Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (WiFi, 16GB, Black) - UK Version

Bought the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 16 GB tablet online from a different supplier as Amazon were unable to explain the price difference between the black and the white versions of this tab. The black one was on offer at £359.10 whereas the white one was shown as £399. I notice today the prices have gone up so I don't know what is going on with Amazon. The competitor still has low prices.

I am very pleased with my purchase but you would probably want to know what led me to buy this over other tablets.

My priority was watching videos and listening to music, with SKYPE and GPS navigation coming second. It was a toss between getting the latest mobile phone (would have been more expensive and in the end the screen is too small for my needs), a Sat Nav (only does the navigation), an MP3/4 player (small screen, limited functionality). It was not an easy decision to make. I spent lots of days reading reviews, watching YouTube videos, checking prices and trying to sort the wheat from the chuff. It seemed an impossible task to do for someone who is a technophobe but hey! I have graduated with honours from this :)

Initially I flirted with the Blackberry 7 inch tab because the size seemed ideal for my needs but then I discovered you couldn't install Skype on it and that it would only communicate with Blackberry devices for face to face talk. It was a pity because I really loved the loud, rich sound that came off its built-in speakers. On further examination, I found the moves to access menus/screens too complicated - too much to take in/remember. The Blackberry was out of the competition.

The Sony tablet had the weakest sound, even though it looked beautiful. The graphics had smaller pixels but the colours were drab - so disappointing, even at full brightness. On further investigation (i.e. reading the detailed manual) I found lots of little things that I wasn't happy with. The Sony was out of the competition.

The Samsung proved to be the golden mean. Good sound, so that external speakers are not required, and great picture quality. Plus on further investigation (I downloaded the manuals for both tablets and compared functions) the Galaxy fitted my needs better. I was worried about the absence of SD and HDMI slots but realised that nowadays you can do most things over the airwaves (Bluetooth) and you can store backups online. However, I did buy the specially designed USB and SD card adapters (they come in one package) as well as the HDMI adapter (reviews already done on Amazon.)

I hear people complain that the manual that comes with the tablet is insufficient. Well that is because companies nowadays cut down on the use of printed matter for environmental reasons and also there is a full manual (some 170 pages long) online: http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/mobile-devices/tablets/tablets/GT-P7510FKDXEU-support

I also hear that people are disappointed they cannot stream their films from the tablet which was used to download them to their HDTV. That is not the tablet's fault. It is the DRM business... Digital Rights Management, which locks films. Unprotected films will play nicely on your TV as well as films you have made on your camcorder (just mind the format as not all formats are compatible; still easy to convert using one of the many programmes online or using Window Live Movie Maker - came with Windows 7 - to save file. It immediately turns it into a WMV file which the tablet can read.)

Take time to play with your new tablet and explore its many features and then browse the apps store for anything your heart desires. Don't listen to the people who say the Ipad has more apps. The Android market has more than enough and it is ever growing. Besides the Ipad has a really pitiful sound and I am sorry but I want to share my games and films with my daughter and not be reliant on headphones.

What else can I tell you about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1?

The first time you switch it on, it will ask you to give the network name and protocol. This info should be with the documentation sent to you by your ISP along with your modem or you can ring them to verify the protocol. Nothing to panic about.

If after that you cannot connect to your wi-fi, check the settings. It is probably that the wi-fi function is turned off. It took me 2 phonecalls (one to my ISP and one to the technical support of the seller) to eventually discover this on my own. The other option would have been to take it to the store and waste 2 hours of my life. I just can't believe their so-called experts didn't think of this simple thing!

Do purchase tablet security before you start downloading things or use the free AVG app. Beware of apps using a well-known name. The way I see it, if it is not advertised on the company's official website, it is not authentic, so why risk it.

I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

Hope my review was helpful. All the best in your selection!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a great Tablet PC using the Android 3.1 o/s with which many will be familiar. It may not be as slick or as cosmetically attractive o/s system as the Apple iPad, but it works just as well, and sometimes even better. The WiFi connection works very well, as does the 3G (with your appropriate SIM card) Maps work very well and very fast with the built in GPS (and either Wifi or 3G help) The supplied Polaris Office suite is excellent, and you can open and work with Microsoft Office docs spreadsheets, PP files - doc. docs. xl. xls etc Once connected to your Windows PC the Galaxy 10.1 can be browsed with the files for copying and transferring files by drag and drop, or via the Samsung Kies software. There are some excellent Android applications at very reasonable prices which are easy to install either via your PC on the Android Market web page, or directly on the Galaxy Tab itself.

Just two minor dislikes: No separate slot for a memory card (have to purchase the adaptor kit) and the charger also connects via the same data port, so you cannot charge the Tablet at same time as using any other interface.

I have had no problems at all, battery life is good (about 11-12 hours per charge) supplied applications work very well, great to be able to transfer files between Tablet and Windows PC. You can import Outlook Contacts direct to the Tablet via Kies software, and also make back ups of files to your PC.

Very pleased, once you adjust to the Android o/s (if not already familiar with it) then it's a fantastic Tablet and good value.

(I purchased my Galaxy 10.1 several months ago, and finally got round to write this review).
The Galaxy looks nice in white, and it feels lighter compared to the Ipad 2.
There are not many leather cases available, the ipad had a huge selection.
As part of the Galaxy purchase, make sure you also purchase some charging cables,
they are low cost, and I now keep one in the car and one at home.
Please excuse the frequent ipad comparisons, I did this because I figured some
people would want to know.
In terms of build, it feels strong. Some people may prefer Aluminium ipad,
but I prefer a modern plastic than aluminium, and the Galaxy plastic does not
'feel' cheap, in fact the overall impression is great. I believe the Galaxy chassis
internally is metal, although I'm not sure. Anyway, in several months of owning it, I'm
very satisfied with the build quality.

The Galaxy is truly PC-independant, and does not rely on iTunes to be running.
If you want a software update, it can download and install itself with
no PC connection at all, and no need to perform any backups. It was quick and painless
to perform the upgrade. With Apple, I had to have 400MByte downloads to
the PC (it may have changed now) to perform updates.

If you want to connect to a PC for file transfers, then it is possible to transfer files
(PDFs, music) from the PC simply by normal drag-and-drop, just like a USB memory stick.
This is not possible with the iPad, which needs iTunes. If you are using a Mac,
then I believe some software is needed to perform the drag and drop, but with Windows,
I needed to install absolutely nothing on my PC. This is great, because I have
many PDF books and many MP3s and I can easily transfer them.
The built-in reader software allows me to categorise the books, and annotate and
highlight pages, and instantly be able to see all pages with annotations/highlights.
I have very large PDF files, and it handles them no problem.
With the recent software upgrade, it is possible to do nice things like transfer
my MP3s from the Galaxy to others, e.g. via e-mail, directly from the music player
software. Apple would never allow you to do that, since they tie you into the iTunes
store for music purchases. I can download MP3s directly from the web for free, no need
for Apple's music store any longer. Also, as part of the Samsung software update, there
is an 'Amazon MP3' application, and using this, it is possible to purchase MP3s from Amazon
(I managed this in the UK).

I too saw the 'newton's rings' problem (I purchased it as soon as it was released), but if you
raise a case with Samsung via the Samsung website, they will offer to replace or repair it.
I did raise a case, but I have not sent it in so far, because the problem does not bother me much
(it is cosmetic) and to be honest I would miss the usage of the tablet meanwhile. I think it may
bother some people, even though it is cosmetic. By the way, as soon as the tablet it turned on,
then the rings are not visible(they are visible when the tablet is off).
I suspect if you purchase now, you will probably not experience the problem anyway.

The built-in software has some nice features. The map software is excellent, it has voice search
(which seems very reliable so far), and I can search for (say) restaurants near me, built-in
GPS, and I think the map and direction experience is way better than the ipad, and it is for free!
The e-mail client is nice, I use it with my hotmail, but gmail worked fine for me too. It can work
with corporate Microsoft accounts too, but I have not done this so far.
Best of all, if I one day want to write my own apps, then I can using Java, instead of proprietary
Apple Objective-C (which needs a Mac to do the programming).

In conclusion, I'm very happy with the Galaxy.