“The clip doesn’t provide more than was already known but confirms the front camera for ‘video calling,’ 720p playback and Android 2.2 out of the box,” Electronista reports. “A formal launch is now penned in for September 2, just ahead of the IFA show in Berlin. The device is now expected to have a seven-inch, 1024×600 display, carry both front and back cameras, and hold 16GB of internal storage.”
Electronista reports, “The company has strongly hinted at a US launch and, combined with our sighting in Australia, is now believed to be planning the same kind of worldwide launch that it had for the Galaxy S in a bid to thwart Apple before it cements its control of tablets with the iPad.
Read more in the full article here.
Samsung’s “Galaxy Tab” teaser video:
MacDailyNews Take: Why is the screen 7-inches? That’s probably the only way they’ll be able to claim “close to,” similar to” or even “better than” Apple iPad’s battery life.
Apple leads. The rest of the world follows at a distance.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
Apple needs to license that swype entry process – I forget the name. Me likes it.
@jaundiced
What the f*** are you talking about, everyone here at MDN dismissed that rumor as BS
The first thing that strikes me about the ad is that it shows the interface for only a fraction of a second, while 99% of the ad is used up by showing the exterior without the screen lit.
Having experience with the Galaxy S phone that larger screen should really help people get better air time when they toss it out a window in frustration.
So here’s a question for you camera buffs – if you put a camera on the iPad, do you just want one? If so, presumably its only for Facetime and video chat, because otherwise how would you use it (when you can’t aim the camera and see the screen at the same time). Are you really so convinced that you want other people to see you that way (especially when hardly anyone else will have a compatible version)?
Second question, if there are two cameras (one for Facetime and one for video/picture taking) where should the second one be on a device this size? If it has to be there, seems to me it has to be on the edge, like they are showing in the video. None of the Apple devices (so far) have an edge camera, but if the iPad has to get cameras, I hope Apple is smart enough to copy this idea. And if there can be only one camera, I’d rather have it on the edge than the back or front.
Why the frack are people calling it “ugly”? It looks very much like a stretched iPhone 4.
Why so little time looking at the screen – while lit? No software (apps) for it … yet?
Why call it “too small”? It’s closer in size to a G1 iPad than to a much smaller iPhone, and who was calling the iPhone “small”? Besides me.
Look. We know this device has a tough row to hoe. It will be trying to horn in on a market that should have been defined by MSFT – but wasn’t – and is now pretty much owned by Apple. They may well have ignored Apple’s decision on Flash … <u>that</u> would kill their battery life quickly! Chances are pretty good it will fail on its own merits, no need to kick it with bogus issues before hand.
7 inch will also be the only way to build a solid device and still keep it under $400.
Grrrilla, I often carry a “real” camera – compared to the toss-offs generally found in cell phones – so I don’t really care as much for a outward facing camera as for a “Facetime”/iChat camera on my portable computer.
That said …
… near the edge, a short side, would seem the best. Want to get tongues wagging? Make it auto-focus and at least 2X, maybe up to 4X, zoom capable. Surround the lens with a LED flash, to save on battery use. Now, it would be better for the flash to be on the far end of the device, but most people would position that at the “bottom” … not good. Turn off the light, hold flashlight under your chin, look in mirror. 99% of the time, not what you are looking for.
I guess your arm will get really tired trying to hold that up to video chat – Just because it has it doesn’t mean anyone will use it and I’m sure it won’t be easy to use.
@lukeskymac:
Everyone? There were 43 comments on the original story. Of this total, by my count,
28 comments were off-topic, or didn’t address the item as a rumor directly.
9 comments either dismissed it as rumor or were otherwise unfavorable.
6 comments were favorable and/or stated they would buy a smaller iPad.
I think “everybody at MDN” dismissing the story as a rumor is just a little overstated.
Looks much like a shrunk iPad. That was actually the size that I had anticipated for the iPad based on a form factor closer to 16:9. It seemed about right in landscape mode to use thumbs for tapping.
Some people have been quite vocal against the idea of a smaller iPad. But I still think that it is a reasonable idea. I recently read a book on an iPod touch and I think that a display that was roughly twice as big would be about right and more portable than the current iPad. Not that I have anything against the current iPad – I’m just too cheap to spend the cash right now. Perhaps iPad 2?
Giant Giggle themed NEWTON but without Apple OS. Pure wannabe bloatware door stop TAB.
Perhaps, if the question were “would you buy a 7″ iPad-mini?”, we would get some more balanced replies.
Personally, I use a brand new 15″ MBP with matte screen at home and an iPhone 3Gs enroute. After living with the iPad for a few days (friend in the business), I returned it knowing that I didn’t really want one.
I find the iPad too heavy and awkward for extended reading, and writing on it requires a tilt, or a stand and keyboard, in which case the MBP is much more satisfying to use.
However, a 6-7″ screen device, as long as it were pocketable and offered telephony, would very well be of interest, because that would make reading more enjoyable than on the iPhone. Same for the occasional film on the train.
So, really, Samsung – who certainly know how to build things – might well be very smart addressing a somewhat different market than Apple. Instead of trying to build an iPad, they are inserting a product right into an obvious gap.
I find it regrettable, how limited the range of opinions has become here. Used to be that there was a dialogue, where differing views were at least considered. Lately, there seems to a lot fo cheering or jeering, with little else between. How come?
7″ and thick. Seems like the palm of your hand is an Ok place for that. Unless it’s got a display.
Cameras are not always a good thing. I was in Federal court a few weeks ago, they do not allow cameras in the building. My iPhone stayed in the car, my iPad came in with me. The business world will need iPads without cameras. The cameras in the iPad wannabes will keep them out of lucrative markets. BTW the lawyers loved the iPad. One was showing us photos on his netbook, it sucked worse than a crack whore.
@prenzelberger: interesting take. There has been a lot of speculation and rumor suggesting a smaller version iPad (or perhaps its the new touch update). I have used an iPad for several days on a loan basis – have to say that I am also not interested for the same reasons you mentioned. Someone else’s e-Ink reader would be more useful to me for supplementing my laptop and iPhone.
I don’t really see telephony for such a device. It isn’t small enough to use as a primary phone (with a 6 or 7 inch screen it just can’t be ‘pocketable’ without a lot of pocket bulge and high risk of breaking when sitting).
I find myself intrigued by this device. If Apple doesn’t come out with something similar in the next month or so, it won’t happen before Christmas and the new year. And now that they no longer do January Macworld, there would be no reason to expect an update until the iPad’s anniversary (similar to the iPhone schedule). If the Android OS can be made to play nice with Mac OSX, I’d be open to this form factor. But if not, then I won’t be interested. But the large majority of Windows users out there might be.
CEO: “We need a video teaser we can put on the net to generate hype.”
Product guy: “But we don’t have a working product yet, nor even a final design.”
Marketing: “No problem. We’ll use a lot of quick cuts, blurry motion shots, poorly lit silhouettes, static screenshots, and we’ll be careful not to show how the thing is supposed to work.”
CEO: “Brilliant!!”
@ Grrilla
Telephony via headset would be convenient, but it isn’t a must-have.
Screen resolution, of course, would be, but Samsung should have a handle on that. They should also be able, to produce feel-good hardware, which I find important in something, one handles a lot. (On that score, I actually prefer the iPhone 3 over the 4, because the latter has those sharp edges.)
I’ll have a chance to play with the thing next week (I’m in Berlin)
Android 2.2 out of the box lol? Are you sure you don’t have to download and compile it yourself?
People need to cease being such blind fanboys here. This is a very nice looking and well spec’d device, and I hope it performs well. Why? Because competition keeps Apple and others honest, in that they must continue to innovate or be left behind. And I say this as I type on my iPad 64GB. I absolutely love this device, but a camera, especially front facing, and a USB port would make it nearly perfect. Hopefully releases like the Tab will push Apple to add features to their products. Results? WE win!