The Samsung Galaxy Tab has attracted a ton of fanfare ahead of its release, with tech blog Engadget already calling the device "the gold standard for Android tablets." All four major mobile carriers are on board: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile plan to start selling the device in time for the holiday season.
The Galaxy looks like a traditional tablet, with a seven-inch touchscreen that's saturated with color, thanks to a 1024 x 600 resolution LCD. Like the Dell Streak, the Galaxy will also make phone calls. The device includes two cameras -- one on the front, one on the back -- for video chatting.
The Galaxy Tab will run on the latest Android, version 2.2, but don't go shopping in the Android Market just yet. It's unclear how apps will scale up to the Galaxy's large screen -- or whether they'll be available at all.
Google is already throwing cold water on the idea: Android 2.2 "is just not designed for that form factor," Hugo Barra, Google's director of mobile products, told Britain's TechRadar earlier this month. "The way Android Market works is it's not going to be available on devices that don't allow applications to run correctly."
Google is rumored to be optimizing its upcoming Android releases, Gingerbread and Honeycomb, for tablets. But Samsung isn't going to wait: It has built its own e-mail, messaging and calendar apps, as well as a "Social Hub" and "Media Hub." Plus, an e-reader launcher opens Kobo for e-books, PressDisplay for newspapers and Zinio for magazines.
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