Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (10.1-Inch, White)
CUSTOMER REVIEWI operated a computer company for about 25 years and have grown with the computer industry. This tablet is simply amazing because it is simple, yet complicated, and very reliable. I purchased this unit for three features, it's a Samsung, the microUSB interface and the IR capability. I have a 3 year old Samsung Droid phone and I love it. I am a photographer and wanted the ability to preview images in the field. The microUSB port gives me that capability. If you want to use the microUSB capability, an accessory is required, the Samsung micro USB/USB Connector. I bought mine at Fry's Electronics for $20. One end is micro USB for the tablet and the other is standard USB for things like card readers and flash drives. Caution: I attempted uploading images through the connector using a USB card reader but it failed. Then I tried a USB connection directly with the camera and it worked. I also purchased a more expensive card reader, the Vivitar 50-1, and was able to upload images with that reader. In other words, you may have to try a couple readers to find one compatible with the tablet. I also tried interfacing a notebook hard drive through the USB port but there wasn't enough juice to get the drive spinning. The tablet also has a 64GB storage limit on the removable microSD card.
I am embarrassed to say that I moved to this unit from a Nook. I won't make a comparison because there is no comparison. They are two different worlds. If you buy this Samsung, download the free, companion Kies software from the Samsung Web site. It will enable you to move files back and forth from your desktop or laptop. You can do the same thing using the file browser on your computer. I was really concerned about my contacts in Microsoft Outlook. I have been through the "moving contacts" nightmare countless times with different devices. The Kies software found my Outlook .pst file on my desktop hard drive and imported it flawlessly. The format for contacts on the tablet is very nice.
Using the My Files app built into the tablet, you can view all the folders on the tablet internal drive and external memory card in a tree format. You can move files, copy files, rename files, delete files and make and delete folders. If you are a power user, these features will appeal to you.
It comes with Polaris, an Android version of Microsoft Office that is compatible, file wise, with Office. I have only used it to view Word attachments that I have received in emails. The printer in my office is set up for sharing on the office network. When I wanted to print an email, the Samsung tablet immediately found the printer and printed the email pronto. Slick.
Audio: Until now, my earbud purchases were for cheapies at any discount store. However I was unhappy with the audio volume on the tablet when playing music videos. I did some earbud research and found some good reviews on a set of Marley buds that have a rocker switch for up and down volume and a mic button in the middle. When you press the mic button, the display changes to a voice input screen, perfect for asking a question. Apparently the buds are designed for the iPad as the volume switch does nothing. No big deal, I adjust volume on the display. The big deal is that I get so MUCH volume from these buds that I can't keep the volume at the highest level without breaking my ear drums. Also the audio quality itself is incredible. Get yourself a set of quality buds. I found these $60 buds on sale at Radio Shack for $25. The tablet has another cool feature, Adapt Sound which is found in the settings menu. When you start Adapt Sound a series of beeps will be transmitted to your buds or earphones so the tablet can perfectly adjust the audio to your hearing. This feature makes a huge difference in the sound.
It comes with a free 2 year, 50GB subscription to Dropbox, a cloud utility. I am going on vacation next week to the middle of nowhere. I will be able to take images, and upload them to Dropbox using the Hotspot feature on the Samsung phone in conjunction with the tablet.
I watched a youtube.com review of this unit and the guy was unboxing the tablet complaining about the display resolution, although he had not yet looked at the display. This unit has a VERY impressive display. My pictures look AWESOME and I have uploaded some videos for the plane portion of my trip. They look AWESOME too. The unit has a new dual core Intel processor enabling the videos to play flawlessly. I watched another youtube.com video comparing this unit with the iPad 4. The reviewer was talking about how much better the specs are on the iPad, and they are. However there is something called the real world. I am sure the iPad display is somewhat better. However, as a photographer I can tell you that the Samsung display is awesome. This same reviewer also mentioned that the Samsung slowed down. When? When he was playing games and watching movies at the same time. What? Some of the conclusions in online reviews are simply idiotic.
I purchased the white version and the unit itself is pleasing to the eye. I use the voice feature for creating and responding to emails and it works very well. I mentioned the IR, infa red feature. You can control your tv's, Directv set top box, stereo and a whole bunch of other IR home entertainment stuff. The Directv app is awesome as it has a much more comprehensive guide format than that found on your TV.
I have experienced 2 glitches with the unit when starting it up after it had charged all night. The first time it hung up and then corrected itself. The second time I had to reboot. That does not concern me as the unit operates 99.9% of the time perfectly.
If you're a computer savvy business person or a computer newbie, I think that you will find this unit to be very user friendly and functionally appealing.
I wanted to post more of a hands on review and I hope that you find it helpful. Would I purchase this unit again? Absolutely. I now have my day to day life in this thing and take it everywhere with me. It's a great personal assistant.
Update on 9/17/2013: Just got back from a week trip with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3. Before I left for the trip, I rented 2 movies from my neighborhood movie store and converted them to MP4's using DVD Catalyst. Then I copied them to the 32GB chip I had in the tablet using the USB Connector that I mentioned earlier. I also did the same thing with 2 music DVD's. I had great entertainment on the 2 1/2 hour plane ride coming and going to my destination. I also ordered a 64GB chip but it didn't arrive before I left. A 32GB chip will give you plenty of room. I did discover a problem. Using the built in browser or Chrome, it is impossible to load Flash. I did find a simple solution and that is to purchase the app browser Puffin for $2.99 from the app store that is built into the tablet. It's a full-featured, super great browser and you'll have no issues with Flash. I'm thinking that a future firmware update will correct that issue but it is minor. I used the tablet for downloading images in my camera and it worked great. It downloads them into a folder, Imported Pictures, located in the internal memory of the tablet. I simply moved them to folders I had created in the microSD chip I had inserted into the tablet. While I was on my trip, a friend's wife became so excited about the tablet that we drove 100 miles to purchase one for her.