BlackBerry PlayBook
Launched in the UK in June, Research in Motion’s tablet runs on a unique, Linux-based operating system. It boasts a micro-USB port and integration with RIM’s device management system. In its current form, it must be tethered to a BlackBerry to receive emails. Native apps are so far limited, though Android apps can be used via an app player.
Operating system : BlackBerry Tablet OS
Price: £479 for 32GB
Size: 7”
HP Touchpad
Due for release in July, Hewlett Packard’s tablet offering uses webOS, the operating system it acquired with Palm last year. The hardware specification is competitive, although the device is slightly heavier than most alternatives. Again, the number of available is a concern but HP has said that many standard iOS apps will be ported across.
Operating system : HP webOS 3.0
Price: £399.99 for 16GB
Size: 9.7”
Dell Streak
Dell’s smaller tablet boasts a long battery life (10 hours) and uses the Android operating system, opening it up to the enormous Android app market. A new seven inch model, the Streak 7, was released in April, which has a dual-core processor and wireless capacity. Both models come with an SD storage slot, allowing users to boost storage capacity.
Operating system : Android 2.2 Froyo
Price: £277 for 16GB
Size: 5” or 7”
Motorola Xoom
The Xoom is widescreen tablet, slightly larger than the iPad, with a focus on video playback. It plays content at a higher resolution than the iPad and is one of the first tablets to use ‘Honeycomb’, the tablet version of Google’s Android operating systems. The hardware has higher specifications than Apple’s iPad, but it is also more expensive.
Operating system : Android 3.0 ‘Honeycomb’
Price: £449.99 for 32GB
Size: 10.1”
Samsung Galaxy Tab
The Galaxy Tab is one of the most established tablets on the market after the iPad. Samsung originally launched a 7” version of the device but new 10.1” and 8.9” models were released in June. The latest models of the Galaxy Tab run the Honeycomb operating system and are capable of supporting the next generation of mobile connectivity, 4G.
Operating system : Android 3.0 ‘Honeycomb’
Price: £350 for 32GB
Size: 7”, 8.9” and 10.1”
