Back in early June, we got a glimpse of some of the iPad competitors that’ll be hitting shelves later this year. One of the main contenders is Asus, with the company showing off 10- and 12-inch versions of its impending EeePad line due in early 2011.
The company’s 12-inch tablet will reportedly run a full blown version of Windows 7 Home Premium, while the 10-inch version was initially outed as running a more mobile-esque operating system from Microsoft called Windows Embedded Compact 7, in the interest of battery life and portability.
Those plans have apparently changed now, with Netbook News reporting that Asus will be delivering the 10-inch EP101TC running the Android operating system. According to the site, "ASUS is planning on waiting for the 3.0 dust to settle and launch in Q1 of 2011."
The "3.0" part refers to the "Gingerbread" version of Android due in the fall aimed at smartphones with 1GHz or higher processors and with support for displays up to 720p resolution, making it ideal for tablets.
The decision to go with Android over Windows Embedded Compact likely wasn’t too tough to make for Asus, as more and more emphasis is placed on app stores nowadays. Android has a built-in application ecosystem that becomes more and more robust as more and more Android devices hit the market. You don’t hear much about Windows Embedded Compact devices.
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