Motorola and Verizon working on TV tablet
Motorola and Verizon are working together to produce a tablet device that will offer digital TV services, according to online reports published this week.
The device is said to sport a 10-inch touchscreen display and could run Google's increasingly popular Android operating system, according to a Financial Times report on Tuesday.
It is thought that the as-yet unnamed tablet will differentiate itself from rival tablet manufacturers by offering on-demand TV from Verizon's FiOS television service.
Rumours of a Motorola tablet are given added weight following Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha, hinting at a "companion product" for a TV during an investors conference in May this year, FierceWireless reported.
Speaking at the time, Jha also said, "We're very focused on participating in this convergence between mobility and home, and I actually think you will see some products from us in a very short period of time."
Manufacturers have been sporadically producing tablet-like devices (such as the Samsung Q1) for several years but public interest in the technology has burgeoned since the high-profile launch of Apple's iPad.
Google has also previously been linked to a Verizon tablet release. Reports in May claimed that the search giant was planning to release a tablet in conjunction with the US network provider but no official announcements have been made.
A number of other manufacturers are also prepping tablet devices for launch, including HP's Slate and Samsung's Galaxy Tab P1000. A 10-inch Galaxy Tab is also thought to be on the way.
According to a Bloomberg report, the most recent addition to the tablet rumour list is RIM's BlackPad, which is thought to offer a 9.7-inch display, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, though no 3G. The BlackPad is said to be arriving on shelves by November and pricing will be in-line with the cheapest iPad - the current RRP of the 16GB Wi-Fi-only iPad is £429.
The Android-based, 5-inch touchscreen Dell Streak is available now directly from Dell with prices starting from £449.