Samsung's strategy of blitzing U.S. wireless carriers with its Galaxy tablets and phones stands in strong contrast to Apple's AT&T exclusivity with its iPad and iPhone.

Which kind of freedom do you want? The freedom to choose your wireless carrier, or freedom from the carrier's interference?

Samsung laid down the gauntlet before Apple Thursday by that its Android-powered would appear on all four major U.S. carriers, just like its Galaxy S phone line. (In fact, the Galaxy S has six carriers.) This stands in stark contrast to Apple's one-carrier solutionyou can choose any carrier you like, as long as it's AT&T.

By targeting all four carriers with similar devices, Samsung acknowledges that we're still a country where people choose their carrier before their hardware. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon have very different rates, customer service policies, network speeds and coverage maps. Samsung wants to make sure that no matter which one you prefer, you can get a top-of-the-line Samsung Android device.

To some extent, that's like Google's original dream for the , and it's how phone buyers shop in Europe. Consumers get to pick their device and their carrier independently of each other, rather than being locked into exclusive arrangements.

Notice that I'm not drawing any difference between phones and tablets here. If the gadget requires 3G service, it's bought and sold the same way, at least for now.

Samsung's strategy seems to have resulted in lower device prices, at least up front. Both Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile are offering Galaxy S phones on a buy-one-get-one-free basis. This a tactic typically used for slow-selling or older phones, but the Galaxy S hasn't been a disappointment; Samsung said that it anticipates selling five million Galaxy S phones in the U.S. by the end of the year. T-Mobile and Verizon are using Galaxy S phones as bait to get more consumers to sign up for monthly data plans.

The Dark Side Of Being Friendly

Samsung's approach has a dark side, too. The company is a friend of the carriers. It really likes the carriers. It likes them so much, in fact, that it let the carriers interfere with the software in the Galaxy S in ways that Apple would never allow (and that Google didn't allow with the Nexus One), letting Verizon set Bing as the default search engine, for instance, or letting AT&T bar non-Market apps. It looks like the carrier models of the Galaxy Tab may have similar customizations.

Both Samsung and Apple are selling non-3G, Wi-Fi-only versions of at least some of their products There's going to be a Wi-Fi-only Galaxy Tab, and the and are arguably even more successful than the and 3G iPad.

It will be interesting to see how hard Samsung markets the Wi-Fi-only Galaxy Tab. Apple pushes the iPod touch and Wi-Fi iPad hard, in part because there's no love lost between Apple and wireless carriers in general. Will Samsung relegate its Wi-Fi model to the back of a Best Buy, so the company's carrier buddies can get the spotlight?

There are other big differences between Samsung's and Apple's products. Pricing, both in terms of the Galaxy Tab device itself and in terms of service plans, will play a big role in the Galaxy Tab's success or failure. The user-interface differences between Android and iOS alone could also define whether the Galaxy Tab succeeds.

Apple could change the balance of power by releasing the iPhone on a different U.S. carrier, like it has in other countries. We've been hearing plenty of rumors of Apple going with this carrier or that carrier, but that's been nonstop since 2007.

I'm hoping that Samsung and Apple can seriously goose each other, and that consumers benefit from the competition. To compete with the iPhone and the iPad, Samsung will have to make sure its software is easy and fun to use, and that its hardware is reasonably priced. To compete with the Galaxy Tabif the Galaxy Tab succeedsApple may finally have to break its exclusivity arrangement with AT&T.

For now, though, it'll be interesting to watch: Will Americans prefer to choose their carrier, or will they be willing to put up with AT&T's network for a pure Apple experience?