Google, Microsoft Prepping iPad RivalsGoogle, Microsoft Prepping iPad Rivals

Google and Microsoft are reportedly working on their own slate computers that would challenge Apple's iPad.

Google chief executive Eric Schmidt told friends about the company's new device at a recent Los Angeles party, and the company is talking to publishers about delivering books, magazines and other content to the device, The New York Times reported Sunday. The gadget would run exclusively on Google's Android operating system.

Microsoft, on the other hand, has built a prototype of a slate. The device, called the Courier, is about the size of an average paperback and unfolds to reveal two screens, a Microsoft employee claiming to have seen the device told the Times. Users would be able to write on the screens using a stylus and would be able to drag content between the two screens.

While Microsoft engineers have talked about having the device ready for release by early 2011, no official announcement has been made on whether to sell the computer.

For the latest Apple tablet news, opinion and conversation, be sure to check out information's Special Report: Tablet Wars -- Can Apple Three-peat?

Reports of Microsoft's Courier first surfaced in September 2009. While it was first seen as a niche device, Microsoft may now be considering a much broader consumer market.

Microsoft, Google and other tech companies that serve consumers are under pressure to respond to Apple's iPad, released April 3. Apple claims to have sold more than 450,000 units the first few days of its release.

While it's too soon to say for sure, the iPad has the potential of redefining the portable computing category, much like the iPhone ushered in a new era for smartphones. Not wanting to be left out of what could be a profitable market, companies such as Acer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Lenovo are planning to offer their own slates, which in general are thin touch-screen computers expected to cost less than $600.

Microsoft is already in the tablet business to the extent that it is supplying the operating system for HP's tablet-style computer introduced this month. The yet-to-be-named slate features a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, an 8.9-inch, multi-touch display, 32 or 64 GB of Flash storage, and 1 GB of DDR RAM, according to Engadget, citing internal HP documents. The device would run Windows 7, support high-definition video playback, and sell for between $549 and $599.