the Samsung Galaxy Tab

Well it is finally here. The ipad alternative is available, is it any good?

You could read here:

The Engadget review

The NY Times review

Walt Mossberg's review

Now the long and short of it is that this device is a success. The ipad is a formidable device, one that has been in development for over 5 years. Apple's engineers have worked out the UI for this device even prior to including it in the iphone and the ipod touch. It is definitely a hard act for competitors to follow. That said Samsung has done a very good job with the Galaxy Tab.

Remember that Samsung is an LCD screen manufacturer and this device does not disappoint. Screen quality is phenomenal according to the reports above. As a piece of hardware, it runs quickly, not lagging like the other poor android implementations in other android tablets. Screen quality is arguably better than the ipad for the same reason that the iphone itself is better than other smartphones right now - the pixel density of the display is higher. This alone makes the experience remarkable.

Finally, I like the fact that Android presents itself as an platform affording great levels of customization. This may not be for everyone but I think a lot of users will prefer this level of control.

While the ability to make voice calls has been blocked by all the cell carriers in this first version of the Galaxy Tab for the US, no one can deny that having the dual cameras for both photo/video recording and live video conference calling via Qik makes this a a truly wonderful device.

iSlate

Who doesn't know about the iSlate?

One of the big announcements for consumer tech is going to happen on Jan 27th. This is the date that the most notable technology brand reveals its newest product, the new form factor tablet PC with constant connection, its predicted name: iSlate.

Some would say it is a solution for a problem which does not exist. Others would say it is a stroke of genius, another chapter in a story of ongoing product development successes.

I wonder how this product will perform in the marketspace. The pricing is a key to the sales performance or potential for brand stratification. On one hand if the tablet is priced below the floor pricing of Apple's laptop lineup, it would induce new Apple loyalists. However, this kind of product release should create a new niche of computer power into the lineup. The differentiation is large enough from traditional laptops and desktops while providing an entirely new way to obtain web content and maintain information connectivity.

This kind of opportunity is just the kind of product which Apple can hit out of the park.

I think that the price will be north of $1000 and drift toward $600 by the 4th quarter and Holiday 2010.

More notes from Gizmodo

http://gizmodo.com/5434566/the-exhaustive-guide-to-apple-tablet-rumors?skyline=true&s=x