ORLANDO - Samsung today added two more Google Android Honeycomb-based tablets to its lineup, with a slimmer 10.1-inch tablet and an 8.9-inch model joining the Galaxy Tab lineup. According to Samsung's mobile division president JK Shin, the company's goal is to offer a range of tablets for different needs.
"People expect different user experiences for different screen sizes," Shin said.
Samsung wants to answer "yes" to every possible tablet size need, Samsung chief strategy officer Omar Khan said. In a briefing, Samsung execs described the 7-inch Galaxy Tab as a pocketable device, while the 8.9-inch tablet is ideal for business use and creative tasks, and the 10.1-inch tablet is best for media consumption.
The 8.9-inch model has a "bit more mobility," Khan said.
The new 8.9 and 10.1-inch models are only 8.6mm thin; that's thinner than the Galaxy Tab 10.1 announced at last month's Mobile World Congress trade show. Samsung reps said that the thicker 10.1-inch model will still go on sale, probably for a lower price than the thinner device. At just 595 grams, the new 10.1-inch model is the "thinnest and lightest large-screen tablet in the industry," Samsung's Khan said. "Samsung will not be outdone." The smaller model weighs 470 grams.
The new tablets will come in Wi-Fi, WiMAX, HSPA+ 21 and LTE models, Khan said. They both have 1,280-by-800 and PLS displays. The 10.1-inch model has a 6800 mAh battery and the 8.9-inch model has a 600 mAh battery, both for 10 hours of use. Adobe Flash 10.2 will come on board. Both models will have 2-megapixel front cameras and 720p video recording on their 3-megapixel rear cameras.
Samsung also showed off its new TouchWiz interface for Google Android Honeycomb. It's the first manufacturer skin over Honeycomb that I've seen, and it adds quite a few usable features to Honeycomb's rather spare home screen.
Samsung's new Live Panel widgets bring e-mail, live weather, social networking, calendar entries, and a photo gallery. They're similar to the live widgets you find on high-end smartphones, but I hadn't seen them before on a tablet.
The most startling new feature is the "mini apps tray" of six pre-programmed apps that can overlay on top of whatever you're doing, much like Apple's Dashboard or "desk accessories." The task manager, calendar, calculator, music player, world clock, and memo pad float over other apps, can be dragged around on the screen, and can be dismissed without interrupting your other work.
The tablets will support Samsung's overpriced Media Hub movie and TV download store. Samsung also discussed new Music Hub and Readers Hub music and book stores, but Samsung reps told me those features would not be available in the United States.
Enterprise features include hardware-based encryption, support for Sybase device management software, Cisco VPN and Microsoft Exchange support.
My first thought? That's a lot of tablets, which is very Samsung. Samsung is all about choice - the company wants to make products for every possible consumer desire. In that way, it's the opposite of Apple, which tried to anticipate consumer needs and release one perfect product for the consumer sweet spot.
"At Samsung, we don't believe in a one size fits all strategy," Khan said.
But I like the look. The tablets are indeed thin, they're much easier to grip than last month's Galaxy Tab 10.1, and Samsung's home screen widgets look absolutely great. Honeycomb tablets tend to have a very blank default home screen, and Samsung's widgets bring information you want to the front. The big question, of course, will be whether Samsung's software drags down performance. Samsung told me the two tablets both have dual-core processors, although they wouldn't tell me whose processor they're using.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi model will be available in 16GB and 32GB models. The 16GB model will cost $499, and the 32GB version will cost $599. The Galaxy Tab 8.9 Wi-Fi version will be available with 16GB of memory for $469, and the 32GB version will cost $569. The 10.1-inch tablet will be available June 8, and the other model will be available early this summer. 4G versions of the tablets will follow, and pricing will be "very competitive," Khan said.