Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7inch Tablet - White (8GB, WiFi, Android 4.0)

I would give it five stars if it weren't for the fact that you have to have absurdly thin fingers (my pinkie doesn't even work) in order to hit the right "spot" and use the touch screen. It really does require a stylus, and to paraphrase Steve Jobs (deceased monarch of overpriced techno-gadgetry), if you have to use a stylus in order to use a touchpad, then the product designers have failed. So, it's a fairly long and labourious process to type anything, which means very short emails or messages. However, this thing is basically like a very large smartphone, but without the phone (unless you count skype). If you want to surf the net, you're set. If you have a high speed connection, you can do pretty much anything (ie watching videos etc.), but it isn't quite as fast as a laptop, obviously. However, it's actually pretty fast and it's quite convenient, with a larger screen than a phone but not as heavy or bulky as a laptop--the perfect traveling size, which is exactly what I bought it for. I take it with me whenever I travel, which is quite a bit, and though there are many things that I'd rather not do using a touchscreen, at least it keeps me connected and it doesn't take up highly valuable space in the absurdly small single piece of carry-on luggage that I'm usually restricted to on short flights. Also, it's fairly high quality, with a good weight to it, and I would definitely compare it favourably to any similar Apple product--when you consider how much more expensive Apple products are, and the fact that this tablet has the style and the quality and the functionality without the hefty price tag, well....yeah. I am pleased with it. Except for the fact that it makes me feel as if my fingers are even fatter than they really are, but other than that, it makes me happy so far.

Purchasing a Samsung product was a low risk option, having previously had only positive experiences of the brand. Indeed the lack of reliability and robustness of cheaper android alternatives confirmed my choice.Having experience of ipads, and iphones my initial expectations of this product were not high. I have been pleasantly surprised subsequently. The Samsung is frugal in its power consumption and recharges within a reasonable duration. It certainly out lasts the power thirsty Apple rivals which seem to discharge with alarming rapidity.The Polaris Office software permits, unlike Apple devices, the user to edit Microsoft Office, PDF and even ZIP files. The pop up QWERTY keyboard also outperforms Apple in the fact it displays letters and digits simultaneously! Apple missed a trick here. It is recommended that you deactivate the annoying predictive text function however when using the word processing capabilities of Polaris Office, as this is a real throw back to annoying early mobile phones. Any difficulties in using the keyboard can be easily overcome by the use of a stylus.Despite rumours to the contrary it is possible to view BBC iplayer without difficulty and the lack of Flash software can be overcome by the relatively simple task of downloading android compatible alternatives such a Dolphin Browser or Skyfire.The user is able to select from an impressive array of android apps available via Google Play or from Samsung and the abillity to use add ons such as an SD card is a further bonus.The Galaxy Tab 2 7 inch represents excellent value for money and a real alternative to Apple's new ipad mini.

Been using this tablet now for a couple of weeks and am very impressed with it. Out of the box it has more than enough battery life to start you going and the set up couldn't be easier. While the pre-installed Apps are sufficient you'll quickly outgrow them and move to more powerful free apps from Google Play.One of the nice touches on the tablet is the notification screen. It pops out from the bottom left and as well as notifications it also provides on/off buttons for features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. Even better it also has a simple brightness control. I quickly turned off the automatic brightness and instead prefer this manual route. So easy and so useful.The screen is crystal clear and while the inbuilt speakers lack bass they are adequate however the inclusion of a headphone socket prevents that being a real problem. The touch facility is also brilliant. It easily rivals tablets of a much higher price. However, it's not all good. The inbuilt cameras are awful, especially in low light and forget trying to focus on anything close to the tablet, it simply won't happen. However, if you are just using it for a bit of video calling or the odd snapshot here or there then it's fine. At the end of the day, if you want a decent picture buy a decent camera, not a tablet.I've also installed a few games on the tablet and these demonstrate the power this thing has. It's not yet complained, slowed down or had a hissy fit. It has taken everything I've thrown at it.Finally it has the MicroSD card slot allowing you to upgrade the memory. While you can't transfer any apps to the card the 8GB internal memory is more than sufficient and I just use the card for music and movies. With MX Player installed it's had no issues playing any media I've tried.A great little tablet at a great price.