December 21, 2009, 8:06 AM — With CES just a few short weeks away the new product announcements are starting to roll in. One category that I anticipate being hot: internet tablets, with Android as a popular OS for mobile gadgets. A perfect example is the ICD Ultra. This tablet has a 7" touchscreen, and runs Android 2.0 on an Nvidia Tegra T20 chipset. It'll do 1080P playback and has an HDMI out to connect it to a TV.
Engadget got some hands-on time with a prototype of the device, and Engadget's Josh Topolski got a spot on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to show off the device (video embedded below; he shows the Ultra after the Nook, at about the 1:30 countdown mark). While exact pricing isn't set yet, ICD told Engadget they were shooting "for somewhere in the $249 price range" depending on options. Slashgear has also covered the Ultra and says there are two models: one with a resistive touchscreen that runs at 800x480 and one with a capacitive touchscreen that runs at 1024x600. As the Ultra has built in 3G there's also the possibility of a subsidized version coming from a carrier.
While it isn't really fair to compare "coming soon" and "in stores now" products, it's hard not to get excited about the possibility of a $250 7" tablet when the Archos 5 (a 5" tablet) sells for about $300 at big box retailers. If 7" isn't big enough, ICD is also lists a Vega model that has a 15.6" touchscreen (no pricing info at this point) and Notion Ink is bringing a 10.1" tablet to CES (read about it at Slashgear). All of these tablets run Android and do more than just run a web browser.
The $500 JooJoo's window is closing fast.
Follow Peter on Google+
