Hands0n
9th April 2011, 09:12 PM
Well, here we are in April 2011 and it is evident that the promised Tablet or "Pad" touchscreen computers are about to become a reality. Led by Android, of course, the onslaught of the iPad's comfortable market is just about to commence in earnest. So what can we make of it all?
It all began with ...
Unless you have been living in a hole for the past 12 months it cannot have escaped you that Apple scored a massive hit with their iPad device, against all supposed odds. The "tablet computer" had been tried before and did absolutely nothing of any significance. People either didn't get it or simply did not like it. In marketing terms, the tablet computer was stillborn, with only some minor take up across the world. Then Apple gave it a go. The rest is extremely well documented history.
The early industry response
A lot has happened over the past nine or so months since the first iPad hit the shops. Most notably there have been attempts at testing Android a a suitable vehicle to challenge Apple. Most notably there was the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Dell Streak, both of which were hamstrung by an OS that was built for mobile phones and did not scale up to tablet/pad use as defined by the iPad itself. Both were not as successful as their manufacturers hoped they would be.
Then there have been a clutch of far-Eastern-made large-screen tablets, also running Android 2.x that have also experienced very poor uptake and quite a bit of bad press. Possibly the most successful among the enthusiasts has been the Advent Vega Tablet PC, most notably in its latest incarnation running Android 2.2 Froyo.
Google not like
The basic problem with the early Android tablet devices is that they were not really supported or endorsed by Google who quite clearly said that Android 2.x was not intended for such kit. Google had other ideas and said that they would produce a tablet computer OS in due course. And that, of course, is precisely what they did. Android 3.0, codenamed Honeycomb, was born and showcased on the Motorola Xoom (more on that in a moment).
The problem is that by not supporting tablets on Android 2.x Google would not allow Android Market to be used, which then cut off the new devices from a ready supply of the official apps. Of course, there are other app repositories, but most people do not know much, if anything, about them. Android 3.x Honeycomb was the proper way.
And finally ...
Now we're here - the Motorola Xoom showcased Android 3.0 Honeycomb (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-80QD5Zjyc) at Google's Android Event on 02-02-2011 this year. The full one hour showcase is here --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfJuigJebRg where the Motorola Xoom was on full display.
Two months later and we now have the Asus Eee Pad Transformer (http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=gHh4q7I8dvWJzhdV) as the second out of the gate full Android Honeycomb device. Yet others are hot on the heels, with June probably going to be the time where we will see most, if not all, of the first Android Honeycomb tablet makers have their product out on the shelves.
Of the rest?
But it is not all Google Android and Apple iOS, although you might be forgiven for thinking so.
Microsoft are likely to make another stab at getting their Windows OS onto a tablet and out into the mainstream. Perhaps, in the further future, they will expand on Windows Phone 7 (WP7) OS to make it fit tablets better.
Not to be outdone RIM are developing their own device that is going to arrive in the later part of this year. There seem to be a lot of people expressing keen interest on RIM's Blackberry Playbook as it is named.
And yet still more is to come. Hewlett Packard (HP) bought Palm computing last year and has not wasted any time at all. They have recently launched the new Palm Pre 3 and are due to put out their own WebOS based tablet PC, the TouchPad that is slated for availability in "late summer".
The future is
By the end of 2011 there will be a huge choice of "proper" tablet PCs to rival the iPad. Not only those that have been mentioned above but we really should expect to see the Chinese jump in with both feet, rather like they have with the Android smartphones.
I do think that Android will end up the dominant OS, mirroring what we have seen with smartphones. The OS is a quick win for manufacturers wanting to get in on the game.
So which will you choose?
It all began with ...
Unless you have been living in a hole for the past 12 months it cannot have escaped you that Apple scored a massive hit with their iPad device, against all supposed odds. The "tablet computer" had been tried before and did absolutely nothing of any significance. People either didn't get it or simply did not like it. In marketing terms, the tablet computer was stillborn, with only some minor take up across the world. Then Apple gave it a go. The rest is extremely well documented history.
The early industry response
A lot has happened over the past nine or so months since the first iPad hit the shops. Most notably there have been attempts at testing Android a a suitable vehicle to challenge Apple. Most notably there was the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Dell Streak, both of which were hamstrung by an OS that was built for mobile phones and did not scale up to tablet/pad use as defined by the iPad itself. Both were not as successful as their manufacturers hoped they would be.
Then there have been a clutch of far-Eastern-made large-screen tablets, also running Android 2.x that have also experienced very poor uptake and quite a bit of bad press. Possibly the most successful among the enthusiasts has been the Advent Vega Tablet PC, most notably in its latest incarnation running Android 2.2 Froyo.
Google not like
The basic problem with the early Android tablet devices is that they were not really supported or endorsed by Google who quite clearly said that Android 2.x was not intended for such kit. Google had other ideas and said that they would produce a tablet computer OS in due course. And that, of course, is precisely what they did. Android 3.0, codenamed Honeycomb, was born and showcased on the Motorola Xoom (more on that in a moment).
The problem is that by not supporting tablets on Android 2.x Google would not allow Android Market to be used, which then cut off the new devices from a ready supply of the official apps. Of course, there are other app repositories, but most people do not know much, if anything, about them. Android 3.x Honeycomb was the proper way.
And finally ...
Now we're here - the Motorola Xoom showcased Android 3.0 Honeycomb (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-80QD5Zjyc) at Google's Android Event on 02-02-2011 this year. The full one hour showcase is here --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfJuigJebRg where the Motorola Xoom was on full display.
Two months later and we now have the Asus Eee Pad Transformer (http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=gHh4q7I8dvWJzhdV) as the second out of the gate full Android Honeycomb device. Yet others are hot on the heels, with June probably going to be the time where we will see most, if not all, of the first Android Honeycomb tablet makers have their product out on the shelves.
Of the rest?
But it is not all Google Android and Apple iOS, although you might be forgiven for thinking so.
Microsoft are likely to make another stab at getting their Windows OS onto a tablet and out into the mainstream. Perhaps, in the further future, they will expand on Windows Phone 7 (WP7) OS to make it fit tablets better.
Not to be outdone RIM are developing their own device that is going to arrive in the later part of this year. There seem to be a lot of people expressing keen interest on RIM's Blackberry Playbook as it is named.
And yet still more is to come. Hewlett Packard (HP) bought Palm computing last year and has not wasted any time at all. They have recently launched the new Palm Pre 3 and are due to put out their own WebOS based tablet PC, the TouchPad that is slated for availability in "late summer".
The future is
By the end of 2011 there will be a huge choice of "proper" tablet PCs to rival the iPad. Not only those that have been mentioned above but we really should expect to see the Chinese jump in with both feet, rather like they have with the Android smartphones.
I do think that Android will end up the dominant OS, mirroring what we have seen with smartphones. The OS is a quick win for manufacturers wanting to get in on the game.
So which will you choose?