It's tablet overload at Computex
At Computex in Taiwan this week, it seems like every manufacturer is set to jump on the tablet train. By some counts, as many as 50 new tablet devices have already been announced at the show -- and many more previously announced entrants are on display.
We'll attempt to work through the clutter here and show you what's caught Betanews' eye -- trust us, it's difficult. We're noticing Honeycomb is playing a big part in these tablet announcements, and many seem to be trying gimmicks in order to grab consumer's attention. After all, Apple's leaving little of the current tablet market to fight over. Being different is certainly a positive.
ViewSonic. Two tablets of note here from ViewSonic. Pictured top is the ViewPad 7x, a 7" Android tablet that runs on Honeycomb. It includes front and rear facing cameras, HDMI out, Wi-Fi connectivity and HSPA+ support. No official release date was forthcoming, although some reports indicated a summer release.
ViewSonic also displayed a dual-OS tablet capable of running Windows and Android at the show. The 10-inch tablet would technically be a Windows tablet though -- Android would apparently run virtualized.
ASUS. Want something new and completely different? The Padfone is probably the device for you. ASUS has created a tablet that actually includes a docked smartphone. The company is going for a seamless experience -- you can dock and undock and you'd be able to continue your work on either screen.
The device at Computex is just a mockup, but the tablet itself comes in at 10.1 inches, and the display on the smartphone is 4.3 inches. ASUS told reporters the final specs are subject to change, but the idea is there and certainly cool.
MSI. Although the company has been rightly criticized for continually showing up at these shows with a slew of devices yet a lack of any solid release plans, MSI is on hand showing off two Android tablets to attendees. The Enjoy 7 and Enjoy 10 both run on Gingerbread, with the 10-inch model coming in at $299. The 7-inch model is said to be even cheaper, although no specific price point is available.
Why is the Enjoy line running on Gingerbread versus Honeycomb? MSI says stability concerns and wider compatibility are the reason. Now we'll see if the company actually can bring a device to the market -- we're not holding our breath.
For a little bit more on these as-yet-unannounced devices, see coverage from our friends at Engadget.
Gigabyte. It's not all about Android at Computex. While we certainly have not been impressed with any tablet attempting to use Windows 7 -- it's just not built for tablet use -- that's not stopping manufacturers. Manufacturer Gigabyte is one of them, showing off their entrant on the show floor.
The tablet includes an Intel Atom N570 processor, 2GB of RAM, a whopping 320GB harddrive, camera, Wi-Fi, HSPA+ support, USB 2.0 and 3.0 support, and integrated SD card reader. No price has been announced yet, but we get the feeling from the product specs that this unit is all but a laptop without the keyboard.