Samsung unveils 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2

Samsung has announced the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2, a follow-up to its 2010 tablet of the same size.

The Galaxy Tab 2, unveiled on Monday, will be the first Samsung tablet to run the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) build of the Google Android operating system. The tablet will include features such as a 1GHz processor, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity options.

"Owners of the new device will benefit from faster performance and response times across multiple applications, such as embedded Google applications, so they can quickly launch sites and applications they use frequently as well as the innovative Face Unlock feature," the company said in a statement.

'Face Unlock' uses the forward-facing camera to recognise an individual and unlock the device if that person is the authorised user.

Pricing and availability of the device is "still to be confirmed", a Samsung spokeswoman told ZDNet UK.

The Galaxy Tab 2 7-inch measures 193.7 by 122.4 by 10.5 mm and weighs in at 344g. The original 7-inch device measured 190.1 by 120.45mm by 11.98mm thick, and weighed a not inconsiderable 385g. 

The device will ship with bespoke Samsung services such as a new 'Video Hub' offering film rental and purchase options, and the new AllShare Play service, which allows people to stream content to the tablet from PCs, third-party web storage or from other Samsung devices that support the feature. Content can also be transferred between devices using the feature.

It will also arrive with dual cameras; a 3-megapixel on the rear, and a forward-facing VGA camera for video calling. Using the forward-facing camera, the device can support multi-user Google+ video 'hangouts', and will come pre-loaded with Samsung's multi-platform ChatON IM service.

Samsung is currently involved in a number of lawsuits against Apple for alleged infringement of patents held by the Californian company relating to Samsung's family of Galaxy Tab devices.

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