Tablet Wars in Berlin

The annual consumer electronics show in Berlin included lots of different events, mostly unveiling new gadgets, predominantly tablets. Among the most prominent are 2 events: Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Tab and Toshiba introduced the Folio 100 tablet. In some way they both try to catch up with their predecessor, while at the same time they both have good points in differentiating from Apple fabulous gadget.

The Galaxy Tab presented by Samsung Electronics is not that big delivering just 7 inches wide and weighing 380 grams. It much smaller that the iPad which is 9.7 inches wide and weighs 680 grams. And the difference is not just that. Even unveiling the product both CEOs made it differently highlighting possible applications and strong sides of their gadgets. Steve Jobs presented the device sitting on a comfortable sofa, stressing the entertaining nature of the gadget, showing it can replace a PC in the living-room, playing music and movies etc. Samsung Europe telecom executive Thomas Richter followed the opposite strategy and took the gadget out of his inside pocket of the jacket, emphasizing it can be a real working tool for busy people who always keep track of their time. It a clear proof how differently a category tablet computer can be viewed both by manufacturers and their front-end users. Of course, every manufacturer presenting a tablet these days is playing some kind of a catch up game with Apple, which really has a 5 month start on them. Samsung at least is trying to carve out its own niche at the market combining most essential features of a PC and a phone. Moreover, Samsung is rumored to release its tablet in various sizes to suit needs and requirements of users in the utmost way.

The tablet runs Android 2.2 Operating System which makes it quick and impressive, which means the tablet will support Adobe Flash capabilities. There have been rumors the management of the company would like to install Gingerbread OS instead but due to some technical issues it is not ready yet to leave Google Labs. Apart from Flash support and a regular multitasking option the tablet will provide 3G HSPA connectivity, WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0.

A 1.0 GHz processor, a Micro SD card slot, plus 512 MB RAM and 16 or 32 GB of RAM provide all the conditions for a splendid media hub on the go. Moreover, Samsung promises a video-conferencing option and an ability to shot splendid photos with a 3 MP rear-facing camera a 1.3 MP front-facing camera.

Samsung has delivered its own vision of what the tablet computer should look like and what functionalities it should possess. Whether consumers share the idea, Samsung will be well ahead of other competitors.