Samsung Launches Possible iPad Killer The Samsung Galaxy Tab

Samsung has announced their new, and rather impressive looking iPad killer dubbed the Samsung Galaxy Tab. The Android powered tablet (MID device) features a 1Ghz Cortex A8 processor, 512MB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of storage, with an expansion MicroSD card slot for up to an additional 32GB of storage. The Galaxy Tab comes with a 1.3MP front-facing camera and a 3MP rear camera with LED flash, great for taking thpse late night pictures in the dark. The device also comes 3G data-ready, and has a 5Ghz dual-band 802.11n WiFi built-in card. The battery is a 4,000mAh battery, which Samsung says is good for up to 7 hours of battery life.

Other additions include a speaker on the bottom of the device for not just sound but speakerphone support. Built in Bluetooth 3.0 and a 30-pin dock connector that allows HDMI, USB and other accessories to be added onto the tablet. The Galaxy Tab has a screen that is a bit smaller than we'd have hoped featuring a rather small 7-inch TFT LCD screen with a resolution of 1024 x 600 (WSVGA). Total overall measurements are 19 (7.5 in) centimeters by 12 (4.75 in) cm by 1.2 cm with an overall weight of 380 grams.

As far as application support goes the Tab runs a Samsung modified version of Android 2.2 Froyo customized by Samsung's TouchWiz 3.0 GUI. The OS provides full feature support as with any other Android OS which also means it has Adobe Flash 10.1 support.

For media junkies users can watch movies in a number of different formats, including DivX, Xvid, WMV and MPEG-4 as well as all flash based movies from sites like Hulu and Joost.

Pricing has not officially been released nor has a carrier for 3g support been announced, however speculation suggests the Galaxy Tab will cost anywhere from $200-300 more than the iPad and further speculation puts Sprint at the front of the pack for carrier service. Again this is all speculation until Samsung makes an official announcement

My thoughts:

Specs wise, so far at least, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is one of the better tablet PCs we've seen on the market. Making it more likely to be competitive with the iPad. With little to no pricing information its really hard to say exactly how competitive Samsung can actually be. If the rumors are true and they are $200+ above the mark the iPad has set then I'm afraid they are already doomed to fail.

Personally I'd much rather have seen Samsung release a slightly larger devices. Something more comparable in size to the iPad. I'd rather trade better overall functionality to ultra-portability any day. Tablet/MID device makers are, in my opinion, trying to hard to breach the gap between a smartphone and a PC. I'd like to see a tablet in the 12-14" range that offers much great ease of use and full functionality.

Samsung press release