Engadget's blurry first look at Motorola's tablet for Verion

The end of the year is coming, which means there’s a bit of a lull in terms of new gadgets. Instead we get a bunch of teasing from companies preparing to showcase their newest products at CES. Today we have two big, possibly related teases for the Consumer Electronics Show 2011.

The first big tease comes from Motorola. The company responsible for the Droid released a video today detailing the history of tablets, complete with a few jabs at competing tablets from Apple and Samsung. The video ends with the new red Motorola logo under a veiled tablet, with a bee flying around it. Seems like an obvious nod to the Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet that keeps popping up from Motorola. It was last seen on stage at D: Dive Into Mobile in prototype form {Engadget}.

The other big tease comes as a bit of a gimme, with Verizon teasing LTE Android devices on January 6 {Twitter}. January 6 happens to be date where Verizon’s CEO will give the opening keynote presentation. So, it should be expected that the devices will be on display at the show. It could even be possible that we’ll see the Motorola Honeycomb tablet as part of that presentation. Shortly after the device appeared on stage Engadget scored a few images of a very similar device with Verizon branding. Of course, the tablet won’t be ready for launch at the show, but we’ll all be able to get a bit more information on the device, and other LTE Android devices.

The main difference between the US and European is that the US version of the Galaxy Tab loses the voice functionality that can be found in the European versions.  The US Galaxy Tab will be available on all US carriers, but those contracts will be data-only, so you can’t use the Galaxy Tab as a huge smartphone (which would have been cool).  The only option you have is to use Skype (assuming you have a Verizon Tab), or video-conferencing apps like Fring or Qik. {Engadget}

If you’d rather not be tethered to a two-year contract on a data-only tablet, Samsung has said a WiFi only version is in the works as well.  The WiFi only version would be more expensive, since it lacks the subsidy the carriers would provide.  Note that those prices have not yet been announced.  Also, the Galaxy Tab will work on 3G networks, but not Sprint’s 4G network, so you’re probably best just sticking with a Verizon version for pure coverage availability and the exclusive apps.

Speaking of prices, the only ones we have for the Galaxy Tab are for accessories and they’re quite expensive to say the least.  The cheapest accessory announced by Samsung is the Desktop Dock, which will prop the device up to make it easier to view content, and charge the device.  The Desktop Dock also includes an HDMI port, and will cost $49.99.  The other two accessories are the Keyboard Dock (has a full-size keyboard, and includes a stereo output jack), and the Car/GPS Dock (seems self-explanatory), both of which cost $99.99 each.  By comparison, Apple charges $29 for an iPad Dock and $69 for an iPad Keyboard Dock.

To better compete with the iPad, Samsung has added the Media Hub to the US version of the device (replacing the Reader Hub), which will give users a chance to buy or rent movies and TV shows.  Samsung has announced that it will have next-day content available from MTV Networks, NBC, Universal and Paramount at launch.  The content will be viewable on any Media Hub device (read: Galaxy S devices), and can be output via HDMI to be viewed on a TV screen.  Not as universal as the iTunes Store, but it’s a nice addition.

Oh yeah, the device itself is pretty good as well.  Dual cameras (5 MP on the back, and 1.3 MP on the front), Android 2.2,  and a 7-inch screen with a resolution of 1024×600 (better pixel-density than the iPad, but still lacking compared to the iPhone 4).  It weighs about 13 ounces, and is only 12 mm thick, so slightly heavier and thicker than the newest Amazon Kindle.

Well, we found a little something that makes the future of magazines look not just alive, but downright awesome. May we present to you Mag+, a concept design for a portable tablet eReader made from the collaborative juices of the designers at BERG and Bonnier R&D (the publishers of Popular Science).

As it’s designed right now, the Mag+ tablet has a touchscreen you can use to scroll vertically within an article and horizontally between stories. It’s a simple, uncluttered look - but you can also “heat up” the device (by rubbing it with your finger) to connect to web sites to share pictures, comment on stories, or dig up supplementary material.

But, more importantly, it looks frickin’ awesome. Don’t believe us? Check out the snazzy video.

Read More {Switched}

Read More {BERG}