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.