Samsung unveils Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus

Samsung on Friday announced the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus tablet, an update that is lighter and more powerful than the original Galaxy Tab, and that runs a 1.2 GHz dual core processor.Samsung said the new Plus model runs version 3.2 of Android, also known as Honeycomb. The original Galaxy Tab, announced in September 2010, ran Android 2.2 and then 2.3 starting in May 2011.Both versions of the Galaxy Tab have 7-in. touch screens. The Plus weighs 12.16 oz., compared to the 13.58-oz. weight of its predecessor.Most importantly, the Plus runs the dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, up from the 1 GHz chip in the original.Samsung also has a full line of tablets with screen sizes ranging from 7-in. up to 10.1-in., although not all are offered in the U.S.The Plus model will be available first in Indonesia and Austria by the end of October, and then it will gradually roll out in other countries, including the U.S.Samsung didnt divulge pricing or carrier information regarding the new model.A 16GB version of the original Galaxy Tab sells for $430 on BestBuy.com.Samsung said the new model will be available in 16GB and 32GB versions. A microSD card could boost storage capacity to 64GB, it added.Pricing will be a big factor for the next generation of Android tablets, as Amazon this week unveiled the $199 Kindle Fire color 7-in. touch-screen tablet that runs the open-source OS.The Kindle Fire wont have a camera or microphone, while the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus features a microphone and two cameras: a rear-facing 3 megapixel camera and a front-facing 2 megapixel camera.