The annual Consumer Electronics show was recently held in Las Vegas and there was certainly one theme - tablets. The success of the iPad has attracted newcomers to the market and in 2011 expect to see a smorgasbord of tablets. What exactly does that mean to you the techno geek? It means a couple of things. One, you’ll be able to pick up an nice laptop or netbook CHEAP because all the pundits are telling us the laptop is dead (I do not believe this.) I’ve stated before, the tablet footprint is excellent for absorbing information, but not so good at creating it. They are hard to type on and the “apps” environment is limiting because there is no real file structure to speak of, so keeping files on your device will not be easy. There are applications like DropBox which bridge this gap, but it will certainly be interesting at the least to see how competitors try to carve out their niche by concentrating on things like easy peripheral connectivity (read this USB files for example) and FLASH video (a BIG limitation of the iPad). Data plan pricing and the actual look, feel and functionality of the tablet will separate the products I’m sure.
Here are a few of the different vendors and architecture they will be using in the tablet niche.
1.) Dell Streak. T-Mobile will offer this with a 4G connection. It’s a 7 inch screen (smaller than the iPad but twice the size of the average smart phone). It will be using the Android (Google) operating system. There is also going to be a 10 inch version, but later in the year. I don’t see the 7 inch version being a winner as there is just not enough real estate on that size screen. I often wish my iPad was bigger.
2.) Toshiba Tegra 2. This is a working name. It’s a 10 inch screen. It will ship with Android 3.0 O/S. They will be hanging their hat on a feature that upconverts video to high definition. It will have a panoply of connections. Mini USB, front and rear cameras (Skype , Video chat), USB, HDMI, and microSD card slots. It looks to me like they are going to try to make this a “mobile TV” with the emphasis on video and all the connections, like HDMI which all modern TV’s have. I see you streaming Netflix to this device, upconvert to High Def and then plugging your device in to your flat screen to watch a streaming movie. It makes sense since Toshiba is a big TV producer. I also predict an app that makes this a Super Duper remote control for your TV – so long as it’s a Toshiba!
3.) Motorola Xoom. First off, I’m not a big fan of using an X for a Z, but oh well. The Motorola Xoom will be on the Verizon network and it will use 4G LTE. It’ll have two cameras, front and rear, and HDMI. It’ll be using the Android Operating System as well. Motorola is known for making devices that are rugged and well built. I suspect this device will be as well. A good choice probably if you are a Verizon customer.
4.) RIM Playbook. This might just save RIM. Blackberries are getting long in the tooth, although I still recommend them for heavy enterprise emailers. Their push email technology is best in class. If they can port this feature over to the Playbook, they have a winner. This product will also allow you to tether your blackberry so that you can share contacts, data, emails and web connectivity. RIM’s strategy seems to want to convince you that you need both the blackberry device and the Playbook. In some ways it makes sense because I carry both an iPhone and an iPad. Maybe they are banking on the fact that tablets just don’t make good phones and that since you’ll be carrying both, it might as well be a blackberry. I suspect they will take advantage of Verizon’s network, but could also be available with other carriers.
5.) Lenovo IdeaPad. Lenovo has been in the tablet PC business for years and has never been able to get the convertible swivel screen laptops to take off. They were heavy, cumbersome to convert and I never liked them. The Ideapad Slate is going to change this. Its claim to fame, it will be running Windows 7. It’s also a netbook. The screen detaches. I’m not so sure I’m sold on this either. It’s basically a full fledged laptop with a detachable tablet portion. The tablet portion, can however, be purchased separately. The tablet is around $500 bucks, the whole shebang is $1300. There may be a market for people who are married to Microsoft.
6.) Vizio Via. An 8 inch Android O/S entry. Vizio makes beautiful HDTV’s and now they make a nice tablet as well. Their TV’s are always at a great price point, and some in the business speculate they will try and price their tablet under the competition as well. Its shortcoming is that it’s only available as a WI-FI device and cannot connect to cellular networks. Future models are supposed to remedy this situation. They also have a mini HDMI connection and have a built in IR (infrared remote) so all the things I said about the Toshiba tablet doing double duty as a media remote, go for this device as well. It makes sense. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this device included as a remote to their higher end tv’s in the future.
7.) NEC LT-W. This is an odd device. It has two screens and opens like a book. Can you say e-reader? This device is WAY off as far as production and I only included it because it had a unique two screen design. It may never see the light of day, at least until battery technology gets to a point to where you can power two screens without the device weighing 20 lbs.
This list is not comprehensive and the real take away from my article is….. “if you are going to buy a tablet anytime soon, wait”. Why?... it’s soon going to be a buyer’s market on this product sector and it will be interesting to see which devices end up on top. My prediction is that one of the Android devices will rise to the top because of a yet unknown consumer “like”. Maybe even a couple of the Andriod devices will make it. One thing is for sure, the tablet is really here to stay. I can’t wait to see the cool things creative people have figured out to add to this format and experience new functions and new features that make these products stand out.
Rates this market niche .... a "Well Done"
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