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"It has been a long time coming but Samsung's Android 2.2 powered Galaxy Tab has finally arrived. Today, it launched on T-Mobile and over the course of the week, it will be hitting two more carriers in Sprint and Verizon. AT&amp;amp;amp;T's version has no pricing or release date as of yet but it should be out in time for the holiday season.\r\n\r\nWhile Verizon will be releasing it off contract for $599, T-Mobile and Sprint will be selling it for $399 with on two year contracts. In comparison, Apple's iPad starts at $499 for the Wi-Fi only model. Beyond pricing though how does the Galaxy stack up next to the iPad?\r\n\r\nCue Walt Mossberg from the Wall Street Journal and David Pogue of the New York Times who both just released their reviews of the Galaxy Tab. Mossberg exclaims from the outset that the Samsung Galaxy Tab is indeed the iPad's first real challenger in the tablet market for a number of reasons. And guess what?\r\n\r\nPogue's thoughts are nearly identical.\r\n\r\nMossberg on the some of the differences between the iPad and Galaxy Tab:\r\nIt includes the three most-requested features missing in the iPad: a  camera (two in fact); the ability to run Web videos and applications  written in Adobe\u2019s Flash software; and multitasking, though, to be fair,  the latter feature is coming to the iPad imminently via a software  update. Another strong point is that like Apple, Samsung has rewritten  some of the standard apps, such as the email and calendar programs, to  make them look more like PC programs and less like smartphone apps.\r\nPogue touches on some as well:\r\nBut the Galaxy doesn\u2019t feel like a cramped iPad.  It feels like an  extra-spacious Android phone. And the payoff is huge. The Galaxy is much  lighter than the iPad (13 ounces vs. 1.5 pounds), which makes a huge  difference when you have to hold it to watch a movie on the plane. And  it\u2019s so small you can carry it in a blazer pocket.\r\nAnd:\r\nThere are front- and rear-facing cameras, too \u2014 take that, iPad! \u2014 with a  flash, video, exposure controls and special effects. It\u2019s a little  weird to hold up this enormous slate in front of you when you want to  take a picture. But it\u2019s also awesome; when have you ever used a camera  with a 7-inch screen?\r\nHow about the software? There has been some speculation as to whether or not Android 2.2 would be good on a tablet device, especially after Google themselves stated that the software wasn't optimal for tablet devices.\r\n\r\nOn Android, Mossberg states:\r\nThe Tab uses the latest version of Android, and it generally worked very  smoothly, even though Google has warned that Android isn\u2019t yet ready  for tablets. I was especially impressed with Samsung\u2019s attractive and  usable rewrites of the calendar, email and contacts apps, which, like  their iPad cousins, use multiple panels to make them more computer-like,  while still remaining touch-friendly.\r\nPogue's thoughts?\r\nIn any case, the Galaxy offers all of Android\u2019s traditional high points,  including many features you can\u2019t get on the iPad. For example, you can  customize its nine home screens by placing icons or mini info windows  anywhere you like (they don\u2019t have to sit in an organized grid). You can  dictate text instead of typing it, or search Google or Google Maps by  voice.\r\nIn summary, both reviewers close it out by saying that the Galaxy Tab is very much going to be in competition with the iPad. Pogue probably sums it up best when he states:\r\nSo yes, the dawn of the would-be iPad is upon us. But the Android tablet  concept represents more than just a lame effort to grab a slice of  tablet hype. As with Android phones, it represents an alternative that\u2019s  different enough to justify its existence. You\u2019re buying into a  different approach to size, built-in goodies like cameras and GPS, and  the more freewheeling Android app store.\r\nThe tablet wars have officially begun, folks and you can expect a complete TNW review of the Galaxy Tab in the coming days.\r\n\r\nUpdate: Gizmodo also released a review earlier today and needless to say, they had a much different take than Mossberg and Pogue. Here are a few choice clips from Matt Buchanan:\r\n\r\nOn iPad similarities:\r\nIn the places where Samsung tries to make the Tab feel more like a  tablet than a big phone, it's not afraid to borrow liberally from what  Apple's done on the iPad. The music app (a huge improvement over the  standard Android player) bears an uncanny resemblance to the iPad's iPod  app, while the faux-realness of the Calendar, Contacts and Memo apps  feel like Chinatown knockoffs of Cupertino software.\r\nHe goes on to describe the Galaxy Tab like this:\r\nThis thing is just a mess. It's like a tablet drunkenly hooked up with a  phone, and then took the fetus swimming in a Superfund cleanup site.\r\nBuchanan did like one thing though, the screen:\r\nScreen is pretty killer. The pixel density\u20141024x600 pixels packed into a  7-inch display\u2014makes everything from reading to watching video  seriously pleasant. (Put another way: Reading Kindle books feels better  than on the iPad.)\r\nSo there you have it, the first device to ever be compared how a fetus would look after swimming in a Superfund cleanup site."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2010/11/11/samsung-galaxy-tab-reviews-are-out-ipad-watch-your-back/>