Best Buy Offering Free Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with TV Purchase

In what appears to be another sign of iPad competitors having difficulty gaining customer acceptance, Best Buy yesterday announced a new promotion that sees the leading electronics retailer giving away Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets with the purchase of select new Samsung 3D high-definition televisions. The package deals also include free 3D starter kits containing two pairs of 3D glasses and a handful of 3D movie titles.

This week's Samsung special is the latest offer in Best Buy's Perfect Match Promise, a series of deals to help customers go big and go home happy. This week only, Best Buy's Perfect Match Promise offers customers a 16 GB Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with the purchase a Samsung 46" Class LED 1080p Smart 3D HDTV all for the low price of $1499.99 after savings. Customers can also step up to a 55" Samsung TV (measured diagonally) with a 3D Starter Kit for only $1999.99 after savings.

The promotion begins on August 21st and runs through August 27th.

Samsung has been the leading competitor to Apple in the tablet market as a number of other companies have faltered in their attempts at launching competing products. But while Samsung has reported strong shipment numbers for its Galaxy Tab offerings relative to other non-Apple tablet companies, it is still unclear just how many of those units are making it into customers' hands. Samsung is also facing strong legal challenges from Apple in a number of countries, challenges which have hampered Samsung's ability to roll out the Galaxy Tab in several markets and threaten many of its other Android-based products.

Best Buy made headlines in the tablet market earlier this week after a source reported that the retailer had sold less than 10% of its stock of HP TouchPad tablets and was seeking to return much of the remainder to HP. That disclosure came just a day before HP announced that it would be ending its tablet and smartphone hardware businesses amid weak launch demand.