Fancy a Tab with your coffee? Illy and Samsung buddy up

Samsung’s smartphones have undoubtedly done great things for the South Korean tech cobbler but, as for their tablet range, not so much. In an attempt to challenge the ubiquitous iPads in coffee shops Sammy has partnered up with Illy coffee.

Samsung has got into a strategic alliance with the coffee company Illy, and as a part of the deal Illy coffee shops will put Samsung’s latest Galaxy tablets on display.

The alliance was announced on Monday and Illy shops will have a Samsung display booth demonstrating the new tablets such as the Galaxy Note 10.1.

Customers visiting the Illy coffee shops will be assisted by ‘Samsung Angels’, bless ’em, who will demonstrate the tablets and what they can do.

London’s Illy shop was the first to start with the service with the Regent’s Street cafe boasting a new fleet of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 devices. These allow coffee consuming customers to browse the web for free, or play with the new Illy app. It’s likely in the future customers will be able to use the devices to order drinks without the hassle of standing up to queue.

The app includes a ‘design your own coffee mug’ feature, which allows you to customise your virtual mug using the Note 10.1’s stylus, though you cannot purchase your finished design – which is a bit of a missed opportunity in my book.

The deal will also see Illy coffee shops being set up in Samsung showrooms.