The tech world is abuzz with talk of tablets, chiefly what will Apple introduce? But as Datamation reports, there are a number of other interesting entries going public with their plans already.

---

The tablet device market is as busy as the Android phone market these days, with new contenders entering daily. The latest entrants? Freescale and the Hearst Corporation. Yes, a chip vendor and a publisher.

Freescale on Monday kicked off the new year with a new tablet reference design. Hearst, publisher of 15 daily newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle, plus 49 periodicals, including Cosmopolitan, unveiled Skiff, an eReader that displays print exactly as it would be seen when printed and laid out on paper.

Both enter an increasingly crowded market with a looming monster from Cupertino casting the longest shadow of all. The Wall Street Journal now reports that the Apple tablet – these days rumored to be named iSlate – is on track for a March delivery with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) showcasing the device at an event on January 27, one day later than reported earlier.

But neither product will be a direct competitor to the iWhatever. Freescale, a chip maker, has no plans to go into the tablet business. This prototype is simply a vehicle for its i.MX515 processor, an ARM derivative, for others to build on. It also includes Freescale's MC13892 power management circuit, SGTL5000 audio codec and MMA8450Q 3-axis accelerometer.

Read the full story at Datamation:
Freescale, Hearst Jump Into the Tablet Pool