CES Fails To Deliver iPad KillerCES Fails To Deliver iPad Killer

The slew of Android tablet devices announced this week has been unending. Companies including Vizio, Asus, Acer, LG, Samsung, Motorola, Dell, Toshiba, NEC and others announced new tablet hardware. Are any of them any good? Well...

LG's G Slate tablet is vaporware. The company shared no details about the device whatsoever, other than the fact that it runs Android 3.0 and will be compatible with T-Mobile's HSPA+ 4G network. LG didn't even offer a mock-up image.

The Dell Streak 7 inexplicably runs Android 2.2 and not the tablet-optimized Android 3.0 Honeycomb. That makes it dead on arrival. No one is going to want the non-optimized software knowing what Android 3.0 delivers in terms of functionality. The seven inch screen may appeal to some.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab was only refreshed for Verizon Wireless with LTE. It runs Android 2.2, and the company hasn't said if it will get Android 3.0.

The rest are a mish-mash of 7- and 10-inch models running Android 2.2 or 3.0. None of the specs are overly impressive, and none appear to break new ground in terms of features or functionality.

In my opinion, Best In Show for all the tablets announced this week is the Motorola Xoom. Its 10.1-inch display is one of the largest and the hardware looks good all around. Motorola is doing the right thing by getting it to market with 3G as early as possible, while promising a 4G update later in the year. It doesn't hurt that it has Verizon Wireless backing it up. It has a fighting chance against Apple's category leader.

Why aren't the rest iPad-killers? Quality of the hardware, disjointed user interfaces, differing screen sizes and questions about app compatibility, distribution channels, and the lack of a syncing client such as iTunes to really manage applications, content, and settings. None of them are as elegant or refined as the iPad either.

Not that the iPad is perfect. It isn't. It has many flaws. While these tablets will surely appeal to many people, none of them will unseat the iPad from its number one spot.