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Great HD Camcorder for the Price,
Pros:
- Excellent video quality
- Image stabilization is rock-solid
- Great zoom – 40X+
- Quick and steady focusing
Cons (small ones):
- No optical viewfinder (but none anywhere near this price have one)
- No headphone jack
- No remote control
Overall Review: Great camcorder for the price – excellent video quality.
I’ve had this camcorder for around a month, now, and really like everything about it. The video quality is excellent. In sunlight, especially, you really get that pseudo 3D/picture window effect. The auto-focus is extremely fast, and follows action well. I’d purchased a Sanyo VPC-FH1A before this one, and had terrible troubles following soccer games with it – it would just lose focus and take 3-5 seconds to get it back – no such problems with the SD90, even at very high zoom levels.
Speaking of zoom levels, the SD90 has a 40x “intelligent” optical zoom, which means you get 40x zoom without losing resolution, since the sensor is higher resolution that the 1920×1080 max video resolution. The zoom is crisp and with the Hybrid Optical Image Stabilization, the video is very steady, even at those high zooms. This is the first camcorder I’ve used where the image stabilization really blows me away. I took several race videos this spring standing at the top of a set of bleachers, being buffeted by gusty 30+mph winds, zooming in on individual racers from across the stadium, and there’s _very_ little camera shake apparent (now, the jerky panning is still my fault:-).
The camera is small – almost a little too small for my hands – but it feels solid, and is easy to hold, although the hand strap is kind of narrow and doesn’t feel particularly comfortable. The buttons are placed well enough – since I’ve not really had to change settings very often from the “intelligent auto” mode, the only buttons I’ve really needed to deal with are the start/stop thumb button, and the zoom switch, and they’re both where they should be. One thing I don’t particularly like is the fact that a lot of the controls are on the touch-screen – and I’m one of those people who don’t like my screen being smudged – but that’s not a major problem.
I’ve posted a video here with 1080p sports/action footage from the HDC-SD90 in various lighting situations (does Amazon let me post video links?):
[...]
Read the video comments for information on settings/conversion/etc. on an entry-level iMac.
Edit: Looks like Amazon doesn’t let me post video links. Search for “Panasonic HDC-SD90 1080p Action Sports” on YouTube to find it.
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|A fabulous display. Some reviews here are quite bogus.,
I’ve owned this display a few months (just got the wife one this week, too!), and it’s a FANTASTIC display. I moved from my original Apple 23″ Cinema Display to this 24″ LED Cinema Display, and don’t regret it for a second. The screen is incredibly vivid, and if you don’t have any obvious windows behind you, the glare from the glass is a non-issue. This holds true for Apple’s current notebook lineup.
What I’m really tired of is people complaining that it only works with the Mini-displayport-equipped notebooks. While this is TRUE, it’s not like Apple is hiding it from anyone. It says so right on the box! Apple is switching all its equipment, as they have said, to mini displayport. End of story. If you don’t have a new Apple notebook, you can’t use the display! Go get a different display! Nobody is forcing you to buy this one!
Now, getting back to the review, some might complain that the better part of nine-hundred dollars is a lot of money for a 24″ display. But there is a reason for the price-tag. Several reasons, in fact. First, it uses an IPS panel, which provides wonderful color, and fantastic viewing angles. Every four-hundred dollar screen of this size at Best Buy will be a TN panel, which while having the fastest refresh rate, provides terrible color accuracy and viewing angles that fall off drastically when viewed from any angle other than DEAD center. IPS panels are considerably more expensive for this reason. Second, this is an LED backlit display, not a traditional CCFL backlit display. This means the screen reaches full brightness almost instantaneously after turning it on, whereas CCFL LCD screens take some minutes to achieve the same goal. And, of course, LED lit screens are wonderfully bright compared to CCFL. There is currently, as of typing, no screen out there this size which is LED lit and IPS for this price.
Next, let’s add the fact that it will power your new MacBook/MacBook Pro/MacBook Air because it provided a power plug for your laptop! So now you can leave your laptop charger in your bag! Now, let’s add that this screen has two fairly decent speakers and a rear-facing subwoofer built in. Sure the quality of the speakers isn’t going to be so much that you replace a high-end desktop speaker system with it, but for me, for quiet music and YouTube etc, it’s perfect. And it also has three USB ports in the back for plugging in your other devices. Oh, and it has a webcam/microphone built in!
The ONLY reason I don’t give the display 5 stars is because Apple has a bit of work to do in their “dust-free environments.” I’ve used four of these displays, and each one has had between one and five dust flecks or debris of some sort under the glass. Many people won’t notice, but they’re there, and others have reported such things on the Apple Discussion Boards.
In any case, this should not put you off buying what is perhaps not even arguably the most stunning display on the market (provided you have a new Apple notebook of course!). I, for one, could not be happier. It takes my breath away every time I turn it on.
To sum up, for the cost of this display, you get a stunning LED lit, IPS panel, which serves as a docking station of sorts to your Apple notebook by providing USB ports, microphone, webcam, speakers AND power to it. Great stuff. I think it was worth the money.
4.5/5
*EDIT 5/20/10*
There are now third-party adapters to let you use your own older MacBook/other laptops with the Cinema Display. Use at your own risk. They’re definitely not a guaranteed!
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|So far So Good,
I have only had a little bit of time to play with my new toy, the hdc-sd90k, and so far so good. The zoom is fantastic, the low light illumination LED is great for in the dark, I like the LCD screen size. I couldn’t believe how small this camera was, I have an old cannon digital camera the is bigger/heavier than this camcorder.
I will update this review in a couple weeks after I have had time to mess around with the functions on the camera….I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it though.
Remember that you need to buy a SDHC or SDXC video card also, as it does not have any internal memory.
…Amazon is always so much cheaper and a great place to shop online..
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|Breathtaking at every angle.,
The new Apple Cinema Display is absolutely a site for sore eyes. There is nothing else in the market today that will even come close to the magnificence of this display, cheaper but not better. If you have a new Macbook consider it naked without this display.
Everything from design, to functionality, to connectivity far exceeds what anyone expects from a premium computer display. Using this product makes you question how you ever used anything else. Reading the specs and viewing pictures does no justice to this display. This is a feat that must be experienced at first hand.
Design and functionality go hand and hand. With a built-in webcam, self-powered usb ports, 2.1 speaker system, microphone, and macbook charge cable, nothing else works better and easier than this display. Why buy a cheaper screen that has none of these features. You will still have to power both your Macbook and display with separate power cables. Then you will need to connect external speakers, more wires and another powered source. Then of course an external usb hub, if it needs to power an external HHD you will also need to power that as well, add another cable. Want a camera and recording device? You can either keep your macbook open at all times or buy external ones, more cables to add. Getting cluttered yet?
Once all these things are connected you’ve got a huge octopus with an endless mass of tentacles. Now you want to take your Macbook portable, like you would any laptop, you would think this would be easy. While disconnecting all these external devices just think when you come home you will have to attach them all back. Sounds like fun right. Do it at lease three times a week and the fun will cease to exist.
One cable powers your display, connects from your power socket to your display. That will be the only cable hanging from your outlet. One more cable comes from your the back of the display and connects your macbook. Thats it, all done. The Apple Cinema Display will detect your macbook and work seamlessly. To take your laptop on-the-go just disconnect one cable and your done. One cable does everything.
Another note about the new display is that it is incased completely in aluminum and glass. No external buttons can be found anywhere. Where is the power button? There is no power button. The display turns on the instant your macbook is connected and turns off the instant it is disconnected. Just like the macbook, if something does not have to be there, it isn’t. Simplicity is the key.
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|Fantastic device – pick your Kindle!,
Having been a little overwhelmed by the choices between all the new Kindles and which one to get, I ordered this new basic $79 Kindle first to take for a spin. So far, I like what I see. I also own a Kindle 3 so that’s the only device I can really compare it to at this time (I think a comparison between other tablets and this Kindle is meaningless, this device is all about content and delivery):
1. Form-factor – Compared to the Kindle 3, this Kindle feels more compact, lighter and easier to hold. My hands wrap around this better than K3. Reading books for a few hours at a stretch will be easier on this device compared to the K3. It is the lightest such device I have used compared to all previous Kindles and other tablets.
2. Screen – I personally like the fact that there are no keys on the device and that keys come up on the screen when you need them. Delivers a better overall reading experience. However, navigating through the on-screen keyboard with the 5-way controller can be taxing if you need to do a lot of searching, and you might miss the full physical keyboard. I hardly search on the Kindle itself, I search for books on my laptop so this is a non-issue.
3. Price! – At $79, you can’t go wrong. Compared to buying paperback or hardcover editions, you will recover the cost of this in a matter of a few months because most Kindle content is priced cheaper than print editions (and you get it instantly, and can access it wherever you are). Not to mention all the free Kindle downloads available in the catalog.
4. Display – almost the same E-ink display at the K3. No glare no reflection. You can sit in bright sunlight and read it just like a book. Page turns seem a lot faster on this compared to the K3. Screen size of the Kindle 3, this new Kindle, and the Touch is exactly the same in size.
5. Wi-Fi – this can be a pro or a con (no 3G) depending on a user’s personal preference. If you travel often and would like to be able to download content anywhere without worrying about getting a wi-fi connection, you’re better off sticking with the K3 or waiting for the Touch/Fire. For me, 3G is not a major issue.
6. Text to Speech and Audiobooks – These two features are lacking in this device. I personally have never used these features on my K3. If you listen to audiobooks or TTS or music on your Kindle, again the K3/Touch/Fire might be better options.
7. Storage – this device can store 2GB which they claim is approximately 1400 books. For me, that’s a massive storage capacity and it will be years before I get close to that capacity. Again, if you download books occasionally and have a moderate Kindle downloaded content on your device, 2GB is plenty. Of course, think ahead and see how much you would expect to download in the coming 2 years (I am assuming the device will be outdated and replaced within this time-frame).
8. Battery life – too early to tell but Kindle battery life tends to be great. Specs state that the battery life of this device is 1 month compared to 2 months for the Touch or K3. 1 month is plenty (Android phones need to be charged every hour!). At least I know that if I’m going on a long flight, this device won’t need charging if I charge it up in advance.
9. Power adapter – this Kindle does not come with a power adapter, only a USB charging cable. You can either buy it separately for $8-10, or use your existing USB power adapter. Any USB adapter would work with the charging cable (previous Kindle versions, Apple’s portable devices, and most HTC phones, come with a standard USB power adapter that would work for this device). There are also plenty of $2-3 adapters available here if you search for USB chargers.
Bottom line – the choice between this basic Kindle, the K3 Keyboard, the Touch, and the Fire is really a personal preference. This device itself is meant for the minimalist Kindle user who, like me, reads say a 2-3 books a month, wants a device comfortable to hold, and doesn’t need any fancy bells and whistles on the device. I guess it depends on what you use your Kindle for. If it’s just the basics, this is the perfect device to get.
In my humble opinion, the choices:
(i) If you have a DX or an old Kindle version, or if you don’t have a Kindle yet and are an average book-reader, this is definitely the one to get – baseline model that is affordable and is a pure e-reader.
(ii) If you have Kindle 3 and don’t really need an upgrade, I recommend sticking with the K3, it’s a better device than this one in terms of features. If you do need to upgrade, the Touch is probably a better option because of all the additional features, at a small incremental cost.
(iii) If you’re looking for the loaded full-on Amazon content experience with access to all the apps, streaming audio and video, and playing the “strangely therapeutic” Fruit Ninja, wait for the…
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|So far so good.,
This is a pretty neat little camera.
This is not a power house this is a small camera to carry for quick shots of your kids or even something light to travel with when you larger camera is packed up in your luggage.
It has a few simple really useful functions, a modest zoom (though 5x out does some of the other cameras like this)the lens seems to be doing it’s job. 16 mega pixels makes for a pretty clear photo.
There is small shutter lag but a good sd card seems to help that and it’s on par with other digital cameras of this kind.
I really like this little camera and I look forward to using it.
So far…
Cute
Light
Compact
easy to use
decent photos
A+ for this sort of camera.
I will update at a later date after I use it a bit, maybe even post a sample photo or two.
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|The song I expected.,
Simply the song I had listened to on the radio years ago. Good quality. Immediate delivery. No issues. If you like dance music, download this song.
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|Jeff May – Mary Did You Know?,
I was so pleasantly surprised when I played this free download to find such an incredible voice. This artist was able to take a Christmas classic and turn it into what will be one of my year round gospel favorites. I look forward to listening to other songs as interpreted by Jeff May. A marvelous song – be sure to download.
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|ok for the price,
I settled on this because it was the cheapest 23″ I could get, living in california.
It also has a 3 year advance exchange warranty. Asus pays shipping both ways if you have problems with your monitor, and will ship you a replacement promptly to minimize downtime. This was a big deciding factor in my purchase.
In comparison, Acer (and some other brands) may sell cheaper monitors, but they only pay RMA shipping one way. Shipping to Acer for warranty claims is at your expense. Considering that shipping a monitor can cost around $15 fedex, you can see why I chose Asus, and not Acer.
Features-
The monitor is loaded with connectors. hdmi,dvi,vga, 3.5mm audio, and spdif.
So, if you want to connect a higher powered audio system, you can. If you want to plug in your headphones, you can.
The built in speakers are about as good as a typical laptop’s. Don’t expect much from them. Speaker quality was not a consideration for me when I bought this.
The OSD controls are easy enough to use, though I’ve seen better. There’s a Menu button, back, up, down, and mode button. How hard could it be? Learning curve is minimal.
Performance-
No dead pixels. LED backlight means no warm up time, and instant power on.
There are a few color/brightness settings built in- standard, theater, nighttime, and a few others.
I set mine to Standard, and tweaked the RBG settings myself. Out of the box, it is set to 100% brightness. I turned it down to a comfortable 80%. The colors are bright; almost a tad neon.
This is a TN lcd panel, so you’ll get color shifting at different vertical angles; not so much at different horizontal angles. so the person sitting next to you shouldn’t see that much color distortion. Blacks will show top to bottom gradients depending on your viewing angle.
Gaming performance is good enough. minimal ghosting. The monitor minimizes ghosting by cheating- it has an overdrive feature in the menu called “trace”. If you increase Trace to 60%, response time is lowered. Turn off Trace, and you have a regular 5ms panel. Increasing trace has a negative effect on movies, for example, at the beginning of Sony/columbia movies, where you see the light bursting behind Lady liberty, the light burst is jagged and not smooth. So you’ll only want to turn on Trace when you’re playing games.
This monitor has a matte anti-glare screen surface.
The service menu suggests that the lcd panel manufacturer for this monitor is Chimei Innolux.
This monitor had more uneven backlighting than samsung and LG led-backlit monitors I compared to. The uneven backlighting can be seen as alternating vertical bands of darker/lighter color, when viewing dark non-black backgrounds. See picture attached at the top of the page.
backlight bleeding is typical, on par with other lcd’s. I have a little from the top, but it’s not intrusive.
So, considering the uneven lighting and the fact that other manufacturers’ led panels have more even backlighting, I’d give this 3 stars. I can’t dock off too many stars considering the price paid.
Bonus points for cheap price and good warranty terms.
I will update my review if my monitor ever fails.
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|Facts to Consider when Buying This Kindle Instead of Others,
First off, I received my new Kindle this morning. I previously owned the Kindle Keyboard, but actually really didn’t like the keyboard or the way the buttons were pressed together. I’m not a fan of touch screens so I bought this one.
There are a few things to know about this particular Kindle that can help you decide if it’s right for you…
Here is a list of things to know about this Kindle.
1. You’ll be using an onscreen keyboard with the 5-Way Controller. This is not a problem for setting up WiFi and a little writing but if you are an avid note-taker or do a lot of writing with your Kindle, you might want to opt for the Kindle Keyboard.
2. NO AUDIO – If you are planning on listening to audiobooks, Mp3s, or Text to Speech on your Kindle, this is not the device for you. There is not even a headphone jack, so there is absolutely no audio support.
3. 2GB! This device has 2GB of storage, which is half of all the others… if you seriously need to keep over 1,400 books or so on your Kindle, you should opt for one of the others, all of which have 4GB. I only keep a hundred or so books on mine and the rest are up in the Amazon Cloud waiting for convenient download.
4. There’s no 3G version but the WiFi works just fine.
5. There is a shorter battery life. Amazon reports the battery life is only one month of reading, compared with the others that clock in at two months. If you are going to be away from electricity for over a month, first of all RESPECT!, second of all, you may want a Kindle that has the 2 month battery life.
6. It’s lighter than all the other versions. It weighs in at just under 6oz (170g). The closest competition is the Kindle Touch which is about 7.5oz.
7. It has 5 buttons on the face at the bottom. In the middle is the big 5-Way Controller button as found on other Kindles. There are two small buttons on either side of this. On the left side, from left to right are the “Back” button and the “Keyboard” button. The “Back” button is the same as on other Kindles. The “Keyboard” button calls the onscreen keyboard onto the screen. On the right side of the 5-Way Controller are (again, from left to right) the “Menu” button, and the “Home” button. The “Next Page” and “Previous Page” buttons are the same as on other Kindles.
8. Because of the above 5 buttons, I find it much easier to use than the Kindle Keyboard. On the Kindle Keyboard, the “Back” button was right below the 5-Way Controller, and I accidentally hit it on more than one occasion.
9. On the bottom there is only the mini-USB port, the charging light, and the On-Off Button.
10. There are not a whole lot of covers available for this Kindle yet. (Amazon’s won’t be available until the end of October.)
As for reading, and as a pure reading device. It is awesome… in fact, without the keyboard, audio, and other features I don’t need. This is actually the best one for someone like me who just wants to read.
I’ve already successfully transferred my library, downloaded books over WiFi, and borrowed library books through the Overdrive Library eBooks System. My only small point of dissatisfaction is that there are so few good covers and accessories right now (though there ARE some available that look pretty good).
All in all, I believe this is the BEST of all the Kindles currently available. Only consider others if you:
a. Really want the touch screen version.
b. Need audio.
c. Need 4GB
d. Need a big Kindle DX.
e. Take a lot of notes or do a lot of writing that requires a keyboard.
f. Prefer the design of another version.
g. Need more than a month’s battery power.
Hope this helps someone make a good decision!
(Brief update: I love this Kindle, but right now the scarcity of good, inexpensive covers for it is a little troubling. The Amazon made leather one with light won’t be available until November or so and there are currently no inexpensive ones to use in the interim. I’ll just have to use it gently for a month or so.)
Update on cases:
I mentioned this in the comments section, but I’ll repeat it here for people who can’t yet find a good case -
Checking the specifications for the Kindle, Nook Touch, and Kobo:
Nook Touch
6.5 x 5 x 0.5 inches
Kobo Reader
6.5 X 4.5 inches
Kindle (4th Generation)
6.5 x 4.5 x 0.34 inches
It looks like the Kobo is about exactly the same size and the Nook Touch is slightly longer. If you need a case but can’t find one that you like yet, it may be worth a little hunting to see if a nook or kobo case or cover might fit the bill.
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|Just Beautiful!,
What a wonderful voice! His version of this beautiful song is just that…beautiful.
Where can I find more music by this artist?
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|Went from an iPad 1 to Galaxy Tab 2 and love it,
So this device just came out this morning, and I hadn’t planned on buying it but I was down at my local best buy store and played with it just to see what it was and loved it! Let me say I used to have all apple stuff, apple computer, iphone, ipad, etc. Over the last year my apples have rotted, went bad and needed to be replaced. Instead of paying high dollar for all new apple stuff I went back to a windows PC, an Andorid Galaxy S2 phone, still had the iPad but it was in need of replacement.
So I got to Best Buy they didn’t have these out yet but they pulled one out and let me play with it while they set up the are for the demo unit to go. I liked it, very snappy, great screen. The device comes preloaded with ICS on it, it’s VERY snappy with zero lag so far.
The screen while not a retina display like the iPad is still clear enough for me. After all I’m not holding this inches from my face. if you do you get a chance to play with 1 of these before you buy go to the movies app on the device and play the life demo to see how clear and crisp the display is.
It quickly synced up with my Google account and I was already able to start downloading apps from the play store within minutes of getting it turned on.
So far this device is excellent. It feels like it’s built well, the back is not as fancy as the Galaxy S2 phone however I plan on getting a case for this so the back battery panel to me doesn’t matter much.
I’ll update this later after I get more time to play with it, so far though for $250 this is a great deal. I also played with the Kindle Fire and the Blackberry playbook both which were available for $199, but I opted to spend the $50 more for the Samsung as I’ve been impressed with Samsung quality over the years. (Currently my TV’s, blu ray players, computer monitor, phone and now tablet are all samsung brand. They make good products in my opinion.)
–UPDATE 8 hours later–
I used the GPS on this earlier and google navigation/maps to get me to the hardware store. Ok I didn’t NEED it but I wanted to test it out. I found that you MUST have internet for google maps to give you directions, I had a hotspot in my car so I turned it on and navigation worked perfect. If you don’t have wifi you can still use GPS, it does lock on fast however it can’t query to get you directions. If you used an offline GPS program like navigon or something that would do the trick, but YES gps is accurate and fast.
I also used the bluetooth on this to stream music from the Tab 2 to my car, quality was excellent.
Apps and stuff, so far every app I have tried is compatible with the exception of one, and I can’t remember what that one was so it was one I really didn’t use much at all I guess. I have put a few games on to test it, so far so good and still no lag.
Hows the keyboard? It comes with stock ICS keyboard and it works well, if you start typing fast there is a tiny lag between hearing the click of the feedback and seeing the character appear, however all letters make it without any vanishing. I am looking for another keyboard though as spelling isn’t built in it appears… I am probably switching to Swiftkey or swype both which appear compatible with the device.
Also, the IR Blaster = awesome! I was going to buy a $100 harmony remote for my entertainment system, well this Galaxy Tab 2 has an IR blaster built right in and the application for it is simple to configure. Less then 3 minutes I had it set to turn my TV on, control my bose sound system and also control my Tivo HD and Blu Ray player. Very slick!
More to come, if you have questions on how this works please leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them quickly. Also, if you find this review helpful please make sure to mark it as such!
–UPDATE–
Morning after, do I regret buying it? Nope, still a fantastic device and I’ll tell you a few more things I found out.
1. I use Dropbox on my home computer and put the app on this tablet. I also use a tivo at home and thought about how could I get my shows on my tivo to my computer then to my tablet? Well I use TivoToGo to transfer shows to my computer, then I place them in a drop box folder and they sync automatically to my dropbox account. I then on the tablet have an app (free and paid versions) called “Folder Sync” and I have that set to every hour check my drop box Tivo folder and download any latest tv shows my computer has copied. This means that in the morning when I leave for work my tablet has all my shows from the previous night I didn’t get to watch on it so I can for instance watch one or two on my lunch break, without having to have a wifi connection at work!
2. Need to make a phone call? Unfortunately this device doesn’t have phone support. However Skype works great with both video calls and audio calls. You can pay for a phone…
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|A great LED monitor for the price,
I bought this at a local brick and mortar, rather than on Amazon.
No dead pixels and easy setup. Some people have complained that the menu is confusing to go through, but I didn’t find that to be the case.
I have this setting side by side next to my Acer p221w 22″ LCD and I must say that the difference is pretty noticable. 23″ LED full HD with a 2ms response time and goes up to 75hz all for under $200 …Asus you ROCK.
The only thing I don’t like about the monitor is the top housing. It is very thick and has an edge on it in the back…If you have a webcam that mounts to the top of a flat panel, won’t work.
If you get this monitor, make sure to register it on Asus’ webpage, otherwise the 3 year warranty is void.
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|Why I prefer the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 to the Kindle Fire,
I have a Kindle Fire and do enjoy using it (for the most part) — love the form factor, enjoy the apps that I can get for it and am very pleased with the Kindle eReader app and ability to share books across all our Kindles. But when we were offered an opportunity to check out the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 a few days early, we jumped at the chance. The Kindle Fire is great at what it does, but its custom Android O/S, non-standard Web browser, limited selection of apps, lack of expandable storage and lack of Bluetooth support leave me cold.
*Browser Issues*
I’ve experienced multiple issues trying to browse web sites with the Kindle’s Silk browser which work fine on the Galaxy Tab 2 and other full-fledged Android devices. Specifically on many sites with Flash content, I get a message on the Fire that viewing the content requires an update to Flash, but clicking on the link to upgrade the release of Flash fails after the download of the new version. The Fire is apparently unable to open and run the Flash installation file. Also, Web apps like the Facebook versions of “Words with Friends” or “Bejeweled Blitz” are really kludgy on the Fire, though the native Words with Friends app for the Fire does work fine (well except when it dies with a “Force Close” error which has been happening more often than not lately). Also, the content management system we use on our web site is able to load pages (articles) on the Fire, but unable to scroll within large text input windows. The same problem does not occur on the Galaxy Tab 2′s browser. The Silk browser is able to access many web sites properly, but when it fails, there isn’t much you can do since updates to the Silk browser have been few and far between.
*App and content space*
The Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 each come with 8 GB of internal storage on board. The Kindle Fire has no expandable storage, as it is designed to work in “The Cloud.” In other words, they expect you to store music and movies on an internet-based cloud storage area for access when you want it. The big caveat here is that the Kindle Fire offers only WiFi access (no 4G support) so if you do not happen to have a WiFi hotspot or home network handy (like, for example, on a long distance car trip), your cloud-based content is completely inaccessible. I filled up the Kindle Fire’s internal storage within the first six weeks of ownership. If I want to install more apps or add local content now, I’ll have to remove some from the device. These apps and content are still available to download later from the cloud, if I wish to do so, but this really isn’t convenient. The Galaxy Tab 2 also lacks 4G support (in its current version) but its standard microSDHC slot allows you to expand the on-board storage up to an additional 32 GB, which is plenty of room to move your movies, music and additional content to be stored locally without requiring access to the internet.
*Bluetooth Support*
When I am taking notes at an event or meeting, there’s nothing like a full sized QWERTY keyboard. With the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, you can connect just about any standard Bluetooth keyboard and happily start typing away at full speed. With the Kindle Fire, since it lacks Bluetooth support, you do not have this option. Also, when you want to listen to music, movies or apps on the Fire without bothering those around you, you’ll need to plug in a pair of standard headphones (with the jack awkwardly placed on the bottom of the device instead of the top). With the Galaxy Tab 2, not only is the jack placed more logically at the top, but you can also use Bluetooth 3.0 stereo headphones for high quality sound without the wired tether.
*Cameras*
The Kindle Fire lacks an on-board camera while the Galaxy Tab 2 includes both a front and rear-facing camera. Admittedly the camera on the Galaxy Tab can’t really compare with a real digital camera (particularly indoors) but having the camera available on the Galaxy does allow you to snap a quick pic when the real camera may have been left at home, or participate in Google+ Hangouts (not an option on the camera-free Kindle).
*Limited App Support*
Amazon’s Kindle Fire, like Barnes and Noble’s Nook Tablet, is not compatible with the Google Play Store app market. To install apps, you have to use the proprietary Amazon app market which has a limited selection of apps. There’s no access to cool apps like the Logitech Harmony app, or the Samsung or Panasonic remote control Android apps for their TVs and Blu-ray players. The list of Android apps you can’t get for the Fire goes on (and on… and on). And speaking of remote apps, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 comes pre-loaded with the Peel app which uses the Galaxy Tab’s integrated IR port (another option not available on the Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet) to…
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|Breakthrough Price & Value,
This is a brand new product from Samsung that breaks the $250 price barrier. There are a lot of tablets at or below this price but they are mostly very low end devices with slow CPUs, poor screens and built for non-US markets. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 makes none of the compromises typical of this price point and provides the same kind of performance you’d expect from the rest of the Samsung Galaxy Tab portfolio. It’s fast, slick, has a great screen and even has Android 4.03 (Ice Cream Sandwich). I do like the new operating system and adapted to it in minutes. In addition to front & rear cameras there is bluetooth and even an IR blaster so you can use it as a remote for your TV. It only took a minute to set that up and get a program guide downloaded. All the apps on my Gingerbread phone loaded up to the Tab and run fine on the ICS platform. I can’t comment on battery life yet as I plugged it for the initial charge and setup and haven’t run on battery yet. As far as WiFi reception goes, it picks up all the same signals at the same strength as my laptop so no problem there.
If you’ve been waiting for a 7″ tablet with Android 4 your wait is over.
UPDATE: Now that I’ve had it for about 10 days I can report that battery life is very good. After being online for several hours the battery still had more than 70% remaining.
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