Samsung Electronics is expected to officially launch its new Android 2.2 tablet with all three carriers in Australia including, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.
The device which is also a phone is expected to retail for sub $399 with the Company looking to ship 10 million units this year worldwide.
The Galaxy Tab, which has a 7-inch screen, runs on Google’s Android software, supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3G phone connectivity. It has a camera on each side, is a bigger version of Samsung’s new Galaxy S smartphone.
And unlike the iPad, it supports Flash Player 10.1, which means that users can watch Flash-based content. There is also a gyroscope and accelerometer. And it supports 32GB of internal memory, 512MB of RAM, and can accommodate microSD cards for another 32GB of memory, according to reports.
Speculation that Apple will soon launch a smaller version than their current 10″ iPad has been dealt a blow with insiders tipping a new duel camera version that allows users to do a video conference. It’s also tipped that the operating system will be upgraded to allow printing over a wireless network.
Apple is also working on a new application that allows newspapers to be delivered to the device in a new formation that retains the look and feel of a traditional print newspaper. News Corporation is believed to have been consulted on the new application.
Hankil Yoon, an executive at Samsung, recently told the Wall Street Journal that the Galaxy Tab would likely retail for between US $200 and $300. Yoon said he expects Samsung to take a third of the global tablet market next year
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To provide more content for the Galaxy Tab, as well as the Galaxy S smartphone, Samsung is also expected to announce a Media Hub service enabling users to rent or purchase TV shows and movies for their devices in some Countries. Prices are expected to range from $3 a day for rentals to between $12 and $20 for movie purchases.
In Australia Samsung has held discussions with Telstra with a view to offering their BigPond Movies service as well as access to Telstra content on a Telstra sold tablet.
