We haven't seen an innovative tablet since the iPad, and Google appears to be on the verge of changing this. The search giant is working hard on a tablet that is 3D aware; it is similar to the company's Project Tango smartphone that was demoed earlier this year.
According to the Wall Street Journal, this particular tablet will come equipped with a 7-inch display, along with two cameras at the rear of the device with infrared depth sensors. In addition, the device will also come with advanced imaging software to help with creating a 3D image.
A source, who spoke with the Wall Street Journal, claims Google is planning to produce over 4,000 of these tablets, and manufacturing will begin next month.
The idea here with this device, is to give consumers the ability to do realistic 3D mapping with their tablets, and soon with their smartphone. Users can create virtual experiences as they move through the real world.
The sensors on the tablet should have the ability to make more than 250 million 3D measurements every second to create a 3D image of the user's surroundings. By taking into contrast what this tablet would be capable of and the technology inside, we have reasons to believe it won't be cheap, unless Google plans to take a beating on profit.
If this tablet is real, we should get a glimpse of what is capable of doing at the company's annual I/O conference that is scheduled to be held at the end of June, this year. If done right, this tablet could very well steal the show, and turn out to be the winning tablet Google has been looking for to unseat the iPad. However, this will only be possible if the search giant can make 3D imaging fun for the average Joe and the average Jane.
Several top players in the tech industry are playing the game of 3D imaging. Facebook is ahead of the game with the purchase of Oculus VR, Sony is making its move with Project Morpheus, Microsoft is also doing its own thing behind closed door, and only recently we've learnt that Samsung is working on a VR headset for smartphones.
