Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet: Beating the iPad mini with features (review)

Summary: Samsung has a winner in the Galaxy Note 8.0. It competes directly with the iPad mini by adding features that Apple can't duplicate.

By James Kendrick for Mobile News | May 21, 2013 -- 10:55 GMT (03:55 PDT)

Left: Note 8.0; Right: iPad mini-- Image credit: James Kendrick/ZDNet

I love my iPad mini but after I borrowed a friend's Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 recently I had to buy one. The Note 8.0 has a similar size to that of the iPad mini but the resemblance ends there. Samsung has added features that are unique to the Note 8.0 that makes it stand out from the crowd.

The Galaxy Note 2 has similar features but the extra 2.5 inches (diagonally) of screen size on the Note 8.0 brings them to life. The Samsung S Pen made famous on both the Note phones and the bigger Note 10.1 tablet really comes into full usefulness on the perfectly sized Note 8.0. Taking notes on this tablet with the pen is such a good experience it could easily make its way into conference rooms at the office.

Hardware specs:

• Processor: Samsung Exynos 4412, 1.6GHz quad-core
• Display: 8-inch, 1280x800, 189 ppi, touch + pen digitizer
• Memory: 2GB
• Storage: 16GB, microSD up to 64GB
• Cameras: Front- 1.3MP, Back- 5MP
• OS: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• Battery: 4,600 mAh
• Connectivity: wi-fi a/b/g/n, 2.4 and 5 GHz
• Dimensions: 210.8x135.9x7.95 mm, 8.29x5.35x0.31 inches; 340g, 0.74lb

Some folks don't like Samsung's special flavor of Android but as it does on the Note 2 phone it shines on the Note 8.0. There is the right combination of features that take advantage of the hardware and standard Android functionality that makes it work well.

Similar style of Note 8.0 tablet and Note 2 phone- Image credit: James Kendrick/ZDNet

The 8-inch display makes the Note 8.0 the perfect size to use comfortably in the hand. The tablet is thin and light and it is nice to use in either portrait orientation or landscape. While the build quality feels "plasticky", it is durable and can handle light bumps.

The front of the Note 8.0 has a large physical Home button flanked by two touch buttons (Menu and Return). There is a web cam (1.3MP) above the display in the normal portrait orientation. The top of the unit has a headphone jack and the right side finds the power button and volume rockers. There is also an infrared transmitter on the right for use as a remote control for entertainment devices with an included app.

Two features that beat the iPad mini

The Galaxy Note 8.0 compares favorably with the iPad mini in size and function. Both are solid tablets that handle apps well and are fun to use. Samsung has included some special hardware and apps that beat the iPad mini in functionality.

The S Pen rests in a silo on the lower right of the Note 8.0. Removing the pen from the garage optionally makes a confirmation noise and fires up the S Note app for taking notes. The pen has a hover mode that works like a mouse on a PC, information is displayed by holding the pen above screen controls. Windows can be scrolled by hovering the pen over screen edges which is very useful.

Taking notes in ink on the screen works very well on the Note 8.0 The tablet is a good size for using as a notepad and the pen smoothly flows over the screen when writing. While the included S Note app is a nice simple note-taking app, there are a number of third-party apps in the Play Store that turn the Note 8.0 into a real notepad.

The second feature that leaves the iPad mini behind is the multi-view mode that allows displaying two apps on the screen at once. I discovered the usefulness of multi-view on the Note 2 phone, and the larger display of the Note 8.0 makes it really shine.

Tweetings and Chrome browser in multi-view

Multi-view allows doing things like having Gmail in a window on the left and working on an Office document using the included Polaris Office app on the right. This is only one use for multi-view, you can have any two supported apps (and there are quite a few of them) side-by-side on the screen at once. I like having the Chrome browser on half the screen and the Papyrus note-taking app on the other to take notes from reference sites in the browser.

Big bang for the buck

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is an outstanding tablet for the price of $399. While some feel that's too expensive, when you factor in the outstanding hardware and features not available on any other tablet it is a reasonable price.

The price is already coming down for the Note 8.0 as Amazon has it for $379.99 at the time of this review. There are cheaper Android tablets out there but none offer the total package as does the Galaxy Note 8.0. I am very happy with this purchase.

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What the Apple vs. Samsung Lawsuit Means for the Future of Smartphone Design

Cult of Mac

The jury in the much-hyped Apple vs. Samsungpatent infringement lawsuit recently handed down a verdict which basically gave Apple everything it wanted: A billion-dollar payment from Samsung, plus the possibility of an injunction against sales of infringing Samsung smartphones and tablets.

Will this mega-lawsuit dramatically alter the way our devices are manufactured and, in turn, affect our decision-making process when buying a smartphone for personal or business use? Probably not.

The New York Times predicted that this decision would wreak design havoc in the mobile device landscape: "Consumers could end up with some welcome diversity in phone and tablet design -- or they may be stuck with devices that manufacturers have clumsily revamped to avoid crossing Apple.”

The real outcome of the Apple vs. Samsung lawsuit is likely to be more lawsuits. And perhaps higher prices for non-Apple smartphones. But in the long run, I suspect the effects of this case will be negligible to consumers and business users of mobile devices.

Patent expert Thomas Frey of the Louisville, Colo.-based think tank the DaVinci Instituteexplains, "This is gamesmanship, it's all moving queens and rooks around the chessboard. In the end the legalities won't matter. All the solutions will be off the chessboard. The players will say to each other: 'If you pay me $X, I'll say you win.'"

The recent decision will likely be appealed, and it's possible that it may be struck down. But even if the decision stands, it's more likely that Samsung and all Android device makers will keep doing business mainly as usual.

Electronics manufacturers, especially mobile device makers, license patented technologies from each other all the time, for a fee. For instance, after a patent "misunderstanding” last year, Applestarted paying Nokia an estimated $11.50 for every iPhone sold. Similarly, in a settlement agreement last year, Samsung agreed to pay Microsoft $10 to $15 for each smartphone or tablet it sells.

In the U.S. market, the vast majority of smartphones are at a price heavily subsidized by wireless carriers, along with a two-year service contract -- which further obscures the effect of licensing fees on phone prices.

So, for smartphone users, the changes likely won't be too noticeable and infringement lawsuits probably won't factor into their buying decisions.

Will this lawsuit effect which smartphone you buy for business? Let us know in the comments below.

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Samsung Galaxy S III

Jun 12

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That isn't to say that the Galaxy S III (henceforth also known as the S3) does not impress. From the outside in, it has a large, vibrant HD display; Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich; a sharp 8-megapixel camera; 4G LTE support; a zippy dual-core processor; and tons of internal memory and 2GB RAM. The $199.99 price tag for the 16GB version is highly competitive, and that, along with its carrier spread, makes the S3 priced to sell.

Some have slammed Samsung for formulaic specs and design, and to some extent, the critics are correct. Samsung isn't setting hardware standards with new creations, and the S3's software additions, while interesting and useful, mostly build off existing Android capabilities. Regardless, Samsung has continued to produce stronger subsequent models than its first Galaxy S home run. There's a reason why the Galaxy S II sold over 50 million units worldwide, and why the S3's preorder sales smashed U.K. records. Samsung clearly has its formula worked out for making higher-end features familiar, expected, and easily within reach -- and in the all-around excellent Galaxy S3, it shows.

Up close and personal with the Samsung Galaxy S III (pictures)

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Pricing and availability
I don't usually start a review with pricing information, but in this case, it's worth the bird's-eye view of which carrier offers which capacity of each color when, and for how much.

AT&T Samsung Galaxy S III ($199.99): 4G LTE in 39 markets; simultaneous voice and data; 16GB model available in blue, white, and (later this summer, and exclusive to AT&T) red

Sprint Samsung Galaxy S III (16GB, $199.99; 32GB, $249): 3G now, 4G LTE when Sprint launches its LTE network; Google Wallet, unlimited data option; available in 16GB (blue, white) and 32GB (blue, white) models

T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S III (16GB, $229.99, $279.99 [Value plan]; 32GB, $279.99, 329.99 [Classic plan]): HSPA+ 42; simultaneous voice and data; available in 16GB (blue,white) and 32GB (blue, white) models

U.S. Cellular Samsung Galaxy S III (16GB and 32GB, price TBD): 4G LTE in 6 markets, 3G elsewhere; eligible for carrier points; available in 16GB (blue, white) and 32GB (white) models

Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III (16GB, $199.99; 32GB, $249): 4G LTE, 258 markets; eventual global data roaming, voice/data; available in 16GB (blue, white) and 32GB (blue, white) models

This is a review of the 16GB version of T-Mobile's S3 in pebble blue.

Design
It won't wow you with neon colors or evocative, industrial design; it doesn't have the sharpest screen on the market; and its body isn't fashioned from ceramic, glass, or micro-arc oxidized aluminum. That said, the Galaxy S3 is about the nicest plastic phone I've ever seen. Likely tired of hearing complaints about how cheap-feeling Samsung phones can be, the company decided to focus instead on making the contours more premium -- without giving up its light, inexpensive, and shatterproof material of choice.

The Samsung Galaxy S III looks and feels smooth, glossy, and far more luxe than previous Galaxy handsets.

Press and hold the S3's home button to surface your recent apps. Double-press to launch S Voice.

The HD Super AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S3 (center) was dimmer beside other top smartphones, the HTC One X (top) and iPhone 4S (bottom).

Interface and OS
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich looks great on the S3, especially because Samsung used a lighter hand with its TouchWiz interface than on previous versions. That said, Samsung hasn't fully adopted all of Google's visual cues, like the ICS menu (I personally miss this interface touch.) With TouchWiz, Samsung is able to add things like gestures and systems control access in the notifications pull-down. There are also the unique additions that Samsung tacked on to Android Beam.

Android Beam gets a boost in S Beam, which can share videos and photos with a tap.

You can do a lot with S Voice (left), but only if it understands you (right.)

S Voice is Samsung's garbled answer to Apple's Siri.

Face recognition software prompts you to tag yourself and your friends, even on photos taken with the front-facing camera, like this one.

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New Galaxy S III phone is bigger and smarter

 
At a press event in London on Thursday that it described as an "unpacking," Samsung indeed rolled out an impressive array of hardware and software enhancements that the company hopes will help it retain its ranking as the top cellphone-maker in the world.

The biggest feature (literally) most consumers will notice is a stunning 4.8-inch Super AMOLED screen. That's about a half-inch larger than Samsung's Galaxy S II, and significantly bigger than the 3.5-inch high-resolution display on the Apple iPhone 4S. Despite the large screen, the S III actually is a bit thinner than the iPhone 4S (8.6mm vs. 9.33mm) and is slightly lighter as well (133 grams vs. 140 grams).

Besides the screen, consumers are likely to be most interested in the Galaxy S III's operating system and whether it is closing in on Apple's iOS, which has been widely considered the market leader since the iPhone was introduced in 2007.  The Galaxy S III will run the so-called Ice Cream Sandwich version of Google's Android OS (version 4.0). But it's the features that Samsung has built on top of the OS to address some common cell phone complaints that could help chip away at Apple's mindshare lead. For example:

• "Smart stay" is intended to solve a problem every phone user has encountered: the screen dimming when you want it to stay on, such as when sharing an email with a friend.  Just as you hand them the phone and say, "Check this out," the screen dims as part of its power-saving routine. Making matters worse, getting back to that email also requires entering a password to unlock the screen.  With "smart stay," the new Galaxy phone uses the front-facing camera to detect if someone is looking at the screen. If it sees a face, the screen won't dim.
• Samsung also touted "S Voice," which it described as being a cut above the current state of the art in voice recognition and response technology.
• During a demonstration, Samsung showed how someone driving a car could operate the phone without taking their eyes off the road. Saying "Hi Galaxy" puts the phone into a mode to recognize voice commands. From there, the user can ask, "How's the weather?" or say, "Take a picture." (Of course, you'll need to look at the screen to see the forecast or take a picture.)
• Anyone who has caught themselves in a lengthy texting conversation and thought, "This is ridiculous, I'm just going to call you," will appreciate what Samsung calls "direct call." While texting, if you raise the phone to your ear, it will automatically dial the person you are texting with.
• "Smart alerts" are intended to help cut down on unnoticed calls from important people in your contact list. If you leave your phone on your desk and miss a call from your boss or wife, when you return and pick up the phone to put it into your pocket, it will vibrate and display the missed calls.
• "S Beam" lets you tap phones with another Galaxy S III owner to easily transfer files or documents.
• "Pop up play" lets the user watch a video while surfing the Web or answering email. The video simply becomes a small box that overlays on any other apps that are running, like picture-in-picture on a TV.

As for the 8-megapixel camera, Samsung made several enhancements:

•  Zero lag from the time you tap the screen to the capture of the image.
•  The ability to take a photo and be ready to take another in less than 1 second
•  A burst mode that captures 3.3 photos per second
•  The ability to capture still photos while recording HD video (very handy if you've ever tried to capture a child blowing out birthday candles and can't decide between a still photo and a video).

There are also some nifty software tricks that extend how those photos can be used. If you take a burst of photos, the phone will recommend the one it thinks is the best quality so you can discard the others. And if that picture is a group photo that includes people in your address book, the phone can recognize their faces and offer to send them a copy of the image. 

For hard-core phone geeks, here are some other Galaxy S III specs: The screen is 1,280 by 720 pixels, it has HSPA+ connectivity, the removable battery is 2,100mAh, and it's packed with a quad-core Exynos processor.

The phone will come in blue or white and in three memory sizes (16GB, 32GB and 64GB), with the ability to add memory via a microSD card.

The company did not announce pricing, but its top-end phones typically run $200 to $250, with the signing of a two-year contract. The 32GB and 64GB versions would likely cost more. The Galaxy S III goes on sale in Europe at the end of May and in the U.S. in June. However, an LTE version is not expected in the U.S. until later in the summer.

Samsung also did not announce carriers, but it typically makes its phones available to the big four carriers in the U.S.

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