Samsung’s Windows RT Tablet-ATIV Tab Will Hit the Shelves This Month Later

Since the Galaxy Tab 10.1 came out in 2011, Samsung has had plenty of follow-ups, for example, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, the 7-inch version of the same tablet and the Galaxy Note line of tablets and smartphones. Samsung has been quite a presence at this year’s IFA and not only did the company unveil the highly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy Note 2 but they’ve also showcased two of their Windows-based devices, the Samsung ATIV S WP 8 smartphone and the Ativ Tab Windows RT tablet. Speaking of the ATIV Tab tablet, it is one of the first to run Microsoft’s forthcoming tablet operating system, Windows RT.

                                                     

Samsung unveiled its first Windows RT tablet, the Samsung ATIV Tab (GT-P8510), back in August and four days ago the device made an appearance on the FCC. The 10.1-inch tablet won approval for dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC. FCC documents do not reveal much about the device. But ATIV Tab’s FCC approval comes just in time for the launch of Windows 8. Samsung hasn’t announced a release date for the ATIV Tab yet, but the device is expected to be unveiled by the end of October.

                                                     

According to the latest leaks and rumors, the ATIV Tab will arrive on the European market a bit later than we’ve expected. Word around the campfire is that Samsung’s Windows RT tablet will hit the shelves starting with the 48th week of the year, between November 26h and December 2nd. Needless to say, if you were hoping to purchase the ATIV Tab as soon as the new Windows platform gets fully unveiled by the Redmond Giant, on October 26th, you might have to wait a bit longer than that.

                                                            

The ATIV Tab is Samsung’s first tablet running Windows RT which is specially designed to run on ARM processors, weighs 570 grams and measures 8.9 millimeters thick. Spec-wise, the tablet is definitely promising, being powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core CPU running at 1.5 GHz, 2 GB of RAM and a 8200 mAh battery. It also features a 10.1 inch screen with a resolution of 1366 x 768 and Samsung has also fitted a full-sized USB port on the side alongside a Micro-HDMI port. The tablet is made of plastic which is the same as on the latest Galaxy devices like the SIII and the Note II, but it feel comfortably in the hands. Samsung is listing a 12-hour battery life for its Ativ Tab tablet when playing movies, which is perhaps the most of any tablet available today.

                                                          

The Ativ Tab also has a software and hardware feature called AllShare, which will allow the tablet to share multimedia files with other Samsung devices such as Android-based Galaxy tablets. Other features include NFC and Wi-Fi Direct, which is a way for devices to talk wirelessly without the need for additional attachments.

Pricing for the tablet hasn't yet been announced. But U.K.-based online retailer Clove said in a blog that the tablet will become available in late October for about US$735, which totals about $880 including value-added tax.

Frankly speaking, the new 10.1-inch slate isn't quite as aggressive as its Android counterpart. But with more tablets from Asus, Dell, Samsung, Lenovo and Acer coming in the following weeks, the tablets are designed for long battery life and will compete with iPad and Android tablets on price and features. We’ll definitely keep an eye out in order to figure out Samsung’s plans when it comes to its participation in the Windows market segment.

                                                            

Unfortunately, the manufacturer has not revealed any details concerning the price of its Windows RT powered Samsung ATIV Tab, but we’ll keep an eye out so stay tuned for that particular tablet.