Tablet World.pdf

“Whether you
need a stylus
or not is
debatable, but
it’s something
no other 10in
tablet offers”
The Note 10.1 has a distinctive, but not especially premium look. The tablet is
neither the thinnest nor the lightest tablet, but it compares respectably to others
in its size class. It measures 256.7x175.3x8.9mm, and weighs 583g – noticeably
lighter than the iPad. It’s designed with the intent of holding it horizontally in two
hands, with the front-facing 1.9Mp camera centred above the display, and stereo
speakers mounted on either side.
We like the front-firing stereo speakers, which are surprisingly loud and
well-positioned for holding the Note and watching videos. HD clips look great,
too, and motion is crisp. There’s no USB in or HDMI out port, but a microSD
slot lets you add up to 64GB of extra storage and, oddly, an infrared emitter
means you can control your TV.
The screen is a mixed bag. Despite having the same 1280x800-pixel resolution
as the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, it’s sharper and has more vivid colours. Viewing angles
are good, too. Next to an iPad, though, it looks inferior.
Performance
The Note 10.1 excelled in our lab tests, setting new benchmarks for graphics
performance on Android tablets, and for web browsing across all tablets. In
SunSpider, for example, it blasted through the test in 1.2 seconds, compared
with the Google Nexus 7’s 1.7 seconds.
Software
With the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, Samsung offers its most tailored operating
system and locked-and-loaded app selection yet. Samsung ships the Note 10.1
with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, but Jelly Bean is expected to be rolled
out to devices in the near future.
Like other Samsung devices, this tablet is not for Android purists. Most of the
overlays and modifications make for a more friendly experience. Samsung does
its most far-reaching TouchWiz overhaul of the Android OS seen on one of its
tablets yet. Among the tweaks: it replaces such basics as the Settings menu and
the layout of the Notify launcher. The trade-off is you get more control over
many options, but in other cases Samsung clutters the interface. Also changed
is the stock Android keyboard, which is now a Samsung keyboard with off-white
buttons with black letters, and a dedicated number row.
Some of our favourite additions include the resizable pop-up video player
(which launches a video into a separate overlay window that can be placed
anywhere on the screen) and the dual-screen option that Samsung’s enabled
for side-by-side views. Currently, the dual-screen mode is available for just
six apps: Samsung’s own native S Note app, the web browser, video player,
a Note-enhanced version of Polaris Office, and Google’s Gallery and email apps.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 REVIEWS
SpEcIfIcATIOnS
10.1in (1280x800) PLS
TFT capacitive multitouch
screen; Android 4.0 Ice
Cream Sandwich; 1.4GHz
dual-core processor;
1GB RAM; 64GB storage;
microSD; dual-band
802.11a/b/g/n; Wi-Fi
Direct; Wi-Fi channel
bonding; Bluetooth 3.0;
A-GPS; Glonass; USB
2.0; 3Mp rear, 2Mp front
cameras, 1080p video;
3.5mm headphone jack;
256.7x175.3x8.9mm;
583g
TABLETWORLD 35