post below this one.

That’s a bummer of an experience you had there.

That line is complete and utter bollocks and devalues the whole review

I had one of these (well… three). Here was my experience

The majority of these devices have (or had… at least the batch I got mine from) issues with light bleeding from the bezel. Some (including in-store display models) were worse than others. It’s mostly noticeable on models in which the light bleeds from the bottom where the black bar is, and whenever you watch a movie in letterbox or with a lot of dark scenes.

Battery life was pretty great.

One of the units I had had a faulty charger port. After just two days of using it, it wouldn’t charge or recognize that it was plugged in to the dock unless the dock was plugged in. I tested the dock on a display device at Office Depot which proved that it was in fact the tablet itself.

The plastic case is actually kind of nice. I prefer it over the swirly, shiny “metal” backing on the TF200.

When the tablet is attached to the dock and the unit is closed, it’s like one of the clamshell Eee PC’s, which is great.

The touchpad is better than the ones I’ve used on most laptops.

Asus’ built-in file manager lets you access the USB, Micro SD, and SDXC storage and transfer files to and from those storage devices. It’s awesome. But…

You can’t move apps to the SD card or Micro SD card. This is a limitation of Android 4.0, and it sucks if you use Rdio or Spotify and want to have your offline tracks on an SD card. I suggest you buy the 32GB model if you want one of these.

Chrome is really slow and buggy on the Transformer Pad and Prime. Google is aware of the issue and is working on it.

I experienced frequent lock-ups, and several “Application not responding” prompts a day.

Android 4.0 is awesome on a tablet. Yeah, there aren’t tons of apps for the resolution, but there are some good ones, and desktop versions of websites work wonderfully.

I wouldn’t buy any Transformer tablet without the dock.

Using a Transformer Pad with the dock is a really great experience except for the hanging apps and backlight bleeding. I wanted to own one so bad that despite the frustration of getting that one tablet with the defective charger, and about three afterward with awful light bleed, I kept trying. Asus has pretty bad quality control, and I don’t know if it’s the Tegra 3 processor or Asus’ software layer, but something isn’t meshing here and it’s extremely buggy. There is a hack out there to get full Flash support, and it’s awesome. It plays Hulu (the website) video as smooth as any modern laptop.

I wish we could edit posts, because I’m sure I’ll think of more after I click “post”.

I knew this would happen…

Lastly, I ended up returning my final unit and giving up on the Transformer Pad because of the light bleed and that one with the faulty charger. I just didn’t want to deal with it anymore. It’s extremely frustrating to buy something and have to exchange it because it’s defective out of the box. Buying Apple products has many benefits over most other manufacturers, but one relevant one is their quality control and commitment to pleasing their customers. If you buy an iPad with light bleed, you can just go to the Apple store and get another without being questioned too much. Chances are pretty good that you’ll get a replacement with no light bleed (it’s happened to me). But I went through three or four Transformer Pads and viewed display units at different retailers and all of them had the same problem, just in different areas around the display.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that the first dock I bought had a non-working space bar.

It is incredible to read reports of these things having faults after the Prime debacle.

Spoke with my friend who works in Carphone Warehouse here in the UK and the store he works in has now had 100% return (sold 5, all returned faulty) and there is a vey high return rate right across the company. Asus are not supplying replacements so customers are getting their money back and buying iPads (in 4 out of 5 of the cases mentioned above) or just not having tablets.

I think Asus is turning them out too quickly and using crappy parts with crappy assembly and ripping everyone off. They should cost half of what Asus is charging for these things.

I dont think the parts is the issue – its a good quality IPS screen, machined housings, etc. Its rushed to the market without proper testing and, yes, there seems to be a fair few assembly issues

Wish I could say you were lying but you are absolutely spot on regarding your thoughts on the 300 and the prime.

FYI Currently own the transformer prime and seriously regret my purchase. Was holding out thinking it’d get better with subsequent updates but I shot myself in the foot as my warranty ran out.

My issues

The transformer prime is unbelievably unstable. I had a nexus one when I got the tablet so my threshold for BS was pretty low. However, when after I got my Galaxy Nexus and had a taste for how ICS should run, I really wanted to throw the POS out the window.

Chrome on my Galaxy Nexus = Joy to use. Seamless. No stutter. Just beautiful

Chrome on TF Prime = Don’t even know where to start. Sh8t is straight up useless

It takes 4 times as long to load a webpage like cnn.com meanwhile my Galaxy nexus just flies.

The system randomly reboots itself countless times. I thought the default browser was great until i got my GN (GN just seemed to spoil my initial perception). The default TF prime browser seems to hang for about 15 seconds at the 80 – 90% load-time. This happens in every single website including www.google.com. The default keyboard? POS. Takes forever to respond to touches and is entirely too buggy.

The worst part of all this is the random typo from ASUS through out the operating system. I am entirely convinced that the person that wrote the how-to’s or some other basic instruction on how to use most of ASUS’s stock application is not a native english speaker. Not that this is a problem in and of itself. However, if i’m going to be spending $500+ on a device, the least you can do is invest in a spell checker or something. My command of the english language might not be too hot, however, sh8t is just plain jarring when you come across a typo in the operating system of a $500 device.

At this point, i’m sticking with the Nexus line of devices and plan on selling off my prime to get the new Nexus tablet or whatever it is called.

complete

How exactly did your 1-year warranty run out less than 6 months after anyone got a copy of the Prime?

He probably meant his in-store warranty to return the tablet and get a refund.

Thing is Chrome is great on phones my Desire HD running a custom ICS ROM totally rocks with Chrome but it sucks balls on my Archos Gen9.

In other words before you hate the Prime over this stop to realise Chrome is great on phones and buggy on tablets.

One of the coolest features I think is that with the dock you get a full size USB. You can then plug a ps3 remote in and it will sync with the prime via Bluetooth. And then you have a wireless game pad to play shadow gun with and will work with all tegra 3 controller approved games. I did notice problems with audio on my prime though if I used a Bluetooth headset and game pad synced at the same time.

Most Android tablets either have or can get a USB port. It’s not unique to the dock.

http//www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab-accessories/EPL-1PL0BEGSTA

It looks like a great tablet but guys correct me if I’m wrong, wouldn’t it be easier and cheaper just to produce more of the Transformer Prime tablets and price them lower than to introduce a new “economy” line?

They would have to make them work first….

The Prime suffers from WiFi and GPS signal problems. They’re discontinuing the Prime when the TF701 comes out.

Woops. Didn’t know there was some heavy backlash. I might consider getting this then. _

Hey just wanted to say that you did a great review -). Keep up the good work.

This is the form factor that Windows 8 could shine one.

Ahhh, I love you Asus. ICS looks pretty great, but I really wanna see very similar hardware running Windows 8.

I will buy that so fast.

If you think ICS lacks apps wait till you see Win8 on ARM.

When did I say that ICS lacks apps? Or that I want Windows RT? I want full Windows 8 (with Core i7 preferably) on this hardware.

Isn’t that wallpaper from HTC Sense 4.0?

It certainly is. I wonder if the reviewer put that on there or if it ships with the device … if so, that’s not cool.

The video review quality is amazing at 1080p. Nice job guys!

A shame about the tales of returns and issues. I’m still rocking my TF101 with very little issues. The dock of course has been a great addition and it is very good for both my work (reading and annotating scientific papers) and for fun (videos, writing, reading rpg books). I hope that the TF101 has a good price drop now as that is still an awesome steal.

I really don’t see how you can say “this is really good but I have a hard time telling you not to spend another $120” … so is an iPad worth 30% more money? That’s saying its a lot better, and if the only reason is app selection… that’s a crappy reason.

app selection is a great reason I think. Android tablets could really use extra apps.

and don’t forget the high resolution display.

Although to be fair most non-optimized Android apps and games work perfectly fine on my Archos Gen9 – and most of the apps are free compared to iPad apps.

Although to be fair most non-optimized Android apps and games work perfectly fine

The difference between “work perfectly fine” and “optimized” is pretty big to me.

Also many of the good apps are for pay on both iOS and Android. Especially the productive and creative apps.

as much as I dislike the iPad, you buy a tablet to use apps in it…….. essentially youre saying the only reason to buy a tablet is a crappy reason…..

Still holding out for the Note 10.1, Transformer Infinity, and the Nexus tablet. That $380 price had me excited and then killed me when I found out that the keyboard dock wasn’t included and would cost another $150 (. I generally want selling points to be included on the tablet not separately sold. Still, if anyone’s hoping for a low cost tablet, this (for 10″) and Tab 2 7.0 (7″ $250) would be the best options.

“…replacing the original Transformer from a couple of years ago” ?? Since when is April 2011 a couple of years away from May 2012?

Who knows, maybe time travel gets confusing or something. Anyone can make a mistake.

Slap Windows 8 on it and we’re in business. To hell with Android. )

Im getting pretty fed up with these comments…. how about waiting for a Windows 8 review to show off how much excitement you can’t contain for a product?

Oh right there still isnt one, then I guess youre not entitled to your opinion on a Android Tablet review….

Windows 8 on ARM, good luck running any 3rd party software for the next 18 months.

lol your funny if you think its gonna take 18 months for developers to click “rebuild” as the ARM function is basically a new feature of the framework, its as simple as rebuilding the app and publishing it as an APPX … now the question is if the devs are taking this time that MS has given them to do it now or not is the question, if i was them i would i mean if you think apple has a big userbase for there appstore, the windows appstores gonna be INSANE we’re talking 100m + in a relatively short span, thats alot of faces to be in front of ASAP.

The first transformer was only last year. Not a couple of years ago.

Soooooooo When is the Infinity coming out? lol

Q3 apparently.

sadness

The Asus Transformer series must be the best Android tablets.

Is ICS really better than Honeycomb? ICS crashes daily on my TF-101 now. Honeycomb ran just fine after the first update came out. It also runs just super on GoogleTV. Maybe ICS requires a Tegra3 to function correctly.

ICS runs perfectly on my Desire HD is runs a single core 1GHz Scorpion from 2 years ago.

It runs pretty well on my Archos Gen9 – not perfectly though to be sure.

As a very big Apple nerd/iPad owner, I gotta say this baby is really impressive. I’m not gonna get one, but Apple needs to keep their eyes on stuff like this.

I think it’s a bit sad Android hardly puts up a fight. Why doesn’t someone (like the big G) invest a few million in app development? Without apps, no one’s going to buy this, without anyone buying this app developers can’t make money and won’t develop apps…

Competition is good but right now the best Android tablet is non-competitive with the iPad – costs the same, can do less, and has way fewer apps, and no retina display. The others are not even worth mentioning. I feed bad for all those people who wasted their money on a 7″ novelty item from Samsung, for example.

This just may get me to make the jump to a tablet. Is there a way to run photoshop and illustrator on Android yet?

Quick Summary

The good Various things are good.

The bad Can’t compete with the iPad in any way, shape, or form.

How is that? The display is better on the i-pad and that’s about it.

I don’t understand why the acer iconia a510 (which on almost every other website has a higher score than the tf300) was given just 6.5 on the the and asus an 8. In every benchmark I have seen the acer has higher scores than the asus. In this review you only compare the scores with the samsung tab.

The average score comes out to be 7.555555555555556

That’s a lot closer to 7.5 than 8.0.

Very cool and a nice price point though $350 would be perfect because then you are spending $500 total with the dock. I have an evo view tablet and while it performs well on honeycomb htc has denied the device an ics update. I’m waiting on the Asus gear that’s coming out running windows and android out of the box before i purchase my next tablet.

amazing tablet, totally worth it.

Ok.. What is this massive page of crap? Where to start. I like this site called . However they get lots of posts that they serve using ajax – as a result these do not get indexed. This is a test to see if they get indexed. I hope to be able to approach them down the road and say " Hey guys, missing traffic".

There are 4,654 words in this article. I am wondering if that is long tail enough.