Motorola and Verizon set to launch TV tablet

Verizon and Motorola are partnering to develop a portable TV tablet to rival Apple's iPad
Verizon and Motorola are partnering to develop a portable TV tablet to rival Apple's iPad

Motorola is teaming up with Verizon to develop a tablet TV device set to rival Apple's popular iPad.

The Financial Times reports this week that the fruits of the new partnership will be devices that allow users to watch television on the move.

The device may launch as early as this coming autumn in the US, although there has been no official announcement from Verizon or Motorola to date.

Pay-TV on the move

The new tablet TV is expected to run on Google's Android OS and be tied in to Verizon's FiOS digital pay TV service.

Motorola and Verizon's tablet TV will have a ten-inch screen and will also feature two cameras, plus it will be able to share its Wi-Fi connectivity with other devices, according to unnamed sources close to the project.

It will also support Adobe's Flash software, which is something that the Apple iPad doesn't offer users, with Apple backing the HTML 5 standard on iPhone and iPad.

Verizon Wireless owns a 25 per cent share of the US TV market and a 29 per cent share of the US broadband market.

Sanjay Jha, Chief Executive of Motorola's mobile devices business, said back in May of this year: "We're very focused on participating in this convergence between mobility and home, and I actually think you will see some products from us in a very short period of time."

Via FT.com

Adam Hartley