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RedBoard video: Samsung Galaxy Tab landing at Rogers
November 15th, 2010 a 1:19pm
There’s no question that tablets are transforming the way we live, work and play. From sending email to editing documents to watching video and mobile web browsing, tablets are growing in popularity among Canadians.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab has officially joined Rogers lineup of world-class mobile Internet and Android devices. Beginning tomorrow, devices will start to arrive at Rogers stores and authorized dealers. You can pick one up for $539.99 with select three-year mobile Internet data plans.
The Galaxy Tab features a vivid 7-inch touch screen, expandable memory up to 32GB, the ability to enjoy Flash web content, plus a built-in dual camera, e-reader, and GPS navigation. With the Android 2.2 OS, you also have access to integrated Google Mobile services and thousands of apps on the Android Market.
As part of our RedBoard video series, I spoke with Neil Shuart, Rogers Director of Wireless Internet to take a closer look at the Galaxy Tab, including the two cameras, and the built-in apps for work and entertainment on-the-go. You can read a full transcript here.
What do you think of the Samsung Galaxy Tab? How do you use tablets?
Miranda MacDonald is a regular contributor to RedBoard
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Open list- dont post yet – Rogers Samsung Galaxy Tab now Available In Stores
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Details please…
- Whats the non-contract pricing (your subsidized price is very high so I’m assuming not much in the way of a discount)
- Is there a data sharing plan for this?
- can it tether to a blackberry?
- can it tether to another android phone?
- is phone enabled or disabled?
- when you say “start arriving” does that mean there is a decent quanity available or is this another gradual trickle rollout?
This was a very information-free post, even by redboard standards.
Hi Kman,
Sorry that we didn’t address your specific questions in the post. We’ll take that into consideration for next time. Here’s the answers to your questions:
- The non-contract price is $674.99
- Yes, Rogers has Data Sharing plans and they are available for the Galaxy Tab. Go to a Rogers store or check out http://www.rogers.com/web/content/dataSharing for details
- If you have a WiFi enabled device, the Samsung Galaxy Tab can act as mobile hotspot for up to 5 devices using the mobile AP (access point) feature. Also, you can tether the Tab to a laptop using a USB cable
- As mentioned below, the Canadian version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab does not support voice calling
- We can’t comment on specific device quantities arriving in stores, but we anticipate inventory to be normal for this launch.
Hope this helps.
First reaction is expensive in comparison to the iPad which one can get without a contract.
Second reaction is that although the Tab is probably by far the best Android tablet in the market, it would be advisable to wait until Google releases Gingerbread which is most likely better optimized for tablet form factor devices.
Third, in comparison to the European models there is no capability to use it as a phone, while most users may not want to use it the device itself is capable of doing that.
Foruth, Samsung and Nvidia indicate better GPU’s will be made available in the next three months leading to a much more robust device with greater potential.
http://blog.puleen.com/post/1564898936
http://blog.puleen.com/post/1536765344
In general, would be advisable for consumers to wait it out rather then jump into the hype and save their money.
Why are you only launching in Toronto? and no option to order online?
Hi CMO,
The Samsung Galaxy Tab will be available nationally.
And yes, at this time, our laptops and tablets with Rocket Mobile internet built-in are available to purchase in-store only.
Hi guys,
Is there any word on whether or not the Rogers Galaxy Tab will support making and taking voice calls?
No.
No the North American version of the Galaxy Tab will not have the ability to use it as a phone to make voice calls. The European version does have this ability.
As always carriers killing innovation and choice.
stopping putting ur webpages live before the device is out
also ur N8 link is still down, eventually had to go to a store and get it
Hi Justin,
Sorry about this. The team is aware and is working to fix as soon as possible.
agreed, I still cant find a store that has the tabs in yet… what is up with that? in fact, when i call the stores, the staff barely know what a Galaxy tab is and sound like they have no idea what I’m talking about.
When will the Samsung Galaxy tab arrive in stores in Saskatoon? nobody can give a straight answer, it’s amazing.
Hi Jesse,
The device is available nationally. As Miranda said below, it just started shipping a couple of days ago so it will take some time to reach all stores.
Thank you,
Nina
Shipping does NOT equal available nationally. Shipping means shipping or availability when shipment arrives. Consumers are not obtuse please stop assuming we are.
Until its in retail store’s stock its not available – unless online and in warehouse stock for shipment.
I too am wondering if this is phone enabled or not. If not I see no use for it. If so, I will be buying one.
@Brad @Michael @kman
The Canadian version of the Galaxy Tab does not support voice calling.
However, the dual camera supports video calling through third party applications.
Tragic :(
I think the correct wording for this is:
“The Galaxy Tab supports voice calling, but we have disabled this feature because we don’t want to offer it to you.”
Hi Miranda, if I were to somehow get a Galaxy Tab from the UK unlocked, could I use the voice option here in Canada?
This is a technical question and NOT a policy question.
So in theory, will voice work if we get the UK version?
There’s been discussion in the xda-developers forum about getting the T-Mobile Galaxy Tab flashed with European firmware – once that’s done the device has been confirmed to be able to make and take calls, but at the moment they haven’t figured out how to enable 3G (as European phones use different frequencies and the firmware isn’t set up for ours).
Work continues on that. Once someone’s got a known-stable and documented method of doing this, I’ll be looking into getting a Rogers Galaxy Tab.
You can see some info on this here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=838250
Miranda, given the level of interest in making calls on this device is high, (really, we should be able to make calls from any computing device moving forward regardless of form factor), please pass this interest along to other Rogers’ staff!
Hi,
I think so, although I can’t say for sure. Rogers does not support unlocked devices because we can’t guarantee how they will work with our network.
Hello,
Well I have been interested in seeing this Tab for a long time and see it come to Rogers.. however, I have seen the leaked $750 price tag.. and I have to say.. are you out of your mind? This is meant to compete with the ipad with 3g+wifi+32gb of space and you are giving it a price of a $100 more and only giving 16gb of memory.. and even on a 3 year contract you are charging users $539.99 .. for that price they should have no contact.. the device only cost $230 to make how can you justify your pricing were as AT&T and T-Mobile in the US are charging $100 less for the same product.. they have less taxes and a worse dollar strength.
Additionally, would users be able to add-on this device to their current phones data or are you charging them $50 additional per month?
Thanks for your time.
Hi Nick,
Tablets are a new category of device and they are priced differently than smartphones. This pricing model is consistent with other devices in tablet category. I do appreciate your feedback though. We are always evaluating our pricing to ensure the best value for our customers.
As I mentioned to kman above, Rogers has data sharing plans and they are available for the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Details can be found here: http://www.rogers.com/web/content/dataSharing
Hello,
Thanks for the answer :)
From the looks of the link datasharing doesn’t include the USA data plan package. Can that be added still ?
Hi Nick,
Yes. You can add data roaming add-ons to data share plans. However, the add-ons cannot be shared across all devices on the plan. For example, each device requiring international roaming will need its own add-on.
Thank you for your answer Miranda.
Any news on when the stores will have them in stock? (Particularly Ottawa Area).
I was excited when I saw this announcement, but no stores here have them yet :(
Hi cmo,
I can’t guarantee an exact time of arrival for Ottawa stores but they will start shipping tomorrow.
What can users expect to pay for data packages for the Galaxy Tab? Where are the prices for that listed? What good is a Tab without data package?
Hi Puleen,
Plans can be seen at http://www.rogers.com/mobileinternet. Once there, you’ll see the Tab pictured under “Rocket Built-In” on the right hand side. Click on it and you’ll see the available plans.
Hey Miranda and team,
You guys are doing a great job getting these videos out for us! Thanks for everything.
-p
Thanks for the compliment! I enjoy doing them. If there’s any topics you think we should cover in future videos, let me know.
Well looks like I’ll purchase the euro version and just unlock it to Rogers I prefer voice also always killing a great device so sad
Good luck trying to sell these.
What does it mean by “Rocket Built-in”? Does it have a special hardware modification or is it purely software thing?
My question is that I have an unlocked tab from Germany, which is phone function enabled and still can I subscribe the Rocket data plan with my existing family voice plan on it?
Hi Seong,
Rocket Built-In refers to our laptops and tablets that come with Wi-Fi and a 3G wireless modem pre-installed.
Yes, I beleive it is possible to add the data plan to your device, but I would recommend speaking to a customer care representative for details and a recommendation.
So where can I get one??? I’ve called 5 Rogers Plus stores in Toronto and have stopped into 3 others and nobody has even got stock yet? Why is Rogers always releasing devices that are never available??? Very frustrating. First the iPhone 4, then Captivate and now the Tab. I’m a business customer for 11 years with 8 lines and I can’t get anything when we need it.
Hi Sean,
Sorry you’re having trouble finding the device. It just started shipping today so it will take some time to reach all stores.
Will I be able to bring a Galaxy Tab purchased in the U.S to the Rogers Network? (with a Rogers Micro-SIM?) OR is Rogers access only locked for devices purchased at Rogers?
Yes. Unlocked devices will work on the Rogers network, however we do not support them as we can’t guarantee how they will work with our network.
I heard that the tablet will be out on the 16th
So i called so many sotres in Toronto and none of them seem to have it no one knows
where to get it.
WHere can i get it?
Hi Mark,
As I mentioned to Sean, the Tab just started shipping today so it may not have reached all stores yet.
According to Slashgear (and I’ve seen it elsewhere as well) http://www.slashgear.com/galaxy-tab-voice-call-hack-turns-tablet-back-into-a-huge-phone-15114047/ the XDA people have not only rooted the Galaxy Tab, but by using a European ROM managed to ENABLE voice calling, but at the cost of losing 3G speeds (for now).
REMEMBER: ROOTING VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY AND YOU RISK BRICKING YOUR DEVICE
That said, if you don’t want to buy a European model, and are willing to root, you can get voice calling, and if you wait a little while longer, chances are the XDA guys and gals will get it working with 3G.
Alternately, if you have an Android phone that will support Android 2.2 (COUGH * HTC Magic * COUGH) you can turn your Android phone into a WiFi hotspot and then connect to it with the TAB. You can then use the data from your phone, to get WiFi on your TAB, and then use Skype to make calls. (possibly even with video?)
Hmm.. I wonder if Rob will approve _this_ comment? ;-)
I honestly don’t know what to think. My first thought is utter disappointment from Rogers. $539 for a 3 year contract? That’s it!? Seriously? $675 without a contract. So $135 saving for signing away your life for 3 years. That doesn’t seem worth it to me.
Not to mention $135 savings vs the sneaky $400 early cancellation fee. Come on. That’s just crazy. Next you’re going to tell me this Tab is Rogers branded and locked. Can this Rogers Tab even be upgraded? IF SO… Are the upgrades through Google or through Rogers?
Simply put, I don’t think the discount incentive is there. I’ve been dying to get my hands on one of these, but after seeing those prices, I’m going to hold off on this. Come March when my contract expires, I’ll decide then if I want to stay a Rogers customer.
Hi Raffi,
As I mentioned to Nick above, tablets are a new category of device and as a result, they are priced differently than smartphones. Appreciate the feedback on the pricing though. I will pass it along to our internal team.
Hey Miranda,
Thanks for taking the time to reply back to us and passing along our complaints to your internal team. Realistically, that’s all any of us can ask for. We just want Rogers to listen to what we’re saying.
That being said, seeing as Rogers is new to the Tablet market, why not take a page from the US providers and have similar pricing to them. I mean the US and Canadian dollar are almost neck and neck.
According to T-Mobile, they are offering the Tab for $599 without a contract, and $399 on a two year term.
I still think this is even a little too expensive, but at least it’s an easier pill to swallow than Roger’s $539 – 3 year price tag.
Thanks Raffi. We’re definitley listening to everyone’s feedback and sharing it with the team – both good and bad. Thanks for taking some time to explain your thoughts on the pricing.
Raffi,
You hit the nail right on the head. The prices are just ridiculous and the amount of savings you get for signing a 3-year contract is not worth it. On top of that the Tab is Rogers branded and locked. Rogers is very unlikely to unlock it for you. My Captivate which I bought out right, they decline from unlocking it.
Forget the early cancellation fee. Have you seen the data plans and the cost for data for the Galaxy Tab. If you think the out right cost is ridiculous, have a glance at the data packages, they will shock you.
Well technically nothing with Rogers these days is shocking, because that’s just to normal thing to expect.
As for the updates are concerned, I doubt Rogers has thought that far ahead, right now the Tablet is a new category and they are likely to hope that customers get sucked into the hype and shell out their $$$ as early adopters. The updates will most likely (as history is my witness) not be dictated by Rogers and you (consumer) will be pointed to the manufacturer (Samsung) to ask about future updates. Rogers will claim the “We don’t know anything about software upgrades, you should ask Samsung” out of the box statements.
Word of the wise is to hold off and not buy the Galaxy Tab from Rogers.
I’ve got to ask, what possible justification can there be for the price difference between the iPad data plans and the Galaxy Tab data plans? $35 for 5GB on the iPad vs. $30 for 500MB on the Galaxy Tab?
I hate to reply to myself, but the social media team is always saying how much they value our thoughts, so here is one:
I have a phone, and I have a plan for that phone on Rogers. I don’t have a tablet. In fact, almost no one has tablets, but lots of us are thinking about getting them. My point is, when I’m looking for a new phone, I look to rogers because you already have me locked in. But I have no current monthly data plan for a tablet and thus no reason whatsoever to prefer one company over another…. and neither does anyone else yet. Maybe keep that in mind and then go and look at what the competitors are offering for data on the Galaxy Tab, and then relay your conclusions to whoever keeps telling you to use the line “tablets are a new category of device and as a result, they are priced differently than smartphones”. Because that argument might be true, but you seem to be drawing the wrong conclusion.