Although we may never see the bulk of these tablets in Australia, CES 2011 was rife with the devices.
While Android was the flavour of the month, there were a surprising number of Windows tablets, which manufacturers are calling "slates". We still have reservations about Windows 7 as a tablet OS, but based on comments on CNET Australia some have found such devices to be an invaluable part of their lives.
Check out what CES 2011 had to offer below in totality, or skip to the tablet of your choice using the navigation.
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(Credit: Asus)
Asus Eee Slate EP121
Asus has announced its self-proclaimed most powerful tablet, the Eee Slate EP121. It's unclear as yet how it arrived at this conclusion, but for now we're willing to play along, with a healthy helping of incredulity. For what it's worth, the Slate definitely sounds powerful with its specs taken into account. For the full rundown, check out our article here.
You don't see too many new tablets running Windows 7 (apart from Hanvon's BC10) and frankly we're not certain the OS is the best fit for a device whose biggest selling point is its streamlined nature. We'll have more details after we've gotten a little hands-on time.
The Slate EP121 will be available in the first quarter at a price range of US$999-US$1099.
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Asus tablets · Acer Iconis Tab A500 · Motorola Xoom · Samsung Sliding PC 7
Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
MSI WindPad · Vizio Via -
(Credit: Asus)
Asus Eee Slate EP121
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Asus)
Asus Eee Slate EP121
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Asus)
Asus Eee Slate EP121
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Asus)
Asus Eee Pad Slider
We love the idea of tablets. A smallish, thin, quickly accessible portable computer with (hopefully) a low performance overhead. However, one of our biggest gripes with tablets is the size of thumbs. Well, more accurately, the size of the software keyboard keys and how they relate to the size of large thumbs.
The easy solution to this problem is to add a hardware keyboard into the mix, as Asus is doing with the Eee Pad Slider. Though this would likely solve the large-thumb problem, it's not the only way, as is seen by Asus' own Transformer.
The Slider will be available in Q2 at a price range of US$499-US$799. Full specs here.
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Asus tablets · Acer Iconis Tab A500 · Motorola Xoom · Samsung Sliding PC 7
Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Asus)
Asus Eee Pad Slider
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Asus tablets · Acer Iconis Tab A500 · Motorola Xoom · Samsung Sliding PC 7
Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Asus)
Asus Eee Pad Slider
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(Credit: Asus)
Asus Eee Pad MeMo
With the ever-growing popularity of tablets and smartphones, more and more manufacturers are attempting to combine the best features of both types of devices. Not to be left out in the cold, dark, dank world of tablet/smartphone obscurity, Asus has the Eee Pad MeMo.
The MeMo includes a 7-inch IPS (in-plane switching) multi-touch screen and a separate media phone extender. The device can be used as a phone and includes SMS text messaging. The tablet/smartphone hybrid comes with a stylus and includes the Media Note text application and Painter.
Media Note allows users to draw, make handwritten notes, as well as insert external media into said notes, like images, video and web links. Painter allows users to paint on the screen using the stylus, you know, for those of you so inclined to do so.
The Eee Pad MeMo is set to launch this year over quarters two and three, at a price range of US$499-US$699. Full specs here.
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Asus tablets · Acer Iconis Tab A500 · Motorola Xoom · Samsung Sliding PC 7
Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Asus)
Asus Eee Pad MeMo
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(Credit: Asus)
Asus Eee Pad Transformer
A short battery life is bad news for any consumer electronics device, and tablets are no different. Unless we've been recently burned, battery life is that one thing we usually take for granted when looking at device specs, but it's always there, waiting to bite us in the rear when we least expect it.
Now a 16-hour battery life isn't ideal, but it would get most of us through our day with room to spare. That's exactly what Asus claims for its Eee Pad Transformer; however, this figure is based on beta hardware and software and may change before launch.
We're not exactly sure where they got the name Transformer, as the device doesn't so much transform as separate and then reattach. That is, the tablet separates from the keyboard and then locks back into it, creating a netbook-like look.
There's also some pretty lofty claims for the Transformer like "fastest web browsing and multitasking performance", "faster Flash performance" and "up to five times faster gaming performance than other mobile solutions".
As we're not privy to Asus' benchmarks we can't attest to the accuracy of these claims as yet. The specs are the most impressive we've seen from the company, however, especially compared with its other offering announced today.
The Eee Pad Transformer will be available in the second quarter and depending on the storage capacity it will be priced from US$399-US$699. Full specs here.
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Asus tablets · Acer Iconis Tab A500 · Motorola Xoom · Samsung Sliding PC 7
Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Asus)
Asus Eee Pad Transformer
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(Credit: Asus)
Asus Eee Pad Transformer
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(Credit: Asus)
Asus Eee Pad Transformer
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Acer Iconis Tab A500
Verizon in the US partnered with Acer to release the Iconis Tab A500, putting it on its "4G" network. There's been no inkling locally of a similar telco deal, though the tablet will use the latest version of Android and the Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz processor to power its 10-inch capacitive touchscreen.
Other details are the inclusion of Acer's Clear.fi media-sharing system preloaded on the device, an HDMI port, 1080p output, a 13.3mm profile, SkyCross antenna and Flash 10.1 support.
Acer is touting the tablet's Nvidia-derived CPU horsepower as a reason gamers will want to keep an eye on the Iconis A500. "One of the tablet's most impressive features is its ability to run and play premium HD arcade games and complex online 3D games, thanks to the 10-point multi-touch and gyro meter control, which guarantees an entertainment experience on par with the best game consoles."
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Asus tablets · Acer Iconis Tab A500 · Motorola Xoom · Samsung Sliding PC 7
Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Acer Iconis Tab A500
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Acer Iconis Tab A500
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Acer Iconis Tab A500
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Acer Iconis Tab A500
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Acer Iconis Tab A500
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Acer Iconis Tab A500
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Motorola Xoom
The Motorola Xoom tablet is the first to run Google's tablet-optimised Honeycomb version of Android. Due out Q1 in the States, it has a 1280x800 screen, a dual-core 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 32GB of user accessible storage and a 10-point multi-touch capacitive screen. While it'll be tied to a carrier in the US, there should be a Wi-Fi-only version that follows. Want to see it running? Check out the video here, or Google's Android 3.0 preview video here.
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Asus tablets · Acer Iconis Tab A500 · Motorola Xoom · Samsung Sliding PC 7
Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Motorola Xoom
A view of the connections on the bottom of the Xoom tablet, which includes Mini-HDMI output.
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Motorola Xoom
The Xoom HD dock accessory allows you to charge the tablet, as well as send audio and video out over standard HDMI.
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Motorola Xoom
The back of the Xoom includes a 5-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash and stereo speakers.
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Motorola Xoom
The top of the Xoom offers a headphone output, as well as a microSD memory expansion port, which will not be enabled at launch.
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Samsung)
Samsung Sliding PC 7
Samsung's newly announced Sliding PC 7 is a funky hybrid touchscreen device with its own slide-out keyboard. It's a revamp on the idea of a netbook, and, like the Inspiron Duo, is an attempt to make a Windows tablet work a little bit better.
The 10.1-inch mini-laptop has a striking design, and has a multi-touch screen so it can operate in both tablet and netbook-esque format.
Specs are netbook-esque: an Intel Atom Z670 CPU, 2GB DDR2 RAM, 32GB or 64GB SSD drive, and a 1366x768 10-inch screen, along with 3G connectivity. At 266x175x19.8mm and 0.99kg, it's larger than an iPad but smaller than many 10-inch netbooks.
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Asus tablets · Acer Iconis Tab A500 · Motorola Xoom · Samsung Sliding PC 7
Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Lenovo)
Lenovo LePad and IdeaPad U1 Hybrid
A year ago, Lenovo's bold concept device, the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid, astonished us not only for its neat transforming design and its detachable tablet, but for anticipating the year in tablets to come. Indeed, we're still wondering how laptops and tablets can play well together.
Back then, the U1 had a tablet running a Linux-based Skylight OS developed by Lenovo, while the base laptop it attached to had undefined specs. Now, the U1's specs are clear: Windows 7 Home Premium and a 1.2GHz Intel CULV Core i5 540UM CPU, 2GB of DDR3 RAM and a 320GB hard drive, along with one USB port and HDMI.
The tablet is now called LePad, and is a 10.1-inch Android device running a custom LeOS variant. The screen has a 1280x800-pixel resolution and the tablet still runs off a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.3GHz processor. It has 1GB RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of flash memory, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, EVDO/WCDMA 3G, a SIM slot and a 2MP webcam.
Lenovo promises a seamless transition between Android and Windows 7 operation with Unique Hybrid Switch Technology, which will allow a continuous web-browsing experience.
For now, the LePad and U1 Hybrid will only be available in China, starting in Q1. The LePad on its own will start at around US$520, and the U1 Hybrid laptop will start at a pricier US$1300, although that also includes the LePad. We're very curious to see what a year has done to make the U1 a device more palatable as an actual product.
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Asus tablets · Acer Iconis Tab A500 · Motorola Xoom · Samsung Sliding PC 7
Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
MSI WindPad · Vizio Via -
(Credit: Lenovo)
Lenovo LePad and IdeaPad U1 Hybrid
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Lenovo)
Lenovo LePad and IdeaPad U1 Hybrid
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Lenovo)
Lenovo LePad and IdeaPad U1 Hybrid
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Lenovo)
Lenovo LePad and IdeaPad U1 Hybrid
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Lenovo)
Lenovo LePad and IdeaPad U1 Hybrid
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Lenovo)
Lenovo LePad and IdeaPad U1 Hybrid
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Lenovo)
Lenovo LePad and IdeaPad U1 Hybrid
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Lenovo)
Lenovo LePad and IdeaPad U1 Hybrid
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Lenovo)
Lenovo LePad and IdeaPad U1 Hybrid
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: Lenovo)
Lenovo LePad and IdeaPad U1 Hybrid
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Lenovo IdeaPad Slate
We thought we had seen everything Lenovo was ready to throw at us at CES 2011 in the laptop/tablet universe, but a surprise new addition was unveiled: a Windows version of the LePad slate coming later this year, tentatively called the IdeaPad Slate.
The 10-inch tablet has nearly the same hardware design as the LePad, with different internal components: the same flash storage, but a next-gen Intel Atom CPU instead of the LePad's Qualcomm Snapdragon. The Windows tablet, at this point not officially named, has a stylus for pen input as well as multi-touch, which works much like other digitiser pens we've seen (not pressure-based).
Unlike the Android-based LePad, the Windows slate won't work with the U1 Hybrid laptop. However, it does have a software user interface shell developed by Lenovo that's similar to the Skylight operating environment we saw on the LePad. The IdeaPad Slate has a USB port, HDMI and an SD card slot, giving it a relatively full set of inputs.
The co-development of Android and Windows tablets shows one thing clearly: manufacturers are hedging their bets, and still don't know which way the tablet era will go.
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Dell Streak 7
The bigger version of the Dell Streak will be powered by a dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. It runs Android 2.2 (upgradeable to Honeycomb) and has a 5-megapixel rear camera and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video calling.
The Dell Streak 7 is expected to become available in the US in the weeks to come, Australian release and pricing has yet to be announced.
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Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Dell Streak 7
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Dell Streak 7
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Dell Streak 7
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(Credit: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
Eh? Isn't the Galaxy Tab already out? Why yes it is, but Verizon in the States is offering an update, with the Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor overclocked to 1.2GHz from 1GHz, and the rear-facing camera upgraded from 3 to 5 megapixels.
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(Credit: MSI)
MSI WindPad
One of the Windows tablets on display is from MSI, a company known for churning out a range of mostly decent laptops, with a few unheralded gems thrown into the mix. The unfortunately named WindPad has a 10.1-inch multi-touch display and is powered by an Intel Z530 CPU.
Though that Z-series CPU doesn't fill us with hope (in fact, it's usually a recipe for disaster in anything other than an unambitious netbook), the WindPad does offer a few features that other tablets (we're looking at you, iPad) lack. Notably, it has a Mini-HDMI port, one USB connection, an SD card reader, Bluetooth and dual cameras.
Storage space, according to the spec sheet we saw, include 16/32/64GB SSD and 320/500GB HDD options, and the system includes 2GB of RAM. The WindPad is expected in the US in late January for between US$499 and US$699.
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Vizio Via
Even in its fragile state as a hand-tooled engineering sample, it's clear that this 8-inch tablet has been approached thoughtfully. The capacitive touchscreen is very responsive, and the custom user interface (UI) running over an unidentified version of Android behaved fluidly. Unlike most Android tablets we've tested, Vizio's tablet dispenses with the widget-based home screen and opens up to the app listing by default, with a customisable space for favorites at the top. It's a slightly risky move, especially if you're a consumer who is easily overwhelmed by options, but Vizio's tasteful UI treatment comes across as a calm retreat from the wallpapered, preinstalled widget circus of the Galaxy Tab.
Many of the features we've come to expect from a tablet are here, including Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth, GPS, accelerometer and an ambient light sensor. There's also a Mini-HDMI port, which for better or worse is HDCP-enabled, giving piracy-phobic content providers a comforting level of baked-in DRM. Other ports include micro-USB and SDHC memory expansion. A VGA-resolution front-facing camera is also offered, but Vizio is stopping short of putting a camera on the back. For us, using a tablet as a giant camcorder isn't an appealing idea, especially if skipping it means a significant cost savings. We'll see.
The big hat trick, though, is an IR blaster integrated into the top of the tablet, theoretically blessing the device with all the functionality of a universal remote. The Vizio reps on hand claim the remote software will make the tablet compatible with 95 per cent of all AV hardware out there.
What will impress more, though, is seeing how Vizio handles getting Android apps optimised for an 8-inch screen. The company is promising full Android Marketplace and mobile suite compatibility, so its people have their work cut out for them if they want to get the mobile app experience to scale elegantly to an 8-inch panel by this winter. We'll keep our fingers crossed.
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Asus tablets · Acer Iconis Tab A500 · Motorola Xoom · Samsung Sliding PC 7
Lenovo LePad · Lenovo IdeaPad Slate · Dell Streak 7 · Samsung Galaxy Tab 4G
MSI WindPad · Vizio Via -
(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Vizio Via
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Vizio Via
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Vizio Via
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Vizio Via
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Vizio Via
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(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Vizio Via
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