Can the Samsung Smart PC ATIV 500T replace a Chromebook and tablet?

The Samsung Smart PC ATIV 500T is one of the latest Hybrid Tablet / Laptop device. I have been using the ATIV 500T for about 4 weeks now, the Atom Z2760 dual-core processor is very snappy and is able to handle everything I have used it for. This brings me to the Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook. Recently I got a glimpse of the Samsung XE500C Chromebook and gave it a test, though this wouldn’t be a real test as you can only cover the basic. The first thing that really popped out was that it looked so similar to my ATIV 500T. After turning it on I noticed that the brightness was all the way up and was not too bright. The ATIV 500T is very bright compared to the XE500C Chromebook. The overall experience with the Chromebook was great. Which again made me think, the ATIV 500T can fill the place of a Windows 8 Ultrabook, Tablet and a Chromebook all in one unit.

I installed the Chrome Browser as this would give me as close to using the Chromebook with apps and extensions that I would normally use if I had purchased the Chromebook. Sure the Series 5 550 Chromebook would have cost me $449, but the ATIV 500T gives me much more out of the purchase price of $749.

With the Samsung Smart PC ATIV 500T I am able to load native Windows application that I wouldn’t be able to do on the Chromebook. I have to use Microsoft Office 2010 for my work, so this wouldn’t be possible using the Chromebook. The Chromebook has its limits using the Google docs. I also use Sketchup and really use it for viewing on the ATIV 500T as I can edit but can be a bit slow if it happens to be a big file. Overall works great because 90% of the time I am viewing and doing minor editing on smaller files and can save them for later when I’m at the office. Another application that I use on the Samsung Smart PC ATIV 500T is CyberLink PowerDirector Mobile. I have tried the full desktop version which is CyberLink PowerDirector 11 and can handle simple editing with no problems. I haven’t really researched on what video editing applications there is for the Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook and if it is possible to edit any videos to upload quickly to YouTube.

The other benefit of having the Samsung Smart PC ATIV 500T is that not only is it a great Ultraportable, it also is a great tablet. At times when I just want to be able to search and do research, I am not limited to using the ATIV 500T as a laptop as I would be with the Chromebook. With a press of a button the ATIV 500T becomes a 11.6-inch touch tablet that also has a Wacom digitizer that allows me to take notes and or markup documents, webpages and PDF files. This alone is another big plus for my use. Your use might not require the use of a tablet, making the Series 5 550 a good choice to use. I can quickly send any notes that I have marked up using Outlook, Evernote, Box, and Dropbox to share the files.

I can quickly double tap the screen and have S-Note pop up and take quick notes that allows me to save and then upload and sync with my Evernote account. I can also send them to my Google Drive as well.

The Samsung Smart PC ATIV 500T does have a 11.6-inch display that can be less than ideal to travel daily, for days that require me to be out of the office or when going shopping, I would rather bring along either a Nexus 7 or iPad Mini. These device would make more sense for easier traveling. For meetings and out of office work, the Samsung ATIV 500T comes along without the keyboard dock.

The available ports on both is pretty much on par, one advantage on the Chromebook Series 5 550 is that is also has a full size SD Card reader and full Ethernet port. I haven’t really had the need to use the full size Ethernet port for quite a while now, so I really don’t miss not having the full size port. When using the keyboard dock, I do have the ability to use 3-2.0 USB ports on the Samsung ATIV 500T, along with a MicroSD slot, Micro HDMI and depending on the model of the Samsung ATIV 500T you also get NFC, and GPS which is another plus.

This leaves me with one other important feature of the Samsung Smart PC 500T, the battery life. As I looked into others using the Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook, most getting an average of 6 hours of use. With the Samsung Smart PC ATIV 500T I can and have been getting between 12 hours and 14 hours of battery life! This is also having Bluetooth, NFC, WiFi and GPS on! Now that’s some great battery life that I have not been able to get with some Ultrabooks that I have tested. This would make a great blogging device.

So is the Samsung Smart PC ATIV 500T worth the extra $200? This is a decision you might want to consider if you need to run full Windows applications and still be able to get a feel for Chrome OS by installing the Chrome browser on the Samsung Smart PC ATIV 500T.

Jelly Bean coming to Galaxy SIII on Verizon

Looks like Verizon is going to be one of the first to open the gates to Jelly Bean for the Samsung Galaxy SIII. Starting today, December 14, Galaxy SIII owners will be able to upgrade to what most of the international Galaxy mobile phones have already been enjoying, Android 4.1. This will bring the most anticipated feature to the Galaxy SIII, "Google Now". The roll out will be in phases for Verizon customers but you an hit up your settings menu and have it look for the update.

Part of the new update will also bring the Samsung Galaxy SIII to be Global Ready. This will be great for those that travel abroad or travel on business.

This update will bring many new features and improved performance to the Galaxy SIII and will be a must for those that own the Galaxy SIII to download and enjoy Jelly Bean features. Part of the update will be Google Now, enhanced camera features and a new notification panel. I have been running Jelly Bean on my current Galaxy Note II and using Google Now which has been great to use! By holding the menu button on the phone, you will be able to access Google Now for quick searches or look up weather, etc...

The camera new features will include new filters to give your photos you have taken some nice effects. Some of the filters included black and white, cold vintage and sepia. Also you will be able to pause video recordings and resume as if you have taken the video in one recording.

Those on AT&T, looks like you will have to wait just a bit longer. Rumor has it AT&T will be pushing the Jelly Bean update for its customers sometime in January.

Samsung Premium Suite for International Galaxy SIII GT-I9300

Samsung continues to push the envelope with great features it continues to add to TouchWiz. Just recently Samsung released the Premium Suite for the Samsung Galaxy SIII but there is a catch for now, it is only available to the international Galaxy SIII. I happen to have in my hands the Amber Brown SIII which is the international version. I went ahead and loaded the Premium Suite and really like these new extra features, which adds some features that were only available on the international Galaxy Note II.

Here is some of the best new features in the new Premium Suite software.

• Multi Window allows you to run two apps in a split screen and works great on the 4.8 - inch screen. 
• Paper Artist is a great editing picture application. This allows you to change pictures you have in your gallery or take a picture right from the application to add several overlays to the picture and draw on the picture to bring up detail or highlight the picture. 
• Easy Mode is great for those that want to put the most popular applications and widgets to your home screen with ease. 
• Low light setting in the camera application allows you to take a snap shot in low light conditions and yet get a better picture than you would normally would without the setting.
• Best face comes in handy when taking pictures with your group of friends and allows you to put together the best face from several shots. 
• Reader mode puts articles you might be viewing in one easy to read pane. Very nice because you don't need to scroll side to side to read, just all one colum. 
• Facebook lock ticker allows you to quickly check your updates from your friends right from the lock screen. 

We hope this makes it State side soon, as us in the US won't see this as a matter of fact, we are still waiting for some Jelly Bean love. 

Samsung XE500T Windows 8 Tablet at Staples for $599

I picked up the Samsung XE500 at Staples on Friday 26th release date, and better incentive was that Staples is running a great deal on the XE500. Staples is offering a great deal at the moment and saving you $50.

The XE500T has the full version of Windows8, with the new Atom processor. So far I will test some more and compare to the Microsoft Surface Tablet, but the battery life on the XE500 has been great. One thing that is leaning me towards the XE500 is that I can run full Windows applications and really like that it has the digitizer that allows me to markup. But I will see which one will best fit my needs, both are great devices but only one will win.

Staples: Pre-Order Samsung Series 5 Slate Tablet for $650

If you need to run legacy Windows 8 application, you will have a choice to get the Samsung Series 5 Slate Tablet. Staples will be selling the Samsung Series 5 Slate online only, would have been nice if Staples would carry these tablets in store. This would give the consumer a better look at the slate and more exposer for Windows 8 tablets.

The Samsung Series 5 Slate is not the same as ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T that will have an Ivy core processor, but will be powered with an Intel Atom Z2760 1.5GHz processor, 64GB SSD, 2GB DDR3 system memory, 11.6-inch HD SuperBright Plus screen, 1366 x 768 resolution, 1.6 lbs, 2MP HD front facing camera, WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, Windows 8 64-bit OS, Micro HDMI, USB 2.0 and Intel HD Graphics. This will not have the Windows 8 Pro version, but with 64GB SSD, I am a bit worry that after all the OS installation it won’t leave you with much space. We will have to watch and see how this turns out, but again from past experience, Windows OS should take about 7GB of SSD space.

 

 

With the 11.6-inch display and having the optional keyboard dock, this will make your production level much better as you will be able to turn the Samsung Series 5 Slate into a Ultrabook. This should come in size with a MacBook Air, but not as powerful, unless you move up to the ATIV 700T which should give you the best of both worlds, speed and great balance of a nice tablet, with the power when you need it.

Samsung has also included the S Pen, conveniently embedded in a slot on the device. This will make Series 5 Slate better for inking as it will have a digitizer and 1,024 levels of sensitivity giving you the ability to draw or markup with varying thickness.  Marking up PDF’s, documents or just to respond to emails with a stylus will make the Series 5 Slate a great choice, giving that Windows 8 is more of a touch screen and stylus OS than ever before.

From short video reviews we have seen Windows 8 running on a Atom processor seem to be fluid, but we are yet to see once users load applications and run several open tabs in Internet Explorer along with Word, Excel and Outlook.

Office Depot to carry the Asus VivoTab starting October 26

 

 

 

 

 

If you had your eyes set on the Microsoft Surface Tablet but just didn’t place your order in time, well your in luck as Office Depot will be selling the Asus VivoTab RT TF600T. It will set you back $599.99, that’s $100.00 more than the $499 32GB Microsoft Surface Tablet without touch cover.

The Asus VivoTab will be sold in stores at Office Depot so you can head down to your local store starting October 26. You can also Pre-Order now and make sure you get your Asus VivoTab come release date.

What you get for $599.99 is a 10.1-inch HD, 1366x768 touch screen, 2GB of RAM powered by NVidia Tegra 3 T30 processor cloaked at 1.3GHz quad-core, WiFi b/g/n, 4.0 Bluetooth, Rear 8-MP rear and 2-MP front facing camera, Micro HDMI, MicroSD card slot, Windows RT operating system, and 10 hours of battery life that should get through the day. If 10 hours is not enough, Asus has the optional keyboard that adds up to 6 additional hours of computing for a true all day solution. The keyboard dock will cost you an additional $170 depending where you order it from.

I really like the true keyboard dock solution, as I have tried the Asus Transformer Prime in the past. This would give you the best of both tablet mode and laptop mode. One thing Asus has done great job since the Asus Transformer Android tablet is the keyboard dock solution. Asus has kept the optional keyboard dock slim as possible and is very useable when you need a real keyboard to type out documents, excel sheets and for those long emails you have to type out. I really was hoping that the Asus VivoTab RT would have included a digitizer for using a stylus. I might still try to pick up the VivoTab come Friday October 26 to give it a try.

Microsoft Surface Tablet coming Midnight October 26

The big day for Windows 8 release is getting closer and now we have some stores that will be opening at midnight October 26th for the big Microsoft Surface Tablet launch. Remember this is Microsoft own brand tablet that will be running Windows RT and Windows 8 Pro. 

We you be standing in line to get your hands on the Surface Tablet? Or will you just pass and wait to order online? Or completely pass on the Microsoft Surface Tablet and just pick up an iPad 3?

We should see a few stores start to show up at your local mall as we get into the Holidays. These will bring more exposure and maybe get consumers to purchase a Microsoft Surface Tablet and find one under that Christmas tree. 

I personally look for tablets with some type of digitizer, this is more useful for my type of work and for my personal use. Once you have used a tablet with a digitizer, and see how much more it can be useful, you might just not want to buy another tablet without it. 

So far, CEO Steve Ballmer said the "sweet spot" for tablets to be around "$300 to $700". Here is to hoping we do see the Microsoft Surface Tablet start at $299. 

Windows Phone 8X showing some Verizon goodness over at the FCC

 

Just as quickly and hot on the heels of AT&T’s Windows Phone 8X showing up at the FCC, a CDMA version with what appears to be labeled as the PM23100 having all radios compatible on the Big Red’s network. Nice to see that it will also make the cut with NFC and GSM frequencies to get you roaming while traveling abroad. It will also support the 700MHz 4G LTE on Verizon’s network, so you can enjoy the good old 4G download speed to make those Skype calls come in smooth.

As we are getting closer to the end of October, we are going to be seeing more information get leaked out, so we can be sure to get more information on pricing and availability.

Not to sure if I will be picking up a Windows Phone 8 this time around, but looking forward to more smartphone choices. Will you be picking up a Windows Phone 8?

Mobile Google Maps now with Street View

Just as Google promised, except the update comes a day early from the promised Thursday release date. If you head on over to the Play Store and go to your Apps, you should see Street View ready to be updated to bring Street View to the native mobile Google Maps. I went ahead and updated and gave it a spin. Works great, really like that you now can see what is around before heading out without having to load up Google Navigation. This makes it easy for a quick view of the street. 

With the launch of Street View, iOS users will be happy to hear that they also will be able to join on in the party as they will be able to use Street View using the mobile browser. It wont be the same as using Street View in the native application, but it is better than not having it at all.

You will be able to click and hold the location that you would like to be able to use the Street View. This will bring the tab that will allow you to click on and brings the option to go to Street View. With this update it also brings a icon to go directly to navigate and use Google’s Navigation application, down at the bottom which you also see, you get the Search, Navigation, locations to see what’s around you and layers.

I use Google maps quite a bit and really like what Google has been doing to update the Maps, which is often bringing some great features that are easy to use.

Apple releases iPhone 5… still playing catch up?

As Apple released the new iPhone 5 Friday, 9/21 we heard reports of users having issues with the new mapping software that Apple so much taunted to replace the Google maps from its previous iOS.

Apple decided that keeping the iPhone 5 with a 4-inch display would be a better user friendly phone, while most other phone manufactures are designing mobile phones around a 4.5-inch and bigger display. Makes more sense to have a bigger screen, not only is this helpful when viewing webpages, but for serious use of a mobile phone to view, documents, PDF files, Excel sheets and if you’re a business user, you would really appreciate the bigger screen for this types of files. And lets not forget when viewing email. Yes you could always view on a smaller 4-inch screen, but why? This also leads to why would Apple just use a dual-core processor at 1GHz? Yes I know that most of the software that runs on iOS 6 doesn’t require faster processor but, lets think about this. When Apple releases another iPhone, it will require a faster processor so you will be left out with your current iPhone 5. Yes you will be able to upgrade to the next generation iOS 7 but, most of the time there will be features that will not be available to older iPhones due to not having the hardware to run the newest iOS. As Apple try’s to catch up in the processor department, all of the newer Android devices are starting to ship with Quad-Core processor that are very powerful devices to handle high end HD content. This will be excellent as Google releases new Android OS, you will be able to use your phone for the next 2-years of your phone contract without worrying too much about not having to be able to use all the new features of the new Android OS.

The talk time that Apple is claiming on the new iPhone 5 is 8 hours, which is much less then most newer Android phones. Some users have already claimed that they are getting 12 –14 hours of battery life which is not ideal in my tech use. Again, this is what we had seen many users complain 3 years ago with Android devices, we will have to see how this spans out.  My Galaxy SIII gives me an easy 22 – 27 hours with heavy use, this includes having WiFi, GPS, NFC and Bluetooth radios on including LTE when in the area. I was surprised to see a 1440mAh battery while most of the newer Android mobile phones are starting to pack a removable 2100mAh and higher battery that will give you longer talk time and use.

The iPhone 5 does have an excellent display at 1136 x 640, IPS LCD, 326 ppi but does fall short of HD quality. You shouldn’t notice this on the smaller display, but in comparison to other mobile phones with 1280 x 720 resolution and around 306 ppi you get more of a true HD display to watch movies and other media on the phone.

For now, we will see how Apple will continue to improve the iOS to give users more features and easier to use the new iOS. If you were one of the lucky ones to get your new iPhone 5 and had the iPhone 4, would you say besides the newer 4-inch screen, is there much more of a difference? Does the iOS look different? Is there any new way of customizing the home screen? I should be picking up the iPhone 5 to give it a try and compare to my older iPhone 4.