Top Android Tablets Cannot Compete with iPad 2, Says CEA

Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets could have a tough time ahead, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.AuthorAndrew WilliamsPublished22nd Mar 2011 Share   14 comments     EmailTrustedReviews Newsletters

CEA Director of Industy Analysis Steve Koenig has talked-down high-end Android tablets� chances of stealing the Apple iPad 2�s market supremacy in 2011. He says that they ask buyers to cough-up more money for a fundamentally less attractive device.

The Consumer Electronics Association is the force behind the CES annual tech show, which takes place in Las Vegas each January. Today we talked to CEA�s Steve Koenig who said that �RIM, Motorola (and) Samsung can�t beat Apple on price� in the tablet market, and that buying one of these iPad 2-rival tablets isn�t alluring � that you �pay several hundred dollars more for an �uncool� product.�

Here Koenig refers to the mainstream buyer, millions more of whom will buy tablets this year according to the bold predictions of many a market analyst. Although he didn�t claim the Motorola Xoom was immune from this Apple effect, he did cite the tablet as being the one with the �best chance� of competing, thanks to an impressive integration of Google�s new tablet-focused Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system. Other tablets didn�t get off so lightly, Koenig remarking that �90 per cent of the tablets out there are not even close� to iPad 2-quality.

Other tablet platforms in-waiting were also given a mention. Koenig says that the BlackBerry PlayBook has a good chance of hooking-in an early fanbase thanks to the �entrenched� ranks of BlackBerry users worldwide, and that a dedicated tablet platform is �something we�ll hear from Microsoft this year.� He commented that a port of Microsoft�s Surface �makes sense.� Surface is currently used to power huge table-like computers costing many thousands of dollars, and recalling images from the 1982 sci-fi movie Tron, but shrunken down to tablet-sized proportions it could work well, already supporting near-essential tablet features like multi-touch.

Koenig was careful not to label any of these decried tablets as dead on arrival though, noting how the �market opportunity is shifting" towards devices that lie in the screen-inch void that sits between mobile phones and laptops � between 5in and 15in. When none of these high-end electronics are particularly cheap to design or produce, how many can be sustained, even if the market is growing?

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Android Apps Available On The PlayBook

As RIM reported strong revenue growth for 2010, it also confirmed that its new PlayBook would support Android apps.AuthorDavid GilbertPublished25th Mar 2011 Share   5 comments     EmailTrustedReviews Newsletters

Remember last month when we told you about reports that Android apps were going to be made available on RIM�s BlackBerry PlayBook? Well the Canadians have confirmed the rumour at yesterday�s revenue call.


The 7in PlayBook, which will launch on April 19 at a cost of $499.99 for the 16GB model, will now be a lot more attractive considering that over 200,000 Android apps could be available on the tablet. RIM announced that in addition to supporting its own SDK, the PlayBook will support apps written for Android 2.3 (presumably Honeycomb compatibility will follow soon) as well as BlackBerry Java. Not content with bringing us this news, RIM added that it would be bringing its AirPlay and Unity 3 games engines to the tablet.


RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said: �The upcoming addition of BlackBerry Java and Android apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook on BlackBerry App World will provide our users with an even greater choice of apps and will also showcase the versatility of the platform.� While rumours of this happening have been swirling around for some time, its confirmation will no doubt help boost interest in the PlayBook - expecially considering many people had worried that there would be not enough support in terms of apps.

The news came as RIM announced revenues of $15.2 billion for 2010, helped considerably by sales of BlackBerry smartphones which soared 43 percent in 2010 to 52.3 million units. However, despite the earnings, RIM share prices fell by 10 percent in after-hours trading because of poor expected future earnings for the early part of 2011.

We look forward to seeing how RIM manages to implement this support of Android Apps and if its as �quick and easy� to port the Android apps as RIM say it is, then we would hope that many developers will choose to do so. Will this additional app goodness entice you to stump up the $500 for the PlayBook?

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Acer's Android And Windows Iconia Tabs Priced

Acer will launch its line of Android and Windows tablets on April 20 costing between �300 and �530.AuthorDavid GilbertPublished4th Apr 2011 Share   1 comment     EmailTrustedReviews Newsletters

When we first got a proper look at Acer�s family of Android and Windows tablets at Mobile World Congress in February, we were suitably impressed but as always it would be pricing that would make or break the deal for these tablets.


Today, the 7in Iconia Tab A100 along with the larger 10.1in Iconia Tab A500 and Iconia Tab W500 have all been made available for pre-order by Acer on Amazon with a release date of 20 April. First up is the Iconia Tab A100 which is a 7in Android slate which comes packed with some promising specs. Priced at a penny under �300 for the Wi-Fi only model and �399.99 for the Wi-Fi + 3G version, you will get a dual-core nVidia Tegra 2 processor under the hood while both will come with Android�s tablet-specific Honeycomb on top of which will run Acer�s own UI. They have a 5 megapixel rear camera and 2 megapixel front-facing camera. The 10.1in screen has a resolution of 1024 x 600 and is capable of displaying full HD 1080p video. They also have a HDMI port and come with Bluetooth and Acer�s multimedia file sharing system called clear.fi. One let down however is that the models listed on Amazon only comes with 8GB of storage which is pretty small.


The larger 10.1in Iconia Tab A500 will be priced at �449.99 for the Wi-Fi only model while the Wi-Fi + 3G model, called the A501, will set you back �529.99. Both are powered by dual core nVidia Tegra 2 Cortex processors and run Honeycomb, again tweaked with Acer's own UI. Their 10.1in capacitive multi-touch WXGA displays have a resolution of 1280 x 800 with a contrast ratio of 1,500:1 to enjoy full HD 1080p playback and via a HDMI port you can display images and video on a larger screen. Aluminium casing will add a sense of quality to the devices though it also added to the weight with the Wi-Fi only model weighing in at 700g with the 3G + Wi-Fi model tipping the scales at 730g. It will come with 32GB of storage.


Rounding out the trio of tablets, is Acer�s Windows 7 slate in the shape of the Iconia Tab W500 which is also priced at �449.99 for the Wi-Fi model with the Wi-Fi + 3G model, called the W501, costing �529.99. Both are powered by an AMD C-50 processor running at 1GHz, with an AMD Radeon HD6250 GPU to handle graphics. They feature 2GB of in-built DDR3 memory and 32GB of on-board storage. The 10.1in WXGA screen has a resolution of 1280 x 800 and the W500 sports dual cameras to allow for video calling. Both versions weigh-in at an arm-aching 1kg and measure 275 x 190 x 15.95 mm.

While the 7in A100 is competitively priced at �300, the larger 10.1in models are both more expensive than the Asus Eee Pad Transformer which will ship for �379 � though without the docking station and with only 16GB of storage. Will Acer�s tablets entice you to take the leap into the tablet market or do they fail to offer anything new?

Source: Amazon 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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