Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 review: Dual-core in a quad-core world

The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 launches with ICS and a dual-core processor for $400. A couple months ago this would have made an appealing package for Android tablet shoppers. Now, not so much.

While the Tab 2 10.1 uses a PLS screen, its color accuracy unfortunately isn't up to standard.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 was one of the premier Android tablets when it launched in 2011, with specs that, at the very least, matched top tier Android tablets of the time.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 feels almost like a disappointing prequel, rather than a full-fledged "we've improved on every feature!" sequel.

I mean, when a premium tablet gets a follow-up, it's not a crazy thing to expect a lot from said follow-up; however, Samsung went the "budget" route with the Tab 2 10.1, limiting its advances. The problem is, since the Tab 2's announcement, two Tegra 3 tablets (from Asus and Acer) have been released at very similar (or in Asus' case, lower) prices than Samsung's offering.

Still, the Tab 2 10.1 includes an IR blaster, its unique Touchwiz UX interface, and comes with 50GB of free Dropbox storage for a year.

Check out the full review to see whether that's enough to be worthy of your consideration.

Intel’s Atom D510 And NM10 Express

Intel’s Atom D510,  And NM10 Express -
Down The Pine Trail With D510MO -

When I buy something new, I want it to be bigger, better, faster, and stronger than what I had before. That’s why the idea of small form factor boxes, while visually appealing, doesn’t usually work out well for me.

It wasn’t much of a surprise, then, when the first Intel Atom-based desktop platform landed in my lab and failed to impress. Shuttle’s X27 had the deck stacked against it though; I tried to get it running smoothly with Windows Vista, and that was an exercise in disappointment. I was a little more shocked when Nvidia launched its Ion chipset and I still couldn’t stomach the Atom-powered configuration as a daily driver, to borrow from automotive parlance. Perhaps the concept underlying Atom was completely lost on me. Maybe “good enough” performance in a diminutive package just wasn’t good enough in a world so used to embracing the fastest of everything.

Intel's dual-core Atom D510Intel's dual-core Atom D510

Where the mobility-enabled platform does stand out as a decent little performer is in the netbook space. We recently included HP’s Mini 311 in our Holiday Gift Guide. I’ve been using the thing for a little over a month, and it’s remarkably responsive for such a small system. The Mini’s integrated Ion graphics are even quick enough for a little World of Warcraft.

Ion Gets Competition

But Intel is setting Ion up with a little competition. Today, the company launches its second-generation Atom-based platform called Pine Trail, which addresses some of the most stinging criticisms leveled at its Diamondville-based predecessors. Gone is the power-hungry 945GC chipset that punished Intel’s energy efficiency story when Atom first emerged. Moreover, integration is in vogue, as the memory controller and GPU migrate their way into the processor die. And the dual-core CPU no longer consists of two separate pieces of silicon on one package. The new Atom D510 is a monolithic chip.



Taken all together, this means we should be looking at a leaner, meaner Atom that’s better-suited to a desktop environment than the CPU/chipset combinations we’ve tested previously…at least, that’s the theory.

Intel's single-core Atom D410Intel's single-core Atom D410

But Who’s This Really For?

The true purpose of Pine Trail isn’t to wow power users with a penchant for environmentally-friendly technology. Rather, it’s to hit a market that is just coming online. According to figures cited from internetworldstats.com, there were 361 million people using the Web back in 2000. In 2009, that number had jumped to 1.66 billion—still only a quarter of the world’s population.

In the same vein, Intel claims (via research done by Morgan Stanley) that a broadband Internet connection is one of the least economically vulnerable luxuries we enjoy today. More people would rather give up cell phones and new clothes before they pulled the plug on their cable or DSL line. Think about that for a second. It's true, isn't it?

As netbooks and small form factor desktops continue to pick up steam, Intel says its new Atom designs are the engines driving the platforms that those extremely cost-sensitive customers will buy as they join the rest of us online.




Intel is actually debuting a handful of components today: two of what it considers desktop-class processors (the Atom D510 and D410), one netbook-class processor (the Atom N450), and a new chipset (NM10) that follows in the footsteps of such concepts as P55, shifting from Intel’s usual three-chip platform to a more elegant two-chip design already popular in some of Nvidia's chipsets. Today we’re looking at the D510MO motherboard—a mini-ITX platform with an Atom D510 soldered on.

Atom chip for Netbooks

Intel launches redesigned Atom chip for Netbooks

Intel is launching the biggest makeover of the Atom processor since the seminal chip debuted in the spring of 2008, and consumers can expect a crush of new Netbooks to follow.
Dozens of Netbooks are now offered at this Fry's Electronics store in Southern California.

Dozens of Netbooks are now offered at this Fry's Electronics store in southern California
(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

As previously reported, Intel's latest N450 processor and NM10 Express chipset--technology that had been previously referred to as "Pine Trail"--will be used in a new raft of Netbooks that will debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Hewlett-Packard, Acer, Dell, Asus, Toshiba, Lenovo and others are expected to either announce new systems before the show or exhibit new models there.

Intel said there will be more than 80 new Netbook designs--typically priced around $350--on the way, with systems coming available by January 4.

The Pine Trail design squeezes the graphics function, previously on a separate chip, onto the central processing unit, or CPU, a first for Intel. The result--by decreasing the number of chips from three to two--is a reduction in the overall chip package size by 60 percent.

"This is the first monolithic processor with the graphics built in and the memory controller built in," said Anil Nanduri, director, Netbook Marketing at Intel, in an interview. The size of the accompanying NM10 "I/O" chipset has also been reduced, Nanduri said.

To the consumer this means better battery life and thinner designs. "We'll see sleeker designs coming into the market and longer battery life," said Nanduri, adding that average power consumption has dropped 20 percent over the previous generation of Atom technology.

"We got more than eight hours of battery life out of this system," said CNET Review's Dan Ackerman, after testing the new Asus Eee PC 1005PE Netbook, which is equipped with the updated Atom silicon.
Intel has integrated the graphics function onto the CPU, resulting in lower overall power consumption

Intel has integrated the graphics function onto the CPU, resulting in lower overall power consumption
(Credit: Intel)

Atom-based systems will be sold primarily with Windows 7 Starter or Home Basic. "These are the ones that hit the right price points," Nanduri said. "The kind of applications you load up as you go into Home Premium--with a much more richer experience--more performance is needed for that," Nanduri said, referring to higher-price Windows Home Premium.

Windows XP Home and Intel's Moblin Linux operating systems will also be supported. Moblin offers some benefits over Windows. "You will get a very snappy experience on Moblin and faster boot times because it's very purpose-built for this category," Nanduri said.

Intel expects robust growth ahead for Netbooks. Nanduri cited numbers from ABI Research that show Netbook annual shipments reaching 100 million units sometime in the next three years. Since introduction, Intel has shipped more than 40 million Atom chips for Netbooks to major PC makers.

Intel is also launching a new Atom processor with two processing cores, the D510, which it is targeted at entry-level desktops and replaces an existing dual-core Atom. Also, a new single-core D410 design is being introduced.


New Atom processors:

* N450: 1.66GHz, 512KB cache, DDR2-667, TDP: 5.5W
* D510: 1.66GHz, 1MB cache, DDR2-800/667, TDP: 13W (2 cores)
* D410: 1.66GHz, 512KB cache, DDR2-800/667, TDP: 10W

(Note: the DDR2 number suffix refers to memory speed; TDP = Thermal Design Power; W = watt.)

Though radically redesigned, the gigahertz ratings and cache memory specifications of the new Atom chips have not changed from the previous generation. The N450 runs at the same 1.66GHz speed as the current N280 Atom and cache memory sizes are the same.

Nvidia claims consumers will need its Ion chipset coupled with the new Atom processor to get a mainstream laptop-like experience.

"We offer a 'premium' Windows experience, whereas with Pine Trail (the new Atom) you will only be able to get a 'Starter' (experience)," said David Ragones, product line manager at Nvidia, referring to the Windows Home Premium and Windows Starter editions, respectively. Ragones said that with the chipset, video sites like Hulu will run better, and Ion also allows more game playing.

Pricing and availability for the new Atom will be announced in January as systems become available from Netbook suppliers.