Android Web tablets, Mobile Internet Devices and Slate computer launches in 2010

It seems that Google Android is fast becoming the operating system of choice for companies who want to produce MIDs or Mobile Internet devices aka web tablets.Wikipedia defines an MID as a multimedia capable handheld computer providing wireless internet access. At least, that works as a general definition. In practice, things change – for example, Nokia calls all their high-end phones computers. That makes the Nokia N97, the N97 mini, or the N900, MIDs or web tablets.

Another defining characteristic of most web tablets is a touchscreen, which could be either resistive or capacitive (the trend is towards capacitive devices). A QWERTY screen may or may not be present.

Pretty much every hardware company is now looking to get into the web tablet market – at least if you believe the rumours.

Kindle and Nook – not MIDs

These are ebook readers, not web tablets. But the perfect web tablet would definitely offer features of the Book and Kindle, such as wireless purchase and downloading of books. Right now, most web tablets in the market do not have that kind of integration.

Another important factor which can kill the usability of web tablets is wireless broadband penetration. 3G is still not common everywhere in the US – forget the rest of the world, except maybe Japan which is way, way, ahead on internet access.

You need a fast internet connection on the go, and 3G is the only widespread option. Where you do not have 3G, a web tablet can either rely on a private or public Wi-Fi hotspot – you may not be near one, many times. Or you get stuck with trying to browse at GPRS/CDMA speeds – that can make a web tablet totally worthless.

Till 3G or similar technology is widespread, the market for MIDs will be limited.

Local storage

This can make a lot of difference. You can have an MID like the recently launched Joojoo tablet, but it has minimal local storage. Apple’s recently launched iPad  offers three storage choices, each with or without 3G.

The high end Apple iPad has 64GB of storage and AT&T 3G, at a price of $829. Whopping storage at a whopping price.

The Microsoft Courier is something like a web tablet but in a hinged book format – it is a totally new form factor, and there is no classification for something like that right now.

Let us now move on to the most popular web tablets – currently available and upcoming – which run Google Android OS.

Why do many choose the Android OS? Well, that gives you readymade access to the Android app market even though all apps may not be suitable for the screen sizes. Apart from that, Web tablets usually have processors and RAM several levels higher than on the most powerful smartphones running Android – and upgrading to a newer version of Android when it is released should be quite easy.

Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet

Archos and Texas Instruments unveiled an Android-based Internet tablet PC in February 2009, the Archos 5 Internet Media tablet.

The Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet has a resistive five-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, and a thickness of just 10 mm.

Connectivity features include Wi-Fi network capability at 7.2 Mbps HSUPA speeds; users can also use the 3.5G connection of their mobile phones to connect thto the Archos 5, through Bluetooth.

The tablet comes with an embedded GPS application that offers voice assistance, multiple-route calculations and view angles, maps from TeleAtlas with 3D landmarks, and a 3D photo realistic feature for intra-city navigation.

The Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet comes with 16 GB to 500GB storage than can support 710 full-length, HD quality movies, 3.2 million photos or 190,000 songs, Archos said.

The company said that the Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet has smartphone capabilities, using Google’s Android telephony stack, Archos’s multimedia framework, and the 800MHz OMAP3440 processor from Texas Instruments.

Archos 5 users will be able to access applications developed exclusively for the larger 5-inch touch screen display and Android apps from the AppsLib Store through the ARCHOS 5.

The Archos 5 also comes with preloaded Android applications that include the eBuddy instant messaging app, Twidroid for sending and receiving tweets, Craigsphone for posting or accessing classified ads, Thinksfree for viewing Microsoft documents and spreadsheet, Quickpedia so on.

The Archos 5 Internet Media tablet is available at a price in the range of $249.99 to $439.99. Recently, the company launched an 8GB model of the Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet at a price of $249.99.

Archos 7 Android internet tablet

Recently details and specifications of upcoming Archos 7 internet tablet had turned up on the net.

The Archos 7 will have a 7-inch LCD touch screen with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The tablet has dimensions of 203 x 107 x 12 mm and may run Android v 2.0 or Android v 2.1.

The internet tablet is expected to be compatible with Mac, Windows PCs, and Linux, and support MPEG 1, 2,4, WMV, FLV, AVI, RM, RMVB, MKV, and MOV video formats and MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, FLAC, APE, AAC audio formats.

There is a front-facing webcam, integrated mic, and sliding on-off switch.

The Archos 7 Android tablet will start shipping in March 2010 at a price of £149.99, inclusive of VAT, for the 8GB version.

Camangi WebStation Android internet tablet

The Camangi WebStation is really new, currently available for pre-order in Taiwan, US and Japan. What you get is a seven-inch touchscreen, 800×480 pixel resolution all running on Google Android 1.5 OS.

Nobody we know has used the Camangi WebStation, so we have no idea about the web experience on this MID. There is no real local storage, though. What you get is an included 8 GB SDHC card for storage – we are not sure if this is upgradeable or not.

The Camangi Webstation is very much 3G capable. File formats recognised don’t seem to be many – video is limited to 3GP and MP4 (but we think there must be more!) You have Wi-Fi connectivity too.

Price of this web tablet currently is approximately $ 399. This might change soon.

Innovative Converged Devices (ICD) Vega and Ultra Android internet tablets

At the CES 2010, ICD revealed two Android tablet devices, the Vega tablet in-home device, that it had announced on November 12, 2009, and the Vega Ultra internet tablet.

ICD Vega internet tablet

The ICD Vega tablet is mainly an in-home device that sits in the kitchen and can be accessed by all family members even in remote locations through PCs, mobiles and so on.

It offers access to a family calendar and allows reminders to be sent to the mobiles of family members.

The device run the Android 2.0 operating system and is powered by the NVIDIA’s Tegra 250 processor, a combination of CPU and graphics chip, that promises low power consumption and extended battery life.

The ICD Vega has a 15.6-inch resistive touch screen with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.

The company promises full high definition 1080p video playback, on-demand TV, web browsing, access to social networks, video chat, and games.

The device will offer 512MB DDR DRAM, 512MB NAND flash, a 32GB internal SD card, and an external micro-SD slot.

The Vega will come with 1.3-megapixel webcam, accelerometer, ambient sensor, charging dock, magnetic docking, Bluetooth, accelerometer, Wi-Fi and 2G/3G connectivity.

The Vega’s 11AH 3.9V lithium-ion battery offers four hours of battery life when the device is undocked from its base.

ICD Ultra Android web tablet

ICD also announced a 7-inch touch screen Android web tablet, the ICD Ultra, at the CES 2010. Customers can choose between two displays, a resistive display with a resolution of 800 x 480

pixels or a capacitive display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels.

The ICD Ultra is powered by a NVIDIA TegraT20 1 GHZprocessor and runs the Android 2.0 Eclair OS.

This tablet comes with 512 MB DDR, 512 MB NAND flash, 3G, Wifi, Bluetooth 2.1, USB 2.0, and mini-HDMI port.

It also packs an 1.3-megapixel webcam, MicroSD, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, 3.5-mm jack, FM radio, and dual-digital microphones.

The company has not revealed the price of the ICD Vega or the ICD Ultra Android web tablet.

NTT East Hikari iFrame Android tablet PC

NTT East unveiled its Hikari iFrame Android tablet PC in November 2009.

The NTT East Hikari iFrame has a 7-inch screen, one USB port, a microSD card slot, alarm clock, and speaker. The tablet PC will also double as a digital photo frame.

Users will be able to access the web at Wi-Fi hotspots, and also take advantage of widgets that will provide information about the weather, news, and so on.

NTT East has said that it will launch the NTT East Hikari iFrame only in Japan, in early 2010, at a maximum price of £200.

The company said that the using the Android operating system would bring down costs for up to 30 percent compared to other operating systems.

T-Mobile Android-based PC

T-Mobile also plans to launch an Android-based tablet PC, as part of its Android offerings, in 2010. The details of the T-Mobile Android tablet PC are thin on the ground. Reports say that T-Mobile’s Android touchscreen tablet PC with have a 7-inch touchscreen.

The tablet PC will provide internet access and a remote capability to control other gadgets or device in the house.

Dell Mini 5 Android web tablet

Dell announced its own Android web tablet, the Dell Mini 5, at the CES 2010. This slim web tablet will come with a 5-inch touch screen display, 5-mega pixel camera at the back, and a camera in the front, Bluetooth, and WiFi.

The Dell Mini 5 Android web tablet will run the Android OS and will come with an integrated SIM slot that will allow the tablet to be used as a phone as well.

Dell has not revealed any more details about the Mini 5 Android tablets except that it will be launched later in 2010.

Notion Ink Adam Android web tablet

One of the more impressive internet tablets is the Notion Ink Adam that packs NVIDIA’s Tegra T20 processor and will initially run the Google Android OS. The Notion Ink Adam, the first web tablet to be built entirely in India, comes with the Pixel Qi transreflective display that offers fully saturated color and high video rate update.

It measures 6.3 x 9.8 x 0.6 inches, offers a SVGA color resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, and weighs 1.7 pounds.

Other specs include a 3-mega pixel camera, HD video support, HDMI-out, 3.5-mm headphone jack, 16GB or 32GB flash drive with expandable storage via MicroSD card.

The Notion Ink Adam Android tablet comes with WiFi, A-GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and works on triband UMTS/HSDPA at 850/1900/2100 MHz networks.

Best of all, this device is expected to be priced around Rs 15,000 ($320). The Notion Ink Adam Android internet tablet will go on sale in June 2010.

Viewsonic VTablet 101 Android internet tablet

In January 2010, Viewsonic launched its VTablet 101 Android internet tablet in China. This device comes with a 8.9-inch touch screen display with a resolution of 1024×800 pixels.

It is powered by an 1Ghz ARM A9 SMP processor and nVIDIA Tegra T20 chipset.

The Viewsonic VTablet 101 Android tablet will come with 4GB storage, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G through external 3G modem. The tablet will be available at a price of 3000 Yuan ($441).