who took the iPad 2 launch pretty seriously? Samsung, that’s who. Just as we had heard , the corporate’s executives were impressed by Apple’s ability to slim down its tablet and, well, it seems that it took it as a challenge to come back up with some thinner tablets of its own. That’s right, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 that we’ve got seen repeatedly teased over the past few weeks the corporate’s announcing a wholly revamped Galaxy Tab 10.1 , and both slates are incredibly thin yet really well spec’d. On top of that, both stands out as the first Honeycomb tablets to stray from the pure Android 3.0 experience and add what Samsung’s taken to calling its TouchWiz UX or TouchWiz 4.0. We’ve got each of the details and a few hands-on impressions waiting below, so hit the break!
Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1 hardware
1 As you will find from the gallery, both the ten.1 and the 8.9 look extremely similar, and boy are they thin. They measure just .33-inches thick, and as you will glean from 7 this picture 7 , they absolutely give the .34-inch iPad some real competition with regards to dimensions. The models we saw weren’t final — in truth, they didn’t even power on — but Samsung says the ten.1 will weigh 1.31 pounds and the 8.9 just 1.03 pounds. Both tablets have microSD slots, 3.5mm headphone jacks, and SIM slots, although there’ll be WiFi versions of either one of them. Both tablets have an analogous array of cameras, which incorporates a 3 megapixel shooter with an LED flash at the back and a 2 megapixel lens at the front.
Internally, the Tabs will pack 1GHz dual-core processors. We’re assuming it will likely be Tegra 2 since the whole Honeycomb tablets to this point have used NVIDIA’s silicon, but that’s unconfirmed at this point. The 8.9 can be available with 16GB of storage and a 6000mAH battery, and the ten.1 will are available both 16GB and 32GB varieties and with a 6860mAH cell. Both are said to offer 10 hours of video playback. There are full specs of either one of these within the press release below.
As we said, both 10.1 and eight.9 models we saw previous to the launch weren’t working units, however the hardware certainly seemed solid and much more polished than the 8 original 10.1 that Samsung 8 introduced back at MWC. Speaking of which, Samsung says it has no plans to bring that original version out within the US, but it surely will still hit Vodafone overseas.
TouchWiz UX
2 Beyond those main features, TouchWiz styling has been sewn within the OS — the e-mail interface looks an awful lot just like the one at the original Galaxy Tab or even the settings menu has been Samsung-ified. We’re not likely to make a decision at the software this present day, especially since we only saw it running at the older 10.1, but it surely certainly looks as if it’ll add some useful features on top of Google’s stock experience. We should always also add that Samsung looked as if it would imply that during some regions the 8.9 and 10.1 would launch without the TouchWiz UX, but that it might be an update at a later time.
Pricing / Outlook
We would like we had more for you in this one, but Samsung simply isn’t giving up the small print at the pricing immediately. That said, it’s promising a summer arrival for the WiFi versions. Obviously, those pricing details are ultimately going to affect our end decision on these two new tablets, but when Samsung can rise above the remainder and get competitive with the dollar signs, we’d say these rail thin tablets have a genuine shot of rising to the highest of the Honeycomb tablet list.
Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 and GALAXY Tab 8.9 to add the primary customized Android™ 3.0 experience
ORLANDO, March 22, 2011 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., the worldwide leader in Android™ mobile devices, announced two new additions to its family of GALAXY Tabs, the GALAXY Tab 10.1 and GALAXY Tab 8.9, the area’s thinnest mobile tablets, measuring just 8.6 millimeters.
The GALAXY Tab 10.1 and eight.9 feature Samsung’s own TouchWiz user interface implemented at the Android™ 3.0 (Honeycomb) platform, offering superior multi-tasking and enhanced user interaction and navigation.
“The GALAXY Tab 10.1 and eight.9 are remarkable examples of Samsung’s constant innovation and show our dedication to designing premium tablets that fit the original needs of shoppers around the globe”, said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business. “By combining Samsung’s innovations in design and display with
our exciting new user experience, we’ve created a brand new class of goods if you want to lead the tablet market.”
Thinner & Lighter
The GALAXY Tab 10.1 and eight.9 are the thinnest mobile tablets available. The GALAXY Tab 10.1 weighs 595 grams and eight.9 weighs 470 grams. Combining the GALAXY Tabs’ ultra-thin form factor with a light-weight design adds to the exceptional mobility of those two products.
Super Fast
The hot GALAXY Tabs will support HSPA+ network speeds of as much as 21Mbps in addition to Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity to deliver rapid mobile download speeds and decrease data transfer times. Also, the GALAXY Tab 10.1 and eight.9 include a 1GHz dual core application processor for a convincing multimedia and web browsing experience.
Customized User Experience “Samsung TouchWiz UX”
Samsung’s TouchWiz user experience is designed with a Live Panel menu users can customize to display quite a few content at the home screen including digital pictures, favorite Sites and social network feeds.
Similarly, the interface includes an application tray of time-honored features comparable to task manager, calendar and music player that are launched while other major applications also are in use, including large file downloads and document editing. This Mini Apps Tray provides a mix of convenience and versatility previously extraordinary with tablet devices.
The final Entertainment Hub
The GALAXY Tab 10.1 and eight.9 are pre-loaded with Readers Hub and Music Hub giving consumers instant access to greater than 2.2 million books, 2,000 newspaper (49 languages), 2,300 magazines (22 languages), and 13 million songs. The devices also are designed with Samsung’s Social Hub, a good way to aggregate email, instant messaging, contacts, calendar and social network connections right into a single interface.
The GALAXY Tab 10.1 and eight.9 feature a three megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front camera, providing smooth transition and seamless 1080p HD video and Flash playback for a rich entertainment experience.
Ready for Business
The GALAXY Tab 10.1 and eight.9 will include an industry leading suite of solutions designed to offer enterprise customers and IT managers more security. Developed in collaboration with industry-leading partners equivalent to Cisco, Sybase, SAP and Citrix, Samsung’s enterprise mobility solutions will provide flexibility and connectivity for mobile workforces, ensuring that users may be able to operate more efficiently on–the-move.
GALAXY Tab 10.1
GALAXY Tab 10.1, with its WXGA TFT LCD display (1280 x 800) powered by 1GHz dual core AP, is 8.6mm thin and weighs only 595g. It’s the perfect device for sharing and enjoying media content with friends and family. Furthermore, with its surround-sound stereo speakers and support for Flash 10.2, the GALAXY Tab 10.1 will deliver premium entertainment experience whether watching videos, movies or playing games.
GALAXY Tab 8.9
At just 8.6mm thin and weighing only 470g, the GALAXY Tab 8.9 is the ideal device for today’s mobile professional. Whether writing emails on a visit or reading an eBook at the couch, the GALAXY Tab 8.9 provides the final word tablet experience without compromising mobility.
The GALAXY Tab 10.1 and eight.9 now join the unique 7-inch GALAXY Tab to supply consumers with an unmatched array of selections to choose the mobile tablet experience that matches their needs the greatest. 3
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Samsung’s entire line of GALAXY Tabs will probably be on display on the Samsung booth (#2440) at CTIA Wireless 2011, March 22 through March 24.
For multimedia content and more detailed information, please visit www.samsungmobilepress.com
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