coming soon! the awesome galaxy tab!

a thing of beauty...

The iPad seems to be taking forever to arrive on Indian shores. The so-called "Global iPad Launch" (that happened in May 2010) left out India egregiously and Apple fanboys here have been waiting ever since. Nearly 6 months on, there isn't so much as an iPad launch date on the Apple India website. So India doesn't seem to figure much in Apple's plans.

Which is GREAT as far as Desi Droidheads are concerned :)

Samsung has always given India a high priority, and the launch of the awesome Android2.2-powered Galaxy Tab is no exception. According to Samsung Mobile India, the Galaxy Tab is launching on Friday, 10th November - almost a week from now!

The make-or-break metric for a country like India is price, and this too seems to be in the favor of the Galaxy Tab. It's priced at Rs 38,000. This isn't exactly cheap, but it's not exorbitant either.

the Layar reality browser in action

The iPad 64GB (with WiFi and 3G) version costs $829 in the US (which roughly translates to Rs 37,000), so it will definitely retail for more than 40k, if-and-when it gets here. In fact, a quick ebay.in search reveals that the iPad 64GB (+WiFi +3G) is available in India  (US purchases being re-sold here, presumably) for around Rs. 50,000. The better price point for the Galaxy Tab, coupled with its early launch should well entrench Samsung on Indian soil to take on the iPad (assuming it even gets here :)

Check out this nice side-by-side comparison of the two tablets by PCWorld. And here's a beautiful tech spec comparison that might help you decide which is better for you.

In my mind, the Galaxy Tab is a clear winner thanks to its:

• higher pixel density
• front-and-rear cameras
  (hence video-calling, videoconferencing ability, which the iPad sorely lacks)
• expandable microSD storage
• smaller, lighter frame
  (hence a more comfortable form-factor)
• better price point

Way to go, Samsung!

(Galaxy Tab pictures courtesy of Samsung)