IT chiefs to be spoilt for tablet choice

New tablet devices from RIM, HTC and Dell are about to hit the market

IT leaders looking to equip staff with tablet PCs face a growing choice of devices, with some high-profile launches due soon.

RIM's long-awaited PlayBook device is scheduled to be launched next week, with the supplier anxious for its first tablet to mirror the success it has had in the business smartphone market.

However, RIM could struggle to claw market share from established tablet makers like Apple and Samsung, after early PlayBook reviews were less than flattering.

Meanwhile, HTC is expected to launch its Flyer tablet in the UK on 9 May, and Carphone Warehouse, Clove and Amazon are already taking pre-orders for the device, at a price of £600.

The Flyer has just a 1.5GHz single-core processor but does have internal storage of 32GB, 1GB RAM, a 5 megapixel camera and a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for videoconferencing. It will run on the Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system.

Finally, Dell has announced that its new 7in tablet, called the Streak 7, is now available in the UK with a starting price of £299.

The tablet runs on the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system, has 16GB of storage and a 5 megapixel camera, with a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera.