Fri 3rd of September, filed under Social Media
The iPad will soon have a new competitor in the form of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, introduced at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. Running on Google’s Android operating system, the tablet can display HTML5 and Flash.
Galaxy claims to be more portable than its Apple counterpart, weighing just 380g; almost half the 680g iPad. Its 7inch colour screen is a quarter smaller too, and flips depending on how the user holds it. Like the iPad, it will be available in 16, 32 or 64GB capacities, with WiFi and 3G.
Unique features include a SWYPE keyboard, which enables users to input text without their finger leaving the screen; the Samsung website boasts that this enabled a member of the public in Salford to break the speed-texting world record by over 9 seconds. It has a GPS chip to support the latest craze of location-based social media, and uses Samsung’s own Media Hub for ebooks, music and videos.
Users will have access to a library of tens of thousands of Android Apps, but of course, no Apple apps. Samsung is in talks with other video providers so that users can make use of the Galaxy’s 7-hour video playback battery life. The Galaxy offers voice and video calling too, so operators could soon have a battle on their hands to offer the best tariffs.
Due for release this October, Samsung has not yet revealed the RRP for the Galaxy. With the most basic iPad model currently retailing at over £400, Samsung’s challenge will be to add ‘affordable’ to Galaxy’s list of benefits.
Posted by Rachel Hand
