Nov 15, 2010 14:28 GMT  ·  By

Mobile phone maker Motorola is expected to be the first company to launch an Android 3.0-based device on the market, though this won't be a smartphone, as many might have expected.

According to the latest news around the Internet, the first Android 3.0-enabled device should be a tablet PC, supposedly called MOTOPAD.

The upcoming slate is rumored to boast a 7-inch touchscreen display, while bringing to shelves the latest version of Google's mobile operating system in the very near future.

The news on MOTOPAD's near availability emerged in a recent tweet from Mobile-Review.com, the website of Eldar Murtazin.

Here's what he said tweet states (via Android Community): “Google choose MOTOPAD as a first device to show Android 3.0 - 7 inch version.”

Of course, there are no specific details on when the slate would be released on the market, nor on the rest of its specifications, but there are great chances that this would be only one tablet PC that Motorola is working on.

Previous rumors on the matter suggested that Motorola might launch a 10.1-inch slate with Gingerbread on board, and that the device would sport the codename of Stingray.

However, since the MOTOPAD supposedly boasts a 7-inch touchscreen, it should be a different device, pointing at the fact that Motorola is considering different form factors for the Android tablet PC market.

At the same time, we should note that the said tweet suggests the slate would run under Android 3.0, which might not be Gingerbread, if some of the latest rumors around the Internet are to be believed.

The next version of Android, Gingerbread, was said to come as Android 2.3, while being expected to arrive before November would be over.

For the time being, however, nothing was officially confirmed on the upcoming Android-based tablet PC from Motorola, so keep an eye on this space to learn more details on it as they become available.