T-Mobile has announced it will offer the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab in its retail stores and online on November 10 for prices starting at $399. The pricing matches that outlined by Sprint when it launches the Galaxy Tab on November 14, and significantly undercuts Verizon Wireless’s plan to put the Galaxy Tab on sale for $600 starting November 11. However, there are some crucial differences in the offerings: Verizon’s $600 Galaxy Tab comes with $20/month 3G service with no contract, whereas both Sprint and T-Mobile will be offering the Galaxy Tab at lower prices, but with required two-year service agreements.
“Customers want richer, deeper interactions with entertainment and online content through connected, portable mobile broadband devices that are small enough to carry and big enough to share with friends and family,” said T-Mobile USA’s director of broadband products and services Jeremy Korst, in a statement. “T-Mobile’s unique offerings on the Galaxy Tab paired with the power of T-Mobile’s new network allow us to bring a truly differentiated portable entertainment offering to market.”
Of course, the Samsung Galaxy Tab will be the first Android-powered tablet device to attempt to mount a serious challenge to the Apple iPad, which has so far dominated the tablet computing market. (Check out Digital Trends’ comparison of the iPad and the Galaxy Tab.) Pricing on Apple’s iPad starts at $499—although that’s for a Wi-Fi only edition without 3G connectivity. The Galaxy Tab does offer Wi-Fi connectivity as well as 3G; it also features a 7-inch multitouch display, Android 2.2 “Froyo,” and T-Mobile will be rolling in Slacker Radio (with 130 pre-programmed stations), a demo of the Aslphalt5 HD racing game, and Quik Video Chat.
Customers interested in T-Mobile’s Galaxy Tab offering can sign up to receive more information about availability and service details as it’s released.
