Tablet Bucks

The tablet device market is definitely going to be the next big thing. The iPad could possibly be considered as the catalyst towards this new computing paradigm, but it certainly won’t be the only contender.

Although Dell hasn’t really made much of a mark as far as smartphones are concerned, it is poised to make a fairly large and early dent in the tablet device race with their initial offering, the Dell Mini 5 Tablet, set to launch in the next few months. If the popularity of the Dell Mini Netbooks are anything to go by, the Mini 5 Tablet will be a sure hit. Considering that it also has a few additional things up its sleeve when compared to the iPad, who knows… perhaps it will actually be a tight race to the top.

Dell Mini 5 Tablet Specs:

• 1 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 processor
• 405MB RAM
• 1.63 GB internal storage
• microSD slot for expanding the storage
• 720p Video support with HDMI output
• Wifi, bluetooth, 3G equipped
• Integrated GPS
• Android 2.x operating system (Froyo perhaps?).
• 5 MP camera with dual led flash (plus a forward facing camera, presumably for video calls)
• 5 inch (800×480) capacitive multi-touch screen

This is loads more functionality than the iPad, although the larger screen real estate of the iPad (at 9.7 inches at 1024×768) is certainly an advantage that Apple will have out of the gates. What could be a big win for Dell though is that it is rumored that the Mini 5 will be running FLASH as well, where it’s almost a given that the iPad will never see the FLASH. The Dell will also likely have fewer constraints than the iPad and will have multitasking capabilities.

What the Dell Mini 5 won’t have, however, is the hundreds of thousands of apps in the incredibly successful iPhone App Store. The Dell will also probably be somewhat costlier as it will be shipping with integrated camera, GPS and more connectivity options (one could also argue that the smaller screen and less internal storage could offset the costs and it would be comparably priced against the iPad). But don’t let this detract you from developing applications for the Dell. While most people will be developing their apps for the presumably successful iPad, other players will be quietly exploiting the smaller Android market with probably significantly less competition, at least initially.

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