Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Review

Over the past few months, I have been eyeing the Galaxy Nexus Tablet 7 and had full intention to purchase.  Recently, someone's FaceBook post reminded me that there was a new Galaxy 2 Tab 7.0 and my interest was peaked.  I bought one at Best Buy for $179.

Basic observations - not necessarily "pros" or "cons":

• Screen does not extend to the very edges of the device
• Device is somewhat heavy for its size
• Volume buttons are on opposite side as the Galaxy S3 Phone
• There is no "home button" built into the device (it is on the bottom of the screen)
• The process to change the main screens (home, etc.) is different.  You need to do a "pinch" to any screen and it gets you to the area for manipulating these screens.  If you are familiar with the Galaxy phones, this will make sense to you.

Cons:

• Connection for battery and computer connection is not the same micro USB as the Samsung Galaxy S3 phone.  
• The connection to the device is nearly identical to an iPhone connector...but it is not.  (learned that quickly)
• There is a USB 2.0 on the other end.  This makes for simple connectivity to your computer, though I haven't found a need for that.
• The charging plug is bulky.  You have to use it for charging.  No, the device will not charge whilst plugged into your computer's USB 2.0 - not enough juice. No, you cannot just plug the USB 2.0 end into any other charging plug.
• Battery life is rather low.  However, there are settings to help with this.  Also, if you keep your screen off while streaming music, etc., you can get 8 hours out of it.
• Keyboard is different than the S3 phone and I am struggling with it.  You have to put in the "." at the end of sentences, the buttons are laid out goofy.  However, there is a row above the letters for all numbers which is very helpful.  I am going to try out other aftermarket keyboard apps - sure to find something better.  There are "swipe to type" keyboards with high ratings, but I am not a fan.

Pros:

• Very smooth swipe action and scrolling.  I would argue that it is better than my S3 Phone!
• Interface is so much like the S3 phone that it makes the learning curve minimal.
• Sync for Google / Gmail is uber simple and easy, as you would expect.
• Play store is just as good as with S3 phone.  
• Built in microphone allows for voice to text and works very well.
• Easily pairs with BlueTooth headsets.
• Note:  I had an issue with my Jawbone ERA headset and at first blamed the Tablet.  Yeah, I had to update the firmware of the Jawbone.  Fixed.
• EverNote App works great!
• I use this for work so that I can sync between Tablet, PC and Phones.  
• Screens are able to be customized far more than Apple/Mac/iPhone/iPad.  You can easily add screens, apps and widgets.
• The Widgets are my favorite part about Android v. iOS.  If you don't know what these are, ask someone with an S3 phone to show you.  
• IR (Infra Red) on the side of the device!
• This is by FAR my favorite feature of the device.  I was able to simply turn my tablet into a Universal Remote for my Sony TV and Cable Box
• Ability to change channels, volume and power for TV
• Same for the Cable Box
• Ability to browse all channels with visuals, genre categories and scroll to different time slots for shows.  
• Ability to create favorites
• It also "learns" as you tune to shows, regularly
• There are likely many other uses for this, but I have only had it for a few days and have not yet explored the other uses.

Summary:

Great device that I highly recommend to anyone - especially if you are a current user of an Android Phone and want a Tablet that won't cost you over $200.  If I knew about the IR capability, I would have done this sooner.

Please feel free to post any comments / questions on FaceBook page or below this blog!

Cheers!

- Robb D. Myers