The Samsung Galaxy Tab has been getting a lot of attention as of late, but one of the key things that has been missing from all the discussions has been how much this new tablet was going to cost everyone. While no official statement has been made as of yet, there is a rumor going around that just doesn’t leave one with a whole lot of hope.
According to sources from Sprint that spoke with Boy Genius Report, the Tab will be available beginning Nov. 14th for $399 with a two year contract, or $599 without one. There is no word yet on what the monthly subscription fee will be for this new Android tablet, but we’re guessing in the $40 to $60 range. You should also remember that this is the supposed pricing for Sprint only, and the tablet is going to also be carried by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, but we doubt the pricing will differ by much.
While I’m certainly happy to see another tablet getting a lot of attention, especially one not made by Apple, there are some definite caveats to this deal. If you buy this off contract, meaning you could only use it over Wi-Fi, it will run you the same as a mid-range Wi-Fi only iPad. Yes, it has more features such as back and front cameras, but it has a smaller form factor, and never under estimate the ability of size to influence one’s purchasing choices.
We also need to remember that the Tab is running Android 2.2 Froyo, a version of the operating system that LG just decided truly wasn’t ready for tablets, causing the company to drop all of its current plans for this market. Even Google has said Android isn’t ready for tablets yet, so buying this on contract would lock you into two years with what could be considered inferior software.
Has anyone even said yet that this could be updated to Android 3.0 Gingerbread when it’s released? What are the update plans for this? True, these are some of the same questions you have to ask yourself when you buy an Android phone, but this is also about $200 more, even when purchased on a subsidized basis.
I think Android tablets have a lot of possibilities for great success, but they have to be released at the right time, and running the right version. When the company behind the software is even saying, “You don’t want to do this yet …”, it makes me take a step back and go, “Um, perhaps we should listen?”
Someone call me when the Android 3.0 tablets start rolling out.
What say you? Still interested in a Galaxy Tab?
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