As I anticipated earlier, the Apple’s iPad market will not be a walk in a park. Time has told us that although Apple can be considered as a premium brand for IT products and the designs are gorgeous, not many people can afford to own one.

iPad will need to compete with other competitors including Notion Ink Adam, HP Slate, ModBook and Dell Streak. To make the war more interesting, there a few more portables that will be coming out soon that will add up to the list.

Here are among competitors that will be Apple’s rival in digital slate/pad market:

enTourage eDGe dualbook

Comes with dual screens, the Entourage combined with a hinge that holds a speaker. Suitable for business and academic use, it could hold almost everyday tasks. It even has advantages over the iPad such as SD card slot, 2 USB ports, battery that can be replaced and more touchscreen real estate. However it has no 3G and has lesser storage compared to iPad.

WePad

The WePad may be the most complete alternative to the iPad with Linux platform but at a cheaper cost. It’s equipped with webcam, 2xUSB ports, supports multitasking and has larger screen and has Flash support. Its sleek design is also suitable for business and personal use.

Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid

You may call it a netbook or a tablet because it is a hybrid-designed gadget. An Intel CULV processor is integrated into the IdeaPad to handle Windows 7 mobile operating system in its netbook mode and in tablet mode, it runs on ARM CPU using Skylight OS. Packed with 3G, 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD). Expected to be released in Summer this year, IdeaPad can be one of closest rival of iPad.

Alex eBook Reader

Even though its looks like a normal ereader, the Alex is capable to do a lot more with Android operating system. It runs on a 3.5-inch color LCD under which sits on top and a 6-inch e-ink display at the bottom. With Android, it could explore other features such as web browsing and email access using 3G or WiFi. The best part of this gadget is that the two screens can work together so that the content on the smaller screen can be dragged up for easier viewing on the larger screen. It is scheduled to hit the market mid this month at a price tag of $399.