Samsung Galaxy Tab lands on Verizon for $599.99

So it was written, and so has it been done. Hot on the heels of T-Mobile, the little Samsung Galaxy Tab 7-inch Android tablet that could just hit Verizon retail for $599.99. Of course, that’s before taxes and options for month-to-month data plans (with $35 activation fee) are factored in starting at $20 per month for 1GB on up to $80 for 10GB. So feel free to jump right in if the idea of waiting for a Super AMOLED version, a 10.1-inch flavor, or a tablet-tuned Android release sounds like crazy talk.

[Thanks, Spencer T.]

Samsung Galaxy Tab lands on Verizon for $599.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 01:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How ‘Super AMOLED’ Displays Work

Some tablets and smartphones ship with an AMOLED display. Newer ones are shipping with a “Super AMOLED” display. What so super about it, and what does all this alphabet soup even mean?

The short version is that a Super AMOLED touchscreen display integrates touch sensors with the glass surface panel, eliminating at least one layer of glass and with it, a layer of air. That’s what makes Super AMOLED super. Only Samsung makes it.

Super AMOLED schematic from Samsung

I said “at least one layer of glass” because AMOLED itself eliminates at least one layer in a display. The current Galaxy Tab, for example, uses a TFT-LCD (Thin-Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display) screen. Until very recently, TFT-LCD has been the state of the art in thin color displays and is still the only cost-effective option in the vast majority of displays larger than a smartphone screen.

TFT-LCD has approximately four layers: a backlight, a TFT color filter, a touch-sensor panel, and an outer glass screen. AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) eliminates the separate backlight. AMOLED, however, is known for having problems with glare and readability in direct sunlight, even relative to average LCD screens. By minimizing the number of reflective surfaces and power necessary to achieve vivid color, Super AMOLED was designed in part to address this.

Samsung introduced Super AMOLED to commercial devices this year with the Samsung Wave, which ran their own Bada OS. The Android-powered Samsung Galaxy series of smartphones made the displays popular, and it’s since appeared on Samsung’s Windows Phone 7 handsets as well.

There are other advanced color technologies in the market, all of them super, and all of them extra-expensive: Super LCD recently joined Super IPS and Advanced Super View. But only Super AMOLED has really captured the popular imagination.

A 7-inch Android tablet with an AMOLED display would probably be a serious advance over its current LCD screen. But if it’s “just” AMOLED, something about it would just seem … less than super.

See Also:


How Super AMOLED Displays Work

Some tablets and smartphones ship with an AMOLED display. Newer ones are shipping with a “Super AMOLED” display. What so super about it, and what does all this alphabet soup even mean?

The short version is that a Super AMOLED touchscreen display integrates touch sensors with the glass surface panel, eliminating at least one layer of glass and with it, a layer of air. That’s what makes Super AMOLED super. Only Samsung makes it.

Super AMOLED schematic from Samsung

I said “at least one layer of glass” because AMOLED itself eliminates at least one layer in a display. The current Galaxy Tab, for example, uses a TFT-LCD (Thin-Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display) screen. Until very recently, TFT-LCD has been the state of the art in thin color displays and is still the only cost-effective option in the vast majority of displays larger than a smartphone screen.

TFT-LCD has approximately four layers: a backlight, a TFT color filter, a touch sensor panel, and an outer glass screen. AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) eliminates the separate backlight. AMOLED, however, is known for having problems with glare and readability in direct sunlight, even relative to average LCD screens. By minimizing the number of reflective surfaces and power necessary to achieve vivid color, Super AMOLED was designed in part to address this.

Samsung introduced Super AMOLED to commercial devices this year with the Samsung Wave, which ran their own Bada OS. The Android-powered Samsung Galaxy series of smartphones made the displays popular, and it’s since appeared on Samsung’s Windows Phone 7 handsets as well.

There are other advanced color technologies in the market, all of them super, and all of them extra-expensive: Super LCD recently joined Super IPS and Advanced Super View. But only Super AMOLED has really captured the popular imagination.

A 7-inch Android tablet with an AMOLED display would probably be a serious advance over its current LCD screen. But if it’s “just” AMOLED, something about it would just seem… less than super.

See Also:


Samsung Galaxy Tab Review: A Pocketable Train Wreck [Video]

This is it. The Galaxy Tab is the first Android tablet meant for humans. But is it actually fit for humans? No. More »

Samsung notches record profits, aims to sell ten million Galaxy S phones this year

My, how a year changes things. Q3 2009 was a nightmare for mega-corps in terms of earnings, but things have definitely been on the up and up just 12 months later. After Sony pushed out a glowing quarterly report this morning, rival Samsung has done likewise. The company saw record breaking revenues of ₩40.23 trillion ($35.8 billion) as well as profits (₩4.46 trillion; $3.96 billion) in this most recent quarter, with Sammy crediting strong semiconductor performance for the bulk of its newfound fortune. A tip of the hat was also given to its mobile communications business, with the outfit moving a staggering 71.4 million phones during Q3 2010 (a 19 percent boost year-over-year). Reports are noting that between five and seven million of those were of the Galaxy S variety, and it’s hoping to sell ten million of ’em before the close of this year. All that said, the firm isn’t expecting an equally rosy Q4, noting that a strengthening won and heightened price pressures around LCD panels and DRAM could put a damper on skyrocketing profits. So much for taking a day to celebrate, eh?

[Thanks, Rajendra]

Continue reading Samsung notches record profits, aims to sell ten million Galaxy S phones this year

Samsung notches record profits, aims to sell ten million Galaxy S phones this year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab hitting T-Mobile USA on November 10th, $400 on contract

America’s number four carrier just landed a launch date for Samsung’s Froyo-based Galaxy Tab, and sure enough, it’ll be trotting out into the spotlight a full 24 hours before Verizon Wireless and four whole days prior to Sprint. Trouble is, T-Mob’s not being kind enough to dole out a price tag, so there’s no reasonable way for you to compare its offering against the competition. But hey, being first out of the gate, they can’t hold out on us too much longer, eh?

Update: T-Mobile USA’s official Galaxy Tab portal just went live, and guess what? You’ll be shelling out $399.99 for this bad boy… on a two-year data contract. You’ll also be responsible for a $35 activation fee and a $200 early termination charge should you soon realize just what you’ve gotten yourself into.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab hitting T-Mobile USA on November 10th, $400 on contract

Samsung Galaxy Tab hitting T-Mobile USA on November 10th, $400 on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 09:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Galaxy Tab for Sprint confirmed for November 14th: $400 with two-year contract

Well, that didn’t take long. After hearing this morning that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab might possibly be hitting Sprint on November 14th, the carrier has come out and confirmed the date, along with some pricing details. Whereas the Verizon deal is a penny under $600 with no commitment required, Sprint’s offering the 7-inch slate for $399.99 along with a necessary two-year 3G Tablet Mobile Broadband plan (according to Phone Scoop who contacted the company, there’ll also be a $599.99 offer with no contract). That’ll run you $29.99 for 2GB and $59.99 for 5GB. Can’t wait to see what price the GSMers might offer? Pre-orders start today.

Galaxy Tab for Sprint confirmed for November 14th: $400 with two-year contract originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 11:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Player 50 shown off in lengthy ad, already on sale in France

We got a pretty good look at Samsung’s Android-based Galaxy Player 50 at IFA last month, but those looking for even more can now get a pretty thorough overview of the device courtesy of a new Samsung ad that runs a full two minutes and forty seconds. What’s more, Samsung Hub is reporting that at least one retailer in France is already selling the device, which is basically a Samsung Galaxy phone without the phone. That means you’ll get Android 2.1, a decent 3.2-inch screen, a 2 megapixel camera, built-in WiFi and GPS, 8 or 16GB of storage, and a microSD card slot for expansion. Head on past the break for the video, and look for the phone to officially hit other retailers in Europe later this month (still no word on a release over here, unfortunately).

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Player 50 shown off in lengthy ad, already on sale in France

Samsung Galaxy Player 50 shown off in lengthy ad, already on sale in France originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Samsung Galaxy Tab $600 on Verizon

Samsung has announced the price of its iPad rival, the Galaxy Tab. It will cost $600 and come contract-free on Verizon’s 3G network. A data plan is optional and will cost $20 per month for 1 GB, and the tablet will be available to buy on November 11th.

It’s an interesting price, coming in at just $30 shy of the cheapest iPad 3G, but with a screen just half the size. You do get a couple of cameras, though — 3 MP back and 1.3 MP front — as well as the latest Android OS 2.2 Froyo running on Cortex A8 a 1-GHz CPU.

I can’t guess how this will go. Samsung has, after all, sold 5 million of its Galaxy S phones in just three months, and many people will surely appreciate the pocketability of the smaller form factor. On the other hand, the iPad can now be had on Verizon for around the same price, although you do have to use the MiFi hotspot to get Verizon 3G.

One thing is certain. The Galaxy Tab is the first really viable alternative to the iPad, and it will show us if the non-nerd public is willing to buy tablets in general like they do cellphones, or if they are only interested in Apple’s, as happened with its dominant iPad market. We’ll see soon enough.

Verizon Wireless Puts Samsung Galaxy Tab in Stores in November [Samsung]

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Verizon to sell Galaxy Tab starting November 11th for $599.99

Well, we finally have a price on this thing! America’s largest carrier has announced plans to sell Samsung’s Galaxy Tab for… $599.99. The 3G, Android 2.2-based unit (which will be loaded with V CAST apps, of course) will hit retail on November 11th, and since it’s being sold at full price, a data plan (which starts at $20 per month for 1GB) is completely optional. It looks like customers will have some fairly strong choices on Big Red, considering that the impossible-to-ignore iPad is being made available in Verizon’s stores as well. Tough decisions are ahead for potential tablet buyers — but we’re sure you’ll do what’s right. Check out the full press release below, and good luck!

Continue reading Verizon to sell Galaxy Tab starting November 11th for $599.99

Verizon to sell Galaxy Tab starting November 11th for $599.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 08:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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