Samsung Galaxy Tab gets pre-release raves

Google's Android mobile operating system should receive another boost if, as expected, Samsung unveils its new tablet computer, the P1000 Galaxy Tab, at the IFA 2010 consumer electronics show in Berlin, which starts on September 3.

After disappointing reviews for the Dell Streak, an Android mini-tablet computer with a 5-inch screen, the Galaxy Tab could be the first serious rival to Apple's market-dominating iPad.

According to various reports, the Galaxy Tab, which is based on Samsung's successful Galaxy smartphone range, will be smaller than the iPad, offering a 7 inch touchscreen to the Apple device's 9.7 inch screen. It will run on a 1 or 1.2GHz processor, depending on who you believe, with 16GB of internal memory, expandable to 48GB.

The operating system will be Android 2.2 and there's a front-facing camera for video calls and a 3.1 megapixel camera in the back - both of which the iPad lacks. Other capabilities include GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. There is no word on whether the Galaxy Tab will be 3G-enabled, but it does run Adobe Flash Player - another one in the eye for the iPad.

PC World seems impressed by Samsung's timing at least: "Launching the Galaxy Tab tablet in the fall is brilliant. It is far enough away from the original iPad launch, or the coming next-generation iPad to be the focus of attention, and it could provide a capable Android-based tablet to take on the iPad during the 2010 holiday season."

The fact that Samsung's announcement is in Berlin and Engadget found a 'Samsung Galaxy Tablet Contract' on a UK Vodafone inventory list has led to feverish speculation that Europe may for once be the first region to get its hands on a major electronic product launch. ·