Still got your original Samsung Galaxy Tab from U.S. Cellular? Then today is a good day. Assuming that you’re still running the stock firmware, you can download an update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread from Samsung’s site and install it at your leisure. Better late than never, right?

Though Gingerbread won’t bring the full tablet interface seen on the Galaxy Tab’s younger descendants, there are definitely plenty of reasons to upgrade. Better resource optimization, an updated and generally smoother UI and better support for various apps should be reason enough for you to download. You’ll need a PC to initiate the upgrade; unfortunately, it can’t be done over the air or by simply jumping in to your recovery.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that the Galaxy Tab has seen far more support in the dev/mod community than it has from Samsung or any of its carriers. The Gingerbread-based CyanogenMod 7 is a solid choice for a custom ROM with great reliability and support. It even includes tablet features in the latest version, like a lower-screen status bar. If you’re the adventurous type, you can try an early version of Ice Cream Sandwich and make all your buddies rocking the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus jealous.

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