Samsung announces Galaxy Player 70
It can be hard telling the difference between a tablet an a media player these days. If something runs Android on tablet-like hardware, then only the screen size and resolution is really left to make an argument for one or the other. Samsung has just announced the Galaxy Player 70, a 5-inch (despite the name) device that is likely an update to the existing Galaxy Player 5.0 (Galaxy Player 50 in parts of the world). The new device brings an unnamed dual core 1GHz chip as well as a 5 megapixel camera, and will be available in 16 and 32GB varieties. This device is the Korean version, and it’s still unclear if we’ll see a version released elsewhere – likely named 7.0 if it does come out.
As far as tablets go, this is a device for those who are looking at a tablet from a media player point of view, possibly with high demands for portability. The ~5-inch market is weirdly empty considering that it’s the size that most pockets will max out at, while the 7-inch market is overflowing with devices that more people would actually call tablets. I’d love to see something like a 5-inch 800 x 1280 pixel “tablet” with a proper chip capable of playing any video format, microHDMI built in, and true SDXC support (not just SDHC that happens to work with 64GB SDXC cards). Awesome for video, awesome for books. Unfortunately, devices in this size range seem to be burdened by being classified as media players rather than tablets. Charge $400 for a tablet and no one will raise an eyebrow, charge that for a media player and people will think you’re crazy, regardless of how similar the devices are specs-wise.
As for the Galaxy Player 70, the only prices available are naturally Korean, and don’t really reflect what something like this will cost over here if it comes out.
[Engadget]
