Courtesy of Dell, it looks like Android will be paired with a couple of somewhat large and advanced devices in the near future. A leaked Dell roadmap indicates that both a netbook tablet and a true netbook will launch later this year.
Dell appears to be going with a sort of ancient Greece theme in terms of giving these devices codenames, dubbing them Sparta (the netbook tablet) and Athens (the true netbook). It doesn’t appear that the company is in any way creating antiquated gear, though.
According to the roadmap acquired by Phil Nickinson, both the Sparta and the Athens will boast 11" 1024 x 768 TFT displays, ARM processors, and all the connectivity options anyone could ask for (3G, WiFi, Bluetooth). The Sparta has an interesting swiveling screen, too.
As for release dates, the Sparta might land in early August, while mid-September is the earliest the Athens might make an appearance.
Photo Credit: Android Central
These devices should represent significant steps forward in terms of Android’s deployment (assuming not too many other companies beat Dell), but it should also be interesting to see how they influence (or conflict with) the development of Chrome OS.
