The program provides Kaspersky Lab an opportunity to supply Samsung Electronics products with its Kaspersky Mobile Security and Kaspersky Tablet Security. In particular, the application will be made available to private and corporate Android-based Samsung mobile devices.

The Kaspersky Mobile Security and Kaspersky Tablet Security are yet to be launched in the SEA region, but both products are available online.

Under another part of the program, Kaspersky Lab is to provide consumer security software to protect Samsung PCs, notebooks and netbooks running on Windows OS. For corporate products Kaspersky Lab is to supply Kaspersky Endpoint Security, different business models, and a flexible approach to achieve the best security for each corporate customer.

Kaspersky Lab ensures that their solutions for Samsung mobile devices are highest class of security based on advanced protection against privacy violation, device loss or theft, annoying calls and messages, as well as malicious software.

Commenting on the new partnership, Garry Kondakov, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of Kaspersky Lab, says: “We are very glad to begin the new global partnership with Samsung Electronics and to take our cooperation to a whole new level. Our membership in the Samsung Enterprise Alliance Program will help us further develop our mobile solutions based on Samsung’s vast experience, and also expand the distribution of our solutions through Samsung Electronics’ global network, improving our market positions on a global scale.”

Suk Ling Gun, Corporate Sales Director APAC, Kaspersky Lab, said that the partnership will strengthen the company’s presence in the smartphone and tablet PC market, such as in the Philippines, which continues to be a growth market for such devices.

“Filipinos are becoming more technologically savvy and are purchasing more feature-rich, Internet-enabled phones and devices. Such demand can also be noticed by cybercriminals who continue to target people for their confidential information, especially among corporate users whose information are stored in their smartphones and tablet PCs,” she noted.

Gun also said that having Kaspersky Lab in their devices adds an extra layer of protection against cybercriminals and provides a high level of security for better customer experience.

“Working with Samsung Electronics has opened opportunities for us, especially in educating people on the risks of cybercrime through digital means. The Philippines will be an important market for Android-based devices in the coming years and we see more growth as we work with Samsung Electronics,” Gun said.

SAN FRANCISCO – Samsung has made it official: Its 7-inch Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus will arrive at U.S. retailers on November 13. Pre-orders start Oct. 23.

Is It Worth It?

Is the pricing an apples-to-oranges comparison? Not really. At least not from the perspective of everyday consumers, most of whom aren’t well versed on the virtues of dual-core chips, not to mention the advantages of Android 3.x (or 4.x) over Android 2.x.

Neither the Kindle Fire nor the Kobo Vox has a camera. And the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, with its 1.2GHz dual-core processor, is bound to be faster. The Kindle Fire has a dual-core processor, but Amazon hasn’t revealed the chip’s clock speed. The Vox has an 800MHz single-core CPU. The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus has 16GB of storage; the Kindle Fire and Kobo Vox each have 8GB.

Still, it’s hard to justify a $400 tablet when perfectly respectable $200 slate–which, by the way, lets you read ebooks, watch movies, listen to music, play games, run apps, browse the Web, and check email–has most (if not all) of all the features you’d want from a tablet.

True, some users may want a front and back camera–or at least a front camera for video chat. But that’s probably not a checklist item for most folks. After all, your smartphone has a pretty good camera already, right?

Fierce competition is driving down the price of tablets, and that’s great news. The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is a quality piece of work, but it may be too fancy for its own good.

By Matt Hamblen
October 4, 2011

FRAMINGHAM – Samsung Friday announced the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus tablet, an update that is lighter and more powerful than the original Galaxy Tab , and runs a 1.2 GHz dual core processor.

Samsung said the new Plus 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.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus

Both versions of Galaxy Tab have 7-in. touchscreens. The Plus is 12.16 ounces, compared to the 13.58 ounce weight of its predecessor.

Most important, 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.

Samsung didn’t divulge pricing or carriers.

The Plus model will be available first in Indonesia and Austria by the end of October and then will gradually roll out in other countries, including the U.S.

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. touchscreen tablet that runs the open source OS.

The Kindle Fire won’t 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.

Kindle Fire will support Wi-Fi, while Plus will support for four radio cellular signals, including HSPA+ as well as Wi-Fi.

Samsung says tablet manufacturers will have access to the new display later this year. The company is not saying whether any tablet makers have already signed up to use the new display, or if Samsung plans to use it in the next version of its Samsung Galaxy Tab devices.

Ready for iPad 3?

Many critics and online pundits are wondering whether the new tablet display is destined for the next iteration of Apple’s iPad. Apple introduced a higher resolution screen with the iPhone 4, and most Apple watchers expect the company to follow suit with the next iPad.

But Samsung won’t be the only company showing off new displays during SID. LG, the current major supplier of iPad displays, plans to show off a new line of advanced high performance in-plane switching (AH-IPS) displays, including an iPad-sized 9.7-inch panel.

LG also says its new displays will have lower power consumption and will be an “ideal” display to use outdoors, something you cannot say for the current iPad crop.

SAN FRANCISCO – The tablet craze has reached fever pitch. Every day, a new iPad 2 rumors arise. At the annual Mobile World Congress, major players such as HTC, LG, and Samsung unveiled their respective Android tablet offerings. And Motorola has captured headlines with its confirmation that the full-strength 3G + Wi-Fi version of the Xoom will sell for $800–$130 more than the first-generation iPad.

Amidst the chatter, some solid trends have emerged regarding the tablets shown at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and MWC in Barcelona. Looking at them may help you figure out what to hope for from your impending tablet purchase. Come on…we know you want one.

Android Honeycomb vs. Android Froyo: Haves vs. Have-Nots

The upcoming Android tablet class appears to be split between those that will have Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) and those that will make do with something lesser.

With Google on the verge of widely releasing its Honeycomb SDK, Android 3.0 has clearly established itself as the operating system of choice for 10-inch Android tablets. And rightly so: Honeycomb was designed for the large-screen tablet experience, and from our early looks at the OS, it will support a more streamlined, user-friendly experience than today’s Android 2.x permits.

The Motorola Xoom is the showpiece tablet–and Google’s launch partner for Honeycomb. Perhaps in deference to it, some other tablets at MWC were not demoed with Android 3.0 on board; for instance, the Acer Iconia Tab A500, for example, is slated to ship–at least initially–with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). But the vast majority of tablets coming at us sound as though they will use Honeycomb.

One odd exception to the 3.0 rule is the HTC Flyer, which will run a version of Gingerbread (2.4, in this case) with a single-core 1.5GHz processor. Granted, HTC has customized the Flyer’s interface, porting its cell-phone-based Sense UI, with some changes to take advantage of the larger screen of tablets. Still the non-Honeycomb OS is a risky choice, since the Flyer must compete against the Honeycomb gang.

10-Inch vs. 7-Inch: Paperback vs. Hardcover

At CES, 7-inch tablets ruled the booths. At MWC, though, 10-inch models–a direct challenge to Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad–have increased their visibility.

On 10.1-inch models, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (introduced at MWC), the extra size permits the inclusion of widescreen displays, which are perfect for viewing high-definition video, as well as for viewing book and magazine content reproduced for electronic distribution.

But 7-inch tablets will persist, too. Like paperback books, they are lighter in weight, less expensive, and more portable–and significantly better suited for one-handed use. For their part, 10-inch models will remain pricier, less portable, and–for the foreseeable future–too heavy for one-handed use (though Samsung succeeded in delivering the Galaxy Tab 10.1 at 1.3 pounds).

Carrier Associations and Regionality

In the tablet universe, mobile carriers are front and center in the distribution process. Some tablets–even Wi-Fi-only versions–will sell without carrier affiliation. But the push is on for 3G- and 4G-enabled tablets, which will be sold with contract subsidies. As a result, you can pick up a Dell Streak 7 for $200–but you’ll also be on the hook for two years of T-Mobile service.

We’re also seeing a lot of products with regional tie-ins. I wouldn’t be surprised, for example, if the Huawei and ZTE tablets shown at MWC never reached the U.S. market, instead focusing on Asian or European markets. The LG Optimus Pad, shown at MWC for the first time, is recognizable as the already-announced T-Mobile LG G-Slate.

Prices Aren’t Dropping Yet

Apple remains firmly entrenched as the tablet price leader nearly a year after the iPad launched. The Motorola Xoom should come in at $600 for the Wi-Fi 32GB version, and $800 for the Wi-Fi+3G version, but the 32GB iPad Wi-Fi sells for $600 as well.

Things can go in two directions here. One possibility is that prices will tumble rapidly, as competition breeds the necessary price adjustments, as happened both with Android mobile phones and with the first-generation Samsung Galaxy Tab. Alternatively, prices may hold steady because of component shortages: The gold rush to make tablets, coupled with Apple’s habit of locking up supplies of parts in advance of its launch, could create a perfect storm that will keep prices high for the foreseeable future.

Stock Android (Honeycomb) Rules

At MWC, none of the debuting Honeycomb tablets showed a unique interface overlay, à la Samsung’s TouchWiz (found on the 7-inch Galaxy Tab and on company’s phones), or HTC’s Sense UI. Perhaps that’s because no company besides Motorola has spent much time yet with the final Honeycomb SDK; the SDK entered preview mode just a month ago and has yet to be widely released.

On the other hand, Android 3.0 is Google’s most polished effort yet, and it doesn’t require the kind of overlays that Froyo does when that OS gets ported to a tablet. Also, overlays make performing quality assurance on a new version of the Android OS considerably more difficult–and that could delay rolling out OS upgrades as they become available.

Ultimately, software customization will be one of the few ways a manufacturer can distinguish its tablet from the pack. But such customization needs to avoid getting in the way of timely OS updates.

Headliners vs. Everyone Else

The vast majority of tablets worth talking about in coming months will be from the big-name players in mobile computing: Acer, Apple, Asus, HP, HTC, LG, RIM, Samsung, and Toshiba. But behind these heavyweights, numerous lesser companies will undoubtedly try their luck as well–and some of these may surprise us with their design, software, or price. I look forward to seeing what these wild cards have in store for us as 2011 unfolds.

BARCELONA- Samsung has launched the Galaxy S II, which is equipped with a dual-core processor, an improved screen and faster Internet access using HSPA+ (High-Speed Packet Access).

Like LG Electronics, Samsung is also adding a dual-core 1GHz processor to its new flagship smartphone. The Android 2.3-based Galaxy S II also has a 4.3-inch screen with a 480 x 800 resolution, according to a company statement. The screen is based on an improved version of Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology, which is supposed to consume less energy while offering better image quality when using the phone outside and looking at the screen from an indirect angle.

The smartphone measures 125 x 66 x 8 millimeters at its thinnest point and weighs 117 grams. The back camera has an 8-megapixel resolution and LED flash and the front camera has 2-megapixel resolution.

The Galaxy S II can access the Internet using Wi-Fi or HSPA+ at up to 21M bps (bits per second). User will, for example, be able to take advantage of the faster speed when viewing streaming video or playing online games, according to Samsung. The speed increase should also be a boon to users when accessing the Internet using the integrated Wi-Fi hotspot. The list of supported Wi-Fi standards includes 802.11 a, b, g and n.

Just like on the Nexus S, Samsung has added NFC (Near-Field Communications) to the Galaxy S II. The most talked-about application for NFC is payments. But the technology can be used for other things, including sharing information between two devices when they are close.

The device will start shipping in some markets, including Sweden, in May. Pricing was not disclosed.

BARCELONA – Samsung has added the Honeycomb-based Galaxy Tab 10.1 to its line-up of tablets.

The new tablet comes with a 10.1-inch LCD screen and a resolution at 1280 x 800 pixels. Under the hood, there is a 1 GHz dual-core processor.

The tablet measures 246 x 170 x 10 millimeters and weighs 599 grams, according to a company statement. That makes it a good bit lighter than the Motorola Xoom, which also has 10.1-inch screen, is based on the tablet-optimized Honeycomb OS — also known as Android 3.0 — but weighs 730 grams, according to a spec sheet on Motorola’s website.

The back camera has an 8-megapixel resolution and LED flash and the front camera has a 2-megapixel resolution.

Users who want to watch streaming video on their tablet can access the Internet using Wi-Fi (802.11a, b, g and n) or HSPA+ (High-Speed Packet Access) at up to 21M bps (bits per second). For users to take full advantage of that speed, their mobile operator may first have to upgrade their network. Today, there are 79 commercial HSPA+ networks that can handle data speed of 21M bps, according to a recent report published by industry organization GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association).

The device will start shipping in some markets, including Sweden, in June. Pricing was not disclosed.