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Looking to hype its first serious Apple iPad alternative, Samsung is offering free leather cases to those who buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi-only edition exclusively starting June 8 at the Best Buy Union Square location in New York City.
The first 200 people to purchase the Android 3.1 “Honeycomb” WiFi edition tablet, which costs $499 for the 16GB version and $599 for the 32GB model, will receive a leather case worth $29.99.
Also the first 50 people to purchase the Tab 10.1, which goes on sale at noon, will get VIP access to an exclusive performance by hip-hop artist Ne-Yo at 4:15 p.m. local time that day. The first 100 fans in line starting at noon will also get the opportunity to see the performance.
Ne-Yo will also be offering autographs after the performance at the Union Square Best Buy, which sits at the corner of 14th Street and 4th Avenue.
The news comes one week after T-Mobile said it will begin selling a “limited quantity” of the Tab 10.1 exclusively at the Union Square Best Buy store. Best Buy customers may also preorder the Galaxy Tab 10.1 online or in-store that day, with availability set for June 17.
T-Mobile’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 will receive an over-the-air upgrade to the Samsung TouchWiz UX this summer.
This user interface includes a Live Panel menu for customizing the home screen of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 with digital pictures, favorite Websites and social-network feeds, and a mini applications tray of frequently used features such as task manager, calendar and music player.
Verizon Wireless has its own plans for the Tab 10.1, offering the slate in metallic gray or glossy white and powered by a 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) broadband radio.
This device will be available for preorder only June 8. Verizon will sell the 16GB model for $529.99 and the 32GB model for $629.99, both on two-year contracts.
eWEEK reviewed the limited-edition Google I/O Galaxy Tab 10.1.
While that version included Android 3.0, Android 3.1 on the commercial Tab 10.1 slates from Verizon and T-Mobile includes expandable widgets, support for Google’s USB host API and Open Accessory API, and other capabilities.