While the iPad attracted the elite crowd and the Apple fanboys, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab was the only other real option for a tablet. The sub-25K price bracket suddenly witnessed a surge in cheap Android based tablets, most of which were quite bad to be even called a tablet like the HCL Me AE7, ZingLife E-Pad and Creative’s ZiiO 7. Plus, the Motorola Xoom and the HTC Flyer have only just started rolling out, giving you even more choices. It doesn't stop here, let’s take a look at some of the tablets that are yet to arrive in 2011.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1The successor to the Galaxy Tab P1000, the Tab 10.1 will go up against the Motorola Xoom and the Acer A500 3G variant (if Acer actually launched this). Specification wise, it’s practically identical to the other two, so the deciding factor will have to be the user experience and ergonomics of the tablet. Acer has done little to no customization with the A500 (apart from some widgets) and we’ve not reviewed the Xoom yet, so we can’t comment on that, we really hope Samsung delivers on their TouchWiz user interface. Now I know their UI hasn’t exactly got them many fans when compared to HTC’s Sense but if they can pull off something like they did with the Galaxy S II, then we have some competition. No word on the price yet, but I guess it would launch at around the 35K mark.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 Features -10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with Samsung’s PLS display technology
Supports resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels
3G, Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi only model to be available
Bluetooth v3.0 + EDR
GPS with A-GPS support for Google Maps
3.1MP rear AF camera with LED flash and 720p video recording capability, 2MP forward facing camera for video calling.
1080p HD@30fps video playback, DivX and Xvid support
Stereo speakers
Available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB editions with micro SD card support up to 32GB.
Toshiba ThriveWhile we rarely see many Toshiba products in India, other than a few notebooks and portable drives, it's hard to say when or if, will this ever come to India. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t ignore this 10.1-inch slab of glass, as it has some very unique features not found in the other tablets. For starters, this is the first Android tablet to have a removable battery and will launch with Android 3.1. It will also feature an SD card slot capable of handling 128GB SDXC cards and will come with a ExFAT driver enabling it to handle up to 1TB external hard drives over the USB port. Hopefully, Toshiba realizes the growing tablet market in India and will launch this quickly.
The Toshiba Thrive also features -10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with 1280x800 pixel resolution
Wi-Fi 'n' support
Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR
GPS with A-GPS support for Google Maps
5MP Autofocus rear camera, 2MP front facing camera
Available in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB editions with micro SD card support up to 32GB
Dell Streak 7Dell’s next stint with tablets comes in the form of a slightly larger version of their first Streak phone. Called the Streak 7, the dimensions are more in line with BlackBerry’s PlayBook which will be their first target. The tablet is powered by Froyo and an Nvidia Tegra 2 CPU along with a 5MP auto-focus camera and buttons on the bezel which we don’t see on other tablets. The HTC Flyer which also sports a 7-inch screen should provide stiff competition once this releases. Once again, nothing on the India availability or pricing as of now. The Streak 7 will appeal mostly to people who liked the form factor of the PlayBook, but wanted the flexibility of Android. Sadly, Dell has no plans to launch the Streak 7 in India anytime soon so you'll have to import one if you want to get it.
The Dell Streak 7 features -7-inch capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels
3G, Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
GPS with A-GPS support
5MP rear AF camera with 720p video recording capability, 1.3MP forward facing camera for video calling
MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV video playback
16GB built-in storage with micro SD card support up to 32GB
Motorola XoomMotorola XOOM tablet feature a 5 megapixel auto-focus camera at rear side with dual-LED flash and capable of 720p HD video recording at 30 fps. Motorola XOOM tablet also equipped with 2 megapixel fron facing video call camera. It comes with dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity and can be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot.According to sources Verizon US version of Motorola XOOM will be getting a 4G/LTE update very soon. This tablet is available with 16 GB, 32 GB, 64GB of onboard storage memory options.
Motorola XOOM tablet features and specs also include microSD card slot (up to 32GB), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, Accelerometer, compass, three-axis gyro-sensor, barometer sensor, GPS with A-GPS support on all models, Dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity, Wi-Fi hotspot, Optional 3G connectivity (data only) – HSPA or 1xEV-DO (LTE via upgrade), HD TV-Out via microHDMI port, microUSB with host functionality, Flash-enabled web browser, 10 hours video playback and 3.3 days of music playback.
The Motorola Xoom features10.1” screen of 1280 x 800 pixels resolution
1 GHz dual-core processor tegra 2
1 GB DDR2 RAM
Android Honeycomb 3.0 operating system
32 GB on-board storage memory expandable Upto 32 GB micro SD external memory support
5 megapixel rear-camera & 2 megapixel front camera
720p video capture
1080p HD video playback
Multi format audio-video player
Flash 10.2 beta
HTC Flyer HTC, launched their full touch tablet HTC Flyer in India today. The newly launched device is said to create a whole new experience but how much, that the buyer will tell.
HTC Flyer as clearly is an HTC’s entry into the tablet war in the country (and around the World) to compete with Samsung Galaxy S Tablet, BlackBerry Playbook and Apple iPad 2, Motorola Xoom and Huawei’s MediaPad
A sleek aluminum unibody, the HTC Flyer tablet exudes the iconic style and build quality HTC is known for. It is also ultra-light, weighing as little as a paperback book, and compact enough to fit in a jacket pocket only. With a seven-inch display, lightning fast 1.5Ghz processor and high-speed HSPA+ wireless capabilities, the HTC Flyer tablet is perfect for those who have waited for a tablet that is both compact and powerful.
HTC Flyer Specification and Featuresdisplay or screen 7.7″ wide x 4.8″ tall x 0.52″ thick
Display Screen: 7″ with HTC Sense
Screen resolution: 1024 X 600
Processor: Super fast 1.5 GHz processor
Memory (RAM): 1 GB
Storage: 32 GB internal, microSD 2.0 support for external
Operating System: Android Honeycomb (Based on Gingerbread)
Camera: 5 megapixel auto-focus camera on back & 1.3 megapixel camera in front for video
3G enabled and Wifi enable
Weight: 420 gms with battery
LG G-slateLG G-Slate is ultimate Android Honeycomb tablet. LG G-Slate looks very stylish, sleek and attractive as compare to other Honeycomb Android tablet. LG G-Slate runs on latest Android 3.0 honeycomb Operating system and powered by powerful 1 GHz dual core Tegra processor. LG G-Slate features Full HD video output, HDMI port, HD support, 8.9-inch 3D display, High speed HSDPA internet, Android Honeycomb v3.0 OS, Bluetooth, Wireless LAN, GPS with google maps, Social networking applications and many more.
LG Specification and Features1GHz dual core Tegra 2 Processor
Android v3.0 Honeycomb Operating system
Large 3D LCD capactive touchscreen
5 Mega-pixel primary camera AUTO focus - LED FLash and 2.0 MP front camera
1080p@24fps 2D and 3D video recording /HD video recording
32GB internal Memory - upto 32GB expandable memory
3G HSDPA high speed internet connectivity speed upto 10Mbps
Wireless LAN with DLNA and Hotspot
upto 10 hours of battery backup
HP TouchPad TabletThe new HP TouchPad is a large 9.7-inch multi-touch tablet running the webOS 3.0 operating system . It is powered by the 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor .It will compete with the market leader Apple iPad (or the upcoming iPad 2) and the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet .It is almost similar in design (and thickness) with its main competitor , the Apple iPad .
Its weapon is the TouchPad, a 9.7-inch tablet from HP that got official back in February and will be available July 1st (if you don't manage to find it earlier) -- $499.99 for the 16GB model, $599.99 for 32GB.
HP TouchPad Specification and Feature1.2 GHz Qualcomm Dual Core CPU Snapdragon APQ8060 1.2GHz
9.7-inch multi-touch screen with 1024×768 resolution display
HP Web Operating System
1.3 mega-pixel front camera (there is not rear camera)
Internal Storage 16/32GB storage
Beats audio technology
A-GPS with Navigation Maps (only in 3G Model)
Wireless LAN : 802.11b/g/n WiFi
Weight 740 grams
ASUS Eee Pad Slider tabletASUS has announced a new tablet with QWERTY keyboard, called ASUS Eee Pad Slider. Eee Pad Slider will be release on May 2011 with starting price at €800, for 64GB ASUS Eee Pad Slider $799 and for ASUS Eee Pad Slider 16GB $499. Eee Pad Slider tablet is comes designed with chrome edging around the sides that you can deliver a full multimedia experience with HD video, curved adges, a black glossy bezel around display, having a broad connectivity options, a gaming and the broadest range of media compatibility.
ASUS Eee Pad Slider tablet specificationsNVIDIA Tegra 2 Processor dual core (Full HD playback)
10.1-inch WSVGA 1280×800 IPS with capacitive touch
Android 3.0 Operating System
RAM 512MB/1GB
Storage 16GB/32GB eMMC flash
A Full QWERTY- Keyboard
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR , WiFi 802.11 b/g/n , USB v2.0
Camera : 1.2MP front , 5 mega-pixel rear
1 mini USB port , Audio jack,Card reader , microSD , Docking port, miniHDMI
Dimensions : 273x180x17.7mm
Weight 886 gm
Huewai MediapadWorld First Tablet with 7-inch slate to run Android 3.2 Honeycomb. According to Huawei, Android 3.2 basically fettles Honeycomb to suit the 7-inch slate, which also comes with HSPA+ 14.4Mbps connectivity, WiFi b/g/n, an IPS capacitive touchscreen display and HDMI Full HD 1080p output.
Huewai Mediapad SpecificationDual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor
Android Honeycomb 3.2 OS
7-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen
10.5mm (0.4 inches) slim, ~390g weight (0.86 pounds)
1.3 MP front-facing camera, 5 MP auto focus rear facing camera with HD video recording capabilities
HSPA+ 14.4 Mbps, WiFi 11n
Over 6 hours battery life
1080P full HD playback and HDMI port
Flash 10.3
Well the iBall Slide android comes with different connectivity features like Wi-Fi, Two USB 2.0 ports, 3G via Dongle, Bluetooth 3.0, 3.5mm Audio Jack for listening high quality music, HDMI output for connecting Large LCD for playing HD videos.
The best part of iBall Slide android tablet is, they have provided 4400mAh rechargeable battery for longer battery backup and even iBall company manager claims that the tablet can give excellent battery life up to 6.5 hours of music playback time and 5 hours on video playback mode. They have introduced new feature called USB Host and on the go(OTG) Port which helps to copy the data from pen directly. With the help of USB host port you can also connect mouse or keyboard to do your work quickly and you can attach the tablet to PC for enjoying more good user experience.
