How the Samsung Galaxy Tab Can Take On the iPad

Android tablets have been threatening to hit the market for months, but where are they? Ignoring that low-end Augen tablet from a few weeks ago, Android's first big tablet hope is the Galaxy Tab from Samsung. This device has been making the rounds in the rumor mill for a few months now. Today Samsung released a teaser video confirming not only that the product exists, but gave us some feature details and a September 2 announcement date to consider. The iPad has won the hearts and minds of many consumers. In fact, if we enter the holiday season without a real alternative, the iPad could run away with the market for a long time. Is the Galaxy Tab the device we need? 
 
Let's take a look at what the Galaxy Tab needs to do in order to be a serious contender.  
 

A focused out-of-the-box feature set

One of the things that makes the iPad a device that people want to use, is that it is a device people can wrap their heads around. You can pick up an iPad and see what it can do for you. This has been a problem for Android in general, but the problem is exacerbated on a tablet. Tablets don't fit into our lives as seamlessly as a phone does. The out of the box experience must make it apparent what a device is for. The Galaxy Tab will have to work on that. 

Samsung will need to decide what their tablet is for. Is this going to a device that does it all? The more features are built in, the more technical barriers to fully using the device. We have to remember that many users do not have the familiarity with technology readers of Tested tend to have.  The teaser video indicates that Samsung might have a handle on this. For example, video calling (with a rumored 3.2MP camera) is called out as an included feature. If this can be implemented well, that is an instant one up on the iPad.  

The video also mentions features like HD video playback, E-reading, and web browsing. These are all features that consumers are expecting. If Samsung can present these aspects efficiently to buyers, they are actually in pretty good shape. It might be more lucrative to pile apps and product tie-ins into the Galaxy Tab, but they risk making it a less desirable device. In short, Samsung should strive to make the Galaxy Tab an attractive computing accessory with a focused, high-quality feature set. Leave the customization and addition of features to the users.  

As an aside, one feature we've heard listed a number of times for the Galaxy Tab is Swype integration. Swype is the gesture-based keyboard solution for touchscreens. This seems like exactly the type of feature that users would respond to. Typing on the iPad screen can be awkward, but Swype makes a lot of sense on a large device like a tablet. Samsung just needs to introduce users to the interface intelligently. Maybe by way of a tutorial when the device first starts up. HTC has done this with some of their phones. 

Compelling hardware

Taking a page from the iPad's playbook, the Galaxy Tab is expected to run on the same CPU that is in the company's flagship phone. Of course, we are referring to the 1Ghz Hummingbird chip. This means the interface is likely to be at least as snappy as the Galaxy S phones (and hopefully more optimized), while saving battery life. The screen is clearly smaller than the iPad at 7-inches, but the resolution is expected to be 1024x600. It is also rumored to be a Super AMOLED display. The screen has the potential to be pretty stunning. 

This form factor is interesting in a number of ways. It is bigger than a mobile phone, but smaller than an iPad. At 7-inches it might be in the zone where the user experience is improved from that of a smartphone's small screen. The high resolution means the pixel density is around 169ppi. The iPad's 1024x768 is only 132 ppi because it is bigger at 9.7-inches. The Galaxy Tab's size offers a more manageable option that some users might appreciate. An iPad is large enough that it almost needs a dedicated bag or compartment. The Galaxy Tab might be large enough to be compelling, but small enough to be portable. 

Early reports indicate that the Galaxy Tab is a very light device; certainly lighter than the iPad. However, those same reports tell us that the device feels plasticky, which is unsurprising to owners of most Samsung phones. This is the sort of aesthetic issue that could be off-putting for users. Samsung should be careful to keep the build quality in mind when pushing an iPad competitor. But the good points of the hardware need to be emphasized and shown off.

An App ecosystem

The hard reality of the mobile device arena these days is that if your device doesn't have apps, people will pass it by. Recent leaks indicate that the Galaxy Tab comes with at least a few specially designed apps. This includes an eReader app that is described in a very positive light. So the question is, where will users get apps? 

The first option is the Android Market. The big problem with this is the non-standard display on the Galaxy Tab. Most Android apps need to be modified to work with different screen sizes. As such, many apps would fail to work on this device. That's not a user experience you want your customers to have. One of the benefits of the iPad is the narrow hardware target. Developers are, and have been, making apps specifically for it.  Another possible issue is that Google might not allow the Market to run on the Galaxy Tab.  One of the screen in the teaser video seems to show Google Navigation, so it is possible The Big G is involved in providing some apps, but the Market is an unknown.
 
Still, Google has yet to officially approve any tablets, so Samsung could be on its own. This means apps for the Galaxy Tab would have to built by Samsung (or developers specifically targeting the Galaxy Tab) and distributed outside the Android Market. In fact, many of the brief glimpses of apps in the video look like new apps built by Samsung. It's hard to see a way this could produce a vibrant app ecosystem. Users aren't likely to stick around without apps, so Samsung would have to court developers intensely. As in, start sending out free Galaxy Tabs now. 

An Android implementation to rival iOS

The iPad's interface might be simplistic, but people find it compelling. Samsung needs to be able to compete here, but it's looking grim. The Galaxy Tab will almost certainly be running a fairly standard TouchWiz implementation of Android. Although, in this case it will at least be based on Android 2.2 Froyo. The skinned UI approach is probably the element causing the most concerns.

Most users have little love for TouchWiz, but Samsung seems committed to the UI. By just scaling up the Android mobile phone interface, Samsung is missing opportunities with Android. Widgets would be excellent on a tablet, but there doesn't look to be any extra space on the home screens here. It's likely just the standard 4x4 grid we're used to seeing on phones.  

Seeing the latest version of Android on the Galaxy Tab is certainly a big plus. One minor feature of Android 2.2 is actually very important to tablets. Android 2.2 allows the screen to rotate in any direction; previous versions only allowed landscape orientation one way. A tablet needs to be a device that one can hold in any orientation. Android 2.2 will also mean Adobe Flash will run in the browser. It's not clear if Flash will ship with the device, but at the very least users should have an option to install it. 

On September 2, we'll have an idea of how well Samsung has done in crafting an iPad competitor. The emphasis Samsung is placing on certain features is encouraging, provided the included apps are high quality, users may be intrigued. A strong app ecosystem will be needed to keep the product viable in the long term, though. Whether that's the Android Market or something else, we can't say for sure. Hopefully Samsung has that worked out. What are your predictions for the Galaxy Tab? What do you need to hear for Samsung to get your money?