Future Forecast: Merging the Tablet and Mobile Phone Category

Apple may have had a vision for the tablet industry when they came out with the Apple iPad. After all, with most of their profit coming from the iPhone, there was no doubt that they intended that the tablet device would co-exist with the smart phone. However, as cool as it may be to have a pocket based device handling your calls and very mobile needs and a dedicated large display tablet for media access, the concept still goes beyond the trend of consolidation.

Just as smart phones have merged together GPS, beepers, Pocket PCs and mobile phones into a single handset, a new generation of touch screen tablets is going to change the need for the mobile phone. As opposed to having the smart phone co-exist with a tablet, the two will have separate areas of use: tablets for the home and mobile phones when you are on the go. As for taking calls when at home, that will be a function that tablets will also deliver.

Apple’s iPad may not support that idea, but upcoming Android tablets seem to be on track. Samsung’s Galaxy Tape is already bringing plenty of features that surpass the iPad in almost every single way –and having phone calls is just one factor. The tablet is set to have a faster processor and will be using the super AMOLED touch screen –which makes the 7 inch screen better than Apple’s 9.7 inch vanilla display.

At the same time, smart phones are also going along with the larger touch screen display option as well. Dell’s Streak (which is also known as the Dell Mini 5) and Sony Ericsson’s upcoming 5.5 inch display smart phones are just two examples. We can expect to see more devices with large touch screens appearing on the market soon.

Tags: Apple, Apple-iPad, Apple-iPhone, Dell, Dell-Streak, Google-Android, Samsung, Samsung-Galaxy-Tape, Sony Ericsson, super-AMOLED