BT to Launch Own "Tablet," But Isn't Aiming at iPad

BT plans to launch its own touch-screen, tablet style computer, which inevitably will be seen as a way to compete with the Apple iPad, though BT apparently is not positioning the device in that way, and the comparison likely is misplaced.

The Telegraph reports that although no official details have been released by BT, the new device will have a screen larger than the 3.5-inch display found on the iPhone, but smaller than the 9.7-inch screen on the iPad.

In principle, the device could resemble the existing "OpenTablet 7," which is more an "advanced telephone" than a mobile device.

The BT device appears something more along the lines of the "Internet appliance" several telecom carriers have attempted to popularize in the past, though building on mobility rather than the fixed-line network. Previous attempts have focused on an easy-to-use device connected perhaps in a kitchen that allows light web browsing.

OpenPeak's "OpenTablet 7" can be used as a wireless, detachable tablet and features 3G HSDPA connections. It isn't yet clear what connectivity options BT will offer, but up to this point similar devices have been viewed as ways to enhance the value of a fixed-line connection by enabling use of new appliances and devices on those networks.

BT positions the new device as a cross between "a mini PC" and "the telephone of the future," which is roughly how the earlier attempts have been framed.

In a sense, that positions the new device as the latest attempt to build a "smart" fixed-line telephone, not a mobile tablet computer.

That will be the big issue. Prior attempts to create such an appliance have not gotten traction.