Telstra's 4G Android tablet: go ogle it! - iTWire

The Android OS hasn’t just been useful for the big-name smartphone companies to use as an OS that competes with Apple’s iOS or Microsoft’s Windows Phone, it has also been useful for telcos and many other players wishing to have their own brand tablet.

Although Telstra first got in the Android tablet game way back when the Telstra T-Tab came on the scene, and offers an Android “cordless PSTN phone” tablet in the Telstra T-Hub 2, Telstra’s now got a 4G tablet, too - and it's launching tomorrow, which is why the Telstra website doesn't yet acknolwedge the Telstra 4G Tablet's existence, pointing instead to "the new iPad" and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9-inch 4G tablet.

Telstra tablets and the "own brand" versions of various companies are obviously made by one of the Android OEM brands, which as a commenter to this article has already noted, could be ZTE or a similar Chinese OEM brand, as opposed to Samsung or anyone else.

The first 4G tablet to run on Telstra's 4G LTE network was and still is a Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 8.9-inch model, launched just before the 3rd-gen iPad which didn’t have Aussie 4G compatibility, although Apple’s just-released 4th-gen iPad is now, like the iPhone 5, Aussie 4G ready. Telstra doesn't appear to sell the 4G Samsung 8.9-inch Tab outright, with the cheapest plan for a 16GB model over 24 months with 1GB every month at $48 per month, at a minimum cost of $1152 over that time.

But with your own brand comes the ability to generate more of your own profits, do whatever customisations you prefer (which might annoy some end-users, especially if any customisation turns out to be heavy handed and unremovable, which is as-yet unknown with the Telstra 4G Tablet), and hopefully creates more brand loyalty by having delivered a powerful enough experience on what turns out to be a good 4G tablet, rather than an experience that ultimately leaves you wishing you'd purchased an iPad, iPad mini, Nexus or other brand name Android tablet instead - which is yet to be seen.

The first reviews of the tablet will certainly attest to the level of quality, or otherwise, that Telstra has managed to deliver for AUD $480, and how it compares to its major competitors.

Because the tablet only launched via press release earlier this afternoon, I naturally haven’t had a chance to play with it yet, but judging by the Telstra 4G Tablet video that Telstra has placed on You Tube, (and embedded below), it looks like a standard, relatively thin and light Android 4.0 tablet, weighing in at 670 grams, just a touch heavier than 662g for the latest 4th-gen iPad with 4G/WiFI/GPS, with the standard look for an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwhich tablet.

While there's no word yet on if or when an Android OS 4.1 update will come for Telstra's 4G tablet, it comes with 16GB storage and 4G/:TE connectivity, Android OS 4.0, and is expandable to a max of 32GB total through MicroSD expansion.

It has a 10.1-inch HD touch screen at 1280x800 res, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, a 6900mAh battery that does “continuous video playback” for 9 hours, a 2 megapixel front and 5 megapixel rear camera and compatibility with the Google Play Store and 600,000+ apps â€" and comes in at an outright purchase price of AUD $480, while also naturally coming on with contract plan options as well.

The thing is, it competes with an iPad, and all the other non 4G but 3G+ and/or Wi-Fi tablets out there, including the upcoming iPad mini.

A 16GB 4th-gen iPad that’s Aussie 4G capable and has Apple’s superior Retina-class display costs AUD $629 outright. It's also available on plans from Telstra and others â€" although Telstra’s “new iPad” image still shows a 30-pin dock â€" methinks all these Telcos need to make clear if their “new iPads” are 3rd or new 4th-gen, ASAP!

Some will say the extra $149 for a 4th-gen new 4G iPad will be worth it over the Telstra 4G tablet, including for the display and fastest yet A6 chip, doubling the speed of the iPad experience you know today (and double that of the iPad mini), while others will say $150 is $150.

And speaking of the iPad mini, some will find that it comes 16GB with 4G/LTE/3G/Wi-Fi/GPS for AUD $509 outright, or $29 more than Telstra's 4G tablet but that version of the iPad mini won't come out until late November - and it's still more expensive - just - than Telstra 's own 4G model.

Still, it is a 10.1-inch model, it runs Android 4.0 so has that wide library of apps, even if they aren't as feature or UI rich as most iPad apps, has 4G LTE and what sound like more than good enough features to hopefully deliver a good Android OS experience. It's also the only 10.1-inch tablet Telstra is offering at the moment, with iPad being 9.7-inches and the Samsung being 8.9-inches.

Given that Vodafone has already announced it will offer the iPad mini on plans, Telstra may well do the same too, especially as it can offer iPad mini users a 4G LTE connection, so in between then, Telstra's own 10.1-inch Android 4G Android tablet arrives to see how much tablet share it can garner all by itself as Telstra's own 4G tablet brand.

Perhaps Telstra will throw them in with future home phone/mobile/Internet/Foxtel deals as sweeteners, but Telstra obviously believes it will be able to sell quite a few of its own brand 4G tablets in stores to Austr alians, so hopefully the tablet does offer a solid level of performance that lets people surf the web, play games, use maps, run apps, watch YouTube, do email, take photo and video, take typed, recorded and transcribed notes, and do everything else that modern tablets can do - as noted, the first reviews will be interesting to read.

Oddly, Telstra’s specs don’t mention Wi-Fi at all, and the new Telstra 4G tablet isn’t yet seen on Telstra’s website, at least at time of publication, due to its launching tomorrow. We have emailed Telstra’s PR people to ask and will update this section as soon as possible â€" it seems unlikely Telstra would release an Android tablet without a Wi-Fi option.   Update: A Telstra spokesperson confirms the Telstra 4G Tablet has Wi-Fi 802.11 B/G/N.

Anthea Roberts, Director, Telstra Mobile, noted that the “Telstra 4G Tablet was created to cater for tech-minded Australian families”, and said: “Given Australians’ appetite for technology we know that mobile tablets will be on many shopping lists this holiday season.

“We think the Telstra 4G Tablet will be a popular option, taking the latest touch-screen technology and making it accessible to everyday Australian families,”

“Its versatility is a big drawcard, providing entertainment that keeps the kids amused to reading e-books, checking email or catching up on Facebook.

“And with 4G mobile connectivity built in, customers can watch HD YouTube clips, stream music and enjoy rich internet content traditionally confined to a PC screen.”

The details of Telstra’s mobile tablets and plans can be found here, to be updated tomorrow sometime with details and plan pricings for Telstra's new 4G tablet.

Here’s Telstra’s new 4G Tablet video as hosted at YouTube: