Samsung has put all of its cards on the table and released the GALAXY Tab 10.1. The thinnest and lightest 10.1″ tablet to hit the market so far. This is a salvo fired across Apples bow, Samsung finally has hand. With fast hardware, the latest Android Honeycomb OS and a beautiful hi-res display Samsung has all of the ammunition it needs to take the fight right to Apple.
The iPad 2 is the undisputed king of tablets at the moment and will naturally be the yard stick for any new tablet entering the market. The GALAXY Tab 10.1 is 2mm thinner and 15 grams lighter than it’s rival so off to a good start. Nvidis1GHz Dual Core Tegra2 CPU and graphics chip is as good as ARM CPU’s get at the moment. The 1280×800 resolution again just beats the iPad 2s 1024×768 resolution. Onboard DDR memory is another win for Samsung 1GB versus 512MB, a handy advantage for multi-tasking. front and rear-facing cameras are also standard. 4G wireless is a win for Samsung, not a practical win with 4G coverage being limited, so while it is 4G chances are it will run on a 3G network. Galaxy versus iPad 2 purely on specs looks like a win for Samsung, it doesn’t win the hardware spec battle hands down but it does win.
Software is the strength for the iPads, currently 100,000 tablet applications are available, Android apps specifically for Tablets are still in the thousands. This isn’t as disastrous as it may sound, initially most iPad apps were just iPhone apps for big screens, this is also happening in the Android market at the moment and the number of new applications is beginning to mushroom.
After first displaying the early versions of the tablet at Google I/O conference in February Samsung has finally pulled this rabbit out of its hat. This early limited edition tablet was fully working in February but Apple’s release of the iPad 2 in March did make Samsung do the double-take of all time. The full America wide release will happen on June 17. Verizon and Sprint will carry the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the USA, $599 USD looks like the no contract price. In Australia Vodaphone are offering the Galaxy 10.1 on various plans, $749 AUS for no contract, they are available now but out of stock apparently.
Apple isn’t Samsung’s only competition of course, the tablet market has become a crowded little market. The Acer Iconia 10.1 is an excellent basic package that comes in android / ARM or Windows / AMD variations. The Motorola Xoom tablets always looked promising but never made a huge impact on the market. Samsung itself already has a 7″ tablet, it was released at the end of last year but the screen size never really let it compete against the iPad. If your shopping for a tablet at the moment there is no shortage of choice. Samsung is definitely the top end of the tablet world.
The GALAXY Tab 10.1 maintains its slimlines by forcing yet another customer plug on the world, the 30 pin Galaxy plug – Media Connector – can be used with HDMI, USB, Power, Docks, there are already accessories listed online for sale.
Samsung includes its TouchWiz interface on the tablet, this can be disabled if you are an Android purest. TouchWiz’s provides simplified navigation and interaction functions. It’s a nice way to ease yourself into Android, but if you’re the sort of person that uses Windows Control Panel then you may out-grow TouchWiz in which case the standard Android interface is always tucked away in the background.
Finally a solid alternative to the iPad 2, the GALAXY Tab 10.1 combined with Honeycomb 3.1 provide an excellent foundation to take the fight to Apple. The GALAXY Tab 10.1 is a very slick piece of kit, the hardware is top notch giving it a fast and responsive interface. Apple will have it’s answer ready shortly, iOS 5 will be released later on this year and the iPad 3 inevitably next year. Until then Samsung can proudly hold its GALAXY Tab 10.1 up against any of the competition in the market, it has a winning hand in the GALAXY Tab 10.1.
Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 Specifications
- Network: HSPA＋ 21Mbps 850/900/1900/2100 EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900
- OS: Android™ 3.0 (Honeycomb)
- Display: 10.1″ WXGA 1280×800
- Processor: 1GHz Dual Core application processor
- Camera: Main(Rear) : 3.0-Mega Pixel Camera AF with LED Flash
- Front : 2.0-Mega Pixel Camera
- Video Format: MPEG4/H263/H264,Divx/Xvid
- Playback: 1080p Full HD Video @ 30fps
- Recording: 720p HD Video
- Audio MP3, AAC, AAC＋, eAAC＋, OGG, MIDI, AMR-NB/WB
- 3.5mm Ear Jack, Surround Sound Stereo Speakers
- Connectivity Bluetooth® technology v 2.1 ＋ EDR, USB 2.0, WiFi 802.11 (a/b/g/n)
- Sensor Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Ambient Light sensor
- Memory: 16G / 32G / 64G, microSD (up to 32GB)
- Size: 256.6 x 172.9 x 8.6 mm, 565g
- Battery: 6800mAh
Software
- Enterprise Solutions Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
- Quickoffice HD Editor
- Value-added Features Android Market™
- Google Mobile Services :
- Google™ Talk Video Chat, Google™ Maps, Books, etc.
- Samsung TouchWiz UX
- Samsung Mini Apps Tray
- Social Hub, Music Hub, Readers Hub
- Availability differs by region
- Adobe Flash Player 10.2
Buddha’s Brother out…
