HTC Flyer mixes iPad looks with stylus controls
HTC took the wraps off its new Flyer tablet computer this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and if early reports are any indication, HTC could have a hit on its hands. The HTC Flyer – no word on release date or price – will likely ship with a 1.5GHz processor, Android 2.4 Gingerbread OS, a high-resolution screen, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi antennas, and a pair of cameras, including a 1.3-megapixel webcam.
Most intriguingly, the HTC Flyer will also get a stylus and an application called Scribe, which will apparently let would-be artists – and quasi-Luddites – sketch or jot down notes the old-fashioned way.
Tablet computers, of course, are a dime a dozen these days. It seems like every tech company under the sun is scrambling to dive into the market currently dominated by the Apple iPad. But is that a good thing for consumers? In an interesting piece over at Slate, tech columnist Farhad Manjoo worries that as the number of tablets proliferates, the lack of inter-device compatibility could become more of a problem.
"The Motorola Xoom seems like a pretty nice machine, but I have no idea if developers will create Android versions of the slick apps we have on the iPad. If not, then why should I pay $800 for Motorola's tablet? Or look at the HP TouchPad: Will Netflix work on it? Nobody knows," Manjoo writes. "And even if HP does manage to get such high-profile apps eventually, will programmers still think of Apple as the most important app platform?"
Good questions, and the article is one well worth reading. In the meantime, sign up for the free weekly Innovation newsletter for all our tablet and tech toy news. The newsletter is emailed out every Wednesday morning.
