Samsung reveals TouchWIZ UI on Galaxy Tab 10.1
- — 07 July, 2011 11:54
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablet
Most Android tablets currently on the market appear to scream "me too". Aside from a few small differences, these devices often have the same sized screen with the same resolution, have a very similar feature set and user experience, and run identical software, Google's "Honeycomb" OS designed specifically for tablets. Samsung appears to be trying to change these similarities with its upcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Read our comprehensive preview of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and check out our guide to the best upcoming tablets in 2011.
Not to be confused with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v, which is the Vodafone-exclusive tablet that launched in Australia earlier this year, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is described by Samsung as "the world's thinnest mobile tablet", as it measures just 8.6 millimetres thick.
A key feature of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 besides its thin and light form factor is its software: it is among the first Android "Honeycomb" tablets to feature a custom interface overlay, in this case Samsung's own TouchWiz UX user interface.
The TouchWiz UI brings a number of new features to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 including a customisable "Live Panel" menu that displays favourite Web sites and social network feeds, an application tray of commonly used features, Samsung's Social Hub, which aggregates e-mail, instant messaging, contacts, calendar and social network connections, a mini apps tray and a "suite of enterprise solutions" for business users. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is also pre-loaded with Readers Hub and Music Hub applications that offer more than 2.2 million books, 2000 newspapers in 49 languages, 2300 magazines in 22 languages, and 13 million songs.
Samsung has released an official demonstration video on YouTube that shows off some of TouchWIZ's features, which also include some new widgets that will at least distinguish the Galaxy Tab 10.1 from the competition.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will come in six model variants — three with Wi-Fi and three with Wi-Fi + 3G. Both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G variants will be available with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of internal memory.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is expected to be available in Australia in Q3 2011, meaning it should hit our shores sometime between this month and September. Pricing and carrier details have yet to be announced.
You can watch Samsung's TouchWIZ demo video below, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!
Comments
David
1
I want to NOT have the TouchWiz overlay. Will I have that option or is TouchWiz going to be forced upon me?