Many of you might be wondering why Android tablets haven’t been flooding the market like some had predicted. The reason for this particular case of cold feet is Android’s inability to scale well on screens bigger than 5 inches. Android 2.2 (Froyo) currently supports screen resolutions of up to 854×480 pixels, but this is expected to increase in future updates. Many are speculating that Android 3.0, codename Gingerbread, will support screen resolutions upwards of 1280×760, although there is nothing official on record thus far.
Peter Borup Jakobsen, director of collaboration architecture marketing at Cisco Systems Asia-Pacific, feels that Google could benefit from a partnership with the Open Handset Alliance, a conglomerate of 76 technology and mobile companies who seek to advance mobile innovation. Google can also optimize the software internally, which would prevent companies like Cisco from having to engineer their own SDKs (software development kit) for devices like the Cius, an enterprise level Android tablet currently slated for a Fall release.
There have also been fears that Android tablets will be unable to compete with the behemoth that is Apple’s iPad, but not according to Bo H. Choi, vice president and head of mobile communications marketing at LG Electronics Asia. Choi argues that different users have different requirements, and that an Android tablet has the potential to offer a more cost-effective solution, especially for those in education. He also adds that the open source platform will attract many who currently shy away from proprietary devices like the iPad, and encourage more innovation among developers.
Ultimately, we have only begun to see the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Android based tablets. With the recent announcement of devices from both Motorola and Samsung, more developers are sure to follow suit. Also, as previously mentioned, updates and improvements to the Android OS is sure to spark additional interest among manufacturers. Google will hopefully work with tablet makers to ensure they have the tools they need to take Android tablets to the next level.
[via zdnet]
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