Verizon has made it official that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G LTE edition will hit stores on July 28th. The device has been available for pre-order for several weeks now. Both color options will be available, as well as 16GB and 32GB storage options. The 16GB edition will cost you $529 on with a 2-year contract, and the 32GB will be $629. This continues the trend of NO ONE but Apple ponying up the money to offer 3G/4G tablets without a contract at a reasonable price. Monthly data plans will start at $30 for 2GB.

Being locked into a 2 year contract on a tablet that will be obsolete in mere months just doesn’t make sense to me. Cell phones are different, as they still serve their main purpose of phone calls, texting, and basic browsing. With new models of tablets coming out every 6 months or so, I hope cell companies and tablet manufactures learn quickly that this is not the right way to offer 3G/4G tablets. Apple got it right in this regard.

 

Check out the press release below for more on the upcoming release.

 

Posted by Chris Garcia via Phandroid

 

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB 10.1 WITH 4G LTE AVAILABLE AT VERIZON WIRELESS

4G LTE and Wi-Fi Models Available; 8.6 Millimeters Thin and Weighing in at 1.25 pounds

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) today announced that the Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 10.1 with 4G LTE will be available July 28 in either Metallic Gray or Glossy White in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com/SamsungTab4GLTE.

Key features:
· 4G LTE – customers can expect download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage areas
· Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
· Android™ 3.1 Honeycomb platform – supports Google™ Mobile Services including Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Talk™, Google Search™, Google Maps™, Google Movies™, Google Books™ and Android Market™
· Adobe® Flash® 10.3 technology
· NVIDIA® Tegra2 dual-core 1 GHz application processor
· 10.1-inch HD touchscreen display with WXGA 1280 x 800 resolution
· 3-megapixel rear-facing camera and 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat capabilities
· 1080p HD video playback on a HD TV or other 1080p HD device
· Samsung Media Hub – offers a vast lineup of critically acclaimed films and TV programs for rent or purchase. Media Hub has been redesigned, allowing customers to playback Media Hub content on their TV through an HDMI adapter (sold separately). Purchased content can be shared with up to five devices enabled with Media Hub at no extra cost.

Pricing and data plans:
· Verizon Wireless will offer two 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 models both priced with two-year customer agreements: $529.99 for the 16GB model and $629.99 for the 32GB model.
· Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 customers will have the option to choose one of the following mobile broadband data plans:
o $30 monthly access for 2GB monthly allowance
o $50 monthly access for 5GB monthly allowance
o $80 monthly access for 10GB monthly allowance
· A 16GB Wi-Fi-only Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will also be available online at www.verizonwireless.com on July 28 for $499.99. The Wi-Fi-only model will be available in Metallic Grey.

Samsung Media Hub Credit:
· For a limited time, Verizon Wireless customers will get a free $25 Media Hub credit from Samsung with their Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 purchase, good towards TV program purchases. Restrictions apply, see inbox insert for additional details or visit www.samsung.com/VerizonTabPromo.