Google to Unveil an Android-Based Tablet

Posted 04/13/2010 at 5:15am | by Paul Lilly

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You might have heard that Apple released this thing called the iPad. It isn't quite magical, as Stevel Jobs describes it, but the iPad is an important piece of tech, if for no other reason than for kickstarting the handheld tablet market. Competitors will soon step up to the plate with their own take on tablet computing, and one of those competitors could be Google.

According to a report in the New York Times, Google is weighing the pros and cons of building its own-branded slate, which sounds decidedly less shocking now that Google sells a branded smartphone (Nexus One). Details are pretty sparse as the company prefers to fly under the radar while decisions are still being madet, but apparently Google CEO Eric Schmidt was overheard at a recent party in Los Angeles talking about how the device would exclusively run Android. No big surprise there.

Citing "people with direct knowledge of the project," the NYT also says Google has been talking with publishers trying to devise a delivery method for books, magazines, and other content on a tablet. In other words, performing double duty as an electronic reader will probably be a big part of Google's tablet.

When something like this might come to fruition is anyone's guess, but let's hope it's soon.

Early concept shot of what a Google Tablet running Chrome OS might look like.