Size matters and at just 8.6mm thin, weighing 470g, the 8.9″ inch Tab is cut above the rest, it appears.
Running Android 3.0 Honeycomb, Galaxy 8.9, like its 10.1 big brother, has massive grunt with 1GHz dual core processor, 9″ WXGA display (1280×800), 3.0-MP camera (rear) with LED Flash, 2.0-MP camera out front.
And all the usual slew of Google tools like Talk Video Chat, Google Maps, Book come as standard.
Having viewed the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Europe, it is the lightest and thinnest tab I’ve seen.
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But hold your horses, Samsung fans.
The Tab which goes on pre release in US 02 October, may never see the light of day Down Under, if Apple has its way.
The two tech rivals are currently in a massive legal battle in Sydney’s Federal court, with Apple looking to ban what it says is a clone of the iPad 2, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, which was due for release here this week.
The court sits again tommorrow where a decison either way may be handed down. If 10.1 gets banned from sale in Australia, it is almost certain its understudy, the 8.9 Tab could be similarly forbidden, if the Koreans look to launch it here.
Read Samsung Deliberately Breached Apple Patents OZ Court Hears Today Here
And Samsung are clearly targeting the business market with its latest creation – with enterprise solutions Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, Quickoffice HD Editor and Tab 8.9 has also partnered up with Cisco, Sybase, SAP and Citrix.
“The GALAXY Tab 8.9 is the perfect device for today’s mobile professional. Whether writing emails on a trip or reading an eBook on the couch, the GALAXY Tab 8.9 provides the ultimate tablet experience without compromising mobility,” Samsung said in a statement.
But multimedia fanatics aren’t left out either – 1080p HD video and Flash playback (which is lacking on iPad 2) are pre-loaded with Readers Hub and Music Hub giving instant access to more than 2.2m books, 2,000 newspaper ( in 49 languages), 2,300 magazines, and 13 million songs. Phew.
Samsung’s TouchWiz tool also allow users customise to display preferred content on the home screen including pictures, favourite websites and social network feeds from Facebook and Twitter.
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And if this isn’t enough Samsung’s Social Hub, aggregates email, instant messaging, contacts, calendar and social network connections into a single tidy interface.
“One size does not fit all, and that’s why we have choices for the consumer,” said Shoneel Kolhatkar, Samsung’s director of product planning, at a press conference yesterday.
So, if you are mulling over a 10.1″ or an 8.9″ screen – it appears there’s hardly any difference in the price- 16GB Tab 8.9 costs US$469 and 32GB $569 – just marginally higher than 10.1.
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