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And, we have another contender, that is similar to the Toshiba tablet. Er…maybe that should be the other way around. The Motorola was announced first and already has a cool website. Their specs are quite similar… MOTOROLA XOOM – Android Smart Tablet – Overview – Motorola Mobility, Inc. USA.  Perhaps Toshiba will be able to compete heartily against the iPad with their new slate tablet PC (currently unnamed). Sporting a powerful Nvidia Tegra 2 graphics chip, two cameras (one front-facing for easy video conferencing), and actual peripheral ports (unlike the iPad), this baby might turn out to be a tablet I would like to own. It should ship with Android 3.0, which has been optimized for tablet performance. No word on the price yet, either. Toshiba’s Android Tablet Unveiled, Due in Coming Months – PCWorld Business Center. Okay, I’ve shown you the ICD tablet competitors, and they’re really cool gadgets. But this one. This one I want. Lenovo is close to releasing the U1 Hybrid — a netbook that snaps apart and becomes a tablet. Check it.
Here’s a link to an engadget review. This guy looks sweet. It’s been delayed a bit because they’ve decided not to use the Skylight OS demoed here, but to switch to Android, since it’s robust and they’ve had good luck with it on some of their smart phones. (Says something about an OS when you dump your own for it.) The reason H and I have been down on the iPad and its ilk is that, while it is more flexible than an eReader, it is still very limited because of its format. The U1 looks like it will provide the best of the netbook and tablet worlds. Perhaps by year’s end it will have been out long enough for some decent reviews. I’ve wanted a color, large screen alternative to my Nook for reading large-format PDF eBooks that don’t reflow well to the smaller Nook screen. I’ve contemplated a netbook, which would allow me to write or do email as well as read PDFs and track my D&D characters live at the game (yes, I am that geeky). I hope the U1 is all it’s cracked up to be.
A while back I posted about ICD’s Vega tablet as a serious competitor of the iPad. Here’s a look at a similar, but smaller device that may be available in the US sooner. Dunno. Looks like it’ll be tied to Verizon Wireless rather than T-Mobile, as the Vega is. Either way, it’s a sweet bit of tech! Here’s a SlashGear write-up on the Ultra.
Here’s a new product that might give the iPad a run for its money. The Vega, from Innovated Converged Devices (out of Seattle), runs Android 2.0 on an NVIDIA Tegra processor. With a built in 32 GB SD hard drive, support for an expansion SD hard drive, and a firkin’ huge 15 inch screen size (11 and 7 inch sizes will be available), not to mention freedom from the iPrison of Apple apps, the Vega could be the go to multimedia pad. And, come on, that docking station is just cute! Originally announced in late 2009 for a mid-2010 release, currently it appears only available in the UK with T-Mobile 3G connectivity. The video below is lousy, but it showcases some interesting feature of the prototypical Vega. Check out the product page at ICD.
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