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Samsung Announces Android-powered Tablet

lotusleaf1987 16y ago
If they price the wifi version at $300 it will be hugely popular. If they price it higher I think people will likely just spend the extra money to get an iPad. It has to be cheaper than an iPad since it's smaller in my opinion.
- megablast 16y ago
  They are being sold in Germany for over 1000 euros, there is not way they will be this cheap. They are aiming for the subsidized market, where it only costs $100, but you pay $50 for 2 years. If you are one of those people who ignore the delayed cost, then this is a great deal for you.
  - ZeroGravitas 16y ago
    How can they subsidize the Wifi-only version they just announced?
mattmaroon 16y ago
In using the iPad I do constantly feel the lack of Flash. It's my biggest gripe about it. I'm not sure this device will stack up, but Flash is a big competitive edge.
patrickaljord 16y ago
Good to know there's a wifi only version.
eitally 16y ago
I think it will be beneficial for most people to wait for 3.0-based tabs, which should also ship with such auspicious future features as Google Music & Google Me (presuming they're working on an Android app to display/interact with the activity stream). Apps will also be better prepared to support higher resolutions and I suspect we'll start seeing different form factor tabs... with dual-core CPUs, more accessories (BT keyboard, for one), and an even better UX.
gamble 16y ago
It'll be interesting to see if these catch on or go the way of so many "iPod killers". The iPad depends more on 3rd-party apps than a phone, and apps have been a weak point for Android so far. They'll also have to compete without the huge marketing campaigns funded by the telcos that gave Android phones traction.
gbhn 16y ago
I'm really curious to see whether these smaller 7-8 inch tablets end up being closer to the sweet-spot than the iPad-sized 10-12 inch screens. Is the lighter, one-hand form factor more mobile and appealing? Or is it just a pain not to have the bigger screen on the device?
- wazoox 16y ago
  I'm with you here, I can't see why you would want a 7" tablet if you already have a 4 or 5" phone...
  - ZeroGravitas 16y ago
    On the other hand, you could phrase it as why would you want a 5" phone, when you can have a 7" tablet that makes calls? Unfortunately it is being reported that the US carriers are blocking this ability. Might explain why you can't make phone calls with the iPad as well.
- jsz0 16y ago
  I'm more inclined to go with larger sizes since my SmartPhone covers ultra-portability and one-handed usage. I think tablets might mimic laptops with a broad range of sizes being popular for different needs. Maybe anywhere from 7" all the way up to 17" as more of a tablet-top device.
joubert 16y ago
With Google saying Android not quite ready for tablet purposes (http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20016085-260.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20016085-260.html) and Samsung not actually announced the tablet, this is such an empty "article", except for the tornado warning bit (I'm currently away from the city so that was interesting).
- rimantas 16y ago
  You say Samsung did not announce the tablet in comments about the article which was liveblogging of the announcement? And how come that samsung.com has promotional videos on the first page, if they did not announce anything? BTW, I find it interesting how little interaction is shown in those videos. Sliding the stocks, typing in some comment, and that's about it. I guess work is not yet done in UI department there…
n2dasun 16y ago
Is Samsung Bada dead? Or are they just using Android until they get their own OS up to task?

lotusleaf1987 16y ago

If they price the wifi version at $300 it will be hugely popular. If they price it higher I think people will likely just spend the extra money to get an iPad. It has to be cheaper than an iPad since it's smaller in my opinion.

megablast 16y ago
They are being sold in Germany for over 1000 euros, there is not way they will be this cheap. They are aiming for the subsidized market, where it only costs $100, but you pay $50 for 2 years. If you are one of those people who ignore the delayed cost, then this is a great deal for you.
- ZeroGravitas 16y ago
  How can they subsidize the Wifi-only version they just announced?

mattmaroon 16y ago

In using the iPad I do constantly feel the lack of Flash. It's my biggest gripe about it. I'm not sure this device will stack up, but Flash is a big competitive edge.

patrickaljord 16y ago

Good to know there's a wifi only version.

eitally 16y ago

I think it will be beneficial for most people to wait for 3.0-based tabs, which should also ship with such auspicious future features as Google Music & Google Me (presuming they're working on an Android app to display/interact with the activity stream). Apps will also be better prepared to support higher resolutions and I suspect we'll start seeing different form factor tabs... with dual-core CPUs, more accessories (BT keyboard, for one), and an even better UX.

gamble 16y ago

It'll be interesting to see if these catch on or go the way of so many "iPod killers". The iPad depends more on 3rd-party apps than a phone, and apps have been a weak point for Android so far. They'll also have to compete without the huge marketing campaigns funded by the telcos that gave Android phones traction.

gbhn 16y ago

I'm really curious to see whether these smaller 7-8 inch tablets end up being closer to the sweet-spot than the iPad-sized 10-12 inch screens. Is the lighter, one-hand form factor more mobile and appealing? Or is it just a pain not to have the bigger screen on the device?

wazoox 16y ago
I'm with you here, I can't see why you would want a 7" tablet if you already have a 4 or 5" phone...
- ZeroGravitas 16y ago
  On the other hand, you could phrase it as why would you want a 5" phone, when you can have a 7" tablet that makes calls? Unfortunately it is being reported that the US carriers are blocking this ability. Might explain why you can't make phone calls with the iPad as well.
jsz0 16y ago
I'm more inclined to go with larger sizes since my SmartPhone covers ultra-portability and one-handed usage. I think tablets might mimic laptops with a broad range of sizes being popular for different needs. Maybe anywhere from 7" all the way up to 17" as more of a tablet-top device.

joubert 16y ago

With Google saying Android not quite ready for tablet purposes (http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20016085-260.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20016085-260.html) and Samsung not actually announced the tablet, this is such an empty "article", except for the tornado warning bit (I'm currently away from the city so that was interesting).

rimantas 16y ago
You say Samsung did not announce the tablet in comments about the article which was liveblogging of the announcement? And how come that samsung.com has promotional videos on the first page, if they did not announce anything? BTW, I find it interesting how little interaction is shown in those videos. Sliding the stocks, typing in some comment, and that's about it. I guess work is not yet done in UI department there…

n2dasun 16y ago

Is Samsung Bada dead? Or are they just using Android until they get their own OS up to task?