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Handhelds Technology

Samsung Galaxy Tablet Coming In September 202

Posted by CmdrTaco from the size-matters dept.
adeelarshad82 writes "The rumors are now reality, Samsung showed the world its first glimpse of the Samsung Galaxy Tab, the company's new 7-inch tablet. Samsung Mobile will release more information about the Galaxy Tab on September 2 in advance of IFA Berlin 2010. Tab will run on Android 2.2 and feature full Web-browsing and video calling. The information given by the company implied that the Galaxy Tab will sport an HD screen for video, Flash support, support for e-books, possible GPS navigation, and PC linking."
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Samsung Galaxy Tablet Coming In September More

Samsung Galaxy Tablet Coming In September

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  • It's a Linux system presented in all stores across the planet, on prime shelf space.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by spazdor ( 902907 )

      will sport an HD screen for video,
      Why do people always specify this? I want to know where I can buy an audio HD screen.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Lord Byron II ( 671689 )

        I believe that the implication is that you can watch HD videos on the screen. It is also possible that you could have a device with an HD screen, but not the capability to watch HD movies.

        • It is also possible that you could have a device with an HD screen, but not the capability to watch HD movies.

          Right, for example, it would be reeeeaaaally cheap if they gave you a screen with HD definition (and advertised as such) but the graphics chip couldn't churn that many pixels, or if the CPU+GPU choked on common codecs at those sizes. A single HD image != "HD screen for video."

    • It's a Linux system presented in all stores across the planet, on prime shelf space.

      Just like the thousands of other Linux systems presented in stores across the planet on prime shelf space?

      • Well I was just wondering whether these should be considered a Linux system, or just a phone? Either way, it isn't wintel, so that's nice.

      • It's a Linux system presented in all stores across the planet, on prime shelf space.

        Just like the thousands of other Linux systems presented in stores across the planet on prime shelf space?

        Exactly. [wikipedia.org]

    • Re:Lawsuits or not, it's sort-of Linux and Java (Score:5, Insightful)

      by rsborg ( 111459 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2010 @02:56PM (#33360344) Homepage

      It's a Linux system presented in all stores across the planet, on prime shelf space.

      What does this do for Linux? About as much as TiVo did with it's "Linux system... on prime shelf space"... actually the real analogy here is probably iOS and Mach... I mean, it's so awesome and powerful right? Well, you have to root/jailbreak it first (assuming the device doesn't have an anti-tamper)... and that's getting harder with each new release.

      In reality, it's just another consumer device and runs a popular OS which is hackable, that has a DRM-locked marketplace... notice I didn't say anything about Linux or Java... Neither does Samsung.

      • It's a Linux system presented in all stores across the planet, on prime shelf space.

        What does this do for Linux? About as much as TiVo did with it's "Linux system... on prime shelf space"... actually the real analogy here is probably iOS and Mach... I mean, it's so awesome and powerful right? Well, you have to root/jailbreak it first (assuming the device doesn't have an anti-tamper)... and that's getting harder with each new release.

        And Android phones are going the TiVo way as well, requiring jailbreaks and the like to "get the most out of it". Android's open-source, but the phones themselves aren't open at all. They're just open because the manufacturers were rushing to get phones on shelves. Though, HTC devices have always been more "open" to being hacked (xda-developers was about a particular set of HTC devices back in the WinMo days). But we're seeing with Motorola and probably soon Samsung and the like will be locking down the phones to run "approved OS images only".

        The Sony PSPhone if it's true will probably be horrifically locked down, and probably tied to the Playstation Network like the Go, and Sony's pretty good about locking things down tight. Motorola's already shown it with the Droid X, getting back to where things were in the WInMo days.

        And yes, I've heard manufacturers ask to lock things down - they say things like they don't want another xda-developers popping up for their phone.

        • And Android phones are going the TiVo way as well, requiring jailbreaks and the like to "get the most out of it".

          As of 2.0, this is not the case. With Tivo and Iphone, you have to hack it to get basic functionality. With Android you only have to hack it if you want to get access to the kernel to install a driver. Using the examples of Sony and Motorola are not indicative of Android, they are indicative of Sony and Motorola. HTC and Samsung have proven to be quite open to custom ROMs, HTC to the point of

  • Possible GPS navigation? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by NitroWolf ( 72977 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2010 @02:38PM (#33360058)

    I had to laugh at the "Possible GPS navigation" part, since they couldn't even get the GPS to work properly on their Galaxy S line of phones. What makes them think they can make it work properly on the tablet?

    The GPS problem on the Galaxy S line has been known for over a month (and acknowledged by Samsung, even) and yet there's no fix for it. I mean, it's not like it's a minor problem with the GPS... the GPS just does not work on most phones, and some even will kill your GSM connection all together periodically.

    Possible GPS navigation my arse! How about making a working GPS on a phone before trying to put it on a tablet. Other phone manufacturers have been able to put working GPS units in their phones for years. One would think Samsung might have tested this out before releasing a flagship line of phones.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by unix1 ( 1667411 )

      I had to laugh at the "Possible GPS navigation" part, since they couldn't even get the GPS to work properly on their Galaxy S line of phones.

      It looks like it will have the GPS. If you look at their teaser site [samsungmobile.com], one of the pictures they flash through there shows the navigation screen. And they also advertize "navigation" as one of its features with moving/focusing words towards the end of the video.

    • Re:Possible GPS navigation? (Score:5, Informative)

      by stoanhart ( 876182 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2010 @03:13PM (#33360592)
      It's really not that bad. I have a Vibrant, and the GPS issue is the only downside to the phone. Otherwise, it's a phenomenal piece of hardware. Also, it's been confirmed that the GPS issue is a software bug, and will be fixed in the Froyo update in September. Since this pad device will be running Froyo to start with, I think it's safe to assume the GPS will work just fine.

      • Where has it been confirmed it's a software problem?

        I've not seen any confirmation of this on XDA or Cyanogen... and of course you can't trust anything coming out of Samsung.

        • and of course you can't trust anything coming out of Samsung.

          Feeling a touch critical are you?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by brunes69 ( 86786 )

          You're not following XDA closely enough.

          GPS has been officially stated by Samsung to be fixed in Froyo update.

          • You're not following XDA closely enough.

            GPS has been officially stated by Samsung to be fixed in Froyo update.

            All I have seen is Samsung saying it's been "optimized" in Froyo... nothing about a fix. Given the fact that they would likely say it's been fixed (since they publically admit it's broken) instead of "optimized."

        • They are using a state of the art broadcom chip. The GPS issues are most likely software based, but I'm not ruling out overheating or bad production for also having an adverse effect on the GPS performance.

    • Re:Possible GPS navigation? (Score:4, Informative)

      by HotBBQ ( 714130 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2010 @03:29PM (#33360852)
      Samsung has an official firmware fix for the GPS problem on the Galaxy line of phones. The firmware is scheduled for release in September. The forthcoming Epic 4G from Sprint will be released with this updated firmware. Engadget Story [engadget.com]

      • They didn't say they would "fix" it, they said they would "optimize" it. I wish they would have said they would fix it.

    • If you are willing to hack your phone, you can install the GPS software from the new Epic 4G, which is a Galaxy S phone. In my experience this substantially improves the function of the GPS receiver on my Captivate (AT&T version of the Galaxy S). So while Samsung made a big mistake shipping a clearly broken product (did they seriously never try out the GPS even once before shipping the phone?), at the very least a fix exists and I feel confident it will make it out officially.

      Other than the GPS issues i

      • That doesn't work on the Vibrant as the GPS software subsystem is different than the Epic/Capitivate for some reason.

    • Maybe they mean it more as in the GPS will possibly work?

  • Now every tech company has to get an ipad competitor on the market. Kudos to Apple for leading innovation like no one else. How many years have we seen people talk about thjs particular form-factor? Appple makes one and boom. Now everyone is doing it.

    Don't take me the wrong way. This is not a rant! I'm actually happy to see this kind of development

    • The problem is, Android tablets have been on the market for almost a year in North America alone, not considering the cheap ones in China only. Apple brought them the lime light, but Androids were the ones to take the first steps and showed that a tablet computer running a minimalist OS was not only doable, but was very functional for day to day usage.

    • There's always some hot new format or item that tech industry goes crazy for. I'm still not certain that there's a real place for these things outside of the home. While I love the idea of taking one of these things to a meeting, I loathe the idea of attempting to use a virtual keyboard for anything but a short message. All of these implementations do not involve a stylus for me to draw with or any kind of handwriting recognition.

      The format size is awkward. Everyone I've seen with an ipad has this despera

  • HD screen/ (Score:4, Informative)

    by Tumbleweed ( 3706 ) * on Tuesday August 24, 2010 @02:42PM (#33360134)

    Android 2.2 doesn't support HD displays (only via video out like HDMI), unless they've extended it somehow. Otherwise we'll have to wait for Gingerbread (3.0?). 2.2 only supports up to something like 854x480 for the main display, I'm pretty sure.

    • You know, 854x480 is larger than DVD resolution, which was once considered a high-definition format. That may be what they mean.

      • ...DVD resolution, which was once considered a high-definition format.

        bah, maybe marketing droids considered it high-definition.
        DVD's 480 lines of resolution is the resolution of the black and white tv my parents bought when I was 5.

      • You know, 854x480 is larger than DVD resolution ...

        854 * 480 = 409920
        720 * 576 = 414720

        Yes, definitely larger. ;)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Kenja ( 541830 )
      Given that "HD" is only 704x480 at minimum I dont see a problem with calling a 854x480 screen high definition.
    • Screen resolution is a rumoured 1024x600, confirmed by the chinese people who've got a hold of one of the prototype models.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jrumney ( 197329 )
      Windows Mobile 5.0 did not support 800x480 displays, but that did not stop Sharp from releasing such a device [engadget.com] anyway.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mjwx ( 966435 )

      Android 2.2 doesn't support HD displays (only via video out like HDMI), unless they've extended it somehow.

      Well it is entirely possible to replace entire sub systems on Android due to it being Open Source.

      Samsung being an OEM and OHA (Open Handset Alliance) member means that they may also have access to pre-release code from 3.0.

      Of course this is just speculation, although I'd be interested to see what it's like when it is released. We consider a 1920x1080 to be a good resolution on a 40" screen, wh

  • So...? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by camperdave ( 969942 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2010 @02:42PM (#33360136) Journal
    So, is this a phone, or a tablet computer, or what? A 7" screen would put this at roughly the size of a paperback novel. Too big to shove into a pocket, too small to do any serious note taking.

    • But perfect for reading (Score:4, Interesting)

      by bradley13 ( 1118935 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2010 @02:49PM (#33360222) Homepage

      We have an e-ink reader - the form factor is great, but the lack of backlighting is surprisingly restrictive, and anyway you can't read documents that require color. I read e-books on my mobile phone, but the screen is really too small.

      A 7" form factor with a backlit LCD "the size of a paperback" sounds just right. Big enough to be useful, small enough to still fit in a jacket pocket.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by bm_luethke ( 253362 )

      A tablet.

      Some people prefer a 7" tablet (I am one). That is also why Apple is rumored to be producing one too.

      For my self a 10" one seems silly. It's not big enough to use a have a good keyboard and carrying an external one defeats the purpose. It's heavy and bulky - it isn't going into a pocket or be carried on a plane comfortably either. Add inn all the issues with it having a fairly stripped down OS and hardware so I can't do much more than watch a movie or browse the web and it is worthless to me.

      7" is

  • The important things (Score:3, Informative)

    by gilesjuk ( 604902 ) <giles@jones.zen@co@uk> on Tuesday August 24, 2010 @02:46PM (#33360184)

    Screen, it needs a good touch screen, decent resolution and viewing angle,

    Battery life, it has to be much longer than a laptop.

    Software support, if the screen resolution is greater than any other device then some software may not work or will appear small.

    Price, if it's not much cheaper than the iPad then that's a failure.

    The actual OS is important, but given it's Android it's unlikely to present a problem.

    • Battery life, it has to be much longer than a laptop.

      Since many laptops these days are getting battery life of 6-8 hours (around the same amount of time the iPad is getting), what kind of battery life are you hoping for?

      Software support, if the screen resolution is greater than any other device then some software may not work or will appear small.

      Screen size support has been addressed and pretty much fixed since Android 1.6 came out, so it shouldn't be a problem. [android.com]

      Price, if it's not much cheaper than the iPad then that's a failure.

      How would it be a failure? Its running newer, faster parts and it seems like the screen might be a higher resolution. Better, newer parts will raise the price making it possibly match the iPad. And if people feel its a better

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by cynyr ( 703126 )

        24-48 hours on a laptop, and 7-14 days on a tablet. 24 hours is with the hardrive, optical drive, CPU, GPU, wifi, screen brightness, and bluetooth all maxed out. 48 can be with the cpu load low, and the wifi + bluetooth on, as if I was surfing the web, screen at 1/2 brightness. Otherwise it's like having an ipod clasic with 83.33 days of music (40k songs * 3 min/song) but can only play for 36 hours...

        • I'm looking forward to what Qualcomm's mirasol [youtube.com] technology too, with its supposed week worth of battery life per charge, but time still will tell about what it can truly do in real settings. But if it does really last like that, its always a possible.

  • I have the Archos 5. Archos' tablets had a lot of potential but the firmware is so damn buggy and they seem to not really give a crap. (they're french, what are ya gonna do?...) I hope the new hardware that comes out from samsung and other competitors starts addressing some of the issues these early versions had. Anything bigger than my archos is pretty much not going to cut it for me though (mainly use it for my car stereo and anything bigger won't fit in the stereo cubby hole).

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by hitmark ( 640295 )

      the basic problem with archos is that they tried to merge their existing linux based pmp firmware with android. So their media player switches out of android each time its used.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by hitmark ( 640295 )

      ugh, forgot to write that samsung is rumored to have a pmp on the way thats based on their gaxaly phones. Most of the same internals except no mobile network radio.

  • Will this be an follow up on the Galaxy phone?
    That is, will it be released with outdated and buggy software that Samsung promise to NOT upgrade?
    Will they after pressure release different version of buggy updates to a still old version in different countries?
    Will it crash, be prone to screen errors and to slow to use?
    Will Samsung ignore all complaints? Will the only bright light be the unpaid hackers who makes their own version of the OS?

    I bought the Galaxy phone and have sworn to never again buy a phone fro

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by DJCouchyCouch ( 622482 )

      > I now have a HTC Desire and the difference between these products can't be described by words alone.

      How about sound effects? Interpretive dance? Matchstick diorama?

      • I believe "Swan Lake" vs "Funky Gibbon" comes close. However, my HTC desire has yet to arrive, so I am guessing. My Samsung Video Recorder did not record videos, and was replaced by the store without quibble as "Goods not of merchandisable quality"

  • More Details, Firmware Analysis (Score:4, Informative)

    by CritterNYC ( 190163 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2010 @03:02PM (#33360452) Homepage

    This article was a bit light on the details (as it's just mentioning what's in the quick video preview on the site), but other sites have posted some rumors and analysis of some Samsung firmware leaks.

    The display seems to be 800x480, which is decent on a 7" screen (133ppi, essentially the same as the iPad's 131ppi). There is a front and rear facing camera (confirmed in this video which mentions video calling), a 1.0 or 1.2GHz hummingbird processor (similar to the awesome 1GHz hummingbird in their Galaxy S phones which can really pump out the pixels [youtube.com]), and some other goodies.

    http://samsung-firmware.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/4521384-exclusive-samsung-galaxy-tab- [webs.com]

  • Tablets are perfect for watching porn.

    They don't have a mouse or keyboard, and their smooth touch screens can easily be cleaned after you're done with your... erm... personal enjoyment.

    Now all I have to do is click that "Post Anonymously" checkbox before my ISP disconnects me for not paying my bil.%${xf[re`1e2$%#@NO CARRIER

  • Now we can buy a tablet that locks up frequently and can't find its own a** in a pair of bloomers.

  • Same piece of crap now 100% larger. That will come in handy when your tossing the POS against the wall.

    And Guys get with it consumers are never going to go for android tablets. This is for the same reasons people on this site will and the same reason windows tablets failed. Its just general purpose linux computer. Its not designed as a device. The iPad is a hit because -yes- it is a big iPod touch. Consumers don't have to deal with all the issues they have on their computers. Push the button it works. Files

  • In contrast Apple is secretive under they can ship product. Or the latest advance date before they file for a FCC license.
  • My wife keeps telling me size doesn't matter! Wait... have I said this before?

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