A Look At the Upcoming Android 3.0 Honeycomb Tablets

It’s no secret that many insiders have forecast that 2011 will be the year of the tablet. Where their opinions may differ, however, is in predicting which tablet will outperform the others in what is shaping up to be a highly competitive market. A panoply of manufacturers are set to release Android 3.0 Honeycomb devices this spring, and while many of these tablets boast similar specs, the difference often lies in the details. The following list will help users parse through the data and determine which tablet is right for them.

Asus Eee Pad MeMo

Coming in June, the Asus Eee Pad MeMo is a smaller tablet that fits in the palm of your hand but still is large enough to function as a media player and video chat device. The Eee Pad MeMo’s selling point will be its stylus support that allows users to take notes on their tablets.

  • 7-inch capacitive display with 1080p video playback
  • 1.2GHz Qualcomm 8260 processor with 512 MB RAM
  • 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash
  • Stylus support, G-sensor, e-compass, light sensor, proximity sensor, MeMIC media phone extender
  • HDMI port

Asus Eee Pad Slider

Debuting in May, the Eee Pad Slider has a 10.1 inch multi-touch display with 6 hours of battery life and an Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset. What sets the Asus Eee Pad Slider apart is the sliding QWERTY keyboard which can effectively turn the Slider into a netbook, a key feature for those who need the tactile sensation of actual keys.

  • 10.1 inch IPS display with 1280 x 800 resolution
  • Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor, 1GB RAM
  • 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera, 5 megapixel camera rear-facing camera with LED flash
  • Bluetooth, USB, HDMI, and MicroSD expansion
  • 16 or 32GB flash storage
  • 886 grams, 17.7mm thick

Asus Eee Pad Transformer

The last of the Asus tablets is the Eee Pad Transformer. Unlike the Slider, the Transformer will feature a detachable keyboard which may be a tad more inconvenient but significantly decreases thickness and weight. The Transformer will feature nearly identical specs to the Slider and be available in April.

  • Identical specs to the Slider
  • 680 grams, 12.9mm thick

Toshiba Honeycomb Tablet

While Toshiba announced it had a tablet in production, it has yet to give it a name. What we do know is that it will feature a 10.1 inch touchscreen display with Toshiba’s proprietary EasyGrip chassis. The front camera will be slightly better than the Asus tablets at 2 megapixels, and the tablet will have both full size HDMI and USB ports. The Toshiba tablet will be available sometime in the first half of 2011.

  • 10.1 inch touchscreen display with 1280 x 800 resolution and 1080p HD video playback
  • Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor
  • 2 megapixel front-facing camera, 5 megapixel camera rear-facing camera
  • Adobe Flash 10.1 support
  • Full size HDMI, SD, and USB, plus mini USB 2.0 ports

Acer Iconia Tab A500

Acer has announced that the Iconia Tab A500 will make use of the new Verizon LTE Network in the United States, although its status in Europe is unknown. Acer has stated that the Iconia will be optimized for HD video, 3D gaming and other high quality multimedia rather than business applications. Unlike the other tablets, the Android OS will feature an Acer UI on top.

  • 10.1 inch capacitive touchscreen display
  • Nvidia Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core processor
  • Verizon LTE Network
  • Adobe Flash 10.1 support
  • Acer 4.5 UI with Android OS

Motorola Xoom

Perhaps the most hyped Android 3.0 tablet has been the Motorola Xoom. Like most of the other tablets, it features a 10.1 inch display 1280 x 800 resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio. The Xoom does promise, however, to be a beast of a machine, with a 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2, 10 hours of battery life and 720p video capture. Add in Bluetooth 2.1 and a promised upgrade to Verizon LTE by year’s end, and the Xoom will likely secure a large portion of the market before the other tablets are introduced.

  • 10.1 inch touchscreen display with 1280 x 800 resolution and 1080p HD video playback
  • Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor with 1GB DDR2 RAM
  • 2 megapixel front-facing camera, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with 720p video capture
  • Bluetooth 2.1 support with EDR
  • 32GB Flash Memory
  • Accelerometer, Compass, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Barometer, Gyroscope
  • 730 grams, 12.9 mm thick

Dell Streak 7

The 7-inch tablet will likely compete solely with other smaller tablets such as the Eee Pad MeMo and the Samsung Galaxy Tab. While the Streak will launch with Android 2.2, Dell has announced that the Streak will come with Honeycomb 3.0 soon after launch. The chassis also features a corning gorilla glass display which provides a nice visual touch.

  • 7-inch WVGA 800×480 Capacitive Multi-Touch display
  • 1GHz nVidia Tegra T20 dual-core processor
  • 1.3 megapixel front-facing fixed focus camera, 5 megapixel rear-facing autofocus camera with LED flash
  • 16GB internal storage with expansion slots
  • 450 grams, 12.4 mm thick

LG G-Slate

The LG G-Slate has confirmed that it will introduce a tablet this year on T-Mobile’s 4G network. However, little else is known regarding the device. It will likely feature a 10.1 inch display and run Android 3.0 Honeycomb, and come with similar specs to the other tablets.

As is the case, the most popular Android tablet for 2011 might come down to factors such as timing, affordability, weight, and mobile carriers rather than the hardware itself.

Guest article written by: Paul Clarke who writes about mobile broadband technology & devices for MobileBroadband.net.

23 thoughts on “A Look At the Upcoming Android 3.0 Honeycomb Tablets”

  1. I’ve never understood the tablet market. I can do everything I need on my laptop, and even more on my desktop.

    I think the tablet is just a fun toy that isn’t really necessary, unless you can prove me wrong of course 🙂

    Reply
  2. Wow, plenty of options for an Android tablet. A lot of people are making a fuss over the Motorola Xoom but i’ve got my eye on the Blackberry PlayBook, looked awesome at CES.

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  3. I’m a great fan of Android and I’m personally very excited of many great things to come from them. It’s certainly a breath of fresh air from the an atmosphere dominated by Apple!

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  4. So many tables O_o

    A Creative ZiiO is headed my way to be reviewed, which is powered by Android 2.1 ..kind of out of date but it doesn’t have access to Android market, so should be enough for watching movies and listening to music

    Reply
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  6. Technology is very cool, lol these tablets are very wonderful I like all of them. I wish I could have them

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  7. A lot of tablets are going to on sale this 2011. But I guess iPad and Blackberry PlayBook will be the best sellers. What do you think?

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  8. It will be interesting about Android 3.0 Honeycomb can give real competition to Apple’s iOS. But with all these new and cool tablets, so should Apple iPad lose market share?

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  9. I’ve got no interest in a tablet for 2011 but I would like a MacBook Air 13″ and either the Canon 5D Mark II or the 7D to replace my aging 20D.

    I think before that though, I’m going to get a used 5D Mark I and see what full frame is like. Then I will eventually sell it for the same I paid and get the 7D or 5D mII.

    Forget the PADS!

    Reply
  10. Google has lifted the lid on the upcoming Android 3.0 ‘Honeycomb’ tablet operating system – and it sure looks pretty! Thanks….

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      • This doesn’t bother me – but just to point out all links are nofollow…

        but we dont post for SEO reasons anyway 🙂

        Reply
        • Yes you’re right. CommentLuv links were supposed to be do-follow but I think a recent update to some plugin might have broken that, but I believe it has been fixed now, so CommentLuv links should once again be “do-follow”. Thanks for pointing it out 🙂

          Reply
  11. NEED to get myself a tablet computer – my brother brought and iPad around the same time I get a netbook and whilst I find the netbook more practical, the iPad is just so much cooler. Intend to get a tablet later this year when the market becomes more accessible to the poor, lol!

    Reply
  12. What do you think is better for tablets, the Androids or the iPad? My son is telling me all the different types and of course being young and hip he has an iPad. I’ve used it, it’s pretty cool. But like someone else mentioned what’s the point if you have a laptop. Heck I’d just like a cell phone that worked right…

    Reply
  13. It’s good to know that there are tablets available in the market so that iPAD won’t monopolize the industry. Thanks for the comparison. It’s really helpful.

    Reply

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