Early this year, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. movie studios chose Dolby Digital Plus as their preferred means to deliver surround sound for their UltraViolet common file format (CFF) downloads. Paramount Pictures, however, has decided to go with Dolby’s competitor, DTS, announcing today that the DTS-HD codec will be used in its UltraViolet CCF offerings. Like Dolby, the DTS codec delivers up to 7.1 channels of surround sound for Paramount’s UV catalog — though your cloud-based audio/visual bliss will have to wait, UltraViolet CFF isn’t slated for release until sometime in the latter half of 2013.
Though wearing Google Glass makes you look like a futuristic cross-eyed cyborg to the entire world, controlling Glass is a lot more natural and conversational than you’d expect. A few swipes and a couple of "OK Glass" to get started. But do you know what Google was thinking about making you say before it settled on OK Glass? Boy, it would’ve been ridiculous. Like pew pew pew ridiculous.
For those deciding on a tablet that’ll get them through the day at the same time as it’s able to fit in their satchel, Samsung hasn’t made things easy. With the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0, you’ve got two machines with exceedingly similar specifications to decide between. What we’ve got to check this afternoon is how the two make their mark in the world – and if it really is all about the S-Pen in the end.
Hardware
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 works with an 8-inch display with a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, while the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 carries the same size and pixel density – they’re effective the same in day-to-day use, while the subtle differences in software will make the tiniest of differences up-close. You’ll find the font and the shadows to be ever-so-slightly different from one another: but you’ll never notice unless you hold them up RIGHT next to one another, so no worries.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 works with 16GB internal storage with a microSD card slot for memory expansion. The Note 8.0 works with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and works with a Samsung Exynos quad-core processor internationally and in its Wi-fi iteration and a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor as carried by AT&T with 4G LTE. Meanwhile the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 works with a dual-core Samsung Exynos 4 processor.
Have a peek at how these machines fare in the benchmark scores listed below. They’re all knocked out with Quadrant Standard benchmark tests with the newest software available, Jelly Bean and TouchWiz included.
External speaker performance on both of these machines are essentially the same – they’re both mediocre if only because the speakers themselves are blowing out the sides the devices rather than the front. We must again assume it’s because thinness is more important than speaker performance as both of these devices are so extremely thin, it’d be difficult to toss a front-facing speaker anywhere. *cough* HTC One *cough*
Battery performance on both devices are essentially the same – it’s only 4G LTE on the Galaxy Note (that’ll eventually find its way to the Galaxy Tab, of course) that has any push on the battery life involved here – and it’s marginal unless you’re doing non-stop video streaming all day long.
Above: Samsung Galaxy S 4, Galaxy Note 8.0, Galaxy Tab 3 10.1, and Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 (from top to bottom).
The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 comes in at 8.26 x 4.87 x 0.275 inches with a weight at 10.9 ounces. The Galaxy Note 8.0 comes in at 8.29 x 5.35 x 0.31 inches and 12 ounces. The difference is almost solely in the amount of bezel required with the Samsung Galaxy Note – likely mostly because of the grip area it provides for holding the device whilst writing with the S-Pen and to give the device room to hold the S-Pen in its back.
Cameras
While the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 is essentially a non-performer when it comes to capturing video and photos, the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 brings some low-level heat. Though you’re still just working with a 5-megapixel camera at this device’s back, you’ve got autofocus and auto adjustment to lighting conditions, backed up by Samsung’s most basic edition of its new camera UI. Included here are Auto, Beauty Face, Night, Sports Shot, Panorama, and “Sound & Shot”. Have a peek at a panorama here for an example of what this device is capable of, followed by several indoor and outdoor shots.
Click panorama photo for full-sized image.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 brings on an exceedingly similar setup, bringing on photo and video abilities with its back-facing 5-megapixel camera (the same as the Galaxy Tab 8.0 here) also without an LED flash. While the Galaxy Note 8.0 has the same previous-generation camera interface as the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 at the moment, we’re expecting an update to the current generation imminently.
Software – a non-issue
When you’re deciding between the Note 8.0 and the Tab 3 8.0 based on software, you’re really going to have to focus to find the differences. Both devices are part of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 era of smart devices, so both are able to connect with essentially the same software suite of wireless sharing apps from Samsung. Group Play specifically shows how these devices are able to interact with one-another in a variety of ways that non-Samsung devices currently can’t – or at least can’t with the same finesse.
NOTE: While the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 does not feature the app “Samsung Link”, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 does. This is a situation rather similar to that of the devices’ camera interfaces – where the 10.1 uses the same camera UI and abilities as the previous generation model, the 8.0 works with a Galaxy S 4 interface, derived from the Samsung Galaxy Camera.
Both devices bring on a free 50GB for 2 years through Dropbox for cloud storage while each different release of these devices has its own perks on the side. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 has a free three months of Hulu Plus as part of its benefits package, so to speak, along with a $10 card from the Google Play store through Samsung’s “Galaxy Perks” program.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 works with a variety of S-Pen specific apps as outlined in our original Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 hands-on and later our full review (as linked above). This device’s attachment to said apps is rather crucial in proving a set of selling points for this device while the Tab appears in quite a few places – though not everywhere – to be winning the race on hardware aesthetics.
Both machines work with a new enough version of Android Jelly Bean that you’ll have access to Google Now, and both machines have Samsung’s S-Voice for voice commands as well.
Cost
While the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0′s current wi-fi-only price range at $299 seems enticing compared to the last several years of $400 or more on tablets of all sizes as a standard, it’s the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0′s $399.99 (or it’s current sale price of $379.99) we’re doing battle with. If on the other hand you’ll be wanting to access mobile data with AT&T here in the USA, you’ve also got a $399.99 price tag with a 2-year contract to agree to to boot!
Of course there’s also an AT&T bundle price available at $199.99 for the Note 8.0, but then you’re still attached to a 2-year contract and you’ll have to also purchase a Samsung Galaxy S 4, Galaxy S 4 Active, or Galaxy Note II along with it. Good news is they all look rather nice next to one another.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is far more powerful than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 with a processor that’s made to handle this device as a real hero product. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 works with a dual-core Samsung Exynos 4 processor which we’ve found to be ever-so-slightly lacking in the high-level processing department – there the Tab is better suited for everyday web browsing and the occasional media consumption in the form of streaming video.
While the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 may have a slightly larger bezel and therefor appear – at first – to be the lesser of the two tablets, in every other category this machine excels. If you’re looking for the tablet that can do more, last longer, and will likely find its way into the hearts of developers longer, you’ll want to stick with the Galaxy Note 8.0 in this case. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 should only be chosen where price or availability are especially major factors.
Dearborn Police are asking the public for any information about the whereabouts of a 20-year-old woman who may have been abducted from the scene of a homicide (see video above).
When employees at the Family Dollar store in Dearborn, Mich. unlocked the doors Tuesday morning, they realized immediately that something was horribly wrong.
The store, located at 22631 Michigan Ave., was in disarray. When Dearborn police arrived, they found the body of a 20-year-old Dearborn man employed at the store who had been shot at some point during the evening of July 15, according to a release. The victim has been identified as Joe Orlando, according to local news station WXYZ-TV.
Once you’re done couch-surfing that spectacular Google Street View of the Burj Khalifa, you can now head on over a few thousand miles with a click of the mouse to the Eiffel Tower, where the views are no less impressive. The fine folks over at Mountain View used a special Street View Trolley to capture marvelous 360-degree shots from every floor of the historical monument as part of a collaboration with the Eiffel Tower Operating Company. Google’s Cultural Institute then collated all those images and presented them in three online exhibits along with historical documents that tell the story of the landmark’s birth and cultural impact. You can head over to the Cultural Institute link below to get a slice of Parisian history, or just take a peek after the break to see a video of how those panoramic shots were taken. Unfortunately, you’ll have to supply your own croissants.
WASHINGTON — The head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee says the organization will back Sen. Mike Enzi over challenger Liz Cheney in the campaign for the Republican nomination in Wyoming.
Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas told reporters on Tuesday that, in his words, “our support will be there for Mike.” He spoke just moments after Cheney announced that she would challenge the three-term incumbent in the GOP primary.
Liz Cheney will challenge Mike Enzi for his Senate seat, though it’ll be hard to establish Wyoming residency from a bunker in an undisclosed location. Febreze sales skyrocketed as concerned liberals endured a heatwave in their solidarity hoodies. And bears are running amok because sequestration cut funding for park rangers, endangering campers and threatening our nation’s pic-a-nic basket supply. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Tuesday, July 16th, 2013:
WYOMING: LIZ CHENEY TO CHALLENGE MIKE ENZI – What on Earth is left to be said when running to the right of Mike Enzi? (“In 2010 Mike Enzi SAID he loves America, but Mike Enzi supports compound adjectives, which have well-established Al-Qaeda ties. Mike Enzi: Bad for business, Bad for Wyoming.”) AP: “Former Vice President Dick Cheney’s daughter Liz Cheney will run against Wyoming’s senior U.S. senator in next year’s Republican primary, her campaign said Tuesday. Cheney, 46, is the elder of Dick Cheney’s two daughters. Her announcement is a political challenge unlike anything Wyoming has seen for years, maybe decades – Republicans in the state rarely challenge incumbents in national office. All three members of the state’s congressional delegation and all statewide elected officials are Republican. Yet Cheney’s interest in the seat has been an open secret for months. Last year, Cheney and her husband bought a home in the posh northwest Wyoming community of Jackson Hole. She has been in the public eye in recent years as a Fox News political commentator…US Sen. Mike Enzi also announced Tuesday he was planning to seek a fourth term, making clear he was seeking re-election bid more than six months earlier than he has in the past.” [HuffPost]
Unfortunately for one ambitious, young new resident of the California State Prison System, it seems there actually might be some justice in politics—at least for a 22 year-old caught stuffing a college election ballot box, that is.
WASHINGTON — A Republican rewrite of the No Child Left Behind education law seems to be losing momentum.
Conservatives in the party don’t think the bill does enough to reduce Washington’s influence in education. Meanwhile, moderates warily eye proposals that would expand private-school vouchers.
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