"Like" is an oversimplification of a complicated perception, of course. But the total points come out positive.

I waited through the entire "Age of Smartphones" and the first few years of the "Age of Tablets" because what I saw didn't excite me, at the visceral consumer level; and didn't satisfy my cold intellectual requirements. Didn't add up to a good use of my money.

The thing that galls me about smartphones is that they rub your nose in the obsolescence of cell phone technology while demanding that you maintain--pay for--separate voice and data plans. All you need is one data connection and a Net calling service like Skype. End of story. End of cell phones and a many-billion dollar business. Every smartphone is a conspiracy between a manufacturer and a cell service company to keep squeezing money out of an obsolete technology.

I'll try to stay on track...I "like" Android in that I use and am comfortable with its parent, Linux, and philosophically like the concept of open-source software. This latest version of Android ("Ice Cream Sandwich") looks solid, and the problems I've experienced all seem more likely caused by a bad app than a bad operating system.

The new gestural interface is a trip, and it's rather fun to use. The Galaxy was my first experience with it, and I caught on right away. Just imagine a sheet of paper on the table, which you can shove around with your finger--that's the new scrolling. Use two fingers, spreading apart, to signify zoom in; close the fingers to zoom out. Tap with your fingertip where you'd click a mouse. Pretty intuitive.

The specs say this device can track up to five fingers on the screen. I can't wait to see the app that finds a use for that!

As I keep stressing, the Galaxy and iPad and other tablets are open general purpose devices. Androids are tethered to an app store run by Google, and there are thousands of apps available, lots free and "free" (ad supported). I've spent a lot of time downloading and trying apps, and it generally goes pretty smoothly. Occasionally an app crashes and I toss it in the trash can. No biggie.

The Galaxy Tab 2 has only wi-fi, no cell data plan, and that doesn't seem to be a big constraint. I use it mostly at home anyway, where it automatically links to my wi-fi. When I'm out walking I find that there are open wi-fi hot spots everywhere I go (and I'm not counting residential wi-fi systems misconfigured to be open).

It has GPS, and that can be a trip. It seems to have stored maps so that even when I'm not connected to the net, it'll show me where I'm standing. Some apps, like various wi-fi scanners, are "location aware", meaning that they integrate with GPS and Google Maps, and, for example, the wi-fi scanners compile maps of wi-fi systems where I walk.

The Galaxy (like most) has a USB port, so if I ever want to pay $30/month for 2 gigabytes of 4G data, I can buy a $50 modem and plug into the cell data networks. I can have it all.

Unlike all the Apple devices, Androids support Flash. That is very important--you're not cut off from petabytes of Flash video out there. I watch streaming videos from Amazon through their Flash interface, and it seems to work better than my desktop.

Oh, and did I mention that the Galaxy Tab 2 (7" screen) costs $250? $50 more than an Amazon Kindle Fire ebook reader. It's just out; I preordered and they shipped it Sunday as soon as it was released.

I've had it a week, and I can recommend it with a high degree of confidence that it won't come back to haunt me.

Still what you want to hear, bowser?