Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

History

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 was shown to the public in September 2011 at the IFA in Berlin. It is, together with its cheaper sibling Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, the direct successor of the original Galaxy Tab.

On 4 January 2012, Samsung announced in Singapore the launch for February 2012 for S$898 (US$695).

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 Wi-Fi was on sale in Australia on 13 January 2012, with prices approximately A$550. The release was not advertised and only a few stores have stock.

After Apple had secured another injunction against Samsung tablet computers in Germany, Samsung had to pull the Tab 7.7 from their booth including everything related like posters only one day after the first presentation.

Software

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 runs Android 3.2 "Honeycomb" with Samsung's custom overlay TouchWiz UX. TouchWiz UX provides several widgets and:

• L!ve Panels: A set of custom widgets and panels which will provide additional content to Honeycomb, like weather, calendar, and more. The widgets and panels are resizable, following a grid pattern.
• Mini Apps Tray: An additional dock-like bar which will give access to the most commonly used applications.
• Social Hub: An integrated messaging application which aims to center the user's social life, unifying the inboxes and timelines of multiple services like Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and many others, splitting them into "Feeds" (updates) and "Messages".
• Reader's Hub: A store that will allow the user to download e-books to the Galaxy Tab. Samsung claims that it will feature around 2 million books, 2,000 newspapers in 49 languages, and 2,300 magazines in 22 languages.
• Media Hub: A video on demand service, which will be available only in the US.
• Music Hub: A music on demand service, which will be available only in the US.

In July 2012 appeared an update to Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) appeared in Austria. More countries followed in the next months.

In May 2013 Samsung released an update to Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) in several Asian countries.

Hardware

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the first tablet computer featuring a Super AMOLED Plus display and sports a high pixel density. The Samsung Exynos 4210 dual-core processor works at 1.4 GHz, it consists of two ARM Cortex-A9 cores. The Tab 7.7 is equipped with 1 GB LPDDR2 RAM and 16, 32, or 64 GB of built-in storage which can be expanded by a MicroSD card up to 32 GB

The Tab 7.7 is not technically related to the other Galaxy Tabs except the 7.0 Plus with which it shares almost everything apart from the screen and a slightly faster processor of the same type as used in the 7.7. The previously launched 8.9" and 10.1" Galaxy Tabs are equipped with a different (and slower) processor, different screen technology and they are not expandable by microSD cards. The original Galaxy Tab 7 is also different from every angle.

As with all Honeycomb tablets, the number of buttons has been reduced: The usual Home, Menu, Back, and Search buttons, which are present in most Android devices, are embedded in the notification and menu bar. The only physical buttons are Power, Volume Up, and Volume Down.

Like every other tablet from the Galaxy Tab series also the Tab 7.7 also comes with the Samsung PDMI-like proprietary interface connector, which is used for both charging and data transfer. A keyboard dock will be available as well as a charging/data dock with a microHDMI out connector.

The cameras used are well known from many other Galaxy Tabs, the 2 MP front-facing camera has a fixed focus and is designed to be used for video chat or self-portraits. The 3 MP rear camera features autofocus and an LED flash.

3G connectivity is supported in the P6800 models, dual Wi-Fi a/b/g/n antennas, which can operate at 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies, are standard on all models.

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 offers full phone functionality with a phone-like receiver/mic arrangement, on the Wi-Fi-only versions it can still be used for VOIP calls. Wired or Bluetooth headsets can be used as well as speaker mode.

On almost every review device used by several tech blogs or magazines an infrared port for using the Tab 7.7 as a remote control for entertainment devices such) as TV sets or DVD players was fitted (and a suitable app installed) but apparently this is not the case on the production units. However, in the US, a Verizon-branded model does include the IR port.

Galaxy Tab 2

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) is a newer model (summer 2012) of the 7.0 Plus. It is equipped with Android 4.0, is available with 8 GB internal storage, and comes with the infrared smart remote control IR Blaster.

Galaxy Tab 3

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (7.0) is the newest model (summer 2013) of the Tab 2 7.0. It is equipped with Android 4.2, is available with 8 GB internal storage and comes with the infrared smart remote control IR Blaster.

Model comparison

Banned in [[Europe]]

A sales ban on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 in Germany was extended to the entire European Union by a German court in June 2012.

The 7.7-inch slate is the latest casualty in the ongoing patent wrangle between Apple and Samsung. The tablet is no stranger to this dispute—it was officially unveiled at IFA in Berlin 2012, but was almost immediately yanked from the show floor after a sales injunction. Samsung has issued a statement saying that it was "disappointed with the court's ruling" and that it "will continue...to protect our intellectual property rights and defend against Apple's claims to ensure our products remain available to consumers throughout the European Union".

References

References

1. "Mali-400 MP – ARM". ARM.com.
2. (19 December 2012). "Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE Spotted at FCC En-Route to Verizon". Softpedia.com.
3. Samsung Global News [https://archive.today/20130202031948/http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/news/newsRead.do?news_seq=29017&gltype=globalnews "Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, World's First Mobile Tablet Featuring Super AMOLED Plus Display Unveiled at IFA 2011"], ''Samsung Global News'', 1 September 2011, accessed 3 January 2012.
4. CNET Asia [http://asia.cnet.com/crave/samsungs-7-inch-tablets-launched-in-singapore-62212750.htm] {{Webarchive. link. (4 January 2012 ,''CNET Asia'', 4 January 2012, accessed 5 January 2012.)
5. ZDnet [http://www.zdnet.com.au/samsung-tab-77-pops-up-in-aussie-stores-339329682.htm] {{Webarchive. link. (2 June 2012, ''ZDNet'', 13 January 2012, accessed 27 January 2012.)
6. The Register [https://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/05/galaxy_tab_7_7_pulled_from_ifa "Galaxy Tab 7.7 pulled from IFA after new Apple moves"] {{Webarchive. link. (25 September 2017 ,''The Register'', 5 September 2011, accessed 3 January 2012.)
7. link. (5 August 2012 , ''Samsung'', 2011, accessed 3 January 2012.)
8. [http://www.galaxytabs.com/2011/03/explanation-and-examination-of-touchwiz-ux-aka-touchwiz-4-0/ "Explanation and Examination of TouchWiz UX aka TouchWiz 4.0"] {{Webarchive. link. (14 February 2017 , "GalaxyTabs.com", 23 March 2011, accessed 12 April 2011.)
9. Engadget [https://www.engadget.com/2011/08/03/hands-on-with-touchwiz-ux-for-the-samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1/ "Hands-on with TouchWiz UX for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1"] {{Webarchive. link. (12 March 2017 ,''Engadget'', 3 August 2011, accessed 3 January 2012.)
10. http://asia.cnet.com/jelly-bean-update-for-galaxy-tab-7-7-released-for-southeast-asia-62221385.htm {{Webarchive. link. (23 October 2013 Jelly Bean update for Galaxy Tab 7.7 released for Southeast Asia)
11. [http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab/GT-P3113TSYXAR-specs Galaxy Tab 2 Samsung spec sheet] accessed 7 August 2013
12. [http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab/SM-T210RGNYXAR-specs Galaxy Tab 3 Samsung spec sheet] {{Webarchive. link. (29 June 2013 accessed 7 August 2013)
13. http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/tablets/samsung-galaxy-tab-7-7-banned-in-europe-1089975 HomeNews by technologyMobile computingTabletsSamsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 banned in Europe Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 banned in Europe