Wavety.com

Search behemoth Google is apparently planning to launch a Tablet PC at CES in the next few hours, in close partnership with former Microsoft buddy, Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC.

According to Australian tech magazine Smarthouse, HTC has been working with Google on more than one Tablet device including one which runs Google’s Chrome OS, which could be an indication that the OS is at a more advanced stage than originally thought.

Google has been planning for an “Android press gathering” at its US HQ in Mountain View California and Smarthouse understands that the Android-based model will come with new ARM chipsets made by Qualcomm (Cortex A9??), touch technology and possibly an updated version of Adobe Flash.

HTC has emerged as Google’s preferred partner; it worked with the company on the first Google phone back in 2008, on the Nexus one and now on what looks like Google’s first “tablet” PC.

Whether Google actually intends to sell it remains to be seen because it is likely to be significantly more expensive than the Nexus One due to its larger touch screen.

Freescale presented a reference model earlier today of an ARM-based tablet PC and it is very likely that HTC’s version will closely resemble it, as far as hardware is concerned.