Samsung's Galaxy Tab Active2 Stands Out With IT-Friendly Capabilities, Ability To Use With Gloves
Launched this week, the Galaxy Tab Active2 is the first LTE-enabled tablet from Samsung that's being sold exclusively by channel partners, according to the company.
"A lot of these solutions [are] not a 99-cent app you're downloading off Google Play," said Jennifer Langan, director of mobile computing marketing in the Enterprise Business Division at Samsung. "These are integrated, complex, business-critical solutions, and our channel partners are key."
[Related: 5 Things To Know About Samsung's Galaxy Tab Active2]
The 8-inch Android tablet is ruggedized for use in industries such as manufacturing, transportation and retail.
The Galaxy Tab Active2 meets military ruggedness standards (MIL-STD-810G) for drops, vibration, pressure, extreme temperatures and other potential impacts. The tablet also has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, meaning that it should be able to survive after being submerged in water for a half-hour, at depths of as much as five feet.
"Our tagline is, 'Wherever you go, we can take it,'" Langan said.
The tablet also features an S Pen that is IP68 rated, meaning that users should be able to write on the tablet "even in the pouring rain," according to Samsung.
Samsung said it has developed the Galaxy Tab Active2 to include an "enhanced touch" mode -- which enables the use of the tablet with many types of gloves. The tablet offers "more ability to use the touch screen with work gloves than any other touch-enabled device," Langan said.
Other features include facial recognition for fast authentication, a pogo pins connector for easy docking, and a camera with an 8-megapixel autofocus and sensors to support augmented reality.
The Galaxy Tab Active2 is "designed to seamlessly integrate into business workflows," Langan said.
The tablet also includes a number of "IT-ready capabilities" as a way to "really enable the IT department to securely customize the device," she said. Along with running Samsung's Knox security software, the tablet includes capabilities for eFOTA (enterprise firmware over-the-air) management to ensure continuous security and control over the devices for business customers.
"It makes it very easy for deployment, and [for IT to] really manage all phases of the project," Langan said.
The minimum advertised price for the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active2 is $419.99 for the Wi-Fi-only model, and $519.99 for the LTE model.