Galaxy Tab 7.7 Car Dock

One of my favorite accessories on my Nexus One was the car mount. Unfortunately, the maps app on my Droid Pro is virtually unusable with its low memory issues so it stood to reason that I would lean toward using my Galaxy Tab 7.7 as my GPS. I decided to order the car dock and see how well it would all work out.



My dock arrived today and I decided to mount it to my windshield. There is no audio function on this one and I decided not attach the power cable as it would interrupt my Flexsmart. Once mounted, it holds tightly and securely and I love how it complements my car.


I highly recommend going the car mount route for 7-inch tabs. Unlike a 10-incher, which would get in the way, 7 inches is the perfect size for improved visibility and map view.

Galaxy Tab 7.7- Month One

I had 2 main concerns when I got my Galaxy Tab 7.7- connectivity and pen input. The connectivity issue was a big concern for me- I had already decided to get an AT&T sim card but I had no idea about what my connection options would be. As it turned out, a week after I got my Tab, I was able to get the sim card set up with only a minor snafu. If you are having similar issues, check out my post at XDA forums for a walk-through. I don't have 4G speeds on this, but so far not an issue as I mostly kept it off on my Evo View to preserve battery life.
Next was getting over the pen input that I had gotten used to with my Evo View. Turns out, that was easier to get over than I thought. I really haven't missed it much at all.
The things that I have been enjoying about my Tab have far exceeded the trade-offs. The screen is unbelievably crisp and clear and the size has made it so convenient for me to tote it around and use it for hours on end:



In almost every situation I reach for my Tab over my phone (except, of course, for calls). Today I ordered the car dock so that I can use it for in-car navigation. Unfortunately the GPS on my phone has a tendency to lock up- most like due to the low memory on the Droid Pro. I haven't found a phone worth upgrading to but my Tab makes the wait more bearable.

AppSnap: Another Use for Evernote

I started using Evernote over 4 years ago now and have been extremely thrilled. Now that Seth is 4 years old I've found another way to reduce the clutter around the house. A lot of his 'artwork' from his daycare ends up on the fridge for a whole then relegated to a pile in his room. I recently decided to take pictures and store them in Evernote which would allow us to recycle (read: chuck out) a huge amount of the stack.

Galaxy Tab 7.7-Absolute Perfection

After several days of false starts, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a Tab 7.7. I was going to get one from Negri Electronics but after the Engadget review they sold out within a few hours. I braved it on Ebay and got a brand new import that promised delivery by Friday. Yesterday my new Tab was home and I was excited to get it fired up.
The much discussed screen really can't be put into words. It is simply gorgeous! The other thing which really jumps out at you is how thin and light it is- I'm glad I picked up the case because I would feel nervous tossing this in my purse. So far, I'm in love.
My connectivity plan is still in the air. My game plan is to get an AT&T sim and do a tablet plan off-contract. We'll see how that goes. Here are a few shots- more later.

The Waiting Game.....times 2

It feels like all I've been doing for the past 2 weeks has been refreshing my Google search of the Verizon Galaxy Tab 7.7. I do have an action plan- if it ever comes out, I plan to get the Tab 7.7 in conjunction with the shared data plan.
On the phone front, I have high hopes for MWC. I went to Verizon to get a hands on with the Razr Maxx and it is just too large for my comfort. I also really like the keyboard and I am not at all willing to give that up. If there is a Droid Pro Maxx announced I'll be in seventh heaven!

Sirius-ly Surprising

I was surprised to find my husband rocking Sirius radio in his Jeep the other day. I had bought him a radio and a 6-month subscription about 7 years ago but hadn't given it much thought since then. It seems that somewhere along the line, his little first-generation hardware has still kept the signal even though we haven't had an active account all this time. I guess sometimes there are perks to be an early adopter. And quite frankly, Sirius already got a couple of bucks from us- we lost a pretty penny on their stock back in the day!

Happy New Year!

Yay for 2012! So far, it's shaping up to be an awesome year! I've been overwhelmed by work lately as I led a hefty software transition- fortunately it went splendidly, and it seems that my life may soon return to the pace it was at 5 months go.

On the tech front I have had some minor flirtations with the Acer Iconia A100 and more recently with the Galaxy Tab 7+. I liked the Tab, but in the end I decided to wait for Verizon to release the 7.7 model to see if that is right for me. I really hope so- the non-functioning StylishGirl app is really bothering me more than I thought it would. I'm also convinced that my Evo View is slightly too heavy for my wrist....I know- tech girl problems.
As far as a phone, I really need a QWERTYBar to be released. I was surprised that nothing in that design came out of CES this year! Just more slabs yet again. So, I'm still in the market for a phone- I've had the same phone for a 14 months!! Not that I don't love my Droid Pro, but it has now slowed to a virtual crawl.
I'm excited to see what this year brings!

Hurray for Honeycomb

I had all but abandoned any hope of my View getting Honeycomb so you can imagine my surprise on Wednesday night when I suddenly had an available update to 3.2! I was hesitant to go ahead with it until I noted that it promised I would not lose my data. I applied the update and in a few minutes was enjoying the best that Honeycomb had to offer. The layout is still taking me a bit to get used to- my muscle memory makes my eye flicker to the top right of my screen to check the time.
All the apps I had still work with 2 notable exceptions: HBO Go will not even launch now bit that's fine since I could never get it to actually play videos. The most painful loss is StylishGirl, where I have meticulously and lovingly logged months of outfits only to have it force close on startup.
But, on the bright side, a good number of apps have slicker tablet versions I can now enjoy. Aesthetically I'm finding that I enjoy the overall look of HC. And the scribe pen which could previously only scribble notes can now interact with all aspects of the device. So thank you Sprint and HTC for a pleasant Christmas gift!

AppSnap: Next Issue

Last month I wrote about some of the gaps between the iPad and the Evo View. I was especially bummed about the lack of support for the People Magazine digital edition. Then yesterday I stumbled upon NextIssue which is in beta but works fantastically already.



I was thrilled to find that, like the iPad version, I could parlay our print subscription into a free digital edition. Once I entered my number, I was able to get the current issue and I get an email reminding me when a new issue is available. But the best surprise by far was that this app supports all the 'bonus' content. The People app has a good amount of interactive content that makes the reading experience even better.

Acer Iconia A100: A brief affair...

I've had a somewhat unhealthy fixation on Honeycomb for a while now- and eventually just flicking through at my local Best Buy wasn't cutting it. Over the Thanksgiving shopping period I noticed the Acer Iconia had dropped to as low as $189. I didn't act quickly enough to snag one at that price, but I did find one at Gamestop.com for $240 and convinced myself it was worth my while.
The first thing I noticed was how light it is compared to my Evo View. Not that my View is a brick, but I definitely noticed how heavy it was next to the Acer. The body was slick and had an interesting shape. When I turned it on, I spent the first few moments playing with Honeycomb. I didn't like the stock launcher as it wasted a lot of space allowing for the rotation from landscape to portrait. So, after downloading Launcherpro I felt more at home. More exploration led me to realize that Honeycomb is not that much different from Gingerbread on a tablet. In fact, there is a certain uniformity that Honeycomb is missing- everything in Gingerbread happens in the status bar, but in Honeycomb you need to go right for the clock, go left for the task switcher, remember which icon is used to go back.
In the end, the thing that annoyed me the most about the Iconia was the home button. In portrait orientation things were fine, but hold it in landscape and your fingers inevitable brush by the button dumping you right back on the home page. If there is already a home button as part of the OS, please tell me why there is a need for another physical button? I bundled the Iconia back up, but because I wasn't quite sure what the Gamestop return policy is I decided to go to a local store to return it. My first try was unsuccessful but the manager did point me to a store that stocked the Iconia and would probably take a return. So, I was able to return the Iconia, less shipping cost, and finally was able to put my Honeycomb curiosity to rest.