Samsung SAM-SM-X200 64GB K SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab A8 1

I am no noob when it comes to setting up e-devices. I have been buying and setting up computers of all descriptions since the early 80's and have been addicted to cell phones since the early '90's. I have no idea how many of these I have set up for myself and others. Probably in the hundreds. I bought the tablet to run the Nook software, as my Nook Color died and B&N is no longer making it. As my collection of over 1200 books includes a lot of books for which color is imperative (non-fiction books, especially cookbooks, instructional books, and travel books) I needed to use a tablet as the android apps are the only ones that currently can access book photos in color. The tablet does run that app, and it does it fairly well. Any nits I have to pick with the performance would be with the software, not the tablet. My problems with the tablet are many. I bought the package which contained the tablet, the cover, and the screen protector. The cover does not function well when the tablet is in use, though it does provide good protection when the tablet is not in use. For me, it is hinged on the wrong side. When I use the tablet in landscape mode, I would prefer to be able to open the cover from the bottom and flip it back over the top. You can sort of do that, but many apps are then upside down because the tablet does not actually show all apps in every direction. Tucking the front cover under the tablet is really awkward, as it does not stay tucked very well--no latch of any kind keeps it in place, it just sort of flaps. In theory, the cover is supposed to fold into a prop to support the screen, but it does not stay in position. It keeps falling away. I suppose it might work on a desk--but I didn't buy a tablet to use on a desk. I have a computer with a real screen on my desk. The tablet is to be used when I am sitting on the sofa or lying in bed. I may also use it in a moving car or train. The screen protector is a bust. I carefully followed the instructions (not my first screen protector, by far). Nevertheless, it did not adhere correctly and there is a bubble on one corner where the screen protector will not stick to the screen. The tablet is also pretty heavy for a handheld device. About twice the weight of the Noook I replaced. After an hour of reading my wrist feels the weight. I would gladly trade an inch or so of screen size for a lighter device. So much for the physical aspects. I bought a micro SD card which should work with the tablet. (Samsung does not actually specify which cards will or will not work, but the SanDisk 512 seems to meet all the requirements.) The instructions for installation were hard to get to. You don't actually get a user manual either in pdf or paper, you must use an online version. The location of the slot is not actually identified in the instructions, you have to look around the perimeter of the tablet looking for something that has a hole for the pin. Then the pin doesn't work the first 20 times I tried to insert it perfectly perpendicular to the tablet. The hole is too large and it is hard to find whatever it is I am supposed to make contact with. Then, when it finally pops out a bit, it is really hard to pull out. This concerns me because computers are delicate and using force is just about always not a good idea. The micro SD card will only fit in the carrier one way, so that is not much of a problem, even using tweezers to avoid touching the card with fingers. I carefully inserted the card with the carrier in the same position as it was when it came out. Problem is, the tablet is not seeing the card. No help in the manual for troubleshooting this. In settings>battery and device care>storage the sd card simply does not appear. No troubleshooting tips. Without the SD card I can only download a few books at a time, so my "library" is largely a sunk cost that is not easily accessed. So the primary reason for purchasing the tablet is really only half a success. The pluses: the browsers work well, I can easily switch between apps via the task bar. It was relatively easy to install the client for my Reolink security cameras. That, too, is easily reached from the task bar. The screen is adequate for my uses. I do some reading of news, etc. and that works well. One can view movies, but I would not use a tablet to watch a movie. I do those on higher def, larger screens. I am not a fan of touch screens, but this one is as good as any other I have used. The print is clear in various sizes, photos display quite well for the size, internet sites are good. Obviously, I do not want a keyboard and mouse for reading books or the other quick things I do on the tablet. The point is that it is very mobile within the house and easy to access and use compared to a laptop or desktop. The problem with any touch screen is that they are constantly in need of cleaning. The screen protector makes that pretty simple, the actual screen is not touched and the protector is easily wiped clean, though the corner that does not adhere must be carefully wiped. It is possible to go into the settings and turn on or off different swiping motions that can be accidentally triggered by motions within certain apps. I do like that option because reading in bed or in a chaise lounge can easily produce various swipe-like movements if I fall asleep or if the dog decides to join me. Recharging is easy and quick enough for my purposes. I use the tablet for only a few hours each evening, so it currently can go 5 or 6 nights without recharging, though I tend to recharge it far more often. It may be convenient to look into syncing the calendar with the one on my phone. As my current phone is also a Samsung Galaxy I imagine that would be really easy to do, though I haven't tried it yet, the sync feature is in the menu. I would want to look into privacy issues before starting that, but this could be a nice feature and I am glad that it is there. I think that perfection, for me, might have been a smaller screen, that would have been lighter and a pre-installed micro SD card. I might eventually ditch the cover and go with a 3rd party substitute that would protect the device when it is not in use, but be out of the way when I am using the tablet. I would also love a USB port. Unfortunately, many of the options I would like are only available on the larger tablets and bigger is definitely not the direction I want. I would gladly pay more for a better quality smaller screen with more muscle in the box. The larger screens start moving into laptop computer area. I already have several of those for various purposes and do not need another. The point of the tablet is to have something that is much bigger than a cell phone but also much smaller and compact than a laptop. So I give the tablet 3 stars. It is not what I want or what I had hoped for, but it can be made to do at least some of what I need it for. Others will undoubtedly have other priorities.