The first day of IFA Germany has been huge for Android. We got to see some amazing stuff today, but nothing can compare to the Samsung Tab. Clearly, the device is going to be huge (and I’m not talking screen size here). What have we been able to gather up on the the Galaxy Tab? Here’s a quick rundown. Oh and don’t worry, there’s a little non-Tab news for those burnt out on it later on.
The first thing on everyone’s mind, at least when it comes to sales and specs, is how the Tab competes with the iPad. Below, you will find a handy chart that takes care of the specs. When I look at the chart, I see one thing: It comes down to personal preference. As far as sales go, that will settle itself out once the holiday season is in full swing. Now I know the iPad is making a killing right now, but I’d venture to guess the Tab will do pretty well itself.
So how much will the Samsung Galaxy Tab cost? For the WiFi non-carrier branded version of the device, you’re looking at €699 ($900) for the 16GB model and €799 ($1000) for the 32GB version. The suggested retail price in Sweden is SEK 9,000 or $1,240 including 20% tax. At eXpansys, you can pre-order the device now for £679.99 (16GB), with a release date of 10/11. By the time the Tab makes it America and carriers get their plans involved, it should be a lot cheaper. Of course, for a Wifi only tablet… $1000 is a lot of money to just fork out. Hopefully we see a price break in that model as well.
Now for a little news that’s not Tab related, but still from Samsung. Amongst the hype of the Tab, a far less known PMP made it’s way onto the scene by the name of the Galaxy Player 50. The GP50 is an Android 2.1 device with a 3.2″ screen, WiFi, and 8GB or 16GB of internal storage. It also features a microSD slot for expandable memory of up to 32GB. Look for the DivX, ThinkFree office, Google services, Android Market bundled device to hit the shelves in Europe this October for 229 (8GB) and 299 (16GB) Euros.
So what do you guys think? Is Samsung proving itself a worthy opponent? Or are you still fixated on the Behold II of yesteryear? If you ask me, I’d say Samsung is becoming the name to beat.
Word is coming in today that Samsung is sending out invites to a special mobile event planned for the 16th of September. Exactly what will be discussed at said event is still a mystery. Considering that the Fascinate is due out by the 9th, and that’s the only known high-end Sammy headed State-side, we are inclined to believe this may be the US reveal of the Samsung Tab. In fact, it could even be the Verizon version of the Samsung Tab for which we may (or may not) have seen picture evidence of already. Then again… well let’s not get to ahead of ourselves here. Whatever the event entails, we are sure to know a maximum of 16 days from now. Until then, let the speculation begin!
… and I ain’t talkin’ burgers and hot dogs. BGR is reporting that one of their sources has caught wind of a “major” handset release coming T-Mobile’s way this July. Unfortunately, that’s all we know right now. My guess? It’ll be the Galaxy S. We know that something big is going down on June 19th for T-Mobile customers, but the context in which that was discovered leads one to believe that date may be more myTouch related. We should be getting more info as time goes on. After all, Â it won’t be long now before June or July is upon us. What do you guys think? Galaxy S? The trio of Sammy dumbphones (that are slated for June 23rd)? The i897? Oh, the possibilities.
Noah from PhoneDog is reporting live from Google I/O 2010, and got a chance to play around with the beast that is Samsung’s Galxy S. Aside from a 1GHz processor, 4″ WVGA Super AMOLED display, 5MP cam with 720p HD video capture at 30 fps, 16GB of internal storage plus SD card slot, and Android 2.1, the thing supports Allshare with DLNA. Check it out.
Recent FCC filings for Samsung’s spec monster, the Galaxy S, reveal that the handset will be headed for AT&T, and it looks like people aren’t too happy about it. Considering the way Ma Bell has handled Android thus far, basically de-Googling it, it’s likely that the Galaxy S will be far more beneficial to AT&T than AT&T will be to the phone. Nevertheless, the Hummingbird GPU is an exciting addition to the other promising specs, which pretty much line up with other flagship Androids of the generation. 3D graphics – especially those found in games – should be absolutely stunning and blazing fast. I’m not sure I’m ready to sign on with AT&T, but I sure would like to try this device on for size.
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Noah from PhoneDog is 
