6 Tablets That May Kill The Netbook

2010 is coming to an end, and everybody is talking about the happenings of the year and about the things to come in 2011. We all have witnessed the 'smartphone wars' and many are still searching for the 'iPhone killer'. Seems like none other than Android is set to be one officially crowned as the killer of the over-hyped Apple product. But as they say, we are living in interesting times. We are living in a time where one technology is going to be extinct and the other is going take its place for the coming decade. A 'technology shift' as many researchers say, a global adoption and a huge leap forward is about to happen. That's right, I am talking about the Tablet segment, and many are looking to slate themselves as the 'Primo Optimus'. As you read the following you shall glimmer with the knowledge and probably want me to bleed you with more tech bliss, but hey you know what - The Tablet is going to kill the Netbook in 2011.

So let's have a quick look at the 6 dominant tablet players this coming year, which will officially begin the 'Tablet Wars'.

Windows 8 Tablet

Microsoft is expected to show off its Windows 8 Tablets, at CES (Consumer Electronic Show, Las Vegas,2011) where we might be able to give you a live glimpse too (too early for us to say anything yet), but we definitely hope it works out. Seems like Steve Ballmer, the big boss is going to deliver a keynote speech and give an early peek into the Windows-lover's dream come true tablets. We also have confirmed news that Dell and Samsung are among the top manufacturers who have been given the top job to come with the tablets early 2012. One of the Samsung spokesperson said regarding this, that the Samsung-manufactured device is "similar in size and shape to the Apple iPad, although it is not as thin".

Windows 8 will allow users to log into their PC using Face/Gesture recognition, instead of the traditional passwords. Gesture recognition is available currently on the Android OS, but Windows is talking about a whole new experience where Facial and Gesture recognition will be married for more ad-hoc and live computing experience. The OS will also have faster startup times and support for upcoming high-speed connectivity standards such as USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0. This definitely is going to be a game changer, or well, so it seems.

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Microsoft has not yet, given a final date for the OS, but rumors do suggest that Windows 7 tablets might show up in stores not later than Feb 2011 and Windows 8 might get pushed for an early 2012 release to benefit Windows 7 sales.

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iPad 2

Surprisingly, iPad did make it to this list, though the iPad 2 will be upgraded to the current iOS 4 only later this month or early January. And it's not really the future ready iPad 2, so more on the OS as we get the news. But for now, as we know it the iPad2 will probably be coming with the Retina Display, the super feature of the iPhone 4. This feature is probably why it has more to it than meets the eye. Display is just going to get better on touch screen devices and the earlier we start believing it the better.

According to Reuters, an Apple component supplier confirmed that the new tablet PC would have two cameras, front and rear, as well as the new version of the device would be "slimmer, lighter and have a better resolution display". Apple's Face Time via front facing camera will also make it to the list as the 2 cameras which will make it ahead in the tablet game.

According to SinoPac Securities, the iPad is expected to account for about 70 percent of the 60 million tablet PCs that will be shipped in 2011. With so many other not so better, but definitely cheaper tablets that are going to be around, that might sound like a farce. iPad 2 the next version of Apple's tablet PC will be launched in the first half of 2011, and will be in line with the current, Steve Job's business plans for the coming year.

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Playbook (BlackPad)

RIM (Research In Motion) is not leaving any stone unturned for its tablet and after the Samsung Galaxy Tab showed up in its sleek 7-inch design, the Playbook is also slated to have the same specs. The device will be quite interesting, as it certainly has enough power under the hood to deal with your daily tablet-related computing needs. With 1GHZ Dual Core Processor, 1 GB RAM, Dual HD Cameras and a BlackBerry Tablet OS which supports full symmetric multiprocessing this device is going to be a treat for not just enterprise customers but others too. Interestingly, it will not be based on the new BlackBerry 6 OS, but on a completely new OS developed by QNX Software, which RIM acquired recently.

But the interesting news about the controversial smartphone maker RIM is the name of the Tablet device. According to sources, RIM had purchased the blackpad.com domain almost a year ago and had also simultaneously applied for the SurfBook trademark in Canada. So which one will it be, Playbook/Blackpad/Surfbook? Rumors also had it, that RIM was supposed to unleash a netbook which later never saw the light of day, because of the outstanding success of the Apple iPad. The Playbook is poised to launch earlier 2011, along with the other tablets, so it's going to be quite a spectacle how the 'Enterprise Friendly' device would fair.

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Motorola Honeycomb Tablet

Samsung has been going gaga over the massive success of the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which recently crossed one million units in the first two months of it being on sale and they expect to sell no less than 10 million tablets by the third quarter of next year, trying to reach a third of the tablet market. But this growth could get hampered with other OEMs entering the Android biosphere of Tablets with many already making their first move with Android OS 2.2 Froyo powered devices. While in a completely different move, Motorola will move 2 steps ahead and will release their Honeycomb OS Tablet. Running on Android 3.0, the Motorola Honeycomb Tablet is something else. Recently, leaked images and specs were making the rounds of the Android world, sourced from Engadget. The reported specs of the Honeycomb tablet include 1GHZ Nvidia Tegra 2 T20 processor with 32GB of internal storage and about 512MB of RAM. This device is going to be about 10inches with 1280 x 800 multitouch screen and is going to have a front-facing camera for video chats. It will not have radio communications but will definitely have Wi-Fi.

But the game bender is the introduction of a gyroscope, with a micro-USB port and mini-HDMI connector. A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of conservation of angular momentum. This addition is what makes an iPhone 4/iPad so distinctively different from its competition. Now imagine the iPhone like device running an Android OS, well that’s exactly what Motorola Honeycomb Tablet is going to be like. The use of a dual-core processor would probably make the Motorola tablet more powerful than the current version of Apple's iPad, but Apple could equip the next version of its tablet with similar hardware. This device will also showcase 3D capabilities.

Recently, while showing a prototype of this device Andy Rubin at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference, showcased the next version of Google Maps 3D running on the Motorola Honeycomb tablet. Google Maps can display shadows of buildings as the user zooms in closer to the ground and then shows a 3D landscape as the user tilts the map. Motorola is tight lipped about the actual release, but did say that they will release more details of the tablet sometime next year. Analysts say that the Motorola tablet will be released not later than April 2011.

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PalmPad (Hurricane)

For all those Palm fans out there before we talk about the PalmPad, The Palm Pre 2 is definitely showing up in January 2011 CES at Las Vegas, we will try and get you some live news on that for sure. The same executive also mentioned that PalmPad will be out there in the stores (in US) in March 2011. Wonder when both these devices will hit Indian shores.

The webOS 2.0 UI on a big screen will be something to watch out for, as many people have been waiting for it. Codenamed Hurricane, we've been expecting a WebOS-based tablet since we first got word that Palm was acquired by HP. Honestly, if you ask me (a big fan of Palm lineups before Android came along), unlike with the Palm Pre and Pixi, the WebOS Tablet would be a welcome change to the already cluttered Tablet market in 2011. As of now, we're not sure what the newest version of the OS may bring, but it's likely to bring some much-needed upgrades, and some new features to help it catch up with the likes of iOS and Android.

Again after the Slate disaster, HP wants to set things right this time with the PalmPad and has not divulged any details except that we can expect 2 versions of the tablet, 7 and 10 inches of flexible OLED display. The Palm Pad is rumored to have a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash and under the hood is 64GB of internal memory and a 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU. WiFi and 3G will also be supported.

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Notion Ink AdamPad

Last but definitely not the least, The Adam from Notion Ink is going bombard the Tablet market with a completely superior technology at the most affordable prices (well that's what they say). This Tablet comes with every feature that you would wish for and does that in style. Sporting a 10 inch Pixel Qi display, which according to the makers, can be used in both full color mode as well as black and white, when the backlight is turned off. This device becomes an iPad as well as an e-reader when you want it to and at no extra battery life. This device supposedly runs 15hrs minimum, on a single charge and a probably more than 2 days on the black and white mode. Rumors have it that the processor uses no power for Open GL, which keeps the battery life going even when playing games. Extra-ordinary as it sounds, but hey not to miss this is an Indian company, though that doesn't technically make a difference, as the product/manufacturer carries the weight of the success, everything else becomes irrelevant.

Specs include Android 2.2 (Froyo)(also upgradable to HoneyComb), 3.2 megapixel camera that swivels 90 degrees, USB, HDMI, SIM card slot, MicroSD slot, docking port, 3G connectivity, WiFi (b/g/n), and the number-crunching powerhouse that is the NVIDA Tegra 2 Dual core Cortex A9 processor – that's two applications processing cores, each that run at 1Ghz. It looks sweet, but there are no official launch dates yet. Recently, in their blogs they did mention that they were running behind schedule because of the Pixel Qi display production, however, the blog post reassured that a CES appearance is eminent. Let's see how these guys do, but whatever said, our initial comments are that this might turn out to be the true iPad killer.

Let's hope for the best and let's wish that 2011 is the year, when we (you and me) get a Tablet for ourselves. For the evolutionary road is drawn by us and I guess folks its Time....!