Attack of the Android Tablets!

Weeks prior to Apple’s iPad unveiling, Android tablets had been shown prominently at CES in early January. The tablet makers were MSI, Notion Ink, ICD, and Compal. Dell, Quanta, and Archos also have their own machines on the way.

In spite of Steve Jobs‘ boasts, the iPad is not “revolutionary”; in fact, it is not even the first of its kind. A handful of companies demonstrated their Android powered tablets at CES. While the Adam might be the most attractive of the bunch, particularly with its multi-touch Pixel Qi display, Notion Ink is a start-up firm, so until we see the actual product and final price, we can only hope. The Compal is this group’s ugly duckling since it has no Bluetooth or 3G and uses touch resistive technology on a very cramped 7 inch LCD. Perhaps MSI’s 10″ tablet is the likeliest candidate to take on the iPad. MSI has a commendable history, and its device appears fairly slick.

- Notion Ink Adam -

- 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 Pixel Qi LCD
- nVidia Tegra T20 Processor
- 16Gb or 32Gb SSD
- Wi-Fi, BT, GPS, UMTS/HSDPA
- 3MP Camera
- Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor
- HDMI, USB, 3.5mm
- 6.3 x 9.8 x 0.6 @ 1.7 pounds
- Android 2.0
- $400 (estimated)

- ICD Vega -

- 15.6″ 1366 x 768 LCD
- nVidia Tegra
- 512 DDR / 512 NAND
- 32GB Internal SD
- 1.3 MP Web Cam
- Micro SD, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11 b/g, USB 2.0, 2g/3g Data Cellular
- 3.5mm Audio Jack, Magnetic Docking, Tablet/Dock Charging
- Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, FM Radio, Dual digital microphones
- 9.3 x 10.2 x .64
- Android 2.0
- Pricing to be announced (first half 2010) 7″ and 11″ versions are scheduled for release too.

- Compal Tablet -

- 7″ Touch Resistive LCD
- nVidia Tegra
- Wireless
- microSD, HDMI, SIM,
- Android 2.0
- Price & Availability to be finalized

- MSI -

- 10″ LCD
- nVidia Tegra
- Final Specs TBA
- $500 (approx.)