Friday, August 3, 2012

The Seven Inch Tablet May Make Me A Believer - Almost

I have in my hot little hands a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 and an intended purpose to see if the smaller tablets are to my liking than the 10 inch iPad2 I normally use when I am out blogging or geocaching. My conclusions are mixed.

When I opened the box and compared the size between the Tab 2 and my brand spanking new Samsung Galaxy S3 I rolled my eyes. It's only a couple of inches difference in length and width between both. The first thoughts that came to mind was what is a couple of inches going to matter? Never mind the obvious pun, there are some niceties and still some drawbacks.

Let's start with some of the good stuff. As I have read in other articles, the 7 inch tablet's feel and weight has a very comfortable feel when you hold it. I agree completely when I held the Tab 2.  Ìn contrast I have found certain situations like being in the car, standing in line or sitting in a chair, a 10 inch tablet is clumsy to hold. This is most apparent when doing certain apps let alone trying to take a photo when the opportunity arises. The 7 inch does not give that fatigued finger stress point feeling like it's 10 inch cousin.

As far as functionality goes I am just as much in Android app heaven with my tablet as my phone. This particular unit is the 8 gig model with a 16 gig sd card added extra. I plan on keeping the Tab 2 in the family room for all those "I need a computer but don't want to go get my laptop" moments. It doesn't hurt to have a built in TV remote which is built in with the Tab 2. So as far as being a handy gizmo to have sitting nearby a 7 inch tablet is a sweet nice to have.

Now with some of the negatives that thou will want to consider. First the Asher size of the 7 inch tablet makes typing more than a quick email or note a complete nightmare. Just the same as attempting to do a blog on my phone the keypad is just too small. Don't get more started with the auto correct. I had to do some adjustments just to keep my sanity and even after spelling words correctly it still puts in a different word while putting there actual word I wanted four or five words shown the list. I spend more time correcting the auto correct and that is mind numbing.

As far as geocaching goes the 7 inch tablet fits nicely in your pack or pocket. It is still not made to be outside in the elements. I wouldn't recommend taking one out in the wild any more than a 10 inch tablet. Not unless you bought insurance.

So my final conclusions, the 7 inch tablet is a sweet gizmo to have if you have a lot of WiFi access and want to give your mobile smartphone a rest but if you do a lot of typing stick with the bigger 10 inch tablets. Typing this shirt post gave now a headache.

Just saying...

HHH

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