Galaxy Tab: A great tablet for the ‘can’t do Apple’ crowd

I’m not anti-Apple — but I’m not drinking the new Apple-flavored Kool-Aid either. Maybe the commercials picking on Microsoft put me off. The first ones were funny, but then they became mean, like Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes. As much as I see the value and use of an iPad, I’m stuck in the “can’t do Apple” crowd for now, though there are no viable Windows tablets today, just laptops in a tablet design.

In my search for a non-Apple tablet that shines, it’s the Galaxy Tab that wins the honor. I have to admit, when I read the review “Samsung’s Galaxy Tab makes a strong case for buying an iPad” by my InfoWorld colleague Galen Gruman, I was immediately turned off from the idea of ever purchasing one. But a nice write-up from Engadget had me wondering if Gruman’s comments were valid or if he had gulped down too much of the Apple Kool-Aid.

Let me note that I’m not a mobile device expert. I’m just a network admin geek who loves gadgets but doesn’t usually buy one unless I can see real value in its use. That’s my angle for reviews: Will it work for me in my personal life? Will it perform well in the enterprise?  At the same time I needed to get an insiders view on why the Galaxy Tab was designed a certain way and I had the chance to speak with Chris Martinez, who is a strategy manager for Samsung.

How my Galaxy Tab test-drive worked out With the conflicting comments on the Galaxy Tab, I had to see for myself. First impressions? It fits in the palm of my hand. I wear suits most of the time, and it slid easily into my suit pocket. The screen resolution was excellent. The speed of this thing was incredible when compared to my Android smartphone — and the fact that I have an Android smartphone made it that much simpler to use and figure out because I was already comfortable with the OS. With its 1GHz processor, full Flash support, and dual cameras, I was pleased immediately with both the Galaxy Tab’s performance and its functionality.

I tested it in as many ways as I could. I used the video capability at a marathon I ran a few weeks back at Disney World to capture the moments. The 3-megapixel camera (with LED) performed really well and came in handy at the beginning of the race when it was still dark. The quality of the video we shot was so good that I had to double-check that it wasn’t HD (it wasn’t). The Galaxy Tab shoots at 720-by-480-pixel resolution, and the motion capture was smooth. From a games perspective, I did what everyone else did and installed Angry Birds. It’s even more addictive than expected on the Galaxy Tab because of its larger-than-smartphone screen that still fits in the palm of your hand.

The Galaxy Tab’s size was perfect for my recent trip to Chicago, where I was able to comfortably use it on the plane to read, play games, and watch movies. I tried a bunch of different apps that worked fine. I realize that some won’t work the same way on the tablet as they did on my phone, but it takes time for developers to iron out the kinks; it’ll happen soon enough.

From a working perspective, I had some trouble with the on-screen keyboard, but I have trouble with all on-screen keyboards, the iPad’s included. It’s good enough for moving around, but if you want to do any serious typing, you should get a keyboard dock. Overall, I found the Galaxy Tab much easier to use than my smartphone when it came to email. They were easier to read and to respond to.

Enterprises will find a variety of apps and uses for the Galaxy Tab, including the Epocates Rx drug-reference app for health care professionals. You can download the ThinkFree Office Mobile app to work with Office documents. Box.net, Dropbox, and GoAruna all have apps for syncing files via the cloud. EverNote is an awesome tool for taking notes in meetings; it even embeds voice recordings, pictures, and Web pages. Obviously, depending on your business needs, you can search for and there is an app for that (or there will be soon).

The one knock on the Android is its lack of enterprise-class security and manageability capabilities compared to the iPad’s iOS. But even here, third-party tools fill in many of those gaps, such as Nitrodesk Touchdown for Exchange, Lotus Notes Traveler for Notes, and various mobile management clients, including those from Good Technology and MobileIron for both Exchange and Notes email servers.

The question of size I’ve repeatedly said of my smartphone that I wish it were bigger — not gigantic (like the iPad), but a little larger. I have that in the Galaxy Tab.

For me, the 7-inch form factor is a great fit. I realize that when it comes to tablet size, there are two camps: those of people who sit and those of people who stand. If you can sit down with your tablet, the 10-inch size may work better for you because the on-screen keyboard acts more like a real keyboard.

But many people need a smaller, more portable form factor, and that is where the 7-inch size comes in. A tablet of that size lets you manipulate the device while standing — you can hold it in one hand and type with the other. For business workers in the field who need to work with data on the go, the 7-inch size is the way to go.

My favorite tool as an admin is the free Wyse PocketCloud tool that I downloaded to make connections to my Windows servers. I’ve used apps of this sort on my smartphone, but what a difference in how they work when you have the larger screen. Would it be even better on an iPad? Probably, but then I’d have to lug around an iPad in the process. Remember: The beauty of the Galaxy Tab is in its portability and ease. It fits in my suit pocket, and I can pull it out, connect to my servers, and see everything I need.

Gruman may say the Galaxy Tab is “neither really a tablet, nor really a pocket computer,” but I think the jury is still out on what tablets are at this point. It’s OK for there to be two form factors and call them both tablets. Mark my words, Apple can ridicule the 7-inch factor, but the company will develop one in the near future. Similarly, I’d bet money that the Samsung Galaxy Tab will have a 10-inch form factor to offer in the future (and the new Google OS with all the tablet bells and whistles).

This Windows admin is getting a Galaxy Tab Finally, one of the criticisms that I keep reading that the Android OS wasn’t ready for the tablet market and Google told tablet makers not to use the smartphone version, blah, blah, blah. But here’s a device that’s early to market for having ignored Google’s friendly advice — and that device works! It has more features than the iPad, thanks to its cameras and voice recognition; it has the form factor I prefer; and it does everything I need it to do.

My plan going forward? I have to return the on-loan Galaxy Tab to Samsung. But I’ll buy one of my own because I found it suited my personal and business needs more than any other tablet thus far. I may wait a few months for the next version, but ultimately I’m sold on Samsung’s vision and on the Android OS overall for my tablet needs.

What about my Android smartphone? Do I really need two Android devices on me at all times? No — I’l get rid of my Android smartphone and replace it with a regular cell phone: the Jitterbug, ironically made by Samsung. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a phone for “older folks” who don’t want or need all the fancy stuff. As crazy as it sounds, I cannot wait to get a phone back in my hands that is just a phone. With a Galaxy Tab in my suit pocket, that too becomes possible.

This article, “Galaxy Tab: A great tablet for the ‘can’t do Apple’ crowd,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Read more of J. Peter Bruzzese’s Enterprise Windows blog and follow the latest developments in Windows at InfoWorld.com. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.