三星推出平板电脑 挑战苹果iPad

Samsung Electronics Co. unveiled the Galaxy Tab, its take on Apple Inc.'s iPad, as more companies race to enter the nascent tablet market.

Samsung won't sell the Galaxy Tab directly to consumers. Samsung product executive Hankil Yoon said it would likely retail for between $200 and $300, although the final price would vary depending on wireless-carrier subsidies.

The gadget, which runs on Google Inc.'s Android software, comes with a cellular connection and features a seven-inch screen. The tablet will debut in Italy, moving to other markets as Samsung locks in more carrier deals.

Vodafone Group PLC, the world's biggest mobile operator, said it would start selling the Galaxy Tab in most of its European markets and some other markets next month.

The tablet is expected to be offered in the U.S. over the next few months, but Samsung said it is in talks with multiple U.S. carriers.

The Galaxy Tab is essentially an enlarged version of Samsung's new Galaxy S smartphone, which is available through AT&T Inc., Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel Corp.

Mr. Yoon said Samsung expects to ship 10 million Galaxy Tabs and take a third of the global tablet market next year. Samsung is exploring the possibility of a tablet with a 10-inch or six-inch screen, and Mr. Yoon said the company plans eventually to introduce a family of Galaxy Tab devices.

Samsung follows Dell Inc., which unveiled its Streak tablet through AT&T last month. More tablets are expected for the holiday selling season.

The iPad sold three million units after 80 days in the market following its launch in early April. Research firm iSuppli expects the iPad to control three-quarters of the tablet market this year.

Like the iPad, the Galaxy Tab customizes core applications, such as email, to take advantage of the larger screen. It offers Wi-Fi capabilities and provides a hub for reading magazines, books and newspapers.

The Galaxy Tab's seven-inch screen allows for a slimmer profile than the iPad, which has a 9.7-inch screen. Also, the Samsung device supports the latest version of Adobe Flash -- something the iPad doesn't do -- enabling the Tab to show more video found on the Internet.

It features a camera on each side of the device, as well as a slot for expandable memory. It also has the capability to make phone calls, but carriers will decide whether that capability will be offered.

The Galaxy Tab will run on Android 2.2, the latest version, and will have access to the Android Marketplace for applications.

But Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi said she was concerned about how many apps will be designed specifically for the device. The iPad already benefits from more than 25,000 apps that utilize its larger screen.