Samsung Galaxy Tab Communication

As well as the Music and Readers Hub described in our Samsung Galaxy Tab Ebooks and Music chapter, the Galaxy Tab also features a Social Hub.

This brings together information on friends and family members saved in your Galaxy Tab’s address book from a number of sources – so not only will you be able to see your contacts’ phone numbers and email addresses, but you’ll be able to see their Twitter feeds and Facebook status updates making it great for keeping on top of birthdays.

Phone and video calls on the Galaxy Tab

Unlike the Apple iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tab works as a mobile phone, albeit a rather large one, and allows you to make phone calls. The microphone isn’t positioned at the bottom of the device so it shouldn’t be held like a regular phone – in fact it’s more likely that you’ll want to use the supplied headphones with built-in microphone when taking and making calls. 

As the Samsung Galaxy Tab also supports Bluetooth 3.0, you’ll be able to pair it with a Bluetooth headset too.

The front-facing camera and 3G connection on the Galaxy Tab allows you to make video calls to other smartphones that offer this functionality. When in use you’ll be able to see the person you are speaking to and yourself on the screen. You can also switch to use the rear-facing camera so the person you are speaking to can see what you point your Galaxy Tab at. So, for example, you could point the camera at the band you’re watching or a pair of shoes that you’re thinking of buying.

Skype on android

A Skype application has now arrived on the Android OS platform and will work on the Samsung Galaxy Tab. This service only currently supports voice calls, but is likely to support video calls soon. Skype is a communication service that allows you to talk over the internet. It incurs no extra cost on top of the internet you’re using.

The Galaxy Tab helps you keep on top of emails and can be synced to multiple accounts. This can be great for use with both work and personal email addresses, or can be shared. The same is true for the calendar, which can highlight events and appointments in different colours so, one colour will represent you Outlook appointments, while another will represent Facebook events.

Writing emails is easier on the Galaxy Tab’s screen than it is on a regular smartphone thanks to its larger size. You can enter a character at a time or use the SWYPE feature that lets you trace your finger over the letters without removing it. It’s easy to use and quite accurate, but might take a little longer to use until you’re thoroughly used to it.

An external keyboard will also be available – like it is for the Apple iPad. The one we used in our video is not a finalised version, so may not look like the model that comes to market when the Galaxy Tab launches.

Find our more about the Apple iPad here, or check out our in-depth laptop reviews.