HTC’s first Android tablet to be named Flyer, debut in March

A rumor out of Digitimes suggests HTC will launch its first Android tablet in March. Dubbed the Flyer, the slate device is expected to be an oversized version of the HTC Desire and will be powered by Android 2.3. Details on the underlying hardware was not provided but I would assume the tablet would be updated with the latest processor and display technology on the market and not be a mere clone of the Desire. Though the Desire’s 1GHz Snapdragon CPU is a strong performer and the AMOLED display is gorgeous, it would be nice to see another slate device with a dual-core Tegra 2 processor and a seven to ten inch, high resolution Super LCD display.

The tablet will launch with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but is expected to get a bump up to Honeycomb (Android 3.0) when this tablet-centric version of the mobile operating system is released by Google. The Flyer is expected to launch on or before Q2 2011, a timeframe carefully chosen by the manufacturer. According to Digitimes’ Asian sources, the Taiwanese manufacturer reportedly will launch with carrier support and wants to hit the market before the Motorola XOOM, the BlackBerry PlayBook and maybe even the iPad 2. Besides the Flyer, HTC is also working on two other Android tablets that will debut in June with Android 3.0 Honeycomb installed at launch. Anyone interested in some super-sized smartphones from Peter Chou et al.?

[Via Digitimes]