My Nook Tablet review posted to Amazon and Best Buy product pages

[raqball]

@moose_tracker; The 7.0 Plus for sale at BB for $349 has bluetooth, wifi and gps.. Its wifi only (like the Nook) so it will not work on cellular networks.. Hope that helps... :-)

[floridaphil]

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moose_tracker wrote:

Floridaphil (or anyone else who knows)

The Galaxy Tab does sound impressive I went out to see the reviews  Cnet's video review looked impress.. engadgets review was luke-warm, but I think that had to do with it's price at the time, and they were looking for more for that price range.. (I think)..

But, I got confused with if it is WiFi, or bluetooth, or both.. Verizon & Sprint seem to offer it lower prices $199 with a 2 year plan.. But I read on some reviews WiFi..   I am assuming the $350 is for without plan??   True???

That would be a great solution if it carries both, for our son, who finishes college this Summer, if we can buy one without a 2year plan attached, as we do not want to carry his phone bill for another 2 years.. But if he has the option of making it his phone (if the size is not a problem for him).. Then since he is complaining over his phone not working quite right, he would have that option until he buys his own phone & plan..

Still may wait for myself though.. buying 2 Tablets for $350 is a little steep, and all indications are that I am right, if I can wait and be happy with a simple cheaper e-reader for a year, next year will be a whole different ball game with great options for a good price..

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The Galaxy is available in both wifi only version (the one I have) and also a version with a cell 3g/4g radio.

You are correct, the cell version *can* act as a phone - albeit oversized and an earbud style headset is included in the box.  If you buy from a cell phone company then the tablet will be subsidized and you will be locked into a 2 year agreement (I did a little research a T-Mobile's version still costs $299 so you are not saving very much at all).

If your son's cell phone has a wifi hotspot feature then he could run a wifi tablet off that when he does not have access to a wifi router.  Since he's at college, he will likely have great wifi access most of the time.

You may also want to look into a refurbished tablet with a cell radio to which you can add service without a contract. I took a serious look at the HTC Evo View which is available with Sprint WiMax service (optional) for as little as $289.  I played with one in my local Sprint store and quite liked it.  Link to Google Shopping Results

Choices, choices....

[moose_tracker]

Thanks, Don't know why anyone would buy a 2 year plan for it then.. Still might work for son, he just has to live with his old phone, until June or July when he sets up his own phone plan..

Editted as Floridaphil & I posts crossed.. Ahhaahhh... So there are two types floating around.. Makes a little more sense.. But, we (parents) wont lock ourselves into a 2 year contract supporting sons phone.. So son gets WiFi only..

I do think the device is too large for a good phone, but he may have tried it to get him through his next 6 months of "I hate my phone"  until he bought his own plan.

[TnTexas]

rafalweb: Then why did you and those of you who are similarly upset, purchase this device?   Anyone who looks through these forums would know, beforehand, that there is a lack of apps for this device.  It is a closed Android device, with no access to the Android market unless rooted.   This is no secret.  We all have the freedom to choose to go get other tablets with full access to all the Android apps out there.   I chose this device knowing this, because I looked through the forums and read many user reviews, and I knew exactly what I was getting.  Thus, I'm not as upset.   User responsibility states that you should always do the reasearch before handing out the cash.

Because when it first came out, Amazon's app store could be run on it without a problem and you could sideload apps from other places. That was mentioned in most review articles and here on the board. Granted, you had to locate and check a hidden "magic" box in order to be able to do it; but it wasn't hard to do. So technically no, the device was not completely locked down when it was bought. Many were aware of that (because they took the time to research the device) and bought it because they weren't limited to just B&N's app store.

[raqball]

I am going to throw up a review comparing the 7.0 Plus to the Nook Tablet in a few days.. So far my initial thoughts are is the 7.0 Plus worth the extra $100 on sale price? Maybe depending on what the user wants.. Is it worth the extra $150 plus tax at regular price? Probably not.. But again that will depend on user wants/needs and financial situation..

[gb18]

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raqball wrote:
I am going to throw up a review comparing the 7.0 Plus to the Nook Tablet in a few days.. So far my initial thoughts are is the 7.0 Plus worth the extra $100 on sale price? Maybe depending on what the user wants.. Is it worth the extra $150 plus tax at regular price? Probably not.. But again that will depend on user wants/needs and financial situation..

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Any one wanna bet which one "wins" this review............?

[moose_tracker]

Great! Can you post a link here? Or remind me again of what group you do your reviews for so that I can look for it?.. I know I have looked at engadget, cnet, and a year old one from time techland (in which it wasn't worth $600 they were charging at that time.. but aside from the price tag it was nice..) But none comparing Nook or ereaders to the Galaxy..

[raqball]

Honestly I don't think there will be a clear victor as every person has different needs and wants.. For the price and what it offers the NT is hard to beat but for an extra $100 (on sale) the 7.0 Plus offers more for those who want it.. I seriously don't know which I will end up keeping yet... I love widgets and customization but at $250 the NT is going to be very hard for me to return... @moose, I don't write reviews for anyone.. Most who know me call me a techno whore because I'm a gadget freak.. So far the NT has price and nice specs for that price going for it and the 7.0 Plus has options, customization and apps going for it.. They are both nice but there is quite the price difference..

[moose_tracker]

gb18 - He hasn't said that.. If both were the same price, maybe the open tablet would win.. I bet he will still find the the screen on the Nook better quality, and probably it will be a little faster (after all the Galaxy we are looking at came out around Nov. 2010.. so although it was the cadillac for it's day, with a Rolls Royce sticker price.. I bet the year in age will give the Nook a few advantages over it..

But the open source will definately be a huge plus on the Galaxy...

And that is what I am predicting.. Who else wants to take a guess..?

[Nom-de-Nook]

I bet it is a lot like a cnet.com review

NT is the best $250 tablet

Galaxy is the best $350 tablet.

[raqball]

@Nom-de-nook... That is probably spot on but what I am also going to try and do is to decide for myself if the Tab Plus is worth the extra money.. For me it may be, for someone who wants a reading experience 1st and Tablet like features 2nd the NT may be the best choice.. I don't read many books but have several magazine subscriptions, the LA Times subscription and numerous RSS feeds that I read daily.. Apps are not a huge issue for me as I can easily bookmark a webpage if an app is not available.. I can care less about games for the most part although I do play Words With Friends.. Movies and music on a 7" Tablet are not important to me as I have an iPod and a Roku for that and I don't travel often enough for that to be a factor in my choice..

[moose_tracker]

I am very, very sad I went to BB for the Galaxy, and found we are obviously NOT running the same sale you guys are getting..  We had a normal price of $400, and a bundle package sale price of $350.. The bundle you must buy is a 2 year contract, for not a phone, but a device that gives you a WiFi hotspot????And it's a seprate device you have to remember to take along with you???  huh??? Some geek want to explaing this one..  If the Galaxy WiFi comes with WiFi, what does this do for me..  Anyway heard 2 year contract and it wasn't the device for me (at least not at that store)..

Maybe the 2 WiFi hotspot device is less then a 2 year cell phone contract.. Because why would a $50 discount for a 2 year WiFi hotspot seprate device ($399 reduced to $349) for a WiFi enabled device be better then walking into my Verizion and getting a $150 discount for an included in the device (whatever makes it cell phone enabled) device  ($399 reduced to $199)...

Did not sound like a good deal at all..  Sigh!!! anyone see any good sale price for it over the internet? BB was not selling it fro $349 on their internet store..

[mohawkx]

After reading Phil's choice of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 plus, I must admit that I ran out the door to my local(65 miles away) Best Buy after calling them to see if they had the 7 plus in stock and at the 349 price.  They did, I went and I've been fiddling with it ever since.  I've got the B&N Nook Tab and the Galaxy 7.0 plus and one of them is going back in the next week or so. 

My biggest decision is "Do I want a great ereader with some limited tablet functions?  Or do I prefer a great open tablet with ereader capabilities?  That is the question for me.  The open source of the galaxy alone makes it worth the exrtra 100 but I'm not sure I need all of that.  So far I'm loving the galaxy.  Oh and the tab that was released in Nov. 2010 was the Galaxy tab 7.  The plus has been updated and I downloaded a very large update as soon as I turned it on and got it running.  It was almost 200mb.  From the research I've done, the 7 was running GB 2.2 and the 7plus is running GB3.2 and is scheduled to be updated to ICS very shortly.

I'll keep everyone posted.

Oh, Moose, I noticed that online Amazon has galaxy tab 7.0 plus in stock and on sale right now with free shipping.  349.95.  No tax either so you save there.

[floridaphil]

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moose_tracker wrote:

gb18 - He hasn't said that.. If both were the same price, maybe the open tablet would win.. I bet he will still find the the screen on the Nook better quality, and probably it will be a little faster (after all the Galaxy we are looking at came out around Nov. 2010.. so although it was the cadillac for it's day, with a Rolls Royce sticker price.. I bet the year in age will give the Nook a few advantages over it..

But the open source will definately be a huge plus on the Galaxy...

And that is what I am predicting.. Who else wants to take a guess..?

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No, no , no.... this is the 7.0 PLUS, not the original Tab 7.

The GT7+ was only released in November 2011 and it is hyper quick.  IMO, the screen is slightly superior to the NT, but there is not much between them. The NT screen is supplied by Samsung.

Look, if you are happy with the features on the NT then great, save the $100. If, like me, you can't do without the additional functionality, then the extra $100 will give you that.  Heck, I can't take the wife out to her favorite restaurant for $100 !

[floridaphil]

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moose_tracker wrote:

I am very, very sad I went to BB for the Galaxy, and found we are obviously NOT running the same sale you guys are getting..  We had a normal price of $400, and a bundle package sale price of $350.. The bundle you must buy is a 2 year contract, for not a phone, but a device that gives you a WiFi hotspot????And it's a seprate device you have to remember to take along with you???  huh??? Some geek want to explaing this one..  If the Galaxy WiFi comes with WiFi, what does this do for me..  Anyway heard 2 year contract and it wasn't the device for me (at least not at that store)..

Maybe the 2 WiFi hotspot device is less then a 2 year cell phone contract.. Because why would a $50 discount for a 2 year WiFi hotspot seprate device ($399 reduced to $349) for a WiFi enabled device be better then walking into my Verizion and getting a $150 discount for an included in the device (whatever makes it cell phone enabled) device  ($399 reduced to $199)...

Did not sound like a good deal at all..  Sigh!!! anyone see any good sale price for it over the internet? BB was not selling it fro $349 on their internet store..

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I think you spoke with an idiot salesperson!  The device is showing backordered on BestBuy website and is available on Amazon right now

[floridaphil]

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mohawkx wrote:

After reading Phil's choice of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 plus, I must admit that I ran out the door to my local(65 miles away) Best Buy after calling them to see if they had the 7 plus in stock and at the 349 price.  They did, I went and I've been fiddling with it ever since.  I've got the B&N Nook Tab and the Galaxy 7.0 plus and one of them is going back in the next week or so. 

My biggest decision is "Do I want a great ereader with some limited tablet functions?  Or do I prefer a great open tablet with ereader capabilities?  That is the question for me.  The open source of the galaxy alone makes it worth the exrtra 100 but I'm not sure I need all of that.  So far I'm loving the galaxy.  Oh and the tab that was released in Nov. 2010 was the Galaxy tab 7.  The plus has been updated and I downloaded a very large update as soon as I turned it on and got it running.  It was almost 200mb.  From the research I've done, the 7 was running GB 2.2 and the 7plus is running GB3.2 and is scheduled to be updated to ICS very shortly.

I'll keep everyone posted.

Oh, Moose, I noticed that online Amazon has galaxy tab 7.0 plus in stock and on sale right now with free shipping.  349.95.  No tax either so you save there.

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Oh my, I didn't know I had the power to make you drive 65 miles each way!  You are under my command.... lmao...

I'll look forward to seeing your thoughts about both readers.  Having now wiped my NT and reverted to the stock interface, I can honestly see why this device appeals to many people. B&N have done a great job of keeping things simple and since many prospective buyers may not be technically astute, it is probably the right thing for them to do.  

Similar products with important differences.

[mohawkx]

Now you need to find a kickazz Galaxy Tab 7.0plus forum to hang out in Phil.    I'm still on the fence so I'll at least be here a little while longer.    One thing I noticed, the user manual for the 7.0plus is 200 pages long and covers everything.  It assumes a reader never used an android device before.  I like that.  Couldn't find a similar documemtation on the Nook Tablet.

[moose_tracker]

OHHHHH... Well then why didn't the Sales Clerk tell me that when I stated I heard about the Galaxy 7" on sale for $349.. But it didn't wasn't in a bundle package??  He said this is the only one he had heard about going on sale.. Maybe my BB was not selling the plus at all??

Thankx Mohawkx and FloridaPhil for pointing me to Amazon...  I am upset with them for the way they are fighting dirty to kick BB out of competition with them.. But,  I guess this time I go to Amazon.. Can't guarentee my son will shop as much at B&N over Amazon as I will preference B&N still.. But he does have a $25 gift certificate I bought him to use at B&N when I thought it was an added part of the Nook gift.. Of course that is just using up already spent money!!!

[mohawkx]

I just downloaded the B&N app for android on to the Galaxy and all my material showed up and was downloaded quickly.  Only difference I saw was that my time mag subscription didn't work on the galaxy with the B&N app.  Says this device won't work for some reason.  I'm pretty bummed about that.  I really enjoyed my time mag on the B&N Tablet.

[floridaphil]

Mohawkx,

The Nook Tablet documentation (141 pages) is on the home screen when you first power up the NT. You may still have it under Library/Books.

Where did you see the Galaxy user manual?