BIG 4 Announce Samsung Galaxy Tab [Verizon, AT&T, TMO, Sprint]

Tonight is ALL about the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the carriers rolling with the tablet are getting in on the action too. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint all issued their own Press Release touting Samsung’s holiday hopeful and we’ve featured each below for your perusal.

Verizon Wireless

VERIZON WIRELESS ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST MOBILE TABLET, THE SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB™

Delivers Premium Mobile Entertainment Experience through 7-Inch Touch Screen Display, Android 2.2 Platform, Front and Rear-Facing Cameras, Entertainment Applications and 1GHz Application Processor

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and DALLAS – Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) today announced that the Samsung Galaxy Tab™ will launch in the coming weeks. Equipped with a brilliant 7-inch touch screen and a 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird Application processor, the Galaxy Tab will provide customers with a robust HTML Web browsing experience.

“The Samsung Galaxy Tab is an exciting addition to the Verizon Wireless Android portfolio,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “Coupled with the nation’s largest 3G network, the Galaxy Tab is a powerhouse that will be as exciting to use as it is practical for both consumers and business customers.”

Verizon Wireless will introduce the Galaxy Tab with a number of exclusive applications such as V CAST Music with Rhapsody®, V CAST Video on Demand, V CAST Song ID, VZ Navigator®, along with games “Let’s Golf” and “N.O.V.A.”

“As we head into the holiday travel season,” Stratton added, “We expect customers will find the Galaxy Tab is the perfect traveling companion – download a book to the Kindle™ eReader, and you won’t miss your favorite paperback. Tune in to Slacker Radio, and create your own custom station or choose from over 100 expert, preprogrammed radio stations from every genre. You can even download a movie and take advantage of a screen large enough to enjoy all the action.”

The Galaxy Tab refines the mobile multimedia experience by offering full support for Adobe Flash 10.1 for video and mobile gaming and an integrated entertainment, multimedia and social networking experience. An image of the Galaxy Tab is available at: http://news.vzw.com/images/releases/Samsung-Galaxy-Tab.jpg. The Galaxy Tab will be available in the coming weeks in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com.

Key features:

• Enhanced TFT display with WSVGA resolution – Offers brighter colors and clearer pictures and delivers 1024 x 600 resolution whether watching a movie or reading a book
• Rear-facing, 3MP camera and camcorder – AutoFocus captures DVD quality video
• Front-facing, 1.3-megapixel camera and camcorder – Enables video chat (Wi-Fi® only) with other people who have video conferencing capabilities (applications available in Android Market™).
• Corporate Email – Supports Android 2.2 Exchange ActiveSync e-mail to synchronize corporate e-mail, contacts and calendars from office e-mail accounts
• Wi-Fi® connectivity (802.11 b/g/n) and 3G Mobile Hotspot support
• Built-in 2 GB internal memory with 16 GB pre-installed microSD™ expandable to 32 GB
• 4,000 mAh Battery – Provides ample power to watch movies, share content and surf the Web for hours
• Ultra thin and weighing less than a pound – For users who don’t want to be weighed down by adding a mobile tablet to their pocket or purse

Lifestyle features:

• Samsung Social Hub – Built around messaging, contacts and calendar sync, which allows users to send and receive daily activities, whether it is e-mail, social network updates or SMS messages
• Customizable touch screen menu with drag-and-drop widgets

AT&T

AT&T*, the U.S. leader in emerging devices, and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S.1, today announced AT&T plans to offer the new Samsung Galaxy Tab™ in time for the holiday season.

Powered by the Android™ 2.2 platform, the Samsung Galaxy Tab touts a 7-inch enhanced TFT touch screen, 1Ghz Hummingbird application processor, support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1, Media Hub – Samsung’s own content service that offers an extensive library of acclaimed films and TV programming, Samsung Social Hub, dual cameras, and many additional features.

AT&T will sell the Galaxy Tab in its company owned retail stores and online at www.att.com in the coming months with other distribution partners to be announced at launch. Pricing for the tablet and AT&T data plan options will also be announced closer to the launch date.

“We’re looking forward to expanding our computing device portfolio and giving our AT&T customers more great choices with this innovative device,” said Glenn Lurie, president of AT&T’s emerging devices. “By teaming with Samsung Mobile to deliver the Samsung Galaxy Tab, we’re equipping our customers with new and exciting ways to connect to the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network.”

AT&T consumers will experience PC-like web-browsing with the Samsung tablet and will have access to many forms of multimedia content on the 7-inch display, on the go. Moreover, users can communicate via e-mail, SMS or social networking with the optimized user interface.

In addition to the numerous Samsung Mobile driven features, the AT&T-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab will also feature AT&T Connection Manager, which automatically connects users to AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots to better manage data usage. AT&T customers will also have access to the entire AT&T national Wi-Fi network. AT&T customers will also have access to AT&T’s Wi-Fi network, featuring more than 20,000 hot spots nationwide.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile Extends Android Lineup With Its First Mobile Tablet, Samsung Galaxy Tab™

T-Mobile’s first tablet to offer powerful Web and entertainment experience for customers at home and on the go

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Sept. 16, 2010 — T-Mobile USA, Inc. and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the United States1, today announced the first mobile tablet in T-Mobile’s Android™ portfolio, the Samsung Galaxy Tab™. A powerful, entertainment device ideal for home or on the go, the Galaxy Tab features a vibrant seven-inch touch screen, speedy processor and the Android 2.2 operating system all in a sleek and compact form factor.

T-Mobile customers will enjoy a rich, brilliant viewing experience on the Galaxy Tab, which features a WSVGA enhanced TFT display combined with 3D-like graphics and full support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 for accessing Flash-enabled websites, watching video and playing games. Running on T-Mobile’s super-fast mobile broadband network and with built-in support for Wi-Fi, the Galaxy Tab’s portable screen is ideal for watching the latest movies and entertainment or experiencing thousands of Android Market™ widgets, games and applications. In addition, T-Mobile’s Galaxy Tab will include the Samsung 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird Application Processor, supporting smooth Web browsing, a rear-facing camera for photo capture and sharing, and a front-facing camera for video chat.

“On the heels of our popular Samsung Vibrant™, we are excited to work with Samsung yet again to offer another premium Android-powered device to our customers,” said Britt Wehrman, vice president, product management, T-Mobile USA. “Tablets are a natural extension of our mobile broadband portfolio as T-Mobile continues to provide customers with new and compelling ways to enjoy Web and entertainment while on the move.”

The Galaxy Tab also provides easy access for downloading and listening to music, updating social networking status in real time, navigating with Google Maps™, and staying connected to friends and family through e-mail, text, IM, and video chat. Similar to the rich experience on the Samsung Vibrant, the Galaxy Tab will feature Samsung’s Social Hub application, as well as Samsung’s new Media Hub content service, providing access to a robust library of premium movies and TV episodes.

Availability
The Galaxy Tab is expected to be available to T-Mobile customers this holiday season. For more information about T-Mobile products and services, please visit http://www.T-Mobile.com.

Sprint

Sprint’s First Android-Powered Mobile Tablet, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Available This Fall
As the perfect combination of an e-reader, media player and mini-PC, Samsung Galaxy Tab from Sprint boasts the reliability of the Sprint 3G network, 7-inch Enhanced TFT touch-screen, super fast 1GHz processor, Android 2.2 with Flash video and dual cameras for video chat

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), September 16, 2010 – Sprint (NYSE: S) and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the United States1, today announced the upcoming arrival of Samsung Galaxy Tab™ to the Sprint 3G network this fall. This new tablet combines the popular Android platform and award-winning data features of the Samsung Galaxy S lineup of mobile devices with the reliability and value of Sprint and access to the Sprint 3G network.

Samsung Galaxy Tab weighs less than a pound and features a brilliant 7-inch Enhanced TFT touchscreen display, Android 2.2, a 1GHz Hummingbird Application processor, supporting 3D graphics and smooth Web browsing, as well as dual cameras for video chat on-the-go. It offers two fast and easy ways to enter text onto the tablet – a virtual keyboard and SWYPE technology, which allows users to input text faster and more intuitively with one continuous finger motion across the virtual keyboard.

“Samsung Galaxy Tab is another Android innovation for Sprint and adds a new category of devices to the Sprint device portfolio,” said Fared Adib, vice president – Product Development, Sprint. “The Sprint 3G network is designed to bring our customers a reliable data experience to keep them productive and entertained on-the-go. With Samsung Galaxy Tab, our customers will appreciate the ability to quickly and easily browse the Web, send email, share pictures and video, use GPS navigation or watch videos or live TV.”

Samsung Galaxy Tab features two cameras – a 3-megapixel camera with camcorder, flash and zoom, and a front-facing, 1.3-megapixel camera – enabling video chat. It also offers mobile hotspot capability to simultaneously connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices. Additional key features include:

Android Market™ for access to more than 80,000 useful applications, widgets and games available for download to customize the experience
Microsoft Document Viewer & Editor to open and make changes to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or PDF documents
Stereo speakers
Wi-Fi – 802.11 b/g/n
Integrated GPS
2GB onboard memory, 16GB microSD card included, with support for up to a 32GB microSD card
4,000 mAh battery
On-The-Go Movie Theater Experience

Samsung Media Hub will offer users an easy-to-use mobile video store with movies and TV shows available for purchase or rental and video content set up for an HD-like entertainment experience. Users can quickly get downloads of a full library of video content powered by some of the biggest names in entertainment using Wi-Fi, including MTV Networks, NBC Universal and Paramount.

Samsung Galaxy Tab will also enable sharing user-generated video content with other devices with Samsung’s exclusive AllShare service. AllShare wirelessly shares stored music, pictures and HD video (720p) to other DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) certified™ home electronics, including HDTVs, monitors, digital cameras and printers. Through AllShare, users can capture special moments with the phone’s camera and camcorder and wirelessly show them to friends or family on their DLNA-certified HDTV or download music from a PC to Samsung Galaxy Tab and take it on the road.

To make staying connected faster and easier, Samsung Galaxy Tab includes Samsung Social Hub, designed to integrate social networking services, messages, personal and business email, calendars and contacts. Calendar information from portal calendars, such as Google Calendar and social networking services, are displayed together in one calendar with two-way synchronization.

Reliability from Sprint 3G

Samsung Galaxy Tab will operate on the Sprint 3G network and customers can be confident in their ability to stay connected. According to the results of a 13-city test conducted by PC World on 3G performance, no one has a more reliable network than Sprint. For the second consecutive year, Sprint’s reliability rates were second-to-none.

PC World’s test involved Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile in 13 major cities in all regions of the country during December 2009 and January 2010. In all, roughly 9,000 individual tests of Sprint’s 3G service were conducted from 280 testing locations. Testing sessions were one minute in duration per location, and network performance can be highly variable from neighborhood to neighborhood. In laptop-based tests, Sprint tied with another carrier for first in 3G network reliability.

With the Sprint Free Guarantee, customers can take advantage of Samsung Galaxy Tab for 30 days. If not completely satisfied, customers may return the device within 30 days to get reimbursed for the device purchase and activation fee, get both the early termination and restocking fees waived, and receive a full refund for the monthly service plan charges.2

A Sprint developer guide for Samsung Galaxy Tab will be available on the Sprint Application Developer Web site when the device launches. The developer guide will provide details for an Android 2.2 tablet and how to take advantage of Samsung Galaxy Tab’s unique hardware and software capabilities on the Sprint network. In addition, session leaders will cover tablet development at the Sprint Developer Conference during the Android breakout sessions. The Sprint Developer Conference is Oct. 26-28 in Santa Clara, Calif. Developers can register for the conference at http://developer.sprint.com/devcon2010.

Props to Sprint who also took the press release as an opportunity to talk to developers about creating apps for the Samsung Galaxy Tab. They discussed how its a unique environment that can be leveraged with the right approach, and I hope devs use the 7-inch screen to their full ability!