Whether we like it or not, tablet computers are going to start dominating the mobile market this year. Our ever-growing thirst for data connectivity everywhere we go is quickly outpacing the capabilities of our Smartphones. We want bigger screens to watch our HD videos and browse the web, more powerful hardware for extra productivity, and the battery life to make it through the day. Tablets meet these demands, and that is why there will be nearly hundreds to choose from by the end of the year. But in case you don’t want to wait, there are tablets available today; however, can they hold up against the new tablets of tomorrow?

The Apple iPad

The iPad has been available since November of 2010, and it currently sits at the pinnacle of the tablet world. Its 10-inch XGA resolution (1024×768) screen does well to satisfy your video viewing and web browsing needs, and the iTunes App Store keeps it well stocked with feature rich applications. The hardware, however, leaves something to be desired. In fact, even several months before the iPad’s release, there were already several mobile phones that boasted similar or even more capable hardware, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S phones. With even more powerful tablet devices coming out in the next months, you have to ask yourself, “Is that Apple backbone of the original iPad strong enough to compete?”

The Samsung Galaxy Tab

The Galaxy Tab is almost literally an enlarged version of the top-selling Galaxy S Smartphone. Compared to the iPad, the Galaxy tab is slightly more powerful and has a front and rear facing camera, but it only has a 7-inch display, which does allow it to fit into a pocket, but can be a bit limiting with screen space. Built on the Android Operating System, it has an app store that truly does rival Apple’s; however, the version of Android it uses is a bit premature for Tablet use, giving it manageable functionality while being less than ideal. As it doesn’t share the iPad’s strong Apple roots, the Galaxy Tab is likely on its last legs the upcoming dual-core tablets coming out this year.

The Dell Streak

While technically a Smartphone, its 5-inch display teeters dangerously close to tablet territory, so close in fact, that it’s worth mentioning. The Dell Streak may be smaller and considerably slower than other tablets, but it can do something neither the iPad nor Galaxy Tab can: make and receive phone calls. Still, being built on the Android platform (an even older version than the Galaxy Tab), it suffers from the same non-tablety interface.

A Promising Future Ahead

CES this year was ablaze with tablet announcements. Dual core Tegra 2 (that’s an impressively fast NVIDIA processor btw) tablets were on display, and perhaps even more significant, a Tablet version of Android (known as Honeycomb) was seen on several of them, like the Motorola Xoom. There were also very innovative hybrid devices, like the Tegra 2-powered Motorola Atrix, which is an Android Smartphone with laptop style docking station. The turnout was absolutely impressive, and one thing is for certain: all of these upcoming tablets will put last year’s to shame. Still, if I had to buy a tablet today, I’d go for the iPad.