Korea's KT guns after iPad, Galaxy Tab with Identity Tab
updated 10:55 am EDT, Mon August 30, 2010
KT Identity Tab preempts Apple and Samsung tablets
Korean cell carrier KT today upended the tablet market in its home country by launching its own model both ahead of Apple and Samsung. The Identity Tab is a seven-inch Android 2.2 tablet, much like the Galaxy Tab, but is aimed distinctly at Koreans signing on to its service. It comes with a DMB TV tuner for over-the-air digital video in the country and, when attached to KT, arrives with a WiBro (WiMAX) card for 4G, albeit likely for sharing data from a nearby computer.
The tablet has just 8GB of storage built-in versus the 16GB of the iPad and Galaxy Tab, and uses a slower 1GHz Snapdragon chip. However, it comes with a three-megapixel camera on the back and an SD card slot to load in photos or expand the built-in storage.
KT is already shipping the Identity Tab today and sells it for $250 as a stand-alone device, but those willing to link themselves to the carrier can get it for free with a $22 monthly 4G plan with a 50GB cap.
Its launch may not create immediate pressure on Apple or Samsung, both of which have the scale to overwhelm KT's in-house device, but come as neither has had their devices officially launched in the Asian state. The iPad is now cleared for use in South Korea but doesn't yet have an official launch timeframe, while Samsung won't have even unveiled the Galaxy Tab until IFA starts on Thursday. [via Today Korea]
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2001
Apple
It's this sort of 3rd party product that will result in Android becoming the de facto tablet and Phone, Apple is repeating its past mistake and becoming a niche player in markets it created.