Samsung launches low-cost Android 4.0 tablet

Samsung Electronics has launched the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0), the first of its tablets to ship with Android 4.0 and its own Touchwiz user interface, the company said on Monday.

The latest addition to Samsung's tablet portfolio is powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor and has a 7-inch screen with a 1024-by-600 pixel resolution.

The tablet will cost about €270 (US$350) excluding taxes for the Wi-Fi version, according to a statement from Samsung in Sweden, which also says that it will start shipping in March.

Samsung will also sell a 3G version of the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0), which can function as a phone and connects to the Internet using HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access) at 21M bps (bits per second).

The tablet is 10.5 millimeters thick and weighs 344 grams, compared to the iPad 2 to which is 8.8 millimeters thick and weighs 601 grams.

The specification also includes two cameras; 8, 16 or 32GB of integrated storage and MicroSD card slot; and a 4000 mAh battery that should last for up to 39 hours, according to Samsung.

With a lower price, Samsung hopes to attract a larger audience to its tablets. Sales of Android-based tablets more than tripled during the fourth quarter of 2011, but Apple still dominates the market, according to a recent report from Strategy Analytics. The Android camp had a 39.1 percent share of global tablet shipments, compared to 29 percent a year earlier. Apple's share dropped from 68.2 percent to 57.6 percent, according to Strategy Analytics.

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