Computerworld - Samsung's three latest Wi-Fi-ready tablets in the Galaxy Tab 3 portfolio have started popping up at national retailers, continuing Samsung's commitment to offering a diverse product line in the fast-growing tablet market.
The Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 (7-in.), Tab 3 8.0 (8-in.) and Tab 3 10.1 (10.1-in.) come in white and "gold brown" and are priced at $199, $299 and $399 respectively. All three run Android Jelly Bean. Retailers include Best Buy, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Office Depot and others.
The 7-in. Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.
Samsung announced the pricing June 24 and said in-store availability would begin July 7.
The range of tablet sizes reflects a need to appeal to a broader base of individual and family user preferences, a Samsung spokeswoman said. "The way individuals use tablets varies widely," the spokeswoman said, while noting that research shows that parents, college students and households earning more than $75,000 are driving the most tablet usage.
One in three U.S. adults now owns a tablet, nearly double from 2012, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 2,252 U.S. adults conducted earlier in 2013.
About 85% of tablet users watch TV while using a tablet, with 41% doing so daily, Nielsen said earlier this year. Each of the Tab 3 tablets can be used as a universal remote with built-in infrared capability.
The three tablets are not cellular-ready, but Samsung is offering the tablets with one year of free access to the Boingo Wi-Fi network in North America, which includes 35,000 hotspots, many in fast food restaurants. Google Play and Samsung Apps (an apps store) offer more than 750,000 apps for the Android devices.
A survey done in May by Forrester Research of 2,086 U.S. adults who use a tablet, found that the biggest consumer use of tablets is still for games (53%), followed by checking the weather (43%), social networking (42%), music (35%), news (34%), shopping (31%), ebook (31%), TV and video (28%), finance and banking (23%) and food and cooking (21%).
