2010 is the year of a new generation of mobile computing products called the SLATE PC. Slate PC’s bridge the gap between a Laptop, a Smartphone and a Netbook. Although a Slate PC is currently not a replacement as of yet for your main Computer, it is a viable alternative to other mobile devices such as E-Readers and Laptops.
Slate PCS primarily are a full color, multi touch screen devices that have dedicated applications to common day to day tasks. The Applications available are reletive to the operating system and manufacturer and overall community Support. Common Operating systems for Slate PCS is Google Android, Windows CE, Apple OS, Google Chrome and other proprietary systems.
Most Slate PCS all share the same type of processors made by the top two companies, Intel Atom, Nvidia Tegra as the processors of choice.
For internal memory or RAM, common Slate Configurations feature between 1 and 2 Gigs of non-expandable memory. Storage depends on internal Storage such as a small hard drive, Cloud Based Storage, or SD or Micro SD Cards.
There are MANY new Slate PCS coming out this year or hitting the market already. We intend with this article to break down every single Slate PC that has a strong chance of being delivered sometime during 2010. If you would like to read more about any of the Slate or Tablet PC’s we talk about, please click on the Title of the Slate.
Also, we will update this thread as new Slates and Tablets are announced, so make sure you keep checking back for updated information, new slates and tablet PC’s
Apple iPad – The Apple iPad is the device that single-handedly justified a tablet market for many manufacturers. It has a simple operating system based on the iPhone, a 10-inch touchscreen, fantastic battery life (10 hours) and access to hundreds of thousands of apps that can collectively do just about anything. It’s not perfect, but it set a high standard. Base models start at $500 for 16GB of storage and Wi-Fi; price goes up for 3G connections and more storage. The Huge draw about the Apple iPad is the amount of applications available (hundreds of thousands) and day to day functionality such as Email, Internet browsing and E-Book Reading.
Notion Ink Adam – The Adam is one of the most promising tablets yet to come. It has a special 10-inch touchscreen that can act as a regular luminescent screen or switch off the backlight to act like an e-ink screen, the kind common in e-book readers. The Adam tablet runs dual-core ARM Cortex A9 CPUs bearing Nvidia Tegra 2 System-on-a-Chip. Adam will come with 10-inch Transreflective LCD PixelQi screen supporting 1024×600 at the same time. Notion Ink claims that Adam offers 16 hours of web browsing. The Adam also boasts of a 160 hour run time in backlighting off mode. While Apple sticks to Safari for iPad, Adam tablet will have Firefox and Chrome web browsers to support. For storage expansion, Adam has SD card slot while Apple sticks to SSD options with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage options. For wireless connectivity Adam again has Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth, just like in the iPad. Apart from that, the Adam has ambient light sensor, RF sensor, Assisted-GPS, proximity sensor, accelerometer and touchpad. Adam also offers HDMI and three USB ports. Although the Adam is delayed allot due to internal component conflicts, it should retail for $549.00 and should be available in September.
Neofonie WeTab – The WeTab used to be called the WePad, but Berlin based, Neofonie wisely decided to change the name to “differentiate” it from the competition, namely the iPad. The WePad is a Google Android tablet with 11.6 inch touch screen display, 1.66GHz Intel Atom processor, 16GB of flash storage, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1, and 1.3 megapixel camera starting at $611 and will have another model with a 3G-32GB version that will be available for $774 USD. The We-Pad launch date according to the company is August 2010.
Other notable features include memory card reader, two USB sockets, audio output, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, stereo speakers and Flash and Adobe AIR support. Additionally, the WePad will also come touting HDMI out as well as a Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator for 1080p video playback.
Despite the impressive list of specs, the company lists a battery life of “around” six hours. Meanwhile rival Apple boasts a 10-hour life for its iPad tablet. The WePad also weighs in at 800g with an 11.6-inch display.
Fusion Garage Joojoo – Conceived as a tablet PC that is well suited for anytime web browsing, the JooJoo is a browser based device that has taken a lengthy time for its launch, but is available for order now. The dominating feature of this device is its screen, and a 12 inch display at that. It is a capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. The JooJoo boots up in 7 seconds flat and the rest of its operations are indeed snappy. This can be attributed to it being equipped with the 1.6GHZ Intel Atom N270 processor. It also has 1 GB RAM and a 4 GB solid state drive. Wi-Fi speeds too are quite decent. Fusion Garage has also added an NVIDIA Ion Graphic card on the device just to ensure playing Flash Video in full screen mode is a breeze. The Atom / Ion combo though calls upon the JooJoo’ s battery resources quite generously so that the JooJoo’ s three cell battery is able to support just moderate use like net browsing and playing short videos on the tablet for only about 2.5 hours. The JooJoo $500.00 and just exists in the Cloud, it has no hard-drive.
BlackBerry BlackPad Tablet – Leaked information has the Blackberry Tablet coming out in December of this year. It features an 8.9 Inch screen and will feature OS 6.0. Reports also indicate that Blackberry is partnering with the Marvel technology Group to take care of its silicon needs and the Quanta Company that specialize in hardware manufacturing. This tablet pc will also be the first non-hand held device that Blackberry is making.
Adobe Slate PC – Adobe has put up on display a prototype Tablet PC running Android operating system that is compliant with Flash and Adobe Air at the ongoing Web 2.0 Expo that is being held in San Francisco. And as per reports coming in, the resource-heavy Flash worked in the most perfect manner.
However, the engineers aren’t as forthcoming as Adobe is and are loathe revealing anything apart form that they are partnering with Nvidia. The only other thing that they would reveal is that there would be a barrage of new Tablet PCs running the Android by the end of this year. So there’s still some time before we can come to any sort of conclusion as to how well Flash performs on a real Tablet. Then battery life too is another important consideration that has to be taken into account for a Tablet running Flash.
Archos 9 –The Archos 9 has a 9-inch screen and runs Windows 7 Starter, but the touchscreen uses an older technology that doesn’t support multitouch and the device uses a relatively slow processor. The Archos just does not have the processing power to give a fluid feel while working on any of the application software that it has the capability to run. Instead, it is slow and sluggish in its operations. It is this that happens to be the biggest drawback of the Archos 9, which given its flexibility, can otherwise run sophisticated email and productivity software like the Microsoft Word, which is far better than anything that the iPad or the Gemini has to offer. The other advantage of the Archos 9 is the small webcam that is built into the device. It has Ethernet and USB sockets that make it possible for the Archos 9 to connect to external devices like external hard drive or digital camera.
Archos 7 Home Tablet – Archos’s most recent tablet is smaller and much less expensive than the Archos 9. It has a 7-inch screen that uses the same older touchscreen technology. It has a 7 inch resistive touchscreen with an 800 x 480 pixel resolution. It comes with 8 GB of storage though it can be jacked up further to 32 GB by way of the micro SDHC card. The device is good for 720p HD video playback. So if you are looking for a device that can let you watch HD videos, view photos, browse the net and check emails, the Archos 7 fits the bill perfectly. However, the Archos 7 not having access to the Android Market does dampen things a bit. Worse, it runs on the Android 1.5, which means even if it has access to the Android Market, the apps won’t be compatible with it. The Appslib store though helps things by making available the apps needed with the Archos 7. It retails for $199.99 and is a budget entry level Slate/Tablet PC.
HP Hurricane WebOS Tablet – With HP’s recent acquisition of the Palm, there were speculations that it might dump the Windows 7 operating system in favour of the Palm Web OS for its Slate PC project. Well there is rumour that HP might have dumped the entire Slate project altogether and instead has a tablet PC pieced together that has been codenamed the Hurricane. And the good thing is the Hurricane WebOS tablet might be with us as early as this summer itself. HP was scheduled to come up with its Slate PC sometime around June. Now with the Hurricane coming into the picture, it seems HP might be using the hardware from the Slate project while picking up the Palm Web OS that it now has access to after buying out the company. As per reports from a company insider, the Hurricane would run the latest operating system that is doing duty on some of the most recent Palm smartphones such as the Pre or the Pixi. The end result, there is going to be one more tablet to capture our imagination though this time, it’s one of the biggest players in the PC segment that is out to pamper us with a tablet PC. This alone can perhaps explain the lightning fast introduction of a tablet, which surely would have taken more time had it been built from scratch.
HP Slate Windows 7 Slate – Although rumours transpire that this device was scrapped, it is not the case. Top brass at HP admit this will be released sometime this summer for $549. Its base configuration, which has a 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 capacitive multi-touch display, a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor with UMA graphics and an accelerator for 1080p video playback (we’re assuming it’s a Broadcom Crystal HD chip), 32GB of flash storage and 1GB of non-upgradeable RAM.
There is also a new version $599 with 64GB of storage, and both models will have a five-hour battery, an SDHC slot, two camera, a USB port, a SIM card slot for the optional 3G modem, and a dock connector for power, audio, and HDMI out.
It looks like for software it will be running an off-shoot of the Windows 7 platform. HP has also partnered up with Adobe which means you will see great support for a full multi-media internet experience. You will also be able to multitask on this device.
Dell Mini 5 – The Dell Mini 5 incorporates a 5 inch WVGA multi-touch touchscreen and features capacitive buttons up front. The display comes with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and runs the latest version of the Android, which means it can be the Android 2.1 version doing duty on the Streak 5 or maybe even Android 2.2 Froyo. It has a built in 5 MP auto focus camera with LED flash along with a front-facing VGA camera. At its core is a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor. Connectivity options on the Streak includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and is 3G enabled. It supports GPS and has 1.63GB of internal storage capacity, which can be increased further via the MicroSD card slot. Powering the device will be a 1300mAh battery pack.
Apart from being a tablet, the Streak 5 can also double up as a smartphone, though there are doubts in some quarters whether at 8-ounce and with a thickness of 0.39 inches, will it be compact enough to be used as a replacement for a phone or with just a 5 inch screen, if it can take up the job of a laptop pc. While it’s a bit too hefty for being a smartphone alone, it’s too small to be branded a laptop replacement. However, there are reports in some quarters of Dell having a slew of devices with bigger sized screens up its sleeves that will make them a worthy contender in the Tablet PC segment. It will be released in June in Europe and have a July release in the USA.
Dell Looking Glass – ‘Looking Glass’ is what the new Tablet PC from Dell is going to be known as. It shares a lot of commonality with the 5-inch Streak and among the few things that make the Looking Glass different from the 5-inch Streak are a bigger 7-inch display and a Tegra 2 processor. Also, the new Dell Tablet will be running Android 2.1 unlike Android 2.0 that the 5-inch Streak is based on.
The Looking Glass will also have a forward facing 1.3 mega pixel camera, while also being compliant with Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and 3G connectivity options. There’s also a TV tuner module that you can opt for and will let you watch digital TV in ATSC, ATSC-MH and DVB-T, which means it is good enough to play North American or European TV channels.
The Looking Glass will also be compatible with Mp3, WMA, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, Midi and WAV audio formats and supports H.263/H.264, 3GP, MPEG4, WMV and FLV video formats. Further, the new Dell tablet will also feature USB 2.0, a G-sensor, A-GPS, and e-compass. Power comes from a 2100 mAh battery.
The Dell tablet will have a RAM of 4GB with another 4GB of flash memory while the SDHC Slot will allow memory to be stretched up to 32GB. However, on the flip side, the new Dell Looking Glass has a resolution of 800 x 400 which is the same as in the Streak in spite of there being an increase in screen size by 2 inches.
Weighing just 17.6 ounces, the Looking Glass sports extremely compact dimensions of 7.8 x 5.12 x 0.5 inches and should be there for the taking from this November onwards.
Hanvon TouchPad – The Hanvon Touchpad BC10C, as the Tablet is designated, comes across as a sleek device featuring a multi-touch screen. The new Windows 7 has been selected to be the OS while at the core; there is the 1.3GHz Celeron M ULV 743 processor. It boasts of GMA4500 graphics and has some smart features ranging from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to hard disk space where one can opt for 250GB to all the way up to 320GB.
Among the other enticing features the Hanvon Touchpad BC10C comes with include dual internal microphone along with speakers, port for attaching a MIC and speaker, 5 + 3 shortcut buttons, SD Card slot, Mini HDMI out, VGA out dongle, webcam 2 x USB and so on.
All of this while sporting extremely compact dimension of 253mm x 168mm x 18.4mm and weighing just about 980 gms. Its makers have firmed up plans to let the whole world have a taste of the Hanvon Touchpad BC10C. So it won’t be just confined to Chinese shores and will be out to conquer the entire world soon. It was launched in china just last month and the US and Europe is slated to be its next destination. As per reports now available, the Hanvon Touchpad BC10C is likely to sport a price tag of about $877 when it reaches Uncle Sam’s backyard
Google Slate – We reported last month that Google was working on a Slate/Tablet PC, to be released later this year. The big news today according to a Wall Street Journal article has USA Telecommunications giant Verizon Wireless partnering about with Google, to release a Slate PC.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Verizon chief executive Lowell McAdam confirmed that his company was collaborating with Google, although cohesive details were sparse. Lowell simply told the Journal, “We’re looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience.” Meanwhile, in an interview with Bloomberg, Verizon VP of corporate communications Marquett Smith announced that their new Slate PC will run on Google’s Android operating system she also went on to elaborate that further details will be available in the next week. The Verizon and Google partner makes sense, as Apple such an exclusive deal with AT&T on everything, Verizon is the odd man out not having a computing mega power, and that’s where Google comes into Play. Verizon and Google do have a successful track record releasing Google’s line of Smartphone’s and many of the new generation of phones all carrying the Android Operating System.
Google has been rumored for the last three months to be nearing completion on its Google Tablet, but so far core details have been murky, forming a partnership for 3G data is the last step to bring the Slate to the market. No doubt the Google Slate will run Android 2.1 and have full access to the Android Marketplace.
Toshiba Tablet – The Toshiba tablet announcement was confirmed by Jeff Barney, manager of digital products for Toshiba America, as the company considers a variety of ‘iPad slaying’ attributes, including a dual screen design with a 10 inch display that runs windows 7. An insider at Toshiba has told us exclusively that they are working with major partner Intel on integrating their latest WiDi technology that would allow their two Slates to connect wirelessly over HDMI to your Television to your television directly. Intel showed this at the CES this year, and a few Toshiba laptops already have adapted this functionality. They also are looking at using Intel’s ARM technology. ARM based ultra-mobile devices will surpass x86-based devices by 2013, a reversal from this past year when 90 percent of the ultra-mobile devices were x86-based.
Nokia Slate – Nokia is working on its own secret tablet and Slate PC, scheduled to reach stores later this year. Nokia has neither confirmed nor denied this startling new development, but industry experts agree it is in development.
Foxconn and Nvidia Tablet – NVIDIA has teamed up with Foxconn with the intention of churning out tablet PCs that some believe can shake up the Tablet PC segment that currently has a single ruler – the iPad. Featuring an 8.9-inch capacitive multi-touch widescreen that boasts of a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels and a display of 720p HD, the sleek Tegra 2 powered tablet was there to be seen at the Google IO conference. The tablet on display was used to demonstrate the Android game Backbreaker.
The Tablet PC however is firmly in prototype territory though the little that have been known till now of the tablet is pointing to a device that will have a Tegra 2 processor with a clock speed of 1GZ at its core, which incidentally is the same that the iPad can boast of. It will be running the Android OS, though the specific version again is a mystery as of now though with the Android 2 being recently unveiled, it’s likely to be the preferred OS for the new device. The Tegra 2 chip includes a dual core Cortex A9 ARM-based processor with Nvidia graphics and is touted to be a generation ahead of the silicon that the A8 chip of the iPad is based on since the all new ARM Cortex A9 architecture is able to deliver 25 percent more power than Cortex A8 core of the iPad.
Other technical details available include 1 GB of RAM along with other stuff like a forward facing in built camera, an SD card slot and a micro SD card slot. There’s a SIM card slot as well that would make for easy access to 3G services. Apart from these, the tablet on display also had twin USB ports along with microphone and headphone jacks and a docking port. The tablet will be WiDi ready and will come incorporated with an accelerometer. Then the tablets are also likely to have a HDMI port. The display tablet also had a thickness of just 0.4 inches though NVIDIA has confirmed that the more recent prototypes are slimmer and lighter thereby enhancing its go anywhere appeal.
ExoPC Tablet – The Windows 7 Slate PC will come with a Broadcom Crystal HD BCM70012 graphics chipset, which will make the ExoPC to be compliant to 1080p HD video playback. The Crystal HD chipset is capable of accelerating H.264, VC-1, WMV and MPEG-2 video files and is known for its extremely low energy demands. The Crystal HD chipset replaces the Intel GMA950 chipset that the ExoPC was previously known to come integrated with.
The capacitive touchscreen measures 11.6 inches – up from 8.9 inches that was previously reported – and as per the latest news available, there is an upgrade in the screen resolution as well. So the display now has a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels instead of a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels that was listed before.
Everything else however remains the same. So the ExoPC will still be based on the Intel Atom N270 processor having a clock frequency of 1.66GHz and will have a 2GB DDR2 RAM. The ExoPC also come integrated with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth along with a 10/100 Ethernet connection. Storage on the ExoPC is in the form of an upgradeable 64GB solid state drive which can be stretched further with the use of SD cards. Then the tablet also boasts of 3 USB ports, a SIM card slot, a VGA output and audio in/out. And that’s not all for the ExoPC also incorporates a 1.3 MP webcam.
Samsung S-Pad – As per reports streaming in, Samsung is in the process of putting together a new Tablet PC the highlight of which will be a 7 inch screen. Named the S Pad, the tablet is likely to have at its core an Atom Z550 2GHz processor though there has been no official confirmation of this. However, what seems likely is that the S Pad will incorporate built in Wi-Fi and 3G features and will also provide for a desktop dock complete with QWERTY input facility.
Samsung has made it known that it wishes to put the S Pad in the market sometime around August though nothing has been revealed as to what might be the cost of the S Pad when it is launched. The inkling that Samsung was definitely up to something was always there, what with the company having revealed in March itself that it would like to have an offering in the tablet segment that won’t just be a ‘glorified MID’.
Aigo N700, N450, and N400 Tablet PC – Loaded with many innovative features the Aigo N700 might well turn out to be the tablet pc to watch out for. Going by the specifications of the much awaited N700, the tablet is going to run the Android 2.1 OS and will have a NVIDIA Tegra 2 graphics chipset. Processing power for the Aigo N700 comes from a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 and comes equipped with a 512MB of 667MHz DDR2 RAM. Memory options include 4GB, 16GB and 32GB of flash storage.
The 7 inch multi touchscreen display has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and measures 8.19 x 4.8 x 0.55 inches in size. This combined with a weight of just a shade above one pound makes this device truly portable. Powering the Aigo N700 are two 3120 mAh batteries which is quite impressive for a device of this size.
Among the other features that the N700 boasts of include integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, MicroSD slot, HDMI output, SIM, a USB port and audio in and audio out. Plus the N700 also incorporates 3G (WCDMA/EVDO/TD-SCDMA) while also being 1080 pixel HD compliant. The N700 has a few buttons on the right side that invokes the menu, volume control, search and back options.
The device however bears some striking resemblance with the Compal tablet that was unveiled at the CES held earlier in the year. There are no details available as to when the N700 might hit the market or what it might be priced at, though experts opine that it might be selling at around the $300-$400 when it becomes available. However, there is news that Aigo will come up with smaller offering in this version with 4 inch and 5 inch screen sizes and appropriately named the N400 and N 500.
ICD Gemini – Based on the NVIDIA Tegra 2 1GHZ processor along with 512 MB of DDR RAM, the Gemini is turning out to be one feature rich device. It has an expandable SD Card slot, a micro USB port and a forward facing webcam with a resolution of 2 MP. Then there’s also a back facing camera with an even better resolution of 5 MP. There is plenty more, like ambient light sensor, USB ports, accelerometer, magnetometer and a dockable charging feature. It is also slated to have GPS and a replaceable 40 WH battery. And if that’s not all, there’s even a FM radio.
The Gemini will have a multi-touch screen measuring 11.2 inches and with a resolution of 1366 X 768, which works out to an impressive 720p HD. Running on the Android OS, Gemini also has additional 4GB as flash storage giving an astounding 1080p video support.
There is uncertainty over dates when the release would actually occur though rumour has it that it might begin appearing in showrooms from August this year. Also, being so feature rich the cost of the gadget maybe frightfully high, which will put it out of range of the masses. But then again, there is rumour that the Gemini will be priced in the $500 – $600 range. The price is expected to lower further given the talk of ICD subsidizing the Gemini through deals with mobile companies, something they are up to with their Vega Tablets. ICD is also keen to include a cell phone plan, which will lead to further reduction in price since Gemini can also be used to make calls.
Haleron iLet HAL 10 – iLet Mini HAL costs $199 and is already for sale It has one of the latest Atom processors (N450 1.66GHz), runs Windows 7 on a 10-inch multi-touch screen, has 160GB of storage and has a built-in webcam, all for $589. It features an 800×480 touch screen display, Marvell PXA303 624 MHz CPU, 265MB NAND flash memory, 128MB Mobile DDR system memory, and WI-FI, 3G and Micro SD slot for up to 16GB capacity. Nicknamed HAL, this tablet offers the best in mobile computing and muti-media experience. Featuring the new Intel Atom N450 dual threading processor 160GB HDD, coupled with a 1GB RAM. It features a 10 inch multi-touch screen and has a resolution of 800×480.
Marvell PXA303 624 MHz CPU, 265MB NAND flash memory, 128MB Mobile DDR system memory, and WI-FI, 3G and Micro SD slot for up to 16GB capacity As an eReader, it is one of the few that offers the 3G high speed download option and full color reading experience. The Accelerometer G Sensor (Screen Rotates with movement), allows you to rotate images by simply turning the screen.
ASUS EeePad – Asus has revealed that a Tablet PC is definitely in the making. The new device is going to be 3G enabled so that you are ‘always connected to the Net’. Company sources has also confirmed that the Eee will be powered by the Arm processor though it still is in rumour stages as to whether it will be carrying the NVidia’s Tegra 2 chipset. What is also sure is that special emphasis is going to be accorded to the UI of this touchscreen interactive device. And they have taken up the iPhone as the standard in this aspect. For what they believe is that it is the excellent UI of the iPhone that has contributed to the stupendous success of this device, which otherwise can still be improved upon on the quality front. Asus is also noncommittal as far as the price of the Eee is concerned, which many believe will be around the $500 mark.
Alessi Slate PC
– The Italian design house Alessi has a better presence in the field of kitchenwares. But it seems they do not wish to remain content with just that and their recent unveiling of an android based Tablet PC at an Italian design fair is prove enough of it.
A unique aspect of the Alessi touchscreen PC is its charging dock on which the PC can be placed at a low screen angle for charging. Or you can disconnect it and turn it around if you want to view the PC at a steeper angle. The stand is housed in the front end of the Tablet, which is also the place where speakers, the USB and SD card slot, Wi-Fi antenna as well as a HDMI is located.
Company claims a battery life of up to 6 hours between full charges. Being the makers of kitchenwares, the AlessiTab is likely to be used as a kitchen countertop tablet where cooking videos can be viewed while Android recipe apps too can be availed of. Company sources revealed that the AlessiTab is will most probably hit the market on September 2010 and will be priced competitively at around €300 which comes to about $403.00
Velocity Micro Slate PC – There is one more player that is betting big on Tablet PCs. And the Tablet that Richmond USA based company Velocity Micro believes will bring them the riches is the CruzTablet and CruzReader. As has become the norm that precede the release of every tablet or slate pc, there isn’t much official information available as regards the two slates though what we do know is that both the slates will run Android 2.1 and will have 7-inch capacitive multi-touch screens. Also, both the tablets will have an 800MHz processor and will be compatible with Adobe Flash.
The CruzReader – At $199.99 is more affordable of the two and shares the same case and 7-inch color touchscreen as the CruzTablet. Apart from that, there’s a headphone, speaker, MIC and USB port. The tablet will support video playback and will come with web browser, accelerometer and a user replaceable speaker. An SD card slot will allow you to increase memory further while the open portal content app store will let you have e-books and apps of your choice in the most hassle free manner. The tablet, measuring 7.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches will score high on portability as well. It will retail for $299.99 and will be out towards the end of the year.
The CruzReader at $199.99 is more affordable of the two and shares the same case and 7-inch color touchscreen as the CruzTablet. Apart from that, there’s a headphone, speaker, MIC and USB port. The tablet will support video playback and will come with web browser, accelerometer and a user replaceable speaker. An SD card slot will allow you to increase memory further while the open portal content app store will let you have e-books and apps of your choice in the most hassle free manner. The tablet, measuring 7.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches will score high on portability as well. It will retail for $299.99 and will be out towards the end of the year.
iiView M1Touch Tablet PC – To begin with, the iiView M1Touch does have an impressive spec sheet to boast of. Like it’s got an Intel Atom N450 processor at its core with a clock speed of 1.66GHz. It has 2GB of RAM though there’s also a version that has 1GB of memory. Storage space options include a 160 or a 250GB HDD and comes pre-loaded with the Windows 7 Home Premium. Company sources revealed there will actually be four versions of the tablet.
A 10.1 inch multi-touch screen with a resolution of 1024 X 600 pixels makes up the front of the iiView M1Touch. The tablet also comes loaded with other goodies like an accelerometer, a 4-in-1 card reader and a USB port. Then there’s an in-built camera as well. Also, if it is about killer looks, the iiView M1Touch is right there with good build quality and a sleek design. In fact, it does sport a striking similarity to an iPod Touch, iPhone or the iPad.
However, at 11.4 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches, it isn’t exactly a compact device. And tipping the scales at quite a huge 2.65 pounds, it definitely is on the heavier side. Another area where the iiView M1Touch is let down is on the battery department since just with 3 hours of back up time, the iiView is nowhere near iPad territory that has a backup time of over 10 hours. Battery life happens to be one of the key aspects of a tablet and anything less than at least 8 hours is quite rue some. It should retail for around $500 and is expected to launch by the end of May.
Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid – The IdeaPad U1 carries the Hybrid name with good reason. It actually looks like a netbook, but the screen can detach from the keyboard to create an independent tablet. In tablet mode, the 11.6-inch touchscreens runs on a Linux operating system with a Snapdragon processor. In netbook mode, when the screen is docked with the keyboard, it suddenly becomes a Windows 7 machine running an Intel Core 2 Duo CULV processor. Such features make it versatile, but not the most powerful. Lenovo plans to sell it for $1000 this summer.
Electrovaya Scribbler 4000 Tablet PC – The Scribbler 4000 sports an Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor that runs Windows Vista Business. Memory choices are either 1GB or 2GB SDRAM with storage options running from 60GB SMART SATA all the way up to 160GB.
Besides a detachable keyboard, other features for the Scribbler 4000 include a Wacom digitizer, Bluetooth, 1.3-megapixel camera, and both voice and fingerprint recognition. The 12.1-inch touchscreen also has a 180-degree viewing angle.
Camangi WebStation – The system runs Android 1.5 through its 7-Inch (800×480) glass touchscreen display, plus you get Wi-Fi (b/g), GPS , MicroSD reader, 2MP camera, .3MP webcam and a USB port that can always add 3G or an external keyboard. It comes in three different colors and CPU: Marvell PXA303 624MHz, and 128MB Mobile DDR. It is on sale right now with a recent price reduction from $400.00 to $200.00
OpenPeak OpenTablet7 – Despite a lackluster keyboard and a UI that’s still in development, the OpenTablet 7 at least looks like a winner. It’s got Intel’s next-generation, 1.9GHz Moorestown processor running the show and a 1080p front-facing camera, along with HDMI out and a MicroSD slot. The screen is 7 inches and displays a custom interface, no word on release date or price yet.
Orphan X10 Mid APAD – Firstly at $189.00 it certainly is affordable, and priced competitively with the upcoming Archos 7 Tablet and the Eken M001 Tablet. The Choice of Windows CE 6.0 is strange, considering that operating system is all but dead, with the upcoming Windows 7 Mobile release.
The Screen size is seven inches and LCD, with a resolution of 800×480, which may leave something to be desired for. The X10 MID Apad boasts Telechips 8901 720Mhz ARM 11 processor and has 256MB DDR2 RAM. The X10 Tablet PC also has Built-in 2GB NandFlash and TF Card (MicroSD) extension slot – insert up to 32GB cards. Dimensions: 187 x 115 x 15mm and lastly the x10 mid Apad weighs only 359 grams.
Other features include USB OTG 2.0 & USB Host 1.1 and Built-in 1400mAh lithium battery for super-long standby. Built-1080P HD HDMI video output interface and Built-in Wi-Fi for free internet web browsing. Built-in web camera: 0.3 Megapixel, Click the Email logo to open the camera and talk on Skype, Gmail, MSN, AOL using webcam.
MSI Slatebook – MSI will debut the new Tablet PC at the Computex Trade show in June. The MSI Slatebook will have a 10-inch touch screen display, Intel Atom Zxx series processor, built-in 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. The Operating system will be windows 7 based, so finally a Slate PC will run a full windows OS. Estimates have the Slatebook priced modestly at $500. It also has 2 USB ports, a webcam and a 12 hour battery life. It will go on sale in July.
MSI Android Tablet – MSI is going to first weigh the demand for the MSI Slatebook before it puts into production this Tablet. As per reports coming in, a 10-inch color and touch sensitive screen is going to be the most striking feature of the PC. The PC has been attractively designed with special emphasis accorded to making it extremely light. The sleek new device will have absolute wireless support and will feature quite a handful of aspects that users expect out of a new age tablet. The device though is still in development stages. It’s going to be thin, and this combined with its light weight will give a boost to mobility.
ICD Vega – The Vega is probably the largest display tablet covered so far, featuring a15-inch touchscreen; it’s the size of a normal laptop screen. 1366 x 768 resistive touchscreen, paired with NVIDIA’s Tegra chipset, Android 2.0, integrated Wi-Fi b/g/, Bluetooth 2.1 and 3G WWAN data, with the company expecting to ship the tablet in the first half of 2010 across throughout North America, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Other specifications include 512MB of RAM and 512MB of NAND flash; primary storage is via MicroSD card. There’s also a 1.3-megapixel webcam, dual digital microphone array, ambient light sensor and accelerometer, plus a 3.5mm headphone jack. The whole thing measures a neat 373 x 254 x 16 mm, and there’ll be a clever desktop docking station onto which the Vega magnetically attaches and then automatically charges.
That wraps it up for the most comprehensive list on the internet on Slates and Tablet PC’s to debut in 2010. There are a few we left off of the list, mostly because they were canceled projects such as the Microsoft Courier and Acer Slate.
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Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.