Six Vendors Vying for iPad Killer Status

1. Dell While some are proclaiming the little Dell Streak to be an iPad competitor, its awkward 5-inch size (too big to be a smartphone, too small to be a tablet) will be a liability. Dell is more likely to make waves with a 2011 release of a true tablet–rumored to be offered as 7-inch and 10-inch variants.

2. RIMResearch in Motion is quickly losing its cool factor in this increasingly competitive mobile device landscape. It recently announced a new refresh to its Blackberry line, plus its very own tablet companion device is in the works. The big plus for this vendor could be, of course, is its legacy of enterprise-ready security. But it’s nowhere near announcing a release date.

3. ASUSLikely to beat out a lot of potential iPad killers to market with an expected July sales date, ASUS eeePad has got several features Apple has yet to offer with the iPad, including Adobe Flash support and USB support.

4. AcerAcer has said that it believes the iPad’s screen may be a little bit too big. With an expected release date around fourth quarter, its unnamed Droid-based tablet will offer a smaller 7- inch screen and a QWERTY keyboard.

5. Notion Ink No word on a distinct release date, but this little company is hoping to be the David to Apple’s Goliath with its Adam Tablet, a device sporting an impressive set of ’10s’: 10-inch screen and a 10 hour battery life. Best of all, the device allows the user to chose between a full color display like the iPad or the popular e-ink screen used by many e-readers for minimized eye strain.

6. HPAfter jilting Windows 7 at the altar by killing its Microsoft-based Slate launch, HP is purportedly going to leverage the webOS platform newly acquired from Palm once the deal goes through in July to revise its tablet.