Samsung's $999 iPad challenger kicks off tablet war

The first real challenger to Apple's iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, will launch in Australia in November for $999 for the 16GB version, the company has confirmed.

Meanwhile, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion is preparing to announce its tablet next week at the company's developer conference in San Francisco, The Wall Street Journal reported.

And Dell overnight unveiled its second tablet computer, which like its previously announced Streak also runs Android. It has a 7-inch touchscreen compared to the 5-inch screen on the Streak, but Dell has not yet announced when either of the models would launch in Australia.

Apple has cornered the tablet market since the launch of its iPad but starting from late this year there will be a raft of challengers from companies including Acer, Asus, Dell, RIM, Lenovo, Samsung and Cisco.

Smartphone maker HTC is also working on a tablet but says it will take its time to develop a unique selling point before putting one on the market.

Some commentators have predicted that Apple will unveil a second iPad version with a smaller 7-inch screen to compete directly against this new competition and cheaper reading devices like Amazon's Kindle.
Last night Samsung unveiled its Samsung Galaxy Tab. Click for more photos
Samsung's Galaxy Tab

The Galaxy Tab, which will be available from all carriers in November, features a 7-inch display and runs the latest version, 2.2, of Google's Android platform.

The 3G and Wi-Fi tablet, which can make phone calls, will offer 16GB of internal storage with the opportunity to expand this by a further 32GB through the microSD slot. There are also front and rear facing cameras and the device weighs 380 grams - half that of Apple's 9.7-inch iPad.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the BlackBerry tablet will also have a 7-inch touchscreen and contain one or two built-in cameras, but those who want to access the internet over 3G networks will have to do so through a BlackBerry smartphone.

Earlier this month at the IFA consumer electronics show in Germany, Toshiba revealed its Folio 100 tablet computer that offers a 10-inch screen, Wi-Fi + 3G, a built-in camera, a mini HDMI port for connection to a big screen TV and USB ports.