Once the iPad went on sale, and sold in a big way (3 million units in under 3 months), it was just a matter of time until other hardware manufacturers scrambled to come out with tablets to compete. Tablet fever is spreading, and spreading fast. Apple CEO Steve Jobs wanted to position the iPad as the flagship of a new category of device, between a smartphone and a laptop. This new category is now starting to fill up with more devices, including a couple that were announced recently – the Stream TV eLocity A7 and the ViewSonic ViewPad 7. (The 7s are not in homage to Windows 7, but in reference to each device’s screen size.)

Both devices boast very iPad-like characteristics, but they both seem to have found ways to differentiate themselves. Over the next several months leading into the Holiday buying season, we can expect to see similar devices from a host of manufacturers, all trying to be similar, but different. It will be difficult to beat the iPad since it was born into a rich family of hundreds of thousands of existing apps, inter-operable siblings (iPhone, iMac, Macbook, etc.), and a cult following. But both the eLocity and the ViewPad 7 are doing their best.

ViewSonic ViewPad 7

The ViewPad 7 comes in as an Android contender,  which is quickly gaining momentum among consumers and developers alike. It will run on Android 2.2 (Froyo), and will likely work with many of the applications already developed for the mobile OS. This will potentially seamlessly connect the tablet to other Android devices such as mobile phones and Google TV devices. That could be a pretty cool trio.

But the ViewSonic also brings a couple more features to the table that were left out of the iPad. It has a VGA forward-facing camera for video chat, and rear-facing 3 megapixel camera. And, perhaps most significantly, the ViewSonic makes phone calls. Why this is not enabled in the iPad still escapes me. It wouldn’t make sense to use it as a conventional handset – after all, few but Chuck Norris would have the strength to hold an iPad up to their ear for more than a minute – but it would make sense in a Bluetooth or ear bud scenario. The combination of all these features could dethrone the iPad as the coolest device in the keyboard-less netbook/oversized smartphone category.

Stream TV eLocity A7

The eLocity A7 focuses its features around its powerful Tegra 2 chips which enable smooth gaming experiences and capacity to output 1080p video. It could be used as a companion device to an HDTV, where you could connect it via HDMI, control it via a wireless keyboard (provided with the device) and watch content from the device on a TV. It is unclear whether the device could be used to pull content from the cloud like the Roku, Xbox Live, or the rumored Apple TV, but coming from a company called Stream TV, you’d certainly hope so. It also runs on Froyo. (So do I, by the way. Three meals a day.)

The eLocity and the ViewPad do seem promising, as do other Android tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy tablet. However, they do have one seemingly fatal flaw – they aren’t iPads.