Samsung Announces Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus

Samsung's first-ever tablet was the 7-inch Galaxy Tab, released in the fall of 2010. It was a good tablet, but runs what is now an outdated operating system on outdated hardware. On Friday, Samsung upped its 7-inch game to match its 8.9- and 10.1-inch tablets with the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, which adds Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" and a dual-core processor to the device, along with plenty of other improvements.

The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus packs a 1.2-GHz dual-core processor, along with 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, into a package that's just 12.2 ounces and 0.39 inches thick. It has a 7-inch, 1,024-by-600 PLS LCD, as well as front- and rear-facing cameras (2 and 3 megapixels, respectively). There's dual-band Wi-Fi built in, along with GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 3G and HSPA+ connections; which mean you'll be able to use the tablet to make voice and video calls.

The 7.0 Plus's biggest software upgrade is that it runs Android 3.2, the latest version of Android, with Samsung's Touchwiz UI layered over top. Android is notoriously poor when it comes to tablet-friendly applications (though phone-optimized apps look far better on a 7-inch screen than a 10-incher); Android 3.2 helps that situation a lot, scaling small-screen apps far better onto the tablet's display.

Pricing, which hasn't yet been announced, is going to be critical for the success of the 7.0 Plus. The Amazon Kindle Fire, announced on Tuesday, has already assumed the mantle of the best 7-inch tablet, even two months before it's due to hit the market. Amazon's wealth of content helps the Kindle Fire a great deal. Samsung tries to add value to its tablets as well, with the Touchwiz UI as well as apps like Readers Hub and Music Hub, but it's not nearly the ecosystem Amazon offers. Samsung is aiming for the power use by packing a lot of features the Kindle Fire lacks; if it can be priced competitively, it could do well in that middle ground between the bare-minimum Kindle Fire and the do-everything iPad.

The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus will be available in Indonesia and Austria from the end of October, and will be released "gradually" to much of the rest of the world.

For more, see the "What the Amazon Tablet Needs to Succeed" slideshow below.

The announcement comes the same day that Samsung reportedly offered Apple a deal that would allow it to launch its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia, where a patent battle with Cupertino has delayed its launch.

[via]