Here we are once again with a reader/viewer generated article and video for our audience, all based on the questions and feedback on things you’d like to see demonstrated or shown on the soon-to-be-released Galaxy Tab 7.7.
We fielded questions from our own site, our Facebook page, Google+ Page and of course our YouTube channel, and came up with 5 short videos on various aspects of the Galaxy Tab 7.7. These are unscripted, off-the-cuff segments to showcase the things that you said you’d like to see.
If you haven’t already seen the other articles and videos on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 you can find them here:
For the detailed first look article of the Galaxy Tab 7.7, CLICK HERE. For the first Q & A segment in which we compared the Galaxy Tab 7.7 to the iPad 2, CLICK HERE, and for the segment where we take a look at Galaxy theTab 7.7 while multitasking just CLICK HERE.
This second segment is in response to Facebook fan Marissa Cookson’s request to see some eBook reading on the Galaxy Tab 7.7.
Today we look at the Readers Hub and the functionality of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 as an eBook Reader.
eBook reading is something that will come very naturally to owners of this 7 inch Android tablet. It’s the size of dedicated eBook readers, and although it’s not e-ink like the Kindle and other eBook readers, the Super AMOLED screen is actually more responsive and dynamic than e-ink readers could ever be.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of e-ink Readers, being the proud owner of a PRS-T1 which I do use for long reading sessions. But if you’re the owner of a Galaxy Tab 7.7, you’re probably not going to want more than one tablet to carry around. Ideally, a 7 inch can do a little of everything well, including book reading.
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is an excellent reader, I am happy to report, and for many reasons. Firstly, without even looking at the software, the lightweight nature makes it comfortable to hold in one hand as a reader for extended periods. From a screen point of view, the real estate mimics that of a large paperback novel so it feels natural while reading.
One of the drawbacks (and there’s not that many for dedicated ebook readers to be honest) is that you do need external lighting in order to read. Here with the 7.7, you are able to read in any environment, lit or not, and adjust brightness settings to your requirements.
From a page turn point of view, the “curl” option gives the impression of a real book page being turned, and the powerful processor made it smooth and responsive to the fingers movement. I actually prefer that visual page turn to a simple fade or switch to the next page, which I find a little jarring (you do have the option for either).
Finally, the Reader Hub itself presents a fair few reading opportunities. Newspapers, books and periodicals are all available for purchase within this hub, and you can build up your collection within each category. Both Kobo and Zinio are huge online publishing companies with a wide reach, and Press Display delivers daily newspapers from around the world. Content availability is definitely not an issue.
If there was one change I’d like to see in the reader hub, I would prefer to have one sign-in for all three formats rather than having to manage separately. Ultimately they are separate companies but it certainly would make it easier to track and manage.
In all, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 succeeds as a reader. Let’s dive into some demonstrations on the new video below. Enjoy! (if the video isn’t showing it’s because we’re just in the middle of uploading now).
What do you think of the Galaxy 7.7 as an eBook reader? Would it be one of the major activities you’d be indulging in if you owned one? Let us know what you think and feel free to leave comments below and as always, we’ll be there to respond.
For those of you who have yet to see and read the other articles on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 can do so here:
For the detailed first look article of the Galaxy Tab 7.7, CLICK HERE. For the first Q & A segment in which we compared the Galaxy Tab 7.7 to the iPad 2, CLICK HERE, and for the segment where we take a look at Galaxy theTab 7.7 while multitasking just CLICK HERE.
Thanks for mentioning me and responding to my request! 🙂
The “curl” page turning option is very nice and one I will definitely use.
In terms of newspaper reading I think I will stick with web versions, rather than downloading a print edition of the newspaper.
Looking forward to the next video!
Hi Marissa,
Our pleasure, this is all about demonstrating the things our readers want to see. We will have another video up soon, thanks for joining us and talk again soon.
Cheers,
Ritchie
How fast is the book reader at moving from chapter to chapter? I have an original Kobo eReader, and that is one of the biggest frustrations, waiting while it displays the next chapter.
Otherwise it looks really nice, and, as you say, very smooth. I’m also looking forward to the colour, since the display of book covers in eInk is very blah.
Hi Nomi,
Standard page turns are the same whether reading within a chapter or transitioning to a new chapter.
The other way is to select the index and select the chapter you want, which is still quite fast. I’ve tried it out today and either way, there no real discernible processes happening to slow it down.
Honestly, seeing the sluggish turn overs (or at least the displaying of the next page) this is not convincing. I’m using the Amazon Kindle app on my “old” Galaxy Tab 7 (at a 1GHz single core processor) and that’s absolutely fine and quick, even if it lacks the nice animation but I can do without that.
Reading newspapers also is not the best experience, here it would be much better to install dedicated newspaper apps, mostly published by bigger newspapers. I also don’t believe that there will be a big variety of newspapers and magazines through Samsung’s Readers Hub.
Thanks anyway for the video, I’m enjoying every time I see the Tab 7.7 in action, only to be even more addicted to it afterwards 🙂
Hi Bjoern,
As I mentioned, I’m a big fan of dedicated e-book readers and use an e-ink myself. You’re right, a lot of the performance could very well rest on the app one chooses to use. I personally like apps such as SMH, which integrate multimedia and format it for consuming on a tablet.
Thanks for your kind comments too, we do like the 7.7 a lot as well!
I have a Kindle 2nd gen and i love it for reading, especially with it’s delicious “charge-once-a-month” battery life. I also have a little clip-on light that helps in darkness, though it’s not perfect.
I’m not sure i would want to use the 7.7 for reading, but i know that i will end up doing just that anyway, and i think the main reason will be because of the weight (a major factor for me) and the super-crisp AMOLED. However, i did notice some delay (as Nomi mentioned) when you were turning pages which is a huge no-no for me. It didn’t look like just chapters either… i guess that’s specific to the Kobo app? I’d probably be using my Kindle/Android app for this…
Hi Jawara,
Thanks for joining us! As you mention, it really gets down to your digital lifestyle and how many devices you are willing to carry with you – I think as long as the 7.7 performs well in most areas it will be considered a good all-rounder and the size, display and overall performance will still make it an enjoyable tablet to use.
hmm. I’m actually not that impressed… The page loading looked slow and the newspaper reader (at least for that one, I don’t know if all newspapers are read through the same reader) is terrible! The newspaper is clearly just a pdf or image, that is being displayed. I don’t want to have to constantly resize my screen to browse a paper or read text.
@Ed No, surely not. But this is only one pre-installed app (called ‘bloatware’, because you can’t get rid of those apps as long as you don’t have root access to your device). There are other apps in the Market and the Tab is pretty much capable of doinig that task a lot quicker with it being the fastest tablet actually ‘available’ (apart from the new Asus Transformer Prime).
It would great if you could let us know how comics display on the 7.7 display. Is much scrolling and zooming required to view comics opened with apps such as Droid Comic Viewer? It’s one of the things concerning me when deciding on a 7″ tablet vs a 10″ one.
Hi Regster,
Because the screen a little smaller than others there would be a need for some degree of zooming and scrolling.
However, my favourite comic app is Comixology, which actually presents comics panel by panel, negating the need to zoom or scroll.
On the 7.7″ Super AMOLED screen, this looks very impressive.
Can you read eBooks you’ve downloaded offline?
Hi Marissa,
You don’t have to be connected to the internet to read books that are stored locally, so you could be on a plane or in an area with no signal and still use your 7.7 for reading.
Hi Ritchie, I want to take a reader and/or a small pc with me to Europe in February. I am 55 yo, not very computer literate,going on first big trip alone, I want to keep in touch, and have all my maps, tour guides, books etc with me. Most hotels in europe seem to have wifi. Do you think this will do it all?
thank you
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
I actually do think it sounds quite appropriate for your trip. It is super light, so you won’t have to worry about it weighing you down. If you are getting Wi-Fi in the hotels you are staying in, then you’ll be able to hook up and downoad your updates. Great thing with Wi-Fi is that you can do a big download “dump”, and then read or catch up on all your messages at a later stage.
Hope you enjoy your trip!
Ritchie
Thanks for your advice – just bought one in Sydney, charging it up right now.
Jennifer
Hey Jennifer,
Congrats! Make sure you pass by here to leave your impressions on usage of the 7.7, or some tips you might have to enhance the use of the 7.7.
Cheers!
Ritchie
Hello,
Superb review! Been wondering if the screen is to small to read from but it does not seems so. However might I ask a nerd question? How about comic book readers? Would you check how the 7.7 is for reading comic books and especially if it work in fullscreeen one page / side no zoom.
With kind regards
Mike
Hi Mikael,
Thank you very much.
The screen is is just like a standard paperback, and remember you can adjust the font as well if the size of the “print” is not optimum.
When it comes to comics, you would probably want to use the zoom or panel-panel function. I love comics and I gotta say, the panel view actually enhances the reading experience. Try Comixology for a few freebies to give it a go.
Cheers,
Ritchie
Hi Ritchie,
I just bought one of these today and your review was very helpful. However when we tap the settings we only have two options to choose from- Font Style and Reading- there is no display button and I wanted to curl up tonight and read in Night Mode.
You do a great job!
Glenyss
Hi Richie
I’ve been using mine as an ebook reader for a few weeks now. The standard eBook app doesn’t want to load our library books, but the free Aldiko works fine (and has a day/night setting). Apart from that initial glitch it’s a great ereader. 🙂
Cheers
No wonder why samsung is one of the leading companies when it comes to new technology. They have high quality laptops, cellphones, appliances and computers.
Thanks for showing us a video about this ebook reader of samsung.
It’s very informative indeed.
Hi,
One qn before I get the Tab – is there a dictionary function I can access while reading?
Hi
The (free) Aldiko app that I use for reading does have a good dictionary function. Just select the word and the dictionary will pop up with option for searching on wikipedia or google.
Thanks for the heads up!
What ebook reader does Samsung use on their Galaxy 7.7 and 8.9 tabs?
It’s a pre-installed Samsung app simply called ebook. However, it does require an Adobe sign in for DRM reading.
Hi, there. I have both a Tab 7.0 and now a Galaxy Note. I used the native ebooks app to read on the tab, which I consider to be great because of the dictionary that comes along. The Note doesn’t bring this app and I have to use Readers Hub, which is not so fine by me. Is there any way I could have the Tab eBooks app on the Note? Thanks a bunch for helping!
Hi Ritchie
Thanks for your fairly accurate Reviews and Comparing tablets & …
In your website and video clips in youtube.
I have few quations : excuse my English.
1 – What is the best 7″ – 7.7″ – 10 or 10.1 tablet with
built-in phone funtion with 3G or European 4G and
likely multi-tasking?
2 – Do you know any apps. for multi tasking like ( Onskreen &
Cornerstone ) and dose they work like multi-tasking in the
Galaxy note 10.1
3- Is there Galaxy note 10.1 on the way to market in the near
future and in 1920×1200 res. like Asus Infinity & Acer Iconia A700
thank you in advance
There seems to some confusion about what an ereader is.
An ereader is a device that allows one to download a book or magazine
for later reading without the necessity of using an internet
connection to open it. This video doesn’t even make any reference to that capacity.
Like many videos of this type it conflates downloading with accessing.
Using Google Play, I paid to download (transfer from Google
to my tablet) an ebook. All that I have is a link that gives
me direct access to the file on Google where it is stored.
That means without internet access I cannot read the book.
With much searching I was able to get a procedure
that shows the books are supposedly available offline but
I have spent hours trying to find out where they
are stored on the device. Google Play itself won’t open
without the internet.
So far all that I can do is go online, use Google
Play to access and open the book, wander
away from internet access and still be able
continue scrolling through the book.
If I turn the device on while out of range
then virtually nothing works as presently
configured.
I have three computers one of which has a 42 inch monitor.
I don’t another device if it will only work in close proximity
to another computer.
People who want an ereader capability and are thinking of purchasing
a Galaxy on the basis of positive reviews such as this one should
bear in mind that most such reviewers are urban techno geeks.
That means they are surrounded by wifi every where they go.
They understand the concept of local storage on the device but
it appears they all regard it as some remote possibility that
doesn’t need mentioning.
I’m thinking I’ll just give my Galaxy 2 7 away and get a kindle
which is designed to an be ereader for use off line. My job often
entails long waits on the job site that I want to put to use.
I don’t want something that requires that I sit in starbucks to use.
Nor do I want to spend much more than the twenty hours of research
that I have already invested in trying to figure out how to accomplish
what should be the simplest most elemental procedure of such a device.
Consider this as a negative review of the Samsung Galaxy 2 7.