Samsung adds Wi-Fi-only Galaxy Tab, drops TV bezel

Adopting the style of a fast-moving Demo conference, Samsung busily showed off a few dozen new products over about 40 minutes at its CES 2011 press conference today, starting with a Wi-Fi-only version of its Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet that will be available early this year (nope, no price yet).

The specs? Nothing unexpected. The Galaxy Tab runs on Android 2.2 (Froyo) and features a 7-inch TFT display with 1,024x600 WSVGA resolution. It weighs 13 ounces and is less than half an inch thick for tossing in a pocket or purse. The Galaxy Tab includes 16GB of internal storage and has microSD expansion for up to 32GB of additional storage. It also has a rear-facing 3-megapixel camera for taking pictures on the go, and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel shooter and camcorder for video chat.

Also getting time on the big stage was the Samsung Infuse 4G, which will be one of the first smartphones in the U.S. to tout Samsung's next-generation Super AMOLED Plus touch screen. That screen claims 50 percent more sub-pixels for better contrast and outdoor visibility. The screen on the Infuse also measures 4.5 inches diagonally, making it one of the largest displays on a smartphone today. The phone will be available through AT&T.

Samsung seems bent on bucking design trends this year, unveiling a number of products with unique style flourishes. John Revie, Samsung senior vice president, took the stage to talk 3D TVs and essentially declared the bezel dead.

The company showed two large HDTVs surrounded by a border that's just two-tenths of an inch wide--practically invisible. The TVs--available in the first half of this year for an as yet unannounced price--will have what's being called a "1-foot connection," meaning any device in range of your TV or computer that's previously registered will automatically connect. A new "search all" feature on smart TVs will make it easier to find content and apps.

Also on the borderless front, Samung execs tried on a pair of superlight 3D glasses that look like rimless sunglasses ("Matrix 3D glasses," as one CNET commenter said during the live blog).

Other Samsung announcements from the press conference and earlier:

• The BD-D7500 Blu-ray player, which Samsung claims is the world's slimmest. Like other Blu-ray players, it will have access to Samsung apps and 2D-to-3D conversion. New for this year is Samsung's Smart Hub, a unified search feature that combs through all streaming-media services for content and also makes viewing recommendations.
• The HT-D7100 Blu-ray system, which isn't just a home theater in a box, it is a box.

Samsung trots out gaggle of gadgets (photos)

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• The Galaxy Player, an Android 2.2 media player with a 4-inch LCD screen.
• An eye-catching 3D TV featuring a shiny, black bezel around the display and a metallic finish around the back. The TV also sports a unique-looking stand that's pushed all the way to the right of the television and curves underneath.
• A new line of 3D monitors that eschew Nvidia's 3D technology and use the company's own proprietary tech.
• A slim, 13-inch laptop that many are saying looks like a true competitor to the MacBook Air. The 9 Series comes with a second-generation Intel Core i5-2537M CPU, 4GB of DD43 RAM, and a 128GB solid-state drive, along with Windows 7 Professional. The Samsung 9 series isn't cheap at $1,599, but as CNET's Scott Stein notes, it's nice to see laptops bringing sexy back.
• The Sliding PC 7, a funky Windows tablet with a touch screen and its own slide-out keyboard.
• A fridge with an 8-inch LCD screen, wireless connectivity, and apps that include a calendar, notepad, and photos--a "modern Post-it system."
• The SG100, a wireless-enabled camera that connects to Android-powered Galaxy S smartphones to let you upload content to sharing sites. You can also control the camera remotely, as the Galaxy S display turns into a viewfinder and you can move the camera's zoom lens as well as hit the shutter release. The cam also uses the phone's GPS receiver to geotag shots.
• The Samsung HMX-Q10, a $299 budget HD camcorder that lefties will like. The new Switch Grip feature lets users record with the camcorder flipped over--in other words, if it works as advertised, it should be usable left-handed as well as right.

Samsung followers wanting to hear more from the company can expect to get it during the company's CES keynote at 4:30 p.m. PT tomorrow, so stay tuned.

CNET's Marguerite Reardon and Erica Ogg contributed to this report.