Ruggedized variants of Samsung's Galaxy S4 and Galaxy-family of tablets are set to arrive this summer, claims an anonymous source in contact with the Wall Street Journal. The contact claims a seven-inch and 10.1-inch tablet will hit the market first in June while the more robust Galaxy S4 should arrive in July.
The rugged version of the Galaxy S4 -- rumored to named Galaxy S4 Active -- will maintain the "look and feel" of the standard-issue handset, but gain water and dust proofing. There were no details given regarding the two upcoming tablets, including whether they would be part of Samsung's Galaxy Note or Galaxy Tab line-ups.
Currently, only a few manufacturers -- namely Panasonic and DRS Technologies -- offer fully-rugged, water-proof tablets based on Android. Samsung's upcoming dive into the ruggedized tablet computing arena would only help increase options and competition for governments, enterprises and other organizations who desire tablets designed for rougher-than-usual treatment and exposure.
Given Samsung's dominating success in both the consumer smartphone and tablet spaces, it'll be interesting to see if the company can carve its way into this niche market as well. Samsung just posted record quarterly earnings, selling over 70 million smartphones. Meanwhile, the company also expects to double its tablet sales this year.
Recent rumors have also indicated Samsung plans to roll out a wallet-friendly version of its Galaxy smartphone. Previously thought to be called the Galaxy Mini, the Galaxy Core could arrive as soon as May, adding yet another device to Samsung's increasingly diverse line-up of touch-enabled devices.
