HTC Flyer vs PlayBook vs Dell Streak 7 vs Galaxy Tab

HTC Flyer
The HTC Flyer boasts the 2.3.3 Gingerbread version of Android

When the HTC Flyer and BlackBerry PlayBook hit the market, they'll no doubt be compared to the ubiquitous iPad. But they are 7-inch tablets, so let's pit them against the other seven inchers available - the original Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Dell Streak 7.

We should be seeing the PlayBook arrive in early summer, while the HTC Flyer is imminent. The HTC Flyer UK release date is 9 May.

The HTC tablet has been given an eye-watering pre-order price of £599.99 from The Carphone Warehouse, but as yet we don't exactly know when the PlayBook will hit UK streets - although it will be out on 19 April in the US.

Our colleagues at T3.com grabbed some BlackBerry PlayBook footage which you can watch below.

OS

The BlackBerry PlayBook runs RIM's own bespoke Tablet OS. The others all run Android, but not Android 3.0 Honeycomb like bigger tablets. Instead, the HTC Flyer runs Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread - everyone has been surprised that it doesn't have Android 3.0 and although it has been rumoured that it might come about at launch, so far nothing is confirmed.

The original Galaxy Tab - released only last October - already feels like yesterday's news. It runs Android 2.2 FroYo, like the Dell Streak 7 (and Dell Streak 5, for that matter).

While the PlayBook's OS is specially designed for tablet use, the problem with the earlier non-Android 3.0 versions of Android is that, quite frankly, they aren't designed for tablets. However, they are still usable and we reckon we'll see Honeycomb arrive on some of these tablets before too long.

Contributor

Dan (Twitter, Google+) is TechRadar's Former Deputy Editor and is now in charge at our sister site T3.com. Covering all things computing, internet and mobile he's a seasoned regular at major tech shows such as CES, IFA and Mobile World Congress. Dan has also been a tech expert for many outlets including BBC Radio 4, 5Live and the World Service, The Sun and ITV News.