Korean electronics giant Samsung announced tonight that its hyped iPad rival — the Galaxy Tab — will be available to Australians in November this year through all the major mobile carriers.

The Android 2.2 Froyo-operated Tab will be available outright for a recommended retail price of $999 for the 16GB model. Carrier plans were not revealed at the event in Sydney this evening where the announcement was made.

Samsung said that plans were underway for Australian developers who wish to develop for the Tab or its Galaxy S Android handset to sell their applications and games through its app store.

Many Australian newspapers and magazines will be available through the device, and Samsung’s Borders partnership extends to the Tab — the retail chain’s eBook application will be available at launch.

The Tab is the first of what is expected to be a growing line-up of Android tablet devices in Australia over the next six months. Dell has also been showing its Streak tablet to carriers, and a number of other manufacturers are developing similar tablet devices.

The Samsung tablet includes telephone functionality and runs on a Cortex A8 1.0GHz Processor, with 16GB of internal memory storage and the ability to support 32GB of additional memory via an addi-in module. The tablet has 512MB of RAM.

Additional features include Flash 10.1, HD video playback with a wide range of supported format (such as DivX, XviD, MPEG4, H.263 and H.264), a 7 hour battery (based on HD video playback) and the texting/typing application Swype.

Sensors include gyroscope, geo-magnetic, accelerometer and light capability. The new tablet sports two cameras, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera for face-to-face video calling and a 3 megapixel camera with LED Flash on its back.

Image credit: Samsung

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1. Geordie
   Posted 22/09/2010 at 9:53 pm | Permalink | Reply

   NOT an iPad rival, a different thing. It’d be refreshing if the Australian tech media stopped framing every single flat object in terms of how it competes with the iPad.

   • Simon Reidy
     Posted 22/09/2010 at 10:45 pm | Permalink | Reply

     Given the iPad is the only widely available tablet in existence that isn’t a heap of crap, it’s a perfectly logical comparison to make. The iPad has taken the world by storm with it’s incredible sales, so to suggest that any new tablet isn’t designed by the manufacturer to be a direct or indirect competitor to the iPad doesn’t make any sense. Not to mention this the only other announced tablet to be supported by Australian carriers. Oh and the whole E-Reader thing?… I think you get the point.

     The Galaxy Tab looks nice going by specs alone, but I’ll wait and see how it performs when it’s been out for a couple of months and fills up with Android apps that aren’t specifically designed to run on it. If it’s anything like Samsung’s Galaxy S phone, it will have great potential and do some things really well, but be riddled with bugs, have horrible battery life and be ruined by the annoying Touchwiz interface on top of Android.

2. Tim
   Posted 22/09/2010 at 9:58 pm | Permalink | Reply

   Wow, didn’t think it was going to be that expensive!

   • Jenna Pitcher
     Posted 23/09/2010 at 10:47 am | Permalink | Reply

     What would you pay for it?

     • RoboticButtocks
       Posted 23/09/2010 at 11:46 am | Permalink | Reply

       up to $599

3. CPKHarris
   Posted 22/09/2010 at 10:26 pm | Permalink | Reply

   As someone in a 2 adult house that is currently running a ridiculous hardware multiple, even I think that is stupid pricey. And that’s from a current Froyo user. Price Fail. I’ll continue researching an iPad for the moment.

   C!

4. John
   Posted 22/09/2010 at 11:07 pm | Permalink | Reply

   Ha! $999 Tell him his dreaming!

   Samsung P580 JS01 – Core i5 430M 2.26 GHz – 15.6″ TFT = $1088 @ HT

   I was really hoping Samsung would take the route of flooding the marked with a affordable and well made product. I;ll be investing in a W7 phone now.

5. John
   Posted 22/09/2010 at 11:07 pm | Permalink | Reply

   Ha! $999 Tell him his dreaming!

   Samsung P580 JS01 – Core i5 430M 2.26 GHz – 15.6″ TFT = $1088 @ HT

   I was really hoping Samsung would take the route of flooding the marked with a affordable and well made product. I;ll be investing in a W7 phone now.

   • RoboticButtocks
     Posted 23/09/2010 at 9:48 am | Permalink | Reply

     doubles! 8^)

6. Ashley
   Posted 23/09/2010 at 12:57 am | Permalink | Reply

   I was waiting to see if the price is lower than an ipad before I buy – about $499 would be my recommendation.

   Now that I know it will be more expensive, it makes the 16GB ipad a bargain and since I’ve made up my mind to buy an ipad. Big app store, high build quality, proven support, lots of after market accessories… and the list goes on. I don’t think anyone would be crazy to pay $999 – especially with the strong Aussie dollar at the moment.

   Sorry Samsung – I think you got it wrong this time round. Your head office staff must be on some ego drugs or spending too much time in the QUAD Cafe.

   You just lost a few sales and the market share. And the fact I may stop buying Samsung products in the future. Don’t rip off your loyal fans.

   Goodbye Samsung

   • Jenna Pitcher
     Posted 23/09/2010 at 10:46 am | Permalink | Reply

     I think they should drop by at least $300.

     They had a nitfy netbook at the showcase with a RRP of $499 – would prefer that over the Tab.

7. Troy
   Posted 23/09/2010 at 7:30 am | Permalink | Reply

   They’re going to price the Tab right out of the market. It “would” be an iPad rival. But, not at that price. If that’s the price it ends up being in the U.S. … Apple has nothing to worry about.

8. RoboticButtocks
   Posted 23/09/2010 at 9:51 am | Permalink | Reply

   Samsung can go jump at that price. Surely if they want to compete with Apple they need to drop their price. Can’t they crunch the expected sales numbers and base the price on an estimated 1 million units sold? Thats kind of what they did on the Galaxy, got it down to a price comparable to the iPhone4. Fingers crossed the Notion Ink keeps it real.

9. PointZeroOne
   Posted 23/09/2010 at 10:45 am | Permalink | Reply

   I’ll stick with my $400 netbook and HTC Legend……

   • Jenna Pitcher
     Posted 23/09/2010 at 10:49 am | Permalink | Reply

     I was hoping for around a netbook price for it – even just a little more exxy – my dreams are crushed.
     No personal tab for me.

     • PointZeroOne
       Posted 23/09/2010 at 1:53 pm | Permalink | Reply

       I like it when you reply to my comments (♥_♥) (=^_^=)

10. Tim
    Posted 23/09/2010 at 11:39 am | Permalink | Reply

    The more I think about it the more disappointed I am :( That price is just redonkulous!

11. Clytie Siddall
    Posted 23/09/2010 at 4:18 pm | Permalink | Reply

    I’m still hanging out for the next model of the iPad. Does anyone know when that is likely to appear?

    And I agree, this price for the Samsung Tab is unrealistic.

12. Yohan jerome
    Posted 22/10/2010 at 2:30 am | Permalink | Reply

    I was looking forward to the tab for a few months now, I like to keep pace ( or try to at least ) with new technology, I have an iPad at this point, I really did think that the tab would be at the very least a very strong iPad competitor if not an iPad beater, shame on you samsung, you priced it too high…….and what’s even worst samsung Australia has set the price roughly 390 dollars above it’s American counter parts……I’m disgusted by your actions……do you think people are stupid to buy your products at this price……I have the galaxy s and this was more fairly priced to compete with the iPhone 4g……….shame on you guys…..EPIC FAIL!!!!!!,

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