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If you were reluctant to purchase a Samsung Galaxy Tab because of the steep price of purchasing a mobile contract along with the device, your lucky day will soon arrive. Samsung has just announced that a Wi-Fi only version of their Samsung Galaxy Tab will be available starting this quarter!
The company claims to have sold 1.5 million Galaxy Tabs globally – that’s no small feat – and the Wi-Fi only version will greatly boost this already large number.
Date and pricing details weren’t included, but we can imagine they will be sold NOT through carrier (no contract) but instead at stores like Best Buy and Radio Shack. But weirder things have happened: Verizon is bundling the iPad with Mi-Fi for example.
Here is the full press release:
SAMSUNG MOBILE ANNOUNCES UPCOMING AVAILABILITY OF WIFI-ONLY SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB™
January 5, 2011LAS VEGAS, January 5, 2010 —Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S.1, today announced the WiFi-only Samsung Galaxy Tab™ will be available for purchase in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2011.
The Galaxy Tab runs on Android™ 2.2 (Froyo) and features a 7-inch TFT display with 1024 x 600 WSVGA resolution. The lightweight and sleek device weighs only 13 ounces, is 12 millimeters thin and easily fits in a jacket pocket or purse. . The Galaxy Tab includes 16GB of internal storage and has microSD expansion for up to 32 GB of additional storage. The Tab also supports Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 to deliver an enhanced content experience with access to thousands of Web sites packed with complex Flash-based applications and content. The Galaxy Tab’s Flash content support includes games, animations, rich Internet applications (RIAs), data presentations and visualizations, ecommerce, video, music and more. The Galaxy Tab is also designed with a rear-facing 3 megapixel camera for taking pictures on-the-go, as well as a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera and camcorder for video chat.
“Samsung has always taken great pride in giving consumers the most choices when deciding which mobile device to make their own,” said Omar Khan, chief strategy officer for Samsung Mobile. “The Galaxy Tab’s compact and convenient design makes this device a true mobile tablet perfect for watching a movie, video chat, reading e-book content or emailing while on-the-move or relaxing at your home or office. We’re very excited that the Galaxy Tab recently passed the 1.5 million global shipments milestone.”
Powered by Android 2.2, the Galaxy Tab offers services like Google Maps™ with Navigation (Beta) and Google Goggles™, as well as access to more than 100,000 applications currently available for download on Android Market™. Just like the Samsung Galaxy S smartphone portfolio, the Galaxy Tab keep users connected with Samsung’s Social Hub application. Social Hub works with the user’s Messaging and Contacts to initiate the sending and receiving of information, whether it is e-mail, instant messaging, social network updates or SMS messages. Information from portal calendars, such as Google Calendar ™and social networking services are merged into a single interface for easy organization.
Additional features of the Galaxy Tab include:
– Daily Briefing: Offers instant access to weather, news, stocks, and schedules.
– Impressive Expandable Memory: Galaxy Tab can add 32 GB of external memory to store and manage your favorite video content and pictures.
– AllShare DLNA Technology: Take video or pictures shot with Galaxy Tab and send the original content wirelessly to other DLNA-enabled devices (HDTVs, laptops, PC monitors, etc.)
– Document Viewer & Editor: Open and make changes to any Word, Excel, Powerpoint or PDF document
– 4,000 mAh Battery: Super-sized battery provides ample power to watch movies, share content and surf the Web
Now that there is a Wi-Fi only version, will you splurge for the Galaxy Tab?
I hope it doesn’t come with 2.2. Might as well make it Honeycomb
if its sub $400 i will take my 4 day old NC back and buy one on launch day
Maybe the tab will get updates on time due to no carrier bloatware, unlike the galaxy phones
Sadly this offering will look old once we start seeing Honeycomb tablets announced (any minute now). I think Samsung missed their window.
so I guess I’ll say it…apart from being on really tight budget, who would honestly buy this thing when the new Moto Xoom will be out shortly with 3.0? Sorry Samsung, you missed your window with this. Could have DEFINITELY unloaded a lot of these pre-christmas (i.e. by releasing it in Oct/Nov). Oh well!
I agree with Dave… no point when Honeycomb tabs are only a couple months away.
No bueno Samsung
Yeah, it does seem like they missed their window. If they had released it a few months back for a reasonable price I would have bought one.
I’m still interested though, as it would be good to have along side my NookColor for development, but I’d only want to pay about $300.
Austin, by the time this thing finally comes out, your 4 day Nook might be a bit older than the allowed return time. ;)
Not unless it comes with Honeycomb (3.0?).
How can this compete with the slew of Tegra Honneycomb tablets? They will have to charge $250 for it.
Thanksgiving to Xmas, Yes we have the Tab for sale but you will be a slave to the carriers and we will charge what we want. Ummm boss, CES is here and all the new tablets are coming out. Ohhhh Errrr aaaaa See what I meant to say was we have the WiFi coming out and will cut the cost!!!!
sorry, this version is done…why buy a single core when the dual cores are here…so yesterday!
Great article on the upcoming WiFi version of the Galaxy Tab! We’re running a contest right now open to anyone from anywhere to win a Galaxy Tab free. Check out the details here http://bit.ly/fuSvL8
A little late samsung. I am all about that Motorola Xoom that will be my next tablet if all goes to plan. I will be checking out the option, but it looks like motorola has me pretty locked up now. Cause the Droid Bionic will be my next device hands down.
why samsung? why did you do such a foolish thing. this should have been out 6 months ago. really..
but.. im sure Samsung probably thinks their Touch Wiz is the reason why they can still sell it. cause its “pretty”. and im sure thats true. so i change my mind.. Samsung should do fine for the next 6 months.. because, there will not be an android 3.0 tablet on display at best buy. :]
regular costumers that really know nothing of technology will still be comparing the Galaxy Tab to the iPad for an hour while us geeks are still waiting for the release date of the Xoom (or whatever you want).
and when all android 3.0 tablets come out.. they will still have that manly android stock interface.. regular people.. i think will see the galaxy tab as a better device because of the skin on the outside.. and not really knowing whats in the inside.
so my point is.. your sister, your mom, your gay uncle, and your niece will choose the wifi only galaxy tab over the wifi only Xoom because of the UI.
please correct me if im wrong. i want to be wrong.. but not everyone in this world are tech geniuses like us. =P
> Now that there is a Wi-Fi only version, will you splurge for the Galaxy Tab?
What an unbelievably stupid question! There’s no pricing information and this is identical to the existing product but lacking the GSM feature – so the *only* reason you might now splurge for the Galaxy Tab is if it’s now cheaper.
It costs very for Samsung to include GSM in the device, so I can’t see a wifi only device being much cheaper. This is not the solution.
The US wireless market is unbelievably backward compared with that in Europe where you can get a prepaid zero commitment SIM that then allows you to buy data in small chunks (eg a days access) for next to nothing – perfect for occasional access on a tablet.