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Russian president not fond of Galaxy Tab camera, <3s emoticons
Seems that Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, picked up a Galaxy Tab on his recent trip to Samsung's home country of South Korea while seeking investment and trade opportunities. Unfortuntely, he doesn't seem to be much of a fan of the GT-P1000's camera according to a recent tweet made from his certified Twitter account. Apparently, he prefers the quality of his trusty Leica M9 camera spotted in the EXIF of the images he posted from Japan just a few days prior -- the $17,500 Neiman Marcus edition, we presume. Proof once again that it's good to be king Президент. [Thanks, Oleg]
Samsung Galaxy Tab to ship with exclusive MTV content (update)
Looks like Samsung is hoping to tap into some of that magical magic that made Speidi and the Situation household names, and it's doing so by developing an app in partnership with MTV Networks International. Called Touch MTV, it will feature single episodes of various shows including The Hills and Jersey Shore, content from MTV Iggy, and regular updates that are sure to be of great interest to a certain "very lucrative and trend-setting audience." The app will be pre-installed on the Galaxy Tab, alongside games from Gameloft and more. Certainly not a bad idea, bulking up on the entertainment value of the device -- especially since there's at least one other tablet out there with a pretty big share of digital music and video sales. But we have one suggestion: someone, will you please bring back Ed Lover, Dr. Dre, and Fab 5 Freddy? PR after the break. Update: Since the deal was inked with MTV Networks International, it looks like the app's only being bundled with devices shipping in the Czech Republic, Germany, Croatia, Holland, Hungary, and Poland for the time being. America, you're safe -- for now.
Samsung cuts Galaxy Tab prices in the UK, still more than AT&T
We've already shared some opinions on why Samsung's Galaxy Tab pricing makes sense stateside -- granted, that was before AT&T announced it would be charging $50 more than every other US carrier. After initially showing up for pre-order in the UK on Carphone Warehouse for £530 ($850) and for a Queen's ransom of £799 ($1280) on Amazon though, we're glad to find The Inquirer reporting that Tab prices on both Amazon and Dixons have dropped to £469 ($738) for a 16GB model with free delivery. Carphone Warehouse has also cut prices down to £489.99 ($784) for the 32GB version. Sure, that may still sound steep to us Yankees, but keep in mind it's now a good bit less than the basic 16GB 3G iPad which currently sells for £529 ($850). Whether these prices will slide even closer to Stateside levels is still obviously anyone's guess, but at this point we're sure those of you in the UK won't have an issue paying less for your tab.
Galaxy Tab now available for pre-order to Sprint Premier customers
It may not exactly be a huge lead time over the general release, but Sprint is now offer its Premier customers a special three-day pre-sale of the Galaxy Tab, which will let you order it now for $399 (on-contract) and skip the wait at the store on November 14th. Worried that you'll miss out 'cause you're not a Premier customer? Well, chances are you might be one and not even know it -- it more or less covers any Sprint customer with an account in good standing who maintains a plan of $69.99 a month, or anyone that's been a customer for at least ten years. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Samsung Galaxy Tab fulfills its destiny, now available on T-Mobile for $399
Nothing unforeseen here, folks, just a friendly reminder that Samsung's Galaxy Tab has kept to its release schedule and is now available to purchase from T-Mobile USA. $399 gets you the 7-inch Tab plus a two-year contract with the American arm of Deutsche Telekom, or you can pay the full $599 and make off with just the tablet itself. Or you can even wait an extra day for Verizon to start dishing Android slates your way as well -- the choice, as always, is yours. Just try not to think about that gorgeous 7-inch Super AMOLED panel that Samsung's busy showing off in Japan right now. [Thanks, Aaron]
Samsung expects to sell a million Galaxy Tabs this year, 40 million smartphones next year
We've already heard Samsung boast that it expects to ship 10 million Galaxy Tabs by next year, and the company's now back at the prediction game yet again, with mobile biz president J.K. Shin saying he expects the company to sell a million of them this year alone -- given that the end of the year is fast approaching, that translates to a million sold in just under 60 days. As if that wasn't enough, Shin also told Nikkei that Samsung expects to sell 40 million smartphones in 2011, which is more than double its projection for this year -- of those, it obviously expects the majority to be Galaxy S phones, but it has quite a way to go from ten million it expects to sell this year. Incidentally, Shin also dropped another hint that Samsung would "soon" be releasing a 10-inch Galaxy Tab, but he doesn't seem to have provided any more details than we've heard before.
Samsung Galaxy Tab can be made to run all apps in full screen, here's how (video)
You might have noticed in our Galaxy Tab review that a number of pretty significant Android apps failed to scale to fully utilize its real estate, leaving an unpleasant black border surrounding their content. Well, you can now take that issue off your list of cons for this otherwise delectable tablet as our buddy JKK has figured out a way to overcome the scaling problemo. Using Spare Parts, a free app available in the Android Market, and a couple of reboots, he was able to convince the Engadget app to run in full screen on the Tab. He's right in guessing that we'd be happy about that, though we imagine owners of Samsung's slate will be the ones with the biggest grins on their faces right now. See the how-to video after the break. [Thanks, Mani]
Samsung Galaxy Tab undressed, reveals massive battery (video)
It's getting to be the norm when tearing down the latest piece of tech that the first thing to confront the inquiring disassembler is a big bad battery pack. The Galaxy Tab doesn't disappoint in that respect, with a chunky white slab of power storage dominating the majority of its subdermal real estate. There are also comparatively large speakers and other little curios to explore, but we're not going to spoil the show for you. Just head on past the break for the full video.
Samsung Galaxy Tab review
The story of the Galaxy Tab has been quite a saga, to say the least. In fact, it was actually back in May that we first heard rumblings of Samsung's plans to unleash a 7-inch Android tablet much like its Galaxy S phones, but it was only after months of painful teasing -- including a cruel look at just its packaging on the Engadget Show -- that Sammy finally unveiled the Galaxy Tab to the world at IFA. The Tab certainly packed the specs -- a 1GHz processor, full Flash support thanks to Android 2.2, dual cameras, support for up to 32GB of storage and WiFi / 3G connectivity -- to put other Android tablets to shame, and our initial hands-on with it only had us yearning for more. Without pricing and availability, however, the story was at a cliffhanger. Of course, those details trickled out over the next few months, and here in the US, Samsung finally announced that all four major US carriers would be getting Tabs to call their own. Verizon then finally took the lead in announcing pricing, and revealed that its Tab would hit contract-free for $600 -- Sprint followed with the same no-contract pricing along with a $400 two-year contract option.Indeed, it's been quite a long journey, but even after all of that, some of the major questions are still left unanswered. Does the Tab provide a more complete and polished experience than all the other Android tablets out there? How are Samsung's specially tailored apps? And ultimately, has a tablet finally hit the market that can rival Apple's iPad? We think it's about time we answer those questions and finally open what might be the most important chapter of the Galaxy Tab story -- the official Engadget review. We knew you'd agree, so join us after the break.%Gallery-106330%
T-Mobile's Galaxy Tab available for preorder at Amazon, costs $699 unsubsidized
We played devil's advocate with Verizon's $599 Galaxy Tab, but it looks like the T-Mobile version of Samsung's Android 2.2 tablet is going to cost a Benjamin more -- it's ringing up at $699.99 right now at Amazon unsubsidized. If we were you, we'd wait and see what kind of deals can be had in-store come November 10th, but if you simply must have one immediately you'll be able to use it with one of Magenta's standard mobile broadband plans. $25 a month gets you 200MB with 10-cent-per-megabyte overage fees, whereas $40 buys you unlimited use with a 5GB speed cap, and you can purchase blocks of prepaid data an 100MB, 300MB and 1GB increments at the usual rates. It's a bit of a shame we're paying the price of a decent laptop for a seven-inch smartphone sans cellular calls... but you didn't really need that rent money, right?
Samsung Galaxy Tab notches a fifth American carrier, coming to US Cellular
Milking this one for all it's worth, eh Samsung? In what's easily becoming the most drawn-out product launch in the history of product launches, Sammy is just now informing us of a fifth American carrier onboard to carry its Galaxy Tab: US Cellular. The regional CDMA operator has been chosen as the token 'little guy' to offer the 7-inch, Froyo-based tablet, but the company's not saying when it will be arriving nor for how much. We're guessing it'll cost between $400 and $600 depending on the contract situation, but considering that every other carrier is getting it within a fortnight or so, those minor points should be clarified in short order. %Gallery-106164%
Samsung Galaxy Tab hitting T-Mobile USA on November 10th, $400 on contract
America's number four carrier just landed a launch date for Samsung's Froyo-based Galaxy Tab, and sure enough, it'll be trotting out into the spotlight a full 24 hours before Verizon Wireless and four whole days prior to Sprint. Trouble is, T-Mob's not being kind enough to dole out a price tag, so there's no reasonable way for you to compare its offering against the competition. But hey, being first out of the gate, they can't hold out on us too much longer, eh? Update: T-Mobile USA's official Galaxy Tab portal just went live, and guess what? You'll be shelling out $399.99 for this bad boy... on a two-year data contract. You'll also be responsible for a $35 activation fee and a $200 early termination charge should you soon realize just what you've gotten yourself into.
Verizon's Galaxy Tab won't have Skype, NFL Mobile, or V Cast video apps at launch
Looks like that plan to bring NFL content Verizon tablets is on hold, at least for now -- we just got Big Red's employee training materials for the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and they explicitly say that Skype Mobile, NFL Mobile, and V Cast Video won't be available on the seven-inch tablet at launch. That's disappointing for a variety of reasons -- particularly the loss of Skype, which would have made up for the lack of voice calling ability -- but we're hoping the holdup is mostly due to app-compatibility issues and not corporate politics. We'll find out, we suppose. Hit the gallery for the rest of the training docs.%Gallery-105942%
Galaxy Tab WiFi-only model hitting Best Buy for $499.99, Sprint 3G model on sale November 14th?
We knew it was coming, now the WiFi only Galaxy Tab looks to have leaked with pricing in a Best Buy advertisement. According to some extracts obtained by Pocketables, a silver WiFi-only Tab will be available for $499.99 (a buck more than its WiFi-only iPad rival). Best Buy will also be selling a black 3G model (Verizon) and silver 3G model (Sprint) with contract or month-to-month plans. The "and up" verbiage is probably a hat tip to the $599.99 on-contract price that Verizon announced for the 3G Galaxy Tab it will begin selling on November 11th. Unfortunately, no date was revealed for the Best Buy offerings but a second rumor sourced from an inventory spreadsheet (pictured after the break) by the cats over at AndroidCentral has the Verizon Tab coming to Sprint on November 14th. In other words, it's safe to expect Best Buy to start selling Samsung's 7-inch Android tablet in November in the run-up to the holidays. See a screengrab of that after the break. Update: As noted in the comments, the Galaxy Tab doesn't ship with a 7-inch Super AMOLED display -- it's Super TFT LCD. We suspect that's a printing error and not a hint of things to come. Update 2: Sprint confirms [Thanks, Chris]
Editorial: Why the Galaxy Tab's price makes sense
Alright, I was wrong. On the Engadget Podcast I said that Samsung is capable of navigating to store.apple.com and checking out the iPad prices. I figured Samsung would see $500 as its maximum unsubsidized price for the Galaxy Tab, but apparently Samsung decided its competition was the iPad with 3G. Is a $600 Galaxy Tab a compelling offering up against a $630 3G iPad? Maybe, maybe not. But it's not an insane proposition by any means. In fact, I think it could do pretty well.
Samsung Galaxy Tab costs €730 from Vodafone.de, €300 if bought with a two-year data plan
You can kind of tell we're growing ever closer to the Galaxy Tab's promised November 1 retail launch as prices for this slate just keep coming out of the woodwork, looking ever more solid with each passing day. Vodafone Germany is the latest to reveal the wallet damage Samsung's 7-inch Android tablet will demand, with a €730 ($1,017) levy for the 16GB version sans contract, or a €300 ($418) cost for those willing to commit to a two-year data plan at €35 a month. We'd advise against taking those direct currency conversions to heart, but the Tab's pricing here is €30 more than the 32GB iPad WiFi + 3G, making us scratch our heads as to how Samsung believes it'll manage to convince anyone to buy its smaller, less capacious alternative.
Samsung Galaxy Tab up for pre-order at Carphone Warehouse for £530
We continue that elusive hunt for an official Galaxy Tab price with the most reliable (though still not authoritative) number yet: £530 ($850) from the Carphone Warehouse. Already announced as one of the first retailers to offer the device in the UK on that November 1 launch date, the Warehouse outfit has now set its price for the 16GB Tab at exactly the level of the 3G-equipped iPad. Coincidence? We think not. This is highly likely to be Samsung's final pre-subsidy pricing, leaving it up to network operators to tempt us with some aggressive discounts. We can only hope. [Thanks, Middy]
Samsung Galaxy Tab redesigned for KDDI, hitting Japan in late February as SMT-i9100
Japan's KDDI is in the midst of its biannual hardware refresh and in among its new roster of phones is a familiar 7-inch slate device we're more familiar with as the Galaxy Tab. Samsung has stripped all branding (and 3G, boo!) from the SMT-i9100, while refashioning its exterior a little and letting KDDI throw in a bit of custom au-branded software aboard. Beyond the cosmetic changes, which include the capacitive buttons being aligned for landscape (rather than portrait) utilization, you're mostly looking at the same machine as the rest of the world, with a 1024 x 600 resolution, 512MB of RAM, MicroSD expandability, and a built-in webcam. The internal storage is quite a bit more frugal at 4GB, but you will get a handy docking cradle as a consolation prize, plus a mobile router that'll turn this into something very similar to Verizon's iPad plus MiFi offering in the US. All that said, KDDI won't have the i9100 on sale until February, by which time the Android tablet market could be somewhat better populated.
Samsung Galaxy Tab stars in leaked slide, T-Mobile version to cost $399?
If what we're looking at is really and truly a legitimate T-Mobile slide, then we've got practically the last part of the Galaxy Tab puzzle -- that ever-elusive price point -- as it states the slate will charm your wallet out of $399. That'd be a bit of a disappointment if true, as that's the most we were told to expect and twice the Galaxy S's price despite lacking telephone functionality. Still, it's the first legitimately impressive Android tablet, and being on the bleeding edge isn't cheap. We just wonder if Sammy can truly sell ten million on two-year contracts -- or worse, going head to head at an unsubsidized $649 with the iPad 3G. Say it ain't so, Sammy.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab will come with Gorilla Glass screen
It might not share the Galaxy S' vibrant Super AMOLED display, but there is one way in which the Galaxy Tab's visage is identical to its elder smartphone sibling: both are protected by Gorilla Glass. Corning has just dropped a quickie press release to announce that Samsung's upcoming 7-inch tablet will benefit from its scratch- and impact-resistant alkali-aluminosilicate goodness. Guess now Samsung's ad advising us to stuff this slate into our pants pockets makes a lot more sense. [Thanks, Olivier]
