Samsung today announced the availability of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9, along with the upcoming availability of the Galaxy Player 5.0 and 4.0. The Galaxy Tab 8.9 joins the Galaxy Tab 10.1 as the thinnest mobile tablets currently available in the U.S. market, measuring at 8.6 millimeters. The Galaxy Tab 8.9 shares many other features and services with the Tab 10.1 including Samsung's TouchWiz UX. This user interface was created to integrate with Android 3.1, Honeycomb, to deliver a customized and interactive tablet experience. The TouchWiz UX includes:

- Live Panel: Magazine-like widget view for immediate access to weather, social updates, email, news, photo gallery, all on the home screen
- Mini Mode Tray: One-touch overlay access to commonly used applications?Task Manager, Calendar, World Clock, Pen Memo, Calculator and Music Player
- Clipboard: Advanced copy & paste functionality allows Galaxy Tab 10.1 users to store photos, Web pages, YouTube links, etc., for easy sharing via email and social network sites
- Indicator Quick Panel: Quickly toggle on/off connectivity, notifications, sound, brightness and settings in lower right-hand corner of the display.
- Photo Editor: Rotate, crop and adjust colors on high quality digital images

The Galaxy Player 5.0 and 4.0 feature 5-inch and 4-inch touchscreens, respectively, providing an option for enjoying games, music, videos, e-books and social media while on the move. The Galaxy Player 5.0 and 4.0 weigh just 6.4 and 4.2 ounces respectively. They are powered by Android 2.3.5, Gingerbread, complete with a new, streamlined user interface and are enabled with Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) connectivity. In addition, the two devices are designed with front and rear cameras for video chat and photography. Both Galaxy Players will support Samsung?s Media Hub content service in the future through a software update.

The Galaxy Tab 8.9 is built with a dual-core T250S processor, WXGA TFT display (1280x800 resolution) fortified by Gorilla Glass. The portable tablet includes a 6,100 mAh battery for hours of entertainment without needing a recharge. This hardware is packaged in a portable design weighing less than one pound (447 grams).

Additional features of the Galaxy Tab 8.9 include:

Enterprise Solutions and Services:
- Full support for Exchange ActiveSync version 14
- On device encryption
- Cisco VPN (Virtual Private Network)
- Sybase MDM (Mobile Device Management)
- Cisco WebEx mobile conference solution for meetings on the go

FindMyMobile:
- If the Galaxy Tab 8.9 is lost or stolen, the user can locate the device on a map, and track it live as it moves, remotely lock the device to prevent unauthorized access and delete personal information stored on the device.

Additional features of the Galaxy Player 5.0 and 4.0 include:

Samsung GALAXY Player 5.0

Network	WiFi™ 802.11b/g/n
OS	Android™ 2.3.5 (Gingerbread)
Display	5” WVGA TFT LCD (800x480)
Camera	Rear : 3.2MP Camera AF with LED Flash Front : VGA Camera
Video	Format : MPEG4/H263/H264,Divx/Xvid Playback & Recording: 720p HD Video
Audio	MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, OGG, WMA, FLAC, WAV 3.5mm Ear Jack, FM Radio and Stereo Speaker
Value-added features	Android Market™ Google™ Mobile Services : Google™ Talk, Google™ Maps, Books, etc. Allshare Task Manager
Connectivity	Bluetooth® 3.0 Mini USB
Memory	8GB , microSD slot (up to 32GB)
Size	3.07 x 5.56 x 0.46 inches
Weight	6.42 ounces
Battery	2,500mAh

Samsung GALAXY Player 4.0

Network	WiFi? 802.11b/g/n
OS	Android? 2.3.5 (Gingerbread)
Display	4? WVGA TFT LCD (800x480)
Camera	Rear : 3.2MP Camera AF Front : VGA Camera
Video	Format : MPEG4/H263/H264,Divx/Xvid Playback & Recording: 720p HD Video
Audio	MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, OGG, WMA, FLAC, WAV 3.5mm Ear Jack, FM Radio and Stereo Speaker
Value-added features	Android Market? Google? Mobile Services : Google? Talk, Google? Maps, Books, etc Allshare Task Manager Voice Recorder
Connectivity	Bluetooth? 3.0 Mini USB
Memory	8GB , microSD slot (up to 32GB)
Size	2.53 x 4.87 x 0.39 inches
Weight	4.27 ounces
Battery	1,200mAh

 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 is available for sale nationwide starting October 2 for $569 for the 32GB version and $469 for the 16GB version. The Galaxy Player 5.0 and 4.0 will be available for sale in the U.S. starting October 16. The Galaxy Player 5.0 will be available for $269, while the Galaxy Player 4.0 will be available for $229.