Remember when people used personal computers - desktops and laptops - to check email, view video and keep tabs on Facebook? Back in that far-away era, I'd have several windows open for Web browsers, a word processor, a photo editor and sometimes a reader for PDF documents.
I miss that capability on mobile devices, particularly on full-size tablets with a decent amount of display space. With iPads and Android tablets, I'm typically limited to one window displayed at a time; other apps run in the background, out of sight. With Windows 8 tablets, I can run two windows side by side, but I'm constrained in what I can do with them. It gets better with the Windows 8.1 update due out next week, but it's still not the free-for-all I had with PCs.
So I marveled at a pair of multitasking features that come with Samsung's new tablet, formally called Galaxy Note 10.1 - 2014 Edition. Sporting a 10.1-inch display, measured diagonally, the Note tablet goes on sale in the U.S. on Thursday at a starting price of $550.
The first of the multitasking features, called Multi-Window, has been available in Samsung devices for about a year, but it works with many more apps now. You can run two apps side by side, such as Facebook on one side and YouTube video on the other.
Like Windows 8 tablets, you're limited to just two apps. You can change how much of the screen each one takes, a capability coming with Windows 8.1, but you can't choose to have a window take up just the top left corner, the way you can on PCs. In addition, Multi-Window isn't a universal feature. Apps for Netflix and Hulu won't work, for instance. You currently have about 18 apps to choose from, including Facebook and a variety of Google and Samsung apps.
With that limitation, it's nice that Samsung Electronics Co. is supplementing Multi-Window with a feature called Pen Window.
With it, simply draw a box on the screen with the included stylus, and choose one of seven apps to open in a new window. Do it again and again until you open all seven apps, if you wish. That's nine in all, counting the two with Multi-Window. Each Pen Window app appears in a window that floats over your main app (or two apps if you use Multi-Window). You can move that window around on your screen and resize it, just as you can on PCs. Need a break from it? Just minimize it into a small dot and move it out of the way.
Like Multi-Window, you're restricted in what apps you can use with Pen Window, though I expect more to get added over time. For now, Pen Window on the tablet works with YouTube, the calculator, the alarm clock, your contacts list, the Web browser and two chat apps - Samsung's ChatOn and Google's Hangouts. I like the fact that you can open all of them and keep them out of the way in a minimized state. That way, it's just one click when you need the calculator and one click when you're done.
The iPad doesn't do that. Amazon's Kindle Fire doesn't do that. Other Android tablets don't do that. Windows 8.1 won't do that - at least not in the tablet-style viewing mode that Microsoft prefers you stick with. You'll have to go to the classic, desktop mode to resize windows, which defeats the purpose of having Windows 8 or 8.1. Windows 8.1 will go further than Multi-Window in letting you run up to four apps side by side, but that works only on larger screens, not portable tablets.
Beyond multitasking, the new Note tablet offers a My Magazine mode giving you personalized highlights, such as news topics of interest, content from your social media feeds and suggestions on things to do and see, based on your current location. It's a good concept, though Facebook isn't available through it yet.
The new tablet also gives you quick access to the tools you can accomplish with its stylus. Pen Window is one. Another feature lets you add notes to a screenshot of what you see. Another lets you clip a section of a Web page and store it with a Web link.
Unfortunately, not everything worked. Text recognition was poor. I'm supposed to be able to jot down an email address or a phone number with the stylus and have that handwriting converted into a contacts entry. But the device constantly confuses the letters "o" and "l" with the numerals "0" and "1."
Pen Window also is more difficult than necessary to set up. You need to take out the stylus for an Air Command tool to appear on the screen. You choose Pen Window, then draw a box on your screen with your stylus. Then you choose the app you want to open. Do all of that again to get additional apps, after figuring out how to get Air Command again with your stylus already out. It would have been simpler to have a button on the home screen that you can tap with your finger or stylus.
In addition, Samsung could have done more with the apps in minimized state. Google's chat app is reduced to a circular icon. It could have flashed or changed colors to notify me of a new chat message, rather than make me open and close it regularly to check.
The tablet's back is still made of plastic, but it feels like leather - an improvement over previous Samsung devices. The tablet does feel heavy, at 1.2 pounds, but that's still lighter than the 1.4 pounds for the full-size iPad. If you want light, wait until early November for the large-size version of Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX. It weighs just 0.83 pound.
Samsung's tablet is also pricey - the $550 starting price tops the iPad's $499 and the Fire's $379. Of course, neither the iPad nor the Fire includes a stylus.
One more complaint: Although the tablet uses the latest version of Android, 4.3, it doesn't offer that system's feature of letting multiple people share a device with separate profiles.
With the Note, it's clear some of the functionality we've long associated with PCs is coming to devices we're just getting to know. There's more to be done, including support for multiple users, but I'm glad Samsung is leading us in that direction.
Lenovo has introduced two new Android tablets, the Yoga Tablet 8 (8-inch) and Yoga Tablet 10 (10-inch), priced at Rs. 22,999 and Rs. 28,999 respectively. It's worth pointing out that Lenovo has only released the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G variants of the Yoga tablets for the Indian market. The 32GB and Wi-Fi only variants will not be introduced for now. The tablets will be available from major retailers across the country, as well as the company's own dostore.com.
Both the Lenovo Yoga tablets were first unveiled in October this year in US. The Yoga Tablet 8 and Tablet 10 feature Lenovo's multimode design, offering three modes to work - hold, tilt and stand. The tablets also feature cylindrical handles at one end for gripping.
The Yoga Tablet 8 and Tablet 10 can be pre-booked from the company's official site; with the online shipping date is November 25. The company is also offering bundled free accessories with Lenovo Yoga tablets, 8-inch and 10-inch models worth Rs. 4,000 and Rs. 5,000 respectively. The free accessories include a sleeve cover, protective film and earphone; although the company notes that the offer is only available until November 24, 2013.
Both the newly announced tablets run on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, and sport the same design and specifications, just come in different sizes. The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8 and Tablet 10 both feature displays with 1280x800 pixels resolution. While both the tablets come with micro-SIM support, only the Yoga Tablet 8 supports voice-calling. The tablets are powered by quad-core 1.2GHz MediaTek MT8389 (Cortex-A7) processor, coupled with 1GB of LP DDR2 RAM. The 16GB built-in eMMC storage can be supplemented via microSD card, up to 64GB.
Both the Yoga tablets feature 5-megapixel autofocus rear cameras, and also sport 1.6-megapixel front-facing cameras. The Chinese manufacturer claims that both the tablets can deliver up to 18 hours of Wi-Fi browsing, with the Yoga Tablet 8 bearing a 6,000mAh battery, and the Yoga Tablet 10 bearing a 9,000mAh battery.
Commenting on the launch, Shailendra Katyal, Director, Consumer Business, Lenovo India said, "Technology is a part of who we are, therefore it needs to transition constantly to keep pace with our changing lifestyles. With this intent, we have re-engineered the Tablet from ground-up to offer users a better way to experience the Tablet. We are confident that the Yoga Tablet will redefine the category and set the stage for devices that are in sync with the evolving needs of the consumer." Lenovo also roped in Ashton Kutcher as its new brand ambassador for promoting the Yoga tablets.
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8 and Yoga Tablet 10 key specifications
8-inch display and 10-inch display with 1280x800 pixels resolution
1.2GHz MediaTek MT8389 (Cortex-A7) processor
1GB of RAM
Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
16GB inbuilt storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD card
5-megapixel autofocus rear camera
1.6-megapixel front-facing camera
SIM support (8-inch Yoga tablet supports voice-calling)
Up to 18 hours of battery backup
Samsung has launched the Galaxy Tab 3 range of the tablets, namely the Galaxy Tab 3 211, Galaxy Tab 3 310, and Galaxy Tab 3 311.
The 7-inch Galaxy Tab 3 211 was announced in April. Under the hood, Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 211 is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor alongside 1GB of RAM. The 7-inch screen has a rather disappointing 1024x600 resolution at a paltry 169ppi. The tablet will be available in 8GB/ 16GB storage options, expandable by another 64GB via microSD card. Connectivity options on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB and A-GPS/ GLONASS. The tablet runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and is priced at Rs. 17,745.The 8-inch Galaxy Tab 3 310 and Galaxy Tab 3 311 are powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor alongside 1.5GB of RAM. They come loaded with a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera. The tablets have a 8-inch WXGA TFT display with a resolution of 1280X800 pixels. Available in 32GB and 64GB variants, the tablets also offer expandable storage up to 64GB via a microSD card. The tablets come with a 4,450mAh battery. The device runs Android Jelly Bean 4.2 and come pre-loaded with Samsung applications and services such as Samsung Hub, ChatOn, S Translator, S Travel, Pop up Video and WatchON.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 310 is the Wi-Fi version of the tablet priced at Rs. 21,495 and Galaxy Tab 3 311 is a Wi-Fi + 3G tablet that will be available for Rs. 25.725.Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 311 and 310 key specifications
The 7-inch Galaxy Tab 3 211 was announced in April. Under the hood, Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 211 is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor alongside 1GB of RAM. The 7-inch screen has a rather disappointing 1024x600 resolution at a paltry 169ppi. The tablet will be available in 8GB/ 16GB storage options, expandable by another 64GB via microSD card. Connectivity options on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB and A-GPS/ GLONASS. The tablet runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and is priced at Rs. 17,745.The 8-inch Galaxy Tab 3 310 and Galaxy Tab 3 311 are powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor alongside 1.5GB of RAM. They come loaded with a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera. The tablets have a 8-inch WXGA TFT display with a resolution of 1280X800 pixels. Available in 32GB and 64GB variants, the tablets also offer expandable storage up to 64GB via a microSD card. The tablets come with a 4,450mAh battery. The device runs Android Jelly Bean 4.2 and come pre-loaded with Samsung applications and services such as Samsung Hub, ChatOn, S Translator, S Travel, Pop up Video and WatchON.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 310 is the Wi-Fi version of the tablet priced at Rs. 21,495 and Galaxy Tab 3 311 is a Wi-Fi + 3G tablet that will be available for Rs. 25.725.Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 311 and 310 key specifications
- 8-inch WXGA TFT display with 1280X800 pixels (189ppi)
- 1.5GHz dual-core processor
- 1.5GB RAM
- 32GB, 64GB internal storage, expandable by up to 64GB
- 5-megapixel rear camera
- 1.9-megapixel front facing camera
- 4,450 mAh battery
- Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
- Weight: 314 grams (Galaxy Tab 3 310)
- 3G (Galaxy Tab 3 311 only): HSPA 21Mbps DL, 5.76Mbps UP, Quad 850/900/1900/2100
- Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (2.4/5GHz)
- Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0
- 7-inch WSVGA TFT display with 1024X600 pixels (169ppi)
- 1.2GHz dual-core processor
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB, 16GB internal storage, expandable by up to 64GB
- 3-megapixel rear camera
- 1.3-megapixel front facing camera
- 4,00 mAh battery
- Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
- Weight: 302 grams (Wi-Fi variant)
- 3G: HSPA 21Mbps DL, 5.76Mbps UP, Quad 850/900/1900/2100
- Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (2.4/5GHz)
- Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0
Build/ Design
At 6.9mm, Xperia Tablet Z is the thinnest tablet around - iPad fourth generation is 9.4mm thick, in case you are wondering. Sony engineers have done a commendable job, packing in all the power into such a sleek device. It weighs 495 grams and for a 10-inch tablet the weight to dimensions ratio of the device makes it easy to carry. The tablet follows the same OmniBalance design that we've seen in the Xperia Z and sports a rectangular shape with subtly rounded corners. The front of the tablet is dominated by its 10.1-inch TFT display surrounded by a Black bezel. There's minimal Sony branding above the display at the left hand side, while the 2.2-megapixel front facing camera is placed at the middle.
Just like Sony's Xperia Z smartphone, the tablet is water and dust resistant and all ports on the device are covered with plastic flaps for protection.
Looking at the edges, on the left side you'll see a round aluminium power/ screen-lock button. The button protrudes out and some might draw parallels with the crown of a watch. We also saw this in the Xperia Z, though it's much smaller this time. Just below the button, you'll find a volume rocker key that is made of plastic. Despite being thin, the volume rocker offers good tactile feedback. Contacts for docking the tablet are also present on the left side. If you look carefully, you'll also notice a flap that hides the 3.5mm headphone jack, above the power button.
There are no ports or buttons on the right hand side. However, the tablet features four small speaker outlets, two of which are located at the bottom edge, while the other two are located on the left and right edge.
Coming to the bottom edge, besides the two speaker outlets, a Micro-USB connector port hides behind one flap, while the micro-SIM and microSD card slots are covered by another flap at the other end of the edge. The micro-SIM slot features the same tray that we saw in the Xperia Z smartphone. The plastic SIM card tray has to be pulled with the help of a fingernail by the user.
There are no controls at the top but you'll notice an Infrared blaster on closer inspection.
As with other devices featuring protective flaps, you'll need to take care when you open them or plug cables, as it's not very difficult to break them.
The back is made of plastic and sports a matte finish. The quality of plastics used here is better than what we've seen in products from rival brands. But our only gripe with it is that it's a smudge magnet. You'll see some silver Xperia branding at the centre and the 8-megapixel rear camera lens at the top right corner, flush with the tablet.
Overall, we feel that the Xperia Tablet Z has been designed really well and is a looker for sure, especially considering the fact that it's designed to be water and dust proof. However, the rectangular shape and sharp corners might not appeal to everyone when it comes to everyday use.
Display
The Sony Xperia Tablet Z features a 10.1-inch TFT screen that has a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels and pixel density of 225 pixels per inch. While it might not match up to the pixel packed displays of the iPad and the Nexus 10 tablet on paper, the HD screen renders text and images well, and colour reproduction is accurate. Text looks extremely crisp, while app icons and images look sharp. Images and videos look great thanks to the addition of Sony's BRAVIA Engine 2 technology.
The tablet offers good viewing angles and under sun visibility was also satisfactory, during our use of the tablet. However, it's not the brightest display that we've seen.
Software/ User Interface
The Sony Xperia Tablet Z runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean with Sony's own custom user interface layer on top.
The lock screen has been borrowed from the Xperia Z smartphone complete with the unlocking gesture resembling the motion of your finger through a set of window blinds. The lock screen also offers shortcuts to directly unlock and initiate the Walkman (for playing music) and the Camera app. You can also unlock the screen by double tapping it. If you set a password or PIN the tablet offers you an option to immediately lock the screen when you press the lock button or to wait for some time. This is handy when you want to keep a short screen lock time but also want to have uninterrupted access.
The tablet's UI features three Android capacitive buttons, namely, Back, Home and Task switcher, that are placed at the bottom left corner similar to old Honeycomb/ Ice Cream Sandwich tablets.
Unlike the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10, the tablet's onscreen controls and status indicators for network signals and battery, are at the bottom left instead of the centre, and the notification panel and quick access settings (for Wi-Fi, Screen rotation, brightness, notifications, Airplane mode and shortcut to settings) are located at the bottom right. The same bar also features two shortcut keys, one for access to small apps and another to launch the Universal Remote app. Unfortunately, there's no toggle for Bluetooth or mobile data and the tablet doesn't include a toggles widget.
At the top, there's a bar that features shortcuts for Google Now and Google voice search in addition to four other customisable shortcut slots, similar to the Quick launch shortcut bar that exists in Microsoft's Windows operating system (the desktop one). At the right hand side on the same bar, you'll find a button for the App launcher and another one to modify the home screen, change the theme and wallpaper or add apps and widgets.
The Xperia Tablet Z offers themes that change the colour scheme of the phone along with the home screen and lock screen wallpaper. You can choose to add up to seven home screens or even reduce the number to one. These can be populated with app shortcuts and widgets.
Sony bundles its Walkman music player app, and a gallery app that it calls 'Album'. In addition to displaying pictures on the phone, the app also allows users to connect to online services like Facebook and Picasa and view their online pictures. It also includes a built-in photo editor. The tablet also features Sony's own software keyboard that works well.
For web browsing, the Sony Xperia Tablet Z bundles the Chrome browser. Since Chrome doesn't support Adobe Flash player, the phone is not capable of playing Flash videos even if the Flash plugin is side-loaded.
Sony has also includes additional apps including a Back up & restore app, a Notes app, TrackID (a Shazam like music recognition app), Socialife (brings social network feeds), PlayNow, Smart Connect (which lets users set an event when an accessory is connected to the phone), Xperia Link (to share Internet connectivity with Sony devices), Wisepilot (for navigation) and a lite version of OfficeSuite that allows users to view Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. Our review unit also featured links for installing Video Unlimited and Music Unlimited services and PlayStation Mobile. All these content services are not available in India and we're not sure if these shortcuts are included in the retail units.
Sony has tried to include some India-focussed content on the tablet with apps like Sony Liv and Sony Music. Indian users can download free songs from Sony Music's international as well as local catalogue for 6 months and Sony Liv gives lifetime access to free streaming of popular TV programmes from Sony's India channels. Our review unit did not feature these apps so we did not get a chance to give them a spin. However, Sony has confirmed that these apps come pre-loaded on retail units available in the market.
Although the tablet doesn't offer voice-calling functionality, it does come with a Messaging app for sending and receiving text messages. We found this useful as certain networks require you to send a text message for activating or renewing data plans or for checking data usage.
Another useful app is the Remote Control app that allows you to use the tablet as a remote control for almost all your devices including your TV, Cable/ Satellite box, iPod dock or even a projector. Besides the pre-programmed options, you can even make the app compatible with your device by simply allowing it to learn the functionality from your device's remote. We tried programming the app to our set top box and it worked in a jiffy.
As we mentioned earlier, the tablet also offers Sony's small apps, which can run on top of other running apps, similar to LG's QSwipe apps and Samsung's pop-up play. Sony ships seven of these small apps, namely Calculator, Timer, Notes, Remote, Voice Recorder, Clip Manager and Browser, plus more small apps can be installed via the Play Store. We wish Sony had included a Video player small app as well.
Camera
The Sony Xperia Tablet Z features an 8-megapixel rear shooter. The camera app is feature rich, having Superior auto, Normal, Video, Burst, Picture Effects, Sweep Panorama and different Scene selection modes.
The Superior auto mode doesn't let you customise granular settings barring that of the Resolution and Timer. The normal mode allows you to tinker with settings like Exposure value, White balance, ISO, and others. The camera also includes image and video stabilisation modes so that pictures and movies do not get affected even if your hands are not steady. The camera interface is similar to that of the Xperia Z smartphone but it misses out on a few things including an HDR video recording mode.
The tablet's camera takes decent pictures outdoors in daylight but indoor pictures turned out to be a bit grainy. Colour reproduction was pretty accurate and colours did not look oversaturated. Taking pictures in the dark however, isn't a great experience as the tablet does not come with a flash.
The images taken through the camera did not miss on details though we had issues with focusing at certain times, which was a little delayed.
The Xperia Tablet Z can capture 1080p video at a frame rate of 30fps. You can also take still shots of 1-megapixel resolution while recording video. In our tests, the tablet took decent videos and the stabilisation mode worked as promised.
The tablet also features a 2-megapixel front facing camera that is also capable of recording 1080p videos. We were able to click decent quality pictures, indoors. The videos shot using the front camera also turned out to be good.
Overall, we feel that though a large tablet like the Xperia Tablet Z is not really meant for taking photographs, Sony has done enough with the camera to take care of your needs in case of a 'shutter-bug emergency'.
Performance/ Battery Life
The Sony Xperia Tablet Z is powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor with 2GB RAM, and an Adreno 320 chip for processing graphics. There is 16GB of internal storage, which is expandable by another 32GB via a microSD card.
With Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the overall experience of navigation through the interface was impressive, thanks largely to Project Butter and all the power under the hood. However, at times, we did experience minor lags while swiping across home screens, and launching apps. We did not encounter any issues while playing games, scrolling web pages or switching between apps.
We were able to play full-HD clips, and all formats including .MOV and .AVI were natively supported by the tablet. The four speaker outlets on the tablet deliver good quality sound at high volume levels but the loudness could have been better. The tablet also supports ClearAudio+, which gives the sound more clarity while playing music and offers Equaliser presets for personalising sound output. The tablet also offers FM radio functionality.
The tablet comes with a giant 6000mAh battery, and we were not very satisfied with the backup that it delivered. We were able to get around 5 hours of HD video playback, with the display on full brightness levels which puts the Xperia Z tablet somewhere in the middle when compared to other Android tablets. Did Sony go too far squeezing the tablet impacting the battery life? Perhaps.The standby time with multiple email accounts configured and push notifications on was decent though. With intermediate usage during the day including some casual gaming, web browsing and playing videos, the tablet was able to easily last a full day. It's worth pointing out that we had turned off Wi-Fi and auto-brightness, and the phone was hooked to a 3G network with the screen brightness at the highest level.
Altering these settings might help in running the phone for a longer duration, depending on your usage pattern. Sony also offers a STAMINA mode, which as per the company can improve the standby time by automatically shutting down battery-draining apps whenever the screen is off and starting them up again when the screen is back on. All our testing was done with the STAMINA mode turned off, which is the default.
The Sony Xperia Tablet Z comes with NFC, which can be used to beam files to other NFC enabled Android devices via Android Beam, and receive information from NFC tags.
Verdict
At a price of Rs. 46,990 the Sony Xperia Tablet Z is an expensive offering from the Japanese electronics giant. The tablet packs in a large number of features, a unique design and high-end specifications, but recommending it over the latest generation iPad (3G+WiFi) that costs a similar amount, is a bit difficult. The Apple iPad still offers access to a more evolved ecosystem when it comes to tablet optimised apps and content. Though you'll get access to Google's Movies and Books stores with the Xperia Tablet Z, the iTunes Store is a step ahead as it also offers a large collection of music titles at attractive price points. Tablet-optimised Android apps are also far and few when compared to the iPad.
If you're looking for a tablet that offers business features, then you could also consider the HP ElitePad 900, that costs less than the Xperia Tablet Z and runs Windows 8, a full-fledged desktop operating system.
Price: Rs. 46,990
Pros
- Brilliant HD screen
- Good build quality
- Sleek
- Dust and Water proof
- Steeply priced
- Battery backup could've been better
Ratings (Out of 5)
- Design: 4
- Display: 4
- Performance: 3.5
- Software: 3.5
- Battery Life: 3
- Value for Money: 2.5
- Camera: 3
- Overall: 3.5