Google wasn't the only company announcing new Android-based devices this week. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, several handset and mobile device manufacturers also announced new models and partnerships with mobile carriers for their Android devices, ranging from various mobile phones and tablets, to eBook readers.

Apple's newly announced iPad has been touted as "magical," "amazing," and "revolutionary" by company officials. But, key deficiencies in the device provide opportunities for competitors, who can craft better tablets that run Linux or Android.

When the $499 iPad tablet was announced last month, many journalists commented that the device was surprisingly affordable for an Apple product. This may not be the case however, as several sub $200 competitors running Google Android operating system have appeared.

Apple does not have the tablet all to itself, but how do the various Android devices actually stack up against the iPad?

Google's Android mobile operating system was designed for smartphones, but it is increasingly being adopted by consumer electronics companies to power a range of new devices, including tablets and e-book readers.

Regardless of how severe limitations Apple imposes on the iPad, we can expect it to be reasonably successful. I don’t think it will duplicate the success of the iPhone but due to Apple’s strong marketing and its own technical merits, it will sell in significant numbers. How will this affect Linux and the upcoming tablets based on it?

Three weeks ago, the technology world was aflutter with buzz of the iPad. But with yesterday's MeeGo announcement from Intel, the Linux Foundation and Nokia, it appears that Apple could have a Linux-based competitor for tablets, netbooks and other categories of devices.

I am typing this as I am finally connected in shell to my Android phone. The prompt reminds me that it's based on the Linux kernel (it's free), the Dalvik virtual machine (it's free), and free libraries. Millions of Android devices are shipped every day, each one is a Linux system. Today, it's phone.

This year a slew of companies have launched competing Android tablet devices. A lot of rhetoric has been spun about how Android's open source ecosystem gives manufacturers and consumers an advantage. Unfortunately, the current crop of Android tablets aren't nurturing open source at all.