Pathik Shah

10 Reasons Why I’m Buying the Samsung Galaxy Tab (And You Should Too)

Samsung Galaxy Tab Review

1. Android

It’s the first serious Android tablet that can go head to head against the iPad, and probably win. It runs the latest version – Android 2.2 Froyo, and comes with the TouchWiz 3.0 UI optimized for a higher resolution display and Swype for text input.

2. Hardware

It has much better hardware specifications than the iPad. A 1 GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor coupled with a PowerVR SGX540 graphics processor with 512 MB RAM (the iPad has just 256 MB RAM). It comes with 16 GB internal storage and support for 32 GB microSD cards.

3. Apps and Games

The Galaxy Tab supports all apps and games from the Android Market (many other Android tablets don’t). Most existing apps scale up properly to the larger resolution. As the display isn’t as big as the iPad’s 9.7 incher, even the scaled up apps won’t look as ugly as iPhone apps looked on the iPad. Besides, Samsung has included enough apps on it tailored specifically for the tablet form factor.

4. Multitasking

As it runs Android 2.2 Froyo with 512 MB RAM and a 1 GHz processor, you can easily multitask dozens of apps. The iPad can’t (though it will get multitasking with the iOS 4.2 update by the end of 2010, I don’t think 256 MB RAM will be enough).

5. Connectivity

It offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB and 3G connectivity. It can also function as a phone, and you can also make video calls using the built in camera. It also has built in GPS. Pretty much everything you will need.

6. Multimedia

It offers much better multimedia capabilities than the iPad or any other tablet. Like the Galaxy S, it can directly playback MP4, DivX, XviD, MKV and even RMVB in 720p. No need to convert any videos, you can directly transfer them to the Galaxy Tab and watch them.

7. Camera

It has two cameras – a front facing VGA camera and a 3.2 MP camera on the back. The front camera can be used for video conferencing while the one of the back can be used to record video and capture casual shots. (The iPad has neither).

8. Display

It has a 7 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels (higher pixel density than the iPad). A SuperAMOLED display would have been awesome, but I guess the shortage of SuperAMOLED panels didn’t help.

9. Portability

It is much more portable than the iPad. It weighs close to half what the iPad does and is also much smaller. Perfect for one handed usage, ebook reading and watching videos. It is also pretty stylish.

10. Pricing and Availability

Very few tablets are available internationally. The iPad still isn’t available in India officially and neither are most of the el cheapo Android tablets. Getting one from the grey market is very expensive. The Galaxy Tab should be available in India soon, and is expected to be priced around $500.

Unless Samsung screws up the pricing, I’m definitely getting the Galaxy Tab. Are you?

The early reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Tab are already out (and they are looking great).

Check some out:

Mobile Review – Samsung Galaxy Tab – First Look

Engadget – Samsung Galaxy Tab Preview

Gizmodo – Samsung Galaxy Tab – Quick Look

Samsung Galaxy Tab vs Apple iPad: Comparison

In this post, I will compare the Samsung Galaxy Tab, an Android tablet by Samsung which will be launched on September 2, and the Apple iPad, which is the best tablet available currently.

Apple iPad vs Samsung Galaxy Tab

Display

The Apple iPad has a 9.7 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. The Samsung Galaxy Tab, on the other hand, will have a 7.0 inch SuperAMOLED display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. The SuperAMOLED display of the Galaxy Tab will definitely trump the TFT display of the iPad. The display of the Galaxy Tab is smaller but I would prefer that as it’s more portable.

Hardware

The Apple iPad has a 1 GHz A4 processor and comes with 256 MB RAM. The Galaxy Tab will have a 1 GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor and will have 512 MB RAM. The Galaxy Tab clearly wins in this aspect.

The iPad is available in 16, 32 and 64 GB versions while the Galaxy Tab will have a 16 GB version with support for up to 32 GB microSD cards.

Operating System

The Apple iPad runs the older version of iOS – iOS 3.2.2 which doesn’t offer features like multitasking and folders. It should get the iOS 4 update soon though. The Samsung Galaxy Tab will come with Android 2.2 Froyo and will probably also get the upgrade to Android 3.0 Gingerbread. It offers full multitasking and folder support as well as many other features. I would go with the Galaxy Tab on this one.

After iOS 4 releases for the iPad, the scales may tilt in the iPad’s favor.

Applications and Games

The Apple iPad can run almost all of the 200,000 apps and games built for the iPhone. It also has over 12,000 native applications written specifically for the iPad.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab will presumably support applications from the Android Market, which add up to about 80,000. However, Android apps customized for bigger displays with higher resolutions will be hard to find initially. The iPad definitely wins this one.

Multimedia

Watching videos on the iPad is a huge hassle, as it doesn’t support most video formats. You have to convert videos to M4V, MP4 or MOV using the appropriate codecs (H.264, MPEG-4). On the Galaxy Tab, we will have support for H.264, XviD, DivX, MP4, MKV and even RMVB videos. You will probably be able to play most videos directly without having to convert them. It also has the better display.

The Galaxy Tab will also have a 3.2 MP camera and a front facing VGA camera. The iPad doesn’t have one. The Galaxy Tab easily wins this round.

Connectivity

The iPad offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity. You can also get the 3G connectivity option by paying $130 extra. The Galaxy Tab will sport Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and also includes 3G in the base version. The Galaxy Tab also has a GPS transceiver with A-GPS support, which only the iPad 3G model has. It also has an HDMI out.

Galaxy Tab wins!

The Verdict

I have compared the Apple iPad with what we know about the Samsung Galaxy Tab so far, and the Galaxy Tab clearly comes out on top. It should be priced lower than the iPad. The Galaxy Tab will also be available in countries which don’t have the iPad, like India, which makes it a much better option for me. I am definitely getting the Galaxy Tab, are you?

This tutorial will explain how you can

Install Android 2.2 Froyo on Motorola Droid X
Upgrade to Android 2.2 Froyo on Motorola Droid X

Android 2.2 hasn’t officially been released by Motorola for the Droid X, however a leaked build of Android 2.2 for the Droid X is available. We will install Android 2.2 on the Droid X using the leaked build.

You can install Android 2.2 on a Droid X whether it’s rooted or not.

But your Droid X must be in a stock state before you can update it to Froyo.

Check out this tutorial to know how you can root your Droid X or restore it back to the stock state.

After this is done, or if you have a stock Droid X,

Download Android 2.2 Froyo for Motorola Droid X

Link 1 | Link 2

Connect your Droid X to your PC and copy “update.zip” to the root folder of your SD card.

Reboot your Droid X in recovery mode

Hold down Home + Power button.

When the triangle with the android appears, press Search button

Select “apply sdcard:update.zip”

Your Droid X should now have Android 2.2 Froyo installed and running.

Source: MyDroidWorld

How To Install Android 2.2 Froyo on your Samsung Galaxy S

How to Upgrade Samsung Galaxy S to Android 2.2 Froyo

The latest Android 2.2 Froyo ROM for the Samsung Galaxy S is I9000XXJP2.

Also check out this guide: How to Root Samsung Galaxy S

To upgrade your Samsung Galaxy S to Android 2.2 Froyo, you need to download these files

Odin 3 v1.0
S1_ODIN_20100512.pit
i9000XXJP2 Firmware (password: samsung-firmwares.com)

How to Install/Upgrade To Android 2.2 Froyo on Samsung Galaxy S: Instructions

1. Remove the battery, SIM card and MicroSD card from your phone and reinsert the battery.

2. Hold down the Home + Volume Down buttons and press the Power On button.

3. You should now see a download screen

4. Open Odin 3 v1.0

5. Click on the PIT button and load the “s1_odin_20100512.pit” file

6. Click on the PDA button and load the “I9000XXJP2-REV03-PDA-CL464213.tar” inside the I9000XXJP2 RAR file.

7. Click on the PHONE button and load the “MODEM_I9000XXJP2.tar”inside the I9000XXJP2 RAR file.

8. Click on the CSC button and load the “GT-I9000-CSC-MULTI-OXAJP2.tar”inside the I9000XXJP2 RAR file.

9. Click on the “Re-Partition” checkbox

10. Connect your Galaxy S to your PC with the USB cable and set USB Debugging On (System > Applications > Development > USB Debugging.)

11. Click on the Start button in Odin and your Galaxy S will be upgraded to Android 2.2 Froyo.

Via: Android 2.2 on Galaxy S

This tutorial will explain how you can Root your Motorola Droid X with just one click.

Download the DroidXRoot GUI tool and extract all the files to your Desktop.

On your Droid X, go to System > Applications > Development and enable USB Debugging. Connect your Droid X to your PC via USB and open the DroidXRoot.exe file.

Click on the “Root Me ” button and your Droid X will be rooted soon.

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via AllDroid