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Samsung Unveils Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy S II
An anonymous reader writes "At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Samsung unveiled two new Android devices: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, running Android 3.0 (codenamed Honeycomb), and the Samsung Galaxy S II, running Android 2.3 (codenamed Gingerbread). The two have been leaked over and over for days, but now we finally have the official details."
The trend for electronics to decrease in price does not seem to have started yet for mobile. In a sense, we're still like those saps from the early 1980s who paid thousands (in 1980s dollars!) for desktops that even then were clunky.
"The two have been leaked over and over for days, but now we finally have the official details."
Haha, I haven't seen anything on it. Was this written by a pouty marketing guy who "leaked" his own products and no one cared? ;)
It has a PDMI connector.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDMI
This is a docking, charing, and connection port which includes support for USB3 and DisplayPort (which is easily converted to HDMI). It is like the non-proprietary equivalent of Apple's dock connnector.
Like you I am sad that this thing doesn't just give us a USB port, but a PDMI port will be a very good thing once they catch on and become widely supported, and if a lot of these Android tablets have PDMI ports then they will catch on soon.
The worst thing that could happen would be for each Android manufacturer to create their own proprietary and incompatible docking port. And it must have been tempting because then they get to make extra money charging crazy amounts for accessories.
Based on my experience with my Galaxy S - I'm not going to be buying a Samsung phone again real soon.
I just got 2.2 and the manner to upgrade was pretty lame. (Requires a PC and software that only runs on 32 bit windows) I don't expect to ever get 2.3 on it. When I bought it 2.2 was "just around the corner", which turned out to be around a year.
The GPS is busted, Samsung has never, to my knowledge, addressed the issue and I've just come to accept that my phone doesn't have GPS. I've seen some fixes that involve opening up the phone and messing with some parts, but I'm not interested.
The screen is gorgeous, a lot of things work well, but for what I payed ($500) I expect all of it to work well and for decent support.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
The UI changes to the homescreen would be bad on a screen smaller than 7". Multiple windows, side menus, physical buttons replaced by software buttons, size of buttons relative to the screen, this sort of thing. Essentially with the bigger screen, screen space can be taken up by secondary needs (launcher, menus, options, etc), whereas on the small screen, 95% of the screen is dedicated to the user's immediate content, and things are relatively big to improve the user experience. In Honeycomb, UI elements are smaller, and screen area can be dedicated to not just a primary task, but useful information and quick access to facets of the program formerly hidden behind the menu button.
Seriously, why would I want a PDMI or whatever other type of port? I'm seriously getting sick of having to buy adapters for every device just for the sake of simple communication.
I currently have to have a breakout connector for my HTC Fuze (yes, I know, outdated - but I'm holding out for dual core goodness) and am just as miffed at it for not having a dedicated 3.5 audio jack. I mean really, what's the point? Having to carry another breakout cable with me to gain basic functionality is something I will not consider again in a portable device.
Karnal
2010 was no doubt the year of the smartphone, but it feels like the market is bordering on saturation. There are just soooo many devices out there.
Yeah, look what the proliferation of PCs in 1990s did to the computer market. [...] Wait, what?
Dammit, you can't claim saturation *at least* until everyone has at least a handful of them. :)
A tablet with video output would be very convenient for presentations, though. Quite a lot of people do slide presentations as part of their work - researchers, university teachers, salespeople and public relations-people and many others. This would mean one less reason to bring a notebook in addition to - or instead of - your tablet.
For presentations the port absolutely has to have a VGA output or be easily converted to it. Most projectors in public venues have only VGA input - I've yet to see a digital input offered anywhere so far - and without it, a tablet would be useless for this.
Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
With all the good, you can't get anything onto it except via wireless or a dongle (connector cable to a PC), and you can't expand the memory (no microSD or SD slot, no usb). The connector has promise (USB, audio, control, display port), but it's a rare beast right now, so if PDMI fails, it's an instant dead end.
It also lacks a GPS chip, which means you're reliant on the cell network location for crappy mapping location services, or location via wi-fi. Hell, if I have wifi, I can just ask the guy at the table next to me where I am.
This might be interesting if it comes in at under $300. Otherwise it's going to be a pretty big yawn-fest.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
The fact that carriers refuse to let software updates through is pathetic. Anyone who can't get their software updated *within the warranty period* should return the device for warranty.
I think Microsoft have the right idea of enforcing Manufacturers and Carriers to be no more than one software update behind, but it certainly has affected them in their market penetration.
If you purchased an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch in the last 2 years (new, retail), you can still get the current OS. It may not work as well on "mature" hardware (such as the iPhone 3G and 2nd Gen iPod Touch), but you can install it.
Seriously, why would I want a PDMI or whatever other type of port? I'm seriously getting sick of having to buy adapters for every device just for the sake of simple communication.
Mainly most of us don't want to be limited to 'basic' charging and data only.
Todays phones not only need to charge and have data connectivity, but can pump sound and video out, as well as remote control connections for media players as well as have higher capacity batteries.
What you are seemingly asking for is a phone with a bunch of huge jacks all around it.
Most of us don't want a USB jack for power/data, a 1/8" headphone jack for audio, a standard video connector which is limited to either composite (RCA) for the low end, or VGA (db15h) for higher end.
The next smallest you will find for video is HDMI, which then raises the temptation for the manufacturer to add in DRM since it's supported out-of-the-protocol-box with that one.
Not to mention high amperage charging with the current line of power hungry devices and their matching batteries.
The genius of Apple's connector is that all of that and more is provided in one tiny *standard* connector. It's only downside is being proprietary and thus needs licensing to make/do anything with.
(Note that it only seems non-standard because Apple was the first to have to mass produce such a thing. That in and of itself is not bad. If they would have not required any licensing and allowed anyone to duplicate it's design, things would be about as perfect as they can get. Only their choice in not opening the connector design up is why there is any problem at all.)
The clear answer to that problem is another type of jack, equally small and genius as Apple's, but an open standard free for all to use.
That answer is PDMI.
I'd assume you buy a PDMI dock with both a USB port and an HDMI port (with internal DisplayPort->HDMI converter), and then you can plug in a self-powered USB hub and connect devices that way.
If you purchased an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch in the last 2 years (new, retail), you can still get the current OS. It may not work as well on "mature" hardware (such as the iPhone 3G and 2nd Gen iPod Touch), but you can install it.
Then what is the point? i have a 3g ipod touch (8gb, so 2g hardware), and yes i run iOS 4.0, what did that get me over 3.x? a 3d-ish effect on the pinned appes bar at the bottom of the screen, conversation threading in the mail app (which is still miles behind the various gmail apps on other platforms) and the ability to make "folders" on my homescreen with multiple apps in them.. in return i get reduced performance when doing most things (ipod app loads slower then before etc..)
Sure, the update works on my ipod, but to me it provides 0 value, if someone magically reverted my ipod back to 3.x, i wouldnt bother with the 4.x update again
People, what a bunch of bastards
Galaxy S fag here
I stopped reading right there
Please leave your 4chan lingo at the door
People, what a bunch of bastards