New Tablets More Powerful than iPad
The Apple iPad has become the de facto standard of tablets not by being the first but by being the most recognizable. Now other companies, such as Hewlett Packard (HP) and Innovative Converged Devices (ICD), are revealing the specs of their own tablets and they are all comparing themselves to the iPad.
The HP Slate has been a bit of a mystery ever since appearing at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Now an internal company presentation has shown up with a full specs list and a comparison of where it wins and loses against the iPad .
The HP Slate will be running a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor, UMA graphics accelerator (capable of 1080p video playback), 32 gigabyte (GB) or 64GB of flash storage and 1GB of RAM. Everything but its storage capacity exceed the hardware found in the iPad.
The slide also reveals that the HP Slate has about half the battery life, at 5 hours, of the iPad, but the device comes with a USB port and an SD card slot, both of which the iPad lacks. The Slate will run Windows 7 Home Premium and connect via Wi-Fi or optional 3G.
The slide also details pricing for the Slate at $549 for 32GB and $599 for 64GB of storage. That makes the HP Slate cheaper than the 32GB and 64GB iPads as well.
Similarly, documents surfaced comparing another new tablet, the ICD Gemini, to the iPad. The Gemini easily outpaces the iPad with a ridiculously good spec list: 3G connection capable of making calls, replaceable battery, SD card slot, Wi-Fi, FM radio, GPS, front and rear cameras (2 and 5 megapixels), HD video support and an 11.2-inch screen at 1,366 x 768 resolution.
The Gemini will run the Android operating system currently running on many popular smartphones, which makes sense because the iPad has successfully shown that a slightly modified smartphone OS works well for a tablet.
The Gemini will also use the new Tegra 2 chip from NVIDIA for its processor, which should make it faster than the iPad as well.
Price and release date are still a mystery for the Gemini.
Finally, several other smartphone makers will likely be joining the competition against the iPad. Ashok Kumar, analyst with Rodman and Renshaw told Reuters that both Samsung and Nokia will be releasing tablets later this year.
"Right now the supply chain (for a Nokia tablet) is being primed up for a Fall release. It has to be on the shelf by September-October to meet demand for the holiday window," Kumar said.
