CES 2010 TABLETS
Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. So what does that have to do with this list? Nothing really. But I just thought it sounded cool. Here's a look at some of the tablets featured at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show last year.
Freescale Tablets
Photo © Freescale
Freescale Semiconductor drew first blood at CES by unveiling a reference design for a 7-inch tablet.
Features include wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, 3G modem, 3D desktop framework with touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard support, plus an accelerometer among other things.
Powering the device will be an ARM processor coupled with 512 MB DDR2 memory and 4GB to 64GB of internal storage. More importantly, Freescale plans to have the device retail under $200.
UPDATE: Looks like Freescale is still working on this reference design, with the company looking at Android, Linux and Chromium OS variants.
Lenovo IdeaPad Tablets
Photo © Lenovo
Lenovo unveiled a bunch of devices at CES, including the IdeaPad S10-3t and the IdeaPad U1.
The S10-3t convertible netbook tablet features a 10.1-inch multi-touch screen, the ability to swivel 180 degrees and fold into a tablet, and up to 320GB HDD memory storage and Intel Atom N470 processors.
The U1 takes convertibility to another level by actually allowing users to detach the entire screen, which can function as a tablet. In fact, both the screen and the body can function independently via separate CPUs.
UPDATE: Ruh-roh. The U1 took a step closer to the dreaded vaporware tag after Lenovo announced that it's rethinking its tablet strategy while pondering a move to Android for devices such as its Skylight and U1.
HP Slate
Photo © HP
Attendees got a glance — literally — of HP's Slate tablet during the keynote address of Microsoft's Steve Ballmer. (It was one of three "Slate PCs" Ballmer featured, the two others being the Archos 9 and a prototype by Pegatron.)
Details were sparse about the colored eReader-like device, which is said to run on Windows 7 and feature multi-touch. Word is that it will also retail under $500 and hit the market sometime this year.
UPDATE: HP has been awfully quiet about the Slate ever since it acquired Palm. The talk now is that HP may be looking to plug in Palm's webOS (which is closer to the iPhone and Android OS) as the operating system for the Slate as opposed to Windows. Expect an update once more details emerge.
Sony Dash
Photo © Sony
Not to be left behind, Sony also unveiled its dashing portable media player, the, um, Dash. Actually Sony calls it a "personal Internet viewer," so obviously, you can surf the Web with it. Sony is also sweetening the pot by touting more than 1,000 free apps for the device, including weather, traffic, sports and, of course, social networking.
UPDATE: The device is out and it's not exactly a full-fledged consumer slate like the iPad but more like a souped-up kitchen or tabletop device. It also isn't a full-ledged Web device since it doesn't come with a browser. The 7-inch-screen Dash retails for $199.99. As far as an iPad-style slate, Sony is apparently still weighing its options.
Dell Streak
Photo © Dell
And the tablets keep getting smaller. The Dell "Streak" concept device is an Android tablet that appears to be more along the lines of an Archos as opposed to, say, a computer such as Lenovo's aforementioned offerings. Details are sparse for this one as well, although the 5-inch screen and 5-megapixel camera have been confirmed by Dell.
UPDATE: Concrete details are now out for the Dell Streak, which is being marketed as a hybrid slate-smartphone. That's right, you can actually make phone calls with the Streak, which will retail for $299.99 with a two-year AT&T contract and $549.99 unlocked. The Android device went on pre-sale Aug. 12 and general sale on Aug. 13.
