Samsung Galaxy Tab: Gadgets on my wish list, part 2

As each day passes, more and more of my friends and family are giving in to their desire for an iPad, Apple's wildly popular tablet computer. This despite the fact that the iPad has still yet to be launched (officially) in the Philippines. As of today, those hundreds of iPads you see being bandied about by their owners around the metropolis -- they're all gray-market iPads.

Can hardly wait until Samsung's Galaxy Pad rocks my world.

I never would turn down an opportunity to buy myself an iPad, too. But I just cannot bring myself to spend a considerable part of my annual income on something that almost everyone I know says is the coolest thing to own. I never appreciate being told by almost everybody else what is cool and what is not.

I'd rather be the judge for myself of what is cool and what should be avoided at all cost. That is why, I am waiting for Samsung's Galaxy Tab to reach these local shores.

Smaller and lighter than the iPad, the Galaxy Tab is powered by a processor that is as fast as that of the Apple tablet computer. The Galaxy Tab, however, comes with twice the RAM (512MB vs. the iPad's 256MB). In theory, at least, Samsung's Android tablet should be 2x as fast as the iPad in running apps.

Also, the Galaxy Tab comes equipped with a couple of cameras -- a rear-facing 3.2-megapixel camera and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for videoconferencing. The Galaxy Tab offers up to seven hours of video playback, according to Samsung.

Because it runs the Android 2.2 operating system, the Galaxy Tab is capable of multitasking. It also comes with support for Adobe Flash and unrestricted access to applications.

All in all, this makes the Galaxy Tab one of the gadgets I am wishing for this Christmas.