The rumor mill is in full swing again, and this time it does not involve the iPhone 4, PalmPad, Windows 7 Phone or even the Android tablet.
What could it be you say? How about a dirt cheap tablet running Chrome OS by Google.
As for the launch date of November 26th, well, that’s all kinds of brilliant. It’s Black Friday 2010 and the busiest shopping day of the year in the U.S. — so what better day to have a shiny new tablet in the cabinet at Verizon kiosks and stores all over the country? You can bet Google’s Chrome OS tablet will be heavily subsidized, and I’d go so far as to say it will be substantially cheaper than the iPad – if not totally free — with a Verizon data contract. (Download Squad)
Note: Emphasis theirs.
While this information probably explains why Google sold out on the net neutrality front, it could also indicate that Verizon is probably not receiving the iPhone this January (although a CDMA iPad remains plausible).
According to rumors the gTablet (or will Google call it gPad?) will sport a minimum 32 GB SSD as well as a web cam, although its inexpensive price could lure consumers away from the iPad which currently is unable to support flash (unlike Chrome OS which will).
Combined with Google’s upcoming web app store in October we may see the search engine giant create what everyone else has tried (and failed) at doing: produce an iDevice killer that matches Apple in power and elegance.
It will be interesting to see if Verizon can popularize Chrome OS across the US, although Google’s best efforts may lie in allowing more carriers to partake in the gPad
(via Mashable)
Originally posted on August 18, 2010 @ 12:54 pm