Gadgetory

hey I'm Donald Bell and today we're taking a first look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab this is an android-based tablet computer running Android 2.2 the 7-inch capacitive touchscreen it's available on all major carriers starting mid-november with various pricing plans this version is in from Sprint which has the tab for $399 for the two-year contract plus a monthly data plan that's a minimum of $29 as a competitor to the Apple iPad the tab isn't cheap but the samsung's credit they didn't skimp on the product we've already seen cheap 7-inch Android tablets like VR co 7 and they're not great as the name implies the galaxy tab offers Samsung's Galaxy smartphone experience in a larger tablet form on the front you've got a screen which is covered with a scratch resistant Gorilla Glass the LCD underneath is a crisp 1024 by 600 resolution which is on par with the iPad but since the screen is about half the size the pixel density is much tighter above the screen you have a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera which is perfect for video chat and across the bottom you have the typical Android style buttons for menu home back and search there's a standard headphone jack on the top and volume and power buttons on the side along with a micro SD card slot for this model from Sprint a 16 gigabyte card was included on the bottom you've got Samsung's dock connector and a pair of built-in speakers flip it over and you'll see a white plastic back and a larger three megapixel camera with an integrated flash overall the feel is very solid it's about a half inch thick same as the iPad but not as tapered at the edges it's lighter than the iPad easier to hold in one hand and has the huge benefit of actually being able to fit in an average pocket that said compared to the 5-inch Dell Streak it's large enough to deliver an experience that's closer to the iPad nine point seven inch screen the on-screen keyboard is ample and the screen size is large enough that it can share the same page as an email or a webpage the keyboard itself isn't quite as accommodating as the iPad but on the upside smartphone style thumb typing feels natural and the keyboard responds with haptic feedback Samsung also includes sweat capabilities out of the box allowing you to run your finger over groups of letters to trigger an auto suggestion the tabs paperback size is also a natural fit for e-books and the Amazon Kindle app comes pre-installed another big deal here is that the official google app market is included front and center giving you access to all the popular apps Pandora TweetDeck Yelp Angry Birds they're all here and they all look great on the big screen Samsung also throws in a few of their own unique apps such as the media hub store for downloading movies and TV shows apps like contacts calendars and memo have all been optimized for the larger screen and because the tab includes GPS along with 3G and Wi-Fi the included navigation app does an excellent job as an in-car navigation device offering turn-by-turn directions points of interest and voice search another little advantage of the tab has over the iPad is Adobe Flash 10.1 compatibility allowing all of the web´s flash video content to play natively in the browser the results are a little choppy in some cases but it's nice to have the option so is the Galaxy Tab better than the iPad it may be for some people who really want the portability the camera the flash support or the extra carrier options but I don't think the iPad is too much to worry about honestly with the tab about half the size of the iPad the kind of different products the iPad is more of a netbook alternative while the tab fits into more of the smartphone and ereader camp it's a solid device though and if the price and the carrier contracts don't scare you off you should definitely check it out so that's the Samsung Galaxy Tab for cnet.com I'm Donald OH you