Samsung Galaxy Tab Review

The Samsung Galaxy Tab ships with Android 2.2 (Froyo) installed. This OS has built-in support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1, which adds to the browsing experience on the Galaxy Tab. The OS is the same OS you'll find on many of today's hottest smartphones.  Really, if you have an Android-powered smartphone, you should feel immediately at home using the Galaxy Tab.  The OS is very easy to use, so even if you haven't toyed around with an Android-powered device before, you should be able to get around fairly easily within a matter of minutes.

On the software side, there are a few differences between the Sprint and Verizon Wireless versions of the Galaxy Tab. For starters, the Sprint version offers three home screens to start while the Verizon Wireless version features five home screens. You can add and remove home screens with both devices. The Verizon Wireless Galaxy Tab also lets you select any of the screens as the main home screen. Additionally, with both devices, you can pinch to view thumbnail versions of all of the home screens.

Sprint Galaxy Tab & Verizon Wireless Galaxy Tab Home Screens,
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The Sprint Galaxy Tab comes with a few Sprint-specific apps, including Sprint Hotspot and Sprint Zone. Likewise, the Verizon Wireless Galaxy Tab comes with the Verizon Wireless Backup Assistant, My Verizon Mobile, V CAST apps, V CAST Music, V CAST Song ID, and VZ Navigator. You'll also find Samsung's Media Hub on both devices.  Media Hub provides access to various movies and TV shows on demand. According to Samsung, many movies are available on the day of their release and most TV shows are available the day after they premiere. Movies generally run about $3 and you'll have up to 30 days to start watching your rental and between 24 and 48 hours to finish it once you start. You can also opt to purchase a full-length movie for your library for viewing as often as you like. TV shows are available for as little as $1.99. Before you rent or buy, you can stream a trailer to your Galaxy Tab.

Samsung includes the popular SWYPE keyboard with the Galaxy Tab, which is a nice addition. We found ourselves typing very quickly and accurately on the Galaxy Tab using SWYPE. There's also a standard Samsung keyboard available, though SWYPE is selected by default.

Applications on the Sprint Galaxy Tab
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The Galaxy Tab boasts of its multitasking capabilities. In other words, you'll be able to stream music from Slacker while also browsing the web or using another app. Thanks to the Galaxy Tab's 1GHz processor, it can handle these tasks with ease.