New Gadget 2011

notches on its belt as it inches closer to rival Apple�s iPad sales. The numbers are higher than the previous two weeks in which the company sold 600,000 Tabs.

Samsung says it gives credit to the increase in sales to the Thanksgiving rush of shoppers. Spokesperson Kim Titus of Samsung confirmed the high number of units sold, but didn�t say where the Tab sold the best.

Several carriers in the United States, including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, have been selling the Tab for varying prices, both with a contract and separately, since the middle of November. It�s probable that the increase in sales had a lot to do with Black Friday holiday shoppers.

In most cases, selling that many units of a new, and mostly unproven tablet computer, would be cause for wild celebrations. However, in this case Apple is still ahead of Samsung, as Apple has been selling its iPad since April. Apple sent out a million of the iPads in less than 30 days and has since sent out more than four million of the popular gadgets during their fourth quarter, which ended Oct. 19.

Even so, Samsung customers have purchased more than five million of the company�s Galaxy S phones worldwide, with three million of those sales in the U.S., If you add this to the sales of the Galaxy Tab, it shows the Android based product is giving buyers what they want.

Tab testers tried out the Verizon Wireless product and rated their experience as a good one, just somewhat different than that of the Apple iPad. The Tab goes for about $600 without a commitment and drops to a lower price if people sign up for Verizon or another carrier that has the Tab.

The Tab has a seven inch view screen, which seems a bit small to some users, but others find it the right size for them. The Tab has a video camera, but it is low quality. However, it is important to note that the iPad has no camera at all.

The Tab is a good choice for its portability, ability to surf the Internet, email and web applications. It�s predicted that more people will take advantage of this product as the holidays arrive.

Sales are indeed expected to be good for both the iPad and the Galaxy Tab next year. The iPad has garnered 90 percent of the market for that niche, while the Tab is expected to grab about 15 percent of the worldwide sales next year.

So, little by little, Samsung and it�s Galaxy Tab are creeping up on Apple�s share of the market in a similar fashion as the Android smartphones did when it comes to Apple�s iPhone.