Verizon 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Available For Pre-Order
biggest challengers to the iPad
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 runs on Nvidia’s Dual-Core Tegra 2 processor and Android’s Honeycomb 3.1 operating system. It shares the same dearth of applications -- about 1,300 -- that all Android tablets face in their competition with Apple's iPad, which has about 100,000. But with so many tablets entering the market, the incentive for developers to build for the Android App Market is growing.
“The iPad validated in the market a particular configuration of size, weight, battery life and hardware features, and it appears that many of the players are aiming at that target. The new Samsung perhaps comes closest on that level to the iPad,” said Al Hilwa, an IDC analyst who covers application development software. “The next level is matching or exceeding the overall user experience in terms of fit-and-finish, and content plus application ecosystem.”
“The consumer market is unforgiving in that the device must behave well, be very usable and address the key scenarios needed easily. If Samsung has tested and validated a significant chunk of the Android marketplace, then it is likely to do OK,” said Hilwa.
Initially, the tablet will come with the standard Android tablet OS, but Samsung has plans to add their proprietary user interface to it, as it does with its Android smartphones. This customization, called Samsung TouchWiz UX, was available on some Tab 10.1 demo models but is not ready for Honeycomb 3.1.
“If Samsung has their own interface, hopefully you'll be able to override it or manipulate it in other ways, because that is one of the key differentiators of the Android operating system,” said Quy Nguyen, CEO of Allyance Communications, a telecommunications and hosting solution provider in Irvine, Calif. “There are Android apps that change the entire look and feel of the tablet, which doesn’t exist with Apple.”
The new tablet has a larger form factor than the previous iteration of the Galaxy Tab, coming in at 10.1 inches compared to 7 inches for the first generation. The Galaxy Tab's 10.1 inch screen is larger than iPad 2's 9.7 inch screen, but Samsung's tablet weighs about one ounce less.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1's screen has a 16:9 aspect ratio, the native format for wide screen and HD programming, and a 1280 x 800 HD pixel display. Additional features include a 2 mega pixel camera on the front of the tablet, for video chatting capability, and a 3 megapixel camera on the back of the tablet which can also record 1080p video. There are onboard ports for USB or HDMI, but a USB connection kit is available as an accessory.
Verizon offers 4G LTE connectivity for the Tab 10.1, at a cost of $529.99 for 16GB of memory and $629.99 for 32GB. A two-year broadband contract is required. While potential buyers weigh the differences between the iPad and the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Apple drew attention to the similarities by suing Samsung for “blatant copying” of both the iPhone and iPad in April.
Samsung responded with a series of counter suits in various countries, and took the feud one step further on Thursday by asking the U.S. International Trade Commission to ban Apple from selling iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches in the U.S.