Toshiba To Launch New Android Tablet In Spring

Toshiba plans to launch a new Android-powered tablet this spring in a bid to grab a slice of the booming tablet market.

The company used the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to showcase the device, which uses an Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor and runs Android Honeycomb – a forthcoming version of the operating system that is reportedly optimised for tablets.

Honeycomb was originally thought to be Android 3.0, but now seems more likely to be Android 2.4.

Expected rollout in spring

The tablet is expected to hit store shelves in spring 2011, according to Chris Casper, a group manager at Toshiba’s digital products division.

The device has not yet been named or priced, but the company believes the cost will be competitive with the iPad, which is available for £439 – £714 on Apple’s website.

Unlike Apple’s iPad, however, Toshiba’s tablet will support Adobe’s Flash. It will also come with two cameras, a 5 megapixel model on the back and a 2 megapixel model up front.

Mini and full-size USB ports will also be included, along with an SD memory card slot and HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) ports.

Customisable appearance

While the front is glossy black, the back of the tablet is rubberised for easy gripping. A replaceable rear plate also allows users to customise their gadget’s appearance.

Toshiba’s tablets will feature a 10.1-inch display that supports high-definition video viewing at a resolution of 1080 pixels. It is expected to be slightly larger and heavier than the iPad.

This year, the most important product category launches include a number of new tablets to compete with Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab.

According to Forrester analyst Sara Rotman Epps, tablet sales are expected to top 24.1 million in 2011 – more than double the number of  units sold in 2010.

Among the 2,500 exhibitors in the CES show, Cisco will showcase its new Cius Tablet PC and TelePresence for home and small-business markets, while Dell plans to demonstrate its new tablet PC.

Meanwhile, Lenovo is unveiling its LePad Slate, which runs Android 2.2 and Windows 7, while AHX Global – a joint venture between UK-based firm X2 Computing and Taiwanese designer AMtek Systems – will officially launch the itablet at the exhibition on 6 January, running Windows 7.