Tech: Samsung Galaxy Tab

The Samsung Galaxy Tab has attracted attention as the first serious rival to Apple’s iPad. Running Android 2.2 (Froyo), the tablet is half the weight of the iPad at 380g and you can make phone calls on it.

The seven-inch screen is bright, sharp and responsive. Video playback is smooth, thanks to the 1GHz processor. There’s plenty of storage for video, with 16GB of onboard memory and a microSD slot for up to another  32GB.

Unlike on the iPad, you can make calls and send texts using 3G and it takes a standard SIM, not a micro one. Hands-free voice quality isn’t bad, though it’s hard to picture anyone using it without a Bluetooth earpiece.

The supplied browser is swift and, with Froyo, you get Flash compatibility but, as with all Androids, a new browser such as Dolphin HD makes browsing more pleasurable. Samsung preloads the full version of Sygic Mobile Maps, complete with street-level data by MapmyIndia. Get a car mount for it and it’s your in-car PND.

If there’s a problem here it’s Android OS’s lack of optimisation for tablets; the Galaxy often feels more like an oversized handset than a true tablet.
Another cut is the cost. It is almost Rs. 40,000, more expensive than the iPad’s US price and in the same bracket as the grey market price of the Apple tablet in India.

This material is reproduced from T3 magazine and is the copyright of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company, UK 2010. Used under licence. All rights reserved.