We've rounded up what we know about upcoming 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 millioniPads 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.
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.
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.
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.
Dell Streak
Stewart Wolpin thought the Streak was closer to a large cell phone than a tablet in hishands-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.
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.
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.
