Samsung Galaxy Tab (T-Mobile) on sale

Donald A. Ostrower Say: Samsung Galaxy Tab (T-Mobile)
The Phone Is Disabled, 2011-01-19
This review is for: Samsung Galaxy Tab (T-Mobile)
A beautiful product EXCEPT T-mobile has disabled the telephone. When you install a T-mobile SIM card you cannot make a voice call. If you pay to have this tablet unlocked you still cannot make a voice call with any carrier's SIM.This very material fact is not mentioned on the Amazon page which offers this item. for sale Curiously his item is sold under the banner of Cell Phones and Accessories but it cannot make or receive a call - and Amazon doesn't even mention this.Also if you unlock the unit you still won't have phone service. But now you will be denied phone service regardless of whose SIN you use.If you wan't to use the phone feature of the Galaxy buy the European model which is often sold as "unlocked" (here "unlocked means "never locked). If you don't need a phone and have access to wifi wait a few weeks for the forthcoming WiFi only nodel and save hundreds of dollars - but you will not be able to use 3g or 4g.Why doesn't Amazon disclose the very, very material fact that the phone function has been disabled?

Merle J. Benson Say: Samsung Galaxy Tab (T-Mobile)
The best tablet overall at this time, 2011-02-06
This review is for: Samsung Galaxy Tab (T-Mobile)
After researching tablets for some time, it came down to either the iPad or the Galaxy Tab. Both of these tablets seemed well constructed and responsive to me. The iPad has a slight edge over the Galaxy Tab in its touch screen functions (pinch zoom, etc.), but both work very smoothly overall. The biggest problem for me with the iPad was its lack of a real USB connectivity. With the Galaxy Tab, one can simply connect it to a computer with the supplied cable and mount it as a disk. iPad does not have this convenience; getting data in and out of an iPad is cumbersome at best (think of it as a large iPod Touch and you get the idea). Also, there is no external storage on the iPad while the Galaxy Tab accepts microSD cards. The iPad's larger screen can be an advantage when viewing magazines, newspapers, etc., but it is really to large for an eReader. As an eReader, it is pretty flappy and tiring to hold after a short time. Galaxy Tab excels in this area. Apps are better at this time for the iPad; many Android apps are cell phone oriented and appear as a little rectangle in the middle of a big screen. Probably this will change as Android evolves, but the advantage goes to iPad at the moment. What it comes down to is personal preference. The smaller size and easier use as an eReader make the Galaxy my preference; you may prefer the iPad. But, don't be misled--tablets are not PCs! If you had planned on all of the niceties of, say, Microsoft Office--well, they just aren't there. Tablets work fine for email, web browsing, viewing most documents, etc., but they simply do not work well at all when more "heavy duty" processing is required.

Jeffrey A. Meunier Say: Samsung Galaxy Tab (T-Mobile)
Impressive, but unnecessarily crippled, 2010-11-21
This review is for: Samsung Galaxy Tab (T-Mobile)
Review update: Initially my belief was that Samsung has crippled this device, but in fact it has been done by Verizon. The Verizon web site explains that NONE of their mobile devices includes the ability to use a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse. Moreover, the T-Mobile model has been reported to work fine with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. I also briefly tested a Sprint model with a Bluetooth mouse, and it seems as though it should work -- there was a menu option to connect to the mouse and use it as a HID (human input device), an option that is not even available on the Verizon model. I wasn't actually able to connect to the mouse, but it's possible that it was a mouse incompatibility issue (it's a Targus N2953), or my batteries were too low.Steer clear of the Verizon model of the Galaxy Tab. And since this review is under the heading of the T-Mobile model of the Tab, I am changing my rating from 3 stars to 4 stars.I'm surprised Samsung lets Verizon do this, owing to the bad press it's giving Samsung.Original post follows.----------It's an amazing little tablet. Quick, responsive, light, bright screen, and all the Android apps I've tried run very well on it. It even works as a WiFi-to-3G hotspot out of the box. This tablet is impressive. Too bad it's been deliberately crippled by Samsung [edit: it was Verizon, not Samsung].The problem is Bluetooth, which on the Galaxy Tab is usable ONLY for file transfers (the supplied USB cable is used for the same thing). The ability to use the Tab with Bluetooth HIDs (human input devices) has been DISABLED. Google put it into Android, and Samsung [edit: no, Verizon] took it out. That means you can't use wireless keyboards or mice with it. This tablet has the ability to replace a PC if only it could use a keyboard and a mouse (but then that's probably why Samsung [Verizon] has disabled it: politics, lawsuits, myopia, inbreeding, whatever). I have also tried 3rd party Bluetooth drivers, but they don't work. Not yet, anyway.Bluetooth headsets are also reported not to work, but what's the point? Samsung [edit: might really be Samsung] has also disabled the Tab's phone capability.European users do not have these restrictions placed on them by Samsung [edit: by whomever]: their units work well with keyboards and mice, and as phones. Check YouTube for some videos of this.From the technologizer web site:"Will the Galaxy Tab support Bluetooth HID? Will it support Bluetooth headsets or keyboards?No, and no, said Kim Titus, a Samsung representative. Looks like Samsung's keyboard dock accessory is your only option."[edit: T-Mobile & Sprint users should be able to use Bluetooth HID with no problem.]My advice? Should BT HID remain unattainable (I'll report back if I can find a way to fix it), resist the burning temptation to buy this beautiful and extremely usable but very expensive tablet, and wait a few months for the 7" tablet competition to ramp up [OR get the T-Mobile or Sprint model] -- there are several on the horizon. Features on other tablets will increase in number, and prices will drop. Apple will release the iPad 2 in 2011, which will undoubtedly have a camera and other nice features you've been waiting for (the iPad already supports the Apple BT keyboard, but no mouse). Samsung will eventually cave in and provide BT HID support in a software update for the Galaxy Tab, but it will be too late. Potential users will have taken their money elsewhere.