By It’s not usual to find complete, downloadable images of a phone’s (or tablet’s) firmware unless we’re a few weeks away from launch, but the guys over at Samsung-Firmwares have done it again: you can now download the Samsung Galaxy Tab’s factory firmware, but it’s somewhat useless to you (for now.)
I say somewhat because a leak like this always brings about more details, and it confirms everything we’ve learned before (480×800 resolution, Swype, front-facing camera, 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird, the usual connectivity options, etc.) but we’ve finally been able to confirm that this will be launching with Android 2.2, if the source files are to be trusted.
Check it out for yourself now over at Samsung-Firmwares.
[via OLED-Display]
The idea of a tablet is cool, but I’m still trying to figure out, what the hell would I use it for day in and day out after the whole Oooo Wow wears off.
@David, thats exactly what i think all the ipad crackheads are thinking now, i bet none of them really use it. But i think an android tablet will be different. with different features.
@david
Agreed. I have been hyped for this galaxy pad, but just today i was thinking (while pooping) what would I even do with this thing. Its depressing really, i dont think having a device just to show off to people will justify the cost :/
can we have that 2.2 on the phone please??!!!!
Many people in my office use the iPad as a general computing device (email, browsing, reviewing documents / creative, note taking, etc). Some people use BT keyboards and mice, others dont.
Point being, if you look at a tablet for what it is, a general computing device, it can work very well as a netbook replacement given the right software / apps. Considering Android seems to do everything iOS does, and more, this could be a fantastic laptop / netbook replacement for high level executives. Consider going from meeting to meeting, office to office, and not having to lug around a laptop. Just a nice light weight device that does just about everything you need for work and play. It’s a no brainer.
@pooping man
You would probably use it while pooping.
I was a tablet skeptic as well, and would probably also find very little use for it myself. But it seems to work really well for people between 40 and 60 (my mother).
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They get home after work, and then just go read The WSJ, or CNN, or listen to NPR. After that they can go send off a few emails, browse facebook (which they shouldn’t have, but does anyways). All of this they can do on a device that you can comfortably hold like a book/folded up newspaper.
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It serves just about the same purpose as a Chrome netbook, which is about all those geriatrics need.
While you were thinking and pooping wouldn’t it have been nice to have the tablet? Lol
Not sure what route to go yet… Either a tablet or a netbook.
I have a friend who is among the Apple faithful. He got an iPad from the US before it was released here in Canada. I very recently learned that he doesn’t own it anymore:
“I sold mine though – could never find a good use case and it’s awkward to hold/type on.”
I think a lot of the iPad excitement really is just hype. For anyone who already has a smartphone (a truly portable device) and a laptop or a netbook (much better general computing devices), I just can’t see a tablet being that useful.
Having this rooted before it even hits the market will definitely help sales.
I think most people are viewing tablets from a consumer viewpoint like Apple does. I feel the biggest market for tablets will be with corporate use in areas such as warehouses, inventory control, field crews, etc… anything where mobility and access to enterprise data is needed.
If this thing plays flash then I’m sold. User friendly tablets have huge consumer oriented potential. For example take my 6 something mother. Computer scar the crap out of her any time she type something wrong or gets an error message.
2 months ago I bought her a 16 gig wifi Ipad. Now she’s surfing the web and checking email with little effort because this device isn’t scary.
Another use case, my Facebook addicted wife (farmville ftl). If I could get her a light tablet device that can play her facebook flash crap with little or no risk of spyware (at least for the near future) then that’s one less thing I’m worried about.
I miss my old tablet. I’m really waiting for one with both touch/capacitive and an active digitizer/pen input. Tablets are great for doodling, taking notes, drafting, etc. but all the new ones are ditching the embedded digitizer. The only thing that sucked on my old one was needing to use an addon keyboard or type on the screen with the pen. Now with capacitive screens you should be able to get the best of both worlds with onscreen keyboards for typing and touch and a pen for drawing and notes. I would buy that shit in a second.
Give your kid a cheap tablet with froyo and he can have lots of fun on nickjr, pbskids, etc
I have written and submitted two posts with a link in them … but neither has posted in over an hour … so here goes again with just the website:
A Korean website claims it will be called the Galaxy Pad … will have a 5MP Camera and be LCD … and priced like a Phone.
You can Cut & Paste this:
http://www.samsunghub.com/2010/08/20/galaxy-tab-will-be-called-as-galaxy-pad-will-come-in-10-inch-size-too/
I have a Razr and an Archos 7 … so I am use to 7″, and carrying around two devices. Having only one, that fits in a pocket when I need both my hands … is ideal!
Well I was thinking this, you come home, flop on the couch and pick up the tablet from where it was on the coffee table and turn it on. Check your website, ok. If there was some dlna complient software, then stream your media from your pc/server. It should be able to remote control everything. Oh and throw on nook or kindle or whatever book reader app. All thats great and all but I gotta point to those who said that holding it and typing is awkward. Who wants to sit and hold a screen in their lap and watch an hour tv show off of hulu? The point of tv and computer screens is they sit away from you. As for typing, well if they came up with a great one handed keyboard, that would work. Anyone remember this little guy back in the palm pda days? http://www.frogpad.com/
I think a small tablet, around 7 inches, sounds like a good portable device. I’m withholding judgment as I think the resolution should be higher than 480×800. That’s the same as the SGS on a larger screen so I wonder what the image quality will be like. Although that makes some sense since higher resolutions won’t officially be supported until Gingerbread.
looks ool want one http://www.youtube.com/my_videos
@Ron yeah i totally agree with you. Im trying to get my company to get something either like the dell streak and a little bigger and make an android app for our field managers. think is some much faster than paper and a lot easier that carrying a laptop to enter field data for items they inventory. and if they camera is good enough they can even use it for pictures we need.
as long as this is not tied to a carrier it can a great product and an alternative to the if price reasonably. 199 to 299.
Or if it has 3g, like the ipad, data is optional.
A wifi only version would be better.
If Samsung releases one and you’re to be tied to a contract. Its no deal in my book.
You can bet apple will release a smaller ipad at a lower price point and with options as they currently offer. wifi only and wifi + 3g.
Why will they not let me post???????????
I made four posts to this board today (this will be 5 if it gets posted) … and the only one to go through is the one I complain in and do not get my point across. This site sucks!
I saw a forty-something man playing with his iPad during a flight. It was some pirate ship game where you have to hold up the iPad and tilt it from side to side. The guy looked like an idiot playing it.
It looked like a game 6 year olds should be playing.
@Ron I think the concept of a tablet device could work in those environments, but it would need to be a hardened device. The iPad wold not last one day in a distribution/warehouse environment. If Motorola/Symbol came out with a tablet that was as strong as their handheld devices, running Android of course, there could be a huge market for it.
My 11 year old daughter had her iPod touch stolen right out of her bedroom by a “friend”. I think this would be a prefect replacemnt as she could use it for Facebook, Flash games, email, surfing the web, etc. She really doesn’t need it to do anything else. Also, as it would be a little larger, it would be harder for “friends” to stick it in their pocket and leave with it.
I was very sceptical about the need for wanting/using an iPad, but now i find it a pain to lift my laptop in/out of bed at night…so for me, I would use this tablet as a bedside device, pretty much just for skype calling, IM and web browsing…is see myself using it as a stationary communicatin device rather than for its computing applicaitons..
Well I have been waiting for an Android tablet to pop along, until then I convinced my boss to get me an iPad for training purposes so I could read my documentation and watch my training videos on the go.
Since I got it I rarely use my PC at home any longer, its just so much easier to pick it up and check all my email accounts, reply to emails, and surf the web.
Ok typing on it is not the easiest thing, no multitasking is a pain, no web camera for video chatting, and can be a little heavy after a while. But it can only get better with a future version and alternative devices such as this one.
I must say that to use it as a proper magazine reader it would need to be a little bigger, 12″ tablet would be ideal size to prevent all the zooming in and out.
The touch screen is great for games though, I would not buy anything Apple myself, but I do like the iPad, but I prefer my HTC Desire with Froyo 2.2 ;)
Truth be told. Laptops aren’t that easy to lug around and none of them have as good a battery life as our mobile devices now. It would be nice to have a computing device like a tablet for all around use, because most of the stuff I do in a day doesn’t require a keyboard. It would be nice to have a tablet for reading and things that could last a day like my droid. That is the reason these netbooks caught on. They are light and have better battery life then an actual laptop. I honestly prefer to leave my laptop at home.
480×800 resolution? No thanks.
I’m a big Droid fan through and through, we have the dInc and D1, but I bought my wife an Ipad for her business because amongst other things she needs something simple and quick to book online appts for her business and while the droid does, it’s small screen works for certain scenarios and not others (part of that is just relating to iPhone users by whipping out the ipad and showing clients how easy it is to book online). I personally can’t wait for droid pads to arrive, but the ipad has its place in our life, and I have to admit I do enjoy hulu plus and netflix on it in a pinch.