It’s under 24hrs to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Tab, a 7” Android Tablet that’s getting a huge piece of the pre-IFA coverage and one that went straight to number 1 on our popularity charts. It’s not Samsungs first 7” tablet though. It’s actually their 7th. Yes, they’ve been in the 7” tablet business for over 4 years now and know a thing or two about tablet design. Their engineering skills are proven and they have access to some amazing electronic components. Screens, CPUs and storage that no other ODM has.

View all Samsung 7” tablets side-by-side.

Lets take a quick look at the history and then you can use the ‘Chooser’ to find out which one matches your requirements.

It was Feb 2006 when Samsung joined TabletKiosk, Amtek, ASUS and others to launch the first handheld tablets based on the Origami concept. They used low power laptop components coupled with CCFL-backlit screens and early 1.8” hard drives. The operating system was Windows XP Tablet Edition and you were looking at about 2.5hrs battery life – for over $1000.

A VIA version appeared at IFA in the same year and introduced 3G and LED-backlighting to save power. The Q1b was a good product and the one I chose for my Solar-UMPC tour in 2007.

After Intel re-designed their Pentium to make a ‘Stealey’ CPU aimed at ultra mobile PCs, Samsung redesigned the UMPC to include a split keyboard, 1024×600 high-brightness screen, 4hr battery life, SSD and 3G options. There was even an Intel Core model, the ‘premium’ which even today can still blow the socks off most UMPCs.

After that, Samsung took a break. They teased about new designs but in the end, the only thing they came up with was a VIA Nano-based device, the Q1EX that was good but not that different from the Ultra.

Tomorrow, we’ll see the next generation of Samsung’s 7” tablets. It will be running an ARM-licensed core architecture (Samsung’s own Hummingbird) and Android version 2.2. It’s a complete departure in terms of platform and will angle towards a consumer crowd. We expect great battery life, a very high quality screen and light-weight but we don’t expect a full internet experience. Flash may be included but it won’t be that smooth. The web browser will also have limitations. For the target market those problems won’t be an issue though and like most others, we’re excited to be getting a look at it tomorrow at IFA.

So which one is for you? I been through the main models and rated against various categories. All you have to do is choose your requirements and see what the winner is! Let us know if you get a surprise!

Product Chooser: Choose between a Galaxy Tab, a Q1 Ultra Premium, a Q1 and a Q1EX

It’s always worth checking back on older models for reductions and clear-out prices so I took some time this evening to review the prices of some old favourites. I was disappointed. In general, prices haven’t really moved which is extremely disappointing considering the price at which similarly-specified netbooks are sold. I guess we’re looking at old stock that no-one can shift here. Stalemate. No cash flow. The only two devices I found that showed any signs of movement were the good old Samsung Q1 and M704 which seem to be on offer around Europe. Price checks in the US for all the top UMPCs showed that nothing has moved much at all in the last 6 months. (If you spot any offers though, let us know!)

Samsung Q1 Ultra

One of my personal favourite UMPCs. Good build quality, excellent battery life, fantastic screen.

• UK. 646 pounds (740 Euros) isn’t too bad. (DigiUK)
• Update: Saveonsamsung (UK) have even lower prices. 529 pounds with organiser and 6-cell battery.

Gigabyte M704

Another good all rounder. Not quite as good as the Q1 in terms of build quality but has a better keyboard.

• Europe. 469 pounds (537 Euros) is a good bargain. (Expansys)

Resellers must be having a hard time right now trying to decide whether to clear stocks at a loss or to hang on for the few buyers that know what they want and will pay to get that device. I can tell you that by reviewing the stats coming from the product portal we see an extremely quiet market out there for the traditional XP and Vista UMPCs. With very few devices in the 7″ category, CES round the corner and netbooks taking the limelight, it’s hardly surprising. Lets hope that the MID and UMPC segment brings us some treats in January though. Mobile Internet usage is growing and, more importantly for the MID manufacturers, people’s reliance on the Internet to perform normal business and personal activities is growing too. There’s more reason than ever to launch internet-connected handheld computers.