Next iPhone, Amazon Tablet, Android Update Ready for Their Close-Ups

The mobile device landscape seemingly grows more crowded every day. The first half of 2011 was nothing short of crazy, as manufacturers tried to keep up with a fast-growing thirst for technology. The iPhone dominated smartphone headlines by making its debut on the Verizon Wireless network and selling like hotcakes going out of style, but Android remained the best-selling platform as Samsung, Motorola and others unleashed new phone after new phone on the world. Speed was huge as Verizon launched the first phones on its 4G LTE network and AT&T promised to start rolling out LTE to the masses. A slew of new tablet PCs hit the market, including the Motorola Xoom, the BlackBerry PlayBook and the second-generation Apple iPad, accounting for more than 15 million tablets shipped in Q2 alone, according to researcher Strategy Analytics.

But as one of my favorite bands, Tantric, once said, the past is the past. Before long we’ll be looking back at the first half of 2011 the way we call Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s early collaborations “old skool rap." With our hunger for devices showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, expect to see some big leaps forward for technology before the year is out. Here are some of the highlights:

The Samsung Nexus Prime. The hype about this smartphone is less about the device itself than what’s under the hood. There’s much speculation that this will be the first phone to run on version four of Google’s Android software, known as Ice Cream Sandwich, expected to be released sometime in Q4. The Prime is said to come with a large screen and better screen resolution than you can find on any existing Android phone. It may also come sans buttons – all functions may be on the touchscreen. And the processor could be a monster: Word on the street is that it’ll be dual-core, somewhere between 1.2 and 1.5GHz.

Amazon Tablet. Amazon is already squaring off with Apple in the content war and in the cloud; now expect to see the Seattle-based Internet retail monster to release a tablet to take on the iPad. Although Amazon has thus far been mum about the project, the Wall Street Journal said in July that it would be an Android device and feature a 9-inch screen, a couple of inches smaller than Apple’s ubiquitous device. But its undoing might be the lack of a camera, which has become a standard feature on just about every tablet released after the original iPad in April 2010. Amazon reportedly also plans to upgrade its flagship product, the Kindle, before the end of the year. How the company will be able to distinguish a new tablet from its Kindle and sell both with success remains to be seen.

Motorola Droid Bionic and Samsung Galaxy S II. These two smartphones should hit U.S. store shelves before August is out, creating perhaps the biggest head-to-head fight between Android smartphones to date. The Galaxy S II, which launched earlier this year in South Korea and parts of Europe, sold more units in its debut month (May) in the U.K. than did Apple’s iPhone. It features a 4.3-inch SUPER AMOLED Plus touchscreen; a powerful, dual-core 1.2GHz processor; an 8MP camera with LED flash; full HD recording and playback; and more. The Bionic, which was first announced at the Consumer Electronics Show way back in January, has lost a bit of its steam. But its myth has grown ever since, with a once-anticipated 4.3-inch touchscreen growing to 4.5 inches; a dual-core processor; 512MB DDR2 RAM; and HDMI mirroring that allows you to watch full 1080p HD video on both the phone and a connected TV at the same time. Both will run on Verizon Wireless’ 4G network, for starters. Of course, these two will have their hands full with the anticipated September launch of the …

iPhone 5. Or the iPhone 4S. Or both. Most so-called experts expect to see Apple unveil an updated version of its iconic iPhone in September, whether it be a less-expensive, souped-up version of the iPhone 4 – usually referred to as the 4S – or a full-blown iPhone 5. As with any iPhone release, rumors abound, with everything from a curved design to NFC technology to 3D being bandied about. But the most important spec might be whether it’s 4G compatible, something most of the so-called experts think won’t be the case – opening the door a little wider for more Android devices to compete with Apple’s baby.

Those are just a few of the excciting devices to come in the second half of 2011. What are you looking forward to? One of these, or something else? Let me know.