Motorola and Google must have been pleased at hearing the Xoom tablet computer was voted the best tablet at the CES 2011. The computer electronics show is an annual event where the best and the not so good display their models which are due for release next year.In what is set to be a competitive year in the tablet computing industry, with numbers expected to triple over the coming years, Motorola’s new product has done exceptionally well to win the coveted ‘best in show’ award.
The Xoom runs Google’s Android operating system 3.0 which has been called Honeycomb. This operating system has been optimized for tablet computers.
Motorola and Google launched the marketing campaign for the Xoom last year with subtle and not so subtle strategies. It peaked the interest then and it is nice to see a product deliver on the back of the hype.
It will be interesting to see if it can take on the iPad once it is released...
Can Android Tablets Compete with the iPad?
We’ve rounded up what we know about upcoming Google Android tablets to see if any devices will give the Apple iPad a true rival.
With the success of Apple’s iPad, virtually every manufacturer is brainstorming their own version attempting to ride the tablet wave. Sound familiar? The tablet market seems to be following the path of smartphones, but there is a key difference this time: Apple doesn’t have quite the head start they had back when the first iPhone was released. Android has made a big dent in the mobile industry and it’s looking to do the same for tablets. Apple sold 3 million iPads in the first 80 days and they’re expected to sell around 20 million more in 2011. If Android wants to get its foot in the door then the time is now, before they fall behind again and it takes years to catch up. More and more manufactures are unveiling plans for tablets and the vast majority are choosing Android (sans HP with their Web OS tablet). Below we’ve rounded up everything we know at this point about upcoming Android tablets and when they might hit the market. If there is a tablet we have missed, let us know and we will add it to the list!
Archos 7
The Archos 7 features a 7-inch (800×400) display, 8GB of internal storage along with a micro SDHC slot (for additional storage) and an ARM Cortex A8 processor. The Archos 7 has been available since March and it runs for $199.99.
Cisco Cius
Last month Cisco revealed its plans to join the tablet arms race with the Cius. The Cius will pack a 7-inch screen, a 720p webcam on the front and a 5 megapixel camera on the back. No firm launch date has been set, but Cisco has stated that they’re shooting for early next year.
Velocity Micro Cruz Tablet
Velocity Micro will step away from its luxury gaming throne to dabble in the emerging Android tablet market with the release of their Cruz Tablet this summer. It will feature a 7-inch touch-screen, 4GB of built-in storage, and will accept SD cards for additional storage. The Cruz Tablet will release this summer at a surprisingly low price of $300.
Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000
Samsung unveiled a picture of its upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab last month and it looks like the iPad’s smaller twin. It will feature a 7-inch AMOLED display, Android 2.2, 16GB of internal storage with a microSD expansion slot, and will be powered by a 1.2GHz A8 processor. The Galaxy Tab is expected to launch sometime this summer and a larger 10-inch tablet from Samsung has been rumored to follow.
Dell Streak
Stewart Wolpin thought the Streak was closer to a large cell phone than a tablet in his hands-on impressions, but it’s being promoted as a tablet so we’ll play along. The streak will feature a 5-inch display, 5 megapixel camera, and integrated social media apps such as Twitter and Facebook. No solid release date has been set for the Streak, but its unlocked price is expected to be $500.
Notion Ink Adam
The Adam will be the first tablet on the market to feature the Pixel Qi display. The 10-inch transflective LCD display offers 3 different modes for viewing including a reflective e-paper mode for low power viewing even in bright sunlight. The Adam is expected to be released in Q3 of this year in selected countries.
ICD Ultra
ICD’s follows up its 15-inch Vega tablet with the ICD Ultra, a smaller Android-based device. The ICD Ultra will feature a 7-inch touchscreen display, a NVIDIA Tegra T20 chipset, and integrated 3G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Pricing and a final release date have not been set.
Pandigital Novel
The Pandigital Novel can be classified as an eReader but since it features a web browser and media player we think it crosses into tablet territory as well. The Novel will features a 7-inch color 800×600 touchscreen, an SD card slot for adding storage, and will integrate with the Barnes & Noble eBookstore. It will be priced at $199 and is slated to go on sale this month.
NEC Life Touch
The Life touch will feature a 7-inch TFT LCD screen, ARM Cortex A8 processor and 256MB of RAM. The Android 2.1 device is expected to be available in Japan in October with no official price as of this article.
Google Tablet
Details are still scarce on the rumored Google Android Tablet. There have been reports that Verizon and Google are working together on a tablet, but at this point we don’t even know if Google’s Tablet will run on Chrome OS or Android.
Acer Tablet
The Acer tablet looks very similar to its LumiRead e-book reader that was announced at the same event back in may. Not many details have been released but we do know that it will feature a 7-inch color display, will run Android, and has a likely Q4 release date.
LG Tablet
LG announced on July 6th that they will be jumping into the Android tablet market. They didn’t however provide any details on the device, only stating that it plans to release it in the fourth quarter of this year.
