There are many reasons to buy a Samsung Galaxy Tablet, and many comparisons abound, the main of course being of course is that it offers Video Calling on all carriers, all of whom, from AT&T and Verizon, Sprint and Clearwire are upgrading to the so-called 4G. Pricing was initially a sticking point though, as that had not been mentioned at the Berlin’s IFA Consumer Electronics Fair in September, but rumours circulated of the Samsung Galaxy Tablet was selling for as high as US$399 on a two (2) year contract on Sprint and T-Mobile. Albeit not responsible for a gadget glut, it is good to note that comparable prices for the Apple iPad Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) versions, specifically the Apple iPad 16GB, which retails at US$499 are considerable lower than the Samsung Galaxy Tablet. This is even when not considering the cost of a separate Data Plan, were you to chose to purchase the Samsung Galaxy Tablet separately, as you would be faced with at least US$25 cost for the Data Plan. It seemed thus that the otherwise stellar Samsung Galaxy Tablet, with the glaring pricing distinction for an entry level device, would have gone out in a Supernova and collapsed under the gravity of its own pricing into a Black Hole of oblivion, threatening to throw a spanner into the works of an otherwise good initial showing from No. 2 smart phone maker Samsung.
Samsung, apparently stung by the reactions and the negative comments in the Media and the Blogsphere, came out guns blazing, escaping the gravitational tug of the Black Hole that threatened an early demise to their Tablet by scrapping contracts and offering the Tablet for one low price of US$599 on Verizon’s Network, with a launch date slated to be on Thursday November 11th 2010. Albeit Telecom Provider Verizon was one of the Networks for the blitzkrieg launching this device, Apple was taking no chances, despite CEO Steve Jobs sounding off by saying that this 7” form factor, despite doing all that the Apple iPad did not do, was going to be “dead on arrival”, launching the Apple iPad mere weeks before on Verizon, bundled with Thirty (30) Day Data subscription of US$20 provided by a Mi-Fi Hotspot device that allows for “tethering” using their 3G Data Network. The big news here, despite speculation by Yahoo! News Blogger Ben Patterson of this being a sign of the arrival of the Apple iPhone on Verizon’s CDMA Network, a popular rumor since the Apple iPhone 3GS’ success in 2009 the Apple iPhone 3GS’ success in 2009 on AT&T in Tech Circles despite the Apple iPhone being an initial loss maker for AT&T, is that this is the first time that Apple has broken its exclusivity contract with AT&T in less than a year. All because of the contender, the Samsung Galaxy Tablet.
Throw the Samsung Galaxy Tablet debut on Sprint’s 3G Network in November 14th 2010 debut on Sprint’s 3G Network in November 14th 2010, three (3) days after with a pricing point of US$400 on a two (2) year contract and on T-Mobile’s Network for US$399 on a two (2) year contract after a US$50 mail-in rebate into that bonfire and the possibility of a price adjustment again as was the case with Verizon debut and you have a bona fide hit for the Christmas of 2010 a genuine Apple iPad challenger, and possibly the only Apple iPad challenger, save for an as yet announced Motorola Tablet (Motorola LightSabre, Star Wars style?) or the much rumoured HP Slate.
More good news for us Jamaicans this Christmas 2010, as thanks to the craze over Tablets gripping the United States of America, Netbooks are expected to be cheaper and thus the device of choice in Third World Countries such as Jamaica this Christmas as per the words of Micron, a Netbook manufacturer predicting lower than expected demand for Netbooks for the fourth Quarter of 2010 or the youthful exuberance of Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn and his revelation of a 50% drop in Netbook and Laptop sales to The Wall Street Journal. Not bad for a device credited with having the fastest adoption rate of any computer thus far, fulfilling its promise to make the Netbook and Laptop form factor obsolete, museum pieces in the Smithsonian by the year 2014. For now, The Samsung Galaxy Tablet is the greatest and possibly thus far the only consumer ready alternative to the Apple iPad.
Microsoft denies making a or had the intentions of making a tablet? I thought they had initially planned to make the “Slate”?
That was HP. HP intended to use Windows 7 as the OS for the Slate. HP has since launched said Slate, specifically the HP Slate 500. Microsoft only had the Courier Tablet in mind, which looks a lot like the Toshiba Libretto.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmIgNfp-MdI
It is a HP tablet hardware, not a Microsoft Tablet designed by HP. They only used the Windows 7 OS, much in the same way a PC is pre-loaded with Windows 7. Note also Windows 7 is not optimized for a multi-touch environment.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20020381-260.html
Update: Samsung offering a wi-Fi 32GB Tablet. Article on this coming soon!!!! Only on Geezam.com
http://gigaom.com/mobile/samsung-galaxy-tab-wifi-tablet/