T-Mobile said Thursday that the wireless carrier will begin selling Samsung's new Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus tablet in its stores nationwide beginning next week. Through the addition of Samsung's updated 7-inch model, T-Mobile will be able to offer customers an entire portfolio of tablets with 7-inch, 9-inch, and 10-inch multi-touch displays.
"Consumers want a selection of affordable, highly mobile tablets that can deliver the content they want virtually anywhere they go," said T-Mobile Vice President Jeremy Korst.
The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus will have an initial post-rebate price of $250 when it debuts nationwide on Nov. 16. However, buyers with approved credit will also have to pay $10 per month on an interest-free basis for an additional 20 months to complete their purchase.
Amazon as well as Barnes & Noble are also rolling out color tablets of their own this month that will cost consumers substantially less. On the other hand, neither the Kindle Fire ($200) nor the new Nook Tablet ($250) offers a cellular connectivity option.
Connectivity Options
T-Mobile is betting that many of its subscribers will be attracted to the Samsung tablet, which offers high-speed packet access plus connectivity. As much as three times faster than a conventional HSPA connection, HSPA+ will give T-Mobile's tablet users the requisite speed bump for downloading multimedia files as well as meet the needs of business professionals who need to maintain a fast anywhere/anytime connection while on the go.
Tipping the scales at just 0.77 pounds, Samsung's svelte 7-inch model also offers a number of other connectivity options in addition to HSPA+, including Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n). Also on tap is Wi-Fi Direct, which enables Wi-Fi devices to communicate with each other without the need for a wireless access point or hot spot.
What's more, the Samsung tablet offers voice and video call support without requiring the use of a headset. Also aboard is Samsung's full-touch user interface for mobile devices. TouchWiz enables new panning and tilt features by drawing upon the motion detection data produced by the device 's built in accelerometer and gyroscope.