Tag Archives | Samsung Galaxy Tab

Dear Samsung: Enough With the Tablet Teasers Already

Posted by Jared Newman on March 16, 2011 at 12:23 pm

Oh Samsung, you’re such a tease.

For a couple of weeks, you’ve been hinting at an 8.9 inch tablet, first with a press event invitation, and now with a YouTube video of some dimly-lit, stylized renderings. Just one problem: Nobody cares.

Admittedly, it was cool when you teased the original Galaxy Tab late last year. Back then, Apple’s iPad didn’t have any legitimate contenders. Even if the 7-inch tablet was a bit of a let-down — picture a steroided smartphone OS with a tablet app deficiency — you gave us something to talk about while we waited in line at the Apple Store.

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Honesty is the Best Samsung Policy

Posted by Harry McCracken on March 4, 2011 at 10:37 am

The last time a Samsung executive was quoted saying something surprisingly forthright, it involved sales of the 7″ Galaxy Tab being “quite small“–but Samsung later said it was all a misunderstanding and the exec has said they were “quite smooth.” Now VP Lee Don-Joo has been quoted calling parts of the upcoming 10.1″ Galaxy Tab “inadequate” in the wake of the iPad 2. I wonder if there’ll be any backpedaling this time?

(Footnote: This IntoMobile post has the audio from the “quite small/smooth” sound bite…and it does sound like “smooth” to me–even though Steve Jobs took delight in quoting the “small” version at the iPad 2 launch.)

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I Have a Galaxy Tab. Do You Have Galaxy Tab Questions?

Posted by Harry McCracken on November 9, 2010 at 8:56 am

Over at TIME.com, you’ll find my first take on Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, which I’ve been exploring since last Friday. Executive summary: It’s not an iPad killer, but it is the first legitimate iPad alternative; the hardware is nice, but the biggest downside is that the software makes it more of a giant-Android-phone-that-doesn’t-make-phone-calls than an all-new tablet.

I also blogged at Techland about Steve Jobs’ recent attack on the very idea of 7″ tablets. Spending time with the Galaxy Tab left me feeling like the size has possibilities, but simply cramming the iPad experience down onto a 7″ device would be a lousy idea which Apple won’t pursue.

I’ll have more to say about the Tab as I use it a bit more. At the moment, I’m having fun with it in a very real-world setting: I left for a business trip to New Orleans yesterday, and took it with me as my primary source of entertainment. (And mobile productivity, too: On the cab ride from the airport to my hotel, I sent an urgent e-mail using it.)

Got any questions about the Tab? Leave them in comments and I’ll try to answer ’em before I send it back to Samsung.

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Verizon’s Galaxy Tab is $599.99

Posted by Harry McCracken on October 20, 2010 at 7:25 am

Starting on November 11th, you’ll be able to buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab from Verizon for $599.99, no contract required (or available). That puts it at $100 above the cheapest iPad and $29 below the cheapest 3G model; if you buy a Tab, it’ll be because you prefer its size, features (such as dual cameras), and/or operating system, not because Apple priced the iPad too high.

I’ll be fascinated to see how well the Tab does (and I think it’s pretty obvious that a $499.99 Tab would be about three times more appealing than a $599.99 one). I wonder how long it’ll be until there’s an appealing iPad alternative that’s meaningfully less expensive?

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Apple, the Low Cost Leader?

Posted by Harry McCracken on October 8, 2010 at 8:05 am

BGR–which isn’t an unimpeachable source, but one that sometimes gets stuff right early–says that it hears that the Sprint version of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab tablet will go on sale on November 14th for $399 with a two-year contract, or $599 without a subsidy.

The $399 price is $100 less than the cheapest flavor of iPad, but that’s not a very useful comparison, since the $499 iPad doesn’t have 3G and the Galaxy does. You want to compare the Galaxy against the cheapest 3G iPad, which goes for $629. And you want to compare against the $599 Galaxy, since the iPad is always sold unsubsidized, and lets you buy AT&T data at a reasonable price without committing to a contract.

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Your Samsung Galaxy Tab Questions Answered

Posted by Jared Newman on October 7, 2010 at 5:00 am

Last week, I got to spend a half hour with Samsung’s Galaxy Tab in the back of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Samsung was sponsoring the World Cyber Games there, and had more than a dozen Tabs at its booth. I also fired some questions at Samsung representatives, mostly from readers who responded to my earlier blog post.

Read on for the answers, plus a few plus a few other observations on the Galaxy Tab that weren’t covered in Harry’s hands-on preview.

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LG Backs Off Android 2.2 Tablet; Pressure’s on, Samsung!

Posted by Jared Newman on October 4, 2010 at 4:19 pm

Last we heard about LG’s Android tablet, marketing vice president Chang Ma was promising that it’d be better than the iPad. Now, the tablet is reportedly on hold while LG looks for a better version of Google’s mobile operating system.

LG is squeamish about Android 2.2, also known as Froyo, an unnamed company official told Reuters, and is talking with Google to figure out the best version to run instead. Google’s director of mobile products, Hugo Barra, told TechRadar last month that Android 2.2 is “not optimized for use on tablets.” In all likelihood, LG will use Android 3.0, which is rumored to support tablets in earnest.

All of this puts Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, an Android 2.2 tablet and the de facto iPad rival of the moment, in an awkward position. Barra’s comments were embarrassing enough for Samsung, which plans to sell the Galaxy Tab through wireless carriers this holiday season. LG’s vote of no confidence in Froyo raises more red flags.

What this mainly comes down to, as Harry pointed out in his Galaxy Tab hands-on, is apps. Samsung has developed a batch of its own to make the best of a 7-inch display, but the Android Market offers only smartphones apps, enlarged to fill the screen or centered in the middle of a thick, black border. It’s not the ideal tablet experience, but it’s something.

The Galaxy Tab is a gambit. Samsung must be fully aware that soon after Google announces a tablet-friendly version of Android, the market’s going to be flooded with devices. To avoid becoming part of the pack, of which LG is now a part, Samsung is committed to firing first — optimized experience be damned.

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Got Questions About Samsung’s Galaxy Tab? Fire Away [Update]

Posted by Jared Newman on September 29, 2010 at 5:44 pm

Update: Questions answered. Here’s the full story.

Unlike Harry, I haven’t seen Samsung’s Galaxy Tab up close, but it looks like I’ll have a chance to try the 7-inch tablet and speak to Samsung executives tomorrow (Thursday) evening.

So here’s the deal: Post whatever questions you have about the Tab in the comments, or send them my way over Twitter, and I’ll try to get them answered, either by Samsung or with my own hands-on time. For reference material, check out Harry’s preview and other past Galaxy Tab coverage.

(By the way, I already intend to ask about pricing and release dates, but I don’t think Samsung is ready to answer.)

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Samsung Galaxy Tab: On Sale Soon. Everywhere!

Posted by Harry McCracken on September 16, 2010 at 4:46 pm

It’s official: Samsung has announced that its Galaxy Tab will go on sale in the U.S. in time for the holidays–and it’ll be available from AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile. No news yet on exact release dates–or, more important, what the device itself and service plans will cost. (I’m still rooting for a contract that will make both the Tab and the monthly charges pretty reasonable–if they’re too high, the tablet won’t be an attractive proposition for people who already own a smartphone.)

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