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I'd say you need to revisit the netbook market which has changed quite a bit in 18 months (which isn't surprising since netbooks are meant to represent the very edge of value). Today you can get 10" books that run SSD so cool they're fanless, sub $500 easy, with processors a lot better than at the beginning of the netbook phenomenon.
As for the existing Android PMPs, they ARE everywhere in Asia and Europe, affordable and with everything the iPod does minus the app store and plus connectivity/open environments (particularly important in China with interest in pirated media). They're not prevalent in the West as much because we're more brand conscious and can afford to be. Asian PMPs also tend to have resistive screens for character input but there are still capacitive options (and knock-offs of options).
As for "next gen", That means the next generation of the first generation of Android PMPs which predate the iPad, which means they'll be at market essentially the same time as the iPad (before, during, or after is more market strategy than anything else). Most of the Android smartpad/slate (semantics, but I reserve tablet for full tablet computers with full OSes) manufacturers share the same ethic as netbook OEMs (heck many ARE netbook OEMs) so the delay is so they can freeride on Apple's marketing.
Let Apple spend all the money developing American's brand conscious interest in tablets, then swoop in with cheaper more feature filled options that American's didn't know they wanted until Apple told them so. Again, if you REALLY wanted it BEFORE the iPad announcement, you could've looked for that functionality and been surprised to find a several slate-styled PMPs out there... but, in American, it's not until a big dog adopts it do we care.
As a practical example, devices like the HTC HD2 or Dell PMPs are developed first in Europe or Asia until they can get their branding and marketing in order and then come out stateside.
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