Mention the world tablet today and chances are you’re probably not talking about a pain relief medication.

Since Apple’s introduction of the iPad to the world earlier this year, the tablet computer – a large touchscreen device without a keyboard – has gained an all new energy.

And while the iPad grabbed the headlines and sparked long queues of eager users outside Apple stores across the world – it wasn’t the first tablet on the market.

Tablet computers have been around for years but have been a niche product aimed at high-end and highly mobile users.

The term tablet PC has been around since 2001 after the release of touchscreen products by manufacturers such as Fujitsu and Toshiba.

These older tablets were running the full Windows operating system which means they ran just like a regular desktop computer or laptop with people using a stylus instead of a keyboard to interact with it.

But what Apple’s iPad has heralded is a consumer device with most of the capabilities of a computer but with a streamlined operating system that makes it easier and faster to use.

For Apple such an operating system already existed for its hugely successful iPhone and naturally the company ramped it up for the larger screen format the iPad offers.

But Apple is not the lone ranger when it comes to consumer tablet devices.

The iPad is the leader at the moment but it faces a challenge from a number of other companies utilising the rival Android operating system to power their new products.

Android was developed by internet giant Google and is already being seen in a number of smartphones by companies like HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Dell, Motorola and LG.

Now that system has been expanded for the tablet form factor and we’re starting to see of a stream of new products.

The appeal of Apple’s iOS operating system on the iPhone and iPad and Google’s Android is the ease it gives consumers to connect to the internet either directly through a web browser or email client or via mini applications called apps.

These apps, which are used in a variety of categories including education, information, productivity and entertainment, are becoming a thriving business which analysts predict will be worth $30 billion annually by 2013.

Samsung, one of the largest electronics manufacturers in the world, put a shot across Apple’s bow with the unveiling of the Galaxy Tab last week.

The device has a 7-inch screen, a front and rear camera, a memory card slot with Wi-FI and cellular network connectivity.

But unlike Apple’s iPad, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab will also be able to make and receive phone calls and text messages.

The iPad has a sim card tray but this can only be used for data to access the internet outside Wi-Fi zones.

Dell has also entered the tablet arena with the Streak – an Android device with a 5-inch screen that is also an overgrown touchscreen mobile.

“With Apple’s release of the iPad the tablet PC market has been given a real stir,” says Hugo Ortega founder of tablet PC importer and manufacturer Tegatech.

“Whilst these PC versions were all similar in function often the execution of size, weight, shape and price meant that tablet PCs never caught the attention of mainstream consumers.

“Apple’s iteration of the tablet, the iPad, has since inspired a new generation of mobile computing hardware with PC manufacturers implementing many of the iPad’s appealing features into soon to be released designs.

“So whether you choose an iPad, a Windows-based tablet or the newer Android versions it seems as though enthusiasts will be spoilt with a plethora of hardware from manufacturers both new and old.”

Other companies preparing tablets with either Android or Microsoft Windows 7 operating system, which has been optimised for touchscreen devices, include Toshiba, Sharp, Asus and HP.

Research In Motion, the Canadian company which produces the BlackBerry, are also about to go into the tablet business with a device similar in size and shape to Apple’s iPad. The rumoured “BlackPad” would utilise the BlackBerry’s popular operating system and run the same apps which can be used on the company’s popular range of BlackBerry smartphones.

Google will also enter the fray in November with a tablet product that will run the company’s latest software effort – Chrome – which is designed for lightweight netbooks.

The appealing features of today’s tablets – referred to as the fourth screen after TV, mobile and computer – are the touchscreen interactivity, the portable and light form-factor and the ease they can connect to the internet. In other words a great device for consuming content rather than creating it.

For this reason the platform is being seen as the next step in the evolution of media content with newspapers, magazines and books already available for the iPad and Android devices.

A tablet, thanks to its touch screen and processing power, can preserve the essence of the printed product while including the multimedia aspects seen on websites.

But tech analyst firm Ovum has warned the iPad and the other upcoming tablet products will not magically secure the future of newspaper and magazine publishing.

“The iPad and the tablet product category are a revenue opportunity and a showcase for the future of packaged media,” says Ovum’s media and broadcast analyst Adrian Drury.

“However, this new fourth screen does not alone represent the silver bullet for the news and magazine industry.

“The iPad promise is a set of new distribution channels for packaged media, but it is one device and volumes will take time to build.”

But forecasts for the iPad and Android tablets are optimistic with Ovum predicting sales of Apple’s iPad alone exceeding 13 million by the end of next year.

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