Samsung's Galaxy Tab to be announced in the US this week?

According to FierceWireless, Samsung will formally announce its U.S. carrier partners and launch date(s) for the 7" Galaxy Tab Android-based tablet this Thursday, September 16th, in New York. Bloomberg reports that AT&T, Sprint and Verizon will all carry the Galaxy Tab, and that the price of the device will be $200 to $300, depending on carrier subsidies. According to Bloomberg, AT&T and Sprint have decided on their subsidies, while Verizon is still uncertain.

The Galaxy Tab can be used as a smartphone, but given its size, most customers are likely to keep their existing phones. If carriers require a full phone account in order to get a subsidized Galaxy Tab, it's likely to lose a great deal of its potential market. On the other hand, if the carriers offer both reasonably-priced data-only subscriptions along with conventional voice and data plans, interest in the tablet should translate into significant sales.

Previous reports indicated that the Galaxy Tab will ship next month in Europe, and that it will ship in the U.S. in November, in time for the holiday sales season.