NYT, WSJ pin hopes on Samsung’s new Galaxy tablet, due out on Sprint Nov. 14

The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today are all lining up to provide applications for Samsung’s upcoming Android Galaxy Tab tablet, sources tell the WSJ.

Given that the Galaxy Tab is among the first Android tablets to be released, and that it actually has a shot at competing with Apple’s iPad, massive publisher interest was to be expected. Publishers are also seeing the device as a stepping stone to getting their content ready for other Android tablets, the sources say.

The New York Times will apparently have an app pre-loaded on some Galaxy Tabs (depending on the carrier), and others will be able to download it from the Android Market. NYT plans to keep its app free, along with its upcoming full app for the iPad, until the paper begins to charge for unlimited access to its content in January 2011. Executives at the paper have previously mentioned that they are pursuing bundled subscriptions for print, web, and digital devices.

The Wall Street Journal will apparently forgo a free app entirely and will instead offer its content on a subscription basis, according to sources. (Given that this report is from the WSJ itself, we can assume those sources are internal.) The WSJ’s iPad app has been downloaded more than 650,000 times — subscribers get access to the app for free, while others pay $3.99 a week for full access.

Samsung recently announced that the 7-inch Galaxy Tab will be headed to all major U.S. carriers. The company has also set a lofty goal of selling 10 million Galaxy Tab devices by the third quarter of 2011.

While pricing details have been up in the air until now, sources say that the Galaxy Tab may launch on Sprint on Nov. 14 for $399 with a two-year contract ($599 full retail), according to the Boy Genius Report. It’s unclear if consumers will be willing to put up with another carrier agreement just for a tablet, and the Tab’s price outside of contract may be too high to compete with the larger iPad, which retails for $499 with its lowest end model.
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