Djarum
All-Pro
- Location
- Huntsville, AL
- Name
- Jason
I've been in the market for a tablet, preferably android tablets. When I did some shopping months ago, I looked at a few, such as the ASUS transformer tablet and the Acer Iconia tablet. At the time, the tablets were running Honeycomb 3.0. After playing with them in the stores, I decided that Honeycomb just wasn't as polished as it could be. Fast forward a few months, and 3.1 has been released for all the major tabs, and some of the new one's ship with 3.1. So after spending 3 hours between two stores playing with the tabs, thought I'd give some impressions.
First, I think I need to mention what I am looking for and want to use it for. Basically, I want to use it for browsing and watching a video here and there, but I also want one so that while I'm on vacation I can pop my pictures in and view them.
Acer Iconia a500:
One of the first on the market, after the Xoom. The build quility is pretty good. Pricing is pretty agressive too right now. In comparison to all the other tablets, the screen quality is the worst. It has a screen door effect. It does get reasonably bright and colors are good, but off-angle viewing is not good at all. Heavier and thicker than an ipad, I didn't it, especially for my larger hands. It has a full USB and microSD.
Moto XOOM:
One of the first on the market, it seems dated already. the screen is as bad as the Iconia, however it is a tad thinner and smaller. It has microSD expansion, but no USB. From what I have read, a USB OTG device can be plugged into the microUSB slot for a USB host to use for thumbdrives, and it does work with 3.1. As far as price goes, it is comperable to the rest of the tabs since it has been reduced by 100 bucks in stores.
ASUS Transformer:
This tab is about as thick and heavy as the rest of them, but the build quality is not up to the first two mentoned. It has a plastic dimpled back which does help for holding it, but there seems to be a sharp edge on the side where the plastic meets the metal bevel. The screen is really nice compared to the first previous two. It is an IPS screen so there is no screen door effect. Its brighter and better off-angle axis than the previous two. Even with running 3.1 I find that swiping between screens seemed a bit laggier than other tabs. It has the ability to have a dock for a keyboard, which at first glance seems cool. I don't need a fully laptop replacement, and since it does not have a USB port on the tab itself, I wouldn't be able to easily pop in pictures to view. ASUS has mentioned a dongle in the works that would go from their proprietary pin-out to USB host. It is not available at the moment though.
Toshiba thrive:
This is one of the newer tablets. It has a very different approach design wise. It is the thickest and heaviest of the tablets. However, the back has a nice rubberized texture to it. Also, the back can come off to replace the battery. Currently, all the Android tabs require service to replace the battery. There are also different colored backs which can be put on the tab as well. As far as holding it in the hand, it is a bit heavy. However, since it has a larger bezel to it, it has more room to grip the tab without actually touching the screen. The tab has a full sized HDMI, SD(not micro), and USB ports. The screen gets pretty bright, and has no screen door effect. The off angle viewing is better than the Xoom and Iconia, but its not up to the level of the Transformer Tab. I think it has a more natural look than the Transformer tab, however. The tab does not have gorilla glass like most of the other tabs, but it seems pretty durable. The other nice thing is that Toshiba has added a full file manager to work with the SD cards and USB ports.
Samsung Galaxy 10.1
This is the thinnest of the Android tabs. Its as thin and light as an Ipad 2. The screen is quite bright but overly saturated. It has the best off angle viewing of any of the tabs. The one big drawback is that it does not have SD expansion. This is one of the reasons I was not a big fan of the Ipad 2. In the hand, it feels light, but for my larger hands, the thinnest means I don't have a good grip. As far as build quality, it feels probably the best from the feel point of view, but I think the Toshiba would actually hold up better. The two big drawbacks is that the flash memory can't be expanded nor does it have a USB port. Samsung has made an accesory to go from the proprietary pin-out to a USB host.
Considering all the tabs mentioned have similar specs, in use, with 3.1, they all felt similar in performance. I think its about features and design that set the tabs apart.
If I was looking for more of just an e-reader or just something to browse the web while sittin in a coffee shop, the Samsung is the best bet, other than price. I think someone wanting, like me, more of a laptop replacement, I feel the Toshiba would be the best, regardless of the weight and size differences. The ASUS offers alot too, but it isn't for me until they make a USB dongle for it.
First, I think I need to mention what I am looking for and want to use it for. Basically, I want to use it for browsing and watching a video here and there, but I also want one so that while I'm on vacation I can pop my pictures in and view them.
Acer Iconia a500:
One of the first on the market, after the Xoom. The build quility is pretty good. Pricing is pretty agressive too right now. In comparison to all the other tablets, the screen quality is the worst. It has a screen door effect. It does get reasonably bright and colors are good, but off-angle viewing is not good at all. Heavier and thicker than an ipad, I didn't it, especially for my larger hands. It has a full USB and microSD.
Moto XOOM:
One of the first on the market, it seems dated already. the screen is as bad as the Iconia, however it is a tad thinner and smaller. It has microSD expansion, but no USB. From what I have read, a USB OTG device can be plugged into the microUSB slot for a USB host to use for thumbdrives, and it does work with 3.1. As far as price goes, it is comperable to the rest of the tabs since it has been reduced by 100 bucks in stores.
ASUS Transformer:
This tab is about as thick and heavy as the rest of them, but the build quality is not up to the first two mentoned. It has a plastic dimpled back which does help for holding it, but there seems to be a sharp edge on the side where the plastic meets the metal bevel. The screen is really nice compared to the first previous two. It is an IPS screen so there is no screen door effect. Its brighter and better off-angle axis than the previous two. Even with running 3.1 I find that swiping between screens seemed a bit laggier than other tabs. It has the ability to have a dock for a keyboard, which at first glance seems cool. I don't need a fully laptop replacement, and since it does not have a USB port on the tab itself, I wouldn't be able to easily pop in pictures to view. ASUS has mentioned a dongle in the works that would go from their proprietary pin-out to USB host. It is not available at the moment though.
Toshiba thrive:
This is one of the newer tablets. It has a very different approach design wise. It is the thickest and heaviest of the tablets. However, the back has a nice rubberized texture to it. Also, the back can come off to replace the battery. Currently, all the Android tabs require service to replace the battery. There are also different colored backs which can be put on the tab as well. As far as holding it in the hand, it is a bit heavy. However, since it has a larger bezel to it, it has more room to grip the tab without actually touching the screen. The tab has a full sized HDMI, SD(not micro), and USB ports. The screen gets pretty bright, and has no screen door effect. The off angle viewing is better than the Xoom and Iconia, but its not up to the level of the Transformer Tab. I think it has a more natural look than the Transformer tab, however. The tab does not have gorilla glass like most of the other tabs, but it seems pretty durable. The other nice thing is that Toshiba has added a full file manager to work with the SD cards and USB ports.
Samsung Galaxy 10.1
This is the thinnest of the Android tabs. Its as thin and light as an Ipad 2. The screen is quite bright but overly saturated. It has the best off angle viewing of any of the tabs. The one big drawback is that it does not have SD expansion. This is one of the reasons I was not a big fan of the Ipad 2. In the hand, it feels light, but for my larger hands, the thinnest means I don't have a good grip. As far as build quality, it feels probably the best from the feel point of view, but I think the Toshiba would actually hold up better. The two big drawbacks is that the flash memory can't be expanded nor does it have a USB port. Samsung has made an accesory to go from the proprietary pin-out to a USB host.
Considering all the tabs mentioned have similar specs, in use, with 3.1, they all felt similar in performance. I think its about features and design that set the tabs apart.
If I was looking for more of just an e-reader or just something to browse the web while sittin in a coffee shop, the Samsung is the best bet, other than price. I think someone wanting, like me, more of a laptop replacement, I feel the Toshiba would be the best, regardless of the weight and size differences. The ASUS offers alot too, but it isn't for me until they make a USB dongle for it.