LG Optimus Prepaid Android Phone (Virgin Mobile).
4. The weight is substantial - you know you're holding it - and the build quality is excellent! Buttons (rockers) feel solid and are easy to find.
5.Touchscreen swipes are smooth and transitions move quickly.
6. Wi-fi is easily found and connected.
7. Screen is bright and clear. Adjustments to brightness easily made in 'Settings'.
8. Watching Netflix and Amazon On Demand movies was lag-free and enjoyable. I was a worried about it not being as clear as I would like, but due to the 7" screen size, there was no problem at all. I've seen the iPad display and while it's not that tight, it's very good.
9. Good battery life. If you put it on 'Airplane mode' in settings, you'll get even more life out of your juice!
10. Came with lots of apps installed: Netflix, Gmail, Google, and more, as well as useful widgets for weather and calendar.
11. Charging went quickly and easily with the adapter that allows for USB or AC charging.
12. Web browsing was quick n' easy, as was emailing with this tablet.
13. This tablet has Bluetooth! I have a bluetooth headset that I pair with it: LG Tone - HBS-700 Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headset - Retail Packaging - Black/Orange which also works with my LG Optimus phone. I can use it to do Google Talk calls - long distance for free via Gmail's interface. The tablet has a built in microphone on the front and you can use regular headphones for Google Talk, or you can use the one on your Bluetooth.
What I wish was a bit better...
1. I would love it if Samsung was to offer an OS update to 4.1 Jellybean to make this thing fly! 4.0 Android Ice Cream OS is quick and when I received this tablet I immediately went to 'About' and clicked 'Update' - receiving the 4.04 update for Ice Cream. The update requires a reboot of your system and you may lose data, so good to do it right out of the box. Made a nice improvement in the tablet's speed after the update!
2. Again, the Nexus 7 will have a faster processor, faster OS and better display 1280x800 pixels, but the 1.2 forward facing camera n' no expansion slot were big issues for me. The Samsung doesn't have those 'fast' components and yes, I wish it did, but then I remember the price point.
3. Not much documentation came with it. Undoubtedly it's either on the device or online, but sometimes you just want to read a good book or have it handy for reference.
4. Internal memory gets eaten up quickly by apps, but multitasking isn't this tablet's strong suit - or my expectation.
5. No HDMI or USB ports, but it does have Bluetooth and can act as a remote control with included app via infrared.
6. GPS - yes, I put it in the 'like' area too, but truthfully it's more of a slow toy on this tablet than a GPS replacement.
I am pleased with 2 accessories I bought for this tablet: MoKo(TM) 360 Degree Rotating Detachable Cover Case for Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 7-inch Tablet, Black (with Vertical and Horizontal Multi-angle Stand) which fits this tablet perfectly - allowing for access to all the ports and protecting it while also allowing horizontal or vertical viewing, and [Ultimate Clear] Ringbo Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 New Release Tablet 7" Screen Protector Cover Film with Warranty which while tricky to apply, also fits perfectly.
I also bought a SanDisk 32GB microSDHC Memory Card (Bulk Package) for it, which inserted easily and was recognized as 28GB of useable space by the tablet. *FYI... it's not uncommon for any storage to be recognized as less than the stated size after installation.
Charging the device out of the box and then updating it immediately made using it the best it could be upon first use. I will be installing an app to do basic clean-up of the memory cache and an antivirus. There are several free options for both.
Being my first tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 doesn't have big shoes to fill in my life like if I was an iPad user. I don't think anyone with an iPad would find this tablet interesting at all!
For those who want portability, with more functionality than the Kindle Fire and a tablet with good speed and expansion, as well as a camera and video taking capabilities - this is a very good choice at an affordable price.
RE: Apps
If you want to install the Amazon Appstore on your Samsung Galaxy Tab 2... you have to go to www.amazon.com/appstoreapp and download the app. Your tablet may say 'no' and block it. If so, go into 'Settings', 'Security' and under 'Device Administration' make sure the box for 'Unknown Sources' is check marked. The tablet will caution you that this makes your private info vulnerable, but in reality all it does is open up other another Appstore (other than Samsung's which is installed on the device) for you.
Once you do this you should be able to download and install the Amazon Appstore and use it. That works well for me as I have several apps already that I use on my Android phone and Kindle Fire, which can also be used on this tablet.
I'd suggest adding some of these apps I found useful and/or fun picked up at the Amazon Appstore. Most, if not all, are free.
Remember that every day Amazon offers a new app for free. They are paid apps that for 1 day only, Amazon offers for free download. Sometimes, they are apps valued at $10 the day before, so it's definitely worth checking frequently!
Here's a not so short list of 25 of my favorite apps for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2:
1. Temple Run - fun game at the top of the iTunes app charts.
2. App 2 SD Pro - to make sure you get the most out of your microSD space.
3. Angry Birds Free - nice time waster!
4. Fruit Ninja Free - another fun time waster.
5. TextPlus Free Texting + Group Text - get a free texting phone number and text via wifi.
6. AVG Free - antivirus for your tablet.
7. MyFitnessPal - diet and exercise tracker.
8.Cozi Family Organizer - works really well and your whole family can use it.
9. E!Online - fun to keep up with entertainment news.
10.EasyPrint - print from your tablet to wifi enabled printers.
11.EasySudoku
12. ESPN ScoreCenter
13.Gemini App Manager - easy, fast way to make sure apps are not soaking up memory.
14. HootSuite - love it for Tweets.
15. Old Time Radio Player - just fun to listen to the Lone Ranger!
16. OfficeSuite
17.Official Ebay Android App
18. PicShop - edit photos.
19. Scanner Radio - listen to EMT and Police scanner traffic.
20. SwiftKey 3 - makes texting and typing much faster with intuitive type by swype.
21. TuneIn Radio - what it says...
22. Star Chart -check out constellations.
23. iHeartRadio - like Pandora (also available), create custom radio stations.
24. Antivirus Free or Avast! - keep safe while surfing.
25. NBC Nightly News - in case you missed it!
UPDATE: 8/29/12
Still really enjoying this tablet, and finding more reasons to recommend it every day. For the speediness of it, size and features, it's really a great buy!
UPDATE: 12/2/12
Disappointing... the Galaxy is dead. Started not holding a charge, then wouldn't turn on, and finally wouldn't charge at all. My use with this tablet has been about once a week for about an hour. Not exactly hard on it, so I'm a bit bummed. I did run an update prior to this happening so I'm not sure if it's a bad update or the hardware. Either way, dead in the water and will be contacting Samsung for warranty repair or replacement.
UPDATE: 4/21/13
The 'end' to my Tab story is that I took it back to Costco (where it was purchased as a gift with a 2 year warranty) and they told me they'd replace it, but had none in stock and to come back a week later. I did that (after a call confirmed they had them in stock) and drove 30 miles only to find they were out of stock. I asked how long it would take to repair it, and that was 'unknown' via the Costco repair system. I asked for, and received a refund on the purchase price (went back on the person's credit card who purchased the gift...).
I liked the Tab, but since have purchased a Apple iPad MC705LL/A (16GB, Wi-Fi, Black) 3rd Generation which I love. I purchased directly through Apple refurbs, and it came with a 1 year warranty - for under $400. Yes, it's more expensive, but it's also better.
If you're looking for a budget Android tablet, this is still a good choice though, and if Costco had them in stock when I had returned to exchange, I'd probably still have it.
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