Recently, I had the chance to review both the Samsung HomeSync and Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 (7.0). Both devices run on Android. The Homesync is like a personal cloud but with more features. The Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 (7.0) is a 7-inch entry to mid-end tablet and it comes with LTE.

Overview

Samsung HomeSync

If you have multiple Samsung devices and wish to share content over your home network, HomeSync will be  a good choice. In my opinion, it is like a NAS that is able to store your content (it has an internal 1 TB of storage space), and at the same time, manage other devices.

Physical Appearance

The HomeSync has a modern design that will not be an eyesore to your modern home. Don’t be fooled by the above picture, the device is actually not big (Dimension (H x W x D): 183.3 x 135.8 x 29.9mm).

Connectivity wise, it has:

• Wi-Fi® 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4GHz + 5GHz)
• Wi-Fi Direct®
• Bluetooth™ v4.0
• NFC Tag

Connection wise, it has 2 USB 3.0 port, one MicroUSB port, one HDMI port, LAN port, S/PDIF output. Internally, it is running on Android 4.2.2 and comes with a 1.7 GHz Dual Core Processor. The side profile.

Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 (7.0)

Overview

The Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 (7.0), in my opinion, is an entry to mid-level tablet that is great for multimedia consumption and basic computing and operation work. Although it doesn’t have full HD screen resolution (only 1024 x 600), it is enough for daily usage. The device is small enough for me to hold it by the width (not very comfortable though).

Physical Appearance

As you can see from the picture below (BTW, I did not remove the transparent sticker), there is a micro SIM card slot and an external MicroSD card slot (up to 64GB). FYI, it has an internal memory of 8GB.

It comes with a fixed focus 3 Megapixels rear camera and 1.3 Megapixels front camera. I wonder why Samsung decides to use a fixed focus for a rear camera. It has a non removable 4,000 mAh internal battery.

Here are the side profiles.

With the card slots open.

MicroSD card slot

Micro SIM card slot

The top and bottom profiles.

Usage

Samsung HomeSync and Tab 3 (7.0)

For this review, I decided to do it together since HomeSync goes hand-in-hand with Samsung devices. Setting up the HomeSync is easier than I thought.

Connect (for my case) the HDMI cable (provided) from HomeSync to the TV’s HDMI input. Power on the Samsung HomeSync and  wait for the instruction.

BTW, this is the second time I had the HomeSync device from Samsung. The first time, I was supposed to review it with the Samsung GALAXY Mega 6.3 but encountered incompatibility issue. It had already been resolved and everything is smoothly setup this time. To start using, you will need to go to Google Playstore to download the app.

Once you start the app, it will try to connect with the HomeSync device. Follow the instructions. Once done, you should see this on your device (in my case, GALAXY Tab 3).

These are the files in your HomeSync. You can now access them in your device. The app can now act as a remote to access the HomeSync on the TV screen.

I love the pad. It is like a mouse pad where you can control the mouse easily. Here is a picture of the remote in action.

Notice on the bottom of the TV screen, there are some options (Gallery, Music Player, Video Player, My files). You can access the content using the app on my tablet. However, do note that if you transfer your files over to HomeSync, make sure that you do not make the file personal. It will not appear on the TV. Instead, just put them in a general folder. BTW, you can have multiple accounts on HomeSync so that your family members and you can have some privacy.

You can also now surf the Net with HomeSync. I don’t find it practical.

Samsung has uploaded a video recently. I think it best describes the features of the Samsung HomeSync.

BTW, not all apps work on HomeSync. I tried to download Dropbox but it mentions that it is not compatible with HomeSync.

Summary

Overall, HomeSync is good if  you are using Samsung devices. The advantages of having this device is that it is running on Android OS with a dual core processor. This means that it is more than a storage device.

As for the Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 (7.0), it is good for media consumption. The size is small enough to put in a small bag but too big to put in the pocket. If given a choice (and money), I would choose the Samsung GALAXY Mega 6.3 (RRP S$798) instead.

BTW, the GALAXY Tab 3 (7.0″) (8GB)  is available in white at S$498 for the LTE version and S$298 for the WiFi version (both without contract)

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