Samsung Electronics has unveiled a new tablet PC named Galaxy Tab as the latest device meant to rival Apple Inc.'s popular iPad.The device is mean to offer users "a new galaxy of possibilities" with features such as mobile video conferencing and a video chat function.
The thin tablet device weighs 13.4 ounces (380 grams) and has a 7-inch (18-centimeter) touch screen. The Tablet PC comes with Google Inc.'s Android 2.2 ‘Froyo’ operating system and Adobe's Flash Player.
Amazingly, this powerful tablet is also a phone - although it's a huge one. In its press release, Samsung said "the Samsung Galaxy Tab turns out to be a perfect speakerphone on the desk, or a mobile phone on the move via Bluetooth headset."
The Galaxy Tab has the full complement of Google's Android apps, including access to the 70,000-plus apps in the Android Market. Samsung has added some of its own apps as well. Its Media Hub, which we saw briefly in action on a Samsung Epic 4G phone last month, sells TV episodes and movies for download. The "Readers Hub" appears to be Samsung's own e-book store and e-reader app.
The tablet runs Froyo on a 1-Ghz Samsung Hummingbird processor, and the LCD screen is 1024-by-600 resolution. Since this is Froyo, the Web browser has full Adobe Flash 10.1 support.
To connect to the Internet, the Tab uses 3G HSPA 7.2 (AT&T's technology) as well as Wi-Fi 802.11n. The frequency bands on the model introduced make it incompatible with U.S. carriers in general, though presumably a U.S.-centric model will fix this.
There's a 3-megapixel camera on the back and a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front, specifically for making video calls. The tablet has either 16 or 32 G-bytes of internal memory, with a MicroSD card slot supporting up to 32GB more. The tablet weighs 13 ounces, and according to Samsung, the 4000 mAh battery will last for 7 hours of video playback.
Although Android 2.2 is the latest version, rumor mongers have been looking forward to Google's unannounced Android 3.0, also known as "Gingerbread."
With 512MB of RAM and a 1-Ghz processor, the Galaxy Tab looks well-positioned for a potential upgrade.
The Galaxy Tab will come to Europe this month and to the US in coming months. The price of the device will depend on telecommunications operators through which it will be available.
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