When it first hit the market, the Galaxy Tab was lauded as the device that may finally offer dome resistance to the seemingly inevitable iPad takeover of the world. What was on the inside didn’t match up to the outside however, and the fact that it ran on the Android 2.2 system which is best suited for handsets stopped it’s hoped for challenge for supremacy in its tracks.
Those whizz kids who beaver away within the gilded walls of Samsung have quickly sorted it out in time for the release of the Galaxy 7.7 and installed the quaintly named Honeycomb, AKA android 3.2. The screen is, not surprisingly, 7.7” long, and is a convenient and compact screen for the weary traveler who is hungry for their Facebook fix.
It is also a world away from the cumbersome 10.1 tab that Samsung has been recently hawking. It has the Super AMOLED + display, which Samsung never tire of telling us how wonderful it is, and who can blame them when the 1280x800mp allow the device to deliver what they at Samsung Towers described in their press release as having brilliant and high contrasting colors and a crystal clear and crisp viewing experience.
These claims, as grandiose as they are, have been backed up by the reception the 7.7’s screen when it was revealed in Berlin at the IFA 2011 last week, and all hands on parties in attendance gave it a huge thumbs up. It’s a great relief to know that this tab isn’t all beauty and no substance like its predecessor.
Under the bonnet of the 7.7 is a nifty 1.4GHz dual-core processor, which they have promised will deliver super-fast web navigation and loading, program multi-tasking, and the highest quality audio and video playback. Due to this device having the pleasure of the company of the Honeycomb, the entire internet experience will be vastly improved, and have options such as multi tabbing.
Having Flash capabilities will also allow for a much improved and superior web surfing experience to that which existed on the Tab 7, and there will also be access to the impressive Android apps store. Along the same lines, the 7.7 also allows the user access to all of the Samsung Hubs which offer music, books and games to those owners with access to them.
There is a library of over 15m songs, 2000 newspapers and 3000 magazines, a real bonus for those who have managed to avoid purchasing an iPod, a DS or a Kindle. This tab is also an aesthetic delight, and the appearance is really something special, if tabs were supermodel, the 7.7 would be ‘The Body’, Elle McPherson.
The slick aluminum case and dimensions of only 197x133x8mm and the wait of a bird at only 335g, it will fit perfectly into the smallest of hands. Samsung are also claiming that despite the 7.7 being diminutive, the battery life is in no way affected and you will still get 10 hours of playback time. This may all turn out to be codswallop of course, but it certainly sounds good.
Whatever the final results are, this is a great offering, although the chances of any other device ever usurping the power of the iPad is next to zero, the 7.7 clearly shows that there are good alternatives for those who aren’t enamored with Apple’s products.