The above is from some Verizon training documentation, for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab launch. It’s a bit difficult to read, so here’s the important part first:
- SKYPE mobile, NFL Mobile, and V CAST Video applications will not be available on the Samsung Galaxy Tab at launch.
Between Google’s statements that Android OS 2.2 (Froyo) is not optimized for tablets and Skype’s difficulty in playing with others, it’s hard to tell if these are technical, marketing, presentation or licensing issues. At least the disclaimer says the apps aren’t available “at launch,” which suggests they could be available at some point. I’d think the arrival of the next OS (Gingerbread) would make a lot more apps behave on a seven inch tablet.
The Galaxy Tab has a front-facing camera. Do you think they’re waiting for a new version of Skype that has video chat enabled? Supposedly Gingerbread will have all those issues covered. And we know that Verizon’s been talking with the NFL on content delivery for tablets. Why do you think LTE (Verizon’s next cellular technology) is being enabled first in cities with football teams?
As to the rest of the above, it says it doesn’t have phone operations and that some Android “Marketplace” apps may not display nicely on a tablet.
If you’re interested in Verizon’s training documents for the Tab, here are all three pages, courtesy of Engadget.