Tuesday 31 May 2011

Samsung P1000 Galaxy Tab

I was given the opportunity to have a look at the P1000 Samsung Galaxy Tab for a few days. It was already running on the Android 2.1 and the owner was keen to have the firmware upgraded to 2.2.It was rather difficult for him to do so because there is no firmware upgrade option on his Galaxy Tab (strange but true).

To start off with, I do feel strange holding on to a 7" tablet and making calls. The Galaxy Tab, by no means small for a person holding on to it. I think it is only good if the user were to use a bluetooth headset for making or receiving calls - It will not be weird then. The screen is capacitive and runs smooth even with the Android 2.1 firmware. I have no problem with it.

Apart from that, it is powered by a 1Ghz ARM A8 single core cpu and a PowerSGX 530 gpu. It supports flash and it is also equipped with a front 1.3MP camera and a back 3.15MP autofocus digital camera with an LED flash. Apart from that, it has bluetooth and supports quadband GSM and 3G. Users would have to differentiate it with the P1010 as the P1010 does not come with radio support for voice calls.

In that two days of trying, I have been able to upgrade the firmware to 2.2 and it is beautiful! The internal 16GB storage and 512MB of RAM is sufficient for everyday use. In fact, I think web browsing is good too! I have tried watching 1080p videos on youtube and it can run but the graphics were choppy. Besides that, the device is considerably light at 385g.

So far I do not have any problems with the Galaxy Tab. However, I would hope that Samsung will release a dualcore Galaxy Tab 10.1 with 3G but no voice communication soon. Battery life on the P1000 is pretty solid at one day of moderate usage.

Given the fact that the Galaxy Tab P1000 is now being sold at £256 online (brand new), I see no reason why people should wait for the Tab 10.1 though. However, we have to take into account that there are other alternatives to the Galaxy Tab, noticeably the Apple Ipad 2 and the Motorola Xoom which both have more capabilities than the P1000. It is all up to a buyer to choose... I would wait for the Ipad3...

17 comments:

Uday Shankar said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Uday Shankar said...

The samsung galaxy tab p1000 can be updated to 2.3 (gingerbread)!! It is all over the web and it is really easy to update.

ぜるもう said...

Many thanks for your information. Although Gingerbread is released, it is not possible for me to update it as I have flashed a non UK firmware on it and it does not have any update on it yet. Besides, there is no firmware update option on the Galaxy Tab and I had to use other methods to update the firmware.

Uday Shankar said...

Hi, I dont have a UK firmware either. I am in Australia and mine had Australian firmware and I just took the Italian firmware and updated it. It works fine! I am able to make calls too. So I don''t think it will be an issue to update. I guess you are in Malaysia. I understand that Gingerbread files are available for Asia. Of course, you will not be able to update using Kies, but using Odin 7 and the allied files, it should be a breeze to update. Gingerbread is awwesome!! Enjoy the Galaxy tab.

Joshua Lopez said...

Uday Shankar, why do you say that he's from Malaysia? Hahahahaha! He originates from Malaysia but has long left Malaysia. He lives in The UK.

Uday Shankar said...

Sorry if I have made the wrong assumption. If you are in the UK, you should still be easily able to update your tab to Gingerbread.

ぜるもう said...

LOL...

It is good to know that there is Odin 7. I am relying on www.samfirmware.com to provide me with the firmware and they do not have Gingerbread for Singapore firmware. Perhaps I would have to search elsewhere for it.

Many thanks for your assistance!

I am waiting for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to be released in the UK but unfortunately it does not seem to support voice call, so unlike the Galaxy Tab...

Uday Shankar said...

Hi, you could try the european versions of the firmware available on samfirmware. In terms of voice calls, the p1000 is the only one that supports it, that is why it is such a good buy. All the best with your tab.

ぜるもう said...

Thank you so much! I will surely do so. Cheers!

timtechs said...

Nice insights about Samsung P1000 Galaxy Tab, thanks for the chance on visiting this site.. :)

ぜるもう said...

No problem! We are here to share, am I right, folks? Well, to tell you the truth, I am trying to overclock this baby but I'm scared that I might "fry" the motherboard or the cpu itself. LOL... Anyway, the P1000 is a good alternative to using a 10" tablet. The 1Ghz cpu is sufficient for most of the modern day application. I am just hoping that Samsung will release a bigger brother, the 10.1" badboy soon with wifi and 3G and with voice support.

Uday Shankar said...

Guys, I have been using the Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000 for almost 2 months now. I am really happy I did not go for a bigger tablet as the 7"size is ideal to carry and at the same time big enough to read on public transport. The P1000 has decent hardware and I have happily used it for a couple of teleconferences as well as a music box during lunch break at work. Great fun and a fantastic buy. I kind of bought it on impulse when a dealer in Australia slashed the price to $299 and I have no regrets. I have got a SanDisk 32GB MicroSD HDSC Card that can store tonnes of data. I love watching movies on it as well (when travelling to and from work every day). Give it a go guys. I am sure you will not be disappointed. I have heard that the P1000 will not get Honeycomb but Gingerbread is good enough for now.

ぜるもう said...

Precisely! I'm really happy that you are enjoying it! Wow!!! For $299, it is a bargain! Well, it is around £250 over here! It is so much cheaper down under! Does it come with a contract? Oh well, I'm glad that you are enjoying it. I am finding it alright as it is a good alternative to the Ipad2. Besides that, it runs on the Android platform so it is solid! I dont' think that it will have any negative impact on whether it will be upgraded to Honeycomb or not because the existing version is sufficient. I do understand that in order to use Honeycomb, the device must have sufficient memory, i.e. at least 512MB and running on dualcore. Oh well, the P1000 is good enough.

Many thanks for sharing! I am sure that there will be more exiting news with the P1000. Head off to www.samfirmware.com for more exciting tweaking on your Samsung P1000!

Uday Shankar said...

Well, the $299 was just a short term sale period in JB HiFi (one of the electronic store chains in Australia). The initial price was $720. So you are right, it is a bargain!

There are conflicting versions on whether dual core is required for Honeycomb. I believe there is a guy over at XDA developers who is trying to make a version of Honeycomb for the P1000. Samfirmware is a great place to get the latest firmware. Keep sharing your experiences with your tab. I will do the same. Cheers.

ぜるもう said...

Cheers!!! I will surely do so. Perhaps it will be wise to wait for someone at XDA-Developers to cook a Honeycomb ROM for us then. Hahahaha! As far as I am concern, the only problem with the P1000 is the short of memory for the full version of the Honeycomb. Perhaps a cook ROM will do the trick.

Uday Shankar said...

Hi, trust you are enjoying using your tab. Hey, use Lookout Mobile Security on your Tab to keep it free of trojans and other issues. I also forgot to tell you that my Tab is unlocked and not bought on a plan so the $299 is a really good deal. cheers

ぜるもう said...

Oh yes, many thanks! AUS$299 unlocked and no contract stuck to it? You had a bargain! Have a great time with your Galaxy Tab!