Samsung has announced, at Samsung Africa Forum 2012 in Cape Town, that the first of its Galaxy Tabs to run the latest Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich, will become available in the second quarter in SA.

According to Samsung, the next-generation Galaxy Tab 2 will be available in 3G and WiFi versions.

“The new Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) will provide people with delighted multimedia experience and allow efficient communication,” says Samsung.

Features of the new OS include an improved user interface, redesigned app gallery, face unlock, faster performance and response times, and an upgraded Android Market.

Samsung says it will also bolster its Samsung Hub services with the introduction of the Video Hub feature that will allow users to purchase or rent more than 1 000 film titles. The Music Hub provides access to over 17 million songs, while the Readers Hub has access to 2.3 million e-books, 3 500 magazines and over 2 000 newspapers. The Game Hub is also available on the new Galaxy Tab.

The seven-inch device also has voice-call capabilities, allowing the tablet to act as a phone if need be. The Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) supports group video chat with Google+ hangouts, and offers ChatON, which is Samsung`s cross-platform messaging service.

Samsung has not stated when it will introduce the 10-inch version of the Galaxy Tab 2 to the local market. The company also declined to reveal any details as to when the ICS software update may become available locally for Galaxy Tab 10.1 users.

For the full product specifications for the seven-inch Galaxy Tab 2 model, click here.

Phones for Africa

Samsung also announced, at the event in Cape Town, the release of new mobile handsets targeted specifically at the African market.

The Galaxy Pocket is described by Samsung as the most affordable Galaxy handset yet, and features the familiar Galaxy design, albeit on a smaller scale. Running Android`s Gingerbread 2.3, the Galaxy Pocket has a 2.8-inch QVGA LCD display and a two-megapixel fixed-focus camera. The budget handset also supports 3.6Mbps HSDPA, WiFi and Bluetooth.

Samsung has not yet specified the price, apart from that it will be “affordable” and the handset is due for release later this year. Samsung SA`s head of mobile communications, Craige Fleischer, says the company will also introduce exclusive services for the handset including Pocket Music, Pocket Education (including MobiMath, which caters for grade 10-12 maths) and Pocket Apps, which will all provide freely available local content to users in SA, Kenya and Nigeria.

In the feature phone space, Samsung has unveiled the Ch@t 222. The handset is dual-SIM capable and features a full qwerty keyboard and VGA camera. Both the Ch@t222 and the Galaxy Pocket support e-mail services and Samsung`s cross-platform messaging service, ChatON.

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