Samsung’s tablet looks to take on iPad

LONDON - Samsung and Google have launched their version of a tablet computer designed to take on Apple’s iPad, the market leader.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab has a seven-inch touchscreen, compared to iPad’s 9.7 inches, and runs on Google’s Android software.

“You really can put this into a jacket pocket,” said a Samsung spokesman.

Users can download thousands of apps from Google’s online store, together with their contacts and diary from Google’s online services, reports the Daily Mail.

The new tablet is an advance on the technology included in Samsung’s popular Galaxy S smartphone. The company is also looking at the possibility of a larger 10-inch screen tablet.

Last month, Apple boss Steve Jobs launched an attack on rival tablet computers like Samsung’s Galaxy Tab.

Jobs said: “We think the current crop of 7-inch tablets are going to be DOA - Dead on Arrival. Their manufacturers will learn the painful lesson that their tablets are too small, and increase the size next year, thereby abandoning both customers and developers who jumped on the 7-inch bandwagon with an orphan product.”

Samsung has also developed several of its own apps for the Tab, including a newsreader and a film download service.

Swype software too is included, which allows text to be entered by swiping your finger over a keypad rather than hitting individual keys.

Although several other firms have launched rival gadgets running on Google software in recent weeks, many experts believe Samsung’s is the first to rival the iPad.

“Apple is well ahead in the market but the Samsung Tab is the first real competitor it has seen,” said Anthony Cox, of industry analyst Juniper Research.