T-Mobile said it will begin selling the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus Nov. 16 for $249.99, following a $50 mail-in rebate and a two-year mobile data contract. The seven-inch tablet includes a dual-core, 1.2GHz processor, a 1024 x 600-pixel screen, and Android 3.2 (“Honeycomb”), according to the carrier.

When Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus was announced Sept. 30, we expressed the hope that it might sell for as little as $300. That's because Amazon's similarly sized Fire had been announced for $200, and the HTC Flyer had been cut to $300. (Now, of course, Barnes & Noble's $249 Nook Tablet looms as another seven-inch cheapie.)

Alas, T-Mobile is terming its $250 price for the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus merely a "down payment." Consumers who buy the tablet must also agree to pay 20 interest free monthly payments of $10, putting the total cost of hardware ownership at $449. The company's mobile broadband plans start at $29.99 per month.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus
(Click on either to enlarge)

A refinement over the bulkier original Galaxy Tab 7.0 from last year, the 7.0 Plus (above) has a 1024 x 600 display powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor. The slate, which weighs only 12.2 ounces, is .39 inches thick and runs Google's Android 3.2 Honeycomb operating system.

Android 3.2 includes the Google Movies application. Users may also access apps built for smartphones on this 7.0 Plus, thanks to the screen-compatibility mode.

The 7.0 Plus also features Samsung's TouchWiz user interface, which allows seven applications to be easily managed from a bottom tray on the main screen. Users can also customize their home screens using Samsung's Live Panel.

T-Mobile is launching the device pre-installed with Samsung's Media Hub to allow customers to rent or purchase movies and purchase TV programs and share that content on up to five compatible devices on the same account.

The Plus also comes with WildTangent to enable customers to play free games, or rent or purchase additional titles.

The Zinio Reader app offers consumers access to more than 5,000 color magazines, tailored for easy reading on the tablet form factor, and the Blio e-reader app displays books. The tablet has 16GB of internal memory and a microSD card that supports up to 32GB of additional memory for storage.

The Plus has a three megapixel camera in the rear for modest photo-taking, as well as video capture in 720p HD and playback in 1080p HD, along with a two megapixel front shutter for video chat.

T-Mobile is pitching the Plus as its most portable media consumption device to date, along with the launch of its new T-Mobile Springboard tablet for a $179.99 "down payment" with a $50 rebate and two-year data deal, plus 20 monthly $10 payments.

The company also offers the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the 8.9-inch T-Mobile G-Slate with Google, which means the company's tablets now run the gamut of tablet sizes from 7 to 10 inches.

Further information

More information on the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, including a full spec sheet, may be found at Samsung's Tab 7.0 Plus page.

Clint Boulton is a writer for 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.