The Latest Tablet PC Comparisons, Reviews, Software & Accessories and Announcements
Our Tablet PC Quick Compare include photos and allows you to quickly and easily compare the differences between individual Tablet PC'S Updated June 22, 2010
There are a lot of Android tablets making their rounds in the blogosphere asof late, but the oft-leaked Samsung Galaxy Tab is the only real Android-powered competitor to Apple’s iPad to be made official so far. Samsung has announced the 7-inch Galaxy Tab as their first Android tablet here at IFA 2010 in Berlin, Germany, and we’ve had a chance to get all touchy-feely with the new tablet device. At first, it might be hard to see how any device could give Apple reason to worry that its iPad isn’t the end all be all of tablets, but after spending some time with the Tab, it’s clear that Samsung has a potential hit on its hands.
Because it’s running Android 2.2 Froyo out of the box, the Galaxy Tab will come preloaded with the Adobe Flash 10.1 Player, allowing you to stream embedded Flash videos and interact with Flash menus on the web. You also get Thunkfree Office for editing Microsoft Office documents, as well as the Swype keyboard to make typing as easy as dragging your finger across the keyboard. And, with a fully functional 3G cellular radio on board, the Tab is capable of making phone calls using the onboard microphone and speaker or a headset of some sort (wired or Bluetooth).
Overall, though, the most impressive aspect of the Tab is its size. It’s thin enough to be sexy, which is only complemented by its glossy back cover. The 7-inch screen is incredibly hand-friendly. You can comfortably hold the screen with one hand, and typing on the on-screen keyboard is ridiculously easy. The Tab could give iPad reason to worry!
I'm in Berlin for IFA, Europe's biggest consumer-electronics trade event. The show floor doesn't open until Friday, but yesterday and today have been filled with press conferences by major tech companies - and Samsung's conference this morning ended with the official introduction of its Galaxy Tab tablet, the biggest IFA news so far.
The Tab is certainly an iPad-like device, but there are some striking differences. Its screen is 7", making the device a bit larger than a Kindle and substantially smaller than a 9.7" iPad. (Samsung says it's pocketable, and it is...if you're wearing a jacket.) The Tab weighs 13.4 ounces-far less than the pound-and-a-half iPad. It has cameras on the front (for video chat) and back (for snapping photos and apps such as augmented reality). And like the 5" Dell Streak, it's not only a 3G data device but a 3G device that can make phone calls.
Samsung estimates that the Tab will get eight hours of battery life; it's hard to judge that until you know whether the company is talking like a notebook maker (in which case eight hours might be ludicrously optimistic) or is using iPad-like realism. In either case, the iPad's ten-hour battery beats it, which makes sense given that Apple's tablet is so much larger and heavier.
Google's Tablet-friendly version of Android, 3.0 "Gingerbread," isn't ready yet, so the Tab runs a version of Android 2.2 Froyo that Samsung has customized for the device's larger screen and 1040 by 600 resolution. (The company says that it'll eventually upgrade the Tab to Gingerbread-and is planning an entirely different tablet which will run "Honeycomb," yet another Android variant.) The IFA preview showed glimpses of an e-mail client that looks rather like the one on the iPad, a social app, and a music store:
Samsung says the Galaxy Tab will be available in Europe in October. It isn't saying anything about when it'll go on sale in the U.S. or how much it'll cost-but it plans to sell it through wireless carriers, so expect a relatively low price and a contract obligation.
The Android Tablet (http://www.lightinthebox.com/_p124253.html ) has been a consistent top seller for global online retailer LightInTheBox.com over the past two months.
Priced at under US$140, LightInTheBox.com's Android Tablet runs on Google's Android 1.6 operating system (OS), an open source platform that encourages users to expand on the tablet's many uses. Unlike the iPad, the Android Tablet is not limited to applications and games approved by the Apple Corporation. Users are able to design their own programs or access the Android Market (http://www.android.com/market/ ) to download from over 30,000 free and paid applications and games.
Other technical strengths of the Android Tablet include its ability to use Adobe products that have not been made available on the iPad, such as Flash, and its expandable memory feature via the TF Card slot.
The Tablet's Lithium-Ion battery allows for 2 and a half hours of simultaneous web, video and music usage. It is Wifi enabled and features a 7" 800x400 resolution TFT touchscreen. The Tablet is powered by a 667MHZ Samsung S3C6410 processor and weighs 332 grams.
LightInTheBox.com has discovered that many consumers are still unsure about how a tablet style PC can play an integral part in their lives. Consumers wanting to experience the tablet PC phenomenon and who are trialing the integration of the technology into their lives have also formed a strong customer base for the online retailer's Android Tablet. Available for less than half the price of the most basic iPad, the Tablet allows such consumers to trial the technology without having to make such a large financial investment.
Motion Express Tablet Exchange and Accidental Damage Protection Programs Extend Tablet Support Services, Offering Multiple Coverage Options to Support a Broad Range of Business Needs
-Motion Computing®, a leading provider of integrated mobile computing solutions, today announced new support programs developed to ensure the highest level of customer support for businesses that rely on Motion Tablet PCs as critical tools in day-to-day business operations. Motion’s new Express Tablet Exchange and Accidental Damage Protection programs extend device protection beyond standard warranty offerings and will benefit customers across industries that require immediate support or replacement services.
Motion Express Tablet Exchange Service
Designed to meet the needs of customers that require minimal disruption, the new Motion Express Tablet Exchange service extends existing IT resources, enabling organizations to feel confident that when an incident occurs, the tablets can be back in use quickly and easily. Available to customers with a purchase of 50 or more C5v, F5v or J3500 Tablets, the service provides on-site, next business day delivery of a replacement tablet, optimized with the customer’s application-specific profile and location or site specifications. Tablets will be serviced by qualified representatives for immediate integration into the business environment at no additional charge.
Accidental Damage Protection
Motion’s new AccidentalDamage Protection program enhances the company’s standard warranty programs, offering an added layer of protection against unintentional physical damage. It protects both tablet PC components and supporting peripherals in the case of accidental damage.
Motion Computing announced two new support programs designed to minimize downtime caused by faulty or damaged Tablet PCs. Many of Motion Computing’s customers work in rough environments and a downed Tablet PC can have a serious impact on their organizations.
Customers who purchase Motion Express Tablet Exchange service will receive a replacement C5v, F5v or J3500 within one business day of reporting trouble. Instead of simply overnighting a replacement tablet to its customer, Motion Computing will send out a technician to hand deliver it and make sure it’s set up properly. The program is available to customers that purchase 50 or more tablets. The service will be offered in two and three terms, with a price tags ranging between $349 and $649 per tablet.
Motion Computing is also now offering accidental damage protection. As you can guess, this program covers unintentional physical damage, covering both the Tablet PC and its peripherals. Protection plans for the C5v, F5v and J3500 will cost $199 (one year), $249 (two years) and $349 (three years).
IDENTITY TAB's (i-tab) powerful hardware includes a capacitive multi-touch LCD, a 1GHz CPU, 8GB of embedded memory, a DMB chip (for television viewing), a light sensor, a GPS chip, an accelerometer, and a 3.0 megapixel camera. The table supports a diverse range of video codecs to ensure excellent multimedia functionality, performance and compatibility.
An e-Book viewer, MS Office (for document viewing & editing), and AR are some of the several pre-installed applications on the tablet. Powerful educational and entertainment features are available for younger users through numerous multimedia functionality. Popular social media applications such as Twitter, MeToday, and Facebook are also pre-installed for convenient SNS usage. The Android Market is available for more applications, such as navigation applications.
A special DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) based 3 screen solution is embedded on the IDENTITY TAB to enable seamless content sharing between a TV, a PC/Laptop, and a mobile phone. It will also come with a personalized delivery service, sampling and scanning the user's profile, interests, and propensities to find and deliver recommended content via intelligent push solution (Dynamic Contents Delivery). The 3- Screen and DCD solutions are developed by Enspert's parent company, Insprit (http://www.in-sprit.com ), and is a specialized function of the i-tab.
GADGET MAKER Archos has released five Android-based tablets.
It seems that the outfit is not keen on bringing out just one tablet to take on Apple's Ipad when it can field nearly half a dozen.
There seems to be one for every occasion, including the cheap as chips Archos 28, the portable Archos 32, a multi-media Archos 43, and the wide screen Internet tablets Archos 70 and Archos 101.
The outfit seems to be following Apple's idea that the tablet should be a consumer item targeted at web-browsing, games, ebooks, social notworking and other apps alongside HD video and music.
The company's history is as a manufacturer of small format consumer MP3 and video players.
The flagship is the Archos 101 Internet tablet, which is an Android device that offers fast web browsing and HD multimedia. It has a 10.1-inch high-resolution screen in a slim tablet that is 12mm thick and weighs 480g.
All of the tablets are built with a patented construction process that uses an over-moulded PVD stainless steel structure, Archos said.
31st August 2010 – ViewSonic Europe ushers in a new product category to its portfolio with the introduction of a premium capacitive multi-touch screen 7″ tablet.
Viewpad 7
The ViewPad 7 is a world’s first 7″ Android 2.2 (Froyo) tablet with phone functionality, multi-tasking capabilities and front and back-facing cameras, VGA and 3MP, resolutions respectively.
Within a lightweight, pocket-sized design, this device is ideal for anyone who needs a mobile connection to the world via email and video and wants to enjoy a wide-range of applications.
Superior to other tablet offerings with resistive touch technology the ViewPad 7 incorporates a capacitive multi-touch screen and is a portable, easy-to-use and competitively priced device that will transform the way that consumers read, watch, listen to and interact with media in a mobile environment.
The official announcement of the 7-inch tablet is slated for September 2. Samsung has only disclosed only a few details about the Galaxy Tab so far. However, in a bid to drum up anticipation for iPad 'killer', Samsung released earlier this month a teaser video of the Galaxy Tab tablet. The video doesn't reveal much, except the 7-inch screen size, and the fact that it will have a rather sizeable camera on the back, something missing from Apple's hit-selling tablet.
As for software, the Galaxy Tab will come with Android 2.2, together with support for Adobe Flash. Support for SWYPE typing technology would be embedded with the software keyboard, but there's no word whether Samsung's TouchWiz Android UI modifications will allow for Android Market functionality.
Information technology distributor iData has signed an agreement with Motion Computing to sell and distribute it’s Motion computer tablet PC in South Africa.
Formerly called ProScan Distribution, iData is a distributor of mobile technology and automated identification products for the reseller market. The agreement makes iData the first VAD that offers Motion Computing’s computer tablet PC in the region.
Motion tablet PCs cater to the mobile workforces market segment. Each unit is lightweight for easy portability yet rugged enough to withstand the elements. Its integrated system allows users to access, collect, and share data across mobile environments such as in construction, health, manufacturing, hospitality, government, education, distribution and point-of-sale systems.
Autodesk is bringing its AutoCAD architecture, design, and engineering software back to the Mac OS after an 18-year absence, the company announced this evening. But the company plans to do more than offer a Mac OS X version of AutoCAD: It says it will release a free version of the software, dubbed AutoCAD WS, for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch that lets users review, edit, and share AutoCAD files on those popular mobile devices.
iPad production is starting to catch up with demand. Or, gasp, the growing supply of alternatives may be starting to chip away at the iPad's popularity.
The holiday tablet season is heating up as tech shops put the final touches on their would-be iPad competitors.
Adding to the emerging field of iPad rivals are tablets from Samsung, Motorola(MOT) and computer display specialist ViewSonic.
No. 2 phone maker Samsung is working with Verizon(VZ) on the introduction of a 10-inch tablet called the Galaxy, according to a BoyGeniusReport Tuesday. Motorola has a similar tablet also powered by Google's Android 3 operating system that may be in the works at Verizon.
And in an entirely flattering imitation of the iPad, ViewSonic announced the ViewPad 7, a 7-inch Android 2.2 powered tablet that has both WiFi and 3G access, making it a large phone or a small tablet.
Toshiba's Android tablet has been given a more definitive name and specs in a scoop that points to an Apple influence. Now labeled by Notebook Italia as the Folio 100, the device not only has a proprietary Apple-style dock connector but a similar cradle to match. Toshiba will also try ot take a cue by running its own store, Toshiba Marketplace, as a supplement to Android Market.
The slate will be competitive in most respects and will have the previously hinted dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 250, which should help output 1080p over HDMI as well as downscaled content to the 10-inch, 1024x600 screen. It should have an iPad-matching 16GB of internal storage and the expected 3G, Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi for wireless. Toshiba will claim an edge in expansion with both full-size and mini USB ports as well as an SD card slot and a 1.3-megapixel front camera. Battery life would be a significant drawback, however, as it would have just seven hours of web or video use versus Apple's 10 hours.
Samsung Galaxy Tab Vs Apple iPad: South Korean electronics giant Samsung is all set to unveil its own tablet PC- the Galaxy Tab very soon. Leaked photographs and a video posted by Samsung suggest that the device will be a 7-inch tablet running Google's OS- the Android 2.2. The device is expected to give a tough competition to Apple's iPad (being called iPad killer by many) and it remains to be seen that how much competition will the Tab give to iPad?
The Galaxy Tab comes loaded with two cameras; while the iPad has none. The rear camera is of 3.2 megapixel and the front-facing camera is for video-calls. The presence of front camera will definitely attract customers. The Samsung's device will support both- Wi-fi as well as 3G.
The iPad had a 4:3 aspect ratio screen with 1024x768 pixel resolution. The ratio is better suited for reading books and websites. The iPad boasts of a 10 inch screen, while the Galaxy S has a 7 inch screen but with a widescreen aspect ratio. The Galaxy Tab has a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is better suited to watch videos.
It is expected that the Galaxy Tab will have a microSD card slot. The device will also come loaded with internal memory of 16GB or 32GB just like the Galaxy S. The microSD card slot will allow the users to connect their digital cameras directly to the device and view their picture on a a7 inch screen before mailing them off or uploading it on a social networking site.
The Galaxy Tab runs Android 2.2 a.k.a Froyo, which means it will support Adobe's Flash Player 10.1. Going by the specs, it seems that the Tab is a formidable rival for iPad and its release will definitely force Apple to come up with an improved iPad very soon.
Apple's iPad tablet is being used by doctors, lawyers and businesspeople to ease their workloads, but many believe the popular touchscreen device can't yet replace a laptop for functions such as writing long documents.
The IT shop at Chicago-based law firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal allows the firm's lawyers to use iPads, and up to 100 of the 800 attorneys around the globe are already doing so -- at their own expense.
Another professional who uses an iPad is Dr. Jon Wahrenberger. A cardiologist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., Wahrenberger said he and four other cardiac surgeons use iPads. The iPad offers a "low profile" that doesn't seem intimidating to patients during exams, he said.
But the bigger value comes from the fact that he's able to use his iPad to interact with patients' electronic health records
The iPad caught a huge scale of customers like a jungle fire. The device is still considered to be an elegant form of computing. That’s why, over 3 million copies were sold during March and June 2010.
However, there is our good old Windows 7, the upcoming OS for new tablets and smartphones. The CEO of Microsoft – Steve Ballmer will be personally hovering over a number of projects after the release of the OS. Some tablets, such as the MSI WindPad and HP Slate are already lined up for release in 2011.
Take a look at some key aspects that will supposedly make Windows 7 Tabs a huge success:
• Enable Curated Computing via a “User Experience Shell”
Microsoft will probably give a different look to tablets. They don’t want their customers to think of Windows tablets as laptops. According to research analyst – Forrester’s report – “Microsoft needs to embrace Curated Computing that synchs with the Xbox 360 and provides a new interface.”
In the initial few months of its release, Microsoft can offer Quality over price. If those tablets are placed at a price lower than the iPad, Microsoft has a fair chance of exceeding beyond expectations.
Fourteen percent of U.S. online customers plan to buy a tablet computer within the next 12 months according to a new study from leading market research company Forrester Research. The 14 percent was ahead of the 13 percent planning to buy a laptop, 11 percent planning to buy an eBook reader, 8 percent planning to buy a netbook, and 8 percent said to be planning to buy a desktop computer.
The survey, which questioned almost 4000 consumers, could translate as 43 million tablet sales in the US by the end of 2011.
Chinese computer company Lenovo is currently developing a new videogame console as well as a computer tablet PC and smartphones in its bid to expand its product portfolio.
Lenovo has established a gaming console company called Beijing Eedoo Technology Ltd. which will develop an entertainment console that will be called eBox. The initial development was already done by Lenovo who made a console prototype.
“We saw game consoles as an area with growth potential,” Lenovo spokesman Jay Chen said.
The world’s largest PC maker by unit sales is also busy developing a computer tablet PC joining other computer companies like Hewlett-Packard, Acer, and Dell in seeking to gain share of the expanding tablet market sparked by the success of the Apple iPad.
Apple has had the tablet market all to itself this year with the iPad, which is a bit of a shock as the media hyped that 2010 was going to be the year of the tablet PC and not the netbook. We do not want to dwell on the past, let us look to the rest of the year and see what iPad alternatives we can expect for not only 2010 but 2011 as well?
The first device that springs to be mind is the Samsung Galaxy Tab, as we recently learned that they had released a teaser video. This could be the first iPad rival, but does it have what it takes? The simple answer is yes, as it has more than capable hardware and the Android 2.2 OS– but is that really enough? The tab has a 7-inch display, which seems funny, as there have been rumors that Apple could be working on an iPad of the same size.
The rest of the tablet market is a strange one, there have been a number of reviews of different tablets, but none of them will threaten the iPad any time soon. However, there are those that have the potential, but we are still in the dark as to their names, spec and release date details.
The iPad has been a runaway success story for Apple. Samsung, HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, MSI, Toshiba, Lenovo and other companies all plan to enter the tablet space in the next year. So what about Sony? Nothing. The company has been very quiet about any tablet ambitions it may have.
But you know what? That’s not surprising at all. Sony was also one of the last PC makers to enter the netbook space. The company insisted that it didn’t want to launch another me-too product and wanted something that would stand out from the crowd. The first Sony device that vaguely resembled a netbook was the Vaio P, an almost-pocketable mini-laptop with a high resolution 8 inch display and a price tag that was about double that of its competitors.
In an interview with Handelblatt, Sony computer chief Kazuo Hirai points out that as many as 22 companies will launch slate PCs in the next year. He says that if Sony jumps into the fray, it wants something that will make its product stand out.
Right now, Hirai isn’t sharing any announcements — and I suspect we won’t hear much from Sony about a tablet… until the company is ready to claim that it’s created the best things since sliced bread… or the iPad.
Nonetheless, I think Viewsonic is on to something with a 10-inch tablet that can boot either Android or Windows. Viewsonic hasn’t said much about the tablet yet, except that it will be powered by an Intel chip and that its first appearance will be at the big IFA consumer electronics trade show next month in Berlin. But the concept alone makes this tablet one of the more interesting rivals to Apple’s iPad.
The problem with stuffing a bare-bones Linux build into a Windows laptop is that Microsoft’s platform is clearly dominant. In a netbook or notebook PC, the benefits of a secondary, lightweight operating system — fast access and slower battery drain — are outweighed by the need to eventually get some work done.
But with tablets, productivity is secondary. The real joy of these devices is in lounging on the couch or in bed while reading e-books, checking e-mail or browsing the Internet. Android excels at this kind of computing, because the operating system was built specifically for touch screens and because the Android Market is loaded with apps for consuming media.
In a dual-boot tablet, I see Windows taking the back seat, becoming an ace in the hole on the occasions when you need to edit a PowerPoint presentation or use specific desktop programs. Having that ability would allow you to travel with only a tablet, and perhaps a small keyboard and a mouse for those serious work sessions.
When I asked a Viewsonic spokeswoman for more details, she noted that the tablet was being introduced by Viewsonic U.K., its British arm. She said Viewsonic U.S. had plans to enter the tablet market, but she wouldn’t elaborate
AT&T Inc.’s emerging devices president, who oversees the carrier’s relationship with Apple Inc., said tablet computers costing as much as $1,000 might soon make many laptops obsolete.
“You’re going to see those 10-inch pieces of glass become full-on computers,” Glenn Lurie said in an interview this month in Atlanta. He said he expects there to be a variety of tablet computers costing $300 to $1,000 in the next five years. The Apple iPad ranges in price from $499 to $829.
AT&T may draw more revenue by compelling new and existing customers to buy tablet computers that will complement their smartphones. The carrier is the exclusive data-service provider for the iPad, which has sold more than 3 million units since its April 3 introduction.
Sales of tablet devices probably will grow to 23 percent of the U.S. computer market by 2015, from about 6 percent this year and less than 1 percent in 2009.
When the Apple tablet went on sale to the public last spring, Woodbury ordered 30 for the libraries at North Carolina State University in Raleigh to be available for checkout by students and faculty. Demand was immediate and widespread.
"Literally, the hour we started [lending out iPads], we had students lining up to use them," said Woodbury, NCSU's Learning Commons Librarian.
That popularity is likely increase this fall. Universities and schools around the nation--and even the world--are distributing iPads to students and faculty to start the new school year. Some are using the device to lure talented freshmen; others hope faculty and students will merely experiment with the tablet as a learning tool. But a few educators are betting the iPad will herald a revolution in the classroom, once-and-for-all displacing musty textbooks in favor of a mobile multimedia device that can engage students in new and innovative ways.
Lately I've been feeling very self-conscious when talking on the phone in public, and it's not because I'm worried about strangers listening in on my private conversations.
Rather, it's because the cell phone I'm using — the just-released Dell Streak — is actually a touch-screen tablet device that makes some of the clunkiest handsets from the late '90s look diminutive by comparison.
The Streak ($300 with a two-year AT&T contract) is a complicated gadget. For a tablet computer, it is fairly small and thin — a fraction the size of Apple Inc.'s popular iPad. Its face is dominated by a touch screen that is 5 inches diagonally, compared with the iPad's 9.7-inch display. Yet Dell insists it is also a phone, and as such it is fairly enormous and uncomfortable to talk on. Beyond that, it comes with an older version of Google Inc.'s Android software. Overall, it's just too awkward to bear.
Everyone wants to compete with Apple’s iPad. After Google announced the launch of their tablet, analysts expect that a partnership between Motorola and Verizon will lead the launch of a new Tablet PCs, which will seriously compete with Apple’s iPad.
There were rumors saying that the Finnish manufacturer, Nokia, is planning to launch a tablet this year.
Motorola’s new product will also enable users to watch TV, according to Financial Times.
The new Tablet PC will have a 10-inch screen, will use the Google Android operating system and users could access programs like Adobe Flash.
Thanks to the TV broadcast application, Verizon customers could use FiOS service.
Although both Verizon and Motorola’s officials haven’t made any comments yet, in the past, Motorola discussed for several times the possibility of launching a new product to compete iPad.
There is a word that another tablet PC is on its way to launch. Orange is planning to roll out three tablet PC’s powered by the Android platforms by Christmas. The self branded tablet PC would be manufactured by the Asian organizations such as Acer or MSI.
The self branded Orange android tablet PC’s would come up with the ready to use 3G connectivity with cheaper prices. With the mobile carrier coming out with its own tablet, it is likely that the demand for the product will be higher than other tablet PC’s in the market.
The Apple iPad has been embraced by businesses much faster than its iPhone predecessor. That acceptance is primarily a result of the success of the iPhone, but it also opens the door for iPad competitors to enter the business world more easily once they're available.
A report from the Wall Street Journal states, "The company's tablet-style device seems to be sidestepping the resistance that the iPhone and other consumer-oriented devices have faced in the corporate environment. Indeed, many businesses have raced to snap up iPads."
The iPad has a jumpstart on other tablets in two ways. First, it has the advantage of riding the coattails of business adoption of the iPhone. Second, it has the benefit of being first to market among the next-generation tablets.
The good news for competitors like Samsung, HP, and Asus, is that other tablets get to stand on the shoulders of previous technology as well. The fact that the iPhone blurred the line between consumer and business--and broke down corporate barriers--paved the way for Android and other smartphones to enter the corporate culture much easier.
The acceptance of the iPad into the business world will open doors for the tablets that follow. Now that Apple has laid the foundation and opened up the possibilities for transforming mobile computing, tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab can follow in the iPad's footsteps--but also learn from its mistakes--and push the envelope of what tablets are capable of as business tools.
iPad File Explorer ($15, free demo with nags) is a Windows application which provides important functionality to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch that's missing from iTunes: the ability to browse the folder structure of the device and easily copy files back and forth. You can even create new folders on your device and use them for mass storage, if you wish.
Due to Apple's propensity to rename every file and bury them within folders, iPad File Explorer isn't suitable for backing up your iPad or restoring it. This app's use is getting specific files off your Apple device without dealing with iTunes's esoteric syncing rules, and for creating folders on the device for use as mass storage.
Pioneer Computers is expanding their Android OS tablet lineup by adding a new device to its existing lineup which includes the DreamBook ePad 7 tablet. Their latest tablet is the DreamBook ePad N7 which is a 7-inch Android tablet.
The N7 does lack full high definition support like its predecessor. However, the 7-inch tablet does include a touchscreen display with WVGA resolution which supports 16 million colors and 800×480 pixel resolution. The N7 also comes with a few enhancements over the ePad 7 including a faster processor, improved graphics support, as well as expanded memory and storage. More specifically, the unit includes 512MB DDR2 RAM, 4GB storage space with a microSD card slot for expanded memory, a 1.3MP digital camera and a 2-cell battery for power. The tablet also comes with WiFi support with 3G/Bluetooth being optional features. The DreamBook ePad N7 runs on Android 2.1 and will sell for $499.
Although the iPad has only been available for a few months, a surprisingly high number of corporate employees currently utilize the tablet PC device, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The popularity and predicted sustainability of the iPad in the corporate and IT sectors is predominately due to the new technology’s business-friendly features, the news source reports. In fact,
Apple
has attributed a great deal of the overall success of the product to its reputation in the business world.
Of the approximately 11,000 applications that are available through the iPad, more than 500 were specifically designed for corporate use. One such business-related app developed by Citrix Systems has been downloaded more than 145,000 times.
What would you like to see in a HTC tablet? Something running Android? Chrome OS? A touchscreen built by N-Trig, the same guys who were behind the Microsoft Surface?
According to Haaretz.com, HTC has employed the services of Israeli manufacturer N-trig for its tablet’s touchscreen tech – the very same touchscreen that was used in Microsoft’s Surface table, along with other products such as the Dell Latitude XT. This tablet is supposedly on track to launch on November 26th, and will be offered “in cooperation with the US telecommunications company Verizon.” Hmm.
*Worth mentioning that while the Surface table was touch-sensitive, it wasn’t actually a touchscreen – instead using five cameras to capture motion from objects (and fingers) placed on the table.
Also, while Microsoft invested money into N-Trig earlier this year, N-Trig’s website states that “N-trig was not involved with Microsoft’s Surface computer, which uses optical technology. That is, infrared cameras and a projector behind its touch screen, which helps explain the Surface computer’s high price and large size. In comparison, N-trig uses a capacitive touch sensor. The circuitry is located along two sides of a thin, transparent screen sensor, which allows N-trig to implement the technology inside a thin laptop or tablet display.” Headline changed from “HTC’s Tablet Could Have Same Touchscreen Tech as Microsoft Surface” to reflect this.
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A new report from market research firm Forrester credits Apple's iPad with kicking off what it calls "tablet mania."
Since Apple reported selling 3.27 million iPads in its fiscal third quarter, numerous iPad competitors have been announced. Not surprisingly, most contain the word "pad" in their name, as companies hope to cash in on Apple's success and associate their product with Apple's.
In its report released last week, Forrester cited the WebOS and Windows 7 tablets from HP, the Dell Streak, the Toshiba Smart Pad, rumored tablets from Acer and Samsung, and a Lenovo entry called LePad. One that Forrester didn't mention is the rumored BlackPad from Research In Motion
MSI has stated that they are still on schedule to launch their WindPad 110 Tablet PC model before the end of the year.
This model is powered by Tegra 2 processor and is based on the Google Android 2.2 platform.
The company is also of course working on Tablets based on Windows 7 OS but are not prepared to launch anything now.
MSI has stated that they are waiting for Intel to launch their new generation Oak Trail Atom platform so that they can use these processors in their Windows OS powered tablets.
Those lamenting the choices in the battle against Apple's iPad are now being given two options from Hewlett Packard: WebOS or Windows. The announcement late last week by HP execs said that they will create tablets for both operating systems, rumored to be called the Windows Slate and the PalmPad. But just how good a buy will these tablets be for your business? Here are five reasons to consider one.
Apple’s tablet PC- the iPad is no doubt the best tablet PC available in the market and there is no competition so far. Now the question is: Will iPad continue to dominate the tablet PC sector or some one will halt iPad’s dream run and stand up as a worthy competitor.
It looks like Motorola and Verizon can join hands to come up with an iPad rival like they did to come up with rivals for Apple’s hugely successful smartphone- the iPhone.
Experts maintained that Motorola could establish itself in the tablet PC market by delivering an aesthetically appealing and highly functional device. The success of Droid phones has proved that despite all the hype and hoopla surrounding the iPhone there was room for other devices and same goes for iPad as well.
During his Consumer Electronics Show (CES) keynote address back in January, Microsoft
CEO Steve Ballmer infamously held up a prototype HP tablet device and declared, in not so many words, that Microsoft was back in the Tablet PC game. "We're talking about something that's almost as portable as a phone, and as powerful as a PC, running Windows 7," he said. "[This] emerging category of PCs really takes advantage of the touch and mobility and capabilities of Windows 7, and is perfect for reading, for surfing the Web, and for taking entertainment on the go."
Microsoft's public pronouncements about slates and other next-generation Tablet PCs have recalled this netbook experience, and the company believes it can perform a similar about-face in the coming days, confining the iPad to also-ran status. Whether that's possible is uncertain and largely unrelated to the central argument here. Sure, Microsoft is reacting to the iPad. But so are other industry heavyweights. From what I can see, Microsoft and its hardware partners are closer to delivering viable, Windows 7-based iPad competitors than are the other major players, which will offer Android and WebOS offerings.
Whatever happens, this holiday season should be interesting, regardless of which platform you prefer.
South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics might be closer than expected from launching on shelves its first Android-based tablet PC, the so called Samsung Tab, which was spotted into the wild today.
Although no official details on this are available for the time being, it seems that Samsung already started the live testing of this device in various markets, and that the actual launch date might not be that far in the end.
The yet unannounced Galaxy Tab can be seen in the video below, which Electronista claims was shot in Sydney, Australia.
The slate, which was seen “hands of an anonymous telco worker at a train station,” resembles a lot with that already rumored Galaxy Tab Android-based tablet, but no specific info on it was unveiled.
Word out of TechRadar UK is that ViewSonic is set to jump back into the tablet game with both a 7″ Android tablet as well as a 10″ model that will dual-boot Windows and Android.
The debut will reportedly take place at IFA 2010 in just a couple short weeks. ViewSonic was an early player in the tablet market back in the day. They introduced their first slate running Windows XP Tablet PC edition in November 2002. Their rumored new line, however, reaches back to their pre-Tablet PC days by resurrecting the “ViewPad” brand, which included both Windows CE and Windows XP (not Tablet PC edition) slates.
The Android tablet will be called the ViewPad 7 and offer connectivity via Wi-Fi and 3G. It will feature front- and back-facing cameras and have access to “thousands of applications”. It is not stated if these applications will come through the Android Market or their own store. Other features include assisted GPS, storage via microSD, Bluetooth, accelerometer and USB connectivity.
The larger 10-inch model is unnamed, but one can guess it will be the ViewPad 10. It is claimed it will use an Intel processor and dual-boot Windows and Android
Seems like only yesterday I was warding off ignorant attacks against the viability of tablet computers. “Users want keyboards,” they said. “Tablets have already failed,” they claimed. Fast forward to today and not only do people want them, but vendors are scrambling to meet demand.
Apple made tablets popular. Like it or not, Apple opened the door to tablet-mania, just like many long-time Tablet PC enthusiasts said they could. Admittedly, until the iPad came along, the vision was that of a tablet running Mac OS X, much like the Axiotron Modbook. However, the general consensus was that they’d tailor the software and back it with the power of their marketing machine, which they did with the iPad, and that would trigger a cascading effect to get everyone else into the game, which also happened.
And this brings us to today. With Best Buy aiming to serve up a big bunch of tablets this holiday season, the “Year of the Tablet” could be upon us. We can thank Apple for kicking things off, but while I and others thought they could make tablets popular, we didn’t claim they’d only make their tablet popular. There’s a big opportunity here, and it’s great that so many are taking advantage of it. Yes, in many ways, we’re taking a step back with the functionality compared to Windows-based Tablet PCs, but sometimes you need to take one step back to make a big leap forward. Get a tablet in everyone’s hands today and that leads to better, more powerful tablets tomorrow.
Best Buy is known for stocking thousands of electronic gadgets. To date, that assortment has included just one tablet computer–Apple’s iPad–but that will change in coming months, Forbes has learned.
“Going into the holidays, we will make tablets a focus,” said Shawn Score, the president of Best Buy’s wireless retail unit, Best Buy Mobile, in an interview. “Like e-readers over the last couple years, we think customers will think of Best Buy for tablets and expect us to have the right ones.”
The support of Best Buy–the largest U.S. retailer of consumer electronics by sales–could transform the burgeoning tablet market. A number of electronics vendors have exhibited tablets over the past year, but only a handful of major brands, including Apple and Dell, have brought devices to market.
A new crop of tablets, including devices from Samsung, Acer and Research In Motion, is expected to debut in time for the holidays.
On college campuses across the country this fall semester, some students are getting iPads upon admission while professors and administrators are trying to determine if this latest digital gadget will have a place in the world of academia, with its dusty libraries and lecture halls.
The College Park program "is really aimed at the student who is a so-called digital native, who grew up doing interesting things online," said Matthew Kirschenbaum, associate English professor and director of the digital cultures program. "The iPad isn't just a tool or instrument for the classroom. It's also going to be an artifact, an object of study."
The iPad isn't even a year old but is expected to popularize tablet computers. Its benefits include a vibrant touchscreen and media presentation, long battery life, and mobile Internet accessibility.
The popularity of the Apple iPad does not mean others will fail in the tablet market, according to Thursday data from Forrester. A recent study found that 14 percent of U.S. online consumers – or 27 million people – intend to purchase a tablet in the next year.
"[This] is encouraging for Apple's would-be tablet competitors: There's interest in the category that goes beyond the iPad," according to the report.
At this point, however, there are very few tablet options except the iPad. Dell recently released its Streak tablet, but with a five-inch screen, it's really more of a large smartphone. Meanwhile, in its earning's call this week, Hewlett-Packard confirmed plans to build a WebOS-based tablet. Last month, LG also said it is working on an Android-based tablet, and there are reports about a Lenovo Android device and a Chrome OS-based tablet from Google and HTC.
"Apple was smart to focus on media consumption: Tablet buyers really, really care about media,' the report said. "Compared with all U.S. online consumers, they are more likely to use every type of media — from offline radio to online video to Facebook and Skype. In addition, they spend more hours consuming all types of media than all US online consumers do, with the exception of offline TV."
Surveys reveal that a substantial chunk of U.S. customers plan to buy a tablet in the next year, and it’s not necessarily going to be an iPad.
Fourteen percent, or 27 million U.S. online consumers, intend to buy some kind of tablet in the next 12 months, says a Forrester research report published Thursday (chart below). Customers interested in purchasing a tablet aren’t primarily Apple customers, and they’re well aware of the crop of upcoming tablets from competitors such as Google and Hewlett-Packard.
LG's VP of Marketing just threw out a big fat claim about the company's future tablet.
Speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Chang Ma boasted, "Our tablet will be better than the iPad," because it will have, "high-end features and new benefits," and be "surprisingly productive."
We're highly skeptical of Ma's claim for a number of reasons, but one big red flag is that he says it's coming the fourth quarter of this year. The LG tablet will be running on Android, which apparently isn't ready to scale up to tablet size.
If your a drawing fanatic and like to draw on the computer you have probably used a digitizer tablet. Now digitizer tablets are great but they are expensive and you have to go out and pay even more for a good program. Well a tablet like the iPad want’s to liberate you from your digitizer.
The Apple iPad comes with a nice 9.7″ IPS multi-touch display that has a resolution of 1024×768 pixels. The iPad is perfect for drawing wirelessly and there are some professional level apps available for it as well.
Autodesk has created a really awesome application with pro level features and it’s priced at $8. The SketchBook Pro application is one of the best applications currently available for true artists who want to show their talents on the iPad. The SketchBook app is available now on iTunes.
Hewlett-Packard will release a tablet PC based on Palm's webOS operating system in "early 2011," the head of HP's PC division said Thursday.
HP's tablet plans have been under close watch since it announced plans to buy Palm in April for US$1.2 billion. There was speculation at the time that HP would ditch its plans for a Windows 7 tablet and use Palm's webOS instead.
Since then the company has said it will sell tablets based on both operating systems, but it hadn't confirmed when the webOS device will go on sale
Within the next few months, subscribers to Verizon FiOS service could watch live TV through an application on their tablet computers. That's the word today from Verizon, which says it expects to roll out a full range of television programming to tablets, including the top-selling Apple iPad – and presumably the influx of Android- and Chrome-powered slates expected by the holiday season.
Verizon reps announced at a press conference that the application was, in a technical sense, ready to go. But Reuters is reporting that Verizon will still need to "convince content providers like Time Warner or Walt Disney Co to give it permission to extend live TV viewing to devices such as tablet computers and home appliances."
It's important to note that what Verizon seems to have in mind here is not a stream-on-demand service such as the one Netflix offers. Instead, tablet owners would be able to watch television programs and sporting events at the same time they hit the cable box
LG in an interview today positioned its upcoming Android tablet as the antithesis of Apple's iPad [sub. required]. Marketing VP Chang Ma told the WSJ that the slate, which will go under the Optimus badge used for phones in Korea, should be "surprisingly productive." Apple's device is more focused on consuming content, he said.
Ma wouldn't say how the tablet shipping in the fall would achieve LG's goal. Android by itself doesn't have any inherently creative apps pre-installed and doesn't yet have any apps optimized for tablet size that could help. The iPad does have creative apps, including drawing tools as advanced as Alias Sketchbook Pro as well as Apple's iWork suite, DataViz's Documents To Go and numerous music apps.
LG will take on Apple in the US, but the executive didn't say if the tablet would have 3G or have options for either unlocked or carrier-discounted models.
With the imminent release of the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet computing is about to get a whole lot more interesting: the Android-powered device is a real rival to Apple's iPad, promising multi-touch goodies without the expense of Apple kit.
At least, that's what we hope is happening, because the Samsung Galaxy Tab price is still secret.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab Android tablet isn't the only Google-powered device heading our way: in addition to the iPod-rivalling Samsung Galaxy Player Toshiba's working on an Android tablet, too, and the same reports suggest HP is doing the same.
It looks like the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet will be the first Android tablet to actually ship, so the stakes are high: if it's a dog it could seriously damage Android tablets' reputation - and if it's great, it could tempt prospective iPad purchasers away from the Apple Store.
Here's what we know.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab looks awfully like an iPad
As with mobile phones, there's not much you can do to differentiate your tablet from Apple's one: the screen has to dominate, which leaves precious little room for design flourishes.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab will run Flash
Is there an app for that, Apple? Eh? Eh? EH?
The Samsung Galaxy Tab release date looks like September
It looks like the Samsung Galaxy Tab release date is imminent: the official announcement is due in September, and we'd expect sales to start pretty much immediately so Samsung doesn't miss the crucial Christmas sales period.
Research In Motion Ltd. is turning to technology used in BMW audio systems and the Army’s Crusher tank as it tries to distinguish its new tablet computer from Apple Inc.’s iPad, said three people familiar with the plans.
The yet-to-be-announced tablet will run on software developed by QNX Software Systems, which RIM bought from Harman International Industries Inc. for $200 million in April, said the people, who didn’t want to be named because the plans haven’t been made public. QNX’s software is used in products from companies including Cisco Systems Inc., General Electric Co. and Caterpillar Inc.
RIM, based in Waterloo, Ontario, is racing to introduce its tablet as rivals debut similar devices that fill the gap between smartphones and laptops. By using QNX technology, RIM could take advantage of the independent software developers who already create applications for QNX and build on the popularity of its BlackBerry smartphone with corporate customers.
Apple launched the iPad in April of Q2. According to JiWire's data, the device quickly settled into the number three slot of most popular Wi-Fi enabled mobile devices. The iPhone remained in the top spot though dropping 11.4 percent. The iPod touch remained at number two.
It looks like Android devices are making moves to draw even.
Apple devices continue to dominate the top 10. However, the HTC Droid Incredible has become the most popular Android device, followed closely by the Motorola Droid, facilitating the platform's increase in market share and taking away from the Apple iOS. This quarter, both the Android and RIM platforms increased 1.2 and .07 percent respectively, while Apple's platform declined 2.3 percent despite launching two new products.
Apple launched the iPad in April of Q2. According to JiWire's data, the device quickly settled into the number three slot of most popular Wi-Fi enabled mobile devices. The iPhone remained in the top spot though dropping 11.4 percent. The iPod touch remained at number two.
It looks like Android devices are making moves to draw even.
Apple devices continue to dominate the top 10. However, the HTC Droid Incredible has become the most popular Android device, followed closely by the Motorola Droid, facilitating the platform's increase in market share and taking away from the Apple iOS. This quarter, both the Android and RIM platforms increased 1.2 and .07 percent respectively, while Apple's platform declined 2.3 percent despite launching two new products.
Tablet PC’s are not only getting better and faster, they are now also getting even more durable. This feature especially may have quite a number of uses in areas of work where toughness and durability is essential. The American Industrial Systems, Inc. or AIS has introduced a new rugged vehicle computer.
The new AIS 12.1″ Rugged Vehicle Computer is designed for use in tough environments. It is designed to operate even in extreme temperatures, strong vibration, wet and other harsh environmental conditions.
More details are emerging about a Chrome OS tablet set to launch for the 2010 holiday season. If the reports are accurate, HTC, Google, and Verizon are working together to launch a Chrome OS tablet on Black Friday to kick off the holiday shopping season.
The HTC Chrome tablet will offer some much-needed competition for the Apple iPad. The Dell Streak is available now, but its diminutive size and phone functionality make it regarded primarily as a smartphone with a thyroid problem more than a tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Tab--an Android based tablet--is expected to launch this fall, but aside from that Apple stands virtually unopposed in the tablet arena.
You are familiar with the phrase "better late than never". Well, that isn't always the case. Launching on Black Friday is really the very latest that it's practical to launch a tablet right now. After the holidays most people will be out of discretionary income, and the impending iPad will be the focus of attention. If a manufacturer can't get a tablet on the market in time for the holiday shopping season, it may as well delay launching it until after the next-generation iPad--expected sometime in early 2011.
The company which gave birth to the international tablet competition through its iPad is now planning for some new but smaller tablet at the end of this year around Christmas, according to some major Taiwanese Newspaper. The Digitime’s Newspaper of Taiwan had given this report in the last week that the Taiwanese companies have started to assemble a 7-inch iPad for Apple.
The 7-inch LCD screen of iPad 2 will be provided by Chimei Innolux and this one is going to use the same IPS technology which the original iPad used, the main goodness about this technology is that it improves the viewing angles and color on the LCD screen.
Rumor has it that the next magical, revolutionary product Apple plans to launch is a smaller, 7-inch version of its hit tablet, iPad. Is there something special about that 7-inch size that makes Apple believe such a device will be a hit on par with the original iPad?
There are obvious benefits. A 7-inch tablet would be easier to carry than the current iPad, which sports a 9.7-inch screen. It would also look less silly–though still rather awkward–if held up to the ear when making a phone call. Perhaps most importantly, a smaller iPad could be priced more cheaply, allowing Apple to capture a different range of consumers than the larger ($499-$829) iPad does.
A 7-inch iPad may also indicate a new standard is emerging for this still-evolving category. When it comes to tablets, 7 inches might meet the Goldilocks Rule of being “just right”–not too big or too small.
Manufacturers have already been criticized for producing tablets that miss this range. Dell’s new Streak, for instance, is an interesting twist on a tablet, but its unusual size has elicited some gripes. At 5 inches, some felt it was too small to be a tablet and too large to be a smartphone.
If Apple is indeed making a 7 inch tablet, it will be far from the first manufacturer to bet on these proportions. Archos and Huawei started selling 7 inch tablets this summer. Acer showed off a 7 inch tablet in May and said it would go on sale this fall. Cisco’s version of a tablet, the business communications-focused Cius, measures 7 inches. Both Samsung and Research In Motion’s upcoming tablets are said to be 7 inches. Dell is believed to be developing a 7 inch version of the Streak for release later this year.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Kessler reportedly offered the previous statement as an explanation to why the two companies would likely not make a deal together, despite Netflix's best efforts. That's par for the course, so far, but what is new and exciting from the interview is an off-hand comment that in six month's time, HBO Go would be available "through all major cable systems, on Apple Inc.'s iPad, on mobile devices and elsewhere," free for those already signed up to HBO.
Asustek have announced a number of new devices and the first on the scene will be a simple Eee Pad costing just $300. That one should arrive in October.
The Taiwan based company is the latest to jump on the tablet computer bandwagon in attempt to cash in on some of the success that Apple has had with their iPad. However, the Eee Pad isn’t going to be a threat to the iPad at all, it’s more likely to give current eReaders a run for their money though.
We don’t know yet if the Eee Pad will keep that name, some say it could be called the Eee Note, which would also be a more apt description for this device.
The new tablet will have an 8 inch LCD touchscreen and will run on a Linux operating system. The device appears to be aimed primarily at students as it has three main functions. It works as an eReader, it is designed for browsing the web so has onboard Wi-Fi, and you can take notes on it using a stylus on the touch screen.
It also comes with a camera so that students can take snapshots of white boards at lectures and a sound recorder to record lectures. Battery life is excellent if it lives up to the 10 hours without a charge that Asus claim it will. You also get 2 GB of storage memory and a MicroSD slot.
Asus are also planning three other models of tablet computers and this bunch may well have been competitors for Apple’s iPad if they had arrived sooner, but they’re not expected to appear until early next year.
Rimouski-based ExoPC is about a month away from launching the first new tablet PC that will run on a Windows environment.
It will be go on sale in Canada only by the end of September, said Francis Lamontagne, the chief operating officer of ExoPC. It is currently being built in Taiwan, and will be sold online at ExoPC.com. It will also sell in several stores, and the company will confirm where the device will be sold in the coming weeks.
The tablet's name isn't finalized, but Lamontagne said it will likely not be ExoPC, rather another name, and the device will say that it is "powered by ExoPC."
The company is still in the process of finalizing its U.S. launch date, which will be sometime this fall.
The tablet will run on an Intel Atom processor, which is used in most netbooks, so it will be slightly more powerful than the iPad. It will run its own user interface over a Windows 7 operating system, which means that any Windows-supported software will run on it, as well as specific applications designed for the device. Lamontagne said independent developers have already come out with between 500 and 600 applications designed specifically for the device.
Like the iPad, the tablet will have a touch screen, but unlike the iPad, it will respond to the pressure of the user's touch.
An unreleased firmware update for Samsung's Galaxy Tab tablet computer point to an impressive offering that could challenge Apple's iPad. The Android-based Galaxy Tab will have front and back cameras and may be offered by Vodafone UX. Tablet computers like the iPad and Galaxy Tab could move the Internet onto wireless carriers' networks.
In the growing firmament of the tablets category, there will soon be a new Galaxy. According to information based on a firmware update for the not-yet-released P1000 Galaxy Tab tablet computer from Samsung, the new device could become one of the challengers to the undisputed king of tablets, Apple's iPad.
Third-Party Applications?
The date on the firmware was August 2010, and the Galaxy tablet is expected to be released in the third quarter this year. According to industry rumors on the web, Vodafone UX will carry the Galaxy Tab, and the tablet itself will be unveiled in early September at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin.
The tablet was confirmed in a Wall Street Journal interview in June with a Samsung executive. The new information presents the apparent specs and release date.
Tablets are becoming, or may soon become, good friends of wireless carriers in Europe and the U.S. In part, this is because they are built on mobile operating systems, such as Apple's iOS and Google's open-source Android
Coby plans to introduce a tablet PC at the 2011 International CES, along with larger-screen LCDs in the fourth quarter.
"I think there's a major opportunity with tablets," Michael Troetti , Coby's president, told Dealerscope, adding that the Wi-Fi enabled devices would sell for about $179 and ship sometime during the second quarter of next year.
The imminent arrival of Samsung's Android-powered Galaxy slate, which may debut as early as next month, signals that interesting times are ahead for video-chat users. Businesses and other early-adopters hoping to conduct face-to-face meetings via smartphones and tablets may be in store for a frustrating experience.
A baffling array of mobile devices, many equipped with front-facing cameras and video-chat software, are arriving now or will be soon. In addition to the the aforementioned Samsung tablet, iPhone 4 and HTC EVO 4G, there's the Cisco Cius business tablet, the tepidly received Dell Streak, and a host of other Android-based slates. There's a good chance that Apple will bring a camera and FaceTime to the next-gen iPod touch and iPad too.
Recession Plus Apple Equals No Competition While lack of operating systems in the game may be part of the problem, Jeff Orr of ABI Research thinks it’s more than that. A recession, combined with Apple’s bucking of the traditional rollout schedule, left many prospective tablet makers in a holding pattern, he says.
“In January at CES there was no shortage of announcements. I think every company dipped their toe at that point and said, ‘Here’s what we think we can do.’ And normally when you see those kinds of announcements at CES, they’re pretty well baked, meaning that they should fall in line with a PC-type production cycle, which consists of a spring refresh and then a fall launch.”
That hasn’t happened, which Orr attributes at least in part to a slowdown in R&D at the end of 2009. “There was a lot of R&D spending that just didn’t happen last year. If it couldn’t prove that it was meeting the bottom line, it just didn’t get funded, and a lot of tablets fell into that. They were too speculative,” he says.
The second reason Orr cites for a lack of tablets is Apple managed to throw everyone off with its unorthodox launch and ship cycle for the iPad. Orr says companies typically stick to a fall launch with spring refresh. “I think partly it’s a response to Apple putting an offering out there in January that starts shipping in April, and there was some interest in being able to watch and see what they did and use that as a benchmark,” Orr says.
A new video shows the dual-screen Toshiba Libretto W100 strutting its stuff in uncharted territory somewhere between a tablet and a traditional clamshell laptop.
What is the Libretto W100? It's a small 1.5-pound, 7-inch Windows 7 clamshell device that sports two capacitive LCD screens: one for viewing, one for typing. The typing screen is much like the virtual keyboard on the Apple iPad. Of course, the W100 can also function as a dual-screen tablet, which--in this respect at least--trumps the iPad.
That said, it needs to be stated up front that the Libretto W100 won't be cheap, roughly twice the cost of the cheaper iPad models. You do get two screens, however, and two batteries and a dual-core processor. (More specs are provided on the Libretto W100 Web page.)
In the first challenge to Apple's four-month-old iPad scene stealer mounted by a major supplier Dell just started selling its Android-based Streak Tablet in the U.S. this week.
Dell unveiled the hybrid device in January. It's part phone, part Internet device, part MP3, good for e-mail, texting, instant messaging, voice calls, music, and of course social networking.
The widget's base 2GB of storage can be expanded to 32 gigs, which will let it store 42 movies, 32,000 photos or 16,000 songs.
The carbon black widget with its five-inch multi-touch WVGA display is supposed to go for a pricey $299.99 with a two-year contract with A&T or $549.99 unlocked. Both AT&T, which also carries the iPhone, and Dell will push it.
The tablet from Apple runs iOS, not Mac OS X. Before the iPad's debut on stage earlier this year, however, many speculated that the tablet would be running Mac OS X as a competitor against Windows-based tablet-PCs.
The iPad does not have the functionality or features of the true-multitasking Mac OS X, and for fans of the desktop or even laptop experience, the official tablet may not be enough.
Enter Axon with its upcoming Haptic tablet. It's essentially a touch screen tablet with hardware very similar to netbooks that were friendly to hacked installs of Mac OS X – or Hackintoshes.
A new tablet PC has been released by Fujitsu that could appeal to users who travel frequently.
The Lifebook T730 offers a number of features that might interest commuters, such as built-in global positioning, WLAN and Bluetooth.
According to the manufacturer, the device is ideal for use in airport lounges or on public transport, while its ambient light sensor automatically adapts its display to fit its environment.
Customers could be interested in the product due to its 12.1-inch twist-to-touch bi-directional Tablet screen and Windows 7 multi-touch technology, as well as its bundled second battery for convenience while on the move.
Brad Hagan, product marketing manager for mobile clients at Fujitsu UK & Ireland, said: "Customers choose tablet PCs for their added functionality, convenience and greater flexibility. Fujitsu has a long history of producing high quality tablet PCs and the Lifebook T730 is no exception."
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Nvidia Corp., the maker of chips for computer graphics cards, is working on a microprocessor for tablet devices that would directly compete with Intel Corp. products, two people familiar with the matter said.
Nvidia has a team of engineers developing chips that could be used by computer makers instead of Intel, said the people, who declined to be identified because the project hasn’t been made public. Nvidia began working on a tablet chip after an earlier effort to create laptop processors didn’t pan out, the people said. Those chips weren’t cheap enough to compete with Intel’s Atom chips, according to the people.
The effort would help Nvidia tap the burgeoning market for tablets, spurred by the success of Apple Inc.’s iPad.
Hackintosh, the electronics products maker is going to unleash its new tablet PC
Axon Logic. The Axon Logic is featured with touchscreen LCD, handwriting capacity, webcam, three USB ports, and Wi-Fi. This Hackintosh Axon Logic tablet PC is compatible with every Drawin OS like PureDarwin and Apple operating system X etc. The 320 GB multi-boot setup is also one of the best feature of Axon Logic.
Fujitsu has announced a new addition to its Lifebook T Tablet PC range, the Lifebook T730. A significant step forward for this class of notebook from Fujitsu is the inclusion, as an optional extra, of GPS.
This comes in addition to the optional 3G (capable of download speeds to 7.2Mbps), and the ever present Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Between them these connectivity options should help make the Fujitsu Lifebook T730 a desirable notebook for the ever-travelling professional who needs to be connected wherever they are.
Fujitsu says the Lifebook T730 can deliver all-day battery life from its primary battery. This longevity is assisted by energy saving features like an ambient light sensor which helps with automatically adjusted screen brightness.
Armor has unveiled a new tablet PC that is rugged and designed for a life of hard work in the field. The new tablet is called the X10gx and runs Windows 7 Ultimate for the operating system. The little tablet is built to military specs for ruggedness.
Armor says that the machine meets MIL-STD-810G, is approved for use in explosive or hazardous environments and has an IP rating of 67. The tablet weighs 4.7 pounds and has an integrated docking system. The hardware inside the little tablet includes an Intel Core 2 Duo SU9300 CPU.
Twenty-ten has been called the “Year of the Tablet” for some time now, but we’re already half way through the year and the only truly worthwhile tablet device that we have to speak of is the iPad and a couple of so-so Android tablets. But, there are tons of Android-, BlackBerry-, and webOS-powered tablets scheduled for the rest of 2010 and 2011, so there’s still time for a serious iPad competitor to rise to the occasion. We’re going to give a rundown of the “T0p 5 Most Anticipated Tablets” that are expected to hit sometime later this year, or early next year.
Keep in mind that some of these tablets are still just rumors, and specs are subject to change at any moment. That said, hold onto your seats!
The Adam from Notion Ink is definite the tablet I am holding out for. This tablet sports every feature you could expect from a tablet, and it does it with style. The Adam may not be as sexy as some of the previous tablets, but it packs a punch where others fall short. The Adam is the first tablet we’re hearing of that will sport a 10 inch Pixel Qi display, which can be used in a full color mode, or a black and white e-reader-like mode when the backlight is off, which can offer you days of use. The Adam has gone through a handful of delays, but the launch window is still set for before the end of 2010. (We’ll believe it when we see it)
We've been trying to find out when HP would launch a webOS tablet since the company first bought Palm, and we're now hearing from several trusted sources that it'll be calendar Q1 2011. We're told Personal Systems Group VP Todd Bradley mentioned the date during an all-hands employee meeting yesterday, and that the project is indeed known internally as "Hurricane." (We're assuming this is what that PalmPad trademark filing was for, but we can't confirm that.) Shipping a killer tablet would be one way to change the subject from ex-CEO Mark Hurd's recent troubles, we suppose
With a 5-inch screen, the Dell Streak is bigger than a smart phone but smaller than a tablet PC. The Streak will begin shipping by week's end.
Dell Inc. will begin taking orders from select customers for its new Android-based tablet device Thursday.
With a 5-inch display, built-in Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, the Streak seemingly straddles the divide between smart phones and tablet devices such as Apple's iPad. The device can make calls and features a 5-megapixel camera, a front-facing camera and 2 gigabytes of internal storage.
Speculation has been swirling for months around a tablet PC from Samsung Electronics, and the waiting may finally be over next month.
Korea’s top mobile phone maker will unveil the device at the IFA consumer electronics show, taking place in Germany from Sept. 3 to 8, according to a high-ranking official at the tech giant yesterday.
A few months after Apple introduced its iPad tablet in January, rumors began to spread that Samsung was developing a rival device. Industry observers then called it the “S-Pad” but have now nicknamed it the “Galaxy Tab,” after the company’s Android-based Galaxy S smartphone line.
“We will showcase our latest Smart TV and interchangeable lens camera models at the show,” the source said. “We will also showcase our tablet PC for the first time officially.”
In fact, a host of other Korean companies, including LG Electronics and TG Sambo Computer, are said to be developing tablet PCs, signaling a rise in competition among companies seeking to gain an edge before the iPad arrives in Korea, though no release date for that device has been set yet.
LG will reportedly release its latest tablet PC within the year. It already sells “convertible-type” tablet PCs with attached keyboards. TG Sambo also said it will introduce its tablet PC in the third quarter. Multimedia player maker iStation and MP3 player manufacturer Cowon may also launch tablet PCs.
Group Mobile, well known for carrying the top brands in rugged laptops, rugged tablet PCs, rugged UMPCs (Ultra Mobile PCs), rugged PDAs, and rugged handheld computers has added two new rugged tablet computers from Xplore Technologies to its product offerings - the iX104C4CR tablet PC for clean room environments and the iX104C4M military rugged tablet PC.
Motorola Tablet PC is now the talk of the gadget town. Motorola is reportedly designing a tablet PC, which would be similar to that of an Apple iPad in terms of the size and dimensions. Like all their smartphones, this tablet PC too will run on Android OS. Earlier this is a mere speculation, but now the Boy Genius Report added more strength to the speculation.
Motorola Tablet will sport a 10 inch screen, and 1 GHz or 1.3 GHz processor. Motorola Tablet will feature Android 3.0 OS!!! This tablet might make its debut by the end of 2010.
I stumbled across this video comparing a Hanvon Windows 7 slate PC to an Apple iPad. Which is faster? Which displays the Web better? Which is easier to use?
Research In Motion is moving closer to the production of its tablet called the ‘BlackPad’. The company has chosen Taiwanese notebook manufacturer Quanta to produce at least two million tablets this year, says a Chinese language paper Apple Daily.
RIM and Quanta are reportedly targeting a September shipping and a $500 price tag for the BlackPad to make it competitive against Apple’s iPad.
The BlackPad will support Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G connectivity through tethering to a Blackberry smartphone, says the paper.
This is not the first time that information about the BlackPad has leaked out. In June, the Wall Street Journal reported that RIM is testing a tablet that could act as a “companion” to its BlackBerry phone. Before that, the Boy Genius Report web site said the BlackBerry tablet is likely to have a 8.9-inch screen.
Microsoft’s product groups are busy crafting their answer(s) to the Apple iPad. But Microsoft Research is working on slate/tablet-related projects of its own, including a way to add physical keys to the backs of these kinds of mobile-computing devices.
Microsoft Research’s RearType project is dedicated to finding a way affix keys to the backs of all kinds of tablets and slates, but in a way that users can reach them by gripping the sides of the devices.
Researchers have taken the two halves of a QWERTY keyboard and rotated the keys in a way that a user’s thumbs remain on the front of the surface and the other keys are placed within reach of the thumbs. (Microsoft Research’s shots of the front and back of a prototype device using RearType are featured to the right and can be expanded by clicking on the images.) An on/off button for activating/deactivating the keys to avoid accidental typing is a must, the researchers note.
In previous posts, I took a second look at convertible tablet PCs and tested out one of HP’s latest entries in this category, the EliteBook 2740p. Here’s my take on a competing convertible, Lenovo’s ThinkPad X201 Tablet.
I’ve been critical of the software on Windows tablet PCs. With a few exceptions, most notably Microsoft OneNote, there are few broad Windows applications that really take advantage of multi-touch or pen-based input. But Lenovo has filled in some of the gaps here.
The SimpleTap utility gives you quick access to a set of large buttons that you adjust system settings with your fingertips. You can also add your own tiles to quickly launch a program, or open a Web page or file with a single tap. For example, I created a shortcut that opened The New York Times and SimpleTap automatically created a tile with the NYT logo. The Tablet Shortcut Menu button has many of the same settings, but also lets you adjust pen and tablet settings, configure the multi-touch display or switch to presentation mode without using the keyboard.
Kmart had a run on a new tablet PC powered by Google’s Android operating system when it knocked a mere $20 off the price. The big-box discount retailer offered the Augen Gentouch78 for $150, leading to shortages.
“On July 25th Kmart had unexpected phenomenal response to the Augen 7-inch tablet, which runs on the Android OS,” Kmart’s blog said. “This product that was featured in the Kmart circular for $149.99 and has currently sold out. Eager customers who found shortages of the tablet were offered ‘rain checks’ through July 31st to ensure they could secure the Augen tablet at the advertised price at a later date.”
Best Buy's chief technology officer Robert Stephens recently posted photos of a prototype tablet on his Twitter feed, fueling speculation that Best Buy is creating its own in-house branded tablet computer.
The photos Stephen posted are the only information available about the potential Best Buy tablet. The photos are only form factor representations without guts inside, according to Stephens. He did hint at the possibility of using Android as an OS when he tweeted "the question is: Is 2.2 ready for the tablet interface?" -- a likely reference to Android 2.2, or Froyo.
The New York Times points out the Best Buy tablet's physical similarities to the Hewlett-Packard Slate -- a tablet that was heavily hyped by Microsoft in January, but then quietly disappeared, with all indications that HP plans to use its newly-acquired Palm WebOS instead of Windows 7.
According to an Apple Daily [Chinese] report published today, Taiwanese notebook maker Quanta Computer will take up the task of manufacturing RIM‘s much rumored “BlackPad” Tablet PC. The tablet PC joins the many other competing Android tablets in November 2010.
The tablet will come with support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and can get 3G internet via a Blackberry smartphone connection. Guess what? The tablet device is expected to be priced at a very usual $500, and pre-orders will be taken sometime in September 2010 and be shipped through. Quanta plans to ship at least 2 million devices in 2010 itself, followed by 8 million in 2011.
Tablet PCs have the potential to bring about a dramatic shift in the way we use traditional media for entertainment and information. Rather than reading newspaper or magazine for information or watching television for entertainment, increasing number of consumers are likely to use Tablet PCs for accessing digital version of their favorite newspapers, magazines and books, and watch movies or television shows on demand from Tablet PCs.
Many popular Tablet PCs are WiFi/3G enabled and are equipped with microphone (and soon, a front facing video camera if not already) making them a great device for connecting with friends and family members over the internet at a fraction of cost of connecting over phone lines.
Tablet PCs, given their large Hi-resolution screen with multi-touch input, Accelerometer sensor for UI and Touch-sensitive controls, have the potential to change the way we use Social Media tools and take Social Networking to a whole new level. Current Social Media tools such as Twitter or Facebook are “text” or “web-page” UI based. NextGen Social Media tools will leverage full range of functionality available in Tablet PCs and make media consumption for information & entertainment or playing online games a truly Social experience.
Most importantly, a fully functional Tablet PC costs just a few hundred dollars, a little more if it is a premium brand like Apple (note the price tag on Android powered Tablet PC I mentioned earlier in this post). And by all accounts, prices are likely to drop further as sales volume increase.
Could "Magazine Everywhere" be next? Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes hinted he wants to make tablet-computer subscriptions for the company's magazines available to people who already subscribe to the print versions of the company's titles, which include Time, People, Sports Illustrated, Real Simple. The key, he says, is to get subscribers to enjoy TW's products over all broadband devices, reports The Wall Street Journal.
HP is pioneering some interesting technology lately, and is putting out a bevy of beauties to be hitting the retail shelves hopefully by December 2010.
In December of 2009 HP filed for a trademark on the word “Zine” and now they have just filed an FCC Application for a new tablet device called the “HP eStation Zine”
Although there is no official word of the operating system, many people are aludeing to this device has being the HP Tablet PC.
With the acquisition of Palm in the Books in July, HP admitted that Palm and WebOS will be a fringe programming group, perhaps utilizes in smart phones exclusively, although they are developing some neat printers using WebOS.
From what we know, the eStation Zine will be a capacitive tablet using Google Android 2.2 Operating System. It will be using a exclusive skin layed, much akin to Motorola’s “Motoblur”
It will have a SD Slot, HDMI port, and a built in Web Cam. Its glory is perhaps the e-reading functionality of the device. HP will pair this tablet with the Barnes and Noble eBook Store.
iTablet Europe is currently gearing up to launch the iTablet range and is in the final stages of discussions with TV-based retailers, multiple high street retailers and major supermarket chains. It also intends to pursue significant opportunities with leading service providers including some of the UK’s largest mobile phone retailers.
iTablet Europe has been formed as part of a joint venture with one of the world’s largest manufacturers of personal computing products. This Taiwanese group has a turnover of $1.4billion in 2009 and produces more than 20 million laptop computers each year as well as printers and SatNav units for some of the largest global brands.
This will be fully supported by both Microsoft and Intel who see the iTablet as one of the first serious tablet PCs to hit the market offering full compatibility with commonly used Windows applications and the ability to connect to home or company networks.
Is it a trackpad or a tablet? Microsoft kept its fans guessing after it posted cropped images of a black gadget with Microsoft emblazoned on the cover on its hardware Twitter account
t has been dropping clues as it posted a text saying "Here's a hint for you: 'Don't be so touchy...flat is where it's at'" and the text was followed by another picture which gave an extra glimpse of the product.
With multiple rumored launches like a tablet-PC, a smartphone and a multi-touch capable mouse, the teasers are sure creating a lot of buzz.
Also since the teasers are coming from Microsoft hardware, it's a possibility that it could be a peripheral rather than a tablet-PC
- DRS Tactical Systems, a subsidiary of DRS Technologies, has recently unveiled its newest ARMOR™ rugged tablet computer, the ARMOR™ X10gx. This all-new 10.4" rugged tablet enhances the efficiency and productivity of an increasingly mobile workforce and is planning to ship by September 15, 2010.
"The ARMOR™ X10gx is our tenth generation offering. We have drawn upon many years of our experience as well as the experience from our military and commercial personnel that have deployed our rugged mobile computers around the world,” said Mike Sarrica, vice president and general manager for DRS Tactical Systems.
Tuesday, Rupert Murdoch chairman and chief executive officer of News Corporation said tablets are “a perfect platform” for cheap, convenient and up-to-date News Corp content. Murdoch said all of this at a media debate in Sydney, Australia where he also unveiled his companies new plan for taking advantage of the new technology available.
If you can remember back when the Apple iPad was just about to be unveiled he said some pretty negative things. Now that the iPad and many other different types of tablets have sold in the millions he is changing tune. He and the News Corp. company are now looking to hedge the new technology for financial gain.
Over the past few months, everyone and his grandma is jumping into the tablet bandwagon. Viewsonic, who are pretty much known for the manufacture of computer monitors are learned to be working on launching a tablet computer of their own. As with many other OEMs, this one too loves open source and has reportedly picked Android as the platform of choice.
There is not much info on the specifications of this new tablet PC though it is speculated that the device will measure 7-inches and shall run on Android 2.2. The device is also expected to be equipped with a built-in camera, 3G connectivity and voice call support.
Motorola is developing a digital tablet device that will allow users to watch television on it, as the US mobile phone group attempts to chip away at a market established by Apple’s popular iPad.
The device, which will have a 10-inch screen and operate on Google’s Android software, could launch as early as this autumn in the US
The tablet market is seen as the next battle ground in the mobile devices war that has pit myriad device makers and Microsoft, Google and Research in Motion against Apple.
The iPad has become a hit for Apple, lifting the company from number seven to number three in the worldwide market for notebooks and other portable computers, according to Deutsche Bank.
The Motorola tablet’s integration with TV is a key competitive advantage against rival developers.
Here comes another tablet PC which has been dubbed as MasterPad Windows 7 tablet. The MasterPad Windows 7 tablet comes with good number of specs which are far better than the Apple iPad. The MasterPad Windows 7 tablet comes with the features such as a 11.6 inch touch screen, resolution of 1,366 x 768, a 1.3 MP web camera, 2 x USB ports, memory card reader, an accelerometer, mini-HDMI port, 3G connectivity, and 32GB or 64GB solid state drive options and weighs around 990g.
The MasterPad Windows 7 tablet also comes with a 5 hours battery life and 1.66 Atom N450 processor and also gives you a perfect playback of 1080p. The MasterPad Windows 7 tablet also comes with the compatibility of Flash.
Now that Apple showed how a real tablet device should look and work, everyone else is scrambling to make their own tablet that will be at least on par with the iPad.
according to this new patent application for a “Mobile terminal having dual touch screen and method of controlling content therein”, Samsung has been thinking about how to add their own touch (no pun intended here , to the tablet form factor UI.
Their idea? A dual touch screen tablet. With a traditional operation on a big touchscreen on the front of the device. And a second touch sensor layer on the back of the tablet, allowing for additional touch control gestures and operation patterns.
With Android 3.0 expected to be released this fall, a few manufactures all ready have PC tablets in development.
Android 3.0 aka Gingerbread, is advancing in its development and appears to be on target for an October release. Android 3.0 is expected to have a more intuitive interface and support upcoming services like Google Music.
According to Rodman & Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar, Android 3.0 will be the heart of Motorola's 10 inch tablet design that’s expected to ship in November and come preloaded with the new OS. Motorola is also responsible for some of the most successful Android-based smartphones, including the Droid and DroidX.
Motorola has not yet formally announce such a tablet but did provide some hardware info on a 7-inch tablet running Android at CES 2010
It’s raining tablet computers. The latest to join the tablet war is leading Korean consumer electronics giant, Samsung which is planning to launch a tablet style computer rumored to be called Samsung Galaxy Tab in the month of September. Samsung plans to design the tablet PC on the lines is its successful and latest smartphone Galaxy S and is holding a special event on August 11 to unveil the details and feature list of the device.
Now let us take a sneak peak at the outlined features Samsung’s Galaxy Tab will come with. Though the company is yet to disclose a detailed feature and specification list of the device but still we have a feature wrap up of the Tab which is due to launch in September this year. The Galaxy Tab will run on most recent version of Google’s OS, the Android 2.2. It will have a super AMOLED 7 inch touch screen for that bright and crisp image.
Samsung Galaxy Tab will run on a fast A8 processor for high speed web browsing. The device comes with 16 GB memory and with expandable memory of 32 GB via micro SD card. The users will be able to connect online through Wi-Fi or through 3G network. It will have two cameras one for clicking pictures and the other to video call
Notion Inks CEO Rohan Shravan mentioned on his blog last week that there were a lot of internal meetings debating the merits of launching their Tablet PC with Gingerbread 3.0 or Froyo 2.2. It seems that Notion Ink is now officially launching with Google Android 2.2 and will upgrade the operating system a few months after the release.
The Adam tablet will come to market sporting Android 2.2 Froyo. Some speculation had the device coming later with Android 3.0 otherwise known as gingerbread under the hood. The Notion Ink Adam will be released with the second generation Nvidia Tegra Chipset
Smartbook AG hits back with its new gadget which is nothing but a tablet PC dubbed as ‘Smartbook Surfer’. The Smartbook AG tablet is specially built for the folks in Germany. This Smartbook AG tablet PC comes packed with the amazing features which look better than the iPad specs.
The Smartbook AG tablet PC dubbed as ‘Smartbook Surfer’ comes packed with a Telechips TTC8902 720MHz processor, the device boasts a 7-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen display, a 256MB DDR2 RAM, a 2GB of flash storage, a miniSD card slot, a webcam, GPS, WiFi, two USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port and a 1400mAh lithium battery.
An ultra-strong glass that has been looking for a purpose since its invention in 1962 is poised to become a multibillion-dollar bonanza for Corning Inc.
The 159-year-old glass pioneer is ramping up production of what it calls Gorilla glass, expecting it to be the hot new face of touch-screen tablets and high-end TVs.
Now, the latest trend in TVs could catapult it to a billion-dollar business: Frameless flat-screens that could be mistaken for chic glass artwork on a living-room wall.
Because Gorilla is very hard to break, dent or scratch, Corning is betting it will be the glass of choice as TV-set manufacturers dispense with protective rims or bezels for their sets, in search of an elegant look.
CEO Steve Ballmer made it official: Microsoft plans to have a tablet computer that will rival Apple's iPad. When that will happen is quite another question. "They'll be shipping as soon as they're ready," Ballmer said during a presentation to analysts in Redmond, Wash. on Thursday. "This is Job 1 around here. Nobody is sleeping at the switch."
But that was as specific as Ballmer was ready to go, telling listeners in the audience that "they'll be shipping as soon as they are ready."
"I relish the competition," he said. "I wish I could hold up a couple for you today. It's not today. I relish having to do it tomorrow."
But he did drop some hints about what would run the units. With Windows 7 expected to start shipping within the next couple of months, Microsoft is apparently going to fashion a version of its new operating system for tablet computers
Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer said tablet computers are high on his priority list as Apple Inc. takes the lead in a market his company has tried to foster for more than a decade.
“Today, one of the top issues on my mind is ‘hey there’s a category we have had Windows on for a long time and Apple’s done an interesting job of putting together a synthesis and putting a product out,’” Ballmer said today at Microsoft’s annual analyst meeting at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington.
Tablets based on Microsoft’s Windows operating system have struggled since their initial release in 2002. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, sold 3.27 million iPads last quarter, outselling all comparable computers. The device debuted April 3.
“We’re coming. We’re coming full guns,” Ballmer said.
Ballmer said the company is working with hardware partners to produce compelling tablet computers and will be aided by the release early next year of a new Intel Corp. chip, code-named Oak Trail.
Oak Trail is a dual-core version of Intel’s Atom chip for tablets. It will improve battery life by using half the power while offering enough processing to provide smooth video and fast Web surfing.
Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion has been long rumored to be on its way to bringing to the market its very own BlackBerry tablet, and it seems that the company might actually be closer than expected from doing so. Recently, the smartphone designer purchase the blackpad.com domain, a move that for many means only one thing, namely that RIM is gearing up for the release of the said slate.
For what it's worth, the BlackPad name did emerge previously related to the rumored BlackBerry tablet from Research In Motion, even if nothing was officially confirmed for the time being. This is one of the names RIM is expected to choose for the device, just as Apple named its slate iPad, but it might not be the only option in the end.
As far as the rumors on RIM's tablet PC go, we should be able to have it in our hands as soon as next year, if not sooner. Moreover, a 7-inch touchscreen display is expected to be include into the mix, along with back and front-facing cameras. The tablet should be powered by a 1GHz processor, which means that RIM took into consideration the performance levels it would be able to offer to users.
HP executive Phil McKinney said that, contrary to reports, HP hasn't given up on the Windows 7-based slate or tablet computer that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer previewed at the Consumer Electronics Show back in January.
Following HP's blockbuster $1.2 billion purchase of Palm earlier this year, there was wide speculation the company was ready to dump Windows 7 in favor of a slate line based on Palm's WebOS.
But McKinney, CTO of HP's Personal Systems Group, made it clear the company is still committed to Windows.
"We will ship the Windows slate with Windows 7 to the enterprise," McKinney said during a Q&A session following his talk here at the AlwaysOn conference at Stanford University on Wednesday. "The WebOS is for our consumer slate."
The market for tablet/slate devices has exploded with the arrival of Apple's iPad, which has already sold millions of units and continues to sell basically as fast as the company can make them. While Apple (NASDAQ: APPL) has marketed the iPad to consumers, there hasn't been much slate activity on the enterprise side except in niche areas where the devices have been used for years.
But Cisco recently announced plans to deliver a tablet computer called the Cius (pronounced See Us) that's targeted specifically at the enterprise with collaboration and communications features. The first limited shipments are scheduled for later this year, but Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) said the Cius wouldn't be broadly available till next year.
Even after shelling out $1.2 billion for Palm and its webOS, HP said it still plans to use Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system for its line of business-centric slates.
Loren Charles Heiny passed away from Cancer on Sunday July 25. Please consider joining our family as we celebrate his life. We are gathering to celebrate his life
and all the joys he brought to our lives. Please join our family on Saturday, July 31 at 2pm.
The German company E-Noa has developed a Tablet PC Interpad, functioning operating system Google Android. The basis of the gadget went to a hardware platform nVidia Tegra second generation, which includes dual-core processor ARM Cortex A9 1 GHz. New bears on board 1 GB of RAM and flash-module capacity of 16 GB. You can use plug-in cards with microSD up to 32 GB
10-inch touch screen tablet is made by capacitive technology, supported by the interface “multitouch”. In the arsenal Interpad
Apple's iPad has been on sale in Europe less than two months now and only in selected territories but Euro networks are showing geek-like glee embracing the new tablet technology, launching i-capable apps and mobile services.
Two continental giants -- RTL in Germany and France's Canal Plus -- this week launched apps providing live streaming of their top-rated network broadcasts. In Britain, the BBC said fully 10% of all requests made by portable devices for its popular iPlayer catch-up service last month came from iPad users. In the Netherlands, where iPads go on sale for the first time Friday, commercial network SBS and pubweb NOS already have Apple-ready services a-waiting. Even struggling commercial net Five is jumping on the iPad wagon, announcing plans to launch a catch-up TV app this fall to coincide with the relaunch of its on-demand service Demand Five.
European networks are clearly hoping Apple's iPhone and its trendy tablet could provide the launch pad for mobile TV and with it new lucrative revenue streams.
Recently, iMedicalApps published a multi-part story about how iPad is making “the hospital rounds” as a tool for doctors and patients. While medical texts are still in the future, apps for the iPad — often developed by doctors and hospitals — have pushed the iPad into the medical realm. In this list of 10 ways that Apple’s iPad is changing healthcare, you can see that the iPad is used globally for learning and for many doctor-patient (and nurse) interactions and well as by individuals who work in health administration.
Dedicated to connecting users with ABC News’ reporting anytime and anywhere, in its first five days the ABC News app for the Apple iPad was downloaded more than 140,900 times since it launched on July 21st.
The new application takes full advantage of the form and functionality of the iPad, using as the principal navigation tool a unique interactive three dimensional globe on which news stories appear. With the unique three dimensional interface,users can spin the ABC News globe by touching the face of the iPad and then can choose the stories of most interest to them (ABC News iPad Demo Video
Apple didn't need to even release the iPad for Microsoft and its PC maker partners to feel the heat. Back in January, when the iPad was still a rumor but widely expected anytime, CEO Steve Ballmer showed off an iPad-like device called the HP Slate. He referred to these types of devices as having "a new form factor," something that's almost as portable as a phone but also as powerful as a PC. It is, in fact, just a PC, and it's running Windows 7. Or it will be if it ever ships.
Of course, we've been there before, haven't we? In 2002, Microsoft, in tandem with its PC maker partners—including , incidentally—released the first generation of underpowered but actually quite innovative Tablet PCs. There were two form factors at the time, the keyboard-less slate design that we're now calling "a new form factor" almost a decade later, and the convertible design, which looked like a laptop but featured a swiveling screen that allowed the device to also be used in slate mode.
Oddly enough, PC makers still sell convertible PC-type Tablet PCs today. Including, you guessed it, HP.
Turns out they're doing both. The HP Slate will still ship with Windows 7 sometime later this year, but it will target the enterprise.
The little-known Augen is bringing out a 7-inch Android tablet soon and a Kmart circularindicates it will only retail for $150.
That is not a lot of money of what this Android tablet is going to pack, as the product page says the device, dubbed “GenTouch78,” will rock the 2.1 version of the software, an unspecified 800 MHz processor, an 800 x 480 touch screen (no word on if it’s capacitive), 720p video support, 256 MB DDR2 RAM, an SD/MMC slot for up to 16 GB, WiFi, access to the more than 70,000 apps in the Android Market and the ability to play multimedia files and e-book files.
Tablets are the craze right now and the de facto rule going round seems to be this: if you for a manufacturer of consumer electronic goods, then you must have a tablet device in your line-up. Motorola is too big a company and maintains too big a presence in the smartphone business to ignore that rule. The company has been high in the list among those who are rumored to be making tablet PCs and the good news is, Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha has confirmed a tablet is indeed in the making.
Details of the new upcoming tablet are scarce at best and all we know right now is that it’s likely to have a 10-inch touchscreen display. Motorola has also been using the 1GHz OMAP3630 processor to power their DROID X and the soon-to-be-released DROID 2 smartphones and it’s believed they might continue with a somewhat similar setup for the tablet device as well.
However, the thing that’s almost a certainty is that its going to be the Google’s Android 3.0 Gingerbread that would be doing the OS duty. Google has already let it be known that they are focusing on the visual end of Android to make their next release more iPad-like.
And lastly, the good news is that the tablet will in all probability be hitting the markets during November. We don’t have to tell you that that is the holiday season is at its prime. However, the expected release date of the Motorola tablet clashes with the likely date when Google has announced the Gingerbread will be made available, which is ‘early next year’. So it will be interesting to see which comes first
Now that you’ve got your Apple wonder device, you’re probably realizing that you’re going to need to add a few accessories to get the most out of your iPad. If you’re willing to spend a minimum of $500 on the tablet, why not deck it out a little bit to protect your investment and to unleash its full potential? We’ve rounded up our favorite iPad accessories, which will give the tablet more functionality and some needed protection from the elements.
SYDNEY, NSW: The self-styled of convertible tablets, Fujitsu, last week released the Lifebook TH700, coupling keyboard comfort and practicality with tablet functionality and connectivity.
Fujitsu offers a fair range of convertible tablets, and despite a less affordable price point compared to a straight tablet, the Fujitsu tablet computing range remains prolific and popular, according to a Fujitsu spokesperson.
The tablet’s media features include built in Bluetooth, 3G connectivity options and HDMI connection. However, geared more towards productivity and not just online media, the Lifebook TH700 manages to pack in a lot, in a robust, yet compact looking set up. It features a 12-inch widescreen, 500GB hard drive, 2GB memory, Intel Core i3 or i5 processors, fingertip multi-touch, a pressure sensitive digitiser pen as well as a fingerprint security logon.
Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal recently revealed the prototype of a $35 touchscreen tablet device, which is claim to be world’s cheapest computer PC.
It should be noted that in 2005, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) – has developed a prototype of a $100 laptop, especially for children of developing nation. But, at that time, India has rejected the offer, quoting it too expensive, and decided to develop a cheaper alternate of its own.
The $35 tablet prototype from India, which was developed by research teams at IIT and the Indian Institute of Science, is expected to go into production by 2011.
July 26, 2010
Loren Heiny
January 26, 1961 - June 25, 2010
There are no words to express the depth of pain in loosing Loren last night. Loren was a kind gentle and loving man. He was a wonderful son, brother & friend who will remain forever in our hearts
Loren loved technology and he was a shining star in the development of Tablet Pc technology
Loren Heiny developed applications, such as the Silverlight-based Search TIP and Math TIP, MathPractice, WebcamNotes, ShareKMC, and many more. His personal blog is a great resource for Tablet PC and UMPC developers. Loren has written numerous books on programming and is an experienced commerical software developer. His first love is Robotics. Microsoft has awarded Loren a Tablet PC MVP each year since 2003.
When the iPad was officially announced back in January a lot of us speculated that it would drive awareness of Tablet PCs. While the success of the iPad has kicked development of consumer slates into high gear, it hasn’t resulted in a lot more people seeking information about Tablet PCs. There’s still only one Tablet PC available at Best Buy, North America’s largest electronics retailer, and consumers seem to think that Apple invented the slate form factor.
Tablet PCs are awesome tools, especially for those who work on their feet or use pen-optimized software. But just because something’s good doesn’t mean companies will market them to the masses.
The TouchSmart tm2 is pretty much the only Tablet PC most consumers will ever have a chance to touch and play with before buying. But at $949 at Best Buy (and about the same on Amazon), it’s a tough sell to a student/parent that’s not familiar with Tablet PCs. There are plenty of sub $700 notebooks on the market with more impressive specs (drive, processor, battery life, etc.) that are sold by the truckload.
Dell Streak, the new Android based tablet, is right around the corner for a release in the US. The multinational information technology corporation company, Dell Inc. has never seen a much buzz around a single Dell product than this.
According to the product page view seen on Dell website, the Dell Streak tablet will be available for purchase in late July.
The Dell Streak seems to be too small for a tablet, but analysts predict that the new device from Dell bridges the gap between a tablet and a smartphone.
Unlike other tablet devices in the market, the Dell Streak device acts as a phone too. So that makes it a bigger smartphone and a smaller tablet. If that is the case, then it would be good to compare Dell Streak with other tablets as well as other smartphones in the market.
Lenovo reportedly plans to add a tablet PC to its line of products, bringing the computer maker into direct competition with Apple’s iPad.
Reuters reports that Lenovo was developing a tablet PC, called LePad internally, that would run on Google’s (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android operating system. Lenovo spokeswoman Wu Hwa told Reuters that no launch date for the product has been set and that the name may change. Hwa said Lenovo chose Android in order to make the tablet PC compatible with the company’s LePhone smart phone, which is sold in China.
However, by the time we enter 2012, tablet PCs like the iPad will surpass e-Readers. At that point, a healthy 15.5 million adults in the US will own an e-Reader. And the number will continue to climb, though slowly compared to tablet PC growth. By 2015, we see the e-Reader market starting to cap at just under 30 million U.S. adults. That’s nearly all the people who read 2+ books a month.
At that point, many bargain e-Readers will cost just $49 and some of the best will cost only $99—a price point we believe some Amazon competitors may toy with as soon as this holiday season, especially for bare bones models like the Sony Pocket Reader. One reason that prices will be so low is that by 2015, tablet PCs will compete more directly with high-end e-Readers—they’ll have reflective displays capable of color at very low power consumption rates. This will make the distinction between high-end e-Readers and low-end tablets nonexistent.
As the tablet PC market heats up, and everybody scrambles to catch up with the runaway success that is the iPad, two long-time rivals look set to cross swords again in the mobile OS department: Microsoft and Google.
The fighters and their training camps
With virtually every noteworthy computer manufacturer rushing to ship a tablet PC after Apple validated the market with the iPad, Microsoft with its Windows Embedded Compact 7 OS finds itself locking horns with Google Android OS in trying to woo manufacturers into adopting their mobile OS.
And in the Ballmer corner
Microsoft have the distinct advantage of having relationships with many different OEMs, even manufacturers we’ve never heard of, meaning in sheer volume, they’re likely to outdo Google Android (note: likely, not definitely). The Archos 9 tablet features Windows 7 for tablets. As do tablets by fringe companies like Viliv, FIC, CZC, CTL. But the tablet we think could be Microsoft’s big ace in the hole is the MSI Windpad. That tablet has a lot going for it aesthetically, even at this early stage.
The rank outsider
One competitor many are overlooking by focusing on the Microsoft tablet PC OS and the Google Android tablet OS solutions is HP with the inevitable HP Palm webOS tablet. Incidentally, HP was one of the earliest supporters of Microsoft’s foray into the tablet PC space, when the two companies announced the HP Slate at CES 2010.
Hyderabad-based firm plans to launch Adam tablet later this year.
Reliance Industries Ltd. is in talks to invest in unlisted tablet PC maker Notion Ink, the Hindu Business Line reported Wednesday, citing a source it didn't name.
Hewlett-Packard Co. is seeking to trademark the name "PalmPad" for computer hardware and mobile devices, providing a solid indication that a tablet computer borne of HP's purchase of Palm and its WebOS operating system is under development.
HP could be preparing a tablet designed primarily to compete with Apple Inc.'s iPad, and could possibly put it on sale by year's end, industry analysts and bloggers said. HP didn't comment. However, a recent trademark application that HP submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office speaks for itself, according to industry experts. Trademark applications are usually tantamount to receiving a trademark, unless the same trademark is found to be in use by another party, noted Jack Gold, principal analyst at J.Gold Associates LLC.
Gold said HP is expected to build a WebOS tablet
HP had shown a tablet called the Slate at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, but the Slate ran on Windows 7. Some blogs have reported that HP dropped Windows 7 from its tablet plans, but HP has not publicly stated whether Windows has been dropped entirely.
The significance of the trademark filing is that WebOS is likely to appear in an HP tablet sooner rather than later. The tablet is expected to compete directly with the iPad and will include touchscreen capabilities and other features, according to Gold and others.
HP's Windows-based Slate tablet apparently has had a stay of execution.
The 8.9-inch HP Slate 500-1002tu PC is currently listed on HP's Web site, and lists Windows 7 Premium as its operating system.
But when will you be able to buy it? That's another question.
"We are in customer evaluations now and will make a determination soon on the next steps," an HP spokesman said Wednesday, when asked if HP was currently selling the device.
Toshiba has staked their claim at the top end of the Australian portable devices market by reinforcing their 25 year heritage while also launching a raft of new models – including the dual-screen Libretto W100 and a natty under-$500 cloud computing device.
They have also confirmed that they will be a player in the tablet PC market, with a sleek new iPad-style tablet that will be available with either an Android or Windows operating system. The device is expected by October.
Australian MD Mark Whittard brandished a prototype of the tablet – though it wasn't running – during his presentation on the StarShip luxury cruise boat moored at Sydney's King St Wharf.
Whittard, who was promoted last year to run Toshiba's overall operations in Australia, believes that the secret to Toshiba's success in the "brutally" competitive notebook range is being able to deliver a range of notebooks spanning the top end 3D gaming and multimedia market to a discount range at the bottom end.
Tablets that could potentially take on the iPad are getting closer to market — and some of them are taking direct aim at Apple.
PC maker Lenovo has chosen a name for its Android tablet that it says will be in the hands of consumers by the end of the year. The device will be called the “LePad,” and will debut in China. Last week, HP trademarked the name “PalmPad” in a move that signals the company may be set to bring out its own tablet, based on Palm’s webOS operating system. Separately, Dell offered its Streak to some U.S. gadget reviewers and said it expects to make an announcement about pricing and availability of the device in the next few days.
Lenovo’s LePad is likely to combine ideas from Lenovo’s Skylight smartbook that the company showed at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and the IdeaPad UI notebook-tablet combination to create a new device that could potentially compete against the iPad.
Lenovo is launching its own tablet to debut in China by the end of this year.
Dubbed "LePad," the tablet will run Google's Android operating system, according to comments made by Liu Jun, senior vice president for Lenovo Group, as reported by TradingMarkets.com and other sources. Details are few so far, and there's no word from Lenovo or other sources on whether the tablet will venture abroad after its initial debut in China.
Tablets launched in the U.S. and many other countries face competition from Apple's popular iPad. But China is one country where so far the iPad is a no-show. Earlier this month, Lenovo Chairman Liu Chuanzhi said that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is missing out on a big opportunity by not selling its tablet in China
Beyond Apple's iPad, the tablet computer market is a murky place inhabited largely by vaporware. While product announcements abound, few tablets are actually shipping. That's likely to change soon, however. The Dell Streak, for instance, will be available in late July, according to Dell's site. And various reports have HP and other hardware makers rolling out 20 or so slates this year.
Asus has set its sight on tablets too. In May it announced two devices: Eee Pad EP121, with a 12-inch touchscreen and Windows 7 Home Premium; and Eee Pad EP101TC, with a 10-inch touchscreen and Windows Embedded Compact 7 OS. But now it appears that Asus may ditch Windows Embedded on its smaller tablet and go with Google's Android OS instead, according to Netbook News.
For mobile workers, a tablet ecosystem dominated by Android-based devices has its pros and cons. The pros include a proven touchscreen OS designed expressly for portable computing, a large and growing Android Market with 70,000 apps (give or take a few), solid integration with Web-based productivity apps such as Google Docs, and the upcoming App Inventor tool that lets non-coders build their own programs.
The cons? The verdict is still out on how well Android tablets would play with business applications, many of which are made by Microsoft. Redmond has the upper hand here. Why should Microsoft strive to make Office, Exchange, and SharePoint work seamlessly with Android-based tablets, a move that could cripple the growth of Windows in the mobile market? Then again, if Windows 7 proves to be a clunky mismatch for slate devices--it is, after all, a desktop OS being retrofitted for touchscreens--Android would likely win another victory.
Toshiba Australia has launched the first major assault on the tablet market since the iPad with the announcement of a dual screen device called the Libretto W100.
Due to land in Australian stores next month, the Libretto W100 is the first tablet to be built on the Windows 7 operating system, and it boasts two touch screens and a reversible keyboard so it can switch from clam-style notebook into e-book reader.
Toshiba Australia has launched the first major assault on the tablet market since the iPad with the announcement of a dual screen device called the Libretto W100.
Due to land in Australian stores next month, the Libretto W100 is the first tablet to be built on the Windows 7 operating system, and it boasts two touch screens and a reversible keyboard so it can switch from clam-style notebook into e-book reader.
Donors will be eligible to win an Apple iPad with Wi-Fi when they donate blood through July 25 at Community Blood Services’ donor centers in Lincoln Park.
Donors can donate at the Lincoln Park center, 63 Beaverbrook Road, Suite 304, on Tuesday and Wednesday, from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. or Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
To schedule an appointment, call 201-251-3703 or visit communitybloodservices.org.
M5 Networks, a NYC based VOIP provider phone system provider, developed an app that will enable users to make phone calls on their iPad. M5 currently offers mid-size businesses and organizations the technology to make work calls via the Internet as well as transfer connections from one device to another mid-call. This new app, still in testing, will facilitate work calls through the tablet, and any mobile or computer device.
In The Wall Street Journal, M5 Chief Executive Dan Hoffman acknowledges that once the iPads can multi-task like the new iPhone, the Apple tablet "could become an ideal device for looking at slides, or manipulating shared documents while simultaneously taking a call."
Conventional wisdom says Apple's iPad doesn't belong on boats, mountainous trails or strapped into makeshift holsters on car dashboards. After all, the tablet computer is pricey ($499 to $829), large (9.6 inches by 7.5 inches) and somewhat fragile.
Nevertheless, some iPad users are employing the tablet like a portable navigation device (PND) to map out routes while they are sailing, hiking and driving. The practice is encouraging developers to tailor map-based iPhone applications to the iPad and could boost sales of the already popular gadget.
Pete Ostrowski also hikes with his iPad. The device, he says, picks up global positioning system (GPS) signals better than the iPhone (even in forests), boasts longer battery life and fits in his backpack without adding much weight or bulk. With its bright display and pinch-and-zoom touch screen, the iPad feels like a "giant interactive map," Ostrowski says. On a recent cross-country trip he opted to use his iPad for trail and road navigation instead of a $300 handheld GPS device.
Bolstered by users like Andersen and Ostrowski, developers are adapting their location-based applications to run on the iPad. (Most of these apps work best on the 3G version of the iPad, which has built-in GPS,
Citing a report from investment firm Goldman Sachs, the Chinese-language Commercial Timesclaims that 40% of total notebook demand in 2010 and 2011 will come from consumers clamoring for tablets.
Breaking down the numbers, the report claims total tablet shipments will reach 16.4 and 35 million in 2010 and 2011, respectively, with the Apple iPad accounting for 93% and 75% of the total number.
At least two financial analysts agree that tablet computers and tablet PC sales will affect netbook shipments the most.
Apple's iPad may be putting a damper on demand for e-readers and portable game consoles, according to the results of a new survey by Resolve Market Research.
The study examined the spending habits and attitudes of current and potential owners of iPads and other mobile devices.
Among those who own or plan to pick up an iPad, 60 percent see the tablet as most enjoyable for playing games. As a result, 38 percent say they won't buy a dedicated portable game console after picking up an iPad.
E-readers may also take it on the chin. Among the folks who own or will buy an iPad, 50 percent say they won't purchase a dedicated e-reader after bringing home Apple's tablet.
Grand Prize Drawing is for a new LifeBook T730 Tablet PC — our 12.1" convertible tablet with Dual digitizer for both pen and finger touch input!
Use your fingers for an interactive touch experience and zoom into maps, rotate objects, launch applications and more. Use the pen for digital inking and signature capture.
The LifeBook T730 is a flexible and powerful convertible notebook with a modular bay that lets you swap out the optical drive for a 2nd battery, 2nd hard drive or weight
The technology used in the J3500 allows for enhanced remote management. With it, you can secure or repair a PC even if it is in sleep mode or powered off. Additional features include better multi-tasking support, anti-theft technology, hard drive encryption support, and self-adjusting processing speed. The J3500 has a dual hot-swappable battery design that can power the tablet for a whopping 7 hours.
There is a reason why the J3500 is considered among the most rugged PCs in the market today. It is tested rigorously so that it meets MIL-STD-810G and IP-52 ratings which ensures protection against drops, bumps, rain and other harsh conditions that can wreak havoc with a standard commercial grade computer. With these specifications, you can use it without having to constantly worry about damaging a “fragile” piece of equipment.
Finally, don’t have your hopes up for a price cut. The J3500 comes to you at the same price as before, starting at $2,299. Considering all the features this tablet offers you, we feel it is a fair bargain. Especially if you are the kind of person who’s always on the go and want something a lot more solid than the standard stuff in the market.
SuperShuttle International, Inc., the nation's largest shared ride airport shuttle company, along with NEXCOM has begun rolling out the Mobile Tablet PC to all its franchise drivers. The Mobile Tablet PC enhances the SuperShuttle customer service experience by providing:
Prompt pickup service and efficient routing: Sends a reservation directly from the dispatch to the driver's NEXCOM Mobile Tablet PC, where the driver will see the exact pickup location on a map, with software that optimizes the route automatically with the Geospatial Navigation toolkit provided by Telogis Geobase.
"We think the NEXCOM Mobile Tablet PC is a real game changer for our customers and our drivers creating a seamless customer service experience for our franchise drivers and the customers alike," said Mike Hogan, Chief Information Officer for SuperShuttle International and Veolia Transportation On Demand.
A gadget designed by a student out of necessity, wins first-place trophy from the 2010 Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals
Those who have trouble seeing the board in class may no longer have to worry.
ASU students David Hayden and Andrew Kelley created a device that helps those with low vision see a professor’s lecture more clearly.
Their creation received first place in the Touch and Tablet Accessibility category at the Microsoft-sponsored 2010 Imagine Cup held on July 8 in Warsaw, Poland.
Their project, the Note-Taker, is a portable assistive device made up of a tablet PC connected to a motorized camera with high optical zoom.
Users are presented with a split-screen view on the tablet’s display. One half of the screen displays live video of the lecture while the other half contains a digital notepad where the student can take handwritten or typed notes for class.
A student can follow a lecture by aiming and zooming the camera through gestures, such as tapping and dragging, applied directly to the video screen, allowing the student to quickly switch between viewing lecture material and taking notes.
If Hewlett-Packard has delayed the release of an Android-based tablet as reported, then the computer maker has likely decided to direct additional resources to the development of an iPad-competing slate computer powered by HP's recently acquired WebOS.
Quoting sources in the know, All Things Digital reported Thursday that HP has postponed the Android device expected in the fourth quarter of the year. The site said the slate computer won't ship this year and HP's reasons for the delay were unclear.
HP on Friday declined comment. "At this time we’re not sharing information on future products, operating systems or roadmaps beyond what we’ve already released," the company said in a statement e-mailed to InformationWeek.
Apple Inc plans to start selling the iPad tablet PC, its latest hit product, in nine new international markets on Friday, making the device available in a total of 19 countries.
The new markets are Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore. Apple had previously said it would add those countries some time during July.
Microsoft is building up the momentum for its slates built on the Tablet PC version of Windows 7.
At the Worldwide Partner Conference 2010, Microsoft chief executive (CEO) Steve Ballmer claimed there would be a flood of slates with varying specifications and price points within the next year.
In his keynote, Ballmer claimed users do not just want thin clients, such as iPad-like devices, but also what he called rich clients.
“They'll come with keyboards, they'll come without keyboards. They'll be dockable. There’ll be many form factors, many price points, many sizes but they will run Windows 7. They will run Windows 7 applications. They will run Office,” he said.
Prior to Verizon iPhone rumors, speculations were rife that we would soon see Android Tablets. Well as we see no progress on Verizon iPhone issue, standstill prevails over Android Tablets also. It may be recalled that NY Times had dubbed 2010 as "The Year of the Tablet" but so far, 2010 has been the Year of the iPad.
Analysts believe that Google might use the Tablet ploy to divert attention from Apple’s iPhone 4. The Apple’s smartphone is presently gaining all the limelight and would not be a surprise if iPhone 4 sales reboost after Apple announces fixing of antenna issues. The tablet is expected to have multifarious features and pit against Apple’s tablets. Android tablets are going to have high-end features, apps and other facilities on the lines of Droid X.
The Shopify Build-A-Business competition for new Web stores today announced the winner of its $100,000 grand prize.
The store that achieved the highest revenue total during any two consecutive months from January to June — using Shopify’s e-commerce platform to sell its wares — was San Francisco-based DODOcase, makers of protective cases for the Apple iPad Tablet that have the look and feel of a luxury, hardcover notebook.
The Fujitsu LifeBook T4310 Tablet PC with Multi-Touch Screen ($999 after $50 mail-in rebate) has a swiveling keyborad, a 12-inch WXGA display, 4GB of RAM, Windows 7, a 320GB hard drive, WiFi, a Webcam, and an HDMI port. You can get it from Fujitsu direct, and if you act quickly take another $300 off with coupon code FASALE300.
Are Android-based tablets ready to compete against the iPad? We’ll be finding out soon, according to word from boutique PC maker Velocity Micro and reports concerning Acer’s upcoming plans.
Best known for gaming PCs and laptops, Velocity Micro is an unlikely tablet provider, but the company is planning to release its Cruz line of tablets on September 1. According to Velocity Micro’s Cruz Web site, the Cruz Reader and Cruz Tablet (pictured) will each sport a 7-inch color display, built-in Wi-Fi, accelerometer, SD card slot, and, of course, the Android OS. The $199.99 Reader is cheaper than the $299.99 Tablet, as it has less RAM, less storage, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi instead of 802.11n, and a resistive touchscreen instead of a capacitive one. You do get a docking station with the Reader, though it’s optional for the Tablet. No word on the type of processor running these devices.
You’ll also see 7-inch tablets from Acer, as well as 10-inch ones before 2010 ends, if the latest DigiTimes report holds true. No specs have been disclosed, though DigiTimes says the tablets would be based on ARM chips and Acer is working with mobile carriers to offer some 3G support.
Yesterday, Intel announced its best earnings quarter ever based on the strength of enterprise customers loading up on PC spending. But Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini said the company is looking at the tablet market also, especially in the wake of explosive iPad sales.
"In terms of Intel participating in the tablet market we remain very optimistic about this. We feel pretty good about our opportunity to participate in the growth as it happens," Otellini said, during a conference call Tuesday.
According to Patrick Wang, analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities, Intel has a chip in mind for the tablet market.
Brendan Furlong, analyst at Miller Tabak, says even if tablets do cut into the notebook and netbook market, Intel will be in a good position to compete. "Outside of Apple, anyone that's building a tablet like device will need to use a processor. If the tablet market takes off, even if it cannibalizes the netbook market, it's not a negative for Intel, it's a positive. Where is HP and Dell going to go? They will have to get a processor," he said.
Furlong and Wang agree Intel could run into some trouble if the iPad continues to dominate the tablet market, much like the iPhone has with smartphones. "The potential negative is that if the iPad cannibalizes notebooks/netbooks alone, and no one gets a decent slate out, that is trouble for Intel," Furlong said, though he added he did not see that happening. "I find that highly unlikely. I think HP, Dell, Acer will all come out with competitive tablet computers."
June was a very busy month for Acer, and most any other PC suppliers worldwide. Virtually all companies brought out at least one, but usually multiple products or product lines, especially netbooks and notebooks based on AMD or Intel chips. Even more recently the Taiwanese company revealed a series of professional displays. Now, rumors have started circulating that Acer is intent on once again making a push, albeit on a different front, namely that of tablets.
Per the report, there are two products on the way. One of them is a 7-inch slate, while the other one is a full-fledged tablet PC with a screen size of 10 inches. Both of them will have support for multimedia entertainment capabilities, unlike the 7-inch color e-reader or the 6-inch gray-scale model. The newcomers will also reportedly boast compatibility with Adobe Flash, if Android 2.2 is used. The un-named devices will be powered by ARM central processing units.
Rugged Tablets PCs have a niche set of markets, but in those markets they perform vital jobs. The rugged nature of the devices means they can be taken into situations in which everyday machines would not survive. Environments which experience temperature extremes, places where the notebooks have to survive on bumpy roads and being thrown from place to place, and locations where water is a constant menace, for example.
The updated Getac V100 runs an Intel Core i7 processor, hard drive storage has been boosted to 320GB (with an SSD option), and RAM has risen to 8GB. These are the kinds of specifications you’ll find on top notch notebooks destined for the office, so it is good to see them being used on a rugged notebook.
It looks like Microsoft is making up for its mistake of underestimating the power of Apple’s tablet PC. The company is now collaborating with various manufacturers to release as much Windows 7 supported tablet PCs in the market as possible.
At Microsoft’s Annual World Partner Conference, Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, said that tablet devices running on Windows 7 will be launched in the coming months. He said that it is “terribly important” to Microsoft.
At the conference, he announced that seven tablet PCs running on Windows 7 will be released this year but he did not mention specific release dates. The tablet PCs would come in various forms some dockable, some with keyboards and other features.
Asus, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba, and Sony are among the manufacturers who are currently working on to bring out their own tablet PCs running on Windows 7 OS.
Tablet PC was the only area untouched by Apple Inc. With almost all the products related to the world of computers, Apple Inc. has always provided the best to the user. Be it mobile phones, laptops, music players, Personnel Computers or even computer softwares, Apple Inc. is every where. Lot many expectations were there regarding tablet PC, and with Apple iPad, Apple Inc. has proved that they bag the best of the technology and are just not comparable when it comes to design.
Apple iPad released in April 2010, proved to be a huge success with more that 3 million devices sold in the first 80 days. This itself proves the trust and faith that people have in the company. Like the Apple phones, Apple iPad Contract deals are also available in the stores. The reason for such a large sales figure lies in the options that the iPad deals provide.
Fortune has recently released the results of its annual survey naming 50 people who made the greatest contribution to tech in 2010. This list of “The 50 smartest people in tech” is the prelude to Fortune’s annual Brainstorm Tech conference, which will be held this year in Aspen, Colorado (July 22–24).
At the top of this list is Steve Jobs, who was named “Smartest CEO”. Mr. Jobs returned to Apple after a 12 year absence instigated by bitter infighting among Apple’s top executives. What Mr. Jobs found when he came back was that Apple was on the cusp of bankruptcy. I remember reading at the time that Apple’s share of the market had fallen so low that major software companies were considering no longer writing software for Apple computers. Microsoft had won the PC war.
Today, just 13 years later, Apple has surpassed the once indomitable Microsoft to become the most valuable technology company. How? “The cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current predicament,” Mr. Jobs said.
New tablet-style devices that run the Windows 7 operating system will be launched in the next few months, Microsoft announced today
New Windows-powered tablet or slate devices - small, hand-held, wireless computers - are in the pipeline from Acer, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, and a dozen other PC makers.
The move underlines the giant software company's eagerness to counter the massive success of Apple's iPad, which has already sold more than 2 million units worldwide.
Microsoft's chief executive Steve Ballmer was speaking at the company's annual partner conference in Washington which was broadcaste live on the internet.
'This year, one of the most important things that we will do in the smart device category is really push forward with Windows 7-based slates,' said Ballmer. 'This is a terribly important area for us.'
Despite the high cost of OLED displays and Apple's continued support of LCD screens with IPS technology, rumors of a next-generation iPad with an OLED screen continue to resurface.
Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes reported on Tuesday that its sources within overseas component makers indicated that Apple plans to launch a second-generation iPad as soon as the fourth quarter of 2010. The new hardware would reportedly use 5.6-inch and 7-inch OLED displays, with Compal Electronics in the running to supply Apple.
The software giant's CEO said Windows 7-powered tablets from about 20 manufacturers, including Acer, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba and Sony, are in the pipeline. A notable exception to Ballmer's list was Hewlett-Packard , which plans to build slate devices running the operating system devised by Palm, which HP bought this year. Microsoft's announcement comes as Apple's popular iPad threatens to curb sales of desktop and laptop PCs dominated by Windows. Microsoft climbed 2.3% to 24.83.
In the young but fast-growing market for tablet computers, a market propelled by the force of Apple Inc.'s popular iPad, two of the biggest players from the PC's heyday are mostly standing on the sidelines.
Instead, the more popular duo in the emerging field of tablets is some version of the Linux operating system, or Google Inc.'s /quotes/comstock/15*!goog/quotes/nls/goog Android operating system, itself based on a modified version of Linux, and chips based on lower-power consuming designs of ARM Holdings PLC /quotes/comstock/15*!armh/quotes/nls/armh . Consumers who buy tablets for reading or watching content want devices with longer battery life.
Now, many analysts believe tablets will cannibalize netbooks and low-end notebooks.
"We believe tablets may pressure the outlook for the consumer computing market (65% of the market) and specifically netbooks with some modest tempering of lower end notebooks," Barclays Capital analyst Tim Luke wrote in a recent report, where he also trimmed estimates for both Intel and AMD, as possible companies that may face pressure from growth in tablets.
Apple was very proud to show its fancy page-turning animation for its iBooks app on the iPad and iPhone. The touch-gesture controlled motion would translate into a page flipping animation that would go as slow or quick as the user wanted. It's commonplace for Apple to incorporate little touches like that in its user experience – except Microsoft
may have thought of it first.
In a patent application submitted by Microsoft on January 7, 2009 called "Virtual Page Turn," Microsoft describes:
One or more pages are displayed on a touch display. A page-turning gesture directed to a displayed page is recognized. Responsive to such recognition, a virtual page turn is displayed on the touch display. The virtual page turn actively follows the page-turning gesture. The virtual page turn curls a lifted portion of the page to progressively reveal a back side of the page while progressively revealing a front side of a subsequent page. A lifted portion of the page is given an increased transparency that allows the back side of the page to be viewed through the front side of the page. A page-flipping gesture quickly flips two or more pages.
Xplore
Technologies Corp. a manufacturer of award-winning rugged tablet PCs
today announced the launch of its new iX104C4HD Tablet PC.
"With the new interest surrounding tablet PCs this year, Xplore is excited to bring the iX104C4HD to market," said Mark Holleran, President and Chief Operating Officer of Xplore. "We have already been receiving new requests for this unit, which withstands 2 meter drops -- a specification that is currently unmatched by our competition and establishes the iX104C4HD as the highest rated mobile computer on the market for operating drop tests."
The iX104C4HD design implements best in class indoor/outdoor AllVue Xtreme display technology, a flexible user interface with Dual Mode functionality, Intel Core Duo technology, Windows 7(R) and Military Standard 810F (MIL-STD-810F) compliance for mission critical computing.
Steve Ballmer spoke today in Washington DC at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference and said that Microsoft is “hardcore” on Tablets, having a range of Windows 7 Tablets. A user reported his remarks to Business Insider along with the snapshot of the screenshot below that lists Tablet Partners Microsoft is working with.
The talk was mostly about Cloud services, but it sounds like Ballmer is going to start beating the Tablet drum saying that Windows 7 slates will start appearing this year. Of course it will take more than words and cheerleading to make this happen. I still remember an MVP keynote when Ballmer took notes on a piece of paper wishing I could have asked him why he didn’t use a Tablet PC at that point.
Apparently Wacom wants to make sure that you get artistic value out of the Intuos; so the company allows you to download software that takes full advantage of the device. Download two of three applications -- Adobe Photoshop Elements, Corel Painter Sketch Pad or Autodesk SketchBook Express, as well as plug-ins for these. Once you start using these packages with your Intuos, you'll see the most amazing feature -- the ability to change the way you lay your ink on your digital canvas based on how hard you push the pen and on what angle at which you hold it.
I found my inner artist when I experimented with SketchBook Express and the Intuos 4 -- as I experimented, I got more excited about the way the Intuos allowed me to control what my image looked like. When teamed with the truly simple SketchBook, the Intuos changes the computing experience altogether, especially for visually creative tasks.
In case you get tired of the pen or have applications that are better suited to using a mouse, the Intuos comes with a mouse that uses the same electromagnetic technology as you slide it across the Intuos pad, which then acts like a mouse pad.
Market research from Barclays analysts is predicting strong unit sales of tablet computers such as the Apple iPad through the rest of 2010, and an even bigger surge in 2011. However, unlike others in the technology industry, the Barclays analysts do not see tablets as yet another device that users will add. Instead, they see tablets directly cannibalizing sales of Wintel laptops.
Analyst Ben Reitzes wrote, “We believe the initial phase of the tablet surge will cannibalize a portion of the notebook category, particularly a chunk of the netbook market and low-end notebook market… Most industry players insist the tablet is incremental but industry data and our checks point out otherwise — especially now at the beginning of the market’s formation.”
According to Barclays estimates, sales of tablet computers are expected to hit 15 million in 2010 and will grow to 28 million in 2011. The Apple iPad is expected to sell 10 million units in 2010 and 18-25 million units in 2011, so it is controlling a large share of the market.
These tablets — and others like them that we’ll see in 2010 and beyond — have two things in common: 1.) They run on ARM-based processors, and 2.) They are powered by non-Windows operating systems (Apple iOS, Google Android, or Palm webOS). As a result, the growth and user acceptance of tablets hurts two tech industry giants more than anyone else: Intel and Microsoft.
As we talked about the iPad’s big sales numbers, I told Jeremy that I was skeptical about whether the brisk sales would continue and turn the iPad into a bigger trend. After all, I said, the sales could all be to tech geeks like us who can’t resist trying the latest gadget. The iPad is simply the flashiest gadget any of us have ever seen, but I argued that that doesn’t mean that it will be useful to regular people.
Jeremy emphatically disagreed, saying the first million sales were likely to tech geeks but the next wave of sales after that were to others. At the time, neither he or I had many ideas about who those “others” might be, but we were both interested to see how things would shake out when more information surfaced about who was buying iPads.
On Wednesday, we learned where a chunk of those sales are coming from: Large corporations.
Bloomberg reported that Wells Fargo, Mercedes-Benz, and SAP are among the enterprises buying iPads. Forrester analyst Ted Schadler said, “This iPad thing has taken the world by storm. It came in as a consumer product and very quickly the people who actually bought them were business people.”
Dan Shey, director for enterprise at ABI Research, said, “A lot of businesses right now are in experimentation with these devices.”
The price war is on in the e-reader market as Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com duel to increase market share for their nook and Kindle devices, respectively. However, the larger question for these companies is whether there's a future for e-readers -- which are designed mostly for reading books, newspapers and magazines -- in a consumer world that is becoming more and more enamored of tablets that can do it all, say experts at Wharton
Wells Fargo spent two years studying the iPhone before letting bankers use the device at work. Apple's iPad, released in April, took just weeks to get cleared.
Apple, known for courting consumers with sleek designs and easy-to-use software, is making inroads with corporations that say the iPad can make workers more productive without putting sensitive customer information at risk. SAP, Tellabs, and Daimler's Mercedes-Benz are using the tablet computer for tasks as varied as accessing work e-mail, approving shipping orders, and calling up on-the-spot auto-finance options.
As popular as the iPad may be for businesses now, it may soon face competition from Hewlett-Packard, Dell, LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics, which plan their own tablet computers. Cisco said last week that it will release a tablet that will be able to handle high-definition videoconferencing and may be available in early 2011.
As part of its effort to graduate its Chrome browser to the upcoming Chrome OS, Google is working to add device orientation to the browser's capabilities.
Not that orientation — the ability for an app or OS to know that up is up and down is down — is all that revolutionary of a breakthrough. Developers have been tapping to that ability on the iPhone (UIDeviceOrientation) and Android-based devices (SensorManager) for some time.
But adding it into the browser itself is another step towards the Google Grail: the browser as operating system.
But Firefox isn't an operating system, and Google's Chrome OS will be. Google has said that Chrome OS will debut in "late fall", with devices running on it to follow close behind. When they do, expect developers to use "[Chromium] DeviceOrientation plumbing" not only to allow a Chrome OS tablet to display photos right side up, but also to power games such as the Apple iPad's Real Racing HD and Labyrinth 2 HD.
MobileDemand, a leading provider of rugged Tablet PC computers for mission-critical computing, announced today the formation of its Public Sector Services Group focused on the development and deployment of mission-critical applications and solutions for federal, state and local governments. The company will focus primarily on public safety, including law enforcement, emergency management, fire investigation, building code compliance, homeland security and other computing solutions for rugged environments. MobileDemand also announced its Application Development Partner Program aimed at helping value-added resellers develop solutions for rugged tablets that are field-ready and compliant with current and future public sector specifications.
MobileDemand offers the xTablet T7000, a rugged Windows-based Tablet PC (www.ruggedtabletpc.com) that gives users one-hand operation, providing not only ultra-mobility but additional safety, letting workers, like police officers, keep one hand available and unencumbered at all times. Data input with the tablet is highly flexible as well, with an integrated numeric keypad, optional QWERTY keyboard, and barcode and credit card readers. These features allow customization to fit the needs of diverse agencies.
You can now bring your Apple iPad or other mobile device to Starbucks and enjoy free Wi-Fi with your Espresso, Frappuccino, or any other assorted beverage and snack. That’s right! Finally, Starbucks if offering free, unlimited wireless internet access at all 6,700 company-operated locations, nationwide. AT&T is still the Wi-Fi provider.
Six months ago McDonalds introduced free, unlimited Wi-Fi at 11,500 locations across the country. McDonalds, with its richly assorted McCafe line of beverages, has emerged as probably the largest competitor to Starbucks. Wi-Fi at McDonalds is provided by AT&T too.
The Starbucks Digital Network is going to provide free access to exclusive and premium news, entertainment and other content over the network in its stores. Content providers so far include the Wall Street Journal, Apple and Zagate.
It was announced by LG that it is going to become the part of the tablet PC market. It looks like LG is following the steps of HP. But the company has decided to abandon the tablet prototype based on Windows 7 and instead promote a table that is based on a mobile OS platform.
As a result, the company is going to produce a tablet PC that will run the Android mobile OS. The iPad’s competitor is expected to be based on Android 2.2 and it is planned to be available in the market by the end of 2010.
About a month ago LG unveiled its prototype of the UX10 tablet. It comes with a 10.1-inch touch screen and is powered with an Atom Z530 processor. . Moreover, the UX10 features a 1.3 megapixel camera that is considered to be front-facing. Also it is equipped with an HDMI output and SD memory card slot. Apart from that the device includes a 120Gb hard drive and offers the full Windows 7 Home Premium desktop OS.
There have been released five tablet PCs by Russian company Rover computers. The tablet PCs which have screen size in the range of 5 to 7 inches run either on Android or Windows CE, and have encapsulated basic Samsung, Marvel, and RockChip ARM CPUs.
The all released five tablets are: TegA W70, RoverPad Go G50, RoverPad Go G72, RoverPad 3WG70, RoverPad Air Go G70. Amongst all mentioned tablets, the smallest one is RoverPad Go G50. Featuring 5 inch WVGA screen, the tablet PC runs over Android 1.5 OS, and has numbers of quality specs including GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G, USB connectivity, microSD card slot etc.
Motion Computing has released a new lineup of rugged tablet computers with improved battery life, enhanced security, increased system storage, a better webcam, and other new features. Move aside iPad, this machine is built for business in the rough and tumble field. Channel Insider took a quick look at the new J3500 tablet PC.
According to a new study by Dr. Jakob Nielsen, a person can read a printed book up to 10 percent faster than the same book on an iPad, Kindle 2 or a PC monitor. Although the study shows you can read the printed word faster, all the test subjects hated reading via the PC monitor.
24 regular book readers were given short stories by Hemingway to read. Overall, each finished reading in about 17 minutes. Those numbers changed when the reading was done on the iPad or the Kindle 2, up to 10 percent slower in some cases. Even though the numbers were slower for the two devices, there wasn’t any findings to say the iPad or the Kindle 2 were better for reading than the other.
Due to the nature of the Apple iPad’s impressive touch-screen display, up until now it has been impossible to do any real free hand drawing on the device, as its display isn’t pressure sensitive. However, thanks to the guys at Ten One Design and their incredible iPad software development, they have enabled such a feature and intend to share it with developers around the world.
So OK it is never going to be in the same bracket as the likes of the Wacom Graphics Tablet range, but never the less this is a fun, if not necessary inclusion in the development of apps allowing users a lot more freedom in the way they interact with the iPad with a pressure-sensitive drawing tool.
In addition to that it may mean that the iPad could become seriously capable of handwriting recognition with the further development of the new technology – the very thing that Bill Gates wanted so much from those early Microsoft efforts at tablet devices.
Hell may freeze over before we officially see Adobe's Flash run on Apple's iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, but that hasn't stopped the jailbreaking community from trying.
Take one jailbroken iPad, Safari browser, and a compatibility layer to get the hack to work. Apple, and particularly CEO Steve Jobs, are known not to be fans of Flash, calling the technology buggy and power hungry.
A YouTube video offers the following additional information:
"Frash is a port of the Adobe Flash runtime for Android to the iPhone, using a compatibility layer, by comexFrash can currently run most Flash programs natively in the MobileSafari browser. Frash uses a multi-process model similar to Chrome on the desktop, so a crash in the Frash/Flash plugin doesn't take down the browser.
Pioneer Computers of Australia has gone on the offensive and has launched two new tablet PCs in one go. And of the two tablets PCs, it is the 10.6 inch model which is smaller in size among the two tablets and has caught the fancy of most out there, one reason for which is the affordable price tag that it comes with.
But that is not to undermine the sleek and svelte looks that the DreamBook ePad A10 tablet sports though many would readily agree the uncanny similarity of the ePad A10 with the Slate device supposedly in the making at HP. So for those who have been hit hard by the Slate yet playing ‘hide n seek’, here is something to drool over. And the DreamBook ePad A10 will set one back by $AUD599 in Australia.
Th highlight of the ePad A10 is its 10 inch screen (10.1 inches to be precise) that packs in 1024 x 600 pixels. On the other side of the widescreen multi-touch WSVGA LCD panel is an Intel Atom N450 processor that clocks in at 1.66GHz. Coupled to the Atom N450 is a 1 GB DDR3 memory which can be stretched further by another gig. As for onboard storage space, the ePad A10 comes with 32 GB solid state drive. The Micro SD card reader allows for further expanding the storage capacity.
Coming to the ports on offer on the ePad A10 tablet, there is a mini USB port as well as the standard USB 2.0 ports
Apple's successful strategy of moving a mobile OS up to a touchscreen tablet is proving popular as manufacturers look to produce tablets based on Google's Android OS. Both LG and Samsung plan to launch such products by the end of this year.
LG says that it plans to have a product ready to ship in the fourth quarter of this year, according to a Dow Jones Newswires report. Meanwhile, Samsung said that will launch a tablet with Galaxy branding in the third quarter.
The tablet sector definitely needs some competition for the Apple iPad in order to liven it up a little. Can HP’s WebOS tablet provide the answer?
But can the new and improved WebOS HP Slate really compete against the iPad? In a word, yes. And here’s why.
I think the world is crying out for an alternative to the iPad. The Apple tablet has so far flown off the shelves, and whetted the appetite of a wide range of people as to the opportunities touchscreen slates can offer in the future.
However, the vast majority of people who have bought an iPad so far are Apple fans, with a recent survey showing that most already own an iPhone, or a Mac, or, in most cases, both.
There are a shedload of tablets on their way, any one of which could prove to be THE key to knocking out Apple’s stranglehold on the market.
My money is on Hewlett Packard, though, as it has the operating system, the good name, and the power to create a tablet computer that is better than the iPad in every way. Now watch me eat my words in a few months when the WebOS tablet makes it debut.
The sleek new MRC 2300 is an economical, yet durable 8inch tablet PC which is designed for mobile workers requiring real-time information in a variety of working environments.
Designed for a number of mobile computing applications within industrial, field service, medical, logistics and point-of-sale markets, the MRC 2300 is equipped with a 2 Mega pixel colour camera, built-in 1D/2D barcode scanner, RFID interface and on-board GPS. In terms of wireless connectivity MRC 2300 is equipped with Bluetooth version 2.1, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and has optional WWAN support for GSM/GPRS/HSDPA/WCDMA. Utilizing LED backlight TFT technology, MRC 2300 is equipped with a reliable 5 wire touch screen which provides outstanding endurance and faster response times.
HP has officially completed the acquisition of Palm, making it the proud owner of Palm's coveted intellectual property including WebOS. It is hardly a surprise that before the ink was even dry on finalizing the purchase, HP announced its intent to build an array of mobile devices around the WebOS platform--including the predicted WebOS tablet.
From an enterprise perspective, the HP tablet may make more sense than the Apple iPad. Like its Windows 7-based predecessor, the HP WebOS tablet is expected to have most of the features and functionality missing from the iPad. A tablet built on a mobile OS, but including USB or SD memory card ports, front and/or rear facing cameras, and compatibility with Adobe Flash content offers business professionals a number of compelling reasons to shun the iPad.
Cisco, the networking giant, said its new 7” tablet PC will could be ready for shipment as early as the third quarter of 2010. The tablet is the culmination of the company’s strategy to “combine voice and data communications on networks over a common Internet Protocol architecture,” says CEO John Chambers.
The company also notes that the tablet, named the “Cius,” is aimed at business users, whereas the iPad is aimed at consumers.
July 2, 2010
Coming in July on Tablet PC 2:
A New Editors Choice Tablet PC - iPad & iPhone Accessories
What's on the Editors Desk and More.........
They combine the bright vivid colours of photography with the stylish flourishes of an accomplished painter.
But at closer inspection theses remarkable images are fact finger paintings drawn directly onto the screen of Apple's iPad.
Like a modern Etch-a-Sketch, the paintings are the creation of prominent New York artist David Kassan, 33, each painting of life models is drawn directly onto the iPad screen using his fingers.
Continuing Mr Kassan's work with hyper-realistic paintings, his iPad art is shaped by running your finger along the nine-inch by seven-inch screen of the £429 revolutionary device.
Using a simple £5 'app' called Brushes, Mr Kassan has moved his elegant and expressive painting skills onto the very definition of 21st century technology.
The app allows the user to re-create accurately a paintbrush stroke and even creates bristly lines and broader touches to match an artist's use of a canvas.
And now Mr Kassan has begun travelling into Manhattan's crowded Washington Square Park to paint random strangers pictures on his iPad.
Nexcom has launched a new semi-rugged tablet pc which is designed for mobile workers requiring real-time information in a variety of working environments.
The sleek new MRC 2300 is an economical, yet durable 8” tablet PC which is designed for mobile workers requiring real-time information in a variety of working environments.
Designed for a number of mobile computing applications within industrial, field service, medical, logistics and point-of-sale markets, MRC 2300 is equipped with a 2 Mega pixel colour camera, built-in 1D/2D barcode scanner, RFID interface and on-board GPS. In terms of wireless connectivity MRC 2300 is equipped with Bluetooth version 2.1, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and has optional WWAN support for GSM/GPRS/HSDPA/WCDMA. Utilizing LED backlight TFT technology, MRC 2300 is equipped with a reliable 5 wire touch screen which provides outstanding endurance and faster response times.
Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) has completed its $1.2 billion acquisition of Palm Inc., giving the world's largest computer maker well-regarded software that will likely be at the center of its strategy for the burgeoning tablet market.
DTK Computer Middle East has launched a new netbook model that doubles as touch tablet device.
The Swift i-Touch comes with a 10" capacitive multi-touch display that can be turned 180 degrees and folded to transform the i-Touch into a tablet device, with a stylus for added ease of use.
It's powered by the Intel Atom N450 (1.66 GHz) processor, operates the Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition, weighs just 1 kilogram and includes 1GB of memory that can be upgraded to 2GB, as well as a 320GB hard drive.
Other features include an integrated 1.3 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi connectivity and optional 3G broadband connectivity.
Apple's iPad tablet may have some serious competition from one of the biggest IT vendors on Earth: Networking giant Cisco today announced a new tablet PC of its own, the Cius.
Based on the Google Android operating system and targeted at business users, the new Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) Cius -- which is slated for customer trials in third quarter and full availability in the beginning of 2011 -- includes a number of features designed to appeal to on-the-go information workers.
For example, the Cius offers both front- and rear-facing 720p HD cameras to enable full video collaboration. It will also integrate with Cisco's suite of collaboration software including the Cisco Quad, WebEx and instant messaging platforms. The device is also designed to be lightweight, tipping the scale at 1.15 lbs.
Chambers did not specifically mention Apple or its iPad during his keynote address, though the popular iPad has established itself as the product to beat in the nascent tablet PC space, having become one of the fastest-selling products in Apple's history.
Despite backing its own tablet PC, Cisco hasn't shied away from jumping on the Apple bandwagon: For instance, it provide collaboration tools for iPad users as well.
It's half tablet and half notebook, but it's unique in that it has rather impressive specifications. Most of these are underpowered, but not the Lifebook TH700. There's a 2.26GHz Core i3-350M processor, a 12.1" WXGA touch panel (which is a dual screen that accepts finger and stylus inputs), a removable dust filter, a 320GB hard drive, 802.11n Wi-Fi, a DVD burner (rare for a tablet, of course), an HDMI port and even Bluetooth.
A group of electronics makers in China are looking to make an inroad in the potentially huge tablet personal computer (PC) market, a move market observers say will possibly drive the bourgeoning mobile terminal product market into a boom.
Suning Appliance Co., Ltd. , which competes with Gome, is reported to follow the heels of its rival to order tablet PCs in an attempt to profit from a market thrilled by Apple Inc..
The expansion of Gome and Suning in the tablet PC market comes after domestic electronics makers saw their self-developed products win favor of consumers in the world's most populous market. Electronics makers that have launched tablet PCs include China Greatwall Computer Shenzhen Co., Ltd.
Netbooks are in a process of evolving into tablet PCs, said the world's leading market researchers Forrester Research, Inc. and DisplaySearch in their reports in early June, noting that the sparkling iPad is leading the evolution. Sales volume of tablet PCs in the world, standing at 3.5 million at present, is expected to exceed that of netbooks in 2012.
The expected explosive growth in tablet PC sales will be attributable to the expansion of Chinese electronics makers, apart from the robust sales of iPad around the world, pointed out market observers.
The LifeBook TH700 features the latest dual digitizer technology with pen input and multi-touch interaction, modular bay, bi-directional display hinge, and the performance of all new 2010 Intel® Core™ processor technology. This is a do-it-all Tablet PC that is sure to simplify your internet surfing experience with the convenience of the touch functionality in either notebook or tablet mode. You'll wonder how you ever survived with just a notebook.
Those disappointed by the current crop of underpowered Android tablets and iPad clones might find something to like with Merel Technologies’ mTouch. For starters, it’s powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8GHz processor, sports a SATA 320GB hard drive, and has 4GB of DDR2 RAM. In addition, it supports up to 20 touch points on its LED-lit LCD screen and is tough enough to double as a drink coaster.
Despite the limits of touch technology, the mTouch table tablet has a handful of impressive features, including gesture recognition and integrated sharing and email functionality, which mTouch CEO David Merel demonstrated by manipulating a magazine at the recent CEA Line Shows in New York:
It is projected that tablet PCs will see a boom in the coming years, largely thanks to the success of Apple’s iPad device. Leaked Microsoft documents gave us a first impression of the Windows 8 Tablet PC hardware requirement.
It has to be noted that Microsoft may change these at any time. The requirements have been extracted from a sheet detailing sensors and hardware capabilities. Some requirements might be optional as well.
A 9″ diagonal display, at least 768px width
A Direct X accelerated graphics processing unit (GPU)
GPS for location aware applications (likely optional)
Wireless LAN connectivity
Camera for facial detection
3-Axis Accelerometer (likely optional)
Ambient light sensor with adaptive brightness (likely optional
As I sit here at my pen-only Tablet PC, reviewing my notes from a better time, I can’t help but wonder how much brighter my life would be if I had worked harder, made some smarter decisions, and arrived at this point with enough throwaround money to buy a Fujitsu Lifebook T900, the computer I wistfully call “My Next Tablet PC.”
For me, the T900 is a big win. I cannot emphasize enough how much it feels like a slate in slate mode. On paper, it looks heavy and large, but the balance goes a long way to making it feel light and nimble. Battery life is as good as can be expected given its size and speed and can be boosted with a second battery. I really appreciate now why Fujitsu owners invariably speak highly of their tablets. That quality, of course, does not come cheap. The Fujitsu Lifebook T900 is a premium tablet starting at $1,989 with a dual digitizer and the specs I listed earlier. If you want a Tablet PC that really trucks, the T900 scales up very nicely with faster processor, more memory, SSD options, and a second battery in the modular bay. As of now, this is the Tablet PC I’m saving my pennies to get.
Let's not forget that before "tablets" were all the rage there were, well, tablets. While most tablet PCs were -- and still are -- aimed at the business market, the HP TouchSmart tm2 (which began as the tx2000) was one of the first tablets for the average Joe. And despite rumors of a slate product and future WebOS devices, HP hasn't given up on the tm2, and rightfully so. Just updated with a brand new Core i3 ULV processor, the convertible has a 12.1-inch capacitive touchscreen, a new TouchSmart layer for laptops, an onboard stylus for taking notes, and a striking design with a rather stellar chiclet keyboard. There's no doubt the form factor still appeals to students or those simply looking for the power of a PC with a touch experience, but we wish HP paid a bit more attention to a few key features before shipping. Find out just what those are in our full review.
Of course, slate-like tablets are the new thing, and some will opt to pick up an iPad and then a cheap laptop to get their computing fill, but there's still something appealing about having an all-in-one device that can do it all. We really just wish the touch interface did its thing a bit more briskly.
Touchscreen tablets were the darlings of the 30th annual Computex show, held earlier this month in Taipei, Taiwan. More than a dozen models were shown, most of them X86-based tablets running Windows or ARM-based devices running Android. Processor manufacturers represented included Freescale, Intel, Marvell, Nvidia, Qualcomm and Via, all of which have design wins in touchscreen tablets running all sorts of Linux derivatives. Microsoft also announced Windows Embedded Compact 7 at Computex and showed it running on a Freescale-based tablet in its booth.
Most of the touchscreen tablets displayed at Computex were prototypes, but Archos Inc. (London) showed its already-available Android-based tablets in several sizes and at a range of price points. All of the Archos models fit into docking stations that provide HD outputs for bigger screens. Likewise, Sharp's year-old Netwalker was shown sans its original keyboard (and still using a stylus) and running the Linux derivative Ubuntu on a Freescale i.MX processor.
Many a case of smoke has been experienced where there was not even a flicker of a flame. Manufactures have promised or boasted about the product and finally it all ended up in zilch. SurfaceInk has now given us talk about just one more product that all have been waiting for, a Tablet PC with a 12.1 inch screen. However, there’s a problem. Not many have ever heard of SurfaceInk. So whether the dream object turns into a reality is something that remains to be seen. Of course there will be added scrutiny of the device once it enters market. And in case they hold true then we may have one more big player in the Tablet segment by next year calling the shots with their large screened Ubuntu tablet.
Everything is still in the prototype stage and nothing has been set in stone as yet. Though what is known is that the tablet will have a 12.1 inch dimension 1280 x 800 WXGA screen. It is a multi-mode touchscreen supporting capacitive multitouch finger-control and can also accept stylus input, something that will make the device enticing to students who wish to use a tablet device. The tablet runs the standard version of the Ubuntu operating system while there is also reports of an Android version being in the making.
Intel has posted a video showing the features of its Linux-based Meego OS for tablet computers on YouTube.
The MeeGo OS is targeted at mobile and embedded devices and was first announced in February. MeeGo is a collaboration between Intel and Nokia and is managed by The Linux Foundation. The MeeGo version for netbooks was released last month.
The video, which also shows the operating system's multitouch support, multitasking and integrated social networking runs for 3 minutes and also demonstrates how people can use the pre-alpha version of MeeGo OS 1.1 using a multitouch tablet PC.
Texas Instruments is getting involved in the Tablet PC race putting out their first offering that should be available around August, called the “Blaze”
The New Tablet is mainly a developer machine and probably will not be available in a commercial retail setting. The device does have some impressive specs though. It features the new Arm Cortex A9 Chipset, has a resolution of 1024-768 which is impressive for a tablet PC. The tablet itself is around 10.4 inches, features multi-touch and has the ability to play full HD video.
As well, it has Bluetooth, WI-FI, a built in GPS and FM radio transmitter! It even has the ability to work as a smart phone with it’s built in SIM slot. The Blaze also has 1GB of RAM, 32 GB of flash memory, 2 USB ports and a HDMI port. Finally the device has a built in accelerometer, gyroscope and more! Which means it will work in landscape mode and held up.
What we really like about this Tablet PC is that it has a SIM card, and is able to do 3G and wireless data! Paired with the latest in Bluetooth technology, you can hold this thing in your bag or backpack and make calls
Nokia is planning to launch a MeeGo-powered ARM-based tablet PC in Q4 2010. The tablet is expected to have a 7 or 9-inch screen with OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics for gaming, integrated cellular wireless connectivity and WiMAX for 4G Internet access and expected to run on a ARM processors as opposed to earlier information which suggested Moorestown. The tablet will run on Nokia’s MeeGo operating system, but will be different that MeeGo version that is on the Nokia N Series smartphone. Nokia is looking to implement the MeeGo OS in to cell phones, laptops, desktops, and now tablets
The tablet version of MeeGo is still in pre-alpha form but is up and running as shown in this video
Telecommunications vendor Huawei took the covers off a huge range of new products for Australia this morning, including the much-anticipated S7 tablet PC.
This seven-inch tablet PC features a 768MHz Qualcomm SnapDragon (ARM Cortex A8) processor with 256MB of memory and storage, expandable to 32GB via microSD flash card.
The screen comes with 800×480-pixel resolution and the S7 is fast enough to support HD video playback.
Tablet PCs have been around for a while. They’re even fairly common in business applications. But the newest generation of power-thrifty processors and touch-sensitive monitors turns them into a viable proposition for the home user.
Sure, you have a laptop. You may have a smart phone, too. Ever try editing text extensively on a smartphone? Is a laptop suitable for reading on the beach? Is it easy to drag out of a carry-on on a plane?
Enter the tablet. With a tablet PC, you can read books just as well as on Amazon’s Kindle. Better, in fact, since with the right software tablet PCs are versatile enough to handle just about any e-book format ... plus you can browse the Internet, run all of your regular PC-based programs, watch movies ... in short, anything your laptop can do, your tablet PC can do, too.
When I say “Tablet PC,” I’m referring to true, dyed-in-the-wool tablets, no keyboards need apply. Apple iPads are out, too. They just don’t offer the flexibility of a true tablet computer.
Motion Computinghas introduced the J3500 tablet computer, which the company says can withstand “harsh mobile work environments.” That refers to tumbles, drops and rain if you were wondering.
Powered by Intel Core i5 or i7 processors (depending on your budget), the J3500 sports a 12.1-inch Gorilla Glass display that allows for dual pen and touch input. Motion Computing promises up to ”4 times improvement in breakage resistance” from the predecessor, the J3400, plus a new anti-smear coating.
Along with being able to survive some damage thanks to rugged exterior, the J3500 also comes pre-loaded with Intel’s Anti-Theft technology in case of the tablet being lost or stolen with all of that top secret, corporate information.
The Apple iPad tablet gives you a clear indication of what Apple is capable of creating. The iPad is a very powerful tablet PC, with loads of features and applications that make it a wonderful gadget. It is a computer, an iPod, a laptop, a personal digital assistant and a great connectivity tool, all rolled into one. The Apple iPad gives you a great way to stay connected, lets you create professional quality documents and manage your mail from wherever you are.
On the Apple iPad, you can view videos of high definition quality almost as comfortably as you would view on your television monitors. The iPad is capable of playing HD videos, TV shows, YouTube videos and many more media. The iPad boasts a specially designed YouTube client that lets you view and search for videos on the video-site. The Apple iPad specs include the special, complete integration to iTunes. The Apple iPad boasts of all the applications that run on iPod or the iPhone. Touch or interact with the albums, songs and videos on your Apple iPad.
Google isn't going to let Apple have the tablet market to itself
There's no denying that Apple has created something of a stir with the iPad.
Despite the fact that only six months ago, no one really cared about tablet devices, today it seems like consumers would happily trample each other if an iPad was waiting for them at the end of a queue. But it looks like Apple could be facing some pretty stiff competition before too long.
Now that Apple has rekindled, or should that be sparked interest in, the tablet form factor, there's a host of new hardware waiting in the wings.
However, it's not a particular device that will prove to be the biggest threat to the iPad, it's the user interface that's being adopted by many of the forthcoming tablets, and that interface is Google's Android.
HP today announced an education-focused Mini netbook designed to help schools around the world acquire affordable, reliable computing technology.
The HP Mini 100e Education Edition features a modern, innovative design with the durability and functionality essential for classroom computing. Complete with an array of hardware and software tools, the HP Mini 100e aims to close the digital divide by offering students and teachers an interactive learning experience at an affordable price.
HP Mini for the classroom
Created to seamlessly integrate into education environments, the HP Mini 100e features a practical clamshell design starting at only 3.19 pounds. Its 10.1-inch diagonal LED-backlit WSVGA display, 92 percent of full size QWERTY keyboard and an integrated carrying handle allow for maximized comfort and efficiency in the classroom and on the go.
The RTC-1000AS from Aaeon is not only suitable for harsh/severe environments, but it features a 10,2" sunlight readable panel with 500 nits brightness and is slimmer in design compared to the company’s previous rugged tablet PCs.
This model employs a 10,2" WSVGA (1024 x 600) 16:9 TFT LCD display with LED backlight that can be viewed in wide angles and are sunlight readable with a patented AOT (advanced optibond technology) touch screen. This advanced technology is for display impact protection that is often required by rugged applications. In addition, numeric keypad and programmable function keys on the front panel are included.
Enhancements include advanced Intel® Core™ vPro™ processors, and a host of new options including dual touch technology, durable Gorilla™ glass and expanded storage capabilities
Motion Computing®, a leading provider of integrated mobile computing solutions, today announced the J3500 tablet PC. Built on the Motion® J-Series line of tablet PCs, the J3500 features Intel® Core™ vPro™ processors for enhanced performance, security and manageability. The J3500 also offers a variety of integrated features including touch technology, Gorilla™ glass, and expanded storage options.
New Capacitive Dual Touch
The J3500 with capacitive dual touch enables mobile workers to take advantage of the natural gesture navigation features built in Windows® 7 and other software applications. Optimized for digitizer and touch input, users can navigate touch-enabled software applications or legacy programs with smaller targets that require the accuracy of pen input. For more flexibility, palm rejection technology distinguishes between intentional and false touch while stylus recognition enables users to easily switch between input modes.
Very nice. Motion has released the J3500 Slate Tablet PC, a ruggedized entry into their lineup that in review testing seems to be not only a reliable performer but one that will give users an excellent touch and pen experience.
I was fortunate enough to spend a few days with the J3500 Slate, and I’m quite impressed with what Motion has done here. Keep in mind that this is a niche Tablet PC aimed at a niches that need ruggedized computers, but for those who fit the markets Motion is going for, this will most likely be a welcome choice to consider.
Touch and Pen
The dual digitizer touch and pen experience work very well. We’ve seen this dual approach before, but this is as smooth an implementation as I’ve seen with Windows 7 Professional as the OS. Inking is smooth as silk using the included stylus, and the two finger touch works well. Switching between the two input methods is effortless.
In conversations with Lenovo at a press event held outside the Consumer Electronics Association's CEA Line Shows, the editors at TechnologyGuide mined some interesting details on the Lenovo U1 hybrid laptop that made a splash at CES earlier in the year.
Lenovo announced in the spring that the innovative hybrid notebook would be delayed indefinitely as Lenovo scrambled to replace the tablet portion's OS to Google Android from a custom Linux build.
The Lenovo reps made clear at the event that the last-minute OS swap and delay were due to the changing OS landscape - one in which Android wasn't much of a player when U1 development began.
Tablets must be cheap enough to lose. Right now the iPad will cost you $500 or more. When the price drops to the point where the first digit is 1, we’ll understand that the cash you put into your tablet computer should pay for content, not glass and silicon. We won’t worry too much about upgrades making our expensive purchase obsolete— because that purchase won’t be so expensive. And the cost will be low enough for certain publishers—paging The New York Times!—to include the device with a two-year subscription, no problem.
Tablets must be as light as paper. You would think that 1.5 pounds isn’t much of a burden. But when you’re reading a novel for three hours or watching Lawrence of Arabia, that avoirdupois begins to weigh on you.
Tablets must always be connected. The functionality of the basic iPad is severely limited if you aren’t near a Wi-Fi hot spot. The 3G version solves that problem—if you are in one of the filled-in zones of AT&T’s spotty 3G coverage map of the US. Also, 3G is slower than Wi-Fi and costs $30 a month.
Revealed as Part of Toshiba’s 25th Anniversary of Laptop Innovation Milestone, libretto W100 Demonstrates Next-Gen Ultra-Mobile PC Design With Full Windows 7 Functionality
Embodying a quarter-century of innovation, Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the libretto® W100, a next-gen ultra-mobile concept PC. This limited-edition 25th Anniversary device goes beyond slates and netbooks to deliver something more: a full Windows® 7 experience that can be enjoyed across two multi-touch touch screens.
“The libretto W100 continues the libretto brand’s heritage of defying convention by packaging a full Windows computing experience into highly compact ultra-mobile form factor,” said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. “This concept PC sets the pace for Toshiba’s continued commitment to innovation, demonstrating what’s possible in the next generation of ultra-mobile PCs.
“We will issue a limited run of the libretto W100,” continued Pinto. “We design our products around the way people actually want to use them, so getting this concept PC out into the hands of early technology adopters will allow us to gather invaluable feedback that we can filter into future product developments.”
Toshiba announced on Monday a limited edition dual-touchscreen ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) running Windows 7 that will be available for purchase from select retailers later this summer. Called the Libretto W100, it could be a challenge to Apple's iPad, suggest some critics; however, unlike Apple's single-panel touchscreen computer, Toshiba's new UMPC sticks to the traditional clamshell design found in most laptops and netbooks. Toshiba did not announce pricing for the W100.
How do the Dual Screens Work?
The W100 can be configured as a traditional laptop with a viewing area on one screen and a full keyboard on the other. You can also open the device flat and use both screens as one slate--albeit with a break in between them--to view Web pages and other documents requiring more screen space. You can also use each screen to run different applications at the same time such as an e-mail application on the bottom screen and your Web browser or music application on the top.The W100 also has a built-in accelerometer that lets you use the device in both landscape and portrait modes
We put the analysis to its pace to find out which will be the better tablet with the Dell Streak vs Apple iPad
With the release of the iPad most technology based firms have been looking into how to tap into the tablet market and hope that their products would be welcomed by their customers, to be honest if they didn’t you know they would be turning to Apple to pick up their products. As they say once you turned to Apple you don’t look back
2012 may very well be a year of transformation. While the world may not end, it will mark the end of the netbook era, at least according to Forrester Research,. It was fun while it lasted. Tablets will outsell netbooks by 2012 says Forrester in a new report, The US Consumer PC Market In 2015, released today.
By 2015, approximately 23% of all PC sales will be in the tablet “form factor.”
The PC is no longer first-and-foremost a productivity tool. With the boom of music and video content over the past few years this shift is well underway. A tablet is our portal into the future. It’s what the Jetsons would use. We are a content-consuming nation, and nothing allows us to hyper-consume more than a touch-screen interface. The swiping is where it’s at.
become your own handwriting machine, a website called Online Tech Tips provides a how-to guide that will teach you how to turn your own handwriting into a font on a Windows
Apple's iPad is enjoying strong sales as an both consumers and enterprise customers view the tablet as a worthy upgrade over netbooks or other mobile devices that don't fit the bill. But that doesn't mean that the iPad is the only tablet that will be successful in today's marketplace. Now is the time for tablet makers to get started on matching Apple's tablet. Whether they like it or not, they need to find ways to trump the iPad. And they can only do that with a solid understanding of what it takes to be successful in that space. Let's take a look.
1. The Touch Screen Is Important A tablet is nothing without a high-quality touch screen.
2. Size Matters
The tablet market is unique when it comes to size. In most cases, the bigger the device, the better. In other cases, the smaller the product, the better. But in the tablet space, the device needs to hit the sweet spot between being big enough to accommodate those that want to use it for entertainment, and small enough for those that want it to be their companion while on-the-go. Apple's iPad boasts a 9.7-inch display. It's right in the sweet spot for size. Tablet makers might be able to trump Apple's device by delivering a slightly larger screen size of, say 10.5 inches.
6. Design Is Everything
The overall design of a tablet is a key factor in the success or failure of a device. If a new tablet is poorly designed and fails to deliver the kind of aesthetic consumers are looking for, they will opt for the iPad. It's important for any tablet maker to remember that. No matter what kind of software comes with a tablet, it can only go as far as its design. An ugly device won't work.
Come this fall, every sixth grader at Sacramento Country Day School in California will receive an iPad -at not cost to their parents. "There are hundreds and hundreds of educational apps for the iPad," he said. "We found that there are so many [that] we felt there was a tremendous opportunity to bridge the gap between the traditional pen and paper and textbook and laptop," Stephen Repsher, headmaster of the private school told ABCNews.com.
It's just another tool in the quiver of tools that educators use to help children understand and learn and develop critical skills as they move toward college," according to Repsher.
Another private school cited by ABC, St. Catherine's High School in Racine, Wisc., says it intends to give iPads to its sixth and seventh graders. The bigger goal: By 2012, the plan is to equip all students and teachers in grades 6-12 with iPads instead of textbooks.
Samsung Electronics Co. plans to launch a tablet computer in coming months, a move the company hopes will help it sustain earnings growth later this year as the weak euro weighs on mobile-phone sales.
The new tablet, which will be called Galaxy Tab, is expected to run on Google Inc.'s Android operating system and will launch no later than the third quarter, said J.K. Shin, president of Samsung's mobile division, in an interview. Mr. Shin declined to provide further details, such as the price and in which markets the device will be available.
The move comes as the release of Apple Inc.'s iPad tablet earlier this year has global electronics makers scrambling to come up with similar devices.
You can't buy your way onto the List. You Can't Apply for it. You have to Earn it.
Asking which model isthe Best Tablet PC is like asking what flavor of ice cream is best:
everyone has their own opinion.
What is a Tablet PC?
Tablet PCs are mobile PCs with something extra: a screen that you can write on or interact with by using a tablet pen instead of a standard keyboard and mouse. When you write on the screen, you can convert your handwriting to typed text or leave it as ink. Advancements in Windows Vista have made Tablet PCs even easier to use, with improved handwriting recognition features, ink recognition for more languages, and other features.
Slate Tablet PCs
Slate Tablet PCs have no lid or keyboard, which makes them slim and lighter in weight compared to most convertible Tablet PCs. You can hold a slate Tablet PC in one hand and write on the screen with the other hand—like a clipboard. If you want to use an external keyboard and mouse, you simply attach them to the Tablet PC. A slate Tablet PC can rest easily in the crook of your arm while you write so that you can take notes, fill out forms, or read and write an e-mail with ease while on the go, sitting in a meeting or class, or relaxing on your couch. You can also lay it flat on a table or desk to do your work.
You can use a tablet pen to select, drag, and open files, browse the Internet, draw freehand diagrams, add numbers and symbols, and more. On some Tablet PCs, you can also interact with the screen by using your finger. Most Tablet PCs are small or moderately sized. They range from 2 to 7 pounds and have screens that range from 8 to 15 inches. There are two types of Tablet PCs: slates and convertibles.
Convertible Tablet PCs
Illustration of a convertible Tablet PCConvertible Tablet PCs are notebooks that can be used either in tablet mode or laptop mode. This type of Tablet PC gives you the best of both worlds. In laptop mode, you can use the integrated keyboard and mouse or the tablet pen to navigate and write. To use it in tablet mode, you rotate the screen and lay it flat over the keyboard so that you can write on it like a clipboard. Both positions enable you to work and write with a tablet pen.
Ultra-mobile PC
If you’re looking for something smaller than a notebook or Tablet PC and yet powerful enough to get your tasks done while on the go or in tight quarters, consider a UMPC. Illustration of an ultra-mobile PCJust like other mobile PCs, UMPCs run the full version of Windows and any other Windows-compatible software. It’s a great choice for anyone who needs something compact and practically feather-light. UMPCs range from 1 to 2 pounds. The screen size is 7 inches and smaller. UMPCs with Windows Vista come with Origami Experience, which gives you easy access to your music, videos, pictures, and programs.
You can use a tablet pen or your finger to interact with a UMPC. You can carry this paperback-sized mobile PC effortlessly in one hand while using the other hand to quickly jot down notes, fill out forms, read and write e-mail messages, surf the Internet, and more.
oft-leaked Samsung 
doesn't open until Friday, but yesterday and today have been filled with press conferences by major tech companies - and Samsung's conference this morning ended with the official introduction of its Galaxy Tab tablet, the biggest IFA news so far.
caused by faulty or damaged Tablet PCs. Many of Motion Computing’s customers work in rough environments and a downed Tablet PC can have a serious impact on their organizations.
8GB of embedded memory, a DMB chip (for television viewing), a light sensor, a GPS chip, an accelerometer, and a 3.0 megapixel camera. The table supports a diverse range of video codecs to ensure excellent multimedia functionality, performance and compatibility.
portfolio with the introduction of a premium capacitive multi-touch screen 7″ tablet.
sell and distribute it’s Motion computer tablet PC in South Africa.
points to an Apple influence. Now labeled by Notebook Italia as the Folio 100, the device not only has a proprietary Apple-style dock connector but a similar cradle to match. Toshiba will also try ot take a cue by running its own store, Toshiba Marketplace, as a supplement to Android Market.
unveil its own tablet PC- the Galaxy Tab very soon. Leaked photographs and a video posted by Samsung suggest that the device will be a 7-inch tablet running Google's OS- the Android 2.2. The device is expected to give a tough competition to Apple's iPad (being called iPad killer by many) and it remains to be seen that how much competition will the Tab give to iPad?
months according to a new study from leading market research company Forrester Research. The 14 percent was ahead of the 13 percent planning to buy a laptop, 11 percent planning to buy an eBook reader, 8 percent planning to buy a netbook, and 8 percent said to be planning to buy a desktop computer.
Toshiba, Lenovo and other companies all plan to enter the tablet space in the next year. So what about Sony? Nothing. The company has been very quiet about any tablet ambitions it may have.
Android or Windows. Viewsonic hasn’t said much about the tablet yet, except that it will be powered by an Intel chip and that its first appearance will be at the big 
important functionality to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch that's missing from 
existing lineup which includes the DreamBook ePad 7 tablet. Their latest tablet is the DreamBook ePad N7 which is a 7-inch Android tablet.
touchscreen built by N-Trig, the same guys who were behind the Microsoft Surface?
mitzvah, kind deed) you will or did for someone else, tell us about it!
both a 7″ Android tablet as well as a 10″ model that will dual-boot Windows and Android.
computers. “Users want keyboards,” they said. “Tablets have already failed,” they claimed. Fast forward to today and not only do people want them, but vendors are scrambling to meet demand.
has included just one tablet computer–Apple’s iPad–but that will change in coming months, Forbes has learned.
promising multi-touch goodies without the expense of Apple kit. 
three people familiar with the plans. 
season. If the reports are accurate, HTC, Google, and Verizon are working together to launch a Chrome OS tablet on Black Friday to kick off the holiday shopping season.
planning for some new but smaller tablet at the end of this year around Christmas, according to some major Taiwanese Newspaper. The Digitime’s Newspaper of Taiwan had given this report in the last week that the Taiwanese companies have started to assemble a 7-inch iPad for Apple.
makes Apple believe such a device will be a hit on par with the original iPad?
Eee Pad costing just $300. That one should arrive in October.
frequently.
the Indian based aggregation Notion Ink. The Notion Ink Adam is acceptable to be a battling for abundant accepted Apple iPad. The Notion Ink Adam has been apparent in four variants and these Notion Ink Adam alternation slates attending abundant bigger in performance.
way through the year and the only truly worthwhile tablet device that we have to speak of is the iPad and a couple of so-so Android tablets. But, there are tons of Android-, BlackBerry-, and webOS-powered tablets scheduled for the rest of 2010 and 2011, so there’s still time for a serious iPad competitor to rise to the occasion. We’re going to give a rundown of the “T0p 5 Most Anticipated Tablets” that are expected to hit sometime later this year, or early next year.
the waiting may finally be over next month.
company has chosen Taiwanese notebook manufacturer Quanta to produce at least two million tablets this year, says a Chinese language paper Apple Daily.
latest entries in this category, the 
knocked a mere $20 off the price. The big-box discount retailer offered the Augen Gentouch78 for $150, leading to shortages. 
tablet on 
ARMOR™ rugged tablet computer, the 
are “a perfect platform” for cheap, convenient and up-to-date News Corp content. Murdoch said all of this at a media debate in Sydney, Australia where he also unveiled his companies new plan for taking advantage of the new technology available.
MasterPad Windows 7 tablet comes with good number of specs which are far better than the Apple iPad. The MasterPad Windows 7 tablet comes with the features such as a 11.6 inch touch screen, resolution of 1,366 x 768, a 1.3 MP web camera, 2 x USB ports, memory card reader, an accelerometer, mini-HDMI port, 3G connectivity, and 32GB or 64GB solid state drive options and weighs around 990g.
, to the tablet form factor UI.
tablets in development.
electronics giant, Samsung which is planning to launch a tablet style computer rumored to be called Samsung Galaxy Tab in the month of September. Samsung plans to design the tablet PC on the lines is its successful and latest smartphone Galaxy S and is holding a special event on August 11 to unveil the details and feature list of the device. 
‘Smartbook Surfer’. The Smartbook AG tablet is specially built for the folks in Germany. This Smartbook AG tablet PC comes packed with the amazing features which look better than the iPad specs.
Apple's iPad. When that will happen is quite another question. "They'll be shipping as soon as they're ready," Ballmer said during a presentation to analysts in Redmond, Wash. on Thursday. "This is Job 1 around here. Nobody is sleeping at the switch."
7-based slate or tablet computer that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer previewed at the Consumer Electronics Show back in January. 
indicates it will only retail for $150.
manufacturer of consumer electronic goods, then you must have a tablet device in your line-up. Motorola is too big a company and maintains too big a presence in the smartphone business to ignore that rule. The company has been high in the list among those who are rumored to be making tablet PCs and the good news is, Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha has confirmed a tablet is indeed in the making.
TH700, coupling keyboard comfort and practicality with tablet functionality and connectivity.
touchscreen tablet device, which is claim to be world’s cheapest computer PC.
much buzz around a single Dell product than this.
point, a healthy 15.5 million adults in the US will own an e-Reader. And the number will continue to climb, though slowly compared to tablet PC growth. By 2015, we see the e-Reader market starting to cap at just under 30 million U.S. adults. That’s nearly all the people who read 2+ books a month. 
reinforcing their 25 year heritage while also launching a raft of new models – including the dual-screen Libretto W100 and a natty under-$500 cloud computing device.
them are taking direct aim at Apple.
vaporware. While product announcements abound, few tablets are 
strapped into makeshift holsters on car dashboards. After all, the tablet computer is pricey ($499 to $829), large (9.6 inches by 7.5 inches) and somewhat fragile. 
claims that 40% of total notebook demand in 2010 and 2011 will come from consumers clamoring for tablets.
according to the results of a new survey by Resolve Market Research.
tablet with Dual digitizer for both pen and finger touch input!
secure or repair a PC even if it is in sleep mode or powered off. Additional features include better multi-tasking support, anti-theft technology, hard drive encryption support, and self-adjusting processing speed. The J3500 has a dual hot-swappable battery design that can power the tablet for a whopping 7 hours.
along with NEXCOM has begun rolling out the Mobile Tablet PC to all its franchise drivers. The Mobile Tablet PC enhances the SuperShuttle customer service experience by providing:
7. 
its $100,000 grand prize.
according to word from boutique PC maker Velocity Micro and reports concerning Acer’s upcoming plans.
company is looking at the tablet market also, especially in the wake of explosive iPad sales.
companies brought out at least one, but usually multiple products or product lines, especially netbooks and notebooks based on AMD or Intel chips. Even more recently the Taiwanese company revealed a series of professional displays. Now, rumors have started circulating that Acer is intent on once again making a push, albeit on a different front, namely that of tablets.
The rugged nature of the devices means they can be taken into situations in which everyday machines would not survive. Environments which experience temperature extremes, places where the notebooks have to survive on bumpy roads and being thrown from place to place, and locations where water is a constant menace, for example. 
tablet PC. The company is now collaborating with various manufacturers to release as much Windows 7 supported tablet PCs in the market as possible. 
prelude to Fortune’s annual Brainstorm Tech conference, which will be held this year in Aspen, Colorado (July 22–24).
and iPhone. The touch-gesture controlled motion would translate into a page flipping animation that would go as slow or quick as the user wanted. It's commonplace for Apple to incorporate little touches like that in its user experience – except Microsoft
may have thought of it first. 
whether the brisk sales would continue and turn the iPad into a bigger trend. After all, I said, the sales could all be to tech geeks like us who can’t resist trying the latest gadget. The iPad is simply the flashiest gadget any of us have ever seen, but I argued that that doesn’t mean that it will be useful to regular people.
with your Espresso, Frappuccino, or any other assorted beverage and snack. That’s right! Finally, Starbucks if offering free, unlimited wireless internet access at all 6,700 company-operated locations, nationwide. AT&T is still the Wi-Fi provider.
like LG is following the steps of HP. But the company has decided to abandon the tablet prototype based on Windows 7 and instead promote a table that is based on a mobile OS platform.
PCs which have screen size in the range of 5 to 7 inches run either on Android or Windows CE, and have encapsulated basic Samsung, Marvel, and RockChip ARM CPUs.
sensitive. However, thanks to the guys at 
PCs in one go. And of the two tablets PCs, it is the 10.6 inch model which is smaller in size among the two tablets and has caught the fancy of most out there, one reason for which is the affordable price tag that it comes with.
mobile workers requiring real-time information in a variety of working environments.
accomplished painter.
mobile workers requiring real-time information in a variety of working environments. 
might find something to like with 
wonder how much brighter my life would be if I had worked harder, made some smarter decisions, and arrived at this point with enough throwaround money to buy a 
tablet PCs were -- and still are -- aimed at the business market, the HP TouchSmart tm2 (which began as the 
month in Taipei, Taiwan. More than a dozen models were shown, most of them X86-based tablets running Windows or ARM-based devices running Android. Processor manufacturers represented included Freescale, Intel, Marvell, Nvidia, Qualcomm and Via, all of which have design wins in touchscreen tablets running all sorts of Linux derivatives. Microsoft also announced Windows Embedded Compact 7 at Computex and showed it running on a Freescale-based tablet in its booth.
Manufactures have promised or boasted about the product and finally it all ended up in zilch. SurfaceInk has now given us talk about just one more product that all have been waiting for, a Tablet PC with a 12.1 inch screen. However, there’s a problem. Not many have ever heard of SurfaceInk. So whether the dream object turns into a reality is something that remains to be seen. Of course there will be added scrutiny of the device once it enters market. And in case they hold true then we may have one more big player in the Tablet segment by next year calling the shots with their large screened Ubuntu tablet.
computers on 
them into a viable proposition for the home user.
withstand “harsh mobile work environments.” That refers to tumbles, drops and rain if you were wondering.
a 10,2" sunlight readable panel with 500 nits brightness and is slimmer in design compared to the company’s previous rugged tablet PCs. 
media consumption аnd portability, Kno, Inc. іѕ trying something nеw. Kno, Inc. іѕ a nеw ѕtаrt-up company, аnd thеіr first product іѕ thе Kno tablet. Thе Kno tablet stands out frοm thе crowd wіth іtѕ size аѕ well аѕ іtѕ increased usability whеn compared tο οthеr tablets. Kno, Inc.s website, Kno.com, states thаt thеу have revolutionized thе textbook, higher education, аnd learning itself іn one crazy, bold mονе. Thіѕ іѕ truе – thе size οf thе tablet іѕ dеfіnіtеlу bold.
that in review testing seems to be not only a reliable performer but one that will give users an excellent touch and pen experience.
Association's CEA Line Shows, the editors at TechnologyGuide mined some interesting details on the Lenovo U1 hybrid laptop that made a splash at CES earlier in the year.
the price drops to the point where the first digit is 1, we’ll understand that the cash you put into your tablet computer should pay for content, not glass and silicon. We won’t worry too much about upgrades making our expensive purchase obsolete— because that purchase won’t be so expensive. And the cost will be low enough for certain publishers—paging The New York Times!—to include the device with a two-year subscription, no problem.
W100 Demonstrates Next-Gen Ultra-Mobile PC Design With Full Windows 7 Functionality
running Windows 7 that will be available for purchase from select retailers later this summer. Called the Libretto W100, it could be a challenge to Apple's iPad, suggest some critics; however, unlike Apple's single-panel touchscreen computer, Toshiba's new UMPC sticks to the traditional clamshell design found in most laptops and netbooks. Toshiba did not announce pricing for the W100.
company hopes will help it sustain earnings growth later this year as the weak euro weighs on mobile-phone sales.
