Laptop? Smartphone? Netbook? How about a Tablet?Laptop? Smartphone? Netbook? How about a Tablet?

Small is the new Large! Given users newfound proclivity to bound from place rather than sit at their desks, suppliers have been developing a bevy of mobile devices. Broadcom is the latest supplier to jump into this space with silicon that can be used for a portable computing tablet, a market that soon could receive a big boost from industry game changer, Apple Inc.Recent technical advances have made it possible for vendors to deliver powerful, compact computing devices. In fact, the processing power found in many smartphones today resembles what was found in yesterdays PCs. Netbooks are a compact, sleek version of their laptop cousins. While most of the industrys attention has been focused on the growing battle between traditional cell phone suppliers and established PC vendors, the tablet segment has been largely ignored. That may change if rumors about Apples plans to enter that market (perhaps as early as the spring of 2010) come to fruition. These devices were introduced at the turn of the millennium but have been largely a nice technology. Given the success of its iPhone, some observers think that the vendor may be able to energize the tablet market, so it becomes a more common business tool.

Broadcom has also placed a bet on the emergence of tablet systems, with the introductions of its Persona Internet protocol (IP) communications platform for multimedia connected consumer devices. The Persona platform runs Broadcoms MediaxChange Linux based software, which supports voice, video and data applications. The product is designed to be integrated into products from hardware suppliers rather than a device sold directly to small and medium businesses. The announcement is noteworthy because Broadcom is a leading supplier of silicon to many of the industrys top companies. Its interest in tablet computing could foreshadow the entry of a number of new suppliers (Dell is another vendor reportedly working on a new tablet system) vying to provide customers with another mobile computing option.