Today Samsung unveiled its new 7″ tablet, called the Galaxy Tab. It will be available in Europe in October, and later this year in the U.S. Currently it uses the GSM standard (used by AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States). No word yet on how much it’ll cost – that’s going to be set by cellular carriers. No word on whether a 3G-less version will be available.
The 7″ Galaxy Tab is powered by a Cortex A8 1.0GHz processor, runs Android 2.2. The seven-inch TFT-LCD screen has 1024 x 600 pixels, compared to the iPad’s 9.7 inches, with 1024 x 768 pixels. The Tab includes 16 GB or 32GB of internal storage and 32 GB MicroSD expansion, with various hubs for media and music, plus an e-reader for downloaded books and other content.
It can use both the Android Market and Samsung App Store. Engadget has a preview of the Galaxy Tab.
The Tab is well connected with 3G, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. It includes a 3 megapixel camera on the back with a flash and auto-focus, and a 1.3 megapixel user-facing camera. It can shoot HD video at 720p and has a full HD video player with DivX HD video playback. It comes with a beefy 4,000 mAh battery, good for up to 7 hours of video playback.
Surprisingly, Samsung isn’t using the same home-grown Hummingbird 1GHz processor that it is using in its Galaxy Android phones, says Information Week.
Google’s Tablet-friendly version of Android, 3.0 “Gingerbread,” isn’t ready yet, so the Tab runs a version of Android 2.2 Froyo that Samsung has customized for the device’s larger screen and 1040 by 600 resolution.
According to Samsung’s head of planning, “depending on our international partners, we’ll be working to upgrade from Froyo to Gingerbread.”
Meanwhile, the Toshiba Folio is now official. Here are some details from Gizmodo:
Toshiba’s Android-powered Folio 100 runs Android 2.2, powered by the Nvidia Tegra 2, with a 10.1-inch 1,024 x 600 multitouch display and the usual networking options: Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, wireless 802.11 b/g/n and, like the iPad, 3G connectivity in some of its models. Unlike the iPad—the inevitable standard reference—the Toshiba Folio has already a webcam, a mini HDMI port, USB 2.0 (it can be both client and host) and SD/MMC card reader built-in.
Its battery life is 7 hours with 65% of web, 10% video playback and 25% stand-by, compared to the typical 11 to 12 hours of video playback you can get on the iPad. At 760 grams, and 281mm x 181mm x 14mm, it’s also heavier and larger than Apple’s tablet.
The Folio 100 is due to roll out across Europe, Middle East and Africa during the fourth quarter of this year, with a suggested retail price of €399 ($512). Toshiba’s Folio 100 Tegra2 Tablet and the AC100 will have Android 2.2 upgrades.
Digitimes reports that Motorola, Verizon, and Google are working on a deal to create an Android tablet with a 10.1-inch screen, and based on the Tegra 2 platform from Nvidia. The panel will be thinner than the iPad’s, but not as bright, says Digitimes.
UPDATE: Engadget says a CDMA-equipped Samsung Galaxy Tab has so far been nothing more than a rumor, but Boy Genius Report is saying that the Tab’s also bound for Sprint’s network this November, on both its 3G and 4G network.
Charbax of ARM Devices, as always, has the most comprehensive video reports on all the new tablets shown today at IFA, the huge consumer electronics show in Berlin.
The Association of American Publishers says ebook sales have increased by 176 percent in 2009, while print-book sales continues to decrease. Forester says 14% of Americans — 27 million people – plan on purchasing a tablet device next year. A similar study by the Magazine Publishers of America found that nearly 60 percent of U.S. consumers expect to purchase an e-reader or tablet within the next three years.
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