Samsung Galaxy Tablets Out of this World! Powered by Android

Dallas, TX — Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile)1, the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S., today announced the upcoming availability of the Galaxy Tab™ in the U.S. with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. The first mobile tablet from Samsung shares many of the powerful characteristics of the Galaxy S smart phone lineup that launched this summer. The Galaxy Tab is designed with several enhancements to create a unique mobile experience that other products can’t deliver.

The Galaxy Tab features a brilliant 7-inch enhanced TFT display screen, 1GHz Hummingbird Application processor supporting 3D graphics and smooth Web browsing and front and rear-facing cameras for video chat while on-the-go. The Galaxy Tab is powered by Android 2.2™, including full support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1. Just like the Galaxy S smart phones, the Galaxy Tab includes Samsung’s Social Hub application and the new Media Hub content service, offering a robust collection of premium movies and TV episodes from some of the biggest entertainment companies.

“The addition of Galaxy Tab to the Galaxy product portfolio is a powerful proof point of Samsung’s commitment to bring new and innovative mobile experiences to U.S. consumers,” said Omar Khan, chief strategy officer for Samsung Mobile. “The 7-inch display and thin, lightweight design, combined with premium content and productivity tools makes the Galaxy Tab a true mobile tablet that is as comfortable to use standing on a crowded train as it is relaxing on the couch at home. The Galaxy Tab is perfect for watching a movie, reading an e-book or catching up with your favorite TV shows or chatting with an old friend. Plus, the Tab’s design makes it completely pocketable in your pants or jacket.”

Powerful Display, Portable Design

The Galaxy Tab’s 7-inch display features enhanced TFT technology, offering brighter colors and clearer pictures, whether watching a movie or reading a book. The display delivers 1024 x 600 WSVGA resolution, offering full support to the Android 2.2 operating system. With support for Flash Player 10.1, the Galaxy Tab delivers an enhanced content experience when compared to other tablets currently available in the U.S. Users can engage with thousands of sites with rich Flash based applications and content including games, animations, rich Internet applications (RIAs), data presentations and visualizations, ecommerce, video, music and more. Samsung’s mobile tablet also provides access to the more than 80,000 applications currently available on the Android Market™.

Many of the built-in productivity services and Android applications are scalable to fit the Galaxy Tab’s full 7-inch screen. For example, the user’s email, calendar and contacts will all rotate from portrait to landscape format through the tablet’s accelerometer and then open as a split-screen to create a PC or laptop viewing experience on the Tab. Likewise, many Android Market applications will open in full screen. Non-scalable Android Market applications will be framed and centered on the Galaxy Tab screen.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is designed for people who want a premium mobile entertainment experience on the go, but don’t want to be weighed down by a bulky device. The Galaxy Tab fits in a pocket or purse, weighs only 13 ounces and is 12 millimeters thin. Those super-light and sleek dimensions, matched with the 7-inch touchscreen display allows the Galaxy Tab to easily fit into a jeans’ backpocket or the inside pocket of a jacket. The compact design of Galaxy Tab also makes it easy for the user to type on the virtual keyboard with both thumbs or with one hand using Swype technology to type with one continuous finger motion across the keyboard.

Two Cameras, One-on-One Video Chat

The Galaxy Tab is designed with a rear-facing 3 megapixel camera for taking pictures on-the-go and sharing with family and friends. The Tab is also outfitted with a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera and camcorder, enabling video chat with other people who have video conferencing capabilities. Users can align the Galaxy Tab with video chat clients including Qik and Fring and seamlessly talk with other people over a WiFi connection.

Google Mobile Services Benefits 

Services like Google Maps™ Navigation (Beta) and Google Goggles are available on Google’s Android platform. With useful location-based services like Google Maps™, consumers can search in Standard English instead of entering an exact address. A search-by-voice function is just as intuitive, meaning searches can also be completed easily on the go. Google Goggles™ is a powerful, visual search tool that uses the Samsung GALAXY Tab’s camera to uncover information – an image of a landmark or artwork is automatically used to perform a search, delivering relevant content like a description or history. In addition, with a camera, users can enjoy various augmented reality services which are downloadable in the application market.

Samsung Social Hub Simplifies

Just like the Samsung Galaxy S smart phone portfolio, the Galaxy Tab keep users connected with Samsung’s Social Hub application. Social Hub works with the user’s Messaging and Contacts to initiate the sending and receiving of information, whether it is e-mail, instant messaging, social network updates or SMS messages. Additionally, calendar information from portal calendars, such as Google Calendar, and social networking services are displayed together in one calendar with two-way synchronization.

Additional features of the Galaxy Tab include:

* Daily Briefing: Offers instant access to weather, news, stocks, and schedules. * Impressive Onboard & Expandable Memory: Galaxy Tab can add 32 GB of external memory to store and manage your favorite video content and pictures.

* AllShare DLNA Technology: Take video or pictures shot with Galaxy Tab and send content wirelessly to other DLNA-enabled devices (HDTVs, laptops, PC monitors, etc.)

* Document Viewer & Editor: Open and make changes to any Word, Excel, Powerpoint or PDF document

* 4,000 mAh Battery: Super-sized battery provides ample power to watch movies, share content and surf the Web

Samsung Media Hub – Entertaining the Masses

In addition, the Galaxy Tab will include future access to Media Hub, Samsung’s own content service, offering a vast lineup of critically acclaimed films and TV programs for rent or purchase. Samsung is working with the biggest and best names in entertainment, including MTV Networks, NBC Universal and Paramount to assemble a robust library of movies and TV programming, including new release films, next day TV episodes and even full TV show seasons. Media Hub also allows the user to expand the entertainment experience, allowing content purchased to permanently own to be shared with up to five devices that carry the Media Hub application.

Premium Accessories Portfolio

To enhance the Galaxy Tab user experience even further, a set of accessories designed specifically for the mobile tablet are available for purchase from www.Samsung.com including:

Keyboard Dock – $99.99

* Ergonomic, comfortable full-size keyboard with 7” Galaxy Tab replaceable inserts that doubles as a charger for power and synchronization of media and data

* Dock contains convenient stereo audio output jack for connecting to speakers or home stereo

Desktop Dock – $49.99

* Doubles as a Galaxy Tab charger using the Micro USB wall adapter that comes with the Tab; allows users to view movies, display as a digital picture frame and listen to music

* HDMI output to view HD content on HDTV enabled with 1080p resolution and provides HDTV connection to play content from the Galaxy Tab to a television

Car/GPS Dock – $99.99

* Conveniently positions 7” Galaxy Tab display screen inside car for turn-by-turn GPS navigation instructions and traffic updates

* Attachable to either the windshield or car dashboard and rotates freely between landscape and portrait modes

Upcoming Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Tab portfolio of mobile tablets from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless will be available in the coming months. For additional information on the Samsung Galaxy Tab portfolio, please visit www.samsung.com/galaxytab.

1 Number one mobile phone provider in the U.S. claim for Samsung Mobile based upon reported shipment data, according to Strategy Analytics, Q2 2010 U.S. Market Share Handset Shipments Reports.

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Hate to say we said so..Android starting to take over!

We all know that Android has done a remarkable job growing and expanding in the past year. However, I do not think any of us could have predicted just how much the maturing operating system has grown. Canalys, a research firm, is reporting today that Android OS has grown a whopping 886% year-over-year in the second quarter!

That is ridiculous growth for any product and shows just how popular Android is becoming worldwide. Here are some of the interesting statistics Canalys has gathered:

• Symbian OS took 38% market share worldwide in Q2 (41% year-on-year growth)
• Android had 23% market share (884% year-on-year growth)
• BlackBerry OS took 18% share (41% year-on-year growth)
• iOS came in with 13% share (61% year-on-year growth)

Apple’s iOS displayed the second-best growth numbers, but as you can see, came nowhere near Android, which blew everybody else out of the water.

Android did just as well in the US with 34% market share during Q2, which is a growth rate of 851%. The enormous growth can be attributable to the large number of handset makers that have embraced Android, such as Motorola, HTC, Samsung, LG and Sony.

The momentum is with Android at the moment and it has shown no signs of slowing. With more manufacturers entering the game, the operating system looks to have a bright future.

Forward Thinking Mobile Marketing Apps! Simply Impressive!

Location-based services have evolved in ways most of us didn’t foresee just a few yearsago. Instead of cellular tower triangulation–with which forward-thinking marketers imagined that the phone of a person walking by a Starbucks could be “read” and sent a coupon for a latte–it’s all about the apps. Two LBS applications for marketers–WeReward, a cash-payout system which this week put out its Android version, and PlacePop, a virtual loyalty card program currently for iPhones–got me thinking: Like the mobile platform for consumers, LBS software means finely tailor-made offerings for marketers–and this customizability is what will change mobile marketing.
PlacePop, for which an Android edition is in the works, thankfully avoids cloaking itself with socializing and gaming visages meant to convince consumers that it’s “fun” to use them. Instead, it’s a straightforward marketing tool that uses the tried-and-true tactics–loyalty rewards, specific locales, and personalized greetings upon entering a business–of older strategies, like opt-in SMS/text and email, or even those paper stamp cards that make each visit count toward something free or discounted. Consumers can reach increasing status levels, and marketers can choose how to reward their rising number of visits.
PlacePop sounds easy for companies to use, with a soon-to-be-launched self-serve dashboard with which business owners can set up and manage a virtual card program for their location in less than five minutes. The dashboard also enables marketers to see data about activity at their venues, such as who is visiting and how often–providing measurable ROI.
WeReward, which has been available for the iPhone, offers the best incentive of all for consumer participation: Cold hard cash. (Caveat: It’s in increments of nickels and dimes, varying according to the advertiser, until a consumer accrues $10 or more–enough to receive a PayPal payout.) Consumers earn money for checking in and spending money at certain bars, restaurants, and retailers, verified with photos submitted by the consumer, GPS data, and manual reviews. Call it “the app that pays you back.”

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Apple Innovates while Microsoft…Umm well…MS Tablet Rumor

Speaking at the Worldwide Partners Conference in Seattle, Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer revealed this week that his company is finally ready to step on the gas and get serious about the scarcity of competition in the tablet marketplace.
Saying Microsoft is poised to bring some “hardcore” attention to the long awaited project, Ballmer indicated that Microsoft will soon roll out a veritable smorgasbord of Windows 7-based slate computers.
Without question, Microsoft has designs on taking down the iPad as the preeminent consumer choice in the tablet marketplace. Ballmer, however, maintains that a Microsoft tablet will present consumers with far more choices and opportunities than anything presently available or in the works.
“We want to give you a great device, a consumer oriented device, but a device that fits and is manageable with today’s enterprise IT solutions… This is a terribly important area for us. It’s certainly an area where—how do I say it?—we feel all of the energy and vigor and push that we have ever felt to innovate, to drive hard, to compete,” Ballmer said.

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Google announces "App Inventor"

Last night, Google unveiled a new Android development tool called “App Inventor” that allows anyone without programming knowledge the ability to create Android apps using a simple drag-and-drop WYSIWYG-style editor.

The new service, announced via this New York Times article, aims to break down the knowledge barrier for creating apps for the Android platform, and has been in beta testing in educational institutions for the past year or so. The service is a Web app that provides a dead simple way to drag and drop elements of an Android app, with the hard-coding being formatted in the background- the same way WYSIWYG editors tore down the barrier to basic HTML editing in the early days of the Internet.

Google claims the service was used by kids in the sixth-grade to create rather powerful apps, indicating just how easy App Inventor can be. ”To use App Inventor, you do not need to be a developer. App Inventor requires NO programming knowledge. This is because instead of writing code, you visually design the way the app looks and use blocks to specify the app’s behavior,” Google says on it’s Website.

The flip side to this, as TechCrunch is pointing out, is that the Android Market could potentially be bombarded with “less-than-stellar” apps that degrade the the Market itself. The same thing happened back when WYSIWYG editors reinvented how Websites are created, and allowed anyone who could drag-and-drop elements the ability to create a Website.

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Google Travel? Is Google, "Google" over travel?

I know this story has little to do with Mobile; however, I’m interested to see where Google is going with this. I can only imagine that Google is looking to integrate this with Android…

Read below:

Google Inc. said Thursday that it would buy ITA Software for $700 million in cash, but acknowledged the acquisition could hit turbulence.

Regulators are likely to take a hard look at Google’s plans to fold the flight-information software company widely used by the travel industry into its Internet search engine.

Rumors of the acquisition that had been circulating for several months had unnerved other industry players, which worry that it would hand Google too much influence. Several, including Kayak.com, had competed to buy Boston-based ITA but were outbid.

ITA is used by airlines, travel agents and websites such as Hotwire and Microsoft’s Bing. It offers flight times, availability and prices.

On a conference call Thursday, Google executives described the deal as “pro-consumer,” benefiting passengers by making it easier for them to comparison shop for flights online. But they said they expected U.S. regulators to scrutinize the pairing of the world’s largest search engine and the dominant travel software company.

“Airline tickets online is a very large business, and of course a global business,” said Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, “but I don’t know about you all, but when I do it, I find it sort of frustrating. The prices are changing constantly. The availability is changing all the time. There’s so many thousands of options, even for a simple itinerary. Users are going between multiple websites and ultimately not a very good user experience, although people trying make this better.”

“So when we looked at it, we said we still had more room for competition here and innovation,” he said.

Schmidt said it was too early to say how Google would approach the travel search business. The Internet giant argues that the acquisition would drive more business to airlines and online travel agencies.

“We are quite certain that by improving search we will get more people online. The economic structure, we will sort out later,” he said.

ITA was founded in 1996 by a team of MIT scientists. It raised a $100-million round of funding in 2006 from venture capital firms Sequoia Capital, Battery Ventures and General Catalyst.

The deal signals Google’s serious interest in becoming a major player in travel, a hub of online commerce including search.

“With Google, we think we will have access to the scale, both of technology and of other bright people to work with, to help really take this to the next level,” ITA’s CEO Jeremy Wertheimer said.

– Jessica Guynn

Follow the VC Funds…. Mobile Social Network WAP Sites

Booyah, the company behind the popular “MyTown” geolocation app has raised $20M in a third round of funding to take on fierce competition in the space.
Though it hasn’t seemed to garner as much press as its counterparts like Gowalla and Foursquare, MyTown has long been a hit with users. The company says its apps are gaining more than 100,000 new users a week and now has two million total users. To put it in perspective, that puts it ahead of Gowalla, which claims 250,000 users, and FourSquare, which has 1.1 million.
The company differs slightly from Foursquare and Gowalla in that while it allows users to “check-in,” it also allows users to “buy” venues and charge rent to other users when they visit. The concept is Booyah’s answer to mayorships, and does a good job engaging users with geolocation and the “gaming” aspect.
MyTown 3.1 was recently released that offers several enhancements such as a check-in limit, add-ons to customize your property and a revamped menu of nearby locations that shows your friends’ favorite destinations and trending places. MyTown definitely has a shot at becoming a leader in the space if it keeps up its current momentum.