Samsung gives sneak peak of iPad basher
Galaxy Tab fizzes in
It's official: Samsung will unveil its would-be iPad beater, now called the Galaxy Tab - sounds like a fizzy drink - just ahead of the IFA consumer electronics show early next month.
According to a vid just posted on the Samsung website, the 7in Tab will run Android 2.2, do video calls - though the only apparent camera is on the back - support Adobe Flash for a "full web" experience, have e-book reading software and do "HD movie playback" - 720p, presumably, given the physical size of the screen.
No other spec data has been provided, so we'll have to wait until the 2 September launch for that.
The video does show satnav - GPS on board, then - instant messaging, email and calendar apps. There's also an AllShare icon on the home screen. AllShare is Samsung's implementation of DLNA, so expect the Galaxy Tab to be able to play media stored on your home network. ®
COMMENTS
Fatal error...
I can't access the site on my iPad, so how will they ever tempt me over?
Allshare
If implemented correctly, this will provide a decent step up from the ipad - the ability to stream from your home media library. A serious omission by Apple IMO, and one I suspect they will have to close if the rest of this package is competitive.
Launch == unveil or sell?
I didn't notice the next week time frame, admittedly, but the key word the article used -what prompted my diatribe- was 'unveil', not 'ship'. Apple 'unveiled' the iPad months before actually shipping. Ballmer 'unveiled' the HP Slate at CES, and it's still not shipping. The Crunchpad was 'unveiled' as far back as July 2009.
Is Samsung going to make it possible to purchase the device in 8 days? In stores? WIll there be reviews beforehand? I would love to be proven wrong, but I am skeptical that next week will hold much more than the formal announcement, price and specs, and perhaps pre-ordering.
Price, Price, Price
Why is everyone so fixated on price? Have you not noticed the absolute shite coming from China? Yes, it's cheaper than the iPad, but it has a terrible screen, old version of Android, a resistive touch surface, etc.
Samsung is a great company and won't likely make a crap-quality device. Just don't expect it to be significantly less (or less at all) than the iPad.
Alternatively...
It might not stream media from your home network, but it may be a server - allowing you to stream media from the pad to your (Samsung) TV.
It's also possible it will do both, of course.
Mind you, one of the myriad of servers I have set up on my home network will happily stream stuff out to pretty much anything with a web browser including my N97, my wife's iPhone, PSP, laptop, etc., etc. It picks up the device type from the browser string and re-codes stuff on the fly for the device as necessary.
I'm sure an iPad wouldn't have any trouble either, but it's not exactly "out of the box" functionality like it might be on this.
