Friday, July 29, 2011

Amazing Accessories For Your Samsung Galaxy Tabs and Cell Phones

So now you have your portable device, such as a new cell phone or tablet PC. Are you done now? I would suggest not. After all, how much did you pay for it? Do you want to buy another one because you damaged it? Do you want to get the most productivity out of it? It is time to look at accessories.

When it comes to protecting your portable device, it needs a good case. And it doesn't get much better than Otterbox. For review is their rugged Defender Series cases for the HTC Evo 3D, and Samsung Galaxy Tab 7. The case for the HTC Evo 3D features a snap-on Hand plastic shell with a clear plastic screen cover built-in. A rubber cover then fits over the hard plastic shell. The case also gives you full access to all the connectors and buttons for the phone. I really like the built-in protection for the camera sensors and LED flashes. The design of the HTC Evo 3D has the camera sensors sticking out just slightly, so they are easy to scratch. But that won't happen with the Otterbox case. There is also a third piece that is a hard plastic belt clip that the case snaps into. This case is amazing!

The Otterbox case for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 is also very good. It is the exact same type of design, featuring a hard plastic shell with built in screen protector and a rubber cover that fits over the hard plastic. And again, you have access to all of the buttons and connectors, such as headphone jack and charger. It has a hard plastic shell that it snaps into. This hard plastic cover also has a built-in mechanism that props up the tablet and acts as a stand. Very cool.

The Commuter Series for Samsung Epic 4G is also a great case. The Commuter Series does not have the same level of protection as it lacks the soft rubber of the Defender Series, but it still works well. It's a two piece case with a hard plastic bottom that snaps on, and a hard plastic top with built in screen protector. Quality of both the Defender and Commuter Series is all very good.

Samsung also has some great accessories for their Galaxy Tab 10.1, to further compete with the iPad. To start off, Samsung has a pair of cases for the Galaxy Tab 10.1. First is a simple Leather Pouch the Galaxy Tab 10.1 slides into. While it does not provide much protection against drops, it does protect against scratches, etc. They also have a nice hard Book Cover Case that also doubles as a basic stand to prop up the tablet. There are also cut outs for items such as the headphone jack and camera. And while it provides about the same level of protection as the slip case, I do like it. Next up are the Multi-Media Dock and Keyboard Dock. The Multi-Media Dock will not only allow you to charge your Galaxy tab 10.1, It also has an audio out and HDMI out. Now while you are charging your tablet, the Multi-Media Dock holds up your tablet making it easily viewable, allowing you to check email or do anything else on it. The audio out makes it easy to connect it to your stereo or a pair of powered speakers so you can listen to your music in a big way. And the HDMI out lets you connect your tablet to your HDTV with an HDMI cable. Now you can watch those movies or camcorder footage you recorded in your tablet on your HDTV. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 Keyboard Dock is also a charging dock with an audio output, like the Multi-Media Dock (without the HDMI output) only it also adds a full-sized soft touch keyboard for your use.

Quality, fit, and finish were very good on all of the Samsung accessories. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 did not seem like it would be very sturdy in the smallish slot the tablet slid into on both the Multi-Media and Keyboard Docks. But it surprisingly was. The keyboard had a great feel to it, and I liked the extra buttons for features control such as volume, home page, etc. Both products worked as well as advertised, but of the two I preferred the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Keyboard Dock. You can type on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 with the on screen keyboard, but the keyboard dock works so much better. And it makes it feel like you are almost transforming the tablet to a laptop, getting the best of both worlds. But for those of you that do a lot of multimedia on your tablet, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Multi-Media dock is a great accessory that you can set next to your HDTV and connect right up to it with an HDMI cable. Just don't try to get DRM content from your tablet to your HDTV over HDMI. Home recorded movies work great.

Accessories may not be necessary, but if you want to protect your device, a case is the best way to do it. And accessories such as the keyboard dock also help to get productivity up. Both of the Otterbox Defender Series cases have earned our Editor's Choice award and the Commuter Series has earned our Highly Recommended award. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Bookcover Case and Multi-Media Dock has earned our Highly Recommended awards, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Keyboard Dock has earned our Editor's Choice award. Congrats! For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.otterbox.com and www.samsung.com

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