Android Tablets Compete with the iPad
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Posted On :
Nov-01-2010
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Article Word Count :
925
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This article is about the new tablets that are out and unreleased ones. Get a heads up on the new tablets coming out in the next few months.
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The tablets are coming, the tablets are coming, is there an iPad killer in the group?
Apple’s iPad has unleashed a stampede of tablets. Everyone is getting into the act from laptop makers to phone carriers and most of them will run their tablets on Android. You would think that a massive Android gang would be able to overpower Apple’s one-company team but Android’s current OS 2.2 (aka Froyo) somehow managed to be developed without tablets in mind and now Google is scrambling to bring out a tablet-friendly version, number 3.0 also called Gingerbread. That compounded with the fact that Google may be adding confusion to the market with an alternative OS for “portable” products called Chrome may allow Apple to stay ahead of the pack as they, themselves prepare to bring out some rumored new versions of the iPad early next year that may come in different sizes and hopefully include one that features a camera (or two).
The big question remains; is there an alternative to the iPad that consumers should consider for the upcoming holidays? Although ship dates for most of the announced products have not been specified it looks likely that a Galaxy Tab will be one of the only iPad alternatives available for the holidays but then again, it’s unlikely we’ll see the tablet-friendly Android 3.0 before 2011.
Let’s take a quick look at who’s got what in the way of tablets.
Laptop Manufacturers are Jumping In
Dell introduced a 5-inch Streak a little while ago that received a luke-warm reception. It’s too small, too expensive and runs a very old version of Android. On the other hand the recently unveiled Windows 7-based Dell Inspiron Duo convertible notebook with a rotating 10-inch screen looks pretty cool. Some late breaking news coming from from Michael Dell at Oracle World says there’s a7-inch Android tablet in the works from Dell.
HP was aggressively developing a Windows
7-based tablet called the Slate and then along came the Palm acquisition and now word on the street says we’ll see a webOS tablet (PalmPad?) complete with an App Store positioned to compete with Apple sometime in 2011.
Whether you consider Samsung more of a laptop manufacturer or smartphone manufacturer they are coming on strong with a 7-inch tablet called the Galaxy Tab which has been in the news lately and will supposedly be available soon from carriers who can’t wait to have something else to sell you a contract for.
2011, The Year of the Tablet
All the other big name laptop manufacturers including Lenovo (LePad), Acer, Asus (Eee Pad), Toshiba and others have all indicated they will be offering a tablet device, most likely running Android. Along with the big laptop vendors, there will be a host of lesser known vendors like ICD Vega, Notion Ink’s Adam, Neofonie’s WePad all promoting their tablets’ unique features. We’re sure this year’s CES will be the year of the tablet.
The Phone Guys’ Tablets
Expect to see tablets from all the major handset manufacturers like HTC who is rumored to be working on an Android 3.0 tablet and Motorola who said they will miss this holiday season but will have something early next year.
RIM is expected to show a new 7-inch tablet the week of Sept 27th in NYC. The so called BlackPad conjuring up images of pirates (in this writers mind) is expected to be running on a brand new highly robust platform from RIM’s recently acquired QNX Software Systems. This could very well become the “enterprise tablet” but we’ll also be interested in seeing how soon Angry Birds is running on it. Maybe you’ll be able to get a good deal on one on Black Friday (haha).
Everybody and Their Brother Will Be Offering a Tablet
The tablet frenzy will gain momentum as we move into 2011 with the carriers taking on new tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab or possibly the Motorola MZ600. Meanwhile, Cisco has announced an Android tablet called the Cius, the monitor vendor Viewsonic (G Tablet) will have a tablet and even best Best Buy will not only be selling everyone else’s tablets but they plan to private label an Android tablet branded “Rocketfish.”
Anyone Else Out There?
With all the action in the tablet market predicted to cut into netbook, laptop, an e-reader sales we have to wonder where some of the big players in the industry stand. What are we going to see from Sony, Panasonic, or Microsoft who cleverly included multitouch capability into Windows 7?
The Curtain Will Be Going Up Next Year on Apple’s Second Act for Tablets
The rumor mill is rife with reports of new tablets coming from Apple in early 2011. After all it will be a year next spring that media swooned over and consumers waited in line for the original iPad. Apple is rumored to be developing three new iPads (5.6-inch, 7-inch and 9.7-inch) with OLED displays and possibly two cameras for FaceTime compatibility.
Which Tablet Will Be Under the Tree This Year?
There’s no doubt an iPad will be on a lot of holiday wish lists but will there be some other tablet that wouldn’t disappoint some lucky gadget enthusiast this holiday season? With all the muscle the Android gang could potentially bring to bear on Apple, sadly, it doesn’t look to us like there will be a very good alternative to an iPad this holiday season. On the other hand if you can wait for the floodgates to open there could be some realistic iPad competitors in 2011.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Android Tablets Compete with the iPad_40126.aspx
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Author Resource :
Andrew Eisner, Retrevo's director of community and content and resident hard core gadget enthusiast. Eisner comes to Retrevo from the world of computer journalism. To find more information, see Lenovo and Toshiba HDTVs.
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Keywords :
tablet, android, ipad, slate, palm, galaxy tab, cius, blackpad, rocketfish,
Category :
Product Reviews
:
Consumer Electronics
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