WHERE'S MY ANDROID TABLET?

I don't think we will see 3.0 on any tablet for the holidays.. hope I'm wrong.. but it's very unlikely.

As for the size of the screen.. I prefer the 7" screen size.. that way I'm able to hold it with one hand.

— modified on Sep 30, 2010, 7:41:39 AM

Well, I don't know any tablet yet that fills your requirements. Don't forget that Gingerbread hasn't been confirmed for any device that has been announced.

At IFA Berlin, I talked with many company representatives that made promises of Android 2.2, and I believe Samsung said that they would have an Android Gingerbread tablet as well, but that was one sentence from a foreign CEO, who may have been uninformed or simply was dodging the question and throwing out promises.

HTC, Motorola, and Samsung are likely all working on 10" Android Gingerbread tablets, but the release date for those devices is likely sometime next year. Also don't forget that Android Gingerbread hasn't been officially announced for a release date, and it usually takes awhile for the update to make it's way onto devices. However, it wouldn't be impossible for the announcement of Android Gingerbread to coincide with the launch of a tablet running it.

The battery life is another spec that I believe is very unlikely. 12 hours of battery life for a 10" tablet is a bit of a stretch. I believe that the iPad has a typical battery life of about 10 hours (video playback), and the iPad has, from what I have heard, the best battery of any tablet out on the market so far. 12 hours is a tad too unrealistic.

The current Android tablet that best meets your requirements is the Galaxy Tab, but I'm betting you have already looked into it.

— modified on Sep 30, 2010, 10:44:18 AM

I would venture to say that it's success may be attributed to 4 things: dedicated app store for the device, branding (Apple, some people out there just love anything Apple), build quality and pricing versus many rivals, and being the first mainstream/successful company in the tablet market.

The iPad can get expensive for the highest end model, but the base model has an affordability which is somewhat hard to beat, when you consider the quality of the materials used, number of available apps, and the battery life/performance. There are are very few, if any, Android tablets which match and/or beat the iPad in the battery life area, and many of us are familiar with the problems facing Android tablets and apps. I am almost always disappointed in the battery life of every single phone that is released onto the market, as not everyone wants to have to charge their phone up every night or every other night.

While Android speed/performance has surpassed what is available from the iPad, the total package of the iPad has so far proven hard to replicate. Many tablet manufacturers that I have seen so far seem to be content fulfilling the role of being the "affordable" choice for a tablet, but the high end segment of the market should not be ignored.

Apple was also the company that broke the tablet market wide-open, so their name is somewhat synonymous with a tablet, and with that comes trust that they know what they are doing. They also had more time to research and plan their product, as it was the first successful product, and they were not pressured by competitors to push out the product before they felt it was 100% ready.

In addition, the next refresh of the iPad is not far away, so expect there to be major changes coming with the newest model, which will likely put the Android tablets behind in terms of performance/abilities.

Can't wait

I am now in your shoes, but looking for the perfect Android phone. I'm debating between the Galaxy S, Nexus S, Dell Thunder, and the rumored Sony Ericsson Anzu. The wait for a release date is painful, as I have been looking for a new phone for what seems like months now. Regarding your previous question about why Apple is still ahead:

Apple, and maybe mostly Steve Jobs and his marketing team, have a special gift. They possess the ability to give their products a perceived sense of "necessity" to a large audience. It could be argued that they convince customers that they need a product, even when the perceived need does not exist. The iPod, Macbook, iPad, iPhone. Think about the kind of consumer that you would see using one of those products. They create good quality products, but that doesn't answer the question about their popularity.

They sell the products as part of a lifestyle or as an extension of your identity. Apple likes to create the image that their company's products cater to the tastes of "hip", affluent, and yet "sensible" individuals. It could be the connection between price and self-image that makes Apple so popular, like the expensive and famous clothing brands, or car makers. If a company becomes famous enough selling a product that is known to be expensive, an individual who buys that product could rightly make the assumption that after having this expensive product, they now outwardly appear to be more wealthy.

After all, who here doesn't want to be wealthy, or at least appear to be?

The surge in competition in the tablet market may be explained like this:

Apple, as previously stated, may have the ability to convince customers they need something. Individuals with money can always find ways to spend it. Apple says to themselves:

"Hey, let's create a cross between the iPhone and our Macbook, and market it as the iPad. We have plenty of loyal customers who will likely buy this product regardless of whether they really need it or could even justify purchasing it.

I don't remember there being a big clamor or outcry for tablets before Apple released the iPad. It just wasn't deemed necessary, or even useful. However, Apple, the "hip" company, has decided that people DO need tablets, and because they understand this "need", they release the iPad. People with money and a desire to look hip, popular, rich, and important buy the iPad.

I believe that many companies believed Apple's try at the tablet market was going to be a flop, so most companies didn't focus on creating a competing product for an nonexistent market. However, seeing Apple's success at creating perceived need, other companies wanted a piece of the tablet market. And here we are.

/end_rant

is it 12 hours battery life? i can't believe.

I can't say honestly whether it works for 12 hours, but I am very doubtful of that figure.