Tablet Introductions
The first tablet I ever bought was an iPad, which makes me [pause] just about the same as everyone else. It was great, ok, I admit it, it was great. I bought a keyboard for it and raved at how I could type papers and reports on it while on the go. Checking email was ok and surfing the web, well, it was about mediocre too. In fact, every time I set down the iPad and walked by it later I would think “Man, that is a really cool device,” then I would pick it up and enjoy using it for a few minutes, set it down, walk away--life is great. Then, I needed it for something (i.e. messaging, cloud computing, etc.) and this is where the iPad runs into trouble. With an Android device there are options, however, the iPad is purposefully limited and there is little one can do about it--except for spend money that is. And I spent a lot of money to get my prized tablet to communicate with the world. Then Samsung, defying Google, released its tablet: The Galaxy Tab (hereafter GT).
I admit, it was not great. I went into T-Mobile (RIP) and played around with it and it was, well . . . it was ok. I did, however, start to realize that the integration of what I was doing was better and the multi-tasking was far superior. I could not write my papers on it, which was frustrating and eventually I sort of left the tablet game for a bit. Then I needed an alarm clock . . .
I used the iPad for a gigantic alarm clock, but found the Digital Frame app on the GT, which worked very well. When I woke up in the morning I grabbed the GT instead of the iPad to check my email and as I sat at the table eating breakfast I realized that I did not need an extra table-insert for my tablet to rest on and had no issues holding it up like a book as I read the messages. I quickly flipped through the morning news and then Twitter and Facebook and then stood up to go to work. The GT slid nicely into my back pocket and it was then I realized my tablet choice was made. The GT, for me, became the iPad killer.
How Samsung Killed The GT Before It Could Kill The iPad
In all of the marketing for the GT I never once saw it played to its strengths. In fact, when I bought the GT I did not even know what its strengths were. Checking email, social networking, reading the news, e-reader, etc. all of these daily functions are better delivered on the GT than the iPad, much better actually. The GT is a product for the CEO on the go, the coach at the game, the dad reading his son’s homework, or the mom at the grocery store (nothing sexist here--I am quick to admit that I do the grocery shopping and yes, I use my GT to make my grocery list). It will not replace either your phone or your computer (which the iPad might do to some degree), but it is the quickest way to complete simple tasks. In sum, it is helpful where the iPad is merely stylish. So, how did Samsung kill the GT? They failed to market it as a daily tool instead marketing it as a multimedia device, which it is not. Samsung marketed the GT for the one thing it could never beat the iPad at: Multimedia. The iPad is the hands down winner there, even if the original did not have a camera. I would prefer to watch a movie on an iPad over the GT any day of the week. Not to say that the experience is bad on the GT, because it is not, but if given a choice I am going to go with the better of the two and that is the iPad. (Note: I will admit that it is much simpler to add a movie to the GT, which requires only a USB connection whereas the iPad requires a conversion to a proprietary file type then into iTunes then . . .finally . . . to your iPad.)
Don’t Believe The Critics
I have spent several months with both the iPad (which I still own) and the GT and I will champion the GT for what it is: An excellent device that helps me throughout the day. I would purport that it would be worth it for any person, at any stage, to get the GT. It will undoubtedly make your life easier and assist in completing tasks. If, however, your objective is to look cool, and as Dell executive Andy Lark said, "Apple is great if you've got a lot of money and live on an island. It's not so great if you have to exist in a diverse, open, connected enterprise; simple things become quite complex." His words ring true. As an Apple consumer (I also own an iPhone, Apple TV, and a Mac), I can confidently state that the GT is a superior device.
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As always, all of the information you need to do your own research is below. I encourage you to look up the sources and read the stories for yourself, leave a comment here if you have something to say, and follow my Twitter (@GhostWriterv9) and the social networking pages of the person's involved so that you can get a diverse take on the story.
Sources:
Zeman, E. (30 March 2011). Why Dell Is Wrong About The iPad. InformationWeek Mobile. Retrieved on 30 March 2011 from http://bit.ly/fbAD5O
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