Customer Reviews

Samsung Q1 7-inch Ultra Q1U-EL (Intel A110 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Q1 Ultra EL an adequate machine. Given what I've seen in other ultra-lite computers/handhelds and given the EL's tremendously low price, it is top in its class (thus five stars). My interest in this device is primarily data-based: word processing, databases (OpenOffice, E-Sword, etc.), text reading, etc. Its Internet capabilities are zippy, too. My enthusiasm for this device is not overstated, but qualified.

As an entertainment device, the Q1 falls short. Music files play flawlessly, but I have not gotten the Q1 to play video perfectly (as I have a video iPod, I'm not concerned about this).

Text entry is best on an external keyboard or by pen input (the handwriting recognition software is stunning -- oh, that the Newton could have done what this MS-based device does). The finger board is useless for anything more than basic typing (but it is useful). I purchased a $12 USB keyboard to complement the Q1, which I sometimes carry in the bag.

I do notice some lag, but nothing that dissuades me from spending hours in front of this machine if needed. Booting up takes a while, but putting the device in "sleep" mode diminishes the need for frequent reboots. As regards power, I've been using the device fairly heavily (word processing, browsing and downloading), and I've run the machine at near-full brightness for about three hours.

The EL version of the Q1 is quite a buy, using the same processor (or so it appears) as the full version. The EL does not include bluetooth, a camera, memory slot, finger-print recognition. Its hard drive is also diminished by 20GB, but 40GB is fine for how I'm using the device. If you need/want these features, buy the more expensive version.

The screen is nice (brightness, size, quality). Apart from extreme portability, anything smaller really isn't useful.

Pros:
* Two USB ports
* AV port
* Ethernet and wireless
* Size and capacity
* Processor

Cons:
* Poor video
* Slow boot
* Some lag

Having examined other tablets -- some quite extensively -- I feel the Q1 Ultra EL arrives at the best compromise between power and utility. Price was also a consideration. Granted, had I two or three grand to throw around, I could have gotten a better machine, but in its price range and given its features, nothing else compares.

If you're looking for an entertainment device, the Q1 Ultra EL is NOT for you. But, if you're looking for a low-cost, fully featured handheld, the EL fits that bill.

This unit is a sound concept and I will highlight what's good about it first:

(1) the form factor and size is pretty cool, (2) the stylus and pen capability is cool and works well, (3) the display is bright and very readable/visible.

Ok now to why I didn't like the product!! :

(1) the Battery life is only 3 hours. Pretty bad for a portable device. (2) the OS is Vista. This is way over bloated for a device like this that has only 1GB memory and a 800MHz CPU. It just canna' handle it captin' !! In all reality Vista needs a lot more power to run and on a platform like this if fails to run adequately. I used all techniques to reduce the load on the CPU but it still failed miserably at (a) running Skype [not a very taxing application!] and (b) running iTunes playing a song. It looks like Vista is taking all the CPU horsepower and not leaving anything for the applications. Trying video is, to be honest, a complete joke. Even a down-sampled QCIF is choppy! (3) there is only 1 SD memory slot - I would expect a few if one of them is to be used as the boot flash (which Vista couldn't get to work - I'm not sure if this was a SD speed issue or a chipset issue).

As a result I'm giving this a 1 star rating as it's basically an expensive door-stop. Great concept. Too power hungry, too much heat given off, great tablet, too heavy, too expensive, inadequate CPU horse power, too little memory, inadequate graphic capabilities (the chipset needs to be more advanced for Vista and Direct-X 10 onwards).

As a car computer, Q1 strikes many right chords. The screen is relatively large and bright.

Screen brightness can be adjusted by pressing the Menu button, then tapping the corresponding area on the screen. It can be made very dim, for night-time use. At day time, the glare reflection can be serious.

The CPU is slightly slow, but quite usable. The trick is to disable all the Vista features, including Aero display and ready-boost. Using FFDshow decoder, Q1u will play 720p xvid at full screen with very low frame loss.

The keys are similar sized as blackberry. While the typing speed is not swift, it is still far superior to the on-screen keyboard.

The Samsung pointing stick is fairly difficult to use. Tug at it light or heavy, and the cursor still move at the same speed. Don't expect the agility of the IBM trackpoint here.

The power supply has Samsung's own connector. Finding a compatible connector is slightly difficult.

When the unit is in standby, the USB continues to be powered. I had difficulty turning it off using computer management. As a result, the battery drains to about 90% overnight.

If you can live without smart-card reader, bluetooth or camera, the base model can be less than $800 when on sale.

Pros: It has a good screen...very bright and suitable for viewing photos, videos or just cruising the net. I particularly like its compact size. The keyboard is oddly arranged, but I adjusted to it pretty quickly. (I am using it as I write this.)

Cons: It is very slow! Ocassionaly, it will lock up and ignore the mouse and keyboard input for as long as 30 seconds. I noticed that the CPU meter is pegged when this happens. I don't think Samsung can be blamed for this. I think this is a "feature" of Windows Vista. This Windows release seems to be a resource hog and very slow. I think if this device were to be offered with something like Umbutu Linux (much more suitable to a device of this size) as its native operating system, it would perform much better. Maybe someone will read these words and do it.

Absolutely amazing! For the price it can't be beat. Good battery life. Gorgeous display. Handwriting recognition is excellent. I didn't have any trouble with the built-in keyboard but the hand writing recognition is so much faster. I'm writing this review on the unit almost as quick as I could write on paper. I've run a variety of apps with no big problems but it easy to forget it's not a desktop machine and do too many things at once. Vista runs very well considering the CPU. Aero glass actually works!

All in all it's a great device. It's not a multimedia powerhouse but it's not bad. I spent two hours on youtube and I've streamed videos through my home network without a hitch. Basically it can do anything just one thing at a time (two if they're easy.) Unless you want a desktop replacement in the palm of your hand I'd recommend this to anyone.

The Good:
Solid quality look and feel
Very nice quality display
Battery is OK

I use this as a browser for my whole house audio (CasaTunes) and it really works well for this task.

The Bad:
Slooooowwwwww!
I wish I had purchased the Windows XP version rather than Vista
The keyboard is unusable (which is OK because CasaTunes can be controlled through the touch screen, but even setting this up was painful!)

When I first received the Samsung Q1U-EL, I booted it up with great dismay to find it had come with Vista, which in my opinion is a terrible operating system for any computer running an 800mhz processor with 1 Gig of RAM. So, within an hour of opening the box I installed Ubuntu Linux 7.10 'Gutsy Gibbon' and am now happily typing this review on said setup. Linux found all the hardware except the touch-screen, which I was later able to successfully configure using a tutorial I found on Google.

I also set up a Windows XP partition which works equally well, after having downloaded the drivers from the Samsung website.

I haven't really found any cons to this product as of yet except maybe the price and the low processor speed (I can play games such as NeverWinter Nights, Unreal Tournament, and Starcraft fine, but nothing much more complex).

Other Notes: I haven't tried Ubuntu 8.01 on the Q1U-EL yet, but I'm sure it will work just fine.

The Q1 Ultra EL is a grete product for the price u pay there is nothing else, I upgrade to 2gb of ram vista runs fine a little slow but no problems the HDD is fine but i recommend the 60gb is esy to fill 40,

The OS. I dont know the problem but the system from factory is bad and slow I formated the disk and istalled the XP works like bullet even with all the windows updates(SP3)but u have to buy the handwriting recongnition and there is nothing compers to vista so a few weeks istalled the vista and not problem even with the norton internet antivirus(only that have to do some tips to d sofware to works fast like cancel the vista index)
The 1990 Series Samsung Q1U/Q1IP Defender-Yellow case of the otterbox is "Awesome".

Recomendation:
Dont buy refullished (express solutions)the service is bad my Q1u have the screen damage and the contact offers the haven until is time to see some action "money or other" they leveme a lot of mails, they say "ups sorry mate but dont worry we replacet as soon is posible we cover all the expences u need to make u tablet work" days later they dispears (amazon warrenty) in the end I have to buy the screen of my own cost (250 bucks + taxes + S&H) and replacet by d time I do this u are a knowledge machine of how the Q1u operates and the parts u need in futures case.