Saw a new posting from the Droid Fans group on Facebook:

I can't wait to get CyanogenMod on my Tab. Grrrr... get outta Beta, already!

Also: Comparing all this to the Nokia and Community SSU just sort of shows how far behind and out-of-touch Nokia managed to make Maemo get when they had far more potential and far, FAR more time on their side to get the Maemo community to do something similar. I'm kinda pissed at the wasted opportunities for my N800. Oh well.

Although I don't have a Tab, my S7 is also a 7" form factor. After a 1-1/2 months, I love it. The size is just about perfect. I can slide it in a pants pocket (while upright). It easily fits in my inside coat pocket. Although it's the same resolution as my N900, I rarely use my N900 for anything more than a phone now. It's so much nicer looking at the larger screen.

It's great for navigation, got a cheap rocketfish window mount at bestbuy, sits wonderfully on the dash, doesn't hardly block my view at all. Easy to glance at and quickly see where I'm at, etc without straining/squinting at a smaller screen. Although, I'd love to see a better navigation interface designed for the larger screen.

Even at 10", I don't think any of the current (or even next gen) tablets would really replace a laptop/desktop for power use. At least for me, traveling doesn't require much on the go work, so 7", being more portable is ideal. I think 10" would just end up sitting at home, sharing time with a laptop/desktop, and wouldn't see much on-the-go time. 7" is really easy to grab and go right now.

snoshrk:

Go to best buy and check out the Huawei S7. It's got 3G (AT&T) voice/data, no contract required, GPS, and full Marketplace, hardware buttons, 1Ghz cpu, 512MB. Downsides: It's a bit heavier, smaller battery, 2.1 (although 2.2 is supposed to be this month), resistive screen (not a big deal), and 800x480 resolution. Basically a giant phone. But at $250 on sale ($300 normally), I think it's a decent deal, especially if you're unsure about a tablet.

I have always preferred 7. Fits into all my jeans' pockets even my skinniest. I can lie down in bed to use it, though it is a bit heavy. But if you want to know what real heavy is try an ipad. Used one for the first time a month or so ago. Was real heavy. If I had that it would never leave the house (without me feeling like an idiot). And I could not really use it lying down. In which case why wouldn't I just use a laptop instead (unless I badly needed some app but given it is itunes would probably not be available free and I am still not into paying for apps).

I have also in the last couple of weeks started doing a lot of ebook reading. And the Tab is the perfect size for that. Really enjoyeable. So enjoyeable that I have decided that I won't be buying any paper books unless the ebook is not available and unless it is an absolutely must have book.

Conclusion: I love the size of the Tab.

Oops forgot one important thing about size: Typing speed. With the 10 inch form your fingers can't to the buttons in the middle. Typing is a very slow and painful experience. The Tab on the other hand in portrait is the perfect size for super speedy typing.

I should also mention, I can easily hold my tab with one hand securely (thumb on one long side, fingers on the other). Don't think you could do that with a 10" tablet.

In portrait mode, I can easily hold it securely and play a game like paper toss, holding it in my palm.

Cool Thx. Next time I'm in the local BB I'll check it out....

Now, since you have one...

can you comment on the screen responsiveness? The reviews on the BB site are bi-polar with the biggest negative being the screen.

How does the GPS do w/o data?

[saw a review that it sucks in general w/o the sim card]

Screen visibility in daylight / car?

Looks interesting 'though I am kinda leery of "no-name" "cheap" tablets...

Thanks again

Snoshrk

Doesn't seem to matter which music app I use. They all have the same issue. When I transfer the m3u playlists from PC it seems to work fine initially. Then when next I go back all the playlists start showing as having no songs. Think the songs disappear when the device next does a media scan.

Have tried mixing, audio galaxy, meridian, player pro,music mod, winamp and they all have this same issue. Pretty frustrating as playlists is how I listen to music and retreating all my playlists on the device would be a real pain.

It does look a little too big, and I was holding out hope that 8.9 was the magic number. 7 just seems a little small.

I am thinking I might just buy jackets and cargos that have wide enough pockets, and deal with it just for the extra screen real-estate.

I agree, though if Samsung got rid of the bezel to the same degree as smartphones, an 8.9" tablet could be very similarly sized to a 7" tablet -- perhaps a touch wider.

As you may be aware Samsung *is* going to be announcing an 8.9" Tab to complement its upcoming 3-strong line of tablets. Actually, this news bodes particularly well for the probability that the 7" Galaxy Tab to officially get Android 3.0, as it looks as if they are not going to be replacing the 7" model. This ensures that the UX will be the same across all three devices, which is important as a user may chose a different size, only to be disappointed in not getting what was expected.

I sincerely hope that the Tab gets 3.0. Due to the resolution of the display, and the fact that everything in 3.0 is accelerated, it's a safe bet that the hummingbird is more than adequate for a stellar 3.0 UX. While Tegra will do better for computationally intense tasks (eg. flash, or pure number crunching), the Tab should match it for forward facing UI rendering -- which is what people have a tendency to notice in the end.

I suppose we'll find out soon!

I tend to think the bezel serves two purposes - something to hold onto without activating the screen, and the other to widen the base to fit more battery in, given that battery drain is a function of screen real estate.

I imagine the motherboard and other stuff doesn't change from model to model.

Roll on CTIA.

Well, I'm used to resistive screens (N900, N800, Palm), being a bigger screen, there is more "give" in the middle, so it requires a little more touch than say my N900. If you are used to resistive, it's not bad. Not as good as the N900, but hasn't caused me any issues. I think most of the complaints are from people used to capacitive.

I don't have a sim in it, so no data that way. If you are in an area with wifi, GPS locks very fast, almost instant. I've gone a couple of days without using the GPS (I leave it enabled), and use it in the car (no wifi), I'd guess 30 seconds or so, less than a minute to get a fix. Accuracy wise, seems better than my N900.

In the car, in bright sunlight, it helps to turn up the brightness. It's not great, but usable. In general, viewing angles (up/down) aren't that great, tends to invert colors, but under normal conditions are alright (holding, using kickstand).

Check out androidtablets, they have a huawei section and lots of good info. Looks like as of yesterday, there is a working clockwork recovery, so custom roms shouldn't be too far off. The bestbuy rom is limited to 768Mhz, landscape/portrait. I flashed a singapore rom, 1GHz, full 4-way rotation. Currently 2 different ways to do apps2sd for more install space. Stock huawei launcher isn't too bad, but it can also be removed.

The part I liked best: It's available at a real store, so you can test it in the store, and return it easily, unlike many of the other cheap off brand tablets. From what I can tell, it's better than the cheaper tablets at kmart, sears, etc. Not as good as a Galaxy Tab, not as expensive either.

Concerns: Few/no accessories for it. It uses an unusual size plug for charging (old motorola, adaptatip G @ radioshack) and need at least 1amp to charge while using. So you may have to wire up your own car charger. However, come April, they should be releasing a S7 slim, capacitive screen version, so accessories may start showing up.

Go check it out, play with it a little. Leave, think about. Watch the ads, it's been on sale recently for $250. There may be a restocking fee, so check that out.