Samsung Galaxy Tab

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is an Android-based compact tablet computer produced by Samsung that debuted on the 2nd of September at the 2010 IFA in Berlin.

The Galaxy Tab features a 7-inch (180 mm) TFT-LCD touchscreen, Wi-Fi capability, a 1.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 ("Hummingbird") processor, the Swype input system, a 3.2 MP rear-facing camera and a 1.3 MP front facing camera for video calls — running the Android 2.2 (Froyo) operating system. It supports phone functionality (as speaker phone, via provided wired ear piece or Bluetooth earpieces.), except those sold for US market.

Hardware

The tablet is enclosed in a plastic frame that makes it lighter than other metal-bodied tablets, weighing 380 g (0.84 lb).

The GT-P1000 model carries a 7" LCD TFT instead of the AMOLED which is used by Samsung in the rest of its Galaxy S phones. The screen has a 1024×600 resolution. It has a flash internal storage of 16 GB or 32 GB that can be expanded with additional microSD flash cards with up to 32GB more.Its CPU is a 1.0 GHz Cortex A8 application and has 512 MB of RAM paired with a PowerVR SGX540 graphics processor.

The tablet has two cameras: a 3.2 MP camera (rear) that comes with a LED flash and a 1.3 MP front camera for video calling. The front camera has auto focus features when pressing the virtual shutter button. Photo is taken upon release the button. Also have auto panorama pictures, combining 8 picture. Also offer Single shot, Continuous, Panorama, Smile shot, self-shot. Smile shot will automatically trigger once the subject smile. Also allow GPS position tagging to photos.

The tablet has 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, 3G connectivity through GSM, CDMA, HSPA (HSUPA) networks, and a GPS chip.

It is believed that its 4000 mAh battery will give it 7 hours of video playback or 10 hours of talk time.

The AT&T and T-Mobile variants of the Galaxy Tab have a SIM slot that accept a micro SIM card with an adapter card. This slot can also accommodate a 3G data-only SIM card if the user does not need voice cellphone-type calling features. The system automatically reboots every time the SIM card is replaced.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab also has an optional RCA Video Cable that can output the screen to TV or other media. However the screen on the Tab cannot be turned off while you are watching. The best remedy for this situation is to use a backlight dimming app and keep it on the lowest setting. 

Software

This tablet comes with Android 2.2 which has been modified with some custom skins and applications. Most Android 2.2 apps developed using Google's guidelines for Android should scale properly when displayed on larger-screen devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, according to Samsung. Adobe Flash 10.1, DivX, MPEG-4, WMV and Xvid, H.263, H.264support has also been announced. It come with Atmel's maXTouch touchscreen Multi touch capacitive, and multi-tasking,.

It features calendar, email and instant messaging applications. It has a launcher for e-reading applications which starts PressDisplay when reading newspapers, Kobo when reading e-books, and Zinio when reading magazines. For viewing and editing Microsoft Office documents, the Galaxy Tab also comes bundled with the Android version of ThinkFree Office Mobile.

Samsung Galaxy Tab can also provide tethering, acting like a WiFi hotspot for up to 5 devices. Samsung Galaxy Tab phone allow you to store address that is link to Google maps/GPS with one click. It also allows linkage with a contact's Facebook profile if the phone address is linked with the contact's facebook address.

Currently, the Galaxy Tab includes Android 2.2, called Froyo, and will be upgradable to Android 2.3, called Gingerbread, in the near future. Samsung Galaxy Tab HD video content is supported by a wide range of multimedia formats (DivX, XviD, MPEG4, H.263, H.264 and more) which maximizes support for various video format media. Samsung Galaxy Tab plays video well, either stored on the device itself or streamed from YouTube and it can output 720p video to a TV using either a composite video cable or via HDMI when using the optional dock.

Text input in Galaxy Tab can be done using Swype, by tracing a path over letters on a virtual keyboard, but standard XT9 predictive typing is also supported.

Samsung Galaxy Tab also allow screenshot by a simply press and hold the back button and power button at the same time. Screenshots will be captured in a Screenshots folder in your Gallery. 

 Upgrade

During the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) announced that a new 4G LTE-Enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab™ Features Access to Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE Mobile Broadband Network and 5 Megapixel Rear-Facing Camera will be available. 

SPECIFICATION

 

Developer	Samsung
Type	Tablet/Media player/PC
Release date	Varies by region
Units sold	1 million (as of December 4th, 2010)
Operating system	Android 2.2 (codename Froyo)
Power	4000 mAh battery
CPU	1 GHz ARM Cortex A8 "Hummingbird"; 1.2 GHz(Brazil)
Storage capacity	Flash memory 16 GB or 32 GB models and microSD slot
Memory	512 MB
Display	1024 × 600 px, 7.0 in (18 cm) diagonal
Graphics	PowerVR SGX 540
Input	Multi-touch screen
Camera	3.2 MP AF camera with LED flash, 1.3 MP front facing (for video calls)
Connectivity	(GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE) : 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz (HSUPA 5.76Mbps, HSDPA 7.2Mbps) : 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz, or 1700 / 1900 MHz CDMA 800 / 1900 MHz EVDO Rev A Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, DLNA PDMI
Dimensions	190.09 mm (7.484 in) (h) 120.45 mm (4.742 in) (w) 11.98 mm (0.472 in) (d)
Weight	380 g (0.84 lb)
Related articles	Samsung Galaxy S
Website	galaxytab.samsungmobile.com