We're not even half-way through 2010 and tablet PCs have begun taking over the world. They are in the news, in articles, in conversations and on peoples' minds and have already made their way into a few hands. Having come a long way from when they were defined as "pen-enabled computers," they are now beginning to strike the right chord with consumers. Here are a few tablets which are expected to be available by the end of this year.
 
The iPad from Apple was released earlier this month and the response has been nothing less than phenomenal. Though a large number of people were dissatisfied with the specifications, this device sold over 300,000 pieces on the first day itself. The iPad, which weighs less than 1kg, is only half an inch thick. Its multi-touch display is 9.7 inches wide diagonally and has a resolution of 1024x768 pixels. The iPad is powered by a 1GHz Apple A4 custom designed processor which boasts high performance and low power consumption that gives the iPad a battery life of up to 10 hours. This device has an internal storage capacity of up to 64GB and the basic model comes with Wi-Fi for connectivity.

The JooJoo is another tablet that was released earlier this month. While a review out on popular technology blog —engadget — mentioned a bunch of positive points, this tablet, launched at the same time as that of iPad, was not priced competitively and does not seem to have done well.

Slate, HP’s upcoming tablet computing device showcased by Steve Ballmer at the Consumer Electronics Show, is much closer to the hands of those in waiting. HP released a new 30-second video clip of its new slate device, no longer mysteriously priced. Priced between $549 and $599, the Slate is cheaper than most versions of the iPad and is expected to release sometime this year. It has an 8.9-inch capacitive multi-touch display with a resolution of 1024x600 pixels. It also supports input via a pen/digitizer. The Slate is powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, runs Windows 7 Home Premium and comes loaded with HP's touch optimized user interface. This device is equipped with 1GB of RAM and 23/64 of storage via flash cards. The Slate also boasts two cameras, a 3-megapixel outward facing camera and a VGA webcam. For connectivity, the Slate has a USB port, conventional SIM card tray, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and optional 3G. It has a battery that is expected to last up to 5 hours.

Adam, from Notion Ink, has impressive specifications and is also in its late stages of development and might release this summer. It has a Pixel Qi transreflective display that can be used outdoors as well. It also boasts a 1GHz processor, integrated Wi-fi, Bluetooth, 3G, multitouch and is capable of 1080p full HD video playback. It has a camera which can be rotated 180 degrees. This will enable voice chat and photography. It also has support for flash, which means that there are now thousands of flash based applications and games available for it, including Farmville, the extremely popular game on Facebook. The Adam runs Android and can multitask — it will be possible to, for example, listen to internet radio while browsing the web or looking at photos.

The recent leak of Dell's roadmap for 2010 on engadget also contains details about two tablets — the Streak and the Looking Glass, both running Android, the open source operating system. The Streak, previously known as the Mini 5, is a tablet with a 5-inch wide multi-touch screen. Though it has a very small screen, it is being categorized as a tablet. Expected to be out around September, it is powered by a 1 GHz processor, has a 5-megapixel camera and an additional VGA front facing camera. The second tablet, called the Looking Glass is going to be a great device for consuming content. It is equipped with a 7-inch wide display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixel. With connectivity via 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB, it supports a wide range of video formats including Adobe Flash.  Also, there are other rumors that Dell is currently working on a tablet with a 10 inch display.

With major enhancements in the base hardware and the software to use, the new line of tablet PCs is lighter, cheaper, faster and more efficient. In addition, services like Wi-Fi and mobile Internet are becoming commonplace in India as well and manufacturers are trying to come out with the snazziest devices to make the best use of that. This will be the year of tablet PCs and the stage is all set for their comeback.

Disclosure: The author is an employee of Microsoft. However, the opinions in this article are entirely his own and do not reflect those of his employer. Read a full disclosure.