You’d think that creating a WiFi-only of one of the most popular 7 inch tablets would be as easy as not installing the components that make cellular communication possible, but it looks like Samsung may have made some more significant changes to their WiFi-only Galaxy Tab which appears to be using an older CPU and a slower GPU.

Perhaps as cost-saving measure, the WiFi-only Galaxy Tab is using a “1GHz A8 Cortex processor inch according to the official product page inch, while the 3G equipped version of the Galaxy Tab is using a “C110, 1GHz, Cortex A8 Hummingbird inch processor.

Both devices are using 1GHz A8 CPUs, but the 3G equipped version of the Galaxy Tab uses the PowerVR SGX 540 GPU while the WiFi only version is using the previous generation.

Folks over at the XDAdevelopers Forum have confirmed that the WiFi-only tab is using the PowerVR SGX 530 GPU instead of the SGX540. The PowerVR SGX 530 GPU corresponds to an OMAP 3630 CPU as seen in the Archos 70 tablet.

We haven’t had out hands on the WiFi-only Galaxy Tab to find out how this change impacts performance, but here’s a tidbit from a user on the XDA forum:

• “I need only wifi so I bought wifi version. However I found the performance is not good. I see noticeable lag when pulling down the notification bar. I go and check out 3G version. It’s lot better. inch

Let’s also not forget that Samsung is planning on bumping the Galaxy Tab’s CPU to 1.2GHz (in addition to some other specs) when they release the 4G version on Verizon, so it seems that this single product is actually turning out to be three different products.

We’ve reached out to Samsung for an official comment and will update when we hear from the company.

Thanks to the tipster slim_thumb who sent this in!

Update: Looks like the GPU isn’t the only thing that Samsung has downgraded for the WiFi-only version. According to the official product page, the WiFi-only Galaxy Tab is using Bluetooth 2.1 instead of 3.0 as on the 3G equipped version. This could be a clerical error on the site, a software restriction, or truly downgraded Bluetooth module. We’re still waiting to hear back from Samsung.

If you’re in the market for a 7 inch slate, Samsung’s 7 inch Galaxy Tab is the undeniable leader in this area… but it’s definitely not the only device you should consider. Take, for instance, Enspet’s Identity Tab e201. This 7 inch device is nearly spec-for-spec identical to Samsung’s Tab, less a lower screen resolution, but it actually performs just as well and even beats the Galaxy Tab on some benchmarks. Have a look at the two in a head-to-head video below:

With the launch of Verizon’s first 4G (LTE) smartphone, the HTC Thunderbolt, just behind us I thought it’d be a good time to lay down an overview of Verizon’s initial 4G device lineup. If you’re planning on jumping into the 4G action, listen up: these are the devices that you’ll be seeing right down the road.

At Verizon’s CES 2011 keynote, the company announced a goal to launch 10 4G devices by mid-year (which is now being refined to “summer”). Of those 10 devices, four are smartphones and two are tablets.

Availability:

All of the devices listed in this article will be available by this summer, according to Verizon.

As for 4G coverage, Verizon is continuing to roll out coverage to more regions. Take a look at the following map to see if your area is already 4G enabled, or marked as coming in 2011 (be sure to read the map legend!)

http://network4g.verizonwireless.com/pdf/VZW_4G_LTE_Coverage_Map.pdf

We saw the launch of the first of Verizon’s four upcoming 4G phones with the HTC Thunderbolt just a few days ago:

HTC Thunderbolt

The sleek looking HTC Thunderbolt is already in the hands of consumers, and we’ve seen some incredible 4G speed tests so far – speeds that easily outperform my home broadband connection (and probably yours too!). Check out this video from GottabeMobile.com of the Thunderbolt benchmarking 24.30Mbps download and 16.60Mbps upload:

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This is no doubt very impressive, but be forewarned: Verizon does not anticipate that customers will see these speeds once the 4G waves become saturated with users. Verizon has been claiming from the beginning of their LTE campaign that users should expect 5-12Mbps download and 2-5Mbps upload.

They are getting great press thanks to the ridiculous speed that the Thunderbolt achieves and even though the speed will reduce as 4G devices become more widespread, they are going to benefit greatly because the idea that “Verizon’s 4G is fast” is going to stick around in the heads of the general public much more easily than specific figures. When customers pick up a 4G phone, even after the speeds have come down to 5-12Mbps, they’ll likely still be impressed with the speed if they are coming from 3G.

Specs:

The HTC Thunderbolt isn’t just a data speed-demon, it’s also a top-of-the-line smartphone packed with some impressive hardware:

• Android 2.2 with HTC Sense interface (unfortunately not 2.3!)
• Qualcomm MSM8655 Snapdragon CPU @ 1GHz (Qualcomm MDM9600 chipset with LTE support)
• 768MB of RAM
• 8GB of built-in memory + 32GB pre-installed Micro-SD card
• 4.3” capacitive touchscreen @ 800×480
• 8MP rear camera with dual-LED flash and autofocus, 1.3MP front-facing camera
• WiFi b/g/n & Bluetooth 2.1
• GPS, FM radio

It’s also got a sweet kickstand – a hallmark of several HTC devices:

I’m disappointed that it isn’t using running Android 2.3, but it seems like almost every upcoming device has this in common with the Thunderbolt. If we’re lucky, we’ll see an update to 2.3 down the road.

What it doesn’t have in common with most other smartphones on the market today is that the front-facing camera is 1.3MP instead of 0.3MP, this should offer a nice boost in video-calling quality (especially over 4G where the bandwidth is there for higher quality video).

Reviews:

If you’re looking for some quality info about the Thunderbolt, check out these reviews:

• http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/18/htc-thunderbolt-review/
• http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/htc-thunderbolt-verizon-wireless/4505-6452_7-34468664.html

Next Up: Motorola Droid Bionic

Samsung previously piqued my interested with it’s Galaxy S Fascinate [tracking page][review], so I’ve been excited to give the Continuum a try. The Continuum is much like the Fascinate except it has a 1.8 inch 480×96 AMOLED “ticker inch display underneath the main screen for notifications and quick access to info like time/date/weather/twitter/facebook/etc. Does the extra display equal extra functionality or is it merely a monotonous novelty without much depth? Read our full review to find out!

We’ll start out with the classic hardware tour, but before that I want you to know that, as I mentioned, the Samsung Continuum is very much like the Samsung Fascinate that we reviewed a little while ago. It’s pretty much the same device in a slightly different body and without the Continuum’s extra display. We aren’t in the business of boring our readers so I’m not going to hit you with information that we’ve already covered. I’ll point you to the Fascinate review if need be, but for the most part this review is going to focus on the Continuum’s unique aspects (ie: the ticker display) and it’s particular performance. Now that we’ve got that out of the way…

Hardware Tour

Here’s a quick visual rundown of the Continuum to get you familiar with the device:

And here’s the specs (as always, you can find more detailed technical info on our Samsung Continuum tracking page in the device database).

• 3.4 inch capacitive Super-AMOLED screen @ 800×480
• secondary 1.8 inch capacitive Super-AMOLED @ 480×96
• Android 2.1 (custom Samsung overlay)
• ARM Cortex A8 CPU @ 1GHz
• PowerVR SGX graphics
• 366MB of RAM
• 5.0MP auto-focus camera with single-LED flash (capable of 720p HD recording)
• WiFi b/g/n & BT 3.0

Design

The Continuum is lightweight (125g) and fairly thin (12mm). It’s not as thin as the iPhone 4 or Fascinate, but definitely close. The entire phone casing is made of plastic; coupled with the lightweight nature of the device, it ends up feeling somewhat cheap compared to some of its contemporary devices. Still, it’ll slip into a jeans pocket with no problem and won’t bother you while it’s there.

The aspect ratio on the Continuum is nearly 16:9 (as with most modern Android devices) which makes the device quite tall and thin to begin with. Slap the extra display below it, and you’ve got a phone that feels peculiarly tall. This feeling will fade eventually though, and the height doesn’t hinder usage of the phone at all, unless you’ve got ultra-shallow pockets!

As with most of the other Galaxy S phones, the Continuum doesn’t have a lot going on aesthetically and it’s materials don’t feel premium. The front is bland with little more than an ear piece and a Samsung logo to break up the black bezel.

The back of the device has a camera and LED-flash housing that is centered horizontally. The camera housing has a chrome accent and is raised up just about a millimeter or so from the back of the device. The lack of sliding lens cover leaves it susceptible to scratches..

Other than the camera, there’s a Galaxy S logo and a pair of speaker vents for speakerphone and media playback on the back. The rear plastic grabs fingerprints readily. The back of the phone wishes that it had some texture as the color is actually made up of a bunch of little black dots on top of a grey background. Sadly they are so small that it just looks like a plain color unless you have great eyesight and are inspecting it closely.

The rear panel is indeed removable, but it’s terrifying when you do so. It always feels like it’s about to break in half as you are pulling it off, but so far I haven’t managed to do that (yet…).This is a plus for road-warriors who carry extra batteries on them, but a negative for the average consumer who won’t be happy if they suffer a crack in the thin plastic after a drop.

Samsung removed the sliding cover over the Micro-USB port that was on the Fascinate. I think this is a good move as it didn’t feel like it would last very long before breaking off.

Here’s a video showing how the Samsung Continuum’s “ticker inch display functions and some of the issues that it has.

For more on the Samsung Continuum, be sure to check out its tracking page in our extensive device database for gallery photos, links, stats, specs, and more.

Today at Verizon’s CES conference, JK Shin, the president of Samsung, whipped a 4G equipped Galaxy Tab out of his coat pocket. This slightly upgraded version of the Samsung Galaxy tab has a faster CPU and better rear camera.

The Cortex A8 CPU has been slightly increased from 1GHz to 1.2GHz. The rear camera has been bumped up from 3.2MP to 5MP. Samsung also says that the device will have pre-loaded LTE specific applications. Aside from this, it’s the same device as the original Galaxy Tab. I’m interested to know how the battery life will differ between the 3G and 4G version. You can find the specs of the original Galaxy Tab at our tracking page in the device database.

Chippy’s been relying on his Galaxy Tab quite heavily during CES and I bet he wishes he had the upgraded version right now!

I feel like Verizon will end up with some angry customers on it’s hands after original Galaxy Tab holiday sales. I can only hope such customers will find out about the upgraded version so that they can return the original and get the latest one.

Samsung is also giving availability information for the launch of the WiFi-only Galaxy Tab in the US. They say that it’ll be available in the first quater of 2011. Note that the WiFi only version shares the same specs as the original.

Source: Samsung Press Release (4G Galaxy Tab) & Samsung Press Release (WiFi-only Galaxy Tab)

We’ve got our hands on a very unique Android device. Check out our unboxing of the Samsung Galaxy S Continuum [tracking page], which features a secondary AMOLED display which measures 1.8” and has a resolution of 480×96. To activate the display, you squeeze both parts of the bottom part of the phone. The display has definite potential, but will it be able to prove it’s use to escape the ‘gimmick’ tag? Stay tuned for our upcoming full review to find out. If there’s anything in particular you’d like to know about the Continuum, feel free to drop us a line in the comments. (Pro tip: keep an eye on the Continuum’s gallery to get an early look at our photos of the phone before the full review is posted)

We’ve got our hands on a very unique Android device. Check out our unboxing of the Samsung Galaxy S Continuum [tracking page], which features a secondary AMOLED display which measures 1.8 inch and has a resolution of 480×96. To activate the display, you squeeze both parts of the bottom part of the phone. The display has definite potential, but will it be able to prove it’s use to escape the ‘gimmick’ tag? Stay tuned for our upcoming full review to find out. If there’s anything in particular you’d like to know about the Continuum, feel free to drop us a line in the comments. (Pro tip: keep an eye on the Continuum’s gallery to get an early look at our photos of the phone before the full review is posted)