Better than Google Home Mini
588311
Alexa has numerous capabilities that do not require the personal information invasiveness of Google Home mini (received as gift). Have it linked to my Amazon Music Unlimited account and can play my dads playlist or favorite artists anytime he needs it.  I love the game skills, the corny jokes of the day, and that it can access my favorite religious website and read the Bible or play music located there.
3890378
Even the most devout fan of Android would have to concede that it has failed to repeat its smartphone success in the tablet arena. But in the second half of 2012 Google tried to change that. They updated Android to more competitive version 4.x and released their own tablet, Nexus. Which in 7" version competes in price with Amazon Kindle and wipes price-wise iPad mini.

But the most prominent tablet released during this attack on iPad dominance and preemptive strike before the release of tablets with Windows 8, was actually Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 which was released in August 2012 with Android 4.0. Along with S-pen, the device has amazing quality of internal speakers and generally as a media consumption device it competes with iPad head-to-head. Apple felt the pain and promptly sued Samsung. Google maps are fantastic on this device :-). As for standard Android applications, B&N Nook Reader is available out of the box. Amazon Kindle needs to be installed. Adobe Acrobat also needs to be installed.

This tablet is more capable then iPad due to presence of Wacom active digitizer and S-pen. With S-pen, you can write notes as if you have a pen and a paper. That's an amazing feeling. Due to S-pen and Wacom active digitizer this tablet essentially wiped out as competitors all Android tablets without Wacom digitizer (including Google Nexus) and has main competition only among newer and more expensive Intel-based Windows 8 tablets such as Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T. Difference in price with Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T is approximately $150.

I am using it as an expensive and super capable personal organizer and so far I am a satisfied customer. You can use it all day and recharge at night.

In other words, tablets with S-pen and Wacom digitizer are a new class of tablets, with new, important areas of use. But Intel-based Windows 8 tablets has the same advantages and more capable OS, so you need to decide what you want. If you use the tablet mainly as an organizer and media consumption device its OK. It you plan to double it as netbook or laptop, then Windows 8 tablets are preferable. So if you feel that you might need Bluetooth keyboard, it might be better to get Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T, otherwise this tablet is adequate and cheaper. Battery life is approximately the same.

Another advantage of this tablet is that you can rely on the huge amount of Linux-style Android applications such as SSH server and rsync (simplifies backups of your data), hacker keyboard, VNC etc. With SSH and VNC your laptop becomes external input device for the tablet.

Provided default ecosystem is definitely closed Apple-style and you need to apply efforts to break the straitjacket you are put in. That why I put one star down. For example, you can download MP3 files from your desktop to the tablet via USB link using charging cable, and you can download them directly to the Samsung player Music directory. But this sucker does not list them. Still you can play them if you use file browser and click on the file. In this case there is a popup that proposes two players and you can choose any of them.

In summary, the main attractions of the tablet is S-pen which makes it possible to use it as a personal organizer as well as access to Linux applications ported to Android. Power users who know Linux well can benefit from this tablet by using proven and well known Linux applications ported to the Android platform. Those power users, who don't know Linux might be better served by Windows 8 Pro tablets with Intel CPUs. For example, if you plan to work with Office documents on the tablet get Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T -- a better tablet for power users who need keyboard with the tablet.
2927285
Amazon needs to separate out the reviews of the 3.6, 4.0, 4.2, and 5.0.  While the 4.0 and 4.2 are similar, the other two are very different devices, and the reviews shouldn't be combined.  I expect that the reviews for the 3.6 are dragging all the others down.

I bought the 4.2" sight unseen for use as a mini-tablet--like a smartphone without the phone.  I did see and play around with the 3.6" and 5.0" Players, and really wasn't impressed.  The screen on the 3.6 was terrible.  Everything about that player was bad.  The 5.0 was better, but not great.  It was slower (less RAM I think) and a little too big, and the screen was a little bit pixelated.

Well, the 4.2 was a surprise.  The screen is very nice.  I also own the new Nexus 10, whose display is better than the iPad4's, so to be happy with the Galaxy Player 4.2 screen is quite unexpected.  It's bright, and I really don't even see pixels.  Tiny text is clear.  I'm impressed.  It's sensitive to touch, registers nicely.  Only wish I could have found it in white.

The device is also surprisingly fast for having outdated specs.  I was weighing this against the much more expensive and perpetually sold out Nexus 4, and have decided to keep the 4.2 Player.  For once, cnet got the review right.  This was the only Galaxy Player that they recommended.  (I haven't seen the Galaxy Player 4.0, so not sure how that would stack up).

So far it's worked great for the few games that I play (Angry Birds, Temple Run, Scramble).  My daughter just bought the iPod 5th gen and I actually like this Player better.  The screen is wider (new ipod is too narrow) and brighter, just prettier all around.  The size is perfect--big enough to do everything on it, but small enough to really be portable.  I do email, web surfing, news feeds, weather, YouTube, etc.  Best of all, I'm not chained to Apple.  I love Android.

Learn to use your "Task Manager" on the home screen.  Close out any apps you aren't currently using, so that everything runs optimally.  I do this on all my tablets.  Just as on any computer, apps/programs running in the background can slow things down.

This makes my third Samsung tablet (also own Nexus 10 as stated, and the Galaxy 7.0 Plus).  That also makes three different versions of Android--Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Jelly Bean 4.2.  All three run beautifully.  I do think this little tablet will make my 7" obsolete.  Many people love the 7" size, but it's not really that portable.  I'd rather have a full sized 10" that I can do everything on, and a very portable 4" like this Player.

Couldn't be happier!  So glad I took the chance on this little thing.
2738557
I purchased this to navigate an Android streaming media box;&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Henscoqi-MXIII-MX3-Quad-Core-Amlogic-S802-1G-8G-Smart-HTPC-TV-Box-Support-3D-HD-4K-Android-4-4-2-Miracast-DLNA-Airplay-Wifi-Update-Online-Black/dp/B00Y84MWFU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Henscoqi MXIII MX3 Quad Core Amlogic S802 1G/8G Smart HTPC TV Box Support 3D-HD 4K Android 4.4.2 Miracast DLNA Airplay Wifi Update Online (Black)</a>, that came with a difficult-to-use remote control. The Rii keyboard dongle was installed in an available USB port on the device and the keyboard was charged before the first use. The IR dongle was found under the slide on the back of the keyboard.

The keyboard was recognized automatically by the Android box as the directions had said it would be, which was delightfully easy and much appreciated by this user! The included directions were not great, but fortunately I have a lot of experience with similar devices so I figured it out by trial and error how to use the keyboard to effectively enter text and navigate through apps.

I found this keyboard to be fairly easy to use and the touchpad was responsive to my commands from up to about 10' away from the streaming media box. Navigating Kodi (XBMC) with this keyboard was great, and the backlight makes a huge difference in a dark room - although the backlighting on my remote was darker in some spots and lighter in others.

When trying to get the @ character I had a tough time with the Shift key accepting the command. I finally got it to go - needing to enter a user and password combination for an app - however it was a frustration right out of the box.

I think this keyboard's compact size and ease of pairing is great, but its performance and build quality could be improved. For the price though, it's worth a try if you have the need for one.
1143717
I bought this as a bedroom TV and I really like it as a television. Crisp, sharp, vivid colors and a very nice picture overall.  I also bought a high end Samsung 55'' for the Living Room and the picture of this Sony is equal (arguably better, maybe it's just the lighting in the room) than the $3000 Samsung.

But don't buy into the Google TV hype though.  Typical of Google they create new and exciting things all the time but they stink at following through and improving them.  They remind of my Dad with all kinds of household projects going on at once, none of which every advanced past halfway finished!

Google TV lags well behind their competitors in terms of Apps they provide.  There's a standard array of mostly crappy App's and one's that try to sell you stuff. The Chrome browser is slow, doesn't handle a lot of web sites well, and is overall fairly useless. Google has been promising an update to Google TV for months and months now but hasn't delivered squat yet.  They say something is coming this summer but we'll see.

The remote is partly cool, partly a pain in the butt. It looks like a video game controller more than a remote.  I never used it much since I have an Harmony 1100 Universal remote that I programmed and replaced the one that comes with the TV, but I think only a real techie type will be happy with the style of remote provided.  Others might hate the tiny keys and fumbling around required for every day operation.

So as a TV I like it a lot but save yourself some money and don't pay the premium that it carries because of the Google TV built in.  Just get your LED TV of choice and whatever App's the manufacturer of the TV has built (or Apple TV which I wound up getting)  in because Google TV itself is a waste.
645790
Didn't expect to like the Fire TV this much. I also have Google Chromecast and Fire TV is so much better. Easier to connect and use, and the remote beats the pants off the cell-phone-app-as-remote. Speech recognition is very impressive.
2984927
Update 7/16/2016:  I'm still quite pleased with the G Pad although, like my LG phone, it has some irritating "quirks" -- apps on the home screen disappear for no apparent reason and user-defined defaults, such as Thumb keyboard&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Thumb-Keyboard-Phone-Tablet/dp/B004X71YY2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Thumb Keyboard (Phone/Tablet)</a>&nbsp;(which I prefer since it has arrow keys so I can correct numerous typos made when I try to type quickly...) reset to the LG keyboard frequently.  Every so often the tablet restarts itself but none of these issues make me want to throw it in a trash can (like my 7 inch Nexus now running the World Community Grid app since it's so slow and unresponsive even after it was rooted and some bloatware was removed... the only thing the Nexus does faster than any other device is connect to my wifi instantly)

I was a bit leery of an LG tablet after my experiences with my G3 phone (a bad motherboard was luckily replaced within the warranty by LG after almost a year of headaches and no assistance from Sprint...) and LG's previous tablet offerings but the price and reviews made me give it a try.  FINALLY I have a great tablet that almost makes the G3 experiences forgivable, at less than half the price of the G3!  The G Pad II hums along without lags or other issues and has a beautiful, large display these 60 year old eyes really appreciate.  It doesn't seem much heavier than my Nexus 7 2012 (rendered useless after Lollipop and even after rooting and reverting to Kit Kat is buggy -- it's now dedicated to running World Community Grid 24/7 until it dies).  I haven't played streaming videos besides movie trailers (I have a TV and Roku for Netflix, Amazon VOD, etc. but may try one soon just to see but it's not a deal breaker for me) but they' fine and the speakers on both sides are the first SENSIBLE placements of any tablet I've had. The Kindle app is a treat, especially for books with photographs like Little Me&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Little-Me-The-Intimate-Memoirs-of-that-Great-Star-of-Stage-Screen-and-Television-Belle-Poitrine-as-told-to/dp/B0012RMV9I/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Little Me: The Intimate Memoirs of that Great Star of Stage, Screen and Television/Belle Poitrine/as told to</a>, and every book I've put on it -- even with a small font size it's great to read without having to "turn" the page every 15 seconds.  I'm addicted to the "istry" games&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Gemistry/dp/B00SDV2W4A/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Gemistry</a>&nbsp;and even though I know each variation by heart on the larger screen it's almost as if they're new (and I solve them a lot faster).  For the first time the Daily Ab Workout&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Daily-Ab-Workout/dp/B00YFPRM5M/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Daily Ab Workout</a>&nbsp;doesn't crash within 30 seconds so I hope this incentive will allow me to use it regularly (my abs really need it!).  Battery life is phenomenal -- after its second recharge yesterday the battery stayed at 100% for over an hour with wifi and location on (settings I'm used to turning off immediately after using requisite apps) and after 3 hours of heavy use was still above 80%... if this holds true I may never buy another tablet again. I'm sure I've forgotten something so may edit this later but I'm really happy with my first "big" tablet and probably will never go to 7/8 inch screens again.  I got mine for $249 plus a $25 gift card from the seller but even at Amazon's current $269 price (oops, it's currently not available from Amazon although it was when I bought mine...) I'd recommend it, especially since comparable tablets are much more expensive.
4578314
Im definitely enjoying the Echo more than the Google Home I had previously. There seem to be more available features, especially for Amazon Prime members. Alexa doesnt understand the commands Im giving sometimes, but not so often as to degrade from the device. The sound quality is pretty fantastic for such a small speaker.
1255771
I have 3 sub-portable computers. The new Dell Mini 9 (Atom bassed), the HP 2133 and a Dell Latitude D430. The HP 2133 blows the mini 9 out of the water. The 2133 is much faster than the Mini 9. Although the Mini has the new Atom processor, it has a very slow SSD with no tradition hard drive option. In addition, the mini has a glossy case that picks up fingerprints like crazy. The aluminum case on the HP is much nicer. But the big difference is the keyboard. The HP keyboard is far superior, the Mini 9's keyboard is acceptable, but it's way too small to type fast on.
Taking all this into consideration, at $399 from Amazon for the HP with a higher res screen, bigger keyboard and a 120GB hard drive, vs the Mini w/512MB RAM, 4G SSD, it's a no brainer. I actually prefer the mini to my Dell Latitude D430, altough the D430 is very nice, it's also a lot more money! So don't let the VIA processor steer you away from this product!
Buy it and put XP on, it works great! It does get hot on your lap, but so does the mini and the D430.
2303187
I had the original ipad, which was performing poorly since the OS is no longer upgradeable, and as a result, many apps were not running effectively.  I decided to go to a smaller format, and was looking at the ipad mini and several android tablets.  Mostly I do a lot of reading in landscape on my tablet so I focused on the ipad and android 8 inch formats.  For a slightly older set of eyes, I thought 8" would be more useful than smaller screen sizes.  I ended up with the Samsung because of  the screen resolution, latest version of Android, and powerful processor.  It is far faster than my old ipad, and I love the HD size screen rather than the 4:3 proportion of ipads.  In a pinch, I can put it in one of my pants pockets for carrying around, but the screen is plenty large enough for reading and using apps.  I actually really like the Samsung mail app that comes preloaded, but I do use the Chrome browser, which loads quickly and allows easy selection of desktop vs. mobile sites.  Since I'm a gmail user, the seamless integration of android works terrifically.  After 4 months of use, the only downside I see is that it doesn't co-exist with my apple tv, and battery life is compromised vs my old ipad.  I easily get a full days use on battery, but recharge every night.  My old ipad I would charge probably every third day, but such is the reality of a brighter display in a smaller form factor. Very pleased with my 8" tab3.
3696336
After waiting on the perfect tablet for over a year (ever since Apple announced the original iPad), I finally bit the bullet on the WiFi Motorola XOOM. [Note: I bought this from a local retailer as I just wanted it morning of release.]

I had previously owned the original iPad in the fall of 2010, and enjoyed it for the first 48 hours. However, the issues became glaring - no great Google Talk options, so-so Gmail support, and the browser just felt half-useless due to the lack of flash. I decided to return it for a refund, and waited for a proper Android Tablet.

When Google finally announced Honeycomb on the XOOM, I knew that this device could fit my needs. Obvious perfect integration with all of my Google apps (Gmail, GTalk, Reader, etc.). Add a useful homescreen with widgets, Adobe Flash 10.2 in the browser, and true multitasking, and we have a winner!

XOOM Hardware: This is a quality device from a build quality perspective. No creaks, it has a solid build, strong buttons, and a great screen that has been proven to have Gorilla Glass. The screen itself is responsive, and I can grasp the XOOM in portrait mode in one hand fairly easily. The battery life - awesome. I bring this tablet to work with me at 730am, and use it constantly (hooked up to wifi). I then use it at home in the evenings, often while watching TV. At the end of the night (11pm), I usually have 30-40% battery life left! I'm very impressed with the battery life, and it has really exceeded my expectations. I've been playing with it a LOT this past week as it's my newest "toy", but the battery has really proven itself. However, the one issue with the XOOM is the weight - it's not extremely heavy, but it is noticeably heavier than the iPad 2 and obviously a much heftier device when compared to something like the 7" Galaxy Tab (although that's to be expected). Given the fairly sizeable battery and 10" screen, I think it's a decent trade-off, and nothing that I would consider a deal-breaker.

Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS: Coming from an Android device (HTC Evo) and having owned iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches, I love Honeycomb. Everything from the widgets on the homescreen to the Google apps like Gmail and GTalk work great, and are exactly what I wanted in a tablet. The best thing about Honeycomb is the browser - it's truly similar to the desktop browser Chrome, and has a lot of options that one would expect in a desktop-class browser. The tabs stay present at all times, Flash 10.2 works great (some hiccups here and there on flash-heavy websites), and there are even Google's famous "Labs" features (swiping from the sides allows you to perform basic function in a pop-up half circle; refresh, forward/back, bookmarks, settings). However, I have noted a few bugs in the software; Honeycomb force closes (when your app "crashes" back to the homescreen)frequently. I notice about 3-5 force closes daily, typically in the browser when looking at flash-heavy websites or sites with a lot of images. Also, The homescreen itself experiences some force closes (might be a bad widget I have installed, I haven't thoroughly investigated yet). Also, the homescreen takes a while to refresh when switching from portrait to landscape and vice versa if you use a lot of widgets. Something to be expected, but takes longer than a 1ghz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM would suggest.

Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase and enjoy using the XOOM everyday. There are bugs to be ironed out, but I'm confident that Google is working out these issues as I type this review. I'm giving it 4 stars - half a star off for the extra weight, and half a star for the "beta" Honeycomb OS. But overall, I don't regret my purchase at all, enjoy it immensely more than the iPad I used to own, and I would recommend this to anyone that's looking for something that's almost as powerful as a laptop running Windows 7.
2818094
Nice budget smaller tablet.  I purchased 1 of these to replace a Kindle Fire ($50 5th generation) I gave to one of my kids to play with as he really wanted it.  This is simple to use, fast app launching, and seems quite capable at the $120 sale pricepoint I purchased this for.  I was considering a less expensive Acer Iconia one 8", but the dedicated controls and the "Promise" of Marshmallow update from Samsung support made me go with this model.

My wife and I use iPad Air 2's with the kids all having iPad Mini 2's in the house - this was purchased mainly as a toy for myself (and one for the wife) to tinker around with Android.

I am really hoping that Android Marshmallow is released for this like I see it for the larger 8" & 9.7" Tab A models to gain the full use of the SD Card slot as seamless App storage.  Having 4ish~ GB total for apps/games might be a limitation for some users.

I knocked off a star as this tablet is very sensitive to backlight bleeding with the ever so much of a slight twist to the tablet.  I first noticed this while using the Kindle App on a black screen with white text.  it is really only noticeable with a mostly black, or very dark background.  For everyday use I probably would have never noticed it.

I had ordered a Slim shell case that is plastic, and I can see a slight difference with the case on, and off as the case seems to slightly twist (or put pressure on) the tablet just enough to let the black change to a lighter grey color a the top.  I am hoping there are no long term issues with this flexible chassis.

Granted I have not (and likely would have not) noticed this until I had an all black background and was playing with the Kindle App - this does not even photograph well.

Regardless, I still would recommend this as an excellent budget tablet if an iPad Mini 2 is out of your price range.
2169154
We have had an Ipad 2 for almost two years and I have become fed up with Apple's approach to locking down the operating system. I decided to go with Android. I looked at all of the Android tablets and kept coming back to Samsung.

I initially bought a Galaxy Tab 3 7 inch. The first one had defective home button so I exchanged it. I used the GT3-7 for a few days and wasn't satisfied. I found it to be sluggish and the screen was just too small. The next week,  the 8 inch GT3 went on sale at a local big box store for $70 off the list price,  just $30 more than the 7 inch. So I traded the 7 for an 8. What a difference! Better operating system, better screen,  faster processor,  etc.

The GT3-8 is very fast, smooth and easy to use.  Web browsing is very pleasant because the screen is so crisp. I find that I can read many websites without my glasses, when I need the glasses to read the same sites on the Ipad 2.

One factor that makes this a winner over the ipad is the SD expansion slot.  I don't know why Apple thinks 16 gb is all anyone will need in an affordable tablet. And they want to charge you an extra $100 for every additional 16 gb. I added 16 gb to my GT3 for $15. If I need more, I can easily add 64 GB for less than $100.

The IR blaster was an unexpected bonus. We use the Smart Remote app and it has pretty much replaced our old remotes, plus finding shows is so much easier using this app than the cruide guides provided by cable systems.

Battery life is at least as good with this tablet as it is with the ipad. I can get more than 8 hours of heavy use with no problems.

I am now an Android convert.  I have used PCs for 25 years and I like to have the ability to move files, etc. using an explorer. Again, Apple seems to think I should not be able to look under the hood of my device,  while Android opens it up for anyone who wants it. Moving files from a PC to this device is as easy as connecting the usb cable and away you go.

I am also finding the predictive keyboard to be a time saver. It seems to learn your writing style and improves over time.  I am much faster on this tablet than on the Ipad. No doubt you can get better keyboard apps for the ipad,  but this feature was built in with the GT3.

The Google play store has everything I need. I downloaded Kingsoft Office as I find it better than Polaris,  which shipped on the GT3. This tablet is very easy to use for reading work documents,  pdfs, etc.

The only downsides I've found with this tablet are
- the capacitive back and menu keys are easy to touch accidentally,  but you get used to working around them. And Ive found that having the back key always under your thumb is actually very convenient most of the time.
- there isn't much of a selection of cases for the GT3-8. If you have an Ipad,  there are hundreds,  but only a few for this unit.  That's not a fault of Samsung,  but it is a downside.

The upsides are many,  a few of which I have listed above. But the bottom line is that this is the best tablet I have found for the money.  It looks great, works fantastic and seems to be built to last.  If you are looking for a tablet in this size range,  don't waste your money on the Ipad mini.  Buy the GT3-8. You won't regret it.
3319734
I had to reset 3-4 times.  For some reason Google apps such as Books, Music, Gmail, and even the Play store were lagging horribly or not responding at all.  I am not quite sure what was causing this.  Finally upon the 3rd or 4th reset everything clicked and the phone ran smoothly.

I purchased the LG Power as an upgrade from the LG Ultimate 2 and wow, what a difference!  I always noticed a bit of lag while playing games like Temple Run 2, Minion Rush, etc.  Yes one could still play these games on the Ultimate 2, but now on the Power they are buttery smooth.  I am sure game-play is the last thing anybody wants when purchasing a phone, but I have a lot of idle time and I like to play my simple little mindless games.  This phone handles every game I can throw at it and everything is so slick and fast.

The phone just looks nice.  Best looking Tracfone branded phone ever in my opinion.  Other than my Google problem listed above everything was very easy, from the transfer of minutes to setting up the phone.  One caution is if you restrict background data it will effect your Google apps.  On my Ultimate 2 I found the phone had a lot of data leaks so I turned everything off except for the app I was using while on data.  The Power this seems to effect the operations of the Google apps even while using wifi!

Overall excellent phone and I am sure somebody will point out the something I did wrong in the initial set-up to cause the problems with Google or maybe it is just something with Lollipop that took a bit for my stubborn phone to work out.

At $80 this phone is a tremendous buy for the casual phone user.

*UPDATE 7/21* Bought a second phone for my spouse and that phone is working fine.  This phone however has huge battery drain and gets very hot with no apps running.  The battery went from 90% while in Airplane Mode overnight to 0% upon waking up.  Combined with the Google app problems in the beginning the phone will now be returned.
1216640
I am shopping for an Android based tablet - mostly for email, web, etc. at home on WiFi w/o tuning on the desktop. The g Tablet was an intriguing option based on the hardware set, but many of the reviews stating a necessity to flash, sideways load, blah-blah-blah and the like, left me with a "not ready for primetime" gut feel. I went to my local OfficeDepot & they had one set up to play with - it had all the latest updates from Viewsonic. There was nothing slow about this puppy - very quick response, easy to flip between standard Android 2.2 interface & Viewsonic's (which was also very intuitive). Liked the IO options vs the 30-pin Apple proprietary interface. Only one camera not a big drawback to me. Anyway, never having played with Android (Win 6.1 work phone) this unit at OfficeDepot was very intuitive to use & was very responsive.

The only thing about ANY tablet that still bugs me is the (seemingly) easy/intuitive way to print (w/o having to buy the latest version of HP printers). I cannot understand why they would not be able to see a wireless printer on network. If anyone figured this out, would love to see a post.
837473
I was torn between this and a Nexus 7, and while the Nexus is newer, this in my view is superior. Both have Android Jelly Bean 4.1, yet only the Samsung has two cameras- a must have if you plan on using Skype. Moreover, the battery life on the Tab 2 7.0 is amazing. A good buy.
71212
UPDATE:
This iSP8 as well as&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/iHome-s-iSP6X/dp/B01HCVG9NG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">iHome's iSP6X</a>&nbsp;Wi-FI Smart Plugs are amazing. I love the HomeKit integration, and contrary to my original review, every iHome smart plug that I have setup since that first iSP8 has been flawless. The shape of this plug easily allows for two plugs on one duplex receptacle and the manual button on the side is a great feature. I use these iHome smart plugs with Homekit via my iPhone and Apple Watch (and remotely with the Apple TV 4 acting as the hub).

Unlike competitor smart plugs that use Bluetooth as the main communication technology, these Wi-Fi smart plugs are able to connect anywhere in my house since I have great WiFi coverage. For the competitors relying on Bluetooth, the Apple TV 4 has to be within Bluetooth range in order to control those plugs - that is a large limitation that is not an issue with these!

Original Review: (4-stars)
After the initial setup, I would rate this five stars. However, the setup was not very easy.

For starters, I tried to add this device to my Apple HomeKit with Apple's native application, and that failed. I then downloaded the iHome application, and I still had issues connecting it. Overall, I spent about 30 minutes getting this setup. I feel like this type of device should just be plugged in and work with less than 5 minutes of setup. My gut tells me that if a person who is not tech savvy purchased this device, they may have returned it or given up.

Once I setup the device, I was a little bummed to find that I had to create an account with iHome in order to create scheduled on/off times. Again, I had hoped that Apple's HomeKit would manage that (I have an Apple TV setup for remote access).

The actual device works very well. I have used the button on the side, the remote as well as the iOS application to turn on/off the switch, and it works very well. The device is very responsive and quickly changes from on to off when triggered via the iOS application.