Be mighty big - Gingerbread flavored :)

 Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 "Go Big. Be Mighty."

 Tablets come in different sizes and hardware configurations but in the end it all comes down to the user's needs. I remember the Dell Streak's reviews - too small for a tablet and too big for a phone. It was the first 5 inch screen tablet/phone.
 Nowadays the Samsung Galaxy Note is a hit with its 5.3 inch screen but unlike the Dell's Streak the Note has both the hardware and the software to prove its worth among Android's top dogs.

 The Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 is for the Galaxy S line of smartphones what the iPod Touch is for iPhone, meaning you get the Galaxy S smartphone's performance at a lower price without the phone function i.e. with GSM and 3G modules stripped off. Still, the device has an earpiece and a microphone built in so calls through wifi are possible whether you use Yahoo, Skype or other voip(voice over ip) solution and the front facing camera makes video calling a viable option too.

 I was a bit skeptical about a 5 inch device but the hands-on experience was better than what I was expecting. Hardware wise the device has the same specs as the Galaxy S smartphone. Under the hood there's a 1Ghz Hummingbird processor that powers an Android 2.3 Gingerbread. 

 Hummingbirds and gingerbreads... funny :)

 The performance is fluid, there are no hiccups and the TouchWiz interface adds to the eye candy although I personally prefer the vanilla experience. Android Market makes up for 50% of this device cause of the huge apps and games selection. Videos look great on the 5 inch screen, audio output is great in case you use some quality headphones - the stock ones are not state of the art but get the job done. I haven't played the latest Android game titles on it but all I can say is Angry Birds runs great on it :)

 The internet experience is pleasant. All the flash videos and animations loaded flawlessly although I'm certain that there are some sites out there in the wild that would stress the hardware, keep in mind that this is not a dual-core platform. At 2500 mAh, the battery life is above average but it also depends on the user's usage style - light or heavy.

 Overall this is a great product, more like a niche product, it also features a GPS module and a 3MP camera with flash and autofocus making up for a good price/quality ratio.
 I recommend it to anyone who doesn't have an Android powered smartphone or to anyone in search of a small tablet or PDA.

Links: Galaxy S WiFi 5.0
           Where to buy

          

Your multiple lifestyles, you decide!

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101

 The tablet wars gets hotter by the day. Many companies have deployed lots of foot soldiers on the battlefield but it's seems that Asus has the advantage of a sharpshooter, aiming right at their hearts - the price tag. The Eee Pad Transformer runs on Android 3.0 Honeycomb and it's based on nVidia Tegra 250 SOC (system on a chip) platform.

 Apart from being the most affordable Honeycomb tablet on the market, it can be hooked up to a keyboard dock thus transforming into a netbook form factor with full Qwerty keyboard and extended battery life up to 16 hours. Here are the full specs: Eee Pad Transformer

 This video: I can transform ya  - would make a fine product commercial, don't you think?

Smartbooks - to be ola or not to be ola *(ola - online always)

 So, here we are ladies and gents almost mid 2011. The tablet-hype reached it's peak. Nowadays even grandma wants to read the news online or check the e-mail  - most of which could be spam anyway. You can find touchscreen tablets everywhere, ranging from dirt cheap to the full price of a Core i5 powered Notebook. I won't get into much details cause stirring up an Apple fanboys rebellion it's not my cup of tea, at least not today.
 So let's take a look at the big picture: Smartphones, Netbooks, Touchscreen Tablets - they all fit in the MID (mobile internet devices) bucket. What about smartbooks? First time I heard about 'em I was like wtf? A mobile OS designed for touchscreen usability transferred to a netbook form factor? As I got the chance to experience Android 2.2 on a Asus Eee PC 900 (fresh OS install by me) I had a sudden change of heart. Everything fell on place just like a 3 year old puzzle. Using keyboard and mouse with the Android OS it's not a bad user experience after all.
 Nowadays I'm eager to get my hands on a Toshiba AC100 Smartbook. It's powered by a nVidia SOC (system on a chip) Tegra 250 with dual core cpu, full HD capabilities and it runs Android 2.2 Froyo. Don't know if an update to Android 3.0 Honeycomb would be available but still, hardware wise it's more than a match for most Netbooks out there powered by Intel's Atom cpu's. So I'd like to hear from you, don't be shy and post your own opinions/comments on the matter. To be continued...

Links you might be interested in:

Porting Android OS to x86
Smartbook - Wikipedia
Toshiba AC100 Smartbook