Hi all, if you still can't find stock, go to Harvey Norman. Just bought mine there. RM1699 though, but no extra charge for credit card. Plus, get to use my Amex card so got 5x treat points! Optional Harvey Norman extended warranty too.

OK. Here's a quick review. Hardware wise, the speed and performance is like using a SGS 2. BUT coming from a gingerbread background, I can tell you the Honeycomb experience is different, especially when using this as a phone. Perhaps it takes some time to get used to.

Many of you will be concerned about the screen res and it not being AMOLED. I have used the SGS 1 and then the SGS 2, both of which have great screens, but seriously this is not a big issue. You see, most of us do not switch on full brightness anyway, to save battery and all. Also, the colors on AMOLED is kinda over saturated, and I being a designer, I'm used to great screens like those on Sony Vaio Z and Macs. The Tab Plus has more natural colors. About the screen resolution, well, you do loose out if you wanna put lots of icons and Widgets on the screen. Sharpness of course is way better on the AMOLED, but the 1024x768 seems normal. Becoz the screen size is small,.a lower res isn't that bad.

I was waiting for the 7.7 as well, but with a premium of about RM1k extra, may not be worth it. Compare some prices online between the 7.0 plus wifi models and the pre-order 7.7 wifi models and you can estimate it. Amoled screens are not cheap. Take a look at the price of SGS 2 and Galaxy Note. It's safe to say the 7.7 will be more than RM2300, at least. Thinness is not an issue unless you wanna use the tab with casings of any kind, which will add to the thickness . Processor difference of 0.2 GHz, well no comments on that.

Other than that, both 7+ and 7.7 share similar specs. Also, due to the lower price, the Tab Plus will be a more popular choice, hence greater support for custom roms etc.

I bought this tab mainly for the phone function capabilities, which 10.1 and 8.9 don't have. There's even a phone dialer mini app that you can call from anywhere. The stock SMS is a good experience, but I have yet to try Handscent. Pulse is a cool way to tracking your fav sites, and I use it mainly for RSS. Browser is great, and remember to switch on the quick controls in settings>labs for an easier browsing experience. I decided to use Go Keyboard due to it's split keyboard function.

The honeycomb experience is great, and you get to use gingerbread applications, like whatsapp. K-9 email users can switch to Kaiten. Friend caster is nice on honeycomb because of the split pane view.

Oh yeah, finding accessories will be tough for now. First, the old Galaxy Tab 1 screen protectors are smaller, and you have to cut a hole for the ear piece. Secondly, Galaxy Tab casings will not fit, due to thickness and size difference. The Tab Plus is actually longer and wider. Because the unit is not launched in China yet, so we'll have to wait a while for the casing. But there is a workaround. Solution for the casing? Use HTC Flyer one! They fit the tab plus well.

In conclusion, I think Samsung did a good job with the Tab Plus. I've been using it for more than a day, and getting the hang of things. From a SGS user, you'll first miss the back button and home screen button, until you get used to the ones at the lower left. Many people are concerned about the screen shot button but not worries, as you can change it to launch the app drawer or camera. Battery life is decent, but it does take some time to charge due to it's bigger capacity.

Mac users will suffer a little, though. As there is no way you can mount the Tab Plus as a drive. OSX doesn't support MTP like Windows, and Kies is still in beta. You can either get a USB adaptor that can read your thumb drive and portable HDDs, or use a third party software previously used to sync Macs and Creative MP3 players.

So guys and gals, wait no more. Tab Plus is worth the money you pay, and will give you a very unique phone+ tablet experience.

Car dock is fine, but does your casing blocks the proximity sensor on the top side of your phone? I have tested a few and because the proximity sensor is blocked off, once I'm using the phone, the screen will go blank.

But if your casing works well, then it's good for you.

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Added on November 26, 2011, 7:43 pmFaced the same problem with whatsapp. What I did was copy my whatsapp folder from my old phone over to the new Tab, then instead of installing from the market, I downloaded from whatsapp website. Now it works. Hope that helps.

This post has been edited by maverickfoo: Nov 26 2011, 07:43 PM

Tried that. Can't detect through OSX.

Hope you manage to get your screen protector. Mine was modified (have to cut near the earpiece). Doesn't look fantastic, but it's better than not having the screen protected...

Waiting for the propers ones soon.

Oh yeah, if you are into charging your tab in your car, may wanna get one that can actually charge tabs. Tabs need more power to charge, and not all car chargers work.

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Added on November 28, 2011, 10:30 amHi bro, there's this shop called Future, I think, on the 2nd Floor of LYP. I got my screen protector there for RM15.

Check if you can make calls when using the casing. If the casing blocks the proximity sensor, then your screen will be permanently blacked out when on calls. Got pics of your casing? I used a HTC flyer one, RM55.

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Added on November 28, 2011, 10:34 amAny reason you rooted your tab? Titanium backup? Are there custom roms already in the market?

I am a fan of rooting.

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Added on November 28, 2011, 10:40 amI just got a USB OTG adaptor for the Tab Plus. So far it can read thumb drives only. Tried plugging in external HDD, both desktop and portable versions, but can't read. Anyone got experience?

This post has been edited by maverickfoo: Nov 28 2011, 10:40 AM

Hey, thanks for the advice on the external HDD. I think my 1TB is NTFS. Converting it now will be a problem coz it's 90% full.

I noticed you are a Mac user. Did you manage to mount your Tab using USB? Gingerbread was easy to transfer files using USB, but because of the MTP used by Honeycomb, OSX has problems accessing the device.

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Added on November 28, 2011, 11:32 amBy the way, can share how you rooted your device?

This post has been edited by maverickfoo: Nov 28 2011, 11:32 AM

- Pulse is great since I opened it, haha, so it stayed.
- Kaiten
- Series Guide
- Friend caster
- IMDB
- WiFi File Transfer
- QR Droid
- Nimbuzz (eBuddy-like messenger which works on Mac too)
- MoBo Player (best video player so far for me)
- Astrid Task
- XE Currency
- GO Keyboard (great keyboard for thumbing, but if you like to use your index fingers to type while your tab is on a flat surface, the stock keyboard is good.)
- Wakedia
- Dropbox

Hi bro, how to boot into recovery? Once the device is off, i pressed power + volume down, then I see a warning screen asking to press volume up to continue, and volume down to restart tablet. When I press volume up, it goes into "downloading... do not turn off target!!"

Any advice?

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Added on November 28, 2011, 6:46 pmHi bro, how to boot into recovery? Once the device is off, i pressed power + volume down, then I see a warning screen asking to press volume up to continue, and volume down to restart tablet. When I press volume up, it goes into "downloading... do not turn off target!!"

Any advice?

This post has been edited by maverickfoo: Nov 28 2011, 06:46 PM

Ah, no worries. I tried Vol Up + Power, coz I remember the buttons are the other way round for my SGS1 as well.

As I know, EDGE/3G or data uses more battery if the place you are at has inconsistent connection. Most of the time, extra power is used to get on the network. I have tried using data vs wifi thru my YES device, and with the latter, the battery last longer. Of course, if your data connection is stable, then perhaps 3G/EDGE is a better bet.

Sometimes the power output is not high enough. Like car chargers, not all can charge the Galaxy Tab, and other tabs in the market. I just bought a new car chargers today which USB port is designed for charging Tabs. You can buy from Ring Mobile (bdotcome) at Lelong.my.

I have a capdase usb adaptor that doesn't charge my Tab too. At home, I use the one that came with the package.

Hi. Perhaps you wanna try copying your whole whatsapp folder from the old phone over? personally I don't think it's the contacts issue, because on my phone I never keep any contacts. All are Synced in from google.

Yeap! Proud owner of one.

Hmph, don't think so. I would think it follows the phone number. Well, if you wife can copy the folder and zip it for you, should be okay. Important is there are some database files in the old whatsapp folder that is linked to contacts. My best guess lar.

Coz initially when I install Whatsapp without copying over the folder, I had the same problem as you. I then uninstall, reinstall from the website and copy over the folder. Works!

Well, guess you have to live without whatsapp for a while...

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Added on November 30, 2011, 1:56 pmWhat kind of lags? Is it with TouchWiz or the overall operations?

Thanks for taking the first step and letting us know, man...

This post has been edited by maverickfoo: Nov 30 2011, 01:56 PM

Argh, I accidentally updated to DXKK5 too, through software update in Settings>About phone. Haven't experience the lag yet.

By the way, for those whom have bought the Galaxy Tab Casing and have your proximity sensor blocked, you can disable the sensor in Settings> Screen.

My contacts estimate between 2 weeks to a month. Either sacrifice the proximity sensor or use the HTC flyer casing for temporary solutions. I rather it not look 100% chun, then kena a few scratches. Any idea if the screen is Gorilla Glass?

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Added on November 30, 2011, 7:18 pmGreat first impression there. You're right about the mysterious and almost mystical Tab 7.7. Just tired of waiting for that and went for the Tab Plus instead.

However, the 8.9 almost won the sale if not for the inability (for now, at least until custom ROMs are out). Samsung is really into spoiling us with choices...)

This post has been edited by maverickfoo: Nov 30 2011, 07:18 PM

Usually those devices that are more popular will have more cookers working on the ROMs. Like SGS1, HTC Desire etc.

Hopefully with the pricing and portability factor of the 7+, it will be a more popular choice. If it's true that 7.7 is way more expensive, then quite unlikely for people to risk playing with custom ROMs on it too.

Well, those are just guesses....

You sure about that? It worked with all my old bluetooth devices. My 2 year old Jabra too.

Hey all! Go check out Android Market from time to time. Apps at 90% off!

Can put in your back jeans pocket...