Apple Online Store“Toshiba Corp. said Friday that it will release by year-end a tablet computer that runs on Google Inc.’s Android operating system, as the Japanese electronics maker aims to grab a chunk of a fast-growing tablet device market spearheaded by Apple Inc.’s iPad,” Juro Osawa reports for The Wall Street Journal. “The company said it will sell the Folio 100 in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It has yet to decide whether to launch it in other regions such as the U.S. or Japan, a company spokeswoman said.”

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Osawa reports, “Toshiba is among many electronics manufacturers around the world looking to ride the wave of demand that has swelled with the iPad.”

MacDailyNews Take: Bottom feeders.

Osawa reports, “Samsung Electronics Co. Thursday unveiled the Galaxy Tab, which also runs on the Android software. Sharp Corp. in July showed off prototypes of a tablet it hopes will be the “iPad made in Japan,” and plans to officially unveil the new product later this month. ‘The market for tablet devices like the iPad is attracting a lot of consumer attention,’ said the Toshiba spokeswoman.”

MacDailyNews Take: Thanks for the newsflash, genius.

Osawa reports, “The Folio 100 is equipped with a 10.1-inch multi-touch display and an embedded webcam [1.3-megapixel]… Toshiba expects the model that can connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi networks to sell for 399 euros (US$500). The company has yet to decide when it will launch another model with 3G connectivity.”

MacDailyNews Note: The Folio 100 weighs 760 grams and measures 28 centimeters by 18 cm by 1.4 cm. The processor is a Nvidia Tegra 2 and the device has 16GB of built-in storage, with optional SD card expansion. Toshiba claims “Battery life: 7 hours (65% web browsing, 10% video playback, 25% standby).” Apple’s iPad has a 9.7-inch screen, weighs 680 grams (Wi-Fi) / 730 grams (Wi-Fi + 3G) and measures 24.28 cm by 18.97 cm by 1.34 cm. iPad is powered by Apple’s A4 processor and comes in 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB capacities with prices starting at $499. iPad battery life offers “up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music and up to 9 hours of surfing the web using 3G data network.”

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: They can’t roll out the derivative failures fast enough. So what happens if Apple’s patents are finally upheld and Android is found to contain all manner of Apple’s intellectual property? What about all of this half-assed dreck littering uninformed consumers’ bags and pockets?