galaxy tab

The $199 Amazon Kindle Fire is expected to put pricing heat on tablet market. And it's not just the iPad that will feel the pressure, according to an analyst and a cost analysis report today.

"It establishes a new price point for the low to mid-range tablet. Apple will likely have to respond," Ashok Kumar, an analyst at Rodman & Renshaw, said in a phone interview.

A report today from UMB TechInsights says Amazon will make a profit on hardware sales of its Kindle Fire "but probably only a third to a quarter as much as the Apple iPad and [BlackBerry] Playbook," according to estimates from TechInsights that show the Kindle Fire's bill of materials at $150.

That kind of profit margin loss-leader stance "can be viewed as a major blow to all Android tablet manufacturers who really have no way to compete since the channel mark-up would require [that] companies put their tablets at or below cost to beat the Kindle Fire price--and they still all lack the content that the Amazon storefront has," according to the report, citing Jeffrey Brown, vice president of business intelligence at TechInsights. … Read more

T-Mobile is the latest carrier to announce upcoming availability of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet.

A short post on the provider's official Facebook page indicates that full details will be coming in the next few weeks. It's not immediately known whether this will be a Wi-Fi, 3G, or 4G model or whether it will be subsidized with a two-year service agreement.

Currently, Verizon offers 4G LTE-ready version of the 10.1-inch tablet with prices starting at $529.99 with contract, so we might expect something comparable out of T-Mobile. … Read more

Samsung will sell its new Galaxy Tab 8.9 Wi-Fi-only tablet for $469 for the 16GB edition and $569 for the 32GB version.

On its Web site, the company promised only that the new tablet would be "coming soon," and Samsung did not immediately answer CNET's request to confirm a launch date. But Engadget says the 8.9-incher could debut as soon as Thursday.

Samsung has filed a counterclaim in Australia against Apple and its iOS-based devices as the bitter battle between the companies continues.

Samsung and Apple have been embroiled in a long struggle in Australia. Apple has charged that Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 violates patents it holds. Though Samsung disagrees with that sentiment, the companies agreed earlier this year to a deal that would ban the sale of the U.S. version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia. Moreover, Samsung agreed to provide Apple with three samples of its Galaxy Tab 10.1, which Apple could then review … Read more

Korean technology giant Samsung has proved reluctant to reveal the differences between the Australian and United States models of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in its ongoing patent dispute with Apple.

In the latest hearing in the patent battle between Apple and Samsung at the Federal Court in Sydney today, Samsung counsel Neil Murray raised an objection to Apple, seeking to highlight to the court the differences between the US Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the--as yet unreleased--Australian model.

Apple counsel Cameron Moore said that it was important to work out the differences in order to see how Samsung … Read more

A Samsung tablet expected to be shown at a Microsoft conference next week will be powered by an Intel chip, according to a source familiar with the device.

Windows chief Steven Sinofsky is expected shows off an early version of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system running on a tablet from Samsung at the BUILD developers conference next week in Anaheim, Calif.

At least one version of the tablet being shown--and possibly distributed to some attendees--will be based on Intel silicon, said an industry source who is familiar with the device.

The fact that Intel is inside could be viewed … Read more

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been blocked from sale in Germany following a key court ruling against the company.

A German court today banned the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in its country, arguing that the device infringed Apple patents. According to the AFP, which first reported on the story, judge Johanna Brueckner-Hoffmann said that there is a "clear impression of similarity" between the iPad and Galaxy Tab 10.1.

As one might expect, Samsung is not pleased with the court's decision. In an e-mailed statement to CNET, the company said that it … Read more

Samsung Electronics and Microsoft may be showing off a tablet powered by Windows 8 next week.

The Inquirer, citing a Korea Economic Daily report, said the tablet would be revealed at Microsoft's Build developers conference in Anaheim, Calif. The report said the tablet marks Samsung's first collaboration with Microsoft for its hardware devices.

Representatives from Microsoft and Samsung weren't immediately available to comment to CNET on the report.

Windows 8 is the next version of Microsoft's long-running desktop operating system series. But the upcoming version is expected to be more touch-centric and run on both computers … Read more

Apple is asking a court in Japan to block the sale of certain Samsung mobile devices there.

In the latest shot fired in the ongoing patent war between the two companies, a lawsuit filed by Apple in Tokyo District Court seeks to ban sales in Japan of Samsung's Galaxy S and S II smartphones and the Galaxy Tab 7 tablet, according to Reuters.

Citing information from "sources close to the matter," Reuters reported that the first hearing took place yesterday. This latest legal squabble kicked off on August 23 when Apple filed the suit against Samsung in … Read more