There are ‘value add’ features all over the Galaxy Tab experience. Audio, video, docking and one very important one apps.

Samsung have obviously spent a lot of time and money developing a suite of apps for the Galaxy Tab and, like the video experience, it lifts the device above most Android experiences.

In this video I go over all of Samsungs Tab-specific apps. One feature you’ll see a lot is multiple windows panes within applications when they are used in landscape mode. As screens get bigger you’ll see a lot more of this and it’s a feature that Microsoft will have to take note of if they ever want to compete in the consumer tablet space.

In summary, the Samsung apps add a lot to the device but there’s a few areas that need improvement. The Contacts and Calendar app definitely need a bit of spice in my opinion.

Enjoy the video and let me know what you think in the comments below and check out the rest of our Galaxy Tab coverage here.

A full video demonstration of video capabilities is embedded further down in this article. Thanks to Techdepot for supporting us with the Galaxy Tab

I admit was a little suspicious of the claims that the Galaxy Tab could play back ‘Full HD’ content but it’s now confirmed. I’ve managed to play back two 1080p H.264 format files. To be honest, 720p is the perfect fit for a device like this, especially as it has no digital video outputs (unconfirmed but ‘settings’ offers only PAL and NTSC as ‘TV-OUT’ options for the docking connector) but if you’re the sort of person that carries around films in 1080p format you’ll be pleased to hear this.

There are caveats though. The first is that I’ve only managed to play back H.264 at 1080p levels. The second is that the Galaxy Tab doesn’t support multi-channel audio. I.e. it can’t mix down to two channels. Finally, I can’t seem to get an MPEG-2 file to play. Those with pure DVD copies (vobs) might want to take note and do some more research on that.

In terms of video file format support I’ve had success with AVI and MKV containers and WMV, H.264, Xvid and Divx encoded video files. AAC and MP3 is supported (2-channel only.) In terms of bitrates, i’ve tested H/264 up to an average 13Mbps which is a very heavy load. The Tab handled it well with no visible dropped frames and no tearing. The screen quality is just amazing!

Imagine this: When sitting on my sofa and holding the Tab about half arms-length from my eyes, it’s the equivalent of a 100cm diagonal screen where my TV is on the other side of the room!

The player software is good and you can adjust screen brightness, (brightness, contrast and saturation is also available in system settings) to suit your preferences. There’s easy access to video size ratio changes, favourites and volume. Fast forwarding and skipping is very quick and there’s a great ‘Mosaic’ preview feature that allows you to preview various parts of a video using snapshots.

The stereo speakers are really good although both are on the base of the device in portrait mode which means that when holding the device in landscape, the speakers are too easy to cover. The supplied headset quality is fine although not super high-quality. Portrait usage doesn’t seem to be supported but you can rotate the device through 180 degrees to put the headset port in a better position.

All in all the experience is excellent and rises way above most Android-based video experiences.

Enjoy the video below and yes, I realise I need to invest in an HD camera ;-)

Short and sweet: Angry Birds works and Angry Birds is goooooood on the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

1000 words written on 4 rigs that cost less than 1000 Euro and weigh less than 1000gm.

As you can see, I haven’t quite started yet but I’m in the final stages and expect to start this afternoon.

The Toshiba AC100 is ready to go (indicative of the all-in-one nature of laptops perhaps?) but I’m still working on a few other devices. The main problem is that I don’t have a Bluetooth keyboard to use with the Galaxy Tab so I’m seriously thinking of going with the thumbs. I tested the keyboard in portrait mode last night and it wasn’t bad at all. I’m not saying it’s as stress-free or as fast as a keyboard but it would make a great all-in-one test (Cam, 3G, navigation, mp3 player, etc) and at 384gm, wow it’s a light solution. I’m going with it as an extreme, all-in-one mobile solution.

The Tega V2 is here and I’m struggling to get a package together that lies under the 1KG mark. Adding a keyboard, stand and smartphone (for the camera, navigation etc) brings it up to 1.4KG. That’s way over my limit so I’m thinking of dropping it and going with the X70 although with keyboard and stand, case and mobile phone comes to 1.2KG. The only Windows ‘tablet’ solution that I can put together with the rest of my ‘rig’ in under 1KG is the 5 inch Viliv S5. Unfortunately, 5 inch is below what I regard as usable in a table-top scenario with a keyboard.

This is interesting to see because we often regard tablets as lightweight mobile devices. With Windows, that’s not currently the case because once you’ve added the keyboard you are up to netbook weight. My Viliv S10 3G netbook is 1.25KG!

So what am I to do? If I was sensible I’d take the Viliv S10 but I want to take a Windows Tablet solution. The Tega V2 is here for review so for that reason (and to highlight the weight issue) I’m going to take the Tega V2. It fails before it starts but at least I get to spend some time with it.

So that leaves one more rig. I had the X70 lined up but considering that it will also come in at over 1KG, I’m not going to take it. Instead, I’ve chosen a mini laptop. Coming in at a total of exactly 1000gm for the laptop, smartphone and headphones its the Viliv S7.

The rig will provide this functionality:

• ‘PC’ with email, web browser, document editing capabilities, storage, screen, keyboard and Wifi
• 3G internet connectivity
• Navigation system
• Camera (minimum 2MP)
• Video camera (MIN VGA)
• MP3 player and headphones

The Final Setup

Rig 1 The 10 inch Windows Tablet. (Bottom-left in picture)

• Tegatech Tega V2 64GB+3G = 880gm
• Stand 132gm
• Keyboard/mouse (Samsung lightweight USB) 258gm
• Xperia X10i phone / navi/ mp3 / camera 138gm
• Headset 20gm
• TOTAL WEIGHT: 1428gm
• Expected battery life: 4hrs
• Cost: Can be done in under 1000 Euro. This rig costing near 1500 Euro

Rig 2 The 7 inch UMPC (Bottom-right in picture)

• Viliv S7 (Includes 3G) 842gm
• Xperia X10i phone / navi/ mp3 / camera 138gm
• Headset 20gm
• TOTAL WEIGHT: 1000gm
• Expected battery life 7hrs
• Cost: Can be done in under 1000 Euro. This rig around 1200 Euro

Rig 3 The 10 inch Smartbook (Top right in picture)

• Toshiba AC100 862gm
• Xperia X10i phone / navi / mp3 / camera 138gm
• Headset 20gm
• TOTAL WEIGHT:1020gm
• Expected battery life: 8hrs
• Cost: Approx 800 Euro (Smartbook with 3G costs 350 Euros. High-end Smartphone about 450 Euros)

Rig 4 The 7 inch Superphone Tablet (Top left in picture)

• Samsung Galaxy Tab 384gm
• Headset 20gm
• TOTAL WEIGHT 404gm
• Expected battery life: 8hrs
• Cost 700 Euro

Its very interesting to see what we’ve we’ve got in terms of weight, battery life and cost here. The ‘expensive’ Samsung Galaxy Tab right turns in at less than half the weight and 30% less cost than the Windows-based rigs while providing the longest expected battery life. Everything is integrated into a single unit. Total convergence! Adding a BT keyboard would bring the cost to about 750 Euros. The AC100 looks attractive on specs too. With a lower cost smartphone this solution could be put together for about 550 Euros which would make it the cheapest solution by far. For a rig with a 10 inch screen, good keyboard and good battery life, it shines.

On first glance it looks like the ARM-based devices have won here but this isn’t a test of specs, it’s a test of usability. I’ve got to write my e-book on these rigs and there could be big advantages to the Windows-based systems when it comes to this sort of productivity. I’m looking forward to testing all the devices and will report back regularly over the next three days.

I’ll be updating as I go along via twitter and blog posts here on UMPCPortal so be sure to check back, subscribe to the RSS feed, the daily email feed or follow UMPCPortal on twitter. You can also follow me, Chippy, on Twitter for some more details, highs, lows, Q&A and pics and I go through the tests.

Oh, and as for the 1000 km travelling, ahem, I might throw in the towel on that one. We’ll see how it goes but at the moment I haven’t planned any major tours.

We (that’s JKK and I) spent a full 3 hours testing the Samsung Galaxy Tab this evening. An amazing 1700 people stepped in to join us in the live session via Ustream and we had a constant 100+ people in the live chat asking questions.  As usual they were guiding us well  – there’s always someone out there with better knowledge and that’s one of the reasons we love to do these live review sessions. We learn from other experts and we can pass that information on.  We recorded two sections of the session and they are now available below. (Recordings made from the live stream)

A very brief summary is that there are no showstoppers. That’s rare! We usually manage to find a serious issue or two in these deep testing sessions. The device works smoothly, returns great battery life and, most importantly, Angry Birds works! This really is a great consumer tablet.

I’ll be working on a full review but don’t expect anything within the next two weeks because there’s a huge amount of great stuff to write about and test further and I want to make sure I cover everything.

Thanks again to Techdepot for supporting us.

Previous Galaxy Tab news: See the first impressions post here and the unboxing and overview post here.

Our Galaxy Tab information page is here.

The rest of the session was not recorded. Make sure you join us live next time!

Update: Our live review sessions are now available.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is here and unboxed ready for our live testing session tonight. Enjoy!

Expect lots of testing notes, opinions and videos over the next week.

Samsung Galaxy Tab kindly supplied by Techdepot

Be sure to watch in ‘480p’ for better quality.

Thanks to Techdepot who reached out to us yesterday we’ve got a Galaxy Tab in our hands. Well we think it’s a Galaxy Tab we haven’t opened the box yet!

Expect an unboxing video later today and then at 2100 CEST (Berlin time) [Update: Live session postponed until Friday, 15th] lets sit down together and go over the device in detail. We’ll turn the cameras on the device and give you a chance to watch some detailed testing. We’ll also have a chat channel open for Q&A as we go.

Live at 2100 CEST on Friday 15th Carrypad.com/live – Tega V2 too!

Watch out for the unboxing video on Carrypad later today.

Unboxing now live here!

A BIG thank you to Techdepot for reaching out yesterday and supporting us with an offer we just couldn’t refuse. We’ve got a Galaxy Tab in our hands right now! (Full disclosure: We sold them some ad space, they sent a Tab which to be honest, excites us more than money!)

This means two things. 1) We’ll be running unboxing, first impressions and the all-important LIVE REVIEW (2100 CST TODAY Carrypad.com/live ) 2) The Tab, assuming we can get a keyboard to work with it, will be on the 1K Challenge. All detailed Galaxy Tab coverage will be over at Carrypad.com, our consumer focused website.

I’ve also heard that the Tega V2 is in the country and should be here tomorrow. Perfect! We’ll do a live session on that at 2100 CST TOMORROW UMPCPortal.com/live. All detailed Tega V2 coverage will be here at UMPCPortal.

Stay tuned for more on the 1K Challenge