Is a non-3G Samsung Galaxy Tab attractive at $349?

Samsung is getting ready to roll out the WiFi only Galaxy Tab for $349 that has the same specs as the GSM versions of the device. It looks to be a great deal, but one of the reasons I found mine so compelling was the integrated 3G radio. As I mentioned in my reasons to consider a 3G iPad a 3G radio in a Samsung Galaxy Tab is even more compelling to me since the device is likely to be with you even more than a larger display iPad.

The 3G models of the Galaxy Tab now sell for $199.99 (Sprint and Verizon), $249 (T-Mobile), and $549.99 (AT&T with no contract). I think it is a wonderful form factor at 7 inches for out and about and for satisfying your Android needs. I am not sure if it is such a compelling device without 3G though. With WiFi only, I think people are more likely to use it at home when an iPad, Xoom, or upcoming larger display devices might be more useful.

Even though it has Android 2.2, I found the Samsung Galaxy tablet-optimized apps (Calendar, Contacts, Media Hub, etc.) more compelling than anything currently found on Honeycomb and MUCH more stable. Honeycomb has a few more months to go to be a decent OS, IMHO, and hackers may eventually even get it working on the Galaxy Tab.

$349 for the 16GB WiFi Galaxy Tab comes in at less than any iPad, including last year's models. You can also expand the memory with a microSD card, up to 32GB more, and have one heck of a media player and ebook reader. If the price drops to less than $300, then these should do really well since they offer quite a bit of power in a small package.