Reports surfaced late Tuesday night that Motorola is looking to enter the tablet game, becoming the next company to enter the space currently dominated by Apple’s iPad.
If the rumors prove true, the handset manufacturer would be the latest high-profile company to try its hands at a slate, following forthcoming devices from Hewlett-Packard, Asus , Dell, Samsung, Toshiba, and Sony—to name but a few.
According to the Financial Times, the device will include a 10-inch screen and run Google’s Android, the mobile operating system at least partially responsible for changing the fortunes of the struggling Motorola, through devices like T-Mobile’s Cliq and Verizon’s Droid and Droid X.
Motorola is reportedly working with Verizon once again. The rumored tablet is expected to be tied to Verizon’s FiOS service, with a focus on TV content. As the Times points out, Motorola is also the manufacturer behind Verizon’s FiOS set-top boxes.
Word of an Android-based Motorola tablet first surfaced back in May, when Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha told the press, “We’re very focused on participating in this convergence between mobility and home, and I actually think you will see some products from us in a very short period of time.”
Motorola is reportedly readying the device for release “as early as this autumn.” According to reports, it will be thinner than Apple’s iPad and will feature front- and back-facing cameras for photos and teleconferencing.
Yesterday, rumors also surfaced that fellow smartphone manufacturer Research in Motion is readying its own tablet for a November release.
