Verizon and Google team up for tablet

Scorned repeatedly by Apple, Verizon Wireless is turning to Google for a touch screen tablet based on Android.

Lowell McAdam, Verizon's chief executive, told the Wall Street Journal that his company is partnering with Google on a tablet. He called the large touch screen devices the "next big wave of opportunities," and said that the tablet is part of a deepening relationship with the search giant.

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"We're looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience," he said.

McAdam didn't describe any features or other details about the device, including release date or who will manufacture it. But in separate coverage from Bloomberg, Verizon spokesman Marquett Smith confirmed that the Google tablet would run Android. He declined to elaborate.

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We've heard of some Android tablets floating around in the prototype stages, such as Notion Ink's Adam, and near-complete products such as the WePad (now the WeTab) and the Archos 7. But major manufacturers seem slower on the uptake. Dell has a range of tablets lined up, but appears keen on working with Verizon rival AT&T. Asus and HTC have hinted at Android tablets to come, but details remain sketchy.

Theoretically, Google could work with any of these companies to create a branded tablet, as it did with HTC for the Nexus One. For that matter, Verizon could sell any Android tablet under the momentum-gaining "Droid" name. With so many possibilities, it's hard to say what a Verizon-Google tablet would look like.

However, Google's designers have played around with some sketches for a tablet running Chrome OS (pictured, above). Maybe we'll see some overlap when Verizon and Google are ready to show off what they're working on.

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