Samsung Galaxy Tab Looks Great, Except…

So, Samsung did the big roll out on the upcoming Galaxy Tab this week. It really looks like a pretty great product. It is smaller than the iPad, and has a lower resolution screen. However, it has higher total pixel density (at least until iPad 2 comes with a Retina display), it is 16×9 (which is nice for video), and much more pocket friendly than the iPad. In general, it looks like a great device. Here’s a basic run-down on the specs for the new device:

• Android 2.2 (FroYo) with TouchWiz 3.0 skin
• 1024×600 (WSVGA) TFT LCD display
• Front facing 1.3 megapixel camera
• Rear facing 3 megapixel camera with LED flash and auto-focus
• 16 or 32 GB of internal storage with microSD slot for expansion
• 30-pin “dock connector” (ala iProducts) with available keyboard, multimedia (with HDMI), and car docks
• 1GHz Cortex A8 CPU and PowerVR SGX540 GPU
• Gyroscope sensor, accelerometer, light sensor, and compass (though no GPS built-in, apparently)

The software is a touchy subject. By all accounts, Android 2.2 really isn’t designed for tablet-sized devices, and cramming it on there is a challenging task to pull off well.  It is still unclear if Gingerbread (Android 3.0 coming later this year) will address these issues, or if those problems will be left for a later release.  So, the challenge of filling the gaps between what FroYo provides itself, and what users will need from the OS on a 7-inch tablet device, is left to Samsung’s skin.  Unfortunately, Samsung’s TouchWiz on their Galaxy S phones is widely disliked in the tech punditocracy, even among big Android fans. However, according to Paul Miller at engadget:

It’s still a phone OS being asked to do a big screen job, but while we could see room for improvement, we’d say Samsung has shored up enough of Android’s deficiencies with its own custom skin and apps to make the OS thoroughly palatable in this form factor. TouchWiz 3.0 still does have a bit of a “iPhone for kids” flavor to it, but props to Samsung for the depth and consistency of its UI layer.

So, all of this looks very good. The screen isn’t as nice as the iPad’s by any means (it is not an IPS display), but the overall form-factor might be a little easier to deal with, and the expansion options look impressive. And, most importantly, it should actually have a usable file system, unlike the iPad.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Tab news this week wasn’t universally good. Read on after the break for the details.

If A Sperm Is Wasted, God Gets Quite Irate

Let’s all celebrate Christine O’Donnell’s victory last night, shall we? (Via John Cole, of course.)

Let the heathen spill theirs
On the dusty ground.
God shall make them pay for
Each sperm that can’t be found.

The Real Reason

So, it’s blindingly obvious that the sudden reversal in the terms of the iOS SDK concerning apps built with third party development tools was about this way more than this, right?

Sweet, Sweet Surround Goodness

Just a quick note. I ordered myself one of these today. I can’t wait for it to come! I’ll be able to get some delicious Dolby TrueHD surround, and I’m really excited to be able to balance the room properly with the Audissey MultEQ dynamic room correction feature. Most importantly, though, it will get rid of the obnoxious hum that my Klipsch powered speaker set has slowly developed over time.

Don’t worry, after I get it and get all settled, there will be a full review forthcoming.

Wednesday can’t come soon enough!

The Ongoing AT&T Fail In Bar Harbor, Maine

Just a quick update to the ongoing saga, despite the timing the Tech Support Rep at AT&T indicated, we still do not have 3G coverage up here in Hancock County. Now, to be fair, she did say the date she was giving me was preliminary and subject to change. I also know they are installing at least two new towers, so perhaps they decided to wait for the go-live date for one or more of those towers before activating 3G (especially in light of the problems with the upgrade).

My service has generally been much improved since the “steaming pile of fail” of July and August. I do still occasionally have issues downloading visual voicemails, though, which worries me about missing incoming calls. I’ve tested my phone periodically, though, and it seems to be working most of the time now. The data connection also is much more reliable, though still slower than molasses (that’s just living on EDGE though).