The touch screen tablet industry is currently dominated by Apple’s iPad device. Not that there are no other devices such as the Archos, but even those fail to live up to the standards that Apple has set in the industry. Simply put, Apple has reinvented tablets and their iPad is the forerunner of the industry.
After the last Web 2.0 Expo however, it appears that Apple is not going to stay as the only main player in the industry for long. Rumors about a Google made tablet have already been making rounds as early as the time when iTablet started popping up and the only other major Google based question aside from “when the device will be available” was “which” –as in “which OS will be used, Android or Chrome?”
The matter seems to have been settled as of last week as Google showed off a touch screen tablet that is reportedly using NVIDIA technology, the latest Android operating system and native Flash and AIR support. Google’s device seems to be loaded with all the big features that are already present in the iPad such as web browsing, eBooks (thanks to Google Editions), Android apps and of course, media playback. The addition of Flash and AIR support will give Google and advantage over the iPad as Apple’s products will never be able to support Flash based content.
And yes, the Android browser will be supporting HTML5 and h.264 content as well.
There are those who believe that the tablet wars will be a bigger version of smart phone competition with Android offering a fierce fight but Apple still able to hold its’ ground. However, looking at the industry as it is now, the iPad has only been able to establish itself in the US with the global market still wary of the tablet device.
With industry experts already telling many buyers to wait for the Android tablet before making a choice, it appears that Apple just missed its chance to fully indoctrinate the market.
Posts Tagged ‘Google-Chromium’
Google: Let the Tablet Wars Commence
Thursday, May 13th, 2010Google Preparing to Challenge the iPad
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Flash back to early January, many people were eager to finally see the unveiling of the HTC-made Nexus One “Google phone”. Thanks to the hardware specs on the Nexus, it was undoubtedly the most powerful Android mobile phone of its time, featuring an AMOLED touch screen, a Snapdragon processor and more. But the real excitement was not just for the device, but for what the Nexus stood for, it was the promise of a new phone that would take the place of the iPhone in society, an iPhone killer.
Within a week after the launch of the Google phone, it was clear that it was far from anything but an iPhone killer. Despite the device’s superior specifications, it lacked the mass appeal and availability to sell well. In the end, the device’s world launch sold only 20,000 units in the first week. A paltry amount compared to the 200,000 iPhone unit Vodafone sold in its re-release of the device in the UK.
Just a week ago, Apple unveiled its new tablet device, the iPad. Looks like Google will not just be challenging the iPhone, but the iPad as well. A recently uploaded video showcased a demonstration of the Chrome user interface on a full touch screen display that looked a lot like a tablet device. The video was made by Chrome OS developer Glen Murphy.
So far, the device looks capable of some of the major things that the iPad cannot. The first thing we noticed is the presence of multitasking. The different windows each display different tasks running at the same time. While the iPad has the hardware to support multi-tasking the feature is currently not present. Reports also indicate that HTC might be teaming up with Google for this ambitious device.
Get the full details of the Chromium from the source.