According to DigiTimes, HTC is currently collaborating with Taiwan-based laptop manufacturer Pegatron Technology to develop and manufacture an Android-based tablet. Given how much progress and results HTC has had with their smartphones recently, it’s only natural that the company would be moving on to the development of an Android tablet next in a bid to capture more of this growing demand base.
HTC has been rumoured to be working on a new Android tablet for some time now, and while some rumours you can dispel, this rumour seems to have substantial weight behind it despite the fact that both Pegatron and HTC have denied comments. All indicators point to the fact that an HTC Android tablet is not as far away as we thought it to be. Asus/Pegatron has the market power to really make a bold thrust into the tablet market, just as they almost single-handedly created the entire netbook craze with their eeePC two years back. Put these 2 proven brands together and you most probably will get something interesting to happen.
HTC Android Tablet Specs:
- Multi-touch display (1,280 × 720 resolution)
- NVIDIA Tegra 2 platform
- 32GB solid state drive
- 2GB of memory
- Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth
- GPS
- Chrome Web apps
- Access to Android Market
As mentioned by Monica Chen from DigiTimes:
"With support from Nvidia's platform, the device's multimedia performance is expected to be stronger than that of iPad. The tablet will also offer software support such as Chrome Web apps and Android Market from Google. And since HTC has advantages due to its relationship with telecom carriers worldwide, market watchers believe HTC's tablet PC should achieve better sales than other notebook brands, with the price of the tablet PC estimated at $790."
Yes, you see that right - USD$800 for this upcoming Android product although the final price should depends a lot on how much the Samsung Galaxy Tab will cost under each individual carrier’s offering.
At first glance, this does sound relatively expensive and as Scott Webster of CNET points out, will surely frighten quite a number of potential buyers.
“Sure, as nice as it would be to have an Android tablet from HTC in time for the holidays, I am content with waiting a little longer. Besides, we've heard recently that the current build of Android (Froyo) is not optimized for the tablet experience. So, if anyone truly wants to release an 'iPad killer' then they will need to nail down every little detail - especially the part where it just works and, of course, the price."
There is no actual launch date for the HTC Android Tablet yet but perhaps an introduction at CES 2011? Personally I would love to see another Android tablet joining the competition in the tablet domain and especially one from HTC, which in my opinion, has a great reputation for coming out with products of great standard.
