The ToyBox

Ricardo Bilton & Gloria Sin

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 gets USB support via this $20 adapter

By | June 16, 2011, 8:19am PDT

Summary: Inspired by the iPad, Samsung opted to remove USB support from its Galaxy Tab 10.1. But the feature is making its way back via this $20 adapter. Feeling swindled?

It’s strange nowadays to buy a gadget that is completely devoid of a USB port. But manufacturers want their devices to be slim and seamless, which is why it wasn’t all that surprising that Samsung said that its Galaxy Tab 10.1 would come without the seemingly-essential data transfer port.

Thankfully, the company is finally rectifying the situation. For $20, Galaxy Tab 10.1 users can give their devices the gift of USB. The adapter plugs into tablet’s 30-pin port, allowing users to finally connect mice, keyboards and thumb drives to the device.

Of course, it is somewhat silly to shell out $20 for a feature that should have been included in the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the first place. But the USB-less existence has clearly worked for the iPad, so maybe this little adapter makes its own bit of sense.

[Samsung]

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Ricardo Bilton writes for ZDNet's The ToyBox. His work has appeared in The Japan Times, The New York Observer, and The International Business Times, among other publications.

Disclosure

Ricardo Bilton

Ricardo Bilton has no investments that may conflict with his work with ZDNet. Similarly, he has not worked with any companies that he may write about in his technology coverage.

Biography

Ricardo Bilton

Ricardo Bilton writes for ZDNet's The ToyBox. His work has appeared in The Japan Times, The New York Observer, and The International Business Times, among other publications. He lives in New York, and is a graduate of Amherst College.
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It worked for Gillette
Robert Hahn 16th Jun
It's a lot easier to make money selling a $1.50 dongle for $20 than it is selling a $390 tablet for $399.

You watch: this will end up like printers. Buy the printer for $50, then act surprised when the ink cartridges are $60.
I love the looks of the Toshiba Thrive 10.1" tablet. It has the usb and hdmi connectors built in.
@richard.jewkes@... Galaxy Tab 10.1 has this problem. Toshiba Thrive 10.1 is thicker, so no problem there.
Are you actually trying to say that size is what is keeping USB off of these things? Do you honestly believe that? If all sleek phones can have Micro-USB so can all tablets.
@30otnix: ... used to insert regular flash drives in in for information exchange. So not very much sense in Micro-USB.

Also, Google wants more media for its ecosystem, and media content owners gradually press the company to restrict things here and there. It is nothing like iron-obligatory thing, but this is the push.
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It worked for Gillette
Robert Hahn 16th Jun
It's a lot easier to make money selling a $1.50 dongle for $20 than it is selling a $390 tablet for $399.

You watch: this will end up like printers. Buy the printer for $50, then act surprised when the ink cartridges are $60.

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