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Saturday, November 13, 2010

The Samsung Galaxy Tab Challenges Apple's iPad


I often post on electronic gadgets that are useful to writers and publishers. The iPad and now it's first credible challenger from Samsung, the Galaxy Tab, are such devices.

I love certain aspects of the Galaxy over the iPad...It's more compact size and lighter weight, for one. It can be handled in one hand versus two for the iPad with a screen size of 7" compared with iPad's 9.7". Also, the Galaxy includes the three most-requested features missing in the iPad: a camera (two in fact), the ability to run Web videos and applications written in Adobe's Flash software and multitasking.

This report comes from Walter S. Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal:

After seven months of unchallenged prominence, Apple's hot-selling iPad now has its first credible competitor in the nascent market for multitouch consumer tablet computers: the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

The Tab is being introduced over the next week by three major U.S. wireless phone carriers at $400 with a cellular data contract, or at $600 with cellular capability but no contract. The iPad starts at $499 for a Wi-Fi model with no cellular-data capability or contract, and is $629 for the least expensive model with cellular data capability but no contract.

Like the iPad, the Tab, which uses Google's Android operating system, is a good-looking slate with a vivid color screen that can handle many of the tasks typically performed on a laptop. These include email, social networking, Web browsing, photo viewing, and music and video playback. It also can run a wide variety of third-party apps. But it has major differences, most notably in size.

The Tab has a 7-inch screen versus the 9.7-inch display on the iPad. That may seem like a small difference, but the numbers are deceptive, because screen sizes are always described using diagonal measurements. In fact, the actual screen real estate on the Tab is less than half of the iPad's. That's a disadvantage, but it allows the overall unit to be much smaller and lighter, and thus more easily used in one hand, something some users will welcome.

Read and enjoy more



2 comments:

Frances Jeanne said...

I'm fascinated by the IPad; but have not invested in one. Too busy just keeping up with current stuff. Also, I have arthritis in both thumbs that impedes me somewhat! Thanks for the info re Samsung.

Unknown said...

Jeanne,
Glad you enjoyed the info. The smaller, lighter Galaxy would be better for you when, and if, you decide to invest in one of these things.