Update on Samsung's new strategy in the tablets

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CTIA 2011 was an opportunity for Samsung to be very aggressive in the segment of tablets with no fewer than three products presented on the stand. Korean has also refined its strategy to make it more readable to the general public. There will be three Samsung Galaxy Tab on the market at the same time, each and use a different target .






- la Samsung Galaxy Tab 7

7-inch screen, Android 2.2 (Froyo), this big smartphone is designed for content consumption on the move. Magazines, videos, social networks, email consultation ... are the primary uses.

Price: about € 500 on Amazon for the 16GB version Wi-Fi/3G

Available since fall 2010

- The Galaxy Tab 8.9

Presented for the first time at CTIA, this tablet is intended for professionals mobility. With a widescreen and compact but the Android OS 3.0 (Honeycomb), writing email, managing contacts, or production of documents is facilitated. It weighs 470g, measures 8.6mm thick and features a dual core processor.





Price: $ 469 for 16GB and $ 569 wifi for 32GB Wifi

Availability: early summer 2011

- The Galaxy Tab 10.1

This is the direct competitor to the Apple iPad, reading the Flash and more and a few millimeters thick and less (8.6 vs. 8.8mm). Its wide screen and full HD mode intended rather to the consumption of media and home entertainment. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is not less mobile since it weighs only 595g and features a 6800mAh battery (up to 10h of battery life). The features of the OS are identical to version 8.9. "




Price: $ 499 for 16GB and $ 599 WiFi 32GB for WiFi

US Availability: June 8, 2011

While most competitors focus on a single format, this makes three Samsung tablets on the market, including two new generation. The original Galaxy Tab seems outdated but Samsung was keen to integrate its communication at the CTIA to support its strategy.

Models 8.9 and 1.10 were presented as prototypes: their designs and features have to be modified in a few weeks to counter the iPad 2. Only a few final models, were nonfunctional under glass. It's quite impressive to imagine a company discard a product already introduced and scheduled for release in May, for the full makeover in record time to stay competitive ...




The prototypes Allowed to take control of Honeycomb, the latest version of Android for the shelves, and Touchwiz 4.0, the Samsung overlay. The least We Can Say Is That a great step has-been taken from the Galaxy Tab 7 "Android 2.2. Honeycomb is fluid, full of possibilities and, of course, much better suited to the format That Froyo tablet.

  


Personally, I found that additions of Samsung held the gadget and the differentiation from other Android tablets of the show was minimal. Among these additions: a "tray" horizontal bottom, which provides access to tools like the calculator or memo, or "live panel" home screens preconfigured with widgets .

The big shortcoming of the new user interface is the lack of ergonomics: the navigation is intuitive and all but the people who tried seemed lost. Between the "live panels", the "tray", the screens, applications, widgets and the sidebar, the customization possibilities offered by these tablets are great, but it's all very confusing and not really "user friendly" . Too bad ... Hopefully after a period of adjustment the grip becomes more satisfying!