Samsung has Galaxy Tab S 8.4 at $100 off.

Post #401,836 by Another Scott 5/17/15 11:03:39 AM Reply	Samsung has Galaxy Tab S 8.4 at $100 off. I've been thinking about a tablet for our upcoming vacation. The "Galaxy Tab S2" is due to be announced next month, according to the rumors, so they're apparently starting to clear out the Tab S. The Tab S2 supposedly will be 4x3 (vs 16x9) but otherwise seems to be fairly similar (but maybe with faster connectivity or something). The Tab S 8.4 is $100 off now (at Amazon and elsewhere) - roughly $300. I just ordered one with a 64GB microSD card and a $28 keyboard case. I briefly thought about the Galaxy Tab Pro, but it doesn't seem to be getting the Lollipop update, so the usual (non-sale) saving isn't worth it to me. I briefly thought about getting the LTE version, but we're going to be in first-world Europe which should have decent WiFi and I didn't want to mess with the hassle of trying to get a reasonably priced cellular plan. (They don't even let tourists buy a cheap local SIM card any more do they? Doesn't one have to have a bank account in the country to qualify now?) This seems like a reasonable way to go for an extremely lightweight computer for traveling. The sale is convenient as it will let me figure out how to configure and use it before we go. I'll report back if I learn anything useful. ;-) Cheers, Scott.
Post #401,858 by pwhysall 5/18/15 3:08:04 AM 5/18/15 3:08:30 AM Reply	You can just buy a SIM no problem. Hell, they have them at the supermarket checkout. Check whether your mobile provider has an add-on or bolt-on or whatever-on for your plan to give you international doin's. Might be cheaper than the alternative. Edit: Make sure you get the right size! Linkypoos: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-advice/9432416/The-best-local-SIM-cards-in-Europe.html http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g34515-i19-k5360886-US_SIM_for_a_UK_phone-Orlando_Florida.html https://www.bing.com/search?q=can+i+buy+a+sim+in+europe&PC=U316&FORM=CHROMN&adlt=strict https://www.bing.com/search?q=can+americans+buy+uk+sim+cards+on+holiday&PC=U316&FORM=CHROMN&adlt=strict Edited by pwhysall May 18, 2015, 03:08:30 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #401,859 by Another Scott 5/18/15 8:14:36 AM Reply	Thanks muchly!
Post #401,877 by Another Scott 5/18/15 9:10:55 PM Reply	Seems like a neat little gizmo so far...
Post #402,018 by Another Scott 5/25/15 10:46:05 AM Reply	Doing the Lollipop update now... It became available via the standard route today. It was running fine under KitKat (4.4.x) - no issues with short battery life that some complained about (dunno if that was under KK though). We'll see what happens... Cheers, Scott. (Who figures it'll be another 6 months before 5.1 rolls out for it... :-/)
Post #402,030 by pwhysall 5/26/15 7:35:45 AM Reply	You need 5.1 Cuz 5.0 for tablets was a bit of a shitshow - it all seemed to go back to the web view component doodad, which was like OMNOMNOMNOM I EET ORL UR RAMS. My N7 didn't need a daily (or more) reboot after 5.1.
Post #402,032 by Another Scott 5/26/15 7:49:33 AM Reply	I wouldn't be surprised... It has 5.0.2 on it now. I haven't noticed any problems yet, but I've only played with it a few minutes after the update. I'm going to leave it unplugged today to see how the battery life is (with nothing much happening in the background). There's no sign of when 5.1.x will be available for it (I assume it will be at least 6 months as that is how long it took 5.0.2 to reach me). :-/ I've never rooted an Android device, though I would like to know how to do such things, I don't really have the time to mess around trying a new/different OS on it. Here's hoping I don't need to... Cheers, Scott.
Post #402,208 by pwhysall 5/31/15 4:42:27 AM Reply	I use the SkipSoft toolkit It's a console application, but none the worse for that. It's not free, either, (well, it sorta is; but you pay for device-specific stuff), but for the price of a couple of beers, eh. Gerritbought. http://www.skipsoft.net/
Post #402,209 by Another Scott 5/31/15 8:23:01 AM Reply	Interesting. Thanks for the pointer.

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