That the competition in the tablet computers' arena is heating up is evident yet again from a recent eWEEK report, which said that Acer has announced its intentions of introducing a line of tablet computers as well as a large-screen smartphone.

According to eWEEK's Nick Kolakowski, two of the forthcoming tablets will be based on the Android operating system, and their general design will be fairly akin to Samsung's Galaxy Tab. However, the largest of the devices, with an over 10-inch screen, will run Microsoft Windows 7.

As per the report, the new devices from Acer, which sells electronics under its own name as well as Gateway and eMachines, will hit the stores in April next year - a timeline for Apple's prospective launch of a new iPad version!

What will chiefly challenge the second-generation iPad is Acer's vast array of potential pathways to market; thereby making it easier for the customers to find fundamentally similar tablets released through several consumer electronics outlet in a wide range of feature levels - like Acer for the high-end, and Gateway for the mid range.

In addition, another factor for the potential success of Acer's new devices is that, by the time the company launches its Android tablets, similar devices based on the Android will have been selling for nearly six months. As such, Acer will be able to deliver a device running a clean, polished and non-clunky version of Android.