2010: The Year of The Tablet

You could say that 2009 was pretty much considered the year of the ebook readers due to the increase in output of these devices by companies like Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and so forth. While they’re great gadgets, I can’t help but to associate them with hardcore readers only. Sure, lots of the new ebook readers do more than just let you “read” digital copies of books, but still — most of them are just black & white. My point is that ebook readers have limitations. They’re simply not just for everyone.

On the other hand, tablets seem to be more appealing to a wider audience. While tablets have been around for quite a long time, it’s not until now they are building some momentum. New technology, along with the popularity of touchscreen devices are bringing back and making the tablet popular once again. Simply put; 2010 looks to be “The Year of the Tablet.”

By the end of 2009 many companies announced, unveiled, and even released their own tablets. While some were decent, others were not so much. Some were even surrounded by controversy and deceit. However, there are 3 unreleased major contenders that the world is waiting for anxiously and watching very closely:

Apple Tablet

No one has seen it. Apple has not revealed a single thing about it. Still, everyone is pretty sure Apple will announce and release their rumored tablet this year (perhaps even this month). All sorts of different stories have come and gone. Analysts have predicted with certainty what to expect. We’ve seen all kinds of artistic renditions and mockups. Yet nothing is official, therefore, we don’t know anything about this fabled tablet. It’s expected that Apple will finally unveil this mythological device in January 26th at an event in San Francisco, California.

Microsoft Courier

The story with the Microsoft Courier is a little different. For starters, it’s not your typical single-screen tablet. It actually looks more like a dual-screen notebook. The multi-touch device, which we have seen a couple of times through leaked information, promises to be a great contender. My opinion: from its looks and specifications, it has set the bar very high for the other 2 major contenders. There’s no price or availability information available yet.

Google-HTC Tablet

Relatively new to the scene, the Google Tablet rumor just surfaced a few days ago. This tablet is not manufactured by Google. The manufacturer behind all the hardware is Taiwan-based HTC Corporation. Word has it that this rumored tablet will be secretly unveiled at CES 2010 in a private session with selected guests only. It is said to be powered by Google Chrome OS. Considering it’s still a new story, details about this touchscreen tablet are smoke and mirrors, to say the least.

When it comes to touchscreen tablets, it certainly seems like there’s going to be plenty to choose from this year. It’s only a matter of time before we find out more about these 3 major contenders. And while there’s not too much information about the three of them, we want to know which of the three are you looking for the most. Will you stick with your favorite company, or will you get a tablet from the competition? Let us know in the comments below.