From Phone to Phablet to Tablet-Phone

Smartphones have been growing, with 5 to 6 inch screens not uncommon….the bigger ones have been dubbed phablets….part phone, part tablet. Now, Samsung really goes big, adding 3G phone capability to the next generation of the 7 inch Galaxy Tab Mini. The price hasn’t been announced, but it’s widely expected to be less than the $329 iPad Mini. The Galaxy Tab mini will be out in May, with the 3G version available in June. Will Apple follow suit? All the 3G iPads already have a cellular number for data. An optional bluetooth headset would be mandatory….can you imagine holding a 7 to 10 inch tablet to your head, taking a call? Will people drop their smartphones and just carry a mini tablet that’s also a phone? That will be the real question for the market to sort out.