Tablet Wars: Episode One: The Phantom Menance

So, you’ve all read Ajit’s post on the KIRF Chinese iPed? right? No. Okay, scroll down and read it. I’ll wait.

…………….

Okay done? Good. I’m here to talk to you about some REAL Tablets coming sooner than later from VARIOUS companies, running our beloved little green Robot OS.

Want to see whats up? The possible “DroidPad” on Verizon? Read on after the break:

First up, is MSI’s WindPad 110. Here’s some specs on this BEAST

• 10 inch capacitive touch screen
• Android 2.1 (Eclair)
• nVidia Tegra 2 Processor (!!)
• USB Port
• Video-Out
• Release Date: Q4 2010 (US)
• Price Point: $399 USD

[Credit to Engadget.com for the pics / info. Check out their full photo gallery on the WindPad 110 HERE ]

This is just one of the many tablets coming out soon. We also know about the Notion Ink ADAM, which is due out later this year as well.

Eric Schmidt (you know, THE guy at Google) has been rumbling about an Android Tablet, or the “gPad” so to speak for months now. Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdams recently spilled the beans on one as well.

McAdam says that although “there’s no reason [the company] couldn’t have an iPad,” the first tablets it offers will be Android-based — yes, “tablets” plural — and that most of them will launch in the fourth from companies “including Motorola, Samsung and LG.” Interestingly, this dovetails rather conveniently with an NVIDIA-powered Motorola tablet with Verizon branding that was briefly (and quietly) shown off at CES this January, so we wouldn’t be surprised if that was the unit we ended up getting. None of these devices might end up with the iPad’s name recognition, obviously, but an LTE-powered Android tablet with HTC’s good design sense certainly can’t hurt.

[via Engadget.com]

could this be the rumored Google Pad? Probably not, as its just a rendition of what the Google Pad could (most likely will) look like. Rumors suggest that Motorola (DROIDPAD FTW!), HTC, and HP are all working on “Android powered tablets”-although HP’s recent acquisistion of Palm might throw a wrench into those spokes. (More on that in a minute).

Honestly, with VZW backing the supposed “Google Pad”, or any legit Android tablet, they will have a very good chance to crush AT&T and the iPad, just like the Motorola Droid XTRM will crush the iPhone 4 come summertime.

Bloomberg scored some more details in an interview with Marquett Smith, Verizon’s VP of corporate communications; the tablet is said be Android-based, and more details will be released later this week. Let the wait begin!

We also have a company called Marvell, getting ready to unleash their Android Tablet on the world, and honestly-it looks pretty sexy to say the least:

It’s rumored to be packing:

• Snapdragon-class Armada 610 processor
• Android 2.1 (Eclair)

No other info is really known though at this time.

With all these potential iPad killers coming out soon, running Android 2.0 or better (FroYo??), and with everyone from Motorola to Asus to HTC to HP to LG to Samsung to freakin’ Kenmore probably getting in on the Android love, it’s only a matter of time before we win the tablet / smartphone war and take over the world!

I would like to deviate from the path a little bit, and talk about something I mentioned a paragraph or two back. HP’s purchase of Palm, and what that brings to the future of smartphones, and tablet devices. I enjoy HP’s products. They’re built well, and they work well (from a hardware standpoint.). Palm’s WebOS, I will admit, was PHENOMINAL, and certainly rivaled my little green friend in terms of ease of use. I has it’s own unique charm, that kept bringing me back to play with the Palm Pre / Pixi Plus at my VZW store, and kept entertaining the idea of being that illustrious fifth line (along with 3 MotoDroids and a Samsung Intensity) on m VZW Family Plan, if only because the Pixi was damn near free, and offered free wifi tethering. So I could tether it to my iPad …errm..Macbook….and rock on.

Which brings me to this point: HP is rumored to be released a TABLET running WebOS. What you see below is a PHOTOSHOP of what a WebOS Tablet could look like. In all honesty, i think that WebOS is a very good Operating System, unfortuantly Palm’s hardware sucks.  HP makes good hardware products, however since they’re prodominantly used Windows, their software sucks. It’s a win win, and could be a very good third party in the upcoming Tablet War.

So, the Tablet Wars have begun: Android vs Apple vs Windows vs HP / Palm. Whose side are you on?

John Pariah is a tech pundit, blog whore, and gadget geek. You can see his work on TeamAndroid.com, BestAndroidAppsReview.com, his own personal site, PWXOnline.net, and so many other places he forgets to update them. You can follow him on Twitter @johnpariah. Whose side am I on? Android of course, although, i will probably end up buying an iPad sooner or later, as well as a WebOSPad….because…i’m a dork.

Tags: 2.2, Andriod 2.2, Android Devices, App, App Review, apple, Awesome, Froyo, Google, HTC, incredible, ipad, iped, kirf, macbook, motorola, palm, TeamAndroid Authors, VZW, webos