A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being computers, have similar capabilities, but lack some input/output (I/O) abilities that others have. Modern tablets largely resemble modern smartphones, the only differences being that tablets are relatively larger than smartphones, with screens 7 inches (18 cm) or larger, measured diagonally, and may not support access to a cellular network. Unlike laptops, tablets usually run mobile operating systems, alongside smartphones.
This is a list of tablet computers, grouped by intended audience and form factor.
webOS, also known as LG webOS and previously known as Open webOS,HP webOS and Palm webOS, is a Linux kernel-based multitasking operating system for smart devices such as smart TVs that has also been used as a mobile operating system. Initially developed by Palm, Inc., HP made the platform open source, at which point it became Open webOS.
A smartbook was a class of mobile device that combined certain features of both a smartphone and netbook computer, produced between 2009 and 2010. Smartbooks were advertised with features such as always on, all-day battery life, 3G, or Wi-Fi connectivity and GPS in a laptop or tablet-style body with a screen size of 5 to 10 inches and a physical or soft touchscreen keyboard.
ChromeOS, sometimes styled as chromeOS and formerly styled as Chrome OS, is a Linux-based operating system developed and designed by Google. It is derived from the open-source ChromiumOS and uses the Google Chrome web browser as its principal user interface.
The HP Slate 500 is a multi-touch capable Windows 7 tablet computer that was announced at CES 2010 and launched on 22 October 2010.
The Dell Streak 5 is a smartphone/tablet hybrid ("phablet") from Dell that uses the Android operating system, released in 2010. It comes with a 5-inch (13 cm) capacitive touchscreen and two cameras, a 5MP one with dual-LED flash on the back and a VGA-resolution one on the front for video calling; both are capable of video.
The history of tablet computers and the associated special operating software is an example of pen computing technology, and thus the development of tablets has deep historical roots. The first patent for a system that recognized handwritten characters by analyzing the handwriting motion was granted in 1914. The first publicly demonstrated system using a tablet and handwriting recognition instead of a keyboard for working with a modern digital computer dates to 1956.
The Motorola Xoom is an Android-based tablet computer by Motorola, introduced at CES 2011 on January 5, 2011. It was the first tablet to be sold with Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The Verizon branded Xoom was the first tablet to run Android 3.1. The Motorola Xoom went through the FCC on February 10, 2011 only 14 days before release. The 3G version was released on February 24, 2011, and the Wi-Fi version was released March 27, 2011. It was announced concurrently with three other products: the Motorola Atrix, the Motorola Droid Bionic, and the Motorola Cliq 2. CNET named it the "Best of the CES" 2011.
The HP TouchPad is a tablet computer that was developed and designed by Hewlett-Packard. The HP TouchPad was launched on July 1, 2011, in the United States; July 15 in Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany; and August 15 in Australia.
The Veer was a smartphone announced by HP on February 9, 2011. The device used HP webOS, was powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and had a 2.6-inch screen. The device was notable for its credit card-sized dimensions. The device was seen as the successor in the Palm line-up to the Pixi and earlier Centro models.
Chromebook is a line of laptop and tablet computers that run ChromeOS, an operating system developed by Google.
The Samsung Galaxy Note is an Android smartphone produced by Samsung Electronics. It was unveiled at IFA Berlin 2011 and first released in Germany in late October 2011, with other countries following afterwards. The Galaxy Note was distinguished by its unusually large form factor—later referred to using the term "phablet"—which straddled the size of the average smartphone at the time, and that of a small tablet: it features a 5.3-inch display, and is bundled with a stylus branded as the "S Pen", which can be used to navigate the device's user interface, and write or draw in supported apps.
The Motorola Droid 4 (XT894) is a smartphone made by Motorola Mobility. It was released with Android 2.3 and can be upgraded to Android 4.1. It was released on Verizon Wireless's network on February 10, 2012. It is the successor to Motorola's Droid 3, and is one of the first smartphones to support GLONASS in addition to GPS.
The Aakash 2 is an Android-based tablet computer produced by British company DataWind. In an announcement in March 2012, the Telecom Minister, Mr. Kapil Sibal, who was also in charge of Ministry of Human Resources and Development had announced that DoT had cleared the proposal to distribute 50 lakh units of tablet PCs to students. It is the follow-up to the Aakash tablet.
The Nexus 10 is a tablet computer co-developed by Google and Samsung Electronics that runs the Android operating system. It is the second tablet in the Google Nexus series, a family of Android consumer devices marketed by Google and built by an OEM partner. Following the success of the 7-inch Nexus 7, the first Google Nexus tablet, the Nexus 10 was released with a 10.1-inch, 2560×1600 pixel display, which was the world's highest resolution tablet display at the time of its release. The Nexus 10 was announced on October 29, 2012, and became available on November 13, 2012.
The Fire HDX, formerly named Kindle Fire HDX, was a high-end model in Amazon Fire line of tablet computers. It was announced on September 25, 2013, and was available in two models, 7 inch and 8.9 inch. The 7 inch WiFi model was released on October 18, 2013, and the 8.9 inch WiFi model was released on November 7, 2013, in the United States.
Android Lollipop is the fifth major version of the Android mobile operating system developed by Google and the 12th version of Android, spanning versions between 5.0 and 5.1.1. Unveiled on June 25, 2014 at the Google I/O 2014 conference, it became available through official over-the-air (OTA) updates on November 12, 2014, for select devices that run distributions of Android serviced by Google. Its source code was made available on November 3, 2014. The first phone with Android Lollipop was the Nexus 6.
The HP Slate 21 is a computer developed by Hewlett-Packard that runs the Android operating system. It was announced on June 24, 2013, via HP's blog The Next Bench with a price of $399.00, and released in September that year. It is described as either an all-in-one desktop computer or a large tablet computer.
DigitaOS was a short lived digital camera operating system created by Flashpoint Technology and used on various Kodak, Pentax, and HP cameras in the late 1990s. DigitaOS debuted with the Kodak DC220 on 20 May 1998, and was released on a total of 11 camera models before it was abandoned in 2001. DigitaOS was notable for its ability to run third-party software, a concept that was not again realized until the release of various Android based digital cameras in the early 2010s.
