Will Samsung's new Galaxy Tab 2 prove that good things really do come in small packages?
According to a company press release published on February 13, the 7-inch followup to Samsung's Android-powered line of Galaxy tablets will go on sale in March. The new device is Samsung's first to run Google's latest Android 4.0 operating system, commonly referred to as Ice Cream Sandwich.
The next generation of Samsung's Galaxy Tab will feature a redesigned user interface with a new app gallery layout, embedded Google applications, a Face Unlock feature that employs facial recognition software, and access to a wide variety of multimedia through Samsung Hub services.
According to CNET, the Galaxy Tab 2 will also be the first out of all Samsung mobile devices to feature its AllShare Play service, which enables users to stream media to their tablet from a PC, Samsung smartphone, or cloud drive.
Other features include a front-facing VGA webcam and rear-facing 3-magapixel webcam; options for 8GB, 16G and 32GB storage, plus 1GB RAM; plus a bodyweight of 0.76 pounds, per Samsung's release.
TechCrunch reports that the device's processor is slightly slower than its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, which was released near the end of 2011. According to Tech Crunch, the Galaxy Tab 2 is built around a 1 GHz dual-core processor, while the older version features a 1.2 GHz processor.
The device will launch in the U.K. first and should be released around the world soon after. As for pricing, Sammy Hub has obtained price tag information for Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Depending on the country, an 8GB Galaxy Tab 2 with WiFi-only will likely be priced between $420 and $460. 3G units are priced above $520.
Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphone was the first Android smartphone to ship with Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) already up and running on the device. Some of Samsung other devices, however, have only recently received ICS or are still awaiting an update.The Samsung Nexus S phone, for example, just received this latest version of the Android OS in December, and The Next Web reports that both the Galaxy S II and the Galaxy Note are slated to upgrade to ICS as early as March 1. Unfortunately, both the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab tabet and the Galaxy S smartphone will not be receiving a full update to ICS. According to ComputerWorld, the following popular Samsung tablets will be getting ICS upgrades sometime in the next few months: Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.