Samsung’s Galaxy Tab: Price Tag, Please?

Samsung forgot to mention one crucial detail about is upcoming Galaxy Tab tablet: the price. The Galaxy Tab will come on all four major U.S. wireless carriers later this year, but Samsung is still keeping mum over how much you will have to shell out for one its latest tablets. But we have a hint.

A listing for the tablet on Amazon’s U.K. site is setting some worrisome prospects. According to the listing, you can get a 16GB Samsung Galaxy Tab the equivalent of $1067, and that’s with a 15 percent discount.

Is Samsung setting up the Galaxy Tab for instant failure due to high pricing? At this sort of price point, the tablet will presumably come without any contract commitment to any carriers (so you would be able to theoretically use it in the U.S. with an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card). The Amazon ad doesn’t say.

Since Samsung announced it will sell the Galaxy Tab through AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile in the U.S., it is possible you won’t be able to buy an unlocked Tab straight away. Samsung said that later this year it will also launch a WiFi-only version of the device, which won’t be tied to any wireless carrier.

It will be interesting to see what price points Samsung and the carriers agree upon for the Galaxy Tab, especially as the U.S. version of the tablet won’t have phone capabilities (via Bluetooth and speakerphone) like the European model. You will still probably need to sign up to a two-year contract with a carrier to get a Tab, so if the device itself is pricey, then this would put off potential buyers.

In comparison, an Apple iPad with WiFi and 3G starts at $629, and you don’t need an AT&T contract. You can pay-as-you-go on a rolling monthly basis, starting from $15. If you don’t need 3G one month, you can cancel at any time without any penalties; while if you need more than 250MB, you can always go up to $25 for 2GB of data.

If the Samsung Galaxy Tab comes tied with a contract, depending on the initial cost and the monthly price plan, the total ownership costs could easily be twice as expensive as owning a 3G iPad.

So when will the Galaxy Tab be up for grabs? Again, Samsung only said it will arrive “in the coming months.” But if the Amazon listing is any indication of the shipping date, the tablet should appear sometime in October or November. Until then, stay tuned for updates on pricing and plans for each carrier.

5 Reasons RIM’s PlayBook Isn’t Ready for Business

RIM unveiled its new PlayBook in San Francisco Monday to mixed reviews and several unanswered questions. It became clear, however, that the device shown off at the DevCon keynote proved many of the rumors about RIM’s tablet computer to be true, and that RIM hoped to make inroads into the business community, even calling its device the “first professional-grade tablet.” (We obviously don’t know what it takes for a tablet to lose its amateur status, though.)

However, there are at least five reasons why anyone thinking of buying a PlayBook should wait.

1. The BlackBerry Tablet OS

Built on the QNX Neutrino microkernel architecture, part of a RIM acquisition of QNX Software Systems, the OS is incompatible with other BlackBerry devices. And while RIM says that there will soon be applications that will make them able to talk to one another, so far there are none. Perhaps by making the announcement at a convention for developers, RIM hoped to jump-start the process.

2. Unknown Price

So far RIM is keeping mum on a suggested retail price for the PlayBook, which probably means the original price was deemed too high and they have to make it more competitive. RIM should have a range, though, from $499 (the price of the cheapest iPad) to $1067 (the rumored cost for a Galaxy Tab.) I tend to be cynical when companies announce their cool new gadgets but refrain from a retail price, it makes me anticipate a price-gouging. My vote is that RIM’s tablet had better be cost-effective to make any dent on the iPad or Android platform market share.

3. 7-inch Touchscreen

While many are touting the 7-inch touchscreen as something new, that doesn’t mean it’s best for your company. While the almost 10-inch iPad has found a business audience, there hasn’t been a big demand for a smaller display. The PlayBook is a slightly smaller device, and less than a pound, but it’s too big for pockets, and the font or icons may be hard to read for nearsighted customers or employees.

4. Apps? What Apps?

Applications for the PlayBook aren’t even in the development phase yet, unlike its competitors running iOS and Android, whose apps number in the hundreds of thousands. Worse, the PlayBook needs an app just to be able to communicate with a BlackBerry handset.

5. The Joy of Tethering

The PlayBook won’t have a cellular carrier, so any Internet access would be through tethering the device to a BlackBerry phone. While some may not find this annoying, try doing this for a few hours, and see how fast your battery life disappears.

Granted, the PlayBook can use Wi-Fi on public networks, but be prepared to share your information with curious neighbors. With two HD cameras, a 1 GHz processor, 1080p video recording and multitasking, the PlayBook isn’t without utility or charm, but without substance or a real price, it’s not worth considering–especially when the iPad is already available.

Upgrade to the BlackBerry Bold 9780 or Update the Bold 9700?

The coming BlackBerry Bold 9780 is expected to arrive next month in the United States so the big question for current Bold 9700 owners is whether or not to upgrade to the new device, go with the 9800 Torch or wait for something better. The option of just updating the system software on the Bold 9700 to BlackBerry OS 6 is also available (whenever the carriers get around to releasing it). Here is a side by side comparison between the Bold 9700 and the Bold 9780 to help make your dilemma a little easier to solve.

• Processor: Both the Bold 9700 and 9780 share the same 624 MHz processor.
• RAM: The 9780 has 512MB of flash RAM while the 9700 is stuck with 256MB
• Storage: Both can use microSD cards up to 32GB in size
• Screen: Both share the same 480×360 resolution screen at 2.44 inches
• Camera: The Bold 9700 has a 3.15 MP camera while the 9780 has a 5 MP camera (both have LED flash)
• Other: They also share the same cellular, Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi components

That wasn’t actually hard at all was it? The real question on whether or not to upgrade to a 9780 lies with when OS 6 comes out for the 9700 and how well it will run with less RAM. Hardly a peep has been heard for BB OS 6 on older devices (except that the Storm 2 will not be getting it). If the carriers are hoping to get everyone to buy a new smartphone by delaying OS 6 for older models, then sorry, but they are coming off as even more snobbish than Apple cutting features with new OS updates that hardware supports on older iOS models. Welcome to the internet big cellular, we all know what game you are playing here.

The other, and far more scary scenario, is that OS 6 simply does not run properly on 256MB of RAM. That certainly will be a blow for Research In Motion (RIM) if it cannot get OS 6 to run properly on the similarly hardware spec’d BlackBerry Curve 3G that has also been promised the operating system upgrade. Which brings me to my next point. I am still fuming that the 9800 Torch has already had an update leaked for its operating system and RIM is shipping a smartphone with old system software. That just does not come off as good business to me.

The higher resolution camera going to get you to upgrade to the 9780? What is with RIM taking so long to get BlackBerry OS 6 out to everyone but their precious Torch buyers? Let me know what you think, and if you see the 9780 as a device wort.