 The initial release of the Galaxy Tab. | |
| Developer | Samsung |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Samsung Electronics |
| Release date | Varies by region |
| Operating system | Android 2.2.1 with TouchWizUI. Upgradeable to Android2.3.3/2.3.4 in some countries (not compatible with 3.0). |
| CPU | Samsung Exynos 3110 (code-named "Hummingbird") ARM Cortex A8; 1.0 GHz |
| Storage capacity | Flash memory 2 GB (CDMA), 16 GB or 32 GB models and microSD slot |
| Memory | 512 MB |
| Display | 1280 × 800 px (aspect ratio16:10), 7.0 in (18 cm) diagonal, appr. 21 in2(140 cm2) at 170 PPI |
| Graphics | PowerVR SGX 540 |
| Input | Multi-touch screen |
| Camera | 3.2 MP AF camera with LEDflash, 1.3 MP front-facing (for video calls) |
| Connectivity | Connection Port |
| Dimensions | 190.09 mm (7.484 in) (h) 120.45 mm (4.742 in) (w) 11.98 mm (0.472 in) (d) |
| Weight | 380 g (13 oz) |
| Related articles | Samsung Galaxy S Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 |
| Website | Samsung GALAXY Tab |
The Samsung Galaxy Tab is an Android-based tablet computer produced by Samsung introduced on 2 September 2010 at the IFA in Berlin.
The Galaxy Tab has a 7-inch (180 mm) TFT-LCD touchscreen, Wi-Fi capability, a 1.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 Samsung Exynos 3110 (code-named "Hummingbird") processor, the Swype input system, a 3.2 MP rear-facing camera and a 1.3 MP front-facing camera for video calls. It runs the Android2.2 (Froyo) operating system, and supports telephone functionality as speaker phone, via provided wired ear piece or Bluetooth earpieces (except models sold in the US). It can download videoconferencing apps such as Tango as alternative to telephone functionality.
Hardware
The tablet is enclosed in a plastic frame that makes it lighter than other metal-bodied tablets, weighing 380 g (0.84 lb).
The GT-P1000 model carries a 7" Super TFT instead of the AMOLED which is used by Samsung in its Galaxy S phones. The screen has a 1024×600 resolution With mDNIE (Mobile Digital Natural Images Engine). Internal flash storage of 2 GB (North America CDMA models), 16 GB or 32 GB can be supplemented with a microSD flash card with up to 32 GB. CPU is a Exynos 3110 Applications Processor features 1.0 GHz ARM architecture Cortex A8 application and has 512 MB of RAM paired with a PowerVR SGX540 graphics processor.
The WIFI only model has a different graphics chip that doesn't support TV out and Samsung has not provided (or promised to provide) an update to gingerbread.
The tablet has two cameras: a 3.2 rear MP camera with a LED flash and a 1.3 MP front camera for video calling (the Verizon model has a 3 megapixel rear camera). The front camera has auto focus capability. The camera also has auto image stitching, combining 8 pictures. Modes include single shot, continuous, panorama, and self-shot. It can automatically trigger on detecting that the subject smiles. Autogeotagging uses the internal GPS receiver.
The tablet has GPS, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, and handsfree/bluetooth/headphone telephony. Cellular protocols include GSM CDMA, HSPA(HSUPA).
It also has a 30-pin docking and charging connector very similar to the standard PDMI connector (a non-proprietary alternative to Apple's docking connector). It appears so similar to the PDMI connector that it is widely mistaken for it, but it is non-standard and all accessories, including charging cables, are incompatible with other equipment and only available from Samsung.
Samsung say that its 4000 mAh battery will give it 7 hours of video playback or 10 hours of talk time.
The GSM variants of the Galaxy Tab have an externally-accessible SIM card slot. If the SIM card is removed while the system is on, the system automatically reboots. The AT&T and T-Mobile variants of the Galaxy Tab ship with a micro SIM in a micro SIM adapter. For non-US Galaxy Tabs, with phone function, this slot can also accommodate a 3G data-only SIM card if the user does not need telephone functionality.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab also has an optional RCA plug connector through which the screen image is shown on a TV or other display (the Tab's own screen cannot be turned off; it can be dimmed with a backlight dimming app).
Software
This tablet comes with a version of the Android 2.2 operating system with some custom skins and applications. Most Android 2.2 apps developed using Google's guidelines for Android should scale properly when displayed on larger-screen devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, according to Samsung. Adobe Flash 10.1, DivX, MPEG-4, WMV and Xvid, H.263, H.264 support has also been announced. The Tab uses Atmel's maXTouch multi touch capacitive touchscreen, and supports multi-tasking.
The Tab supports calendar, email and instant messaging applications. It has a launcher for e-reading applications which starts PressDisplay when reading newspapers, Kobo when reading e-books, and Zinio when reading magazines. For viewing and editing Microsoft Office documents, the Galaxy Tab also comes bundled with the Android version of ThinkFree Office Mobile.
The Tab can also provide tethering, acting as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 5 devices. Stored addresses can be displayed in Google maps with one click. It also allows linkage with a contact's Facebook profile if the phone address is linked with the contact's Facebook address.
Several HD video content multimedia formats, including DivX, XviD, MPEG4, H.263, H.264, are supported. It can play video content either stored on the device itself or streamed from YouTube, and can output 720p video to a TV either as composite video or via HDMI when using the optional dock.
Text can be entered using Swype, by tracing a path over letters on a virtual keyboard, and standard XT9 predictive typing is also supported.
TouchWiz Samsung Galaxy Tabs allow the screen display to be saved. Honeycomb tablets without TouchWiz, including the 10.1 in Galaxy Tab, must either be rooted or have the SDK installed in order to capture screenshots
Upgrades
In May 2011 it was reported that Android Gingerbread 2.3.3 was being made available in Italy, with other regions expected to follow.
Android Gingerbread 2.3.4 is available for the T-Mobile version.
Early impressions and reviews
Some published early impressions were favourable, and the Tab was considered a serious rival to the iPad. "Rough edges" which should improve with later software updates were commented on.
Other early reviews were more critical; one commented "The Tab ... [merges] the worst of a tablet and the worst of a phone."
Release
Africa
- South Africa started selling the Tablet from November 2010[34]
- Nigeria | 5 November 2010, Etisalat Nigeria became the first cellular network in Africa to launch the Galaxy Tab.
- Angola 1 December 2010, Movicel used the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" as the launch Tablet for its December launched GSM 900 Mhz Network conversion from a CDMA 800 MHz.
- Ghana | 6 December 2010, Vodafone Ghana launched the Galaxy Tab.
Asia
The Samsung Galaxy Tab has been released in Indonesia and Thailand without contract and in Malaysia under contract by Maxis. While in the Philippines under contract by Smart and is also available without contract for GSM version. Under contract with NTT Docomo in Japan. In Singapore, it was released exclusively with Singtel on 13 November 2010.
South Korea
The Samsung Galaxy Tab was released South Korea on 3 November 2010, delayed from the original release date of 14 October.
Pakistan
The Samsung Galaxy Tab will be released on 21 December 2010. It is available without a contract from Mobilink as well as in the open market.
India
Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab in India on 10th of November 2010.[citation needed]
Australia
The Samsung Galaxy Tab was released on 8 November 2010. It is available without a contract from several major national retailers, and under contract from Telstra, Optus and other carriers.
Brazil
The Samsung Galaxy Tab was released in Brazil on 26 November 2010. Brazilian version seems to be faster; the processor runs @ 1.2 GHz and it has support for Analog TV and Digital SBTVD.
Europe
The Samsung Galaxy Tab was released in Germany and Poland on 11 October 2010. The UK version of the Tab was released on 1 November 2010. In Spain and most other European countries it was released later in 2010.
Middle East
The Samsung Galaxy Tab has been officially released in the Middle east in Dubai's GITEX Shopper the largest gathering of the region’s leading ICT retailers and suppliers.
United States
T-Mobile started offering the SGH-T849 Galaxy Tab on 10 November 2010
Verizon started offering the SCH-I800 Galaxy Tab on 11 November 2010. Verizon's version of the Galaxy Tab has a textured black back, as opposed to the standard plastic rear of the T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T versions. The Verizon and Sprint versions disable the Human Interface Device (HID) bluetooth features so it will not work with bluetooth keyboards, mice, etc. However, a recent Verizon update has corrected this issue.
Sprint started offering the Galaxy Tab on 14 November 2010.
AT&T began offering the Tab on 21 November 2010, with no contract requirement.
The FCC approved a Wi-Fi only version of the Galaxy Tab. Some Best Buy advertisements appear to have been prematurely leaked about the Wi-Fi only version of the Galaxy Tab.
Wi-Fi-only model was released on 11 April 2011.
Sales
A week after its release, Samsung announced that they had sold 600,000 units. On the 4 December, it was reported that the 1 million mark was reached, two months after launch. In January 2011 Samsung announced they had shipped 2 million units to stores.
Successor models
Main article: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
During the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) announced that a new 4G LTE-Enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab features access to Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE Mobile Broadband Network and a 5 megapixel rear-facing Camera will be available.
At the mobile congress event in 2011 Barcelona Samsung showed a new Galaxy Tab model. It features a bigger 10.1 inch HD display with a Dual-Core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, running Google'sAndroid Honeycomb operating system. It was set for a US release in March 2011 and a European release in April. However, after the iPad 2 release, some specifications were described as "inadequate" by Lee Don-Joo, executive vice president of Samsung's mobile division, pointing to a possible model review or rethink of their market strategy.
This would lead to the introduction of a newer, slimmer 10.1" model at the Samsung Unpacked Event during CTIA Wireless Convention in March 2011, together with a 8.9 inch model, pushing the release date further to 8 June for the US release and "early summer" for the latter model. Although there was no information about a delay of the European release date, it was announced that the previous design, seen at the Mobile World Congress, would be sold relabelled as "Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v".
During IFA 2011 in Berlin, Samsung announced the new Galaxy Tab 7.7, sporting a dual-core 1.4 GHz processor, 1GB of memory, support for 32GB MicroSD cards (possibly only on some models), a 5,100mAh battery, a front-facing 2-megapixel camera and a rear-facing 3-megapixel camera with flash. There will be 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models available and each will support 802.11 a/b/g/n standards at both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The unit measures 196.7 x 133 x 7.89 mm (7.75 x 5.24 x 0.31 inches) and weighs 335g (11.8 oz) making it much more single-hand friendly than larger models from Samsung and other manufacturers.
The final successor to the original Galaxy Tab is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. This model features the same 7" screen and similar form factor as the original model, but now comes with Android 3.2 Honeycomb pre-installed as well as including newer, more powerful hardware. The new model includes a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 16GB of internal memory and both front- and rear-facing cameras. The device is much smaller than the original, measuring 193.5 x 122.4 x 9.9 mm and weighing just 345 grams.
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