Engadget's Vlad Savov just announced a new Android tablet called Gemini by ICD (Innovative Converged Devices), seemingly out of nowhere - Google searches do not bring up anything but Engadget's own post - it looks like they have an exclusive here. I hate using the term "###### killer", so I will not be calling it an iPad killer. However, it is going to give Apple a run for its money.

ICD Gemini Tablet

Gemini has beautiful 11.2" screen, compared to iPad's 9.7" - a whole 1.5" larger diagonally. This gives us 8.38 square inches of extra viewing space to ogle at.

But this is just the beginning. Gemini specs include:

  • an ultra-fast dual core nVidia Tegra 2 1GHz CPU
  • a 3G connection with voice, SMS, and MMS support
  • 2 cameras - 5MP autofocus on the back and 2MP fixed focus on the front - hey, that's way more than even my desktop's webcam has!
  • a GPS - the iPad doesn't have any
  • a user replaceable 40Wh battery compared to iPad's 25Wh one
  • an SD card reader
  • support for playing 1080P video
  • a promise to support Adobe Flash which is not too shocking considering this is an Android platform
  • dual speakers AND dual microphones for noise cancellation
  • FM radio
  • USB ports - iPad doesn't even have any
  • a 1366 x 768 pixel resolution
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, infrared
  • Android (of course, why else would we talk about it here?)
  • 11.8" x 7.5" x 6" dimensions

There is no word yet on Gemini's pricing and availability but, for its own good, ICD better work double shifts to push it out ASAP, before the device is made obsolete by other products, such as a new version of the iPad. We all don't want to witness the Sony Xperia X10 fiasco again with ICD, would we? The X10, revolutionary and exciting at the time of its announcement, took so many months to see the light of day (we're still counting them) that by the time it is released, it will just be an average Android phone.

ICD

ICD is a small technology company with presence in both UK and US. Its own ambitious goals are surely very reminiscent of Apple's:

We design technology. We create purposeful products driven by user centric design principles using the latest hardware and software technologies available. Our products are optimized for usability, aesthetics, technology and purpose. We specialize in NVIDIA chipset technologies running Google and Windows OS. We have basic goals:

Simplify. Innovate. Impress.

ICD manufactures tablets and mobile devices and distributes them (or at least plans to) with the help of T-Mobile. Its previously announced products include Vega (Engadget preview), Ultra, and a whole series of Velocity WinMo phones.

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