If there is one thing I never understood about Samsung’s Galaxy Tab it would be the price. Despite sporting a smaller screen than the iPad, it was priced far higher than its iOS rival, making the Android tablet less appealing.

While most carriers were willing to subsidize the device to make it competitive against the iPad, Verizon was the only carrier to refusing to do so until now.

For $499, you can get the Verizon version of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and a Verizon data contract. That’s the same price as Apple’s 16 GB iPad with only Wi-Fi access.

The Tab is now sold through all major mobile carriers, and all of them offer subsidized pricing if customers sign up for a data plan. The only one that didn’t go along with that idea was Verizon. It originally only sold the Galaxy Tab for $599, without a data contract. (TG Daily)

This should put the Galaxy Tab within reach for Verizon customers who may not be fond of iOS devices as well as keep them from defecting towards Sprint and T-Mobile.

Despite being more expensive than rival Android tablets, the Galaxy Tab is seen by many in the US as the main contender against the iPad (although the latter is truthfully killing everyone in the tablet wars).

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