New York – Samsung’s newest tablet,
the
, will hit the market this month in Wi-Fi and 4G versions.
Verizon Wireless plans June
availability of what will be the carrier’s first LTE-equipped tablet and one of
the country’s first 4G tablets. The carrier priced the 16GB Tab 10.1 at $529.99
with two-year 3G/4G contract and the 32GB version at $629.99 with two-year
contract. The devices will be available June 8 for online preorder through
Verizon’s web site and be available to consumers to take home “in coming
weeks,” the carrier said.
The Wi-Fi edition of the Tab 10.1
will be available exclusively starting June 8 at Best Buy’s Union Square store
in New York City but will roll out starting June 17 to a variety of retailers
and locations, including additional Best Buy stores, Best Buy’s online store, Fry’s
Electronics, Amazon.com, Micro Center, Tiger Direct and Newegg.
The 32GB version of the Wi-Fi
edition will retail for $599, with the 16GB version retailing for $499.
In mid-summer, carrier Sprint will
offer the Wi-Fi edition as well.
The Wi-Fi and 4G versions are
promoted as thinner than any other tablet currently on the market at 8.6
millimeters. Both feature the tablet-optimized Android 3.1 Honeycomb OS.
Key features include 1280×800
resolution HD screen, 1GHz dual-core processor, 2-megapixel front-facing camera
for video chats, 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/, Adobe
Flash Player, access to Google’s online video-rental store, and a 7000mAh
battery providing up to 9 hours of continuous use on a single charge.
In a planned software upgrade, Samsung will
add an updated version of its Media Hub, which enables downloads of rented or
purchased movies and TV episodes. The redesign includes a simpler user
interface and support for playback of content on a TV through an HDMI cable
from a Galaxy Tab 10.1 dock or adapter.
The planned upgrades also include
DLNA-enabled transfer of content to other DLNA-enabled devices such as HDTVs.
The upgrade will also enable the tablet to accept streaming content wirelessly.
The LTE-equipped tablet will join
one other 4G tablet currently on the market. That’s T-Mobile’s HTC-made G-Slate
4G, which is already available starting at $529 with contract. Other 4G tablets
are due from AT&T and Sprint, but specific introduction dates haven’t been
announced. Sprint previously said it planned summertime availability of the
HTC-made EVO 4G tablet, and AT&T previously said it planned second-quarter
availability of the Acer Iconia Tab A501.
