Motorola Android Tablet Refresh Kicks Off November Tip Sources

Motorola's 7-inch Android tablet is set to arrive in November, while the company's second attempt at the 10.1-inch segment will follow on in December, according to Chinese reports. Compal is responsible for the design of the smaller slate, the Commercial Times claims, while Motorola has been developing its larger XOOM-replacement in-house; neither is expected to launch running Ice Cream Sandwich, according to the tipsters.

However, because of Google's planned acquisition of Motorola Mobility, the expectation is that the new tablets will be first in line once Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades are on the cards. Technical details of the two slates are unclear, though we've seen several leaks over the past weeks that have hinted at a new design direction Motorola is undertaking.

Live shots of two prototypes were caught in the wild over the weekend, with a more industrial aesthetic than the somewhat bland original XOOM. Angled corners and more complex back panels added up to a distinctive aesthetic, though at the time it was suggested that the smaller tablet wasn't, in fact, 7-inches but came in at 8.2-inches.

Motorola has always said a smaller Android tablet was in the pipeline, with CEO Sanjay Jha describing it as a more "fun" proposition. Both are believed to offer LTE connectivity, for their US debut at least.

[via DigiTimes]