new, thinner 8.9 & 10.1 galaxy tab's

[Air Force One]

Yes, they renamed the original 10.1 to the 10.1V since it will be a Vodafone UK exclusive.

Thanks for the info That will certainly make for an interesting side by side.

 

[Kevin Gossett]

I'm really excited for the 8.9 tab. I think that the size is great because its not as cramped as the 7 but still just has alot of room. I hope that those touchwiz widgets can be taken off. Eother that or i hope the tablet friendly version of the tablet version of launcherpro comes put soon.


Is there a microSD on the tab? The specs sheet say so but there's that sd conncetion kit. I need to jnow before i decide ehich version to get. I dont mind grtting the cheaper 16G one with a 32G sd card.

The SD/USB kit will be for regular SD cards, like from a camera. They will still have the micro SD slots.

We have to keep in mind that specs for these things probably aren't 100% finalized, and more information will come out once we get closer to the launch in two and a half months

 

[heraldo]

Or they are simply cutting their profit margins.

Wasn't the XOOM priced nearly 2X what it cost to make? If this one is also similar, it gives plenty of room to work with for profit margins.

Of course there is plenty of other costs (R&D, marketing, etc) that don't get factored in. Samsung is likely just accepting a longer duration until the units become purely profitable.

I can't imagine them drastically cutting quality, especially since the entire reason they rethought the design was because of the iPad2. Samsung wanted to be a serious contender with the iPad2, they are a smart enough company to know that cutting quality would not help their cause.

Just my .02

Yeah, I agree cause I read the write up on comparative costs between the ipad and xoom and it doesn't take much to make a quality device

 

[shingi_70]

The SD/USB kit will be for regular SD cards, like from a camera. They will still have the micro SD slots.

We have to keep in mind that specs for these things probably aren't 100% finalized, and more information will come out once we get closer to the launch in two and a half months

Thats good to know. I can totally use the microSD for general use to up the 16G memory. The connecter kti can be used for my camera.

I'm still on the brink if i want a 4G or wifi tablet.

 

[htowngator]

Thats good to know. I can totally use the microSD for general use to up the 16G memory. The connecter kti can be used for my camera.

I'm still on the brink if i want a 4G or wifi tablet.

Buy a wifi tab and use 4G tethering on your phone (if you have it).

 

[shingi_70]

Buy a wifi tab and use 4G tethering on your phone (if you have it).

I'm probably just going to do that. Just need to find a bigger battery for my G2.

 

[Baconator]

I'm probably just going to do that. Just need to find a bigger battery for my G2.

Do what I am going to do. Buy an extra battery and carry it around.

 

[peng1can#AC]

Does anyone have a good feel for the "real" size of the 8.9"?

I've been playing with a Wifi Xoom from Costco and while I love the OS, the thing is just a bit too heavy and too big (mainly too long when in portrait layout). After playing with it for 2 days I picked up my galaxy tab 7" and immediately fell back in love with the smaller device.

I had all but decided to return the Xoom and wait for the 8.9, but then I started comparing sizes both on paper and with Sizeasy. Unfortunately, although the 8.9" will be about halfway between the GTab 7 and Gtab 10.1, it appears to me that it will only be marginally smaller than the Xoom (the Gtab 10.1 is bigger than the Xoom). Best I can figure out, the screen is smaller and the bezel is bigger compared to the Xoom.

I'm hoping I'm missing something or that I have the wrong measurements, but from what I can tell, the excitement everyone has for the 8.9" tab form factor may turn to disappointment upon release. Even in the pics from engadget at the announcement you can see that the 8.9 is just a hair shorter than the ipad.

It might be worth the wait just to save the 1/2 pound in weight compared to the Xoom, and that half inch in width might make the 8.9 just small enough for usable thumb typing in landscape mode (my one huge complaint about the Xoom), but I'm also weighing that marginal size difference against Samsung's abysmal record in the software department.

Anyone else done any comparisons?

 

[htowngator]

Does anyone have a good feel for the "real" size of the 8.9"?

I've been playing with a Wifi Xoom from Costco and while I love the OS, the thing is just a bit too heavy and too big (mainly too long when in portrait layout). After playing with it for 2 days I picked up my galaxy tab 7" and immediately fell back in love with the smaller device.

I had all but decided to return the Xoom and wait for the 8.9, but then I started comparing sizes both on paper and with Sizeasy. Unfortunately, although the 8.9" will be about halfway between the GTab 7 and Gtab 10.1, it appears to me that it will only be marginally smaller than the Xoom (the Gtab 10.1 is bigger than the Xoom). Best I can figure out, the screen is smaller and the bezel is bigger compared to the Xoom.

I'm hoping I'm missing something or that I have the wrong measurements, but from what I can tell, the excitement everyone has for the 8.9" tab form factor may turn to disappointment upon release. Even in the pics from engadget at the announcement you can see that the 8.9 is just a hair shorter than the ipad.

It might be worth the wait just to save the 1/2 pound in weight compared to the Xoom, and that half inch in width might make the 8.9 just small enough for usable thumb typing in landscape mode (my one huge complaint about the Xoom), but I'm also weighing that marginal size difference against Samsung's abysmal record in the software department.

Anyone else done any comparisons?

Per the specs, the 8.9 is over 120g lighter (1/4lb) and roughly 20% smaller than the 10.1 model. According to those sizing websites, the 7" is 20sqin, the 8.9 is 35sqin, and the 10.1 is 45sqin. The jump between 7 and 8.9 is rather large (almost double the overall area) but the jump between 8.9 and 10.1 is not that large. I think it will be a perfect compromise between too big and too small. I owned the Xoom for all of one week and I couldn't get past the heft of that little thing. It's not that it's burning your hands with pain to hold that weight, but more so that it's noticeably bothersome over a long period of time. It's not like a laptop that you can just let sit on your legs -- you have to hold it upright with your hands the whole time.

The Xoom weighs 730g which is ridiculous compared to the 8.9's 460g. You will definitely notice it.

I hear you though on the Samsung worries. IMO this will get the XDA treatment anyway and you'll be able to load custom ROM's and such later down the line.

 

[kagenish]

yeah i agree with all comments but we also need to wait and what are the final spec but i'm still going to get the 10.1 Galaxy Tab and cant wait to see the custom ROM

 

[peng1can#AC]

Oh, and I just noticed that the size and weight of the 8.9 are the only things with a little * that reads 'size and specs subject to change' on Samsung's official site. I guess we'll see if they manage to hit those specs with a working model!