Samsung originally unveiled its mid-sized (for its lineup, anyway) Galaxy Tab 8.9 at CTIA way back in March of this year, but today the company finally announced when the slate will be going on sale. The Galaxy Tab 8.9 will officially hit stores on October 2nd for $469 for the 16GB model or $569 for the 32GB version, although interested customers can pre-order a Tab 8.9 of their very own right this second. Specs for the Tab 8.9 are similar to the ones we heard earlier this year and include Android 3.1 beneath Samsung's custom TouchWiz UI.
Also announced on this fine, fine evening is availability for the Samsung Galaxy Player 4.0 and Galaxy Player 5.0 (think of them as Galaxy S smartphones but without the whole phone part). Specs for the Galaxy Players include 4 and 5-inch 800x480 LCD displays, 3.2-megapixel cameras, VGA shooters around front, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi support, 8GB storage, and Android 2.3.5 beneath TouchWiz. Expect these two devices to launch on October 16th with pre-orders kicking off on September 27th. Pricing is set at $229 for the Galaxy Player 4.0 and $269 for the Galaxy Player 5.0.
I'm sure there are many folks out there excited to finally see the Galaxy Tab 8.9 touching down on store shelves, especially after that tease from Best Buy last week. Meanwhile, the new Galaxy Players are interesting products not only because they're good for people that want a personal media player than doesn't have a fruit on it, but also because they let folks give Android a try without needing to sign a contract or pony up the dough for a phone sans commitment. Any of you interested in picking up one of the devices in this Samsung Android trio?
Samsung Mobile Announces New Expansion of Galaxy Family with Addition of Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 8.9 and Samsung Galaxy Player™ 5.0 and 4.0
Ultra-thin & powerful Galaxy Tab 8.9 available for pre-order right now; available in stores nationwide on October 2
Galaxy Player™ 5.0 and Galaxy Player™ 4.0 available for pre-order starting September 27; available nationwide starting October 16
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S.1, and Samsung Electronics America today announced the immediate availability of the Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 8.9, along with the upcoming availability of the Galaxy Player™ 5.0 and 4.0.
“People want their mobile device to fit their lifestyle and the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and Galaxy Players offer unparalled power and portability to meet the widest consumer needs.”
The Galaxy Tab™ 8.9 joins the Galaxy Tab™ 10.1 as the thinnest mobile tablets currently available in the U.S. market, measuring at 8.6 millimeters. The Galaxy Tab 8.9 shares many other features and services with the Tab 10.1 including Samsung’s TouchWiz® UX. This unique user interface was created to integrate with Android™ 3.1, Honeycomb, to deliver a truly customized and interactive tablet experience. The TouchWiz UX includes:
Live Panel: Magazine-like widget view for immediate access to weather, social updates, email, news, photo gallery, all on the home screen
Mini Mode Tray: One-touch overlay access to commonly used applications—Task Manager, Calendar, World Clock, Pen Memo, Calculator and Music Player
Clipboard: Advanced copy & paste functionality allows Galaxy Tab 10.1 users to store photos, Web pages, YouTube links, etc., for easy sharing via email and social network sites
Indicator Quick Panel: Quickly toggle on/off connectivity, notifications, sound, brightness and settings in lower right-hand corner of the display.
Photo Editor: Rotate, crop and adjust colors on high quality digital images
The Galaxy Player™ 5.0 and 4.0 offer a premium entertainment experience without the need for cell service, in a choice of form factors that are extremely pocketable. The large 5-inch and 4-inch touchscreens are an excellent option for enjoying games, music, videos, e-books and social media while on the move. The Galaxy Player 5.0 and 4.0 weigh just 6.4 and 4.2 ounces respectively, delivering powerful entertainment, communication and information without the bulk of portable DVD players or laptops. The Galaxy Players are powered by Android™ 2.3.5, Gingerbread, complete with a new, streamlined user interface and are enabled with Wi-Fi™ (802.11 b/g/n) connectivity for quick and easy access to online services and Web search. In addition, the two devices are designed with front and rear cameras for video chat and photography. Both Galaxy Players will support Samsung’s Media Hub content service in the future through a software update.
"These three additions to the Galaxy family of products are impressive examples of our commitment to offering consumers an unrivaled array of choices for entertainment and information on-the-go," said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Mobile. "People want their mobile device to fit their lifestyle and the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and Galaxy Players offer unparalled power and portability to meet the widest consumer needs."
The Galaxy Tab 8.9 is built with a dual-core T250S processor, WXGA TFT display (1280x800 resolution) fortified by Gorilla® Glass. The portable tablet includes a 6,100 mAh battery for hours of entertainment without needing a recharge. This premium hardware is packaged in a sleek, portable design weighing less than one pound (447 grams).
The Galaxy Tab 8.9 is packed with entertainment, productivity and content sharing services to make the device a true focal core of the user’s consumer electronics ecosystem. The list of powerful services includes:
Samsung Media Hub: Choose from more than 5,000 popular and acclaimed movie and TV titles to download for rent or purchase. Upcoming new release additions to the Media Hub library include “Fast Five,” “Horrible Bosses” and “Green Lantern.” The added service, Media Hub Show, uses an HD Extender to playback content on TV through an HDMI cable from the Galaxy Tab 8.9 dock or adaptor.
Samsung Music Hub: Choose from more than 13 million songs to download into an intuitive playback system. Music Hub also provides extensive background information, with access to all artist bios, discographies and reviews.
Samsung Readers Hub: The lightweight design and large display make the Galaxy Tab 8.9 an ideal device to access the Readers Hub robust library of more than 2.2 million books, 2,000 newspapers and 2,300 magazines.
Social Hub: Users can aggregate email, instant messaging, contacts, calendar and social network connections into a single interface through the service’s “Feeds” and “Messages” files.
Google™ Mobile Services: A suite of Google Mobile Services is preloaded on the Galaxy Tab 8.9 including access to more than 250,000 applications on Android Market™, Gmail™, Google Search™, Google Maps™ 5.0 with 3D maps and Google Talk™ with video and voice chat.
AllShare™ service: Provides seamless content transfer between the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and other DLNA-enabled devices such as HDTV’s, monitors and digital cameras.
Rear and Front-facing cameras: The rear-facing 3-megapixel camera and front-facing 2-megapixel camera including flash and autofocus, 1080p video playback and full support of video chat and digital imaging
Polaris™ Office: Instant access to documents, spreadsheets and presentations to view and edit while on the move
Swype: Re-size the keyboard, move the virtual keyboard anywhere on the screen and type faster by swyping
Mobile Printing: Print documents and pictures wirelessly from the Galaxy Tab 8.9 to any compatible printer.
Additional features of the Galaxy Tab 8.9 include:
Enterprise Solutions and Services:
Full support for Exchange ActiveSync version 14
On device encryption
Cisco VPN (Virtual Private Network)
Sybase® MDM (Mobile Device Management)
Cisco WebEx™ mobile conference solution for meetings on the go
FindMyMobile:
If the Galaxy Tab 8.9 is lost or stolen, the user can locate the device on a map, and track it live as it moves, remotely lock the device to prevent unauthorized access and delete personal information stored on the device.
Additional features of the Galaxy Player 5.0 and 4.0 include:
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 is available for sale nationwide starting October 2 for $569 for the 32GB version and $469 for the 16GB version. The Galaxy Player 5.0 and 4.0 will be available for sale nationwide starting October 16. The Galaxy Player 5.0 will be available for $269, while the Galaxy Player 4.0 will be available for $229. Visit www.samsung.com for additional details on pre-order information.
1 Number one mobile phone provider in the U.S. claim for Samsung Mobile based upon reported shipment data, according to Strategy Analytics, Q2 2011 U.S. Market Share Handset Shipments Reports.
About Samsung Telecommunications America
Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets, wireless infrastructure and other telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), based in Ridgefield Park, NJ, is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. The company markets a broad range of award-winning consumer electronics, information systems, and home appliance products, as well as oversees all of Samsung’s North American operations including Samsung Telecommunications America, LP, Samsung Semiconductor Inc., Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. and Samsung Electronics Mexico, Inc. As a result of its commitment to innovation and unique design, the Samsung organization is one of the most decorated brands in the electronics industry. The company was ranked #19 in BusinessWeek/Interbrand “100 Best Global Brands,” and named as one of Fast Company’s “50 Most Innovative Companies of 2010.” For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2010 consolidated sales of US$135.8 billion. Employing approximately 190,500 people in 206 offices across 68 countries, the company consists of eight independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, semiconductor chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
Android, Google, Android Market, Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Talk are trademarks of Google, Inc.
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