Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Android tablet (preview)
- — 20 September, 2011 14:19
It seems Samsung is intent on producing a tablet device with every screen size imaginable. Not content with 10.1in, 8.9in and 7in screen sizes — along with the 5.3in, part smartphone, part tablet Galaxy Note — the company has now announced the sleek and light Galaxy Tab 7.7.
Read our comprehensive preview of the Samsung Galaxy Note, and check out our guide to the best upcoming tablets in 2011.
As its name suggests, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 has a 7.7in display, a size not seen on any other tablet on the market thus far. While the odd size may again blur the lines between oversized smartphone and compact tablet, its clear Samsung is continually striving to improve its display panels. The Galaxy 7.7's screen has an impressive resolution of 1280x800 and is a super AMOLED Plus panel. Judging by Samsung's other AMOLED screens, the Galaxy Tab 7.7's display is likely to be super impressive, offering excellent brightness, clarity and colour.
In addition to an impressive display, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is also one of the sleekest looking tablets we've come across. The smaller 7.7in screen has allowed it to be just 7.9mm thick, and it weighs just 335g. We suspect it will be popular with travellers, as its size will be ideal for use on daily commutes.
Despite its compact dimensions, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 doesn't sacrifice too many features. Samsung has kept room for dual cameras — a front mounted 2-megapixel lens, and a rear-mounted 3-megapixel camera — along with a microSD card slot and Samsung proprietary dock connector port. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 also comes with 3G connectivity. The flagship Galaxy Tab 10.1 (still yet to be released in Australia thanks to a legal dispute with Apple) does not come with a microSD card slot.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 is powered by a 1.4GHz ARM Cortex A9 dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and will come in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models. It also has Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth connectivity: Wi-Fi only models will not be available, further enhancing our view that the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is aimed squarely at frequent travellers.
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 will run Google's Android 3.2 operating system and will be skinned with Samsung's tablet-optimised TouchWIZ UX layer on top. The software looks like a near-identical version of the one seen on both the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the yet to be released Galaxy Tab 8.9. It will include 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.
Samsung has not announced Australian availability of the Galaxy Tab 7.7, but it is expected to be available in Australia before the end of the year. Pricing and potential carrier details have yet to be announced.
Comments
Donald
Tue 27/09/2011 - 19:19
This unit beat 1pad2/3 100 times. With the super AMOLED display, we no longer need the backlight which causes light leakage issue.
Must buy!!!!
Stanley Lynch
Sat 03/12/2011 - 07:54
Whats not hot, Richard Clement rated a product that has nothing to do with his so called product.
Funny we talk updates. My first phone Galaxy S has shifted onto 3 different Operating systems since bought. Soon it will get another update one that will be truly awesome for it.
This little tab is the right tablet at the right time with the right features. It should be the perfect fit between home computer and mobile phone. Now hurry up and land here so Richard can find something else to moan about.
messypie
Tue 13/12/2011 - 20:54
Any courtroom that will hear it has an Apple lawsuit submitted against another tech business on the docket. Judges in Australia and Germany recently handed Apple legal defeats. Apple has not won this round of wars. http://www.appisaurus.com/1405-apple-injunction/
Richard Clement
Tue 20/09/2011 - 16:02
Six weeks after buying the original Galaxy Tab it became apparent that it was never going to see a proper tablet flavour of Android and Im still waiting for Telstra to update it to Gingerbread. If Samsung expect me to give them more of my money they must be dreaming...
And therein lies the problem with Android. The ecosystem is so fragmented that you play Russian roulette with regards to getting any updates past six months - and usually you become aware you have a doorstop within weeks of getting your shiny new device home...
At least with Apple you can pretty well guarantee to get all the new features out to a couple of years - and even after that you aren't left holding the bag, you still get updates even if you do miss out on a few of the new features.