My small review of the Streak 7 - Dell Streak 7

Those of you who are considering buying the Streak 7 are welcome to read my small personal review.
After reading all the horrible reviews from various blogs i had to go to T-mobile and see if it is really THAT bad....
After using it for about 3 days now i can certainly say that it is NOT that bad at all and i actually enjoy this tablet more than i enjoyed the Galaxy Tab.
I'll start with the good:
1) It is FAST and smooth. It is certainly faster than the Galaxy Tab (i had the at&t version). it is very responsive to touch and switching tasks. there is really zero lag here.
2) Quadrant is around 1900+/- which is not bad out of the box.
3) seems like it is being capped at 60fps (improvement from old streak which was capped at 30fps)
4) The browser is absolutely smooth and fast, unlike the Galaxy Tab's browser which is laggy and was the Tab's main fault (even after the recent leaked firmwares from Samsung where they fixed some of the browser issues). Flash plays very smoothly on this device.
5) It plays XVID out of the box (i tested a normal xvid file, not any HD content and it plays it with the built in player)
6) The speakers are one of the best i have heard. they sound much better than the galaxy Tab.
7) I bought the dock for it from the T-Mobile store. it enables full screen mirroring via HDMI and it does it very well. The Galaxy Tab HDMI out is very disappointing as its HDMI out is extremely blurry and poor.
8) I can make phone calls with it using a Google Voice account + Spidroid from the market. i can receive and make calls using the wired headset no problem and it works well over 3g/4g and Wifi (I'll write a guide later on how to do it).
9) Build quality is more than satisfactory, i just wish i could remove the DELL logo from the back
10) The 5Mpx camera is fine, though not amazing.
11) The tablet is Quad Band WCDMA (which is extremely rare). once we can unlock it i am moving this to at&t
12) Unlike what other people say, it has 512MB RAM with 364MB user accessible (which is NORMAL).
13) Very good GPS. i get instant locks and it is super stable.
14) Overall it is very stable for me with 95 apps installed.
The bad and not so bad:
1) The screen resolution is only 800x480 but its NOT THAT BAD. I agree that higher resolution would look better though.
2) Viewing angle is not that great, but again this is a 7'' tablet. you would normally be looking straight at it (unlike a 10'' tablet).
3) The colors are not very deep, but its not that bad really.
4) Battery life is disappointing BUT i have isolated the cause. It is the 3G radio that is killing it. If you put the tab into airplane mode and only use wifi you will see great improvement. Let's hope Dell will release a new radio which is more battery friendly. Initially i thought it was the screen, but it seems to be the radio.
5) Some apps and games wont load properly or crash. This is due to Tegra as these games and apps needs to be updated to use arm v7 (i.e. gameloft games, splashtop remote, super stunt car). 90% of my apps work fine though.
6) T-Mobile absolutely refuses to unlock it for me. They say they have an exclusive deal with Dell on the tablet and that's why they are not offering an unlock code. Shame because it is Quad Band WCDMA!!!
7) Camera flash is a bit of a joke. it is very weak.
Overall i am happy with the Tablet and i enjoy it more than i enjoyed the Galaxy Tab mainly because of the excellent browser, system speed and full HDMI out which i use often.

Is there a chance that you try to swap the Streak 7 screen with Tab's one?

Im still going to take mine back Today

I agree with everything you have said and I also love the price point. A tablet is a go between a phone and a laptop. No way should someone pay $300 plus for a tablet. I don't like that when I go to landscape mode all of my widgets get elongated and some of the writing is cut off.

this is a cool tablet and i am happy to have spent the money on it.
300.00 for case, tablet, car and home charger,and screen protector was less than i planned to pay

puppetcarl said:
this is a cool tablet and i am happy to have spent the money on it.
300.00 for case, tablet, car and home charger,and screen protector was less than i planned to pay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$300? How ya figure? Retail is $449...unless you go with 2 year contract. Then it's $199, plus $25/mo minimum over 2 years...
So, in actuality it's $199 + $600 = $799 (+accessories) . Not a good deal on contract IMO.

Bandage said:
$300? How ya figure? Retail is $449...unless you go with 2 year contract. Then it's $199, plus $25/mo minimum over 2 years...
So, in actuality it's $199 + $600 = $799 (+accessories) . Not a good deal on contract IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are adding the price of having mobile service to the price of the device. Subtract your $600 from $449 and you come out with $150 for two years of mobile service. And thats pretty good.

falconeight said:
You are adding the price of having mobile service to the price of the device. Subtract your $600 from $449 and you come out with $150 for two years of mobile service. And thats pretty good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good, if you don't have a cell phone maybe. Why these tablets get tied to carriers is beyond me. With wifi on the tablet, I can just create a hotspot with my 4g Phone, and connect that way.
I'm just saying, it's marked up in price to make a contract more appealing to commit to. Better marketing would price this out around $300 off contract. Doubt Dell / T-Mobile will be selling very much of these...subpar product overpriced.

Awesome review, thanks man! Have been thinking about picking one of these up.

I'm really loving it so far. You can't believe everything you ready. The screen resolution isn't a big deal to me. Looks fine. The battery could be better but like it so far.
Sent from my Dell Streak 7 using XDA App

Lover mine. Can't beat the price for dual cores.

Mine works great & has replaced my Archos 70..this thing even plays 1080p video !!!

Related

[Q] Nook Color Worth it?

As for a cheap tablet, should I purchase a Nook Color? $250, isn't a bad deal.
Is it worth it? Laggy?
It's worth it. Benchmarks running cm7 beat the benchmarks of my evo running sense.
Well, it really depends on what you want to do.
As a tablet pc for the price it can't be beat, Don't buy it if you are expecting a powerhouse of a mobile device that will play crysis 2.
For my uses it's a perfect device, I use it for email, web surfing, rss feeds and ebooks and for a little music off and on.
If you are looking for something that has manufacturer support and will play HD movies with no configuration and has a battery that will last for a week with 3g wireless, then no this will not be the best for you.
All-in-all though I love it esp for the price, what this 'ereader' can do is amazing.
But before you buy you really need to ask yourself what you want to do,otherwise you will be like the other poster in the 'I regret buying a nook' thread....
It does depend on your expectations. If you want something that just works great out of the box with no effort, this is potentially your device. The stock works very well. The browser is very responsive and the Pulse app is great. All I would need in the stock is a comic book reader and it would be perfect as-is.
Now, if you want lots of functionality, you can install a new OS either internally or on an SD card. For the SD route, the experience is quite good. Not really much lag at all with my Sandisk Class 4. For running off a card, its impressive and I understand the internal install is even better. Once they get honeycomb ironed out and stable, it will be perfect.
I have an iPad, bought it new, love it. I bought an NC 10 days ago and gave it to my girlfriend as a gift. I am thinking about buying another one for me. For $250 I think they're awesome. The screen is very nice. I think it is only going to get more useable.
ps: first post
indagroove said:
It's worth it. Benchmarks running cm7 beat the benchmarks of my evo running sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you in my brain??? (kidding)
That being said, my buddy bought a nook the day he saw CM7 on mine. He also liked blowing away my EVOs quadrant score, but got mad when I kicked him off my tethering for gloating.
I wouldn't buy one retail for $250 when you can save a bit by shipping around or if you are ok buying used. I see two for under $200 locally on craigslist.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
short answer ... definitely worth it. Had mine for a few days, installed CM7 (Gingerbread). Much better than what I had expected from a $250 device. The soft keys are unresponsive on very rare occasions.
Four months ago, it was far and away the best value you could get in a small tablet. It still is a great value and I have no regrets, but the Asus Eee Pad Transformer is incredibly intriguing. However, by the time you get the max RAM and dock, it's much more than 2x the price of the nook.
TooSlo said:
I wouldn't buy one retail for $250 when you can save a bit by shipping around or if you are ok buying used. I see two for under $200 locally on craigslist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd caution against this approach. $50 is not a large enough savings to take the chance on latent problems and then dealing with potential warranty headaches born from not having the original receipt. If you're comfortable with that risk, then by all means.
Jgrimoldy said:
I'd caution against this approach. $50 is not a large enough savings to take the chance on latent problems and then dealing with potential warranty headaches born from not having the original receipt. If you're comfortable with that risk, then by all means.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
10char
Personally, I bought it as an expensive toy. I've used it mostly for leisure e-reading, browsing, and textbooks. I've stuck a few engineering textbooks on it (works surprisingly well with EZPDF and landscape mode). Although, I do think a 10" screen at the very least would be more comfortable fit for textbooks.
When it's in not use, it's usually sitting on my desk as a photo frame in slideshow mode. And I have to say, the pictures really do look awesome thanks to the sexy IPS screen.
All in all, well worth the $250+tax I payed for it nearly 4 months ago. Going from stock to autonootered to froyo/honeycomb to CM7/phiremod made it feel like it just kept getting better.
Currently using the latest CM7 build overclocked to 1300 MHz. Browsing runs smooth enough in Dolphin HD to not be an annoyance.
I used mine as an eReader for the first time today! LOL
Makes an awesome tablet...so yeah, its worth it!
test one out. it's 1000x better rooted. i enjoy mine.
why don't they just make it into a full tablet and sell more?!?
Just go for it and you wont repent. Worth every penny, rather lot more!
Last year the Nook Color was an awesome value for just $250. It was a 7 inch Android device with a 1024x600 resolution IPS display, 800MHz processor with SGX530 graphics, and 512MB of RAM. Out of the box it was mostly just an ereader, but it isn't difficult to root and you can even boot a seperate ROM straight from an SD card without having to modify the stock OS, very awesome.
This year though, some nicer tablets have come down in price. The Nook Color is certainly still the best at it's price range. But there are some tablets not much more expensive that have some advantages worth spending a bit more money on.
The Galaxy Tab wifi is $350.
+ It's a tablet out of the box and Android 2.3 is rolling out.
+ 385 grams, it's lighter than the 422 gram Nook Color.
+ 1GHz TI OMAP 3630 processor, Nook Color is a 800MHz TI OMAP 3621.
+ 16GB internal storage.
+ Dual cameras.
+ More attractive appearance, flat glass front, white back.
+ Easily accessible microSD slot.
- Not an IPS display.
The ASUS Transformer is $400
+ Android 3.0 Honeycomb.
+ 10 inch 1280x800 IPS display
+ 1GHz dual core Tegra 2 processor
+ 1GB RAM
+ 16GB internal storage
+ Dual cameras.
+ More attractive appearance (yeah, I think the NC is ugly as sin)
+ Easily accessible microSD slot.
- Heavier weight compared to 7 inch tablets (same as iPad)
If you don't want to spend more than $250, then the Nook Color is awesome. But for just $100 to $150 more, I think you can get quite a lot more value from a tablet these days.
I would definitely say its worth it. I was originally looking at the Asus transformer for my first tablet but after the ridiculously low stock at launch I settled on the Acer iconia. It was a nice tablet and I liked it a lot but couldn't justify 450 bucks for what's basically a toy and also I like to tinker with things and it looks like that one won't be getting any custom roms for a while at least so I returned it and picked up the nook.
The first night I installed cm7 and haven't looked back since. I was especially glad I got the nook when the Netflix app came out since we can make it work on the nook very easily and I don't think that's possible on the iconia tab at all yet. I've been running cm7 overclocked to 900 MHz with the cm7 settings and it runs well for my uses, ebooks, web browsing, music, and some games. Theres really only two negatives I've noticed, one is the lack of haptic feedback and the other is wifi issues at my work. I'm not sure what causes it but it constantly loses the connection and as soon as I go into wifi settings page it reconnects. It works fine connected to my home network though and also when using my g2 as a wifi hotspot. Overall I really like it and think it is definitely worth the money especially compared to other tablets that's are available.
The only tablet I see which may rival the nook color is the sonicview gtab.
Sent from The Republic of Texas
tuffghost said:
wifi issues at my work. I'm not sure what causes it but it constantly loses the connection and as soon as I go into wifi settings page it reconnects. It works fine connected to my home network though and also when using my g2 as a wifi hotspot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had what sounds like a similar problem too. Wi-Fi Lock seems to have solved my problems with wifi and CM7.
i think the Nook Color is a great value at under $300. That said, you can also get a G-Tablet for about $299 now fairly easily. Of those two, I'd go with the NC because of its size, display, and build quality. It's not as fast though.
That said, I am no longer an owner of a NC. I just sold it on craigslist an hour ago for $235 with some accessories included. I recently purchased the Acer A500 honeycomb tablet and I love it. I was surprised I'd like the larger size and weight (heaviest tablet...) but it actually feels nice and solid. The speed of the Tegra 2 + 1gb DDR3 Ram is a huge step up from the Nook Color even with root/overclock and lots of tweaking.
Since a few other comparisons have been brought up in here, what do you guys think about the ViewPad7 for $50 more?
I'm on the fence too. Between NC and wifi tab, I can't seem to decide. I was an early adopter; bought NC within 1st week of release but returned it as then there weren't any custom roms etc. is the sammy tab worth $100 more for the hard keys and gps? I would use mostly for browsing, second as a reader. Can anyone care battery life between the two (post rootingNC of course)?
-sent from my supersonic evo

[Q] Is P1000 still worth buying TODAY?

I'm looking for a Tab, but Transformer seems to big for me. P1000 is the perfect size, but it is pretty old device. Is it still worth buying today?
Thanks.
If you think 7" tablet is a perfect size for you then why not, the Galaxy tab is only 1 year old and it still stands against any other alternatives out in the market today.
I would hardly say just because the tablet is "pretty old" that it isn't a good purchase. It's well supported by developers and the fact that people are still purchasing it... Its a solid working and built piece of kit.
You won't be disappointed.
I would say that they are definitely still worth it. The price point alone is a great reason. You can get a Galaxy tablet for less than half the price of many of the newest tabs.
It's already been shown that these models are capable of running the new firmwares. There are ports of Honeycomb out there already, and though there are still some issues to be ironed out, they work pretty well. Since installing a 2.3.4 rom on my vzw tab, I've been very impressed with how responsive and cleanly it runs.
Having handled some of the newer and larger tablets, I've found that the smaller size is really more ideal to me personally. I can fit my Galaxy tablet in my pocket. My folks for example both have iPads, and they are just much larger and bulkier devices. You can't drop one in your pocket real quick while you are out on the run.
Anyway, hope that helps!
Seamus1 said:
I would say that they are definitely still worth it. The price point alone is a great reason. You can get a Galaxy tablet for less than half the price of many of the newest tabs.
It's already been shown that these models are capable of running the new firmwares. There are ports of Honeycomb out there already, and though there are still some issues to be ironed out, they work pretty well. Since installing a 2.3.4 rom on my vzw tab, I've been very impressed with how responsive and cleanly it runs.
Having handled some of the newer and larger tablets, I've found that the smaller size is really more ideal to me personally. I can fit my Galaxy tablet in my pocket. My folks for example both have iPads, and they are just much larger and bulkier devices. You can't drop one in your pocket real quick while you are out on the run.
Anyway, hope that helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in eastern europe and here the tab's price is almost the same as Transformer's. And that one has Tegra 2 and a nice 10.1' IPS display. They are both here 540 USD / 380 EUR. I tried Iconia A500 Tab, but I was quite disappointed - it was very heavy, typing text while trying to hold with one hand was challenging. The OS and that big display sure looks great, but for now I can't see my self taking this out in the street while walking, or chatting (IM) while sitting in the bus on my way college. How much is the P1000 in the US? Or UK?
esthreel said:
I live in eastern europe and here the tab's price is almost the same as Transformer's. And that one has Tegra 2 and a nice 10.1' IPS display. They are both here 540 USD / 380 EUR. I tried Iconia A500 Tab, but I was quite disappointed - it was very heavy, typing text while trying to hold with one hand was challenging. The OS and that big display sure looks great, but for now I can't see my self taking this out in the street while walking, or chatting (IM) while sitting in the bus on my way college. How much is the P1000 in the US? Or UK?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the UK, the P1000 (if you can find any in stock) still goes for around £399 and the P1010 is currently in bestbuy/currys for £299.
But search on ebay or other sites, you can find one for a lot cheaper. I got mine brand new from ebay for £250 (P1000).
Of course, these will probably fall in price when newer alternatives comes out but for now, they are holding its value as they are still popular and people are buying them.
I just bought one today. So far I am happy with it.
I have seen the US models selling new for between $150-200 when you buy from a mobile provider. For example, I know Verizon was selling them earlier this year for $200 when you agreed to a two year service agreement. I've also seen the WiFi only tablets for $350. Personally, I was willing to sign a contract, because having the 3g data access was something I desired.
But, I would do as one of the other posters suggested, and check ebay. As I understand it, you can buy a US model and put a European firmware on it. I would double check that though, as I don't want to tell you something I am not entirely sure of.
Got mine a month ago in aussie land, on a 12 month contract. 0 dollars for the tab and $39 a month for the plan with 8g of data and I get 3 months of the plan for free. Was really happy with that price.
Got mine in Italy for 300 Eur. Best purchase of the year: perfect balance between pocketability and readability, and with Gingerbread it is lag free and quick.
Rumours are that Samsung is going to present a revamped 7" tablet w/ upgraded cpu and amoled screen. I won't upgrade unless it has usb host or otg, which is the feature I miss much on my Tab.
Ernesto de Bernardis
N900 - Galaxy Tab 7"
Nothing wrong with the P1000. Good support is important. Even if it's a year old it still beats an ipad. Good resolution and speed, and very complete. Very sturdy, durable Gorilla glass.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk
If 7" tablet is your preference, get a HTC Flyer or Huawei Ideos Slim?
Unless u want the voice call/sms capabilities
debernardis said:
Got mine in Italy for 300 Eur. Best purchase of the year: perfect balance between pocketability and readability, and with Gingerbread it is lag free and quick.
Rumours are that Samsung is going to present a revamped 7" tablet w/ upgraded cpu and amoled screen. I won't upgrade unless it has usb host or otg, which is the feature I miss much on my Tab.
Ernesto de Bernardis
N900 - Galaxy Tab 7"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any Samsung official reading this would love to put usb otg and make you upgrade
While for me, I ll try not to upgrade, but the amoled screen might tempt me.
esthreel said:
I'm looking for a Tab, but Transformer seems to big for me. P1000 is the perfect size, but it is pretty old device. Is it still worth buying today?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought mine last month, and I love it. My pocket is not that big to fit in the tab, so I bought a small bag to bring around. I was confused whether buying Galaxy S (for super amoled and small factor) or Galaxy Tab (for bigger screen to read ebooks). Well, its worth buying
I bought one a couple of weeks ago, and am very happy so far. Yes, it's a year old - but the screen is very good (much better than alternative 7" tablets'), it's relatively cheap & there's lots of development going on with it.
The next 7" from Samsung is set to have an AMOLED screen & will probably be dual-core, which will be awesome, but I wanted something now & wasn't prepared to 1) wait & 2) pay much more than I did...
Make sure you root & stick Overcome ROM on it! It becomes a different animal once you do!
Got an Asus Transformer for the home/travel, but day to day chucking in pocket (albeit large pockets), still love the Tab. Got it for 200bucks so can't complain.
If I had to pay full price? I think I'd skip, for that price a newer 7" tablet would still be preferred.
Main thing it comes down to though is where are you, and do you need voice? if so, Tab might still be perfect for you.
It's a good question to ask here, as the answer isn't obvious. Without a tablet, I would, if I had the cash, get the Tab again. It's portability still makes it a winner for me.
Waiting for the next model is ok, but... these things always seem to take 6months longer than initially planned it appears.
Thee galaxy pad still a good tab/phone. its fast, not to big and have a lot of apps/games that works so...
Galaxy tab worth to buy.why?
The best tablet for 7 inch tablet.
Equiped with microsd,simcard for mms,sms,3g and telephone
the best size to carry around even easily beat ipad
Development of Custom rom and stock rom are always up to date
unless samsung release new 7 inch tablet with dual core processor and amoled sceen
then it is not worthy anymore to purchase
When I got the P1000, my standard in speed and responsiveness on android began to change. I began to compare the Qualcomm chipset based androids vs. the Hummingbird of Samsung. The P1000 (and the original Galaxy S Plus which runs the same thing) is really good and even better can match the next gen Qualcomm. See how the original Galaxy S graphics even beats the Galaxy S Plus (newer release), is because of the same speedy setup done before.
The P1000 is a very good device. Really crazy why Samsung shortchanged many unknowing people as they downgraded the P1010 with an inferior chipset and graphics.
Is there already a dual core 7" as good as the P1000? The Dell Streak 7 besides abit more massive has a problem with batt life. Archos I didn't bother to consider. Is there anymore? The Galaxy Tab 8.9 is coming out better (dunno when), but it is not 7". Nothing compares that I know... for now.
I've only had mine for about a week, I bought it second hand for a great price and I love it so far. I use it more than my laptop and my Asus Transformer. I LOVE the size. The 10" tabs you pretty much need to use both hand to hold it all the time, the G.Tab easily in 1. Plus being able to type with both thumbs instead of finger pecking is a HUGE plus.
Yeah, the Galaxy Seven will probably be out in a couple months but if you need one now then it's a great little tab.
I was at the shop today again, played with XOOM and again with Galaxy Tab. Damn its size is just perfect and the screen so detailed and feels high quality. But then I tried to do what I do on My N900 (Maemo 5 OS), and WOW :O IT CAN NOT MULTITASK. I never noticed that! You can not have skype online and browse the web while listening to music. I asked the guy at the shop. He confirmed, just some can "run in the background" but there is no task switcher... Maybe you can make it multitask? On iOS i have backgrounder and Kirikae and it works like a charm, can you do the same on android?
Skype online while browsing the web and listening to music? won't the sound conflict?
Sent from my SK17i using Tapatalk

Are you all happy with your Streak?

I just saw that Bestbuy will be selling the Dell Streak 7" with Honeycomb installed for $160. I saw this right after I finally decided to go ahead and buy a Kindle Fire. Now it seems almost like a no brainer to get a near full featured tablet with the same size screen as a Kindle Fire but for $40 less, but it also seems too good to be true.
So I wanted to know, are you all happy with your Streak? Would you say that $160 is worth it.
I really appreciate any input.
Thanks.
I felt in love with Dell Streak 7 already, too bad that I bought this for my gf, and giving it to her tomorrow. Dell Streak 7 is a good tablet, of coz the resolution is not high so it doesn't let you play all the HD games and you don't have much RAM to play heavy games, but if you use it for entertainment, relax with no "tough" game then it is better Kindle Fire. And of coz this is just my opinion. To be frank, I don't play much with my Iconia A500 since I got this
Very much so! I love this little bad boy underdog.
I am happy with mine. I wish the screen had a little better resolution. Bluetooth tethering to my phone is a snap. I basically wanted something that was like my phone but larger and it works just perfect as that. Its much easier and faster to use than having to drag out my laptop.
I initially liked my DS7 but over time it began to annoy me. The screen began to make my eyes hurt when reading and the battery would run down quickly. I ended up getting several Nook Tablets for the family and for my purposes, I'm more satisfied. The NT screen is much sharper and the battery lasts hours longer than the DS. I only used the camera once and never used the GPS so the trade is worth it since I mainly use my tabs for reading, surfing and light game play. I did initially miss the variety of apps but someone came up witha workaround and now I can sideload with apps free sites and Amazon app store.
I like my Dell Streak 7, the 7 inch size and weight is much more handy then my 10.1 inch tablet in its portfolio case. Basicly the compact handling of a phone with a readable (as opposed to squintable) screen size. Screen resolution has not been a problem infact it is a nice match to Netflix.
The short 4-5 hour battery life is the only aspect I wish was better.
rockhunter said:
The short 4-5 hour battery life is the only aspect I wish was better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that for a mix of usage or for straight video watching?
With my rooted DS7, using SetCPU and setting up custom profiles, I tend to see about 4-5 for watching vidoes, but get about 6-10 hours for playing games, and a 4 day standby time.
The battery isn't a major issue for me. Not a fan of the stock launcher though. Really want to use LauncherPro, but it keeps fc'ing. Anyone have any suggestions on other LauncherPro like launchers?
Also for some reason, I can't listen to voicemails with Google Voice. Still got to figure that one out.
Device does not support WiFi channels 12-14, makes a noise when speakers are enabled, batery life is not so good, WiFi signal is worse than other tabletst, display is very bad (angle/resolution), also the device is clumby (fat and heavy)
BUT
it is very cheap and very fast. im fine with it so far, but i might switch to another device.
got one form BEST BUY. still on the way.!!!! but I'm Sure the screen not the BEST!
so far so good only one problem it is not reading from SD Card.
JohnnyDanger said:
I just saw that Bestbuy will be selling the Dell Streak 7" with Honeycomb installed for $160. I saw this right after I finally decided to go ahead and buy a Kindle Fire. Now it seems almost like a no brainer to get a near full featured tablet with the same size screen as a Kindle Fire but for $40 less, but it also seems too good to be true.
So I wanted to know, are you all happy with your Streak? Would you say that $160 is worth it.
I really appreciate any input.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I am not. And Don't buy a streak 7 given so many much better choices out there in the market.
My DS7 was a total disaster now I see it. It was my first tablet and I was inexperience to make an informed buy. I bought from TMO store on the release date and then found that no Dev is supporting it.
Eventually I participated a donation led by someone else and we send a device to DJ Steve who became the one and only dedicated dev on DS7, who are also working on many other devices at the same time.
Screen horrible, battery horrible, TMobile 4 G signal always break down for no reason and requite a reboot to get it back. GPS NEVER works well for a trip without a hiccup. This is my third DS7 already because I exchanged the previous 2 with Dell because all sorts of reasons.
Since you are asking advise I assume you won't want to listen to holiday choirs and holy praises. I am the bad guy who is critical.
Bottom line, DONT BUY A DISCONTINUED PRODUCT WITHOUT DEV SUPPORT.
I'm thinking about what 7-inch tablet i'll going to buy: Dell Streak 7 or Lenovo A1.
Sent from my MB520 using XDA App
jiwengang said:
No I am not. And Don't buy a streak 7 given so many much better choices out there in the market.
My DS7 was a total disaster now I see it. It was my first tablet and I was inexperience to make an informed buy. I bought from TMO store on the release date and then found that no Dev is supporting it.
Eventually I participated a donation led by someone else and we send a device to DJ Steve who became the one and only dedicated dev on DS7, who are also working on many other devices at the same time.
Screen horrible, battery horrible, TMobile 4 G signal always break down for no reason and requite a reboot to get it back. GPS NEVER works well for a trip without a hiccup. This is my third DS7 already because I exchanged the previous 2 with Dell because all sorts of reasons.
Since you are asking advise I assume you won't want to listen to holiday choirs and holy praises. I am the bad guy who is critical.
Bottom line, DONT BUY A DISCONTINUED PRODUCT WITHOUT DEV SUPPORT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What other products are there? Currently it's the cheapest (mid/high end) 7" tablet available, it's main competetors are the gtab7/+ which is either lower specced or more expensive. It was just sold for $160 on black friday new and can be found pretty easily for
~$250 on ebay in good condition.
Sub $200 tabs cant compete with it as they have very low end internals.
The S7 with Froyo and the s7 with Honeycomb are completely different devices (not literally, but the way it works)
I didnt buy mine until black friday as I so no point with froyo on it, but it's pretty great with HC.
As for the 4g, I honestly dont see the point of a 4g tablet, I have the wifi one and simply tether to my S5 (and also avoid paying a 2nd line just for data)
The GPS is rather weak on it, but in my case the wifi one is likely worse at wifi then the 4g one. It works with some hiccups.
So what if it'd discontinued, even if dell did support it for another 6 more months, the most we'd get is like 3.2 -> 3.2.2/3.2.4, there's no chance it'd get updated to ICS.
You have your warrentee, they're not gonna magically/instantly null it, they're still gonna support active warrentee owners until they all expire. (it might become them only offering refurbs but this is still support)
Bottom line: for $190-240 there's really little competition, it's either the S7 or the gtabs.
The Gtab 7 is slower but about the same price
The Gtab 7+ is faster but more expensive
The Lenovo A1 is slower but about the same price
How about nook tablet or kindle fire? Since people here enjoy custom rom anyway, os on these two won't be a problem I guess
Sent from my DROID RAZR using XDA App
Hmm that is a good point, I had forgotten about those.
Depending on how you look at it, they only run GB and not HC/ICS.
If you wanna use it as a normal android tablet, they're not currently ready for that purpose as they dont have any stable roms yet.
I do believe the kindle is slower, but it'd definitely got more devs, and when CM9 hits stable it might be a pretty good choice. It's tegra 2 vs CM9 for the same price point.
I cant say much about the nooks, the old nook is much slower but cheaper and will likely get CM9 (it already has CM7), I dont read much at all about the new nook except I expect it to also get CM9 eventually.
I assume the S7 will still be the fastest of all 7" tabs except vs the gtab7+.
The nooks and kindles are advertised as ereaders, with the kindle as kina ereader+multimedia. They're not advertised as full on tablets so they can be underpowered for their age.
jiwengang said:
No I am not. And Don't buy a streak 7 given so many much better choices out there in the market.
same here. i get more and more unhappy every day. multitouch works only to up to two fingers. you are right about gps, i tested it and got only 2 satelites in 2 minutes while standing in the garden.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
alex2308 said:
same here. i get more and more unhappy every day. multitouch works only to up to two fingers. you are right about gps, i tested it and got only 2 satelites in 2 minutes while standing in the garden.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a fix for that
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1085354
I lock on in 30 seconds.
I guess I look at it as being the best $160 tablet I've ever owned. The only issue is the battery life, but I can charge it twice a day for the hundreds I'm saving over comparable devices.
The screen sure does take a lot of flack on the Streak 7, but if you look for the silver lining, just about every app works at that resolution. You don't have some of the scaling issues that higher resolution tabs have.
I also hear a lot of comparisons to the Fire and the Nook...and, if they get root and a good custom ROM, then they might be better for "basic" tablet functions, but if you want full tablet functions out of the box, with all the cameras, mics, GPS, etc...then the Streak is still a better option.
Ah well, this forum is pretty much dead, so I'm sure this will fall on deaf ears (or blind eyes?).
I'm happy though!
ExploreMN said:
I guess I look at it as being the best $160 tablet I've ever owned. The only issue is the battery life, but I can charge it twice a day for the hundreds I'm saving over comparable devices.
Ah well, this forum is pretty much dead, so I'm sure this will fall on deaf ears (or blind eyes?).
I'm happy though!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought a Dell Streak 7" last week that was a couple of months old for $150. It came with Froyo but I upgraded to Honeycomb and it's like having a different tablet, really nice for what it is.
It's not an iPad2, Asus Transformer, Xoom, Acer etc. I looked at all of those tablets two days ago and the screens on them are very much nicer, but...they cost $300-$400-900+, not $150. The Streak is a real tablet not one of those $100 unknown brand Android tablet gadgets that last a week. The wifi and GPS work great along with having Honeycomb now I really like it.
I owned an iPad2 for 4 months and it is a fantastic device, it also cost me $1000 for wifi/3G and a Smart Cover. I've had the Evo4G since Aug. of '10 and love Android so in the future I'm thinking about the Asus Transformer that's coming out later this month. It will cost 2 to 3 times as much as the Streak, it will have a beautiful screen, and be worth the extra money no doubt.
I use the Streak for Flying and it is outstanding for various Aviation moving map programs. For $150 instead of $1400-2500 for a Garmin GPS aviation unit it is a bargain.
So you're not alone, the Dell Streak 7 does what it's supposed to for a reasonable price, and I like it too.
DC

What to buy? Galaxy Note or Asus Transformer Prime?

My current cell phone is the Nexus 1. I'm rooted and running the latest stable version of Cyanogen mod. My phone has a constant alert regarding memory running low and it gets really slow at times. Battery life is good, but my charge plug is a little broken (usb cable falls out if you shake it around while plugged in).
My dilemma is on what to buy...
I love the specs, size, upgradability, and stylus that the Note has to offer. The Note is a huge upgrade from the Nexus 1, but at the same time I really want a tablet. I mainly use my nexus 1 to watch movies and play games. I barley use it to actually make a phone call or browse the internet. I think a tablet would make this experience much more enjoyable compared to the Note, but at the same time the screen on the note is so large that maybe it would be acceptable enough for my needs...
I can always use my nexus 1 to make phone calls and returns txts while using the Transformer prime to watch movies, play games, and surf the web via tethering, but I can't carry the Transformer with me everywhere I go like I could with a Galaxy Note.
To those with the Note. Is it a suitable device for gaming and movie watching? Would you prefer to use a tablet for these tasks or is the Note surprisingly comparable?
There are other factors involved as well. I'm on T-Mobile and will only have 2g if I get the Note. The Note is also ~$700 off contract compared to the Transformer which is $500 and would be able to tether off my 3g HSPA Nexus 1.
I have a bunch of trade offs and I'm having trouble deciding what will be best. I'm hoping you guys can help me out.
I was wondering the same thing and ideally I'd like to try them both in person to make that decision but I may end up getting both. They are both the most innovative of their respective form factors IMO.
Reading Amazon reviews among others you see people saying they use their other devices including tablets to a far lesser extent now that they have the SGNote so it might seem logical to consider it first if you're on a tight budget but I still find it hard to believe it could replace the Asus Transformer Prime especially with its dock when not highly mobile.
Good luck & let us know what you decide..
---------- Post added at 04:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:01 PM ----------
BTW I doubt I would consider the SGNote for T-Mobile, 2G is too slow IMO.
Its pretty suitable for movie watching, I just bought this phone as my portable media device but I think the transformer prime would give a better over all experience as the screen is bigger, the only realy benefit SAMOLED gives is deeper blacks.
EarlZ said:
Its pretty suitable for movie watching, I just bought this phone as my portable media device but I think the transformer prime would give a better over all experience as the screen is bigger, the only realy benefit SAMOLED gives is deeper blacks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds right, curious if the SAMOLED's less than natural colors ever bothers you, they seem to bother me on the lower resolution SAMOLED phones but a bit less on the same res but lower pixel density Tab 10.1 screen (I prefer Transformer's IPS for a tablet)? -Thx
Hello,
I have an iPad 1 at home as well as a SG Note. So I'd say I could help you with your little dilemma
Actually I have to say that watching a movie with 5.3'' screen is not that comfortable. So if you really want to watch movies in first place I'd tell you to buy the Transformer Prime.
On the other hand you have your phone always with you so you could watch movies or series whenever wherever - as you said you won't have the Prime always with you.
But since I bought the Note my iPad lies at home nearly all the time not being used much - the Note is big enough to surf on the internet and movies are watchable as well - even though its not as comfortable as it is using the iPad.
But you have to think about the battery life as well; even though the Note has an awesome battery life, watching movies will kill your battery pretty fast....
So - to come to a conclusion - best is to buy both but the Note will be more useful since you'll always have your phone with you!
Let me know about your final decision
why not wait for the asus padfone, best of both worlds. at the moment, its still using a tegra 3 quad core 1.5ghz chip with 1gb ram and 12 cuda core gpu.
Why not pick up an evo view (sprint's version of the flyer) for under $250. 7" screen, 32gb on board. Screen is nice and bright. I ditched all my other tablets outside of the touchpad and pretty much carry it everywhere. Should be getting honeycomb soon which will bring more functionality to the scribe pen too.
Sent from my SPH-D700
Souai said:
why not wait for the asus padfone, best of both worlds. at the moment, its still using a tegra 3 quad core 1.5ghz chip with 1gb ram and 12 cuda core gpu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do like that Asus is not afraid to innovate but I'm not sold on the Padfone's compromises & rumored price point ($800-$1000), if something happens to your phone the tablet becomes a paperweight.
I think the slim Transformer Prime with its battery-port extending slim keyboard is more innovative without compromises at competitive pricepoints. Redundancies in hardware+cloud based software-data should work well unless the budget is tight and user is willing to accept compromises in form & function.
I still would enjoy a projector in my handheld like the Samsung Beam but I don't think it ever made it out of Singapore but let see what happens at the next CES & MWC..
New information regarding a Google Tablet within the next 6 months just came out today. This definitely makes me lean more toward the note right now. Anyone using it on T-Mobile's network? How is the 2G?
Screw it! I decided to go with the note. I should have it delivered it my door tomorrow (I love amazon prime).
I'm going to stick with tmobile for now. If the 2G gets to be unbearable then I'll suck it up and cancel my plan and move to AT&T.
Thanks everyone for their replies in this thread.
seeking said:
Screw it! I decided to go with the note. I should have it delivered it my door tomorrow (I love amazon prime).
I'm going to stick with tmobile for now. If the 2G gets to be unbearable then I'll suck it up and cancel my plan and move to AT&T.
Thanks everyone for their replies in this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If Google didn't buy Motorola they should have backed Asus with their innovative Transformer Prime. They are using Samsung for its Nexus line so they should support the Transformer Prime more, maybe Asus could have hit their target dates better. Their tablet market share is still not taken seriously vs their dominant smartphone market share.
2012 looks like it will offer higher res tablet displays than currently available. SGNote has same 1280 x 800 res as Transformer Prime which is enough for the web but graphics will benefit from higher res.
How often are you in Wi-Fi?, why put up with 2G-what are you paying at T-Mobile?
Good luck & upload a YouTube video with your experience if you can..
A Google backed Asus tablet would be a dream come true for me.
I'm almost always around wi-fi so I'm not really concerned with the 2g. I had accidentally disabled 3g on my Nexus 1 some months back and it took me about a month to notice. My monthly bill with t-mobile is about $80 per phone (3 smart phones on the family plan), but I actually have a special deal where I get more minutes and cheaper data from being a loyal customer (15+ years) for the price of a lesser plan.
My brother was about to cancel his plan (he's on my family plan) to get the Galaxy Nexus on verizon, but they offered him a $4.99 Galaxy S II to stay. He took the offer. That level of customer service is not something I dont really want to leave. My line is due for an upgrade next November which should be right around the time the new quad-core phones are being released (and a new nexus maybe), so I'm going to try and wait it out.
seeking said:
A Google backed Asus tablet would be a dream come true for me.
I'm almost always around wi-fi so I'm not really concerned with the 2g. I had accidentally disabled 3g on my Nexus 1 some months back and it took me about a month to notice. My monthly bill with t-mobile is about $80 per phone (3 smart phones on the family plan), but I actually have a special deal where I get more minutes and cheaper data from being a loyal customer (15+ years) for the price of a lesser plan.
My brother was about to cancel his plan (he's on my family plan) to get the Galaxy Nexus on verizon, but they offered him a $4.99 Galaxy S II to stay. He took the offer. That level of customer service is not something I really want to leave. My line is due for an upgrade next November which should be right around the time the new quad-core phones are being released (and a new nexus maybe), so I'm going to try and wait it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/19/atandt-abandons-t-mobile-merger-plans/
It had been expected but now it's official..unclear how such a deal would have affected the SGNote for you but there were rumors that T-Mobile may abandon the US market if the deal did not go through. T-Mobile is $ 4 Billion dollars wealthier so I doubt it will happen soon & they have time to reassess.
If you are mostly on Wi-Fi as am I it won't be the same issue but it'll likely annoy you when you're not obviously.
Let us know how you like it..
Yea, I will definitely post my feelings on it. I'm sure there are other Tmo guys out there wondering if its worth the loss of 3G, but something interesting about the AT&T merger news is that part of the deal if it didnt go through was that TMo would get to use AT&Ts 3g bands. If this is true, and they implement it fast enough, I might have a 3G note after all.
seeking said:
Yea, I will definitely post my feelings on it. I'm sure there are other Tmo guys out there wondering if its worth the loss of 3G, but something interesting about the AT&T merger news is that part of the deal if it didnt go through was that TMo would get to use AT&Ts 3g bands. If this is true, and they implement it fast enough, I might have a 3G note after all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really-source? The following suggested the opposite (if it had gone through):
http://www.androidguys.com/2011/03/21/att-statement-tmobile-customers-replace-3g-handsets-merge/
Did you get it from "Sold by Global Mobiles and Fulfilled by Amazon for $650.98 or OEM Shop for $636.90" + $3.99 overnight Prime shipping? You can still return it within 30 days for a refund minus return shipping if unsatisfied for whatever reason right?

Would you still buy the Galaxy Tab 8.9?

Hi,
I have been thinking about buying a Android tablet for some time. I don't really need a tablet, but would like to give it a try anyhow. I would probably use it mostly for surfing the web, reading new sites and watching movies when on the train. I might play some games from time to time. I would also like to use it for Skype voice and video chat. I'm also prepared to root the device and flash custom roms for better performance.
At the moment the Galaxy Tab 8.9 (Wifi) is on sale for about $ 220 here in Switzerland. It seems like a good deal for this tablet and within the amound of money I am prepared to spend for something "unnessecary", but would you still buy it given that the hardware is somewhat dated? How well does Skype work?
Any advice is greately appreciated!
Cheers
TiredHornet
To my opinion, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 has a unique form factor and weight (approx 420g), that make it still very desirable to my eyes. The screen is very good. ICS with an alternative launcher like 'Nova' or 'Apex' makes it lovely to use on a daily basis (I don't appreciate the Touchwiz one much).
I learned to live without any sd card expansion slot. I bought a 32gb model to compensate for the lack of memory extension, but finally I don't use the internal storage at all, except of course for apps. If I had to buy it again, I would simply stick with the 16Gb version...
The only complain I have is the outdated Tegra 2 processor, that's why I use to overclock a little bit (1.2Ghz). Works like a charm.
PS: I tested Skype a little bit and seemed good enough to me and to the people at the other end.
Yes, definitely. sgauge points out some great benefits of the 8.9, the form factor is just right. I'm still using 3.2 Overcome Rom also OC'd to 1.2 and really it runs super smooth. I also have the 16gb and that's plenty of space. I bought the usb dongle which can read off a usb stick so no need to carry movies on the tablet itself. It's really replaced my laptop for internet browsing, following live sports streams online and casual emailing. Just an extra aside, but I also invested in the official external keyboard and dock (amazon uk had them at rock bottom prices a few weeks back) and they are classy add-ons making the tablet a real smart package. And with ICS seemingly here, perhaps I'll think of upgrading my rom too!
Update: Skype works great, impressed with video/sound quality and stability!
Hmm, $220 for a 8.9 is practically a steal
It helps to know what you want it for, but I use it on train commute, and a lot of casual browsing on the couch. Basically, I could use my phone for that, but the tablet has more comfort and battery.
I find the 16gb not enough, if you take it on holiday and want some movies. I got the usb reader for $3 dollars shipped from China (ebay), much better value than €30 local shop.
I dislike the weight and size of a 10.1, to the point that I think 8.0 to 8.5 should be ideal size.
Good luck
Thx for all the advice! I think I'm going to go the shop right now and have a look at the tablet. I had it in my hands some month ago and found the size really good. And with the official ICS release starting to roll out, it is probably a even better deal at $220.
I bought it in Ch (living in Constance) and absolutely love it.
Had an Acer Iconia A500 before, the difference in weight and quality is huuuge.
After Installing JB it works like a charm!
If your local M.Electronics is out of stock, you can just place a reservation. I waited for 1 day
In fact, I did just buy a Tab 8.9 -- Cowboom had a bunch of preowned ones for sale. I snagged a Condition 7 (looks brand new, came with all accessories other than headphones) for $170 shipped. I love the size. Every 10" tablet I looked at was too big for comfortable reading, but the 7" tablets just felt...cramped.
Go for it
$220 is a real steal! And with ICS now it will be just awesome!
Idlekilla said:
$220 is a real steal! And with ICS now it will be just awesome!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Having seen the difference in how my 8.9 ran on Honeycomb and now on ICS, it's like a different tablet! If you can pick up one of these tablets for less than $200 then jump on it.
Next phone or tablet is a nexus for sure
im done with samsung
- Form factor is just perfect.
- the ics runs great so no tensions for some time to come.
- 10.1 is too big, 7 is too small.
- 7.7 is close but too pricey.
Sent from my GT-P7300 using xda premium
My tf101 just broke now using as a Google TV and my tab is galaxy 8.9 and I bought it for $150
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
TiredHornet said:
Thx for all the advice! I think I'm going to go the shop right now and have a look at the tablet. I had it in my hands some month ago and found the size really good. And with the official ICS release starting to roll out, it is probably a even better deal at $220.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have fun with it. I doubt you will regret.
I bought the 8.9 so that when my partner and I went camping we could watch movies that we had, ahem, aquired.
It was perfect for just that reason with the desktop dock and the SD / USB adapters.
Now that we are back from holidays, it's perfect for general surfing and stuff like solving arguments where powering up the PC would take too long to Google something and the phone screen would bee too small / fiddly.
8.9 was the best form facto for my needs and I do not see any need to change to a bigger screen, if I wanted a bigger screen - Netbook / Laptop yet I would have to wait for it to boot up, so, long story short, I love the 8.9 and would definately buy it.
Hope this helps!
I like the form factor, the screen and the build quality seems solid. I hate the proprietary plug in on the bottom. Afraid I'm going to lose the cord and be unable to charge the thing till I get another one from Samsung. It should be the mini USB everyone,minus Apple and Sammy, uses. Charge times are completely ridiculous, taking hours upon hours to get to full but the drain times are pretty good. Hopefull the ICS update fixes charge times, or at least makes it bearable. And no SD card slot sucks, plain and simple. Other than that it's pretty good....
Personally, I love it. I bought mine for about 400 dollars and didn't regret it ever since. For 220$, this is an absolute must. The size is optimal and the overall feel of the tablet is just...perfect. Go for it, champ!
Well I have to say out of all the tablets I have (most samsung ones, asus, nexus7, ipads etc) the galaxy tab 8.9 is probably the best feel for a semi-mobile tablet... However after looking at the samsung support and release cycle across the devices I have, I doubt I will ever buy samsung again tbh. Just an opinion...
I love the hardware, don't like the Samsung software. Waiting for the rom hackers to put the official ICS to use and build a full featured JB rom and then it'll probably beat the Nexus 7 as my favorite device.
Sent from my SPH-D700 (CM9) using xda premium
Looking to buy an 8.9. Anybody know where I can find one in the US?? Thanks
I just bought an 8.9 3G 32Gb for £250, which I think is a real bargain. Vodafone 3G SIM is very fast in my area, and I soon as I can work out how to get an official version of ICS or JB onto it, I will be laughing! 8.9" form factor is ideal for me, and Skype works great... and I find i'm using Skype alot more than I do on my laptop.... it's pretty sweet all around. Go for it! Touchwiz and all the Bloatware suck, so if you work out how to remove them, let me know!

Categories

Resources