14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung's 7-inch Android-based tablet PC, the already popular Galaxy Tab, is expected to make an appearance on the market in Australia sometime in November, while being priced at AUD $999, if purchased without a contract agreement. The slate is expected to become available in the country via three major carriers there, which should put in place specific contract deals for their customers, though nothing on this has been confirmed for the time being.
The off contract price tag applies to the 16GB Android 2.2-based tablet PC, and is said to have been already confirmed by Samsung officials in the country.
"We have a size advantage because it fits in a pocket, it is a mobile and it has a USB port. It's also has a camera's and a flash which the iPad doesn't have" said Tyler McGee, Vice President of Telecommunications at Samsung Australia.
For those who do not know, we should note that the iPad 3G 16GB model is priced at $799 in Australia, while the 32GB version is priced at $929, as Smarthouse notes in a recent article.
However, Tyler McGee considers the price tag for Galaxy Tab as reflecting the device's value. “We have a premium product and we believe this is a fair price,” he stated.
A few weeks ago, Google pointed out that its Android operating system is not yet optimized for use on tablet PCs, and that the Android Market isn't optimized for that either.
But McGee showcased a game on the Galaxy Tab, pointing out that the slate is not affected by this in any way.
“This is one of Apple's top selling games and as you can see it runs perfectly on the Tab. We will also deliver books and magazines to the device,” he said.
Based on the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system, the Galaxy Tab sports a 1GHZ processor, a Super AMOLED WVGA display, a five megapixel camera, front-facing camera for video calling, A-GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi, and other features more.