Bought one of these when they were offered last September and I've been quite pleased with it. Wanted a small wifi device for ebooks, music, and web-surfing from the couch, and it's definitely fulfilled all of my needs there. In addition, I really dig the GPS functionality which I've used for turn-by-turn navigation and with an exercise app (Endomondo; highly recommended).

There are of course some things to be aware of if you're purchasing one. As mentioned, this has Android 2.3 Gingerbread and you can fully expect that it will never, ever be updated. Some folks have hacked together ICS ROMs for it, but I believe they're still generally buggy and lacking hardware graphics acceleration. It's also not the speediest device in the world by any stretch of the imagination.

That all being said, it's been very good at everything it does in my experience. I use mine daily--often for really long stretches--and it's just a fun, handy little device. I haven't experienced any excessive crashing, although it does crash from time to time.

The model on offer today is slightly different than the one I bought. Mine is an international version (of somewhat mysterious provenance), which has a mechanical home-button, while the one offered here is the American version, equipped instead with a capacitive home-button.

5" LCD screen (Nice quality. Good and bright when cranked up. Low pixel density, but good color reproduction.)
Capacitive Multi-touch
1GHz Samsung Hummingbird CPU / PowerVR SGX-540 GPU
512MB RAM
8GB internal storage, with MicroSD slot supporting up to 32GB more.
Wifi 802.11 b/g/n
MicroUSB connector (Yay!)
Speakers, Front and Rear Cameras (rear has flash), Microphone, GPS, Digital Compass, Radio (only works when headphones are attached).
2500mAH battery - 6+ hours of continual use

It's served me wonderfully for the past 9 months, but it will probably be spending more time on the shelf because I have a Nexus 7 on pre-order. However, if your budget is around $150 and you're looking for what amounts to a nice Android PDA, I can totally recommend it.

If there's anything I haven't covered, feel free to ask.

Cheers!

OK, my Woot! supplied Velocity Cruz 103 had (supposedly) a camera.

This one (supposedly) also has a camera. Is this (supposedly) camera installed? My Velocety Cruz DID NOT come with the (supposedly) installed camera, that was PROMISED by Woot!

No, Woot! will NOT offer a refund for the (not supplied) camera! (Which is the MAJOR reason I bought the Velocity Cruz.)

Of course, YMMV!

steve

Why would anyone buy this, when they can pre-order the 7" Nexus Tab for $50.00 more. Nexus 7 has 16gb internal storage, rocks the Tegra 3 quad core cpu,Jelly Bean android OS, 8 hour battery life while streaming in HD. Come on woot, you can do better on the price...

mrbarister wrote:Why would anyone buy this, when they can pre-order the 7" Nexus Tab for $50.00 more. Nexus 7 has 16gb internal storage, rocks the Tegra 3 quad core cpu,Jelly Bean android OS, 8 hour battery life while streaming in HD. Come on woot, you can do better on the price...

If you want the 16GB of internal storage, the Nexus 7 is $250 (plus $12 for shipping, and taxes if they apply).

Spectre7 wrote:If you want the 16GB of internal storage, the Nexus 7 is $250 (plus $12 for shipping, and taxes if they apply).

Also, if you should happen to suggest such in a comment, Woot likes to delete the comment.

mrbarister wrote:Why would anyone buy this, when they can pre-order the 7" Nexus Tab for $50.00 more. Nexus 7 has 16gb internal storage, rocks the Tegra 3 quad core cpu,Jelly Bean android OS, 8 hour battery life while streaming in HD. Come on woot, you can do better on the price...

smaller size (still fits in a pocket fine), has a micro sd slot, and surprisingly it has a functioning gps radio. The screen is perfectly fine for general tasks but sometimes the low resolution stands out when viewing videos or reading Manga. IMO it's pretty much an ipod touch competitor (close in price) fitting sorta into a niche like the galaxy note

I bought one of these about a month ago, and I'm quite happy with it. Great if you have big hands, but get a wrist strap or grip case so the smooth back doesn't slip out of your grasp. I was worried about the specs seeming puny compared to the latest smartphones, but it handles pretty well save for the occasional lag in a game.
The big screen is great for photos and video. The size makes for a better battery life than the 4.0 version, also. It even has a speaker at the top for VoIP calls, although oddly enough it's missing the sensors (ambient light and proximity, I think) that the 4.0 version has.
GPS is a really nice addition too. You can geotag your photos, and Google Maps Navigation lets you start using turn-by-turn directions while you have wi-fi, and caches the route so you can keep using it the whole way there. I expect Google will add completely offline map search and navigation in the near future.
I don't use it as my primary music player, but Samsung's included player works great. Equalizer, lock screen controls, and the included headphones include a pause button that works with several music apps, including Pandora. The FM radio app is worth noting too. You can save your favorite stations which are easily accessible, it gets good reception, and you can even play out the speakers, as long as you keep the headphones plugged in.
Overall, I'd say it's good for someone who wants the Android smartphone experience without the phone part or monthly bill.

A little tempted, I still love mine and use it wvery day.
Woot brought them from the south american market and they came with froyo 2.2, most of us flashed to gingerbread on our own.
I was so psycked that we got this before it was even available in the US, and the insane MSRP of $230 I think, my god!!
But no, I won't be buying. I still have mine, still works great. Although browsing has gotten a bit slower (due to sites getting heavier with flash ads and complicated layouts, talking about you woot ).
My next android should be a tablet big enough for my folks to see and learn a little tech.
Other posters are right, this is a little long in the tooth, is not bleeding edge tech anymore.
But, it is still a great supplement for a "dumb"phone.
-I use it to send texts through WiFi and avoid data plans.
-I load HD movies to my 32GB card (sold separately) and watch them in places without WiFi access points to use Netflix.
-Play every game I can get for free at the markets. Listen to music through the external speakers which are very powerful for their size.
And to this day I'm finding new uses for it. I love the damn thing but can't justify having 2.
Since mine was flashed from 2.2 to 2.3.5 it cannot by updated via Kies.
Could anyone reading who has this version of the device confirm if there has been any firmware updates to it?.

2nd-ing cheezybeez and Spectre7. Got it intending to use it as a music player, but I rarely do, though the sound is pretty good. I have mostly used it as a reader, and for games and watching videos in bed. It's also great for general time wasting if you're near wifi anywhere. It's a decent navigation device, if you get an app that caches maps, or have a hotspot. It does have the Samsung GPS problems of a few years ago, very slow to get a fix, though the Gps Status app can help with that, and it is very usable. The display is big, and while not the best available, still very good. As a reader, using Aldiko and Kindle will cover almost every format. For comics, a larger screen would probably be better.

Since I use a mac, I haven't been able to root it, nor will Kies, Samsung's software for updates, work properly on a Mac. That would be my main complaint, but Samsung is kind of famous for 1/2 assed support, even on some rather high end devices.

I've gotten a lot of mileage out of it, and I'll probably continue to use it for a while, though I haven't been taking it with me everywhere since I got a RAZR MAXX.

GPS problems of froyo 2.2 are fixed on gingerbread 2.3.5. This ships with the gingerbread ROM. The only gripe I have is that the gingerbread ROM messed up the compass function. Mine can't decide where north is (don't know if this an issue with this unit which has gingerbread from factory).

I can't use Google sky because it wont lock on to the north pole. All constellations shift and jump around making the app useless. On foot navigation is no good because you can't tell where you are facing.
Can anyone chime in with info if the compass works on the US version of this?

xeju wrote:And? After expressing your desire for a barnyard animal, and a definitionally under-aged one at that, are you willing to come out and state your full intentions?

A pony is no more an underage horse than a house cat is an underage lion.

spacelunatic wrote:Stating the obvious, but going to be a harder sell with the new Nexus 7" just out for $200 (8GB) and the latest ver of Android "Jellybean".

not to mention this has a crap screen with crap viewing angles. The Nexus 7 has an IPS display with practically twice the resolution. This doesn't have the pedigree of the Galaxy Tab series. This isn't even called a tablet, it's called the Galaxy Player. All of these companies make a "Player" line which use low end components. Anyway, just throwing it out there. At the end of the day, it's still a cool device and has some appeal.

Puchased this last time it was on Woot. Like almost all (except 1 or 2) who have used it - REALLY like it. It is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. Lets me check work server mail anywhere I have WiFi.

Runs apps seemingly as fast as my dual core KindleFire. Battery life is 8-10 hours (or about 2-3 hours more than my Kindle Fire. The TFT screen is not really harder on my eyes than the Kindle despite specs that might make you think otherwise. Only caveat is that Amazon Prime videos need a downloaded browser instead of the default one. It uses either Amazon store or Google Play store unlike the Kindle Fire (Grrr...).

It is very, very lightweight at 6.42 oz - a pleasure to hold unlike my 14.6 oz Kindle which is wide, unwieldy, and really cramps the hand after an hour. No regrets. While I may buy a larger tablet, this form factor and usefulness makes the Galaxy S 5" a keeper for a very long time.

Interesting description… and very interesting use of the word "induction".

Perhaps comparing the word inference against the description of the product may help deduce proper usage of the aforementioned words. ;-)

xeju wrote:And? After expressing your desire for a barnyard animal, and a definitionally under-aged one at that, are you willing to come out and state your full intentions?

Ponies are NOT "under-aged" horses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony

mrbarister wrote:Why would anyone buy this, when they can pre-order the 7" Nexus Tab for $50.00 more. Nexus 7 has 16gb internal storage, rocks the Tegra 3 quad core cpu,Jelly Bean android OS, 8 hour battery life while streaming in HD. Come on woot, you can do better on the price...

I will tell you why. I bought one last time Woot had them to replace my iPod Touch. I can load all my music, small enough use it in my car and play .flac formats, something iPod's can't do. Also, this device runs Android. Something else the iPod can't do. And excellent battery life.

websiteworld wrote:Not gonna impress the ladies with one that small!

xeju wrote:+1 5" is sadly less than average.

EDIT: 10" tends to be kind of unmanageable and too big for a lot of situations. Somewhere around 7" seems to always get the job done and leave everyone happy.

Every Girl I ever met thought that way in the beginning but they all came around.

Great android alternative to an iPod touch. Got one for my daughter (11) and she loves it. Her friends with ipods all have android envy.

I had one of 4 inch but returned it. It was super buggy, interent connection kept dropping all time time. I have an android phone and it works fine but as a music player or podcast device, which I primarily used this for it lacked a lot. Downloads always timed out. Also if you are like me and listen to audiobooks not bought through audible then the lack of an advanced file management system like Itunes is a minus. Also the GPS is wifi based so if you don' t have a wifi connection it won't work. The radio was a nice feature and the phones are pretty good. These devices were so unpopular the hacking community isn't nearly as robous as it is with other devices.

cowboyesfan wrote:Refurbished means it was broken.

Perhaps.
However a vast majority of electronic products sold as Refurbished were returned because the buyer changed their mind, the buyer could not get something working, an accessory (charger, earbuds, etc) had a problem, a gift return...etc.

Once the package has been opened, and the product is returned, its the option most manufactures use to resell a non new product.

There are a number of small contracting companies in the US that inspect, test and repackage the merchandise for resale.

Very few returned products are actually "repaired" in the traditional sense. Even fewer products are shipped back to the factory over seas were they were built.

I purchased one of these for my 10 year old daughter, back in April, to replace her first gen iPod. It’s a great little device and for a kid it’s about the right size. I personally wouldn’t want to use it as a tablet for myself. I have my eeepad transformer and that is about the right size for me. But my wife on the other hand lovers her nook color for reading. And she also has the Galaxy Note, and loves reading on it as well.

I've had one for several months. It works great. I already have a tablet - the Toshiba Thrive, and most of the apps will work on both.

Neither do bluetooth HEADSET, but both do A2DP stereo music playing. GrooveIP, CSIPsimple and skype let you make calls where the wifi is good. My 3g mifi is borderline for this.

The big thing is its small size. If I go out jogging, I can't take a tablet. Even 7". But I have TuneInRadio and FM and AstroPlayer for podcasts and audiobooks in my pocket and can do a quick text, IM, or email.

It has a good real GPS so now sits in a holder on my motorcycle, so I can get traffic and weather.

It is full tablet capability in a portable size, though the battery is a little light for long stretches and it takes a while to charge compared to my Thrive. Being stuck at 2.3 so far hasn't been a bother for what I use it for.

This has relegated my 4th gen iPod to my gadgets graveyard.

ABSOLUTELY INCORRECT SIR.

There is no subsidy. $200 is the price. Please Google things before you comment. tia.

jusdef wrote:ThATS $200 w/ a two year contract.

DaOrca did I just read? This has nothing to do with an iPod... at all...

mraines517 wrote:I will tell you why. I bought one last time Woot had them to replace my iPod Touch. I can load all my music, small enough use it in my car and play .flac formats, something iPod's can't do. Also, this device runs Android. Something else the iPod can't do. And excellent battery life.

How customizable is it? Touchwiz is among the worst android overlays, and I've found that once I get a new toy the first order of business is to root and flash a custom rom. Is it supported by cyanogenmod?

For the same price:

Dell Streak 7" Multi-Touchscreen Tablet - WiFi, T-Mobile 3G, Bluetooth, Android 3.0, Dual Cameras & Otterbox Defender Case

http://bensoutlet.com/products/streak-3g

I don't have a clue as to why someone would want a tablet that's nearly the same size as their phone. One of the selling points of a tablet is the large beautiful touchscreen. This tiny thing is the size of my EVO LTE, which I only need one of them...

firebirdude wrote:I don't have a clue as to why someone would want a tablet that's nearly the same size as their phone. One of the selling points of a tablet is the large beautiful touchscreen. This tiny thing is the size of my EVO LTE, which I only need one of them...

They are good starters for kids. I used my wifes and my old EVO 4G, put cyanogenmod on them and my 5 and 6 year old had a blast with them. They downloaded apps, fring, google talk,emailed, took pics & video. My 6 year old just turned 7 and I got him the Acer iconia A500 and the transition was almost seamless. But he still uses the smaller EVO when he just wants to be more portable. This is way better than getting your kid like a nintendo DS or something, and the form factor is great for their hands and portable.

jjscotia wrote:This device is in line with the original Samsung Galaxy devices released in 2010. That is, the original Galaxy phone and Galaxy tablet. They all have similar hardware and run Android 2.x. The big difference is in the screen as the Galaxy 5 Player shown here does NOT have the Super AMOLED screen due to a shortage in the technology back in 2010. You must also remember that the earlier Android OS builds were intended for use in phones only but Samsung jumped the gun by releasing products like these with a phone's operating system attached. You will never see an official update to 3.0.

What you're buying is a device from 2010 with outdated tech and a quirky operating system. Not all Android devices are the same so buyer beware.

I'm assuming there is a community out there for folks that would like to root this up to Honeycomb (3.0). I tried searching for a link to post but my browsing filter at work thinks everything is a "hacking" site...sorry.

ThunderThighs wrote:We do?

We have no problem with people talking about competitive prices and other units as long as what they post is accurate.

We will delete posts that refer to a lower price with no link to support it or that we can't verify.

Well, my earlier comment to that effect suggesting that the specifications, condition, price point, and timing of this offer provided a questionable value that seemed to be in keeping with a disappointing trend under the new management disappeared on a refresh. I know *I* didn't delete it, and I sort of doubt anyone besides Woot! could have deleted it, so...

EDIT: OK, maybe I didn't read your response carefully enough. Maybe Woot! didn't like deleting it, but it's gone regardless.

I've bought a ton of "refurb" stuff through the years. I think one thing to consider is that these devices have had whatever problem they had fixed and then inspected to make sure it's good as new. For me, it seems the "refurb" stuff holds up just as good or better because of the extra care the device got back at the factory. YMMV, but don't shy away from a good deal when it says "refurb". It actually might be an even better deal reliability-wise.

A nice thing about this device is that it is good to travel have when traveling with kids. I haven't come across a file it doesn't play, small enough to fit in a pocket, and you can disable screen input. These 3 reasons make it a better kid friendly device than a Itouch or iPad

A better deal is a refurbished 7 " Nook Color for about $100. I brought one of these and installed Android OS and it is fantastic. It doesn't have a camera but it does have a micro sd slot. I basically turned an E-reader into an Android tablet.

rrryan wrote:Also, if you should happen to suggest such in a comment, Woot likes to delete the comment.

Not true. Woot is actually one of the few retail sites which actually encourage community postings of price-comparisons, as long as they are verifiable.

itroll wrote:Ponies are NOT "under-aged" horses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony

The OP wasn't referencing it being underage because of being a "pony"....he was simply making a silly (some might think gross) joke, using innuendo. Read between the lines.

cowboyesfan wrote: Refurbished means it was broken.

Not always. A large percentage of refurbs were returned for no other reason than the person got it home and didn't like it for one reason or another...or sometimes was a gift that was returned without even being used. Luck of the draw. I've had GREAT luck getting refurbs. Hope I didn't just jinx myself, but my most recent refurb (wooted) is a 10.1" Motorola Xoom....appeared and acts new in every way....and I have been VERY happy with it, made even better considering the price I paid. YMMV.

Aldan wrote:So this is my phone...but without the phone capability. No thank you. 5" is waaaaaay too small to be an effective tablet. 9" diagonal is about my minimum. That's what my Acer Aspire One (Netbook) has and I can't imagine comfortably reading or typing on anything smaller. Especially if typing takes up half the screen.

I have to side with 7" tablet being the ideal size. I've got this tablet's big brother and its PERFECT! I tried a 10" and it was just too bulky. I had to hold it with two hands and it made a real effort to carry around. My 7" tablet actually fits in my shorts pockets and I don't feel weighted down. Just IMHO.

ReginaFilangee wrote:Not true. Woot is actually one of the few retail sites which actually encourage community postings of price-comparisons, as long as they are verifiable.

This is true! I've seen many MANY posts listing competitive (aka lower priced) places you could get the same item Woot was selling.

Uh oh...does that mean they don't read these? Are they not listening to us? DOES WOOT NOT CARE ABOUT US? MOMMMMYYYYY!!!!!