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Posts: 1,789 | Thanked: 1,699 times | Joined on Mar 2010
#2944
Originally Posted by Rebski View Post
@Kangal

I too have been waiting on impressions of the 8.9” screen hoping that it would be a good compromise between the relatively cumbersome 10” and the more agile 7”.

Those hopes appear to be dashed by the experience of this reviewer
http://www.bgr.com/2011/04/19/t-mobile-g-slate-review/
Quote
“My only other notable qualm came when I tried to use the G-Slate as an eReader. While I love solid feel and the sturdy build of the device, it does get a bit heavy at times. Yes, this is due in large part to the battery, thus affording very impressive battery life, but after holding it while reading a few chapters of Peter Keller’s Bad Intentions: The Mike Tyson Story in Amazon’s Kindle app, my hands and arms definitely got tired.”

Could it be that for sizes over 7”, usage that requires one hand to hold the device and the other too interact with the screen becomes too tiring after a short while?

Kevin Tofel, who has both an iPad and a 7” Tab is of the opinion “This may be a matter of personal preference, but I’d still take a 7-inch device over the 8.9 G-Slate, all thing being equal.”
http://gigaom.com/mobile/t-mobile-g-slate-review/

It will be interesting to see reports in this respect from former iPad and now iPad2 users. Does thinness and weight make the difference, I wonder.

In short, the larger 8.9”/10” tablets appear to be best suited for extended periods of video watching. And Transformer owners are complaing at video limitations.
Thanks for the links, but those reviews were bad and they never really justified their dislike of the G-Slate properly (hence a little "anti" biased).

So the 7" is just big enough for a coat pocket, purse and car centre-console.
The 8.9" is supposed to be mid-point between the 7-and-10 sizes.
The 9.7" (4:3) is what Apple says is perfect.
The 10" offers generous screen-estate but is smaller than netbook/laptop but many argue is too big for extended use (reading, browsing, watching etc).

So far there is only one tablet that can displace the need for a laptop and that is the HP Slate 500, which is still a horrible option (battery life, looks, speed).
  • If you want something that could displace a netbook/laptop ... then 10" is the best size.
  • If you want a square device, you gotta pay alot and grab an iPad.
  • If you want something which is too small but offers the right dimensions for your "heavy pocket" or car the 7" is the best size.
  • If you want a more extended-use (reading) friendly device, which might be small enough for your car (unlikely) and which might be small enough for your "heavy pocket" than the 8.9" fills this niche.

Here's an image comparison of their relative sizes 7"-10":
(Galaxy Tab, G-Slate, iPad2, XOOM)
Real photo:
Width comparison (I have a HD quality of this image):
Height comparison (I have a HD quality of this image):
 

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