News - Samsung sells 600,000 Galaxy tabs in first month

[HEXUS]

But does that make it a success?

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[kingpotnoodle]

if it's too big to fit in your pocket - and thus requires a bag - you might as well go the whole hog and go as big as possible. However, there are currently at least 600,000 people who disagree.

Not if you have to carry it very far, few people want a 3-4Kg 15-18" or more hanging off their shoulder when they travel... a pad or smaller device fits in the same bag as everything else and weighs a lot less.

These Android tablets (and iPad) are too compromised though, they do little my phone can't (or sometimes less if no call ability) , albeit slightly easier to use on a bigger screen. Other than a phone I'd rather have a fuller OS but in a portable device max raw power is a secondary consideration behind portability for me, just enough to get things done is what I need (so I have a 1.5Kg Windows laptop).

A pad with Ubuntu, Windows 7 or Windows CE might be more useful, but in order to win me over from a small laptop they'd have to go <1Kg (to make up for the inconvenience of no keyboard) and still achieve 7-8hrs+ battery on moderate use, and be quick enough - it's not good having a fuller OS if it's just dog slow (single core Atom/1GB machines, I look at you).

I feel that much like iPads, the Android tablets are more toys, consumer gadgets for leisure - not productive/useful devices... plenty of people would be able to do all they want to do on them, just not me!

[Spud1]

I'd be interested to see what the returns figures are for the Tab

I finally got a chance to have a proper play with one at the weekend, and to compare it against an iPad..and I have to say it felt like a giant Android phone, and nothing more. I think thats largely due to the fact that its too small to be a "proper" tablet, and also just that bit too thick..it just doesn't feel as nice and "right" to hold as the iPad.

The iPad suffers from a similar problem in that its really a giant iPhone, however the 10" screen is over double that of a standard iPhone 4, and it does bring with it extra functionality in terms of the UI which you just don't get with the Tab..yet. This again may change with Android 3.0 so I think that we really need to wait for that before we can call the success or failure of the tab..thats assuming it gets the upgrade!

With the recent announcement by Orange of subsidised iPads being available soon i'll be sorely tempted to pick one up when the new one is released next year..maybe subsidisation would boost/save the tab too? Would definitely make it more appealing imo.