After what has seemed like a small age the Samsung Galaxy Tab was finally unveiled today at the IFA tech show in Berlin. The Android 2.2 7-inch tablet has arrived amid a storm of hype over whether it could be the first real iPad contender.

Click here to see a full gallery of the Samsung Galaxy Tab

Looking at the specs it certainly seems so. The Galaxy Tab is capable of making and recieving voice and video calls plus SMS/MMS/Email. This makes it essentially a fully functioning phone as well as a tablet and as such will be available on PAYG and contract when released in October. It sports a 7-inch WSVGA screen with full 1080p HD and will come with Android 2.2 FroYo straight out of the box.

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For on the go the Galaxy Tab is a fully functioning E-reader with the 'Readers Hub' providing you with thousands of books and mags to download and read on the move. The 'Music Hub' (powered by 7Digital) is essentially an iTunes equivalent letting you download straight to the Tab's 16GB or 32GB internal memory. On the pictures side of things there's a 3MP snapper with LED Flash on the back and a front-facing VGA camera for voice calls.

As it runs Android 2.2 it'll come with Google Navigation, Google Goggles and Places using the built-in GPS to guide you wherever you need to go. Throw Android Market into the equation and you'll then have the opportunity to fill all five home screens with as many apps as you can handle. Finally Samsung have really built this device to be both a work and play tablet with full Office documents compatability and a PC-style email client supporting the more serious side of things, then on the flipside there'a a Social Hub accumulating all your social networks into one feed along with Facebook events integration into your Calender.

This really is a bit of a powerhouse, at only 380g and 11.4mm thin it still manages to punch way above its weight, offering up features that so far, the iPad has yet to give us. Stay tuned to T3 for a full review and hands-on video.