Apple’s popular iPad has ruled the roost in SA since it launched the first iteration of the device in January, followed a few months later by the iPad 2.
However, Apple’s early domination of the market may be about to come to an end, with a flood of new devices, most of them running Google’s Android operating system, about to hit our shores.
The first new device that consumers can expect is the HTC Flyer, expected to go on sale within a fortnight. The Flyer is a 7-inch device running Android 2.3, commonly called Gingerbread, but it will be upgradeable to Android 3.0, also called Honeycomb, later in the year.
It comes with a 1,5GHz processor, 1GB of memory and 32GB of storage, with support for a microSD card.
Next up is the long-awaited Motorola Xoom, which should go on sale in June. The Xoom was once regarded as the strongest Android competitor to the iPad. However, its reception in international markets has only been lukewarm.
Price has been the biggest complaint about the Xoom. It launched at US$799, with a Wi-Fi only version costing $500. Prices are expected to come down. No SA pricing is available yet, but the device will be available through mobile operators, subsidised on contract. Motorola says the Xoom will be competitively priced for SA consumers.
The Xoom has a 1GHz dual-core processor, 10,1-inch, 1280×800-pixel screen, and can shoot video in high-definition at 720p. It also has front- and rear-facing cameras and an HDMI port to hook it up to a big-screen TV. There’s a gyroscope, too, and even a built-in barometer.
Then there’s Toshiba’s tablet, which looks likely to be called the Regza AT300 (at least in Japan) and should arrive in SA in about a month. The 10,1-inch device has a capacitive, high-resolution display at 1280 x 800, accelerometer and light sensor. It has rear- and front-facing cameras of 5-megapixels and 2-megapixels. It also has USB and HDMI ports — take that Apple!
It is set to run Honeycomb out the box and will weigh about the same as the iPad. We think it could prove to be a hot seller, but the all-important local pricing for the device is not yet available.
Samsung was one of the few companies that brought tablets to the SA market last year to compete with the iPad. Its first product, the Galaxy Tab, did not quite make the cut, though.
However, the company is planning to launch the next version of the device in SA in July, taking the device from a meagre 7-incher to 10,1 inches. Samsung appears to have learnt from the mistakes it made with the first version of the device. Not only is it bigger, but it will also have the same resolution as the Toshiba and play 720p HD video. Samsung’s latest effort has a 1GHz dual-core processor and ships standard with Honeycomb.
Though the Tab is certainly a consumer device, Samsung has not forgotten the business market. The new tablet comes with a suite of security products, has a preloaded version of Quick Office, and will sync with popular business tools such as Microsoft Exchange Server and Cisco products.
The prices of the devices are also expected to be better than the original version, and could be R5 499 for the 16GB version and R6 499 for a 32GB option, although the prices are not yet confirmed.
There is no word yet on when the PlayBook from BlackBerry maker Research In Motion will be available in SA, though the company has been showing it off to local developers. — Candice Jones, TechCentral
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