Toshiba Tablet to debut at Las Vegas show

SAN FRANCISCO - Toshiba Corp. is hoping to lure consumers to its new tablet computer by including a screen that is slightly larger than the iPad and offering a version of Google Inc.'s Android mobile operating software geared toward such devices.

Tentatively called the Toshiba Tablet, the device will include a touch screen that measures 10.1 inches diagonally - compared with 9.7 inches on Apple Inc.'s iPad. Toshiba's device will also have the forthcoming version of Android, called Honeycomb.

It will be more optimized for tablets than current, smart-phone-focused versions of Android, by letting applications adjust to take advantage of the tablet's larger screen.

The Japanese computer and flat-screen TV maker is set to unveil the tablet at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. It won't be the only one: A handful of tablets were released in 2010, but many more are expected to be shown off at CES and hit store shelves later this year.

Since Apple unveiled its iPad last January, consumers have been clamoring for the sleek computing device, and manufacturers have started churning out competing products in an effort to capitalize on the iPad's popularity.

Toshiba's Tablet won't be the company's first, or its first Android tablet, but it will be the first time Toshiba is releasing such a product in the United States.

Toshiba expects to roll out the tablet by the end of June. A price has not yet been set, but the company believes it will be competitive with the iPad, which costs $499 to $829, depending on its memory capacity and wireless capabilities.

Showing off a nonworking prototype of the tablet to The Associated Press in December, Phil Osako, Toshiba's director of product marketing, said the device will be the first in a family of tablets the company plans to release. That device has a black, glossy face and rubberized back.

The Tablet's screen will be able to show high-definition videos in 1080p resolution, the highest offered on current TVs, and it includes an HDMI port to connect it to a high-definition television. It will also play Flash videos - something Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Tab can do as well, but the iPad cannot. - AP