Three new Android-based Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 tablets will go on sale in the U.S. on July 7, with the 7-in. model starting at $199.
The 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.
Samsung announced the Android Jelly Bean-based tablets globally earlier this month.The company said today that U.S. pre-orders will start Tuesday at its website as well as the websites of 10 U.S. retailers, including Best Buy, Amazon and Wal-Mart.
In addition to the 7-in. Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 for $199, Samsung will offer am 8-inch model, the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0, for $299 and a 10.1 inch version, the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1, for $399. The tablets come in either white or "gold brown." All three come Wi-Fi-ready, with internal storage ranging from 16GB to 32 GB, with storage expansion of up to 64 GB with a microSD card.
All three also come with built-in infrared (IR) for using the tablets as universal remote control devices which can activate Samsung's WatchOn service for recommendations on TV content. Samsung said that Nielsen research indicates that 85% of tablet users watch TV while using a tablet, with 41% doing so daily.
The Tab 3 8.0 will be the only one of the three to support Samsung's Multi-Window functionality, seen previously in the Galaxy Note line of smartphone/tablets. With Multi-Window, users can use two apps side-by-side, with support for up to 20 apps, including Google Chrome and Facebook.
Android also gives users access to more than 750,000 apps in the Google Play store. Samsung is also offering Galaxy Perks content, other pre-loaded content and a $10 voucher for buying books, movies and music.
One unusual element is that Intel powers the Tab 10.1 with a 1.6 GHz dual-core processor, while the other two run on ARM, which is more common with tablets. Samsung is also using Intel for its ATIV line of tablets that run on Windows 8.
Samsung noted that its various tablet sizes fit into emerging market research that shows a variety of different uses for tablets, including reading an e-book, using social networks, playing games and watching movies.
Other retailers that will sell the devices are h.h. Gregg, Office Depot, Toys 'R' Us, P.C. Richard & Son, Fry's, Newegg and Sears.
This article, Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 tablets go on sale July 7 from $199 to $399, was originally published at Computerworld.com.
Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed. His email address is mhamblen@computerworld.com.
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