The Samsung Galaxy Tab became official today after Samsung announced it at a press conference at the IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin. They are calling it a “smart media device.”
“Samsung recognises the tremendous growth potential in this newly created market and we believe that the Samsung GALAXY Tab brings a unique and open proposition to market. There is a new and emerging consumer demand that Samsung can satisfy since mobile is in our DNA. This demand continues to grow and develop as users tap its limitless potential. The Samsung GALAXY Tab has been designed to enable consumers to maximise their online experience wherever that may be. The Samsung GALAXY Tab is pushing the market in new directions and Samsung believes this is only the beginning of its innovations as pioneers in smart media devices.” — Simon Stanford, Head of Mobile, Samsung UK and Ireland
The Tab looks a bit like the HTC Evo, except that it’s 7-inces and will definitely not fit in your pocket. It’s running Android 2.2 (Froyo), is powered by a Cortex A8 1 GHz processor, has 512 MB of RAM and 16 or 32 GB of internal microSD memory. Samsung claims that the 7″ screen is the “perfect” size for enjoying all types of media content via a PC-like browsing experience.
Getting to the point, the Tab is definitely a worthy competitor to the iPad. It has dual cameras and supports 3G and WiFi, so videochat is a possibility. Flash is fully supported and it can handle a bunch of video formats, including DivX, XviD, MPEG4, H.263, and H.264.
In addition, Samsung has unveiled both an e-reading application and a media hub. These make it easy to get new content on your device and seem to be Samsung’s answer to iTunes.
The ‘Readers Hub,’ Samsung’s unique e-reading application, provides easy access to a vast digital library – from classical literature to the latest bestsellers and reference materials. At the same time, Samsung unveils ‘Media Hub,’ a gateway to a world of films and videos, and ‘Music Hub,’ an application giving access to a wide range of music tunes.
It may not be a real iTunes competitor, but with the other features packed into the Samsung Galaxy Tab, it should be enough to make the device more than useful.
via Engadget, Mashable, Gizmodo