MTS, a mobile operator that is part of Sistema Shyam TeleServices Limited (SSTL), will launch an Android 2.3 based tablet for Indian consumers in the next three months.

Vsevolod Rozanov, president and chief executive officer of MTS India said to The Mobile Indian, “We will be launching an Android 2.3 based tablet by year end for the Indian market.”

He didn’t elaborate on the tablet’s specifications or its manufacturer but said, “We will have tablets for both premium and price sensitive customers.”

While there are many GSM tablets in the market there are not many that run on CDMA.

It may be recalled that around five months ago MTS started focusing on offering its subscribers high end smartphones bundled with its network. It started with HTC Pulse, a CDMA Android smartphone bundled with free calls, data and SMSes in India.

The smartphone, worth Rs 18,000, is available almost free for its existing as well as new customers, who just need to sign up for a monthly rental of Rs 1,500 with a commitment of 12 months to get the device.

Users get 1,500 minutes of Talk time along with 1,500 free SMSes and free data usage of 1,500 MB every month for twelve months.

Apart from that MTS, a couple of days ago, unveiled two Android smartphones – MTS MTAG 3.1 manufactured by Huawei and MTS Livewire manufactured by ZTE, both in the sub-Rs 5,000 category.

Both phones incorporate Snapdragon S1 processors. Running on CDMA EV-DO Rev A technology, MTS MTAG 3.1 and MTS Livewire support high quality voice and net enabled data services. These phones will be available in the market from the third week of September.

During the unveiling of these devices, Rozanov said, “I am immensely pleased to announce the launch of MTS MTAG 3.1 and MTS Livewire smartphones, incorporating Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S1 processors. This initiative has been designed to take the power of Android to the masses. Launched in the sub-Rs 5,000 category, these are the most affordable Android smartphones in India.”

MTS is also gearing up to attract high end mobile and tablet users on its CDMA network, which is a better choice for data users.

Let’s have a look at the possible CDMA devices in India that might come bundled with an MTS connection:

Samsung Galaxy Tab

Galaxy Tab is currently one of the most popular Android tablets in the market. It has no major competitors yet and has already sold more than a million units across the globe and has also found many buyers in India.

A CDMA version of the device has reportedly been spotted, and if the news is true, MTS will almost certainly look at bringing it to India. Galaxy Tab has already established a brand identity in India.

Motorola Stingray

Stingray is rumoured to be equipped with a 1.3 GHz Processor and the latest Google Android 3.0 OS.

Motorola Stingray will carry a 10 inch screen, and on the network front it will reportedly work on CDMA Rev A, the same technology that MTS uses.

HTC EVO View 4G CDMA tablet

HTC had some time back announced its CDMA tablet. This is an Android 2.4 Gingerbread device with a 1.5 GHz processor. It has a 5 Megapixel camera which can record HD images and HD video at 720p. It also has a 1.3 megapixel secondary camera for video calling and video chat. In the past we have seen MTS partner with HTC for an Android smartphone – HTC Pulse.

Huawei and ZTE

Chinese players ZTE and Huawei are strong in the CDMA space thanks to China Mobile being a CDMA operator. Although they don’t have CDMA tablets right now it would not be hard for them to make one for MTS. Also, as mentioned above, they recently joined hands with MTS for a low cost Android phone.

Beetel recently launched its first tablet in India, Beetel Magiq, which comes with a 7 inch screen, Android 2.2 and a 1 GHz processor. It also supports a SIM card and voice calling through mobile networks. And, it is not the only tablet to support a SIM: Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 and Reliance 3G tab also support SIM cards and voice calling.

These devices, though, are not smartphones despite having everything that smartphones have with the added advantage of a bigger screen. Can they then be used as smartphones?

Well, technically speaking they can but for the size, which makes these devices too cumbersome for holding up to one’s ear. But then who is stopping us from re-inventing the way we talk &#151 at least technology isn’t. All these tablets come with Bluetooth functionality and Bluetooth handsfree sets that offer good ergonomics and voice clarity are now available for less than Rs 1,000.

But why should we change our habits? The first reason that comes to mind is that using a tablet for calling will definitely cut down on the number of devices we carry &#151 there would be no need to take a smartphone along because the tablet would be enough.

The second reason is that calling is just one of the things we use smartphones for – accessing and composing mails, navigation, gaming, watching videos and photos, and surfing the net are in fact the primary reasons why we buy smartphones.

For these tasks a tablet is much better because of its big screen. Most smartphones come with 3.5 to 4 inch screens, compared to the 7 inch display of the tablet.

Moreover, if you make a lot of video calls, a tablet is a much better choice. Even for voice calls a tablet has a better microphone in case a group wants to use it (the microphone used in tablets are designed to receive voice from all directions same as laptop mics; while smartphones have microphones for single users as they prevent ambient noise from disturbing the conversation. So, for group calling or conferencing, tablets are better devices.

People might argue that tablets are more expensive than smartphones, but this is not true. Consider Beetel Magiq, which costs Rs 9,000. At that price you will at best get a 3.2 inch smartphone running Android 2.2 on a 600 MHz processor. And Beetel beats these devices on all counts except that it doesn’t have a capacitive screen.

Go a notch higher and there is the Reliance 3G tab which outdoes its smartphone competitors both in specs and in price. Even the higher end Galaxy Tab 7, at Rs 24,000, competes well with smartphones like Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, HTC Incredible S, and even its own stable mate Galaxy S in terms of price and specifications.

The negative aspects of using a tablet that doubles as a phone are that it would then be necessary to carry the device around wherever one goes. Another reason is that there are a limited number of tablets that can connect to mobile networks so there’s a lack of choice.

However, for users who tend to carry around more than one device, a 7 inch tablet might work wonders as one of those devices.