Samsung announces first Ice Cream Sandwich tablet

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2

Samsung has announced its Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0), which will run on the latest Android operating system.

It will be Samsung's first tablet to run Android Ice Cream Sandwich, otherwise known as Android 4.0, and will come in both 3G and Wi-Fi versions.

Processor power is relatively low for this 7-inch machine, with a 1GHz dual-core chip powering the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0).

There will be three different storage ranges, with 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models, alongside 1GB of RAM. The tablet's microSD slot will allow up to 32GB of additional storage.

The device will also feature a Video Hub, offering over 1,000 film titles for purchase or rent, as well as S Suggest, which presents the user with real-time recommendations of apps suited to their tastes, directly on the home screen.

There are front and back-facing cameras too. The release date is still to be confirmed.

"We have actively worked to enhance and extend our tablet offering since the launch of the original Galaxy Tab 18 months ago, to put us in the position we are in today of being able to offer our customers a portfolio of devices of varying sizes relative to their different needs," said Simon Stanford, from Samsung's UK and Ireland telecommunications and networks division.

The only device currently available in the UK running Android 4.0 is the Samsung-made Google Galaxy Nexus.

Earlier this month, Samsung announced a white version of the phone would land on 13 February.

The South Korean company has continued its strategy of regular releases this year, announcing the Galaxy S Advance in late January.

Tom Brewster

Tom Brewster is currently an associate editor at Forbes and an award-winning journalist who covers cyber security, surveillance, and privacy. Starting his career at ITPro as a staff writer and working up to a senior staff writer role, Tom has been covering the tech industry for more than ten years and is considered one of the leading journalists in his specialism.

He is a proud alum of the University of Sheffield where he secured an undergraduate degree in English Literature before undertaking a certification from General Assembly in web development.