Samsung's seven-inch, Android 2.2 Galaxy Tab tablet is now available on T-Mobile for $399 with a two-year plan or $599 without, says the carrier. Meanwhile, a 10.1-inch Samsung tablet has been spotted at a Chinese trade show.

Samsung's Galaxy Tab tablet (pictured) launched on T-Mobile Nov. 10, retailing for $399 with a two-year plan. The carrier beat rivals Verizon and Sprint to market by a matter of days. T-Mobile's website also offers the device contract-free for $599.

Samsung first unveiled the Galaxy Tab for American audiences Sept. 17 at an event at New York City's Time Warner Center. The Galaxy Tab runs Android 2.2 on a 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor, and offers a seven-inch, 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, a three-megapixel camera, a front-facing videocam, 802.11n, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, and 3G with voice telephony.

The manufacturer hopes that the combination of multiple carriers, Android 2.2 operating system with support for Adobe Flash, and a seven-inch form factor will attract users who might otherwise gravitate towards Apple's iPad, which currently controls the lion's share of the consumer-tablet space.

The iPad currently holds 95.5 percent of the worldwide market for tablets, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. Android-based tablets hold 2.9 percent of that market, although the majority of those devices are either in development or just beginning to arrive on store shelves.

"We expect Android's share to rise in the fourth quarter as more models…enter the market," states a Nov. 2 report from Strategy Analytics. While Samsung, Dell, and a variety of smaller manufacturers plan Android tablets, others — notably Hewlett-Packard and Research In Motion — are prepping devices based on HP's Linux-based WebOS and RIM's new tablet-specific, QNX-based operating system respectively.

The Galaxy Tab will appear on U.S. Cellular and AT&T, in addition to T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon. Data plans vary among the carriers, ranging from Verizon's monthly "pay as you go" to the other carriers' two-year contracts.

10.1-inch Samsung tablet spotted

Samsung predicts it will sell more than one million Galaxy Tabs by the end of 2010, and may expand its tablet offerings in coming quarters.

"Various tablet sizes will be launched by many companies next year. In order to cement our strong presence in the tablet market, Samsung is preparing other kinds of tablet devices," J.K. Shin, president of Samsung's mobile business, reportedly told an audience during a Nov. 4 press conference in Seoul.

Samsung's plans in that area could include a 10.1-inch version of the Galaxy Tab, at least if rumors emerging from China's FPD International Green Device 2010 trade show are on target.

A number of news outlets, including one from Wired, report seeing a 10.1-inch LCD panel screen displayed by Samsung at the event, which could — at least theoretically — find its way into a new version of the Tab.

In a bid to increase its tablet's relevance against the iPad, Samsung is also offering Galaxy features such as a Media Hub for downloading movies and TV shows.

Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is now available on T-Mobile for $399 with a two-year plan, or $599 without a contract, says the carrier. More information on the Galaxy Tab may be found at T-Mobile, here.

Nicholas Kolakowski is a writer for our sister publication eWEEK.

This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.