The idea of having a tablet device certainly isn’t new. They’ve been in use for years in a number of different industries, but tablets have certainly risen to the mainstream thanks largely to the popularity of the iPad. However, 2011 is seeing many fantastic Android tablets that could really give Apple a run for its money. One such example is the HTC Flyer.

Unlike many other newer Android tablets that are running on Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), the HTC Flyer uses a special build of Android 2.4 (Gingerbread). Some time in the future, though, HTC is promising that the Flyer can be upgraded to the more tablet-centric Honeycomb version of Android.

As far as the main specifications go, you can expect to see a 7-inch display (1024 x 600) on the HTC Flyer. This makes it the same size as a BlackBerry PlayBook or Samsung Galaxy Tab. It is powered with a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, along with 32GB of storage, wireless connectivity, 5MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera, and a tablet optimized version of the HTC Sense user interface.

The WiFi-only version of the HTC Flyer Android tablet will reportedly sell for $499, though that price does not include the special $80 capacitive stylus accessory. A model with HSPA+ is also being offered.