Photos: 19 dual-core tablets - from iPads to ViewPads

Like your tablets with a double dose of chips? Then check out our dual-core slate round-up...

The dual-core frenzy continues - from dual-core smartphones to 2x tablets.

With their super-sized screens, tablets are made for multitasking and rich multimedia applications, which makes them a more natural home for dual-core - and even quad-core - chips than the average mobile.

If you're looking for a dual-core tablet, look no further. Here's our round-up of the current crop.

Apple iPad 2

Apple created the modern tablet market with its iPad - and it's upped the ante with the iPad 2 which packs a 1GHz dual-core Apple A5 chip.

The 9.7-inch touchscreen tablet also boasts a slender chassis at just 8.8mm thick. The iPad 2 sports dual cameras for video-calling - an addition copied by the vast majority of post-iPad 2 tablets - although camera quality on the iPad 2 is nothing to write home about, with less than one megapixel apiece.

Available in the UK?
Yes.

PC maker Acer has jumped aboard the tablet bandwagon with both feet. Pictured here is the Acer Iconia Tab A100, a small slate which packs a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 chip.

The Android device runs the tablet-focused Honeycomb iteration of Google's mobile OS. There's also a seven-inch display and a five-megapixel rear camera.

Available in the UK?
Yes.

And here's the A100's bigger brother: the Acer Iconia Tab A500.

Like its sibling, the 10.1-inch device also packs a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 chip.

This tab also has Android inside - running Honeycomb. There's a five-megapixel rear camera onboard, while screen resolution is 1,280 x 800 pixels.

Available in the UK?
Yes.

Microsoft fans can get in on the Acer tablet action too with the Iconia Tab W500. The W stands for Windows, with the slate running Windows 7 Home Premium.

The 10.1-inch tablet comes with a 1GHz AMD-C50 dual-core chip and a screen resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels.

There's an optional keyboard dock - complete with two USB ports - to turn the tab into a laptop.

Available in the UK?
Yes.

Online ecommerce behemoth Amazon has finally leapt aboard the tablet train with the launch this week of its Kindle Fire tablet, pictured above.

The seven-inch dual-core touchscreen slate is based on Android but runs a heavily modified version of the OS, skinned with Amazon's own UI. This is a tablet designed for consumption - be it books, magazines, music, movies, games or apps.

The Fire's most notable feature, however, is its price tag. At just $199 it's cheaper than the iPad, the PlayBook or any of the high-end Android tablets from the likes of HTC, LG and Samsung.

Available in the UK?
Not currently.

Netbook pioneer Asus has also got in on the tablet action with a range of offerings including the Asus Eee Pad Slider, which features a slide-out Qwerty keyboard and a USB port.

The Android Honeycomb offering packs an Nvidia Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core chip and a five-megapixel rear camera - plus the now obligatory front-facing camera for video-calling. The screen size is 10.1 inches and it has a resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels.

Available in the UK?
Not currently.

Another tablet with a twist is the Asus Eee Pad Transformer range. As the name suggests, this tablet can transform into a laptop, using the dedicated keyboard dock pictured above, which includes two USB ports.

The Android Honeycomb slate packs an Nvidia Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core CPU and has a five-megapixel rear camera. The screen is 10.1 inches and has a resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels.

Available in the UK?
Yes.

Asus Eee Pad Slate

For those who fancy a more traditional tablet-computing experience, Asus' Eee Pad Slate range is where it's at.

The Asus Eee Pad Slate B121, pictured above, is aimed at the business market and runs Microsoft's Windows Ultimate or Professional OS. There's an Intel dual-core i5 470UM onboard.

The screen boasts 12.1 inches of touchscreen real estate and has a resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels. The display also supports interactions via the dedicated stylus pictured above, and comes bundled with a Bluetooth keyboard to cover all your input bases. There's also two USB ports.

Available in the UK?
Not currently.

PC giant Dell also wants a piece of the tablet action - the Dell Streak 7, pictured above, packs a 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor.

As its name suggests, the Android Froyo offering has a seven-inch screen - making it more oversized smartphone than full-fat tablet. There's also a five-megapixel rear camera onboard.

Available in the UK?
Yes.

The HP TouchPad has been discontinued by HP - however, the company has suggested it will issue one last release of the tablet so you might still be able to get your hands on one.

The dual-core TouchPad sold like hot cakes after the price was slashed in a firesale. The 9.7-inch TouchPad runs webOS - the operating system HP acquired when it bought mobile maker Palm.

The slate has a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060 chip.

Available in the UK?
Not currently.

Lenovo is another company seeking to grab a slice of the tablet market. The Lenovo IdeaPad, pictured above, packs an Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 chip.

The Android-based tab runs Honeycomb - the tablet version of Google's mobile OS - and features a 10.1-inch display, with a resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels. There's a five-megapixel rear camera too.

Available in the UK?
Yes.

For business users, Lenovo has a second tablet offering. The Lenovo ThinkPad, pictured above, also includes an Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core chip.

The Android-based tab also runs Honeycomb and features a 10.1-inch display with a 1,280-x-800-pixel resolution.

Optional peripherals include the digitizer pen, pictured above, and a dedicated Keyboard Folio Case which props the slate into a laptop-style pose, and includes an optical TrackPoint. There's a full-size USB port too.

Available in the UK?
Yes.

LG has also dipped its toe into the tablet market with the LG Optimus Pad, pictured above.

The tab runs Google's Honeycomb iteration of Android, and is powered by a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor.

The Optimus Pad has an 8.9-inch display and dual five-megapixel cameras for 3D recording. However, despite being able to create 3D videos, the Optimus Pad does not have a 3D screen - so can't be used to watch 3D videos.

Available in the UK?
Yes.

Motorola's Android-powered Xoom slate, pictured above, is another dual-core offering.

The tablet runs Google's Android Honeycomb and is powered by an Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz chip.

The 10.1-inch display slate also packs a five-megapixel rear camera and its screen resolution is 1,280 x 800 pixels.

Available in the UK?
Yes.

RIM's first foray into tablets is also its first dual-core device: the BlackBerry PlayBook packs a 1GHz dual-core chip.

The PlayBook runs RIM's all-new BlackBerry Tablet OS - based on the QNX operating system, follwing RIM's acquisition of the OS maker last year.

The PlayBook is a small slate, with a screen size of seven inches. There's a five-megapixel rear camera.

Available in the UK?
Yes.

Another one to add to the small-slate pile is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 which, as the name indicates, has 7.7 inches of screen real estate. Small it may be but it packs a punch: there's a dual-core 1.4GHz chip inside.

This tab runs Google's Honeycomb operating system. There's a three-megapixel rear camera and the screen resolution is 1,280 x 800 pixels.

Available in the UK?
Not currently.

Here's the bigger brother of the 7.7: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, which has a - you guessed it - 10.1-inch screen.

Inside, the 10.1 packs a dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 chip. Like the 7.7, the 10.1 runs Google's Honeycomb iteration of Android. There's a three-megapixel rear camera and the screen resolution is 1,280 x 800 pixels.

Available in the UK?
Yes.

Toshiba AT200

Toshiba has also thrown its gauntlet into the tablet ring: meet the Toshiba AT200. Details are scarce as the slate has not yet been released but it will reportedly pack a 1.2GHz dual-core Omap 4430 chip.

The 10.1-inch Android Honeycomb tablet is also just 7.7mm thick - yes, that's thinner than the iPad 2.

Available in the UK?
Not currently.

ViewSonic also has a dual-core slate to add to the line-up: the ViewPad 7x packs a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core chip.

As the name suggests, the ViewPad 7 is a small slate, with a seven-inch screen. The OS is Google's Honeycomb iteration of Android.

Available in the UK?
Not currently.