Samsung unveils ‘rollable’ 13-inch Galaxy Tab; paper-thin screen rolls-away when not in use

Samsung today unveiled a ‘rollable’ 13-inch ‘Galaxy Tab Vellum’ at CTIA Euro in Stuttgart, Germany.

Upon release, Samsung’s 13-inch device will run Google’s next-gen Android operating system, code-named “Rhubarb Pineapple Upside-Down Cake” and features a unique malleable, flexible polymer-based, paper-thin (0.092mm) display that users simply roll-away when not in use. The OLED display’s HD resolution is 1366 x 768 pixels (16:9 aspect ratio). The device’s weight totals just 2.5 ounces (70.87 grams) and, when rolled-away, creates a tube just 1.2 inches (30.47 mm) in diameter by 8 inches (203.2 mm) long.

Samsung’s chief marketing officer, Lie-Wee Ken, said that that the new ‘Galaxy Tab Vellum’ is the “thinnest and largest tablet” in the industry. “Apple cannot compete with this,” he added.

Reporters were not allowed to touch or photograph the device, which Samsung showed in its rolled-away (transportable) state within a seamless, airtight lucite case. Those in attendance at Samsung’s announcement were also shown a video featuring CG footage of the device in action along with the positive reactions of three professionals from New York City who got to test a thicker prototype of the prototype device: Freelance travel writer Joan Hess, independent film director Karl Shefelman, and the CEO of a leading New York real estate firm, Joseph Kolinksi. All three called the device “truly revolutionary and magical” and they couldn’t wait to try the rollable version instead of the 2-inch thick plastic pre-prototype Samsung provided them for testing.

Accordingly, Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab Vellum was awarded CTIA Euro’s 2011 Virtual Prototype Award.

Several analysts’ notes this morning expect Apple’s iPad to lose significant share to Samsung’s new tablets and Google’s next-gen Android OS in general. Pauper Jeffrey analyst Herman Munster wrote, “Expect really, really long lines for this one, Grandpa!”

Samsung did not release pricing or shipping information other than to say that the price would be “competitive” at launch.

MacDailyNews Take: Apple is doomed.

74 Comments

  1. In other news:
    Democrats and Republicans sit down together and vow to work together for the average American. ” For too long we have been bought off by big business, unions, foreign companys and the like. We acknowledge we are all crooks, thieves and liars and we must do better. Government workers at all levels will henceforth act like they care, and any Congressman or Senator who takes a job with Golman Sachs after leaving office will be flogged in Times Square”.

  2. Yes, it is April 1st.

    Ok, I was looking for a link to see it. The last time I saw that kind of device was on a The Next Generation Start Trek episode. The humanoid alien kept looping back in time to save his wife and he could not save her. Her video was able to be played on a rolled up screen device like that.

    1. Correction. You are referring to an episode in Stargate SG-1 in which Col. O’Neill and T’Leac kept going back in time (about 18 hours) like in the movie “Groundhog Day”. The alien human did have a roll-up screen device with his wife’s picture on it. Also “Earth: Final Conflict” had a similar device that had a camera and a expandable screen. It was used for wireless communication and as a computing device. And finally “Andromeda” had the flexies. Paper thin multi-media storage devices that displayed stored audio/visual information. Harper used one to build the android avatar of the ship’s AI.

  3. I predicted this back in 1994 when I met a young designer at Samsung named Poison Ivy (He was french) who had worn the tip off of his eraser on his pencil and said he was going to find a better way.

  4. May well be an AFD joke, but…

    The Philips ‘Vision of the Future’ Corporate Concept book showed a neat mockup of the flexi-screen Shiva Devil PDA, back in – wait for it – 1996.

    It’s only a matter of time folks!

Reader Feedback

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.