i shall now shamelessly make the first reply to this thread
for those encountering the "Obtaining IP address" problem here is the most effective solution i have found so far:
1. Root your tab (I used Z4root)
2. download Root Explorer from the market
3. open root explorer (grant Root permissions) and navigate to
/data/misc/dhcp/
4. click the "mount RW" button on top, and delete the "dhcp_list" file
5. exit Root explorer, go to wifi settings and 'forget' all your wifi settings
6. attempt to reconnect and it should work right away
Happy Tabbing!