Motorola and Verizon Wireless are building a tablet computer based on Google's Android operating system for TV consumption, according to Financial Times. The WiFi device will have a 10-inch screen gadget and Flash 10 support.
Motorola and Verizon Wireless are teaming up to build a tablet computer
based on Google's Android operating system for TV consumption.
The companies, which have enjoyed a fruitful relationship building and
selling the Android-powered Droid line of smartphones, are gunning for Apple's
iPad.
The iPad
sold more than 3 million units in its first three weeks,
cementing the tablet as a viable alternative for or addition to PCs and laptops
among consumers.
A spokesperson for Motorola told eWEEK the phone maker would not comment on
rumor or speculation. Verizon did not respond to questions seeking comment.
Financial Times
said
the Motorola and Verizon tablet is a media-oriented WiFi device with a 10-inch
screen that will let users watch TV when it appears in the United States this
fall. Unlike the iPad, the mobile gadget will support Flash 10.
The tablet would deliver content from Verizon's FiOS digital TV service, for
which Motorola already provides set-top boxes. IMS Research believes
media-oriented tablets powered by such digital TV services will be popular in
the home.
The device would also sport one camera for taking pictures and one camera
for video conferencing.
This isn't the first time talk of an Android tablet coming from Verizon has
been bandied about.
Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam confirmed in May that Google and Verizon
were
working together on a tablet.
But neither company makes hardware, so some sort of manufacturer needed to
be involved. Cue Motorola: Could this device be one and the same?
It's unclear, but Android is gaining momentum versus Apple's iPhone. In the
past six months, Android phone subscribers
grew 27 percent compared to 23 percent for Apple's iPhone.
Android tablets are flirting with the market, too. Dell's Streak is ready to
launch in the United States, while Lenovo, Samsung, HP and others are all
building tablets based on Android.
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