6 Tablets to look for in 2011!

If we take all the estimates from the gadget clairvoyants and extrapolate to the widest possible range then we get this figure – 50 million to 100 million tablets – will be shipped in the year 2011. If tablet was re-born in 2010, 2011 will be the year of its rising. You might hear more about smartphones but you will hear more often about tablets. There are already quite a few tablets which are in the market. Few noteworthy names like iPad and Galaxy Tab will spring up. How many names will spring up in the year 2011? Hard to guess but it won’t be more than three.

Many tablets will be launched with incredible and insane features and many will fail miserably. iPad will have its successor sometime soon and the whole game changes again, that is if the competition doesn’t out think Apple. Android tablets in particular face a new challenge of waiting for Honeycomb and filling up their app ecosystem. Windows tablets have a wholly different challenge and MeeGo, we just have to wait for it. At the end of 2011, the tablet list will swell but few would make it to the top. From how things went in the last three days, these six pieces have the power to float and a bright chance to stay at the top.

Motorola Xoom

Motorola has the chutzpah to ridicule iPad and Galaxy Tab with a teaser ad. People would have ripped it off, if it didn’t back it up with a compelling product. That Motorola did. Of the three days at the CES, if there is one gadget which got everybody’s attention then it is Xoom.

Running Android’s Honeycomb operating system, 10.1 inch widescreen HD, front and rear (5 MP, LED Flash, Digital Zoom) facing cameras, Dual core processor, Gorilla glass, 1280x 800 pixel resolution, fully upgradeable to 4G and 1GB RAM. Honeycomb OS is specifically designed for tablets and Motorola is the first tablet to come with it. With dual core processor and 1GB RAM, Xoom is all set to vroom.

Blackberry Playbook

Playbook has been on the cards for quite a while. 2011 is the year you get to play with a playbook. Playbook has all the specs to make it a powerful tablet and a real iPad or Android alternative. Playbook runs RIM’s OS, 1GHz dual core processor, 1 GB RAM and 7-inch display with 1024×600 screen resolution. A 5 megapixel rear camera and a 3 megapixel front-camera are on-board. Spec on spec it is comparable to Motorola Xoom. A 4G model is in the making as per RIM.

Notion Ink Adam

Marred by poor marketing, Adam did not get the much deserved attention at the CES. It got the attention but Xoom just overtook everything else. Adam has all the things needed in a tablet. A dual core processor, 1GB RAM and custom Android OS built on Froyo. As per many, Adam’s Eden OS is slicker looking than Google’s Android operating system. In addition, Adam has a swivel camera which is the first on a tablet. If Adam was launched at least three months back, it would have been the hottest tablet on the market right now. Before I forget, Adam has a secret feature on board too.

Toshiba Tablet

Toshiba which is yet to name its tablet, is waiting for a Honeycomb upgrade to ship the tablets. This tablet will not be known for its looks but for its rubberized design and a special feature called Resolution plus which will enhance videos and photos to a HD look. Powered by NVidia Tegra-2 processor, a 10-inch screen with 1280×800 resolution, 5 MP rear-camera and 2 mp-front camera. USB, HDMI and SDCard slots are on-board. Price is not set and once Google ships Honeycomb, Toshiba will ship this tablet.

Acer Iconia

If one touch screen isn’t enough then Acer Iconia is for you. This has the potential to make it really big or could end up in the dumpster. It depends on the usability and how well people receive this product. A dual 14-inch touch screen, 4GB RAM, and Intel i5 processor power the Iconia. Its use cases as a mobile device are limited. Yet it remains the most awaited gadget in 2011.

Samsung Sliding PC 7

If Acer Iconia is a two-touchscreen hybrid, then Sliding PC from Samsung is a touch screen and keyboard hybrid. More practical than Iconia and little heavier than traditional tablets. Powered by Intel’s 1.66 GHz Oak Trail processor, this tablet PC weighs 2.2 pounds. It comes with a 10-inch touch screen with 1366×768 resolution and costs $699 a pop. 2 GB RAM will power the laptop and a 32GB/64GB hard drive options are available. Samsung has added a launcher on top of a Windows 7 OS. A tablet PC without a keyboard looks incomplete and Samsung is making amends for it. Expect to see more of these in 2011. A eReader type screen on one of these would make it a perfect three-in-one device – A netbook + Tablet + eReader.

What I want to get my hands on? Samsung Sliding PC 7. Have you seen that thing?

[Image via Mashable]