Ready to take the plunge on an iPad 2? Hold fire for a moment: Samsung has unveiled a sleek riposte. Its Galaxy Tab 8.9 is the world’s thinnest tablet, runs the latest version of Android, has 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity and can capture HD video. It’s due out this summer, just in time for a battle royale with other next-gen Android tablets, including Motorola’s XOOM and BlackBerry’s PlayBook. So don’t take a sledgehammer to the piggybank just yet -— the iPad 2 is about to get some serious competition.
Five Essential Features
1. As the world’s thinnest tablet, it beats Apple’s iPad 2 by (a highly significant) 0.03mm. And at just 470g, it’s 20 per cent lighter than its rival, too.
2. The tablet’s name is based on its 8.9in touchscreen which, despite being nearly 2in bigger than the original Tab’s, has packed in 1,280x800 pixels for a super-sharp result.
3. Inside, it has a supersonic 1GHz dual-core processor, which should make light work of browsing Flash-heavy websites and playing high-def video.
4. Running the show is Android’s Honeycomb OS, designed specifically for tablets. That means upgrades such as swanky 3D menus and slicker-looking widgets.
5. The Samsung Reader’s Hub is designed to tempt users away from their Kindles or eBooks.
It offers access to 2,000 newspapers, 2,300 magazines and 2.2 million books. Just a little light reading, then…
