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
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.
June 15, 2010
Tablet Pc 2 is On the way to E3 Expo stay tuned for coverage
E3 Expo is the world's premiere trade show for computer and video games and related products.
Apple’s iPad seems to be going down well in Japan and there are several Japanese companies hoping to grab a share of the tablet PC market for themselves. NTT, for example has hinted at tablet PCs in recent months.
However, NEC is without doubt the first to actually nail the spec of their tablet PC and when they plan to get it in the shops.
The LifeTouch is expected to feature a 7-inch TFT LCD screen (800×480 resolution), is due to weigh in at 400 grams, and, as mentioned, will run on Android 2.1.
NEC are saying at this stage that users will be able to choose to operate the LifeTouch either with their fingers or a stylus
Getac Inc. has upgraded its E100 rugged tablet PC by adding an improved CPU, a more readable display and an optional dual smartcard capability. The small and lightweight PC – designed for field service applications – also comes with a ‘hot swappable’ battery to keep the unit functioning when switching out power sources.
The Getac tablet PC weighs in at about three pounds and is encased in a magnesium alloy housing to withstand the rigors of field service work. In fact, the E100 meets MIL-STD-810G and IP65 standards for durability and protection against dirt, dust, water, motion, vibration, temperature and other factors that would severely damage or disable a commercial-grade PC.
The small system also includes a solid state drive to further protect files and documents from vibrations, accidental drops, and other physical abuse typically encountered in the field – especially extreme temperature environments.
Tablet PCs have become one of the hot gadgets to have over the past year or so and the Archos 9 PC Tablet hopes to tap into that expanding market by offering a relatively solid tablet. The 8.9-inch tablet is powered by the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system that allows for good multimedia use and lapside Internet surfing, but it isn't without its weaknesses.
The Archos 9 comes to surface after the generally well-received Archos 5 tablet, which was Google Android-powered. This model doesn't run any mobile operating system, but rather Windows 7 Starter edition, which is aimed at netbooks and similar computers.
Other specs include only 1 USB 2.0 port and the ability to add another 2 USB ports and an Ethernet connection through using an Archos port expander. There is also integrated 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as well. There's no expansion slots (not even an SD card) or any optical drives.
Nintendo reinvented the video game business several years ago with the Wii and its motion-sensitive controller, demonstrating that women and families who had no interest in traditional gaming systems could nonetheless be lured into interactive entertainment with an easy, intuitive interface.
Now, Microsoft is coming after Nintendo with Kinect. Kinect (previously known as Project Natal) is an add-on for the Xbox 360 that uses advanced camera and software technology to allow you to control and interact with action on a TV screen without holding any controller at all. You just wave or move your body in front of the screen and the system recognizes your actions.
Incredibly, it works.
Kicking a soccer ball, driving a race car, navigating a whitewater raft – Kinect allows all of these virtual experiences through physical gestures. As with any interactive experience, it is ontologically impossible to convey the feeling of doing through mere words; you have to do it yourself to understand it. But the first time you find yourself ducking, dancing, kicking, leaning, waving and pushing, smiling and laughing all the while, you will.
Microsoft does not invent product categories. It just redefines and takes them over. The Xbox brand was originally meant to appeal to hardcore gamers. Now, with Kinect, Microsoft is attempting to reorient Xbox for families, children and women.
As the U.S. awaits Samsung's hot new smartphone, the Galaxy S, the manufacturer is rumored to be ready to roll out yet another device -- a tablet computer to compete against Apple super-popular iPad. The first mention of the Samsung Tablet came in March, on Samsung's South African Twitter page, but details have been leaking out at a substantial clip this month.
The new tablet reportedly will be called either the Galaxy Tab or Galaxy Tape, depending on which source you believe. A report on Vietnamese site Tihn te, says that the device will run Android 2.2 ("Froyo"), and come with a 1.2-GHz processor, 4,000 mAh battery, 16-GB storage/32GB microSD slot and a 7-inch Super AMOLED screen. The Galaxy tablet is reportedly slated for a September debut.
With the release of Apple's iPad, the JooJoo tablet probably isn't going to be the most exciting tablet device around. That doesn't seem to stop folks out there who are keen to fiddle with it, though, as a video has surfaced of a user who managed to install Windows 7 into the tablet, using just the stock hardware (4GB SSD and 1GB of RAM). According to him, 720p movie playback is possible, based on the video (after the jump), Windows 7 seems to be running pretty well on the JooJoo. The only downside of this at the moment seems to be the lack of accelerometer support, as well as the inability to use 3G. View the video here
The Tablet PC Gift Dads and Grads Gift Guide includes something for everyone. A variety of technology gifts & accessories for the Dad or Graduate in your life and you just may spot an item or two for yourself as well.
It seems the month of July is turning out to be a season of tablet PCs as not one or two but its 5 tablets in all that is coming our way – courtesy Aigo. Yes, the company that has been making USB memory sticks and Solid State Drives for several years now has gone into overdrive and decided to unleash all of 5 tablet PCs in one go. So come July, there will be Aigo Tablets in the 4, 5 and 7 inch categories available from retailers.
The most noteworthy amongst the 5 tablets from Aigo that stands for ‘patriot’ in Chinese is perhaps the N700, which if it indeed makes it to the market will be the first Tegra 2 powered Android tablet to do so. What makes the N700 Tablet PC special is the impressive array of features that makes it a top class tablet to look forward to. Built on the Nvidia Tegra 2 platform, the N700 right now will be running the Android 2.0 though the 2.2 Froyo will also be included as and when the OS becomes commercially available. Connectivity options will be taken care of by the built-in 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth functionalities. Of course, the highlight of the N700 is likely to be the same 7-inch capacitive touchscreen. Storage requirements will be taken care of by a 32GB of disk space.
The newly launched 7 inch Google Android Tablet PC is really a desirable tablet which has received people’s recognition. The reason why it can gain so many attentions is that it has features that other UMPC does not have
This 7 inch Android tablet pc has 16:9 wide and 800*480 high brightness TFT LCD screen. It supports full size touch operation. Therefore, you can find yourself flying in a real scene when you are watch videos with it.
It sports plenty of functions such as Google Maps, Google Earth, Goggles, You Tube, Google Calendar Buzz, Gmail, Google Contacts, Google Shopper, Google Talk, Google Finance and Latitude, etc. All these functions are very useful and practical that is able to satisfy your common use.
If you still doubted the strength of the tablet market after Apple said it had sold 2 million iPadswithin 60 days, I've got another item for you. Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty has taken a look at the numbers and has decided the iPad is on pace to become one of the most popular mobile devices ever.
Already, the iPad Web-browsing market share is above that some smart phones, Huberty said Tuesday in a research note, the highlights of which were published by All Things Digital. And the tablet is shaping up to be a much more Web-centric device than its smaller screen counterparts.
"Why is this important?" Huberty said, according to ATD. "Web browsing is arguably the most important computing task for the average user and early adopters are realizing similar productivity levels relative to traditional PCs. Based on our experience with iPad Web browsing, we would not be surprised to see tablet daily Internet usage exceed traditional PC Internet usage in the coming years.
The tablet that has everyone going gaga these days really is quite a nice piece of gadgetry; I bought one and have no regrets. It's great for Web surfing, reading the news, and even its soft keyboard is more effective than I expected. Certain types of drawing even seem to work pretty well, although that's a judgment I leave to those who can--well--draw.
But it's not very good for taking handwritten notes. A stylus and a program like Dan Bricklin's Note Taker HD makes note-taking on an iPad practical by letting you write in a magnified window into the page. But it would be hard for me to describe handwriting on iPad as either "magical" or "revolutionary." This, I think, is an interesting fact, given that historically mobile tablets (including Apple's own Newton), have tended to focus on handwriting and other forms of writing directly on the screen. In fact, the difficulties associated with doing reliable handwriting recognition often get cited as a reason that tablet PCs have never really gone mainstream.
Essentially, the iPad has deprecated handwriting as a primary mode of interacting with a tablet.
To help create an infrastructure that would support a variety of rich new advertising opportunities for the emerging technologies of tablets and e-readers, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced it has formed the Tablet Task Force, a group comprised of senior publishing and interactive industry executives. Tablets and e-readers are the latest electronic tools that enable the new era of interactive content experiences available to consumers anytime and anywhere.
“The ad market is developing for tablets and e-readers as the excitement builds for those devices,” said Bob Carrigan, CEO, IDG Communications Inc., Co-Chair of the Tablet Task Force and a member of the Executive Committee of the IAB Board of Directors. “Their growth will create new revenue for media companies, agencies and technology companies and new experiences for users.”
As part of its initial effort to provide context and information on these new platforms, the IAB's Tablet Task Force recommends the recently released “tabvertising—iPad and other tablets: the advertising and marketing opportunities,” a preliminary overview of the tablet and e-reader consumer experience written by Jack Wallington, Head of Industry Programmes, at the IAB UK.
For more information on the Tablet Taskforce, and to download “tabvertising—iPad and other tablets: the advertising and marketing opportunities,” please go to www.iab.net/tabvertising
As UMPC netbook comes up recently, people are expecting the most perfect one. And Samsung CPU tablet PC is definitely the best choice for its super strong functions and intelligent operating system. By adopting the powerful Samsung 533MHz CPU and windows CE5.0 OS, this mini netbook will ensure you a high performance in operation and high speed and smooth experience when surfing online. It has delicate body and portable light weight.
Since armed with Wifi and light in weight, it’s convenient for you to enjoy anything you’re interested in the Flat World. Now, with this mini size pad, built-in GPS, equipped GPS module, you can drive anywhere, and don’t have to worry that you will lose your way. What’s really exciting is this 7 inch netbook even embed a Live TV! It will never disappoint you from now on.
Especially, this pad show brilliant performance in entertainment, apart from Live TV, You Tube, and the tablet also is with e-book reader, Skype, and HiFi stereo speaker. It’s really very practical for its lower overall costing which has up to 30% saving on normal notebook
It is a little over two months since I got my hands on the iPad (WiFi model). I did an update 1 month in and while this two month update may be a few days late, it is only because we’ve been working hard to open Wayside Theatre’s season opening production of Shenandoah. That happened Sunday night (the opening was a great success.) During the month since my last update there have been a few new apps and updates that have made the iPad a more worthy tool in my work-flow. What’s that you say? Work-flow? Isn’t it just a consumption device? Well, yes, but increasingly no. Thanks to a few app developers the iPad has found its way into my work day. Here’s how.
First, unless you’re really new to the pages of GBM, you know that I spend a lot of time taking notes as a part of my job as a theatre director. Some of these notes are taken in meetings, but most are taken in rehearsals. This is why I got into Tablet PCs to begin with. And, like many Tableteers I have been dismayed and saddened to see the move away from Digital Inking on Tablets in favor of touch. That’s a well worn story and we’ve all heard it too many times.
Does it replace a Tablet PC in my situation? That’s a close call and the answer is no. I can’t obviously do as much with notes scribbled into Penultimate as I can using OneNote on a Tablet PC. There’s no search. I can’t lay the script in to take notes on. I can’t Ink a quick email in rehearsal. The Inking is not as smooth. But, when push comes to shove, I can sit for a full day of rehearsal and take notes with a stylus on the iPad. So, why is it a close call? Although I had to change how I had been taking rehearsal notes a bit, I was able to do so. I miss my system, but during the next show, which starts rehearsal in a few weeks, we’ll see if that lasts or not.
Over the last few months, we've gotten incredible feedback from the hundreds of thousands of users in our Office Web Apps Technical Preview. We’ve been busy incorporating much of that feedback, and today, Office Web Apps on SkyDrive are now available to everyone in the US, UK, Canada, and Ireland. We’ll have more to share next week when Office 2010 is released to consumers, including how Office 2010 + SkyDrive + Office Web Apps give you the best productivity experience across the PC, phone, and browser.
In the meantime, if you live in the US, UK, Canada, or Ireland, you can head over to Office.live.com today to start viewing and editing Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote documents right in your web browser – and share them with your friends.
We got some time with MSI's latest tablet - the WindPad 100 - for some finger frenzied action at Computex 2010.
First things first - Wow! The WindPad 100 is the right size and shape for a tablet PC, so we're off to a good start, and it looks neat in its docking station, which will be bundled in the box with it.
While the WindPad 100 might have a glass touchscreen, the rest of it is plastic rather than aluminium. Despite that, even this early sample was solidly built and felt good to hold. We expected the plastic shell to reduce the weight of the WindPad, but at 800g it actually weighs more than Apple's iPad, which many people already deem to be too heavy for a tablet.
The multi-touch, LED-backlit screen worked well and was as sensitive to our touching and stroking as any other device on the market. MSI has upgraded the tablet concept with a few extra ports, including a 3.5mm minijack for headphones, a mini-HDMI port, a few discrete navigation buttons on the edge for volume, mute, the video camera and a return key
The Apple iPhone 4 is everything that a new piece of technology should be: It's innovative, attractive, and ahead of its competition. In comparison, previous iPhone upgrades seem inconsequential--that's how much iPhone 4 brings to the table.
The phone will ship on June 24, priced at $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model (in white or black).
Like its predecessor, the iPhone 4 has a 3.5-inch display. But the new phone's display doubles the resolution to a 960-by-640-pixel IPS display. At 326 pixels per inch, this is the highest resolution available on a phone to date.
That display truly makes a difference. Whereas the iPhone 3GS's text--in the menus, in apps, or on Web pages--appears thick, fuzzy, and undefined, the iPhone 4's text is razor sharp, even when enlarged (as I tried doing when viewing a PDF).
The new "Retina display"--so named because it surpasses the number of pixels the human retina can process--also greatly improves the sharpness, clarity, and visible detail of images.
iPhone 4: A Computer in Miniature
The iPhone 4 uses Apple's A4 CPU, the same processor powering the Apple iPad. And it runs the newly renamed iOS 4 operating system (which the iPad will also use, starting in the fall).
As part of iOS 4, the iPhone 4 gains a bevy of capabilities. One of them--multitasking--feels long overdue, but as with Apple's long-awaited cut-and-paste feature, the company delivers on the promise of making multitasking work smoothly.
Apple has unveiled its new iPhone 4 after a couple wild, unprecedented months of leaks. Sure, it looks exactly like we expected it to (Steve compares it to an old Leica camera), with a glass front and back, but it's what's on the inside that counts, kids. The stainless steel band that goes around the phone is an antenna system, while also providing the main structure of the phone, though it's plugged into the same old GSM / UMTS radio you all know and love
there's a reason they didn't call it the iPhone 4G. There's also of course that front facing camera we were all anticipating, a rear camera with LED flash, and a new high resolution display that doubles the pixels in each direction (960 x 640) for a 4X overall pixel count increase -- Apple calls it a "Retina Display."
Under the hood is the A4 processor that runs the iPad. Despite the new engine (and the 25% thinner chassis), Apple managed to make the battery slightly larger, and the new handset is rated at 7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of WiFi browsing, 10 hours of video, and 40 hours of music. Oh, and that WiFi? It's 802.11n now. The camera has been bumped to 5 megapixels, with 5X digital zoom and a "backside illuminated sensor," which now can also record HD video at 720p / 30fps.
The phone will be available in white or black, retailing at $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for 32GB. They go on sale June 24th, and AT&T will be giving some extra grace upgrade timing -- up to six months early.
This year's center-stage rivalry in tablet computers is shaping up as Apple versus Android, according to analysts. Windows, meanwhile, remains hobbled by its PC past.
The rise of the tablet happened almost overnight, after the April release of Apple's iPad, which, as Steve Jobs boasted recently, has been selling at a clip of "one every three seconds." So, the burning question for analysts and consumers alike is, which technology will compete most effectively with that of the iPad, which runs on Apple's iPhone OS?
Expectations are high for more Android tablet designs. A version of Lenovo's compelling U1 hybrid tablet/laptop is expected to appear later this year as an Android device. "The Lenovo U1 is interesting," Bajarin said. "It's a hybrid computing model in the short term, while people grasp the differences between touch-based computing and keyboard-and-mouse computing," he said.
But tablets are more about the software than the underlying hardware, and Intel's present--and future--strategy doesn't necessarily bode well for Windows. "There's no longer that one-to-one relationship that, if it's Intel, it must be Microsoft," ABI Research's Orr said. Intel is now supporting Android too--what Intel calls it's "port of choice" strategy.
Overall, maybe the simplest way to predict the upcoming tablet software rivalry is by looking at the current high-end smartphone market. Today, iPhone OS and Android smartphones are duking it out for market share leadership.
The Notion Ink Adam tablet is being expected to show-up the Apple iPad but it seems like Notion Ink just doesn’t want to release it yet. The Adam tablet’s official release date has been pushed back to November, no word really as to why they would do this but we hope it’s for the best. However the actual release date could be problematic with the amount of new products coming at that same time like the new iPhone and numerous tablet devices
Avaya isn’t exactly well know for tablet computers, but yesterday the company passed a device called the 210-70D01A-003 through the FCC. The device, pictured above, is referred to in Test Reports as a ‘Tablet PC’, although it looks more like a digital photo frame than a tablet computer.
We don’t know much about Avaya’s tablet PC, except that it will support 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth. The device also has a Harman Kardon logo on it’s front bezel, suggesting that it will have a decent set of speakers. EUT images also show the Avaya tablet PC in a docking station, although it’s not clear if this dock was only used for testing.
At the recently held D8 conference, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has sighted that his company will revolutionize the world by giving a different meaning altogether to the tablet PC market.
Ballmer further acknowledged that Microsoft's Mobile market although was not that hit but it won't be the same in case of tablet PC market.
According to the CEO the dynamism observed in the PC market will aid Microsoft to compete against its rivals, and this dynamic nature has already witnessed the market leadership change twice in the last five years.
The tablet fad kicked off by Apple Inc.’s iPad turned into a frenzy this week, as a host of manufacturers unveiled their version of the new computing device at a tech trade show in Taiwan.
“Apple paves the way for other companies to follow,” Ticonderoga analyst Brian White said in a phone interview. “Apple is opening up a new market. There’s going to be many, many competitors.”
Last week, Dell had unveiled its Streak tablet in the U.K., based on a Qualcomm processor and Google Inc.’s Android operating system. The company said the device will be made available in the U.S. later in the summer.
Qualcomm also said it was demonstrating a Huawei tablet, dubbed S7. The company said it was also showing off new mobile devices, including smart phones and smart books, based on its microprocessor technology.
Meanwhile, Asustek of Taiwan introduced its tablet device, dubbed Eee Pad, based on Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system and Intel Corp.’s processor technology.
As I teased earlier, I’m currently evaluating a Fujitsu Lifebook T900 Tablet PC on loan from Fujitsu. I’ll be shooting some video of the pen + multi-touch system in action as well as of the general hardware. But since I have some quiet time now, I thought I’d spill some thoughts about the inking.
I’m writing this in Windows Journal on a desk surface using a page template similar to my usual one. Still tweaking The width a little bit. The screen resolution and dimensions are lower than my Toshiba. 1280×800 on 13.3″ vs. 1440×900 on 14.1″ respectively.
The inking feature that’s really hooked me, however, is the two-finger scrolling. Pen or single touch on the screen only activates inking. Two fingers allow the screen to be pushed up and down. Such a convenience compared to using the scrollbars. I only wish I didn’t still need that tiny button in the corner to add a new page.
Well, that’s it for now. I hope to record some special video of the T900 in action this weekend
A new dual-screen tablet from California startup Kno aims to make electronic textbooks into a viable business.
It’ll need some luck: Tech giants like Amazon and Apple haven’t yet cracked the e-textbook market, despite multiple attempts.
“If you look at why e-textbooks have failed in the last ten years, the biggest problem is the size of the screen,” says Osman Rashid, co-founder and CEO of Kno. “Textbooks won’t fit into a 10-inch or 12-inch screen so you have to scroll up and down and right and left.”
“It makes for a poor learning experience,” he says.
Kno founders say they can fix that. The device has two 14-inch LCD touchscreens that fold in like a book. The idea is to make textbook pages fit perfectly across the screen and flow from one digital page to another. Kno made its public debut at the D8 technology conference Wednesday
The tablet will be powered by an Nvidia Tegra processor. It will include a stylus for handwriting recognition, have a full browser, support Flash and offer six to eight hours of battery life. The Kno will offer 16 GB or 32 GB of storage–enough to store 10 semesters’ worth of files, documents and books, says Rashid.
Speaking at the D8 conference, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has insisted that his company will revolutionise the tablet PC market in the near future.
On being asked about Apple's CEO Steve Jobs claim that PCs will be phased out in the near future, Steve Ballmer emphasised the relevance of PCs amidst the launch of new gadgets like iPad tablet, saying: “ Nothing that people do on a PC today is going to get less relevant tomorrow. I don't think the whole world will be able to afford five devices per person”.
He beleives that PCs will evolve on a regular basis and will continue to remain popular, even with those that own tablet devices.
Companies showed off over a dozen new rivals for the iPad at Computex this year, including a nifty 10-inch touchscreen tablet that docks into a speaker from Compal Electronics.
The number of tablets at Computex Taipei 2010 pays testimony to the trend Apple set in motion in April. Now that the company has sold 2 million iPads in just under two months, PC vendors globally want a piece of the action.
In the weeks leading up to Computex, it appeared Google might sweep the show with Android-based tablets, but Microsoft swooped in with some key victories and the launch of Windows Embedded Compact 7 software for small devices.
One company that says it will make tablets using Android, Windows and the MeeGo software developed by Intel and Nokia, also showed off one of the neatest devices at Computex, complete with its own user interface (UI) and speaker-dock.
Compal Electronics, the world's second largest contract maker of laptop computers, unveiled a sleek Android-based tablet with a 10-inch touchscreen and a stereo speaker it docked into
Demand for tablets has risen thanks to the iPad, Compal CEO Ray Chen said at the show, adding that, "we have a lot of customers that are very interested in tablets."
Acer, the world's second-biggest PC vendor, offered a glimpse of its own prototype Android tablet just prior to Computex, at a news conference in Beijing. It has a 7-inch display and a keypad, but Acer didn't say when it might be released or how much it will cost.
Several smaller Taiwanese and Chinese companies had Android-based tablets at their Computex booths, including Browan Communications, Firstone Technology, Digitran and FuJian Sanxi Electronics.
Arm Holdings, which designs the processing cores popular in Android devices, estimates there will be about 40 tablet devices made using Arm-based processors this year
Does that screen look extra-bright to you? According to rumors, Samsung's first proper tablet (after the Q1) will stock their SUPER AMOLED display. Seen here is the first leaked photo of the Galaxy Tab, next to the Galaxy S phone.
It came via the South African Samsung team's Twitter account, with the tweet describing it as 'Android-powered,' promising 'more pics to follow.' After a tweeter asked for more details, the @SamsungBlogSA account replied saying it measures 7-inches, and "has a high-res TFT screen. At the top-end it has a 3.5mm jack."
Merlin, who resides at a research center in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico, is shown an object, like a ball or plastic duck. Then, trainer Jack Kassewitz shows Merlin a picture of the same object on a waterproofed iPad's screen. The dolphin has learned to peck the image that corresponds with the object, and Kassewitz says this marks the beginning of a language-enabling communication between humans and dolphins.
Rob Enderle rounds up some possible competitors to the Apple iPad such as the Dell Streak tablet that will be hitting store shelves soon.
The Apple iPad is a very well designed and executed device. As I’m writing this it just passed 2M unit sales in 2 months – most PCs and cell phones can’t come close to those numbers. In fact one analyst effectively believes it will pass the Mac by year end. On the other hand, for those folks that like the Kindle and are focused on books, it simply isn’t good enough, but the Kindle is a one trick pony and the iPad should easily pass it in total sales by the end of the year as a result. The product we are waiting for is one that combines the iPad’s multimedia/app functionality with the Kindle’s eBook features and, I would argue, isn’t tied to either Apple or Amazon. Both have content limitations and neither have everything you want to read or watch. While the small 2nd generation Kindle is closer to the ideal sub $200 price point for this class, both products remain too expensive to penetrate the market broadly yet.
Speaking here at the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital Conference, Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs said that he had thought of a tablet computer before coming up with the idea for the iPhone.
During his on-stage interview by the conference's co-hosts, Wall Street Journal tech columnist Walter Mossberg and All Things Digital blogger Kara Swisher, Jobs said that he had the idea for a multitouch tablet in the "early 2000s." But when he saw an early design, he realized that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) could build a phone with it, he said.
While the iPhone went on to become a smash success, Jobs said Apple's tablet idea was "put on the shelf" until the company had the time and resources to work on it.
Rise of the tablet, fall of the PC?
While much has been said about tablets like the iPad cutting into sales of more traditional PC designs like notebooks and more recent products like netbooks, Jobs didn't predict the death of the personal computer just yet.
However, Jobs did say that tablet devices like the iPad are likely to take over as consumer devices.
Panasonic in Japan today announced [JP] the “Let’s Note CF-C1″, which the company says is among the world’s lightest convertible tablet PCs. The latest addition to Panasonic’s “Let’s Note” series of notebooks weighs just 1.46kg (including the battery, 1.67kg with two batteries). The company says it was able to push down the weight by choosing lighter materials and changing the display’s open-close and rotating mechanisms.
Australian low-cost carrier JetStar plans to test the iPad as part of a new in-flight entertainment program, according to numerous media reports this week.
The Sydney Morning Herald writes JetStar, a Qantas subsidiary, "will launch a trial of a new in-flight entertainment system featuring the new iPad tablet computer. The program will roll out later this month on selected domestic routes across Australia." Travel technology website tnooz.com writes Jetstar CEO Bruce Buchanan "says if successful the service will be extended across the airline's domestic and international network."
Yes, the iPed sounds like a cheap clone -- and the name smarts of an impending lawsuit. But Orphan Electronics is not alone.
The opening of Taiwan's Computex, the second-biggest tech trade show in the world, saw the unveiling of many other tablet-style PCs to compete with Apple's iPad.
Asustek, the giant computer manufacturer that introduced the world to the netbook, launched its own tablet computer on Monday. Asustek executives said their new device, called the Eee Pad, will start selling in the first quarter of next year. The touch-screen tablet personal computer will use Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system and Intel's Core processor.
The tablet will be put on sale in the first quarter of next year, with prices expected at between $399 and $449. Mr. Shih gave few details about the application store, but said Asustek will develop it jointly with Intel and that the store will also run on Windows.
Qualcomm is also said to be showing off a tablet, dubbed S7. That company's new devices are based on its Snapdragon chipset platform -- which also powers the new tablet PC from Dell Inc.
It seems it's only a matter of time until the market is flooded with tablet style computers.
Asia's largest and the world's second largest computer expo marks 30 years in Taipei on Tuesday. The much-hyped portable tablet computers were the highlight of the show, as hardware makers hope to take advantage of the buzz surrounding Apple's newly launched iPad.
The iPad hit overseas store shelves on Friday, with buyers storming Japanese and Australian shops to snap up the long-awaited tablet PC.
At this year's Computex, which runs through Saturday, Acer, Micro-Star International, Asustek and China's Hanwang Technology showcased their own tablet designs and electronic reading devices, or e-books.
The Wind Pad, a tablet PC designed by Micro-Star International, features facial recognition and costs 450 U.S. dollars, around 100 U.S. dollars less than Apple's iPad.
These tablets, with bright LCD touch screens, longer battery lives and wireless connectivity, will share the stage with a line of high-end all-in-one desktops and sleek laptops that allow users wearing special shutter glasses to play 3D games.
Get ready for the iPad clones. In a week that, according to Apple, saw iPad sales hit the two million unit mark, IDG News Service reports that the Computex Taipei trade show is anticipating demonstrations of a dozen or more rivals to the iPad.
While the announced tablets differ in specifics, they share two major features: they don't run the Apple iPhone operating system, and they don't have access to the Apple AppStore. The question for manufacturers and consumers alike is whether a different set of hardware and software features can rival the iPad experience for users.
Engadget has a preview of the LG UX10 tablet, another Windows 7 Home Premium device with webcam, SD card slot, micro-HDMI output - essentially all the hardware pieces reviewers have said were missing from the iPad.
Acer and MSI are expected to show tablets at Computex joining, according to Gearlog, companies like Dell and Sony that have already announced plans for tablet computers this year. All the tablets showing and announced follow a theme of using Windows software and filling perceived holes in the hardware specs of the iPad.
E100 Packs Impressive Features Into 3-Pound Frame, Including 800 NITS Display with Hot-Swapping battery, 3G Wireless Network, and the industry's-best 5 Year Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty
Getac Inc., a leading innovator and manufacturer of rugged computers that meet the demands of field-based applications, has upgraded its lightweight E100 fully rugged tablet PC designed to meet the growing demand for highly functional, all-in-one solutions for customer service, utility workers and general field use. With its improved CPU, expanded storage capacity to accommodate larger digital files, and solid state drive, the new Getac E100 has been designed as a power tool for field service personnel in all industries.
Weighing in at just 3 pounds, the compact E100 is one of the lightest Rugged tablet PC on the market. Safely nestled in its rugged magnesium alloy case are some of the most advanced technologies essential to providing maximum productivity, security, and connectivity in the field. For starters, the E100 meets MIL-STD-810G and IP65 standards for durability and protection against dirt, dust, water, motion, vibration, temperature and other factors that would severely damage or disable a commercial-grade PC. In addition, its standard solid state drive further protect files and documents from vibrations, accidental drops, and other physical abuse typically encountered in the field and is ideal for extreme temperature environments.
For Hardcore PC users tablet fatigue is slowly setting in. It seems like almost every week we hear another rumor or two about upcoming devices, and its only going to get worse. A recent patent application shows that Sony is the latest company preparing to pile on the bandwagon, but this time you might be interested to hear they are taking a page from the scrapped Microsoft Courier, namely its dual displays.
Described in the application as an "electronic book with enhanced features" the screens would take on different characteristics depending on its orientation. If held like a paperback book the device would simply function like a normal e-reader, but flipping it over into portrait mode would reveal and onscreen keyboard. It is unknown at this point if the device concept is for an e-reader or a multifunction tablet, but only time will tell.
We saw a lot of new technology demoed at Intel's Computex keynote this afternoon, but the most impressive thing may have just been MeeGo running on a 10-inch Moorestown Quanta Redvale tablet. While the demo on stage was very brief, we caught up with some of the product managers right after the presser and convinced them to give us a peek at what is coming in 2011. To say we're impressed with the "pre-alpha" version of the software is a huge understatement. So, what are you still doing up here? Hit the gallery for a ton of hands-on shots and then that read more button for some impressions and video.
In a move that was as inevitable as rain on a bank holiday weekend, Asus has unveiled a couple of new tablet computers -- the 12-inch Eee Pad EP121 and the 10-inch EP101TC.
The larger of the two machines, pictured top, sports a dual-core Intel CULV processor and a full copy of Windows 7. We're told it supports multitasking, so you can run several applications at once, and Flash, which opens it up to a world of videos, games, applications and Web sites the Apple iPad currently can't handle.
Asus has yet to demonstrate the EP121 in full working order, so we can't tell whether using a full desktop OS like Windows 7 makes it hard to handle, or whether Asus will provide its own finger-friendly graphical user interface -- as it has on existing touch devices such as the Eee Top.
What we can tell you, however, is that it's a pretty-looking thing with a shiny aluminium bezel, a thin profile and a healthy range of ports, including mic and headphone jacks and mini USB.
There is no denying the fact that the competition in the tablet PC sector is getting tougher with each passing day as all major players are now entering into the market. Last week, Acer Inc, the world’s second largest PC vendor, launched a 7-inch touch screen tablet that runs on Google’s Android OS. One of America’s largest PC maker HP is also set to launch its own tablet PC- the slate very soon. HP will use its own OS, which it has made its own after acquiring Palm.
On May 29, Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha had announced that his company is also looking at developing a new tablet-style product that could run Google's Android operating system. Jha made the remarks while addressing an investor-driven conference in New York City.
Last forthnight, Dell had announced that it would launch its own tablet PC- the Streak. Dell’s device is almost half in size of iPad. Streak is Dell's bold attempt to grab a share of Tablet PC market which is seeing a host of new devices from PC makers across the board. It has a 5-inch WVGA screen and features a multi-touch display. Streak will definitely give tough competition to iPad.
Jerry Shen, the CEO of Taiwan’s Asustek Computers Inc, launched Asus Eee Pad on stage at Computex yesterday, hordes of journalists rushed towards the stage to see the device, which has been launched to compete with Apple’s hugely popular tablet PC- the iPad.
Earlier, Asus had launched Asus Eee Tablet to compete with e-Readers like the Nook and the Kindle and now the Eee Pad has been launched to go head-to-head with the iPad.
It really is the year of the tablet at Computex 2010. ASUS has already launched one, while Intel and Microsoft are both hot for them. Of course all of them are being launched in the considerable shadow of the Apple iPad, which already has a two million unit head-start on them.
Taiwanese system and component-maker MSI took its time in coming out with the Wind netbook after ASUS had, once more, set the pace with that form factor, but it's among the first to get a tablet out this year.
Mercedes-Benz Financial is bringing the Apple iPad to the showroom floor to benefit dealers and customers. Using the point-of-sale dealer system called MB Advantage, dealers will be able to instantly access to marketing programs for specific models, move more quickly through the credit application process, and increase speed and efficiency on the return of lease vehicles.
Initially, Mercedes-Benz Financial will distribute iPads to 40 selected dealers throughout the United States to test iPad as a business tool. The company will monitor iPad usage and collect feedback from dealers and field sales staff over the summer.
Adobe on Tuesday announced its new digital viewer technology, aimed to help publishers convert their magazines to an interactive format viewable on portable devices like Apple's iPad.
The technology was first demonstrated with last week's introduction of the Wired magazine e-edition. Though the publication was originally intended to be released based on a version of Adobe's Flash, the software was completely rewritten in Objective-C for approval on Apple's App Store.
Utilizing the 9.7-inch touch panel of the iPad, the e-edition of Wired offers unique features such as video, slide shows, 360-degree rotatable images and more. The digital version was designed by the magazine's print team and employs multi-touch gestures, such as zooming.
"Our partnership with Adobe allowed us to re-imagine and build a print issue into an amazing digital magazine experience on the iPad," said Thomas J. Wallace, editorial director of Conde Nast. "Wired's visionary execution of Adobe technology expands the potential of this new medium for all Conde Nast magazines. Our work with Adobe is just the beginning. We expect to use this technology to deliver more of our publications over the coming months."
The tablet category is heating up lately. IDC expects more than 7 million tablets to ship by the end of the year and more than 46 million units to ship by 2014. That is in large part due to the success of Apple's iPad, which has flown off store shelves since its introduction in April. Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Asus, Fuijtsu, Acer, Archos, and many others have also flocked to the the decidedly gray area that tablets occupy between a smartphone and notebook.
Perhaps because the category is new, the definition of "tablet" seems sort of up for grabs, depending on who is defining it. Size, features, and specifications are the traditional way of breaking down consumer electronics and PC categories, but the few products currently for sale or coming soon are blurring those lines.
What makes a tablet a tablet?
Traditionally the categories of mobile computing devices break down in terms of size: smartphones have 3- to 5-inch screens, MIDs (mobile Internet devices) range between 5 and 7 inches, and tablets are between 7 and 10 inches.
The iPad occupies a gray area between smartphone, traditional tablet PC, and laptop in a category some are defining as a "media" or "Web" tablet.
But the feature set, or what the device can do, is the other half of the equation. According to Gartner, a true tablet is any slate over 5 inches running a full operating system like Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux.
IDC breaks the devices down into media tablets and tablet PCs. A tablet PC has an x86 processor, runs a desktop OS, and has a screen size anywhere from 5 inches to 21 inches. Despite what it may look like, "A tablet PC is a PC," said Richard Shim, IDC analyst. "There's no real limit to them.
One of the world’s largest suppliers of personal computer – Acer Group – has demonstrated its forthcoming tablet PC, which the company plans to release late this year. The device sports 7” screen and a rather surprising feature: a QWERTY keyboard.
Acer’s tablet with 7” colour touch screen was shown by chief executive of the company Gianfranco Lanci at a press event earlier this week, reports Shufflegazine web-site. The head of Acer did not reveal any specifications of the device, but implied that it will feature 3G connectivity, whereas Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are naturally expected. Quite obvious is also the fact that the product is based on a microprocessor powered by the ARM architecture (most probably, it is Qualcomm Snapdragon). The device, which is based on Google Android, not on Google Chrome operating system (OS) as reported earlier, features a hardware keyboard under the screen, which will allow users to type more intuitively than on a screen keyboard.
At present the official price of Acer’s tablet is not known, but earlier reports suggested that it may be as low as around $300. Unfortunately, the slate will only be available sometime in Q4 2010.
Tablet personal computers will get significantly more popular this year as many leading-edge companies, including Acer Group, Asustek Computer, Google and Others are preparing to release their slates. However, people will hardly cease to use netbooks just because of that since many still need keyboards for office and other applications.
According to DRAMeXchange, a market tracking firm, tablet PC is fundamentally different from netbook: consumers with higher demand for Intern or office work will still prefer to use netbooks or notebooks as their computing devices. However, users with higher demand in entertainment, who browse the Internet most of the time or do some very simple things are likely to choose slate-type PC. In short, being a spin-off of notebook, netbook is still designed to create something in addition to consume Web-based services, whereas tablets are optimized strictly for consumption and are not intended for creation of anything.
“DRAMeXchange sees seldom overlapping customer base for netbooks and tablets. We expect tablet PC to create another new market after netbook,” a statement by the market research firm reads.
Asus and Acer plan to launch and demonstrate their slate-type products at Computex Taipei this Jine, according to the company. Besides, the firm claims that Google will cooperate with Verizon on new tablet PC to compete with Apple iPad.
The nonprofit organization that has tried for years to produce a sub-$100 laptop for children in the world's poorest places is throwing in the towel on that idea - and jumping on the tablet bandwagon.
One Laptop Per Child's next computer will be based on chipmaker Marvell Technology Group Ltd.'s Moby tablet design. Marvell announced a prototype of the device earlier this year and said it costs about $99.
Nicholas Negroponte, founder of One Laptop Per Child, is optimistic his organization will be able to keep the price under $100 in part because Marvell plans to market its tablets widely to schools and health care institutions.
The new tablets will have at least one, and maybe two, video cameras. They'll sport Wi-Fi connections to the Internet, "multi-touch" screens and have enough power to play high-definition and 3-D video. Unlike Apple Inc.'s iPad tablet, the device will also work with plug-in peripherals such as mice and keyboards.
Negroponte said he eventually wants the tablets to run some version of the free Linux operating software. But the first generation of the "XO 3.0" tablet will likely use Android, the mobile-device operating system from Google Inc., or something similar.
Although the group, which is based in Cambridge, Mass., worked with Microsoft Corp. to get its Windows operating system running on the XO laptops, Negroponte said the new tablets will not use Windows 7 because the software requires too much memory and computing power.
Negroponte said he plans to unveil the tablet device at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show in January.
Mockups from enthusiastic designers aside, it looks like Microsoft has no plans to bring Windows ed2b21Phone 7 to tablet-sized computers. At an event in Singapore, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the company is focusing on “putting Windows phone 7 in phones,” which isn’t really all that surprising. Heck, the OS has “phone” in the name, right?
But a large part of the appeal of Apple’s iPad is that the tablet features a touch-friendly OS that was built from the ground up to be used without a keyboard and mouse. The same can’t be said of Windows 7, the operating system Microsoft is pushing for tablets.
One of the most interesting products at Microsoft is one that does not exist.
The Courier was a mythical folding tablet, that leaked to tech blogs in the past year. While just a prototype, the leaked early marketing materials for the device had tech observers excited.
In the wake of today's big re-org at Microsoft, Todd Bishop at Tech Flash asked Robbie Bach, the outgoing chief of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division, about the Courier.
Here's what Robbie said:
Well, Courier -- Courier, first of all, wasn't a device. The project and the incubation and the exploration we did on Courier I view as super important. The "device" people saw in the video isn't going to ship, but that doesn't mean we didn't learn a bunch and innovate a bunch in the process. And I'm sure a bunch of that innovation will show up in Microsoft products, absolutely confident of it.
The Courier was a really cool looking product that had the tech world excited. Microsoft's decision to pass on it without a viable alternative, or much of an explanation, is a bit of a mystery.
Well, it's finally happened: Apple's market capitalization has passed long time rival Microsoft's, making it the most valued tech company.
We're not at the end of the day yet, but Apple's market cap has passed $227 billion, up about 4 percent for the day while Microsoft's stock is down slightly.
This is just a milestone as I mentioned earlier but it's a signal of investor confidence in Apple's value. And it's a validation for the Cupertino company long overshadowed by Microsoft.
As some people have mentioned, Apple doesn't really issue dividends, something Microsoft does. And that affects the comparison. But this is still a pretty amazing turnaround for Apple and a signal that the company is headed toward even more growth.
This is largely due to Apple's performance in mobile. It's still a niche player in computers but in mobile devices, it is setting the pace with its iPods, iPhones and iPad tablets.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has struggled to match Apple with its Zune music players and its Windows Mobile phones. And Microsoft also faces a tough time in the emerging tablet market, already led by Apple.
The MSI companies new announcement was seen coming a mile away but it’s still nice to have official information. The MSI Slatebook tablet we posted about earlier is now official and will be hitting the US and Europe in the third quarter of this year. MSI’s Slatebook is based around an Intel Atom Z series processor, multi-touch capability, Windows 7, a built-in 3G and Wi-Fi module, and USB and HDMI ports. The Slatebook will also carry a final weight of 800g.
Somehow though this device isn’t being expected to succeed at the same level as the Apple iPad just yet according to the companies Chairman Joseph Hsu. Hsu believes demand for tablet PC devices will really turn up in 2011 when there is a more established assortment of applications and services tailored for tablet devices
Today, Dell released plans for Streak, a 5-inch Android™-based Tablet designed to provide people the best “on-the-go” entertainment, social connection, and navigation experience. Early this June the Dell Streak will be available across the UK at O2 stores, O2.co.uk, The Carphone Warehouse, and later in the month at Dell.co.uk. Pricing and data plans for the UK will be announced by O2 ahead of availability. Later this summer, Dell plans to make Streak available in the U.S.
On-the-go students, mobile professionals, and active families will find Streak’s web-browsing capabilities as natural as a laptop. The 5-inch screen is large enough to present Web pages in their natural form, create a comfortable viewing experience, and make turn-by-turn navigation simple and safe. The Dell Streak leverages Qualcomm’s Snapdragon™ solution with integrated 1GHz processor to combine basic functionality, performance, and benefits of a laptop in a pocket friendly size.
“The Dell Streak hits the sweet spot between traditional smartphones and larger-screen tablets,” said Ron Garriques, president, Dell Communication Solutions Group. “Its unique size provides people new ways to enjoy, connect, and navigate their lives.”
The Tablet PC Gift Dads and Grads Gift Guide includes something for everyone. A variety of technology gifts & accessories for the Dad or Graduate in your life and you just may spot an item or two for yourself as well.
Happy Fathers Day to all the Fathers and Fathers to be
Congratulations to the Graduates
and wishing everyone a summer filled with family, friends & fun & technology!
Just 10 months ago I challenged readers with this marketing conundrum: ``Who can foresee the reading habits of today's ten-year-old, ten years from now?'' I got a sneak preview of the answer, a new milestone, from Apple's iPad launch.
Apple's iPad is creating a whole new sense of user values. Our fingers have been commandeered to replace the ever-present mouse. Touch or Tap, Flick or Pinch -- there's no more mouse to click. Pete Blackshaw, executive vice president of Nielsen Online Digital Strategic Services, shared his thoughts about the iPad: ``For me, the biggest surprise has been the device's relevance and resonance with my `proud padre' parenting zone. Indeed, well over half of my iPad activity to date centers around my kids, and that percentage seems to be growing."
Blackshaw added, ``My fixation here has less to do with the Apple brand, per se, than the long-term implications of what this highly interactive, touch-pad functionality represents for marketers, educators and especially parents.''
The 5.1-lbs. machine is going from a Intel Core 2 Duo SU9300 1.2GHz processor to a Core i5 i5-540UM vProTM 1.2GHz CPU, with Turbo Boost up to 2.0GHz. Not bad indeed. While the option for Windows XP downgrade remains, the operating system standard will jump from Vista to Windows 7 Professional.
Some of the other add-on options include Gobi2000 3G with GPS and integrated WiMAX for the boost to 4G connectivity.
This is an updated list of all the tablets being talked about right now, broken down by their likelihood of actually making it to consumers' hands. The four categories are "It's Here" for tablets that have hit the market; "It's Coming" for tablets that have some kind of projected release date; "It's Likely" for tablets that manufacturers have talked about releasing but aren't completely official yet; and "It's Cancelled" for tablets that were previously expected but are no longer in development.
As manufacturers rush to capitalize on the attention given to the Apple iPad, there's seems to be a new tablet announced every week. We can't keep track of every slate thrown into the wild, but if you're curious to know what your options are, we've compiled a general overview of the tablet landscape.
There are a few tablets on the horizon that don't fall neatly into any of the previous categories. But whether it's a custom Linux-based slate like the OpenTablet, or HP's rumored tablet based on Palm's WebOS, they all have one thing in common: they're untested. Compared with a Windows-based tablet or the relatively long history behind the iPhone OS, any new kid on the block will inherently have some kinks to work out.
In conclusion, the best advice we could give any potential tablet owner is simply to wait. The remainder of 2010 is guaranteed to produce a flurry of new tablets, as manufacturers compete to pull the spotlight away from the Apple iPad. Be patient, and let the tablet wars play out before picking a winner.
In an early example of how a major fashion retailer is working with the iPad, Macy's is using the Apple tablet to turn its summer catalogue into a shoppable slideshow.
Macy's 60-page print catalogue was converted into a two-page spread into which a 20-page slide show is embedded, with links to shop at Macys.com. The ad is running across the digital editions of 20 titles including Elle Decor and Marie Claire.
The ad was handled by Zinio, which converts magazines to digital editions and sells ads across those editions.
The TEGA Tablet has been developed using almost 10yrs of Tablet related distribution expertise by Australian owned/operated company Tegatech Australia. It is designed utilizing many years of feedback obtained via the supply and distribution of mobile PC computers across Australia, New Zealand and Europe too. TEGA Tablet is lightweight, has an integrated touchscreen and also an optimized stylus experience for inputting handwritten notes straight onto the screen. It is built well and priced aggressively to please even the most mobile conscious businesses. Come and see the TEGA officially launched at CeBIT Australia 2010 and one of our friendly staff will be happy to showcase it to you.
TEGA strikes the perfect balance between usability and portability. At less than 1KG including battery the TEGA Tablet measures 246(L) x 166(W) x 24(H) mm. TEGA has a 10.2-inch TFT LCD with a 1024 x 600 (WXVGA) resolution with a touchscreen which can be used with your finger or a stylus. With the TEGA Tablet you're almost always online courtesy of the integrated 3G broadband modem, which is offered as standard. No dongles required, and no worries about finding a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Features:
10.2” LCD – designed for finger navigation, or handwritten input via stylus
Minimalistic fascia for wider appeal in home automation, mobile media, mobile POS and more
Lighter form-factor
1.6GHz Atom Processor 1GB RAM (max. 4GB) and 160GB HDD (16GB ~ 128GB SSD options)
Integrated camera, microphone, 3x USB Ports, 1x VGA, 1x ethernet and SD Card slot.
If you've suddenly found yourself torn between a tablet and netbook, Acer wants you to know you're not alone. It also wants you to know there are options, one of which would benefit said company's bottom line should you choose to accept. The new Aspire Timeline 1825PT is an 11.6-inch netvertible at heart, boasting a swivel-screen multitouch panel (1,366 x 768 resolution), up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 1.3GHz Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor, integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics, HDMI / VGA outputs, a 250GB or 320GB hard drive, integrated media card slot, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, a VGA webcam, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, gigabit Ethernet and a 6-cell battery that can reportedly last up to eight solid hours under ideal conditions (read: no chance).
Quick! Plan on registering for fall classes at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago if getting a brand spanking new Apple iPad is important for your education experience.
Apple iPads
The Chicago school announced earlier this week that all incoming freshmen students will receive an Apple iPad as part of that school’s initiative to integrate new technologies into the classroom in a build to promote innovation among faculty members and students. Many technical colleges and universities have long since required or offered laptops to students in an effort to keep students and staff connected. IIT is believed to be the first university to offer Apple iPads for new students.
IIT Provost Alan Cramb explained the reasons why the school has chosen the iPad saying, “University education is much different today as compared to even ten years ago. Students live in a world where technology is seamlessly integrated into virtually every aspect of their lives, where information and collaboration are available anywhere, anytime. IIT is committed to providing students with the tools and support to thrive in a constantly evolving technological landscape.”
Motion’s F5v Mobile Field Tool and C5v Mobile Clinical Assistant (MCA) are industry’s first slate tablet PCs to integrate advanced Intel® Core™ vPro™ processors
Motion Computing®, a leading provider of integrated mobile computing solutions, today announced the industry’s first slate tablet PCs with Intel® Core™ vPro™ processors, offering new levels of performance, security and manageability. Built on the company’s proven line of tablet PCs, Motion’s F5v and C5v meet the needs of mobile workforces across industries, and now feature enhanced integrated features, connectivity and durability.
“From its inception, Motion has delivered tablet PC solutions that address the needs of a highly mobile workforce,” said Mike Stinson, Vice President of Marketing, Motion Computing. “Today we extend that leadership with the introduction of the industry’s most advanced purpose-built slate tablet PCs that offer mobility, power and durability.”
Powerful Performance
The rugged F5v Tablet PC and C5v MCA now feature the Intel® Core™ i7 or Core™ i5 vPro™ technology, enabling a significant improvement in performance and battery life over previous solutions.
“Motion tablets with the 2010 Intel Core vPro processors adapt to the needs of mobile workforces with smart security, cost-saving manageability, and intelligent performance,” said Brian Tucker, Director of Marketing, Business Client Platform Division at Intel. “Now enterprises can take advantage of the powerful applications and rich user experiences available with today’s technology.”
Enterprise-Ready, Highly Powerful, Durable and Mobile Tablet PCs
Tested to withstand even the harshest working environments, the C5v and F5v Tablet PCs meet MIL-STD-810G and IP-54 standards. Drop tested on 26 sides and fully sealed against dust and moisture, the tablet PCs are designed to withstand bumps, drops, rain or other conditions that can damage commercial-grade computing solutions. Additionally, the tablet PCs are enterprise-ready. Utilizing either the Windows® 7 or Windows XP operating system, the C5v and F5v fit seamlessly into enterprise-environments, reducing the burden on IT and enabling mobile workers to manage the same applications available to office-based employees.
The Motion C5v MCA and F5v Mobile Field Tool
The next generation of the proven C5-Series and F5-Series Tablet PCs, the Motion C5v and F5v are tailored to mobile professionals across vertical industries such as healthcare, construction and field service. The tablet PCs are fully rugged yet lightweight, making them the ideal solution for workers who compute while walking or standing. Deployed across organizations worldwide, the tablet PCs are proving to enhance documentation, improve collaboration, and reduce process latencies. For more information visit the Products and Services page.
“It is so cool!” Those were Billy’s words when he received the Intel Classmate PC. But before we get into Billy’s experience with the Classmate PC, we have to disclose the fact that we aren’t talking about some average seven year old either. Billy has been playing Nintendo DS, Wii, doodling on his parents laptop, and building everything and anything out of LEGOS for sometime now. He has the energy of most little boys and the imagination and technical skills that might surpass many adults. So he was the perfect person to test out the laptop and see if it indeed met the needs of a young student. It didn’t take much for Billy to learn the ropes behind the Convertible Classmate . After a quick tutorial from his mother on how to turn it on and off, and how to use it in Tablet mode – he was off. He was able to operate the PC on his own
The Convertible Classmate PC’s stylus also came in handy because it made operating the touchscreen display less frustrating. Billy especially enjoyed drawing on the PC. And because the 1.3 megapixel web cam can rotate 270 degrees, he enjoyed using the webcam to take images of the person in front of the computer, besides himself.
Gizmodo reports that iPhone OS 4 beta 4, released to developers yesterday, includes an ipad_tetheringoption for Internet tethering.
The setting is now clearly visible in Settings > General > Network as a button labeled “Set Up Internet Tethering” (pictured). The descriptive text underneath reads:
Internet Tethering allows you to share your iPhone’s Internet connection with your computer via Bluetooth or USB.
If tethering is actually released next month, AT&T would finally be delivering on its promise almost a year late. Tethering was promised at the end of summer 2009 then at the end of 2009, so excuse me if I sound pessimistic.
With a wave of tablet PCs hitting the consumer market, there has been a lot of discussions on whether these devices can emerge as an alternative to textbooks for the student community. Though, many agree that these devices can one day replace the good old textbooks in developed countries, can this be the same scenario in a country like India also?
The tech majors seem to be very confident about the opportunities of the tablets, especially in the education sector. After Apple unveiled its tablet PC, the iPad, several tech majors have started showing off their own 'iPad killers'. HP presented a Windows-powered tablet called Slate at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January. Even Sony used CES as a platform to unveil its 7-inch touchscreen device 'Dash'. Though, Microsoft had also planned to unveil its 'Courier' tablet PC at CES, it did not happen, and recently the software giant announced that Courier will not see the light of day in its current form, but did not rule out launching its tablet PC in the future. Dell has also announced that it will release its Android based 'Streak' in Europe next month and in the U.S. during the summer.
Verizon Wireless is working with Google Inc. on a tablet computer, the carrier's chief executive, Lowell McAdam, said Tuesday, as the company endeavors to catch up with iPad host AT&T Inc. in devices that connect to wireless networks.
The work is part of a deepening relationship between the largest U.S. wireless carrier by subscribers and Google, which has carved out a space in mobile devices with its Android operating system. Verizon Wireless last year heavily promoted the Motorola Droid, which runs Google's software.
"What do we think the next big wave of opportunities are?" Mr. McAdam said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "We're working on tablets together, for example. We're looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience."
Verizon Wireless declined to discuss details on the timing or the manufacturer of a such a tablet. Google's role in the tablet wasn't immediately clear, though Mr. McAdam mentioned it in the context of the discussions the two companies have about bringing new smartphones to market.
Acer is expected to announce new products including smartphones, e-book readers, tablet PCs, netbooks and smart monitors by the end of this month (May) with notebook makers such as Quanta Computer, Compal Electronics and Wistron, all participating in the related production, according to sources from notebook players.
Several of the new products such as tablet PCs will adopt Google's Android or Chrome operating systems as well as using ARM processors to boost battery longevity, the sources noted.
Although Acer will showcase its tablet PC at the end of May, the product is unlikely to appear in the channel until the third quarter of 2010.
Get in touch with the latest dual digitizer technology with the optional capacitive multi-touch screen and all new 2010 Intel® Core™ i5-520M vPro™ Processor . With its support of on-screen gestures, the dual digitizer takes user interaction to a new level, delivering a more efficient and convenient computing experience. The LifeBook T730 Tablet PC offers the ultimate freedom of choice - optional dual digitizer with pen input and multi-touch interaction, modular bay, and optional bright display providing 160 degree vertical and horizontal viewing angles.
The LifeBook T730 Tablet PC is not only perfect for
project-based users in the field who require the
speed and ease of forms-based input and pen-driven
navigation, but also for mobile students or
professionals who want to maximize their productivity.
With the optional dual digitizer, you can use your
stylus or the lightest touch from your fingers to
navigate around your display. This makes computing
more intuitive, so sharing ideas is faster and easier.
Dual Digitizer
Dual digitizer technology makes communicating with your computer a more intuitive experience. You now have the option of not only using a stylus, but the multi-touch screen supports two finger touch gestures as well. Navigating through files, zooming in and out, sorting images, or jumping from one app to the next has never been faster or easier. Capacitive touch means the screen senses your finger tips so it responds to the lightest touch. It is no longer necessary to press hard on your display to perform different actions. Active digitizer technology allows your display to respond to your stylus as if it were a pen gliding across smooth paper. Taking notes, filling out forms, or annotating an existing document
combines state-of-the-art technology with old familiar tools. Computers are fun again.
Here is one more tablet pc that would like to be seen as an iPad killer, the venerable tagline that any tablet looking to compete with the Apple’s iPad would like to adopt before anything else. So can the iiView M1Touch from the Hong Kong based manufacturer live up to what it is being touted as? Let’s find out.
To begin with, the iiView M1Touch does have an impressive spec sheet to boast of. Like it’s got an Intel Atom N450 processor at its core with a clock speed of 1.66GHz. It has 2GB of RAM though there’s also a version that has 1GB of memory. Storage space options include a 160 or a 250GB HDD and comes pre loaded with the Windows 7 Home Premium. Company sources revealed there will actually be four versions of the tablet.
A 10.1 inch multitouch screen with a resolution of 1024 X 600 pixels makes up the front of the iiView M1Touch. The tablet also comes loaded with other goodies like an accelerometer, a 4-in-1 card reader and a USB port. Then there’s an in-built camera as well. Also, if it is about killer looks, the iiView M1Touch is right there with good build quality and a sleek design. In fact, it does sport a striking similarity to an iPod Touch, iPhone or the iPad.
Apple iPad currently is the market leader in the tablet computer market and with industry rivals Microsoft and HP having pulled the development rugs out from beneath their respective platforms (the Courier and Slate), it seemed that Apple would become the unchallenged champion of the tablet computer market.
But hints by Sony indicate that the Japanese giant may be readying itself to challenge the formidable grasp of Apple over the market. Sony plans to develop a completely fresh face tablet device but would go ahead with the plan only if consumer interest sustains the market.
“The iPad has created a new opportunity,” commented Mike Abary of Sony’s Information Technology Products arm in a recent Bloomberg interview. “Now we can get a good judgement as to whether the market is truly accepting of it.”
Specific details of Sony's plan though has yet not emerged but industry watchers are of the opinion that Sony's tablet device would most likely be an upgraded version of the company’s popular Reader electronic book platform – much in the same way the iPad is an extension of the iPhone and iPod Touch.
The tablet business has the potential to disrupt much of the traditional PC market. The devices could eat into sales of laptops, currently the industry's biggest profit maker. Tablet devices also threaten the dominance of PC software giant Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) as manufacturers are leaning toward mobile operating systems to power their new devices.
The tablet frenzy began in January with a spate of announcements from computer makers. Apple's iPad was the subject of heavy rumors long before its formal announcement Jan. 27. Other PC makers, like Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ), Dell Inc. (DELL) and Lenovo Group Ltd. (0992.HK, LNVGY), tried to pre-empt that news somewhat with the announcement of their own upcoming tablet devices at the Consumer Electronics Show a few weeks earlier.
But other than the iPad, none of these other products have yet seen the light of day. Instead, what has followed has been a curious waiting game of sorts.
But other than the iPad, none of these other products have yet seen the light of day. Instead, what has followed has been a curious waiting game of sorts.
"We're hearing conflicting messages about what everyone is going to introduce," IDC analyst Richard Shim said in an interview. "This is the hard part. I can't tell you about products we don't know about. It's somewhat of a moving target."
Defining The Market :
In fact, industry watchers have been fine-tuning the way they define the market.
That's because PC companies have been making tablets for years, though that category didn't take off among consumers, and has been largely confined to niche commercial users such as health-care professionals and engineers.
Now, IDC and Gartner are making distinctions between tablet PCs and iPad-like tablet devices. For example, IDC's Shim said his group defines the tablet PC as using an x86-based processor and a full operating system, typically Windows.
On the other hand, tablet devices are defined as using ARM-based chips, which dominate the cell-phone and smart-phone arenas, and mobile operating systems such as Google Inc.'s (GOOG) Android, Palm Inc.'s (PALM) Web OS or the iPhone operating system.
another IDC analyst, Crawford Del Prete, agreed saying, while the "buzz" from H-P had generally been defensive in relation to the iPad, "the longer term story is far more interesting."
"Given H-P's massive scale, I think they have the ability to drive new price points for this kind of product," he said. "With a lower price point, the category becomes far more interesting."
How many points does iPad multitouch support? Mac and iPhone developer Matt Legend Gemmell made this futuristic iPad app inspired by Ironman to test out iPad multiouch capabilities.
Acer has confirmed that it will be launching tablet computers.
The company told The INQUIRER that it will enter the fashionable tablet device market, though it declined to commit to a timeline. Rumours abound that Acer will show off the devices at Computex next month.
Given that Acer typically offers competitive pricing, a tablet device from the firm might be just what those who haven't fallen for Apple's shiny, overpriced toy are looking for.
Acer wouldn't confirm to us which operating system it would load onto its tablets, however given that the Taiwanese manufacturer likes to keep a firm grip on the prices of its devices, a Google operating system is a likely choice.
Sony is rumoured to be working on a tablet PC to compete with the Apple iPad.
The idea of a Vaio-branded tablet PC will no doubt excite fans of Sony's high-end mobile computing brand, although there has been no 'official' word from Sony to confirm such plans.
Bloomberg spoke with Sony's SVP of IT Products Mike Abary. He informed the financial newsgatherer that Sony has been exploring the tablet PC market "for a number of years," adding that the marketplace currently has some "interesting opportunities."
iPad UK prices had some people rolling their eyes but the cost of a gold and diamond encrusted iPad from UK luxury gadget maker Stuart Hughes will probably make them faint. The 64GB iPad WiFi + 3G would normally set you back £699 but after adding diamonds and gold, the price of the iPad Supreme Edition rockets up to a bank balance obliterating £129,995.
The iPad Supreme Edition replaces the standard iPad back and surround with a single piece of solid 22ct gold with a similarly golden Apple logo encrusted with 53 individually set diamonds. Bolting all that bling onto the iPad Supreme edition changes the weight from 730g to a gargantuan 2,100g.
Kids Computers has announced a new netbook specifically aimed at kids that presumably is nothing but an Intel Classmate tablet. The little machine has a 10.1-inch LCD that can be used as a tablet or a clamshell netbook too.
The keyboard is water resistant, the screen is touch sensitive, and the student can draw on the screen with a pen that is included. The CPU for the machine is the Intel Atom N450 at 1.66GHz and the machine has 1GB of RAM standard with 2GB optional. Storage is to a 160Gb HDD and there are SSD options as well.
The screen resolution is 1024 x 600 and the machine has integrated WiFi, Ethernet, a 4-cell battery, and runs Windows XP Home. Windows 7 can be added if the machine runs 2GB of RAM. The price for the notebook starts at $649.
Research In Motion is reportedly working on a tablet device to compete with Apple’s iPad.
A tablet device would be a major departure for the Waterloo-based company, which thus far has made only handheld devices such as its BlackBerry line of smartphones.
But RIM can’t afford to ignore the popularity of the iPad and the fact other competitors are expected to bring out their own tablet devices, said Ashok Kumar, a technology analyst who has commented on the Waterloo-based company’s efforts to come out with a tablet.
“RIM can’t afford not to participate in that segment,” he said in an interview.
A RIM spokesperson declined to comment on the tablet rumours, but Kumar said he is basing his evidence on discussions with RIM suppliers such as Quanta, a hardware manufacturer in Taiwan, and Marvell Technology Group, a California-based maker of silicon solutions.
Speculation RIM is working on a tablet have also been circulating on technology blogs.
The success of Apple Inc.'s iPad has prompted other tech companies to plunge into the market for tablet computers, with start-ups and major PC makers racing to introduce their own competing devices before the end of the year.
Verizon Wireless Inc. confirmed Tuesday that it has a tablet in the works. Speculation is swirling around the intentions of Hewlett-Packard Co., the world's biggest PC maker and the company that some believe has the best shot at catching up with Apple's early iPad lead. Meanwhile, everyone from upstart Fusion Garage to established names such as Dell Inc. is jumping into the pool.
Google is in cahoots with Verizon developing a tablet device, reports the WSJ. But with the world and his dog also developing copycat iPads, it's hard to see what Google in particular can bring to the market.
"We're looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience," Lowell told the paper.
An Intel executive's brandishing of a tablet design on Tuesday means rivals to the Apple iPad are a certainty.
And the first serious Intel-based designs will show up at Computex in June. "People ask me, are you serious about trying to participate in the tablet market? The answer is yes...The message is stay tuned for Computex," Intel Vice President Mooly Eden, who heads the chipmaker's client group, said at the Intel investor meeting on Tuesday.
Intel, not surprisingly, sees distinct advantages for devices based on its upcoming dual-core Atom for Netbooks and tablets. "(People) want it to multitask. So, we deliver dual-core to be able to do several things in parallel," he said. "We believe performance is relevant even in this category (because of the need to multitask)," he added
Intel Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini, in his opening remarks at the event, also chimed in with comments that tablets are expected to eventually grow "at 73 to 88 percent CAGR (compound annual growth rate)" and annual shipments should hit 50 million to 60 million units in the coming years.
Based on the presentations at the meeting on Tuesday, Intel is obviously preparing to take its Atom processor technology to the next level with power-efficient, dual-core designs targeted specifically at relatively high-performance Netbooks and tablets
Two separate and reliable sources confirmed today that the HP Slate will not be released this summer as previously expected. Instead, the company is in a rush to get Palm’s WebOS onto a slate device that will be named the HP Hurricane. The sources, who are about as close to the project as you can get, say that HP sees the device as a competitor to the iPad.
Our sources would not confirm if the Hurricane would have different specifications than those that were previously leaked.
While some HP insiders seem to clearly understand the challenges of competing head-to-head with the iPad and the whole iEcosystem, others seem to scoff at the iPad as a toy. I’m hoping that all of the folks over at HP don’t underestimate the power of Apple’s marketing and iEcosystem. Like it or not, there are over 85 million iPhone OS devices out there that people have been using for the past three years. By the time the HP Hurricane ships we may have the second generation iPad in our hands.
Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam confirmed plans Tuesday to release a tablet computer running software from Google at some point, but did not elaborate on timing.
The Wall Street Journal spoke to McAdam, who said "we're looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience." The two companies signed a partnership last year to develop a family of mobile devices based on Android, although it's not clear if McAdam is referring to Android, Chrome OS, or just Google applications running atop something else.
Few will be surprised at the notion that Google and Verizon are heading down this path: The New York Times reported last month that Google was working on a slate-style Android tablet along the lines of Apple's iPad.
And tablets are the sexy new gadget of the week, with expectations that a wide range of companies will be getting in on the act following Apple's iPad launch. Nvidia demonstrated an Android tablet at CES earlier this year running on Verizon's network, but McAdam didn't specify any of the hardware partners for this particular device.
HP Hurricane tablet release date: Will it give fight to Apple iPad 3G. When Apple launched its iPad this year there was a lot speculation in the industry that others would also follow it. And they were right as many computer companies including HP, Google and Samsung, expressed their desire to bring it out. Some even announced that their software engineers were working overtime to meet the deadline.
Chances are that iPad like gadget will flood the US market at the end of the year.
Lenovo did not announce any new tablet PC's today, but the did announce a wonderful assortment of new computers.
Lenovo today expanded its lineup of consumer laptop, desktop, all-in-one (AIO) and nettop PCs with exciting new designs and technologies that make computing more enjoyable and affordable.
Lenovo's latest IdeaPad and IdeaCentre PCs offer something for everyone, with clever features that inspire fun and creativity, and a complete range of form factors and designs that fit specific consumer needs. The new models include the IdeaPad Z series affordable multimedia notebooks -- Z360, Z560 and Z565 - and the IdeaPad U series ultraportables -- U160, U460 and U460s. Also announced are the IdeaCentre A700 stylish multimedia AIO, and the IdeaCentre B305 mainstream performance AIO. Alongside this expanded portfolio of all-in-ones come the IdeaCentre Q150 -- an ultra-thin nettop PC, and the Lenovo H320 affordable slim tower desktop PC.
With the Windows 7 powered HP Slate out of the way, at least for now, we have to search for different iPad competitors capable to really fight against Apple’s tablet. One of these machines could very well be a webOS HP tablet, but that’s still wishful thinking for now. A more real possibility is represented by the MSI Slatebook, a tablet scheduled to be unveiled at Computex 2010 and said to run Windows 7.
We’ve known for a while now that MSI, just like Acer or Asus, is working on at least a tablet of its own. But MSI will not go on record yet when it comes to its tablet intentions. Rumors say that the Slatebook will be revealed at Computex and we can expect it to hit the streets thereafter provided that MSI is happy with the feedback it receives on its tablet endeavors.
The Slatebook is rumored to sport features like a 10-inch touchscreen display, Intel Atom Zxx series processor (Menlow), Windows 7 running in the background, built-in 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. The Slatebook will be priced at $500 and for that price we’re expecting it to offer quite a lot of storage space, USB ports, at least one camera, a great battery and lots of content.
On Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox there is a usability study that touches on some of these inconsistency with the touch UI that, while addressing the iPad specifically, is something that I think all Tablet/Slate makers should be paying attention to. The study cautions that the findings are only preliminary, but it does bring up some good points. One that I find intriguing is that in testing the USA Today app none of the users realized that touching the logo in the app brought up a navigation menu. I’d be in that camp. Though I don’t use that app often, I never realized that was the case either.
A number of Apple iPad users have noted that the Wi-Fi connectivity has been quite bad with connections often dropping. Reasons for this have been determined by some to be the DHCP lease expiring where the iPad needs to grab a new IP address and in so doing, has problems for some reason.
Temporary fixes have included disabling and re-enabling wifi on the iPad and in some cases, power-cycling the iPad (ie, switching it right off and back on). Of course, these work-arounds are not the ideal thing to have to do for something that should just work.
We are hearing good news though in that Apple [AAPL] are intending to fix the issue with a software fix sometime soon. It isn’t clear when a firmware fix will be release and how it will all work, but we assume it will be a 3.2.1 release or similar and hopefully they don’t make us wait till the iPad iPhone OS 4.0 release later on this year.
If the marketplace is your yardstick, the machine Bill Gates once predicted would become the world’s dominant computing device by 2006 definitively flopped years ago. But a few days ago during a Fox Business News interview, Gates said that Microsoft hadn’t given up on Tablet PCs and stylus-based input. Yesterday, I attended TechFair, a event the company held at its Silicon Valley campus to show off lab projects from Microsoft Research, which employees 850 researchers in eight locations around the world. Among the demos I saw was proof that it’s still investing in the idea.
Steve Jobs would probably disagree, but Microsoft has a point. Fingers are wonderful, but they’re also stubby and imprecise: If handwriting recognition ever works well and catches on, it’s going to involve a pen of some sort. And as much as I’m enjoying using painting programs such as Autodesk SketchBook Pro on the iPad, drawing with your fingertip feels more like fingerpainting than drawing. (The Pogo stylus is a clever kludge, but it only helps so much.)
Microsoft’s demos were being shown on a touch-screen Dell laptop with special drivers that let it accept input from both fingertips and pens. (The fact that the computer is a traditional notebook rather than a tablet doesn’t mean anything–it was the research that was been shown off, not the device.) And Microsoft’s new big idea is that using both fingers and a stylus is better than either method alone.
The HP TouchSmart Tm2 is a 12.1-inch Tablet PC that comes in a striking clamshell design, so can be used as a full-blown laptop or, with the screen folded back, as a slate for that true ‘iPad’ effect. HP looks set to move the HP TouchSmart Tm2 to faster and more power efficient Intel Core processors. Read on to find out about the HP TouchSmart Tm2 getting an Intel Core i5 processor.
HP is in the midst of updating and overhauling its laptop line, such as the arrival of the HP Pavilion dm4 and HP Pavilion dm5, a well as the HP Envy 14 and HP Envy 17. However, it also looks like the HP TouchSmart Tm2 Tablet PC is in for something of a refresh.
One of the iPad complaints I hear from long-time tablet PC enthusiasts is that the Apple iPad’s capacitive touchscreen isn’t really designed for accurate drawing or handwriting. That’s because it doesn’t recognize pressure-sensitive input and it doesn’t automatically ignore input from your palm. That means if you rest your palm on the screen while using a stylus or fingertip to draw, you might accidentally end up scribbling with your palm and finger/stylus at the same time.
Some people have found a way around this, by essentially putting a sock or other piece of cloth between their palm and the iPad screen. This works because the capacitive touchscreen recognizes electrical impulses from your skin — and the cloth masks that.
But the folks behind the smartNote app for the iPad have come up with a solution that doesn’t require you to carry around an extra sock. If you want to draw or write in smartNote 1.02, all you have to is set up a palm ignoring area. You can adjust the size of the palm ignoring area and when you rest your hand on the screen to write, all input in that box will be ignored. The really cool part is that the box moves with your hand, so you don’t have to keep your palm steady as you try to write.
HP killed off development of its Slate tablet recently, supposedly because of the company’s unhappiness with how it ran Windows 7. After HP acquired Palm and promised that webOS would boldly go where webOS had not gone before, everybody assumed that HP meant tablets, and now we’re hearing the first rumblings of a webOS-powered tablet coming through HP’s pipeline.
Little concrete is known at this point, but a rumor confirmed by the usual unnamed “insider” is that a tablet code-named Hurricane will be running the OS that has powered the most recent generation of Palm phones (like the Pre and the Pixi), and will be coming as soon as the third quarter of this year.
In its favor over the iPad, a webOS tablet would already have multitasking built in from day one, and having the biggest PC manufacturer in the world behind it could give it a lot more clout when it comes to spurring the development of apps that would be needed to compete against Apple’s ecosystem.
BC was the first studio to deliver their TV programming to the iPad and it now looks like they’ll soon have company. The folks at NewTeeVee interviewed Anthony Soohoo, Senior VP and General Manager of CBS Interactive, and he told them that “by the start of the fall season it plans to have all the same video available on the Apple iPad that is available on CBS.com.”
CBS is taking a different route to the iPad than ABC. CBS will not deliver their programming via a dedicated application but will instead offer their TV episodes on a revamped CBS website supporting HTML 5 and H.264 video instead of Adobe’s Flash technology.
The Tablet market has got a huge demand for the Tablet PC and the most Apple iPad has recently been announced for the international launch. One of the Apple iPad competitors has changed its name to WeTab. The name was earlier set as WePad and soon after the international launch of the iPad the WePad has been renamed as WeTab.
The Tablet PC makers would now be more specific with the names as WeTab has got a name which speaks about its Tablet background. Apart from the change in the name the WeTab has got good features such as a 1.3-megapixel webcam, 11.6-inch display and an Atom processor. Grab the WeTab for $572 for 16GB model and $725 for 32GB 3G version.
Forget about the age old fling between Adobe Flash and Apple because Adobe guys have turned their attention towards something else. This time, viewers saw Adobe Flash running on a mysterious Google Android tabloid in a marvelous display of technology and latest equipment – The Web2.0 Expo (San Francisco).
People, who were up, close and personal to that “Google Tablet”, claim that it was more like an Apple iPad, but looked better and different. Maybe it was because of the fact that Flash was running flawlessly on it. Apple hasn’t said anything about this small Adobe Venture and we couldn’t find anyone from their side to represent their company.
Adobe previously mentioned a few months ago that they are concentrating on developing something for Android OS and finally we saw some guys sitting at the Adobe booth, with the Android OS and Adobe Flash videos running smoothly. In addition, online video streaming was being buffered perfectly fine in the built-in tablet browser.
Maybe Bill Gates was right all along about tablet computing.
Seven and a half years ago, the Microsoft founder tried to forecast the future of the company's new "Tablet PC" technology. He boldly predicted that displays, batteries and storage would see such improvements that "virtually every PC user" would want one of these touch-screen devices.
But the company that finally put those ingredients together in a way that excited the mass market was not Microsoft, but Apple.
In the month or so that I've let an iPad do part of a laptop's work, other issues have emerged. Far more sites use Adobe's Flash technology -- verboten on the iPad and the iPhone -- than I'd expected, even such multimedia-free zones as Intuit's ItsDeductible charitable-donations application. It's not the iPad's designers' fault that some companies don't know how to write Web pages, but it is an iPad user's problem.
But if the idea of a Microsoft- dominated market for tablet computers didn't excite everybody in 2002, the prospect of an Apple-owned market in 2010 shouldn't be too attractive either.
GammaTech Computer Corp., a major international manufacturer and supplier of innovative notebook and tablet computers, will show its mobile rugged notebook and tablet PC including the newly released RT10A during the 2010 Joint Warfighting Conference in booth 700. The event will take place at the Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, VA from May 11 to May 13, 2010.
Continuing its strategy of providing mobile rugged notebook users with more features and higher performance at less cost, GammaTech will be highlighting the following models during 2010 Joint Warfighting Conference: a 10.2” fully rugged RT10A tablet PC with 2.5” SATA hard disk
I have been testing the HP EliteBook 2740p convertible notebook this week, a process that has invoked a wave of nostalgia. I used the predecessor, the 2710p, in my work as a consultant and this current model has been just as good a tool as the earlier one. The 2740p is a full Tablet PC with pen input, and it also has a touchscreen for hand operation. The 12-inch screen works wonderfully in slate mode, as the touchscreen allows scrolling and panning by fingertip. This is especially easy to do with the addition of the free Google Chrome extension, chromeTouch.
China-based PC players including first-tier notebook brand Lenovo, e-book reader brand Hanwang and white-box brand Malata, have all expressed their interest in entering the tablet PC market, according to sources from notebook makers.
Lenovo is currently working on R&D in cooperation with Taiwan-based notebook makers Quanta Computer and Wistron and is expected to see firm results in the second half of 2010. Although Lenovo already has IdeaPad U1 Hybrid that features designs characteristics of both a notebook and tablet PC, the new models are expected to be purely tablet PCs with their adopted platform still unclear, the sources noted.
Bangalore: The Microsoft Surface table-like PC will have a competition from atracTable from Sony. The device is powered by technology from Swiss company and sold the tech to Sony. A 35-inch atracTable, prototypes of which are now out and feature a full HD screen with a high contrast will due out this June.
It uses two Sony ISS XCD-V60 cameras to create a 3D image. The cameras can be used to control a cursor, avatar or robot. Whether multi-touch input is supported is unknown. The device was originally developed for the medical field, but can also serve gaming, industrial or retail businesses.
With over one million iPads sold in just 28 days, there appears to be a healthy appetite for tablets in this cynical world of notebooks, iPhones and Justin Bieber.
So without further ado, let's take a look at how the major players in this rapidly growing bigger-phone, smaller netbook market are coming along.
Google
In the tablet sphere Google has remained ominously quiet, but that looks set to change with its recent acquisition of BumpTop, a company that creates 3D multi-touch desktop software. Considering how few desktops use touchscreen monitors, it seems likely the move was made with a tablet in mind.
Samsung - S-Pad
The second largest phone maker in the world, South Korean electronic giant Samsung looks set to wade into the tablet market with the 7-inch (17.8cm), Android S-Pad.
HP – Slate(d?)
Hewlett-Packard was quick to jump onto the tablet bandwagon, with an announcement back in January that its own Slate (that name sounds familiar, too) will come with Windows 7 and be the first true iSlate- sorry, iPad-killer to arrive on the market.
Microsoft – A new Courier?
Microsoft's ex-CEO and co-founder Bill Gates famously remarked to CNN back in 2001 that 'within five years I predict [the tablet] will be the most popular form of PC sold in America'.
With the news that the Courier, Microsoft's long awaited dual-screen tablet, was to be no more it appeared as if the Redmond-based computing giant had changed its mind about the tablet PC market.
Nokia – It's just a bigger N800
Despite having a hard time cracking the highend smartphone market, Nokia is rumoured to be staging an attack on the tablet PC market sometime later this year, if analyst predictions are anything to go by.
Dell – Streak 5, 7, 10
Dell are one of the few companies along with ASUS and Lenovo that has brought out a number of netbook/tablet hybrids, but it's also been one of the more vocal supporters of the pure tablet form as well.
ASUS – Eee Pad
One of the biggest netbook and laptop makers in the world, it's a logical assumption that Taiwanese OEM ASUS would move in with a tablet of its own.
In fact, ASUS appears to be launching two tablets, one with either Google's Android or Chrome as the OS, and another with either Windows 7 or Windows CE powering its innards.
RIM – Just loves hoarding screens?
Perhaps the most surprising rumour is that Research In Motion, makers of BlackBerry, the largest-selling smartphone makers in the US, is also suspected of drawing up plans to enter the tablet market.
Clamcase is likely the first of many integrated keyboard case designs for the iPad. The Clamcase promises a protective shell, integrated bluetooth keyboard and stand for the iPad. The iPad, itself, is housed in the top segment that can open up and fold backward.
The images look like they may just be renders than actual product photos, however, so its hard to say how well the case will work in practice. The case is claimed to be available sometime later this year.
Cloud file storage startup Dropbox broadened its reach May 4 by adding support for Google's Android, Apple's iPad and Research In Motion's BlackBerry mobile platforms.
Dropbox already supports Apple's iPhone. The latest offering is couched in Dropbox Anywhere, new mobile apps and APIs geared to help users access their files on most computing devices or mobile applications.
Anywhere provides native support for accessing, viewing and sharing documents and files stored in Dropbox directly from Android and BlackBerry smartphones, as well as Apple's popular iPad tablet.
Dropbox is tailored to match each of the devices. For example, users may capture, upload and share photos and video on Android, or enjoy a full-screen reading experience on the iPad tablet, which has sold more than 1 million units in less than a month. ReadWriteWeb has a glowing report on Dropbox for the iPad here.
The Apple iPad is a revolutionary, addictive Tablet PC with Wi-Fi. Add in 3G, and it becomes even more useful, just perhaps not $130 more useful, which is the premium you'll pay for always-on connectivity. And with 3G you have to tack on another $15 to $30 a month for service. The iPad Wi-Fi + 3G ($829, 64GB) costs enough more than the Wi-Fi-only model that you have to seriously consider where you'll use the 3G. Remember, this isn't likely a device you'll whip out on the street. Considering that even adding a paid Wi-Fi subscription will save you money over the 3G model, you may find that there are enough Wi-Fi hotspots and other ways to get online to make up for the lack of built-in cellular connectivity.
The device was said to be a Windows 7 tablet with a touchscreen interface and support for Adobe Flash. Notably all these features are absent in Apple iPad, which is selling like hotcake these days.
The rumor gained momentum after HP acquired Palm, which led to the speculations that HP could change tactics to produce a tablet which would run on Palm’s webOS mobile operating system instead of Windows 7.
But it is not impossible that HP could not launch two different tablets to market, one using Palm's WebOS and another Windows 7. Earlier this week, Mercury News had reported that if HP would plan to launch a WebOS tablet, then the company would be able to release the new device only later this year or possibly next year.
In the meantime, it is expected that HP could launch the Windows 7 tablet without much delay, since it’s already far along in development.
American Industrial Systems, Inc. (AIS) introduces a mobile Ruggedized Military Tablet PC featuring military rated environmental engineering compliance for harsh environments. The rugged tablet PC's are powered by the new Intel® Atom Processor, built for low power, high performance, and efficient operation. The tablet PC sports an elegant, practical design featuring an aluminum-magnesium alloy construction with individually sealed ports for complete IP54 waterproof and dustproof protection. The unit is engineered to Military 810F shock, vibration, temperature, humidity, dust and drop standards to withstand the most extreme mobile applications.
If you love the idea of a portable tablet PC, but can't really come to grips with the lack of a physical keyboard on such devices, Lenovo's S10-3t is here to help. This convertible tablet netbook features a screen that swivels 180 degrees and lies flat, so you can have the conveniences of both a touchscreen and a physical keyboard.
Flurry of Android tablets have started pouring into the Tablet PC’s market. Recently, multi-touch Android tablet with flash support was spotted at web 2.0 expo. Now, Samsung is shifting its gears to hit the tablet PC market. It is being reported that Samsung’s first Android tablet, S-Pad is expected to be launched in August 2010. S-Pad will run on Android operating system and will sports a 7-inch super AMOLED capacitive display screens which is a type of Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) technology. These are supposed to be five times brighter than the average LCD screen and reflect 20% less sunlight when used outdoors.
As per marketing manager for Samsung in Australia, the tablet will compete head to head with the Apple’s iPad. On the other hand, Android multi-touch tablets being cheaper and flash friendly (very much required for gaming maniacs, as most of the popular games are based on flash) will certainly be a threat to iPad in coming months.
Say this for Bill Gates: He stands behind his favorite trends, even when they haven't turned out to be much in the way of trends.
Appearing with Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway lieutenant Charlie Munger for a wide-ranging interview on Fox Business Network, the Microsoft chairman made it clear that the company isn't giving up on tablet computing -- despite the news last week that it's dropping its Courier dual-screen tablet project, and the unconfirmed report that HP won't be using Windows 7 for its upcoming slate computer.
“Microsoft has a lot of different tablet projects that we're pursuing," said Gates, according to a transcript provided by the network. "We think that work with the pen that Microsoft pioneered will become a mainstream for students. It can give you a device that you can not only read, but also create documents at the same time."
Notably, pen input was one of the scenarios demonstrated in the leaked videos of Microsoft's Courier project, and the company said in its statement last week that technologies from the Courier device would be "evaluated for use in future Microsoft offerings." Pen-based computers were a centerpiece of Microsoft's original Tablet PC initiative, championed by Gates back in the early part of the last decade, but touch screens have become the input mechanism of choice in recent years, as exemplified by the iPad.
According to an unnamed source the website BBLeaks has claimed that RIM are working on a BlackBerry tablet codenamed “BlackPad” or possibly “Cobalt”, that will be smaller and thinner than the iPad but have “full BlackBerry OS compatibility and functionality.” The Blackberry OS 6 is looking pretty slick, so you never know what they might be cooking up!
BBLeaks feels that the “BlackPad” or the “Cobalt” will be smaller than the iPad and run the BlackBerry OS or, at the very least, be compatible with BlackBerry OS. Sure BBLeaks could be making stuff up, but why would they. They also note that the image above is not the real BlackPad. It’s a mock-up.
A BlackBerry leak out of website BlackBerry Leaks indicates RIM is working on a tablet device to add to their gadget lineup.
Hardly earth-shattering news since everyone and their brother is working on a tablet now, but not really expected either since RIM pretty much sticks to their bread and butter. Their most recent attempt to deviate from their standard hard keyboard design (seen here in mock-up tablet form) didn’t exactly set the world on fire. A tablet would go even further than that. Per BlackBerry Leaks:
We’ve received word from a connect that RIM is in fact working on a tablet. We do not have many details at the time, but we have been told that it will be smaller and thinner than the iPad. The BlackBerry tablet also goes by the codename: ‘BlackPad’ or possibly could be what Bla1ze from CrackBerry tells us, ‘Cobalt’. The tablet will have full BlackBerry OS compatibility and functionality (note, we didn’t say what kind of OS, lol).
One month after launching its highly-anticipated tablet computer, Apple has announced it sold its one millionth iPad.
"Demand continues to exceed supply and we're working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more customers," says Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a statement.
The milestone was set on Friday, according to Apple, the same day the company debuted a version of the iPad with 3G cellular service. The devices start at $629 for a 16GB model. Head here to check out a review of the 3G iPad.
Apple also says 12 million apps have been downloaded onto iPads since launching April 3, and users have purchased more than 1.5 million e-books.
Go 'head Aigo! Get down with your bad self. Quite frankly, we never anticipated Aigo / Patriot to come through with a me-too tablet that actually made us take a second glance, but darn if this one isn't quite the looker. And that's before you've even had a moment to digest the specifications sheet. According to new details surfacing in China, this 7-inch machine will hum along on a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor and feature NVIDIA's Tegra 2 graphics chipset. There's also 512MB of DDR2 memory, an 800 x 480 pixel multitouch display, 4/16/32GB of inbuilt storage, a USB socket, microSD slot, HDMI output, inbuilt WiFi, optional 3G WWAN, audio in / out and a 3,120mAh battery. Android 2.1 will be the OS of choice, but crucial details surrounding price and availability are sorely missing. Call us crazy, but we'll actually be keeping an eye out for specifics on both.
Checks with 50 Apple retail stores have led one prominent analyst to predict Apple sold about 300,000 iPad 3G units, including preorders, over the device's first weekend of sales.
Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray issued a note to investors Sunday, revealing the estimate based on checks with numerous stores, as well as in-person attendance of the iPad 3G launch in New York and Minneapolis. If correct, Munster's assumption would have the iPad 3G sell as many units in its first weekend as the Wi-Fi-only iPad sold on its first day in early April.
Munster said supply was limited on launch weekend, with 49 of 50 stores surveyed sold out of the iPad 3G by Sunday. The analyst said he now believes Apple has sold more than 1 million iPads, which suggests his previous estimate of 1.3 million sales in the June quarter may be conservative.
Customers who preordered Apple's iPad received theirs in the mail on Friday, while Apple's U.S. retail stores began selling the device at 5 p.m. on Friday. The 3G iPad models carry a $130 premium over their Wi-Fi-only counterparts, and offer no-contract data plans with the AT&T 3G network. The 16GB iPad 3G model starts at $629, the 32GB capacity is $729, and the high-end 64GB offering is $829.
American Industrial Systems, Inc. (AIS) introduces a lightweight 10.4" Rugged Touchscreen Tablet PC designed for mobile point of sale, data entry, and monitoring. The portable terminal features 3.5 G WWAN, WiFi, and Bluetooth technology, expanding your reach and keeping you connected on the go. Powering the system is the low power consumption, fanless Intel® Atom 1.6Ghz Z530 Processor, allowing the system to operate up to 6 hours by battery in the field. The large touch screen display features enhanced transflective LED technology providing vibrant color and sharp text in all environments including direct outdoor sunlight, perfect for running application, reading documents, and surfing the web. Everything is packaged within a compact lightweight rugged chassis weighing in at 2.6lbs and featuring IP54 rated water/dustproof resistance, multiple 3-foot drop rated, and enhanced shock and vibration protection.
Compared to consumer tablets the enhanced ruggedization and outdoor viewing capability give the unit a huge advantage in on the field real life usage
Is there a tablet in Google’s future with a three-dimensional, multi-touch user interface? It’s creasingly likely, given that the search giant has just acquired BumpTop, a startup whose unique software creates a 3-D environment where users can toss files and folders around as though they were playing cards, stack them in related piles and “hang” them on the virtual walls. If Google is working on an iPad-style tablet, as many believe that it is, a BumpTop-style interface would be dramatic departure from the typical 2-D app/icon approach, and could provide a significant alternative to the look and feel of Apple’s iPad.
Instead, they say Google is looking at the company’s 3-D, multi-touch interface — or elements of it — as a potential addition to a tablet device
On paper, When compared to the iPad, HP Slate should have provided a strong competitor for Apple's device; it multi-tasks, runs flash, has a (when looking strictly an numbers) stronger processor, built-in webcam HDMI out, USB 2.0 port. Engadget tallied up their specs and found that pound-for-pound, the HP tablet may easily seem like the wiser purchase. Almost all of those advantages are things that Apple's machine has been criticized for. It should have been a sure-fire winner among Windows users. It could be that the device was destined to run a standard version of Windows 7 rather than an optimized Windows 7 more suitable for mobile devices. The image below shows the specifications of each device next to each other:
HP's tablet wasn't the only casualty of the iPad's extensive media coverage and popularity. Microsoft canceled their Courier. The device was said to be a tablet PC (or two? Sort of?) hinged together at the side, almost like a book. Perhaps it wasn't made with the same sort of drive that Apple products are always pushed with. It's rumored that Jobs' tough management techniques have made people cry. In a 2007 book entitled The No A--hole Rule, it was said that, "[Jobs] inspires astounding effort and creativity from his people," and that a Silicon Valley insider told the author that he had seen Jobs verbally thrash several employees and make some of them cry, though this insider finished with saying that Jobs "was almost always right." It brought out some of the best work in people, no doubt. However, it's also important to remember that unlike Apple, Microsoft isn't a hardware-focused company, but that's what works for them.
What made the iPad so popular in the end, however, was it's ease of use.
You could chalk it up to bad timing, or you could argue that Apple just has more money to market their products with. Either way, the JooJoo Tablet from Fusion Garage hasn't seen the booming start we're sure it's creators had hoped for. Of course, it's one of the few (only?) tablets on the market that can fully handle Flash video, so at least that's one thing it'll have that the iPad never will, right?
Oh, and now there's one other thing. On the same weekend in which the iPad 3G + Wi-Fi started shipping, along came word that a 3G version of the JooJoo is also in the works.
Its been hyped, its been delayed for a month and it is still the hottest gadget of 2010. WhatsYourTech.ca reviews the 32GB Apple iPad and discovers a special place between notebooks and smartphones where many things are possible and where the future for users and developers looks really bright.
The cool and solid aluminum back wraps and tapers around the vast expanse that is the 10 inch touchscreen. Said screen is surrounded by an inch-thick black bezel. Everything about it seems delicately calibrated and machined to be as perfect as possible and the build quality is simply breathtaking. Even without turning the thing on its too easy to fall in love with it.
the iPad itself is an incredibly sexy piece of technology. It elicits the same awe and wonder as the MacBook Air did when it first came out. You’ve seen tablet computers before, but you’ve never seen one like this. The sense of amazement grows even greater when you actually touch the device.
Less than a week after computer maker HP agreed to purchase the struggling smartphone maker Palm $1.2 billion in cash, sources are noting that it will be removing Windows 7 from the Slate tablet, instead choosing to use a WebOS variant, arguably the best smartphone operating system available.
Sources say HP was not happy with the overall performance of Windows 7 on their unreleased tablet, saying the OS was too power-hungry. Additionally, a Windows 7 license will bring up the price of any final Slate product, and now that HP owns WebOS, the move makes sense.
TechCrunch says also that HP is set to drop the Intel processor used in the tablet, which would completely kill off any chance of Windows 7 being used.
Asus had confirmed in the past that they would also play their cards in the Tablet PC game, acknowledging that they'd issue a Tegra 2-based Eee Pad at some point in the future to rival Apple'siPad and the spate of other rival machines sure to hit the market during 2010. But few details beyond the general plans to launch were announced. Now, it looks like Asus has begun to firm things up somewhat, with a new report stemming from a Q1 investors conference in Taipei casting new light on a launch time frame.
Apple Inc. began selling a version of its iPad tablet computer with cellular capabilities and by Sunday consumers had cleaned off the shelves of many stores.
Apple put its iPad 3G on sale in the U.S. late Friday afternoon at prices starting at $629, compared with the $499 bottom price for the version without the cellular connectivity that launched a month ago.
Apple stores reached in San Francisco, New York, Boston and Houston said they didn't have any iPad 3G models left by Sunday. A spokeswoman for Best Buy Co. Inc. said it had "very limited inventory"
What a wild week in technology it has been. Sony has been sued, HTC now has to pay Microsoft each time they sell an Android phone, Adobe and Apple are publicly humiliating one another, Palm was purchased by HP, and now Microsoft has decided against following the herd and producing a tablet of their own. Wait, what?
For those who don't closely follow Microsoft's every move, the death of a product you've never heard of probably comes as somewhat of a shock. You weren't hidden under a rock or anything, it's just that Microsoft never actually came forward and confirmed that a so-called "Courier" was a real product before. Well, until they did so today by announcing that the very product that had been rumored for years was in fact no longer moving forward towards production.
he tale is a long and winding one, but the story sadly ends today. Well, at least for now. Or so they say. It's a confusing story that has an even more confusing conclusion, particularly when you consider that just about everyone is either already planning to enter the Tablet PC arena or is shipping a tablet as we speak. Microsoft has never been one to back down; they introduced the Zune even in the face of unsurmountable competition from the iPod, and Windows Mobile was effectively put on the back burner as they created Windows Phone 7 to compete with iPhone OS, WebOS and Android. So, why pull out of the Tablet sector?
SAMSUNG PLANS TO INTRODUCE TABLET PC TO CHALLENGE IPAD
Trading Markets
Samsung Electronics Co. (KSE:005930), Asia's most valuable technology company, said Friday it plans to roll out a
tablet PC
as early as July, as the company looks to steal the iPad's thunder with a new touch-based portable PC.
"We are developing a tablet pad-related product and plan to release it in the market after the first half (of this year)," a executive told analysts during a conference call.
The remark came in response to a question from an analyst over whether Samsung plans to release a product between laptop computers and smartphones, which could exceed sales of the iPad, a hugely popular tablet PC that Apple Inc. launched in the United States in April.
Gizmodoreports today that Microsoft’s much-hyped Courier tablet has been canceled. Prototypes of the Courer featured folding dual-screens that relied on stylus and handwriting recognition as its primary input. The “digital journal” took a very different approach to the tablet PC as the polarizing iPad- one which many iPad haters considered a welcome difference.
The official announcement came from Microsoft Corporate VP of Communications Frank Show, who said, “At any given time, we're looking at new ideas, investigating, testing, incubating them. It's in our DNA to develop new form factors and natural user interfaces to foster productivity and creativity. The Courier project is an example of this type of effort. It will be evaluated for use in future offerings, but we have no plans to build such a device at this time.”
Can Apple's much-hyped tablet replace your notebook, e-reader, smartphone, audio player, magazines, or gaming device? Here's the verdict from our experts.
In short, Apple's tablet competes with an array of existing devices without mimicking any of them. And the best way to figure out whether it's a plausible alternative to a PC, an e-reader, a game console, or any other better-established gizmo is to give it a whirl. So we did--read on to see what we found
Let's state the obvious: The iPad isn't going to be your only computer. It tells you that yourself the first time you turn it on, when it asks to be connected via USB cable to a PC or a Mac running iTunes. Even if you don't want to buy music, movies, and apps on a computer and transfer them to the iPad, you'll want to sync from time to time, especially since that's the only way to back up an iPad.
So the question isn't whether you want an iPad instead of a computer-it's whether you want both. If you're happy with PCs in their current form, you may find the iPad's limitations crippling, especially if you're creating content rather than consuming it.
Apple's iPad team doesn't have to worry about the HP Slate tablet for a while, if it ever did, anyway.
During a call with analysts to explain its purchase of Palm, HP was evasive about whether or not it will still release its Microsoft Windows-based Slate.
An analyst asked what HP would be doing with its iPad-rival. HP's Todd Bradley responded, "We haven't made roadmap announcements," but that HP will explain its Slate plans in more detail when the Palm deal closes.
That's at least a few months away: HP expects the deal to close during its fiscal third quarter, which ends at the end of July. And building Palm's WebOS operating system into HP tablets could take much longer -- perhaps even a year or more.
Imagine you have a 140 year old print that is almost five feet tall, nearly the length of a football field, and printed on both sides. How do you provide this resource to scholars for study and teaching to others? The Garibaldi Project by Brown University with support from Microsoft Research’s External Research and the British Library, offers access to the panorama on Microsoft Surface with images, documents, web pages, video and audio narration. You can even use a pen to make notations. With a large vertical screen on the wall, you can also share both the panorama and other resources with others. This was a joint project at Brown with the Department of Italian Studies and the Library’s Center for Digital Initiatives where most of the effort started late last summer. The video below first reviews a concept for a Digital Scholarship Lab at Brown University, provides historical background on the Garibaldi panorama and concludes with a demonstration of the Surface application.
Try holding the iPad out in front of you for any significant length of time and you’ll likely discover that Apple’s tablet doubles as a decent arm exercise as well as a tactile, multitouch marvel. On the SlashGear desk today is the Luxa2 H4 iPad Holder;
The H4 concept is simple: an iMac-like base supports a tilting, rotating cradle assembly with four posable arms. At the extremities of each arm there’s a rubberised peg which – by sitting the iPad in the middle and pushing the arms closed – can tightly grip the tablet without scratching it. iPad removed and it looks a little like a headless acrobat performing jumping-jacks, but the benefit to the overly-flexible adjustment is that you needn’t remove your tablet from its case; the H4 will grab on even if there’s a little extra bulk to accommodate.
Tablet PCs may just be approaching the mainstream, but "tablets" in general have been around for years. One sector that never really died out was the rugged tablet, with many working in the field needing a touch-based machine with a chassis that could take a beating. American Industrial Systems (AIS) has been making hardcore tablets for awhile, and the company has an all-new one designed to MIL-STD-810F compliance standard for withstanding shock, drops, vibration, temperature extremes, humidity, dust and water. Pretty tough, huh?
The new Ruggedized Military Tablet PC is engineered to last even in harsh environments, and while it's not the sexiest machine out there, it can definitely hold up a lot longer than your fancy new Dell Studio XPS or MacBook Pro. The unit features an aluminum-magnesium alloy construction with individually sealed ports for complete IP54 waterproof and dustproof protection, and it's built to Military 810F shock, vibration, temperature, humidity, dust and drop standards to withstand the most extreme mobile applications.
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.
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.
readable display and an optional dual smartcard capability. The small and lightweight PC – designed for field service applications – also comes with a ‘hot swappable’ battery to keep the unit functioning when switching out power sources.
Archos 9 PC Tablet hopes to tap into that expanding market by offering a relatively solid tablet. The 8.9-inch tablet is powered by the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system that allows for good multimedia use and lapside Internet surfing, but it isn't without its weaknesses. 
sensitive controller, demonstrating that women and families who had no interest in traditional gaming systems could nonetheless be lured into interactive entertainment with an easy, intuitive interface.
5 tablets in all that is coming our way – courtesy Aigo. Yes, the company that has been making USB memory sticks and Solid State Drives for several years now has gone into overdrive and decided to unleash all of 5 tablet PCs in one go. So come July, there will be Aigo Tablets in the 4, 5 and 7 inch categories available from retailers.
bought one and have no regrets. It's great for Web surfing, reading the news, and even its soft keyboard is more effective than I expected. Certain types of drawing even seem to work pretty well, although that's a judgment I leave to those who can--well--draw.
opportunities for the emerging technologies of tablets and e-readers, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced it has formed the Tablet Task Force, a group comprised of senior publishing and interactive industry executives. Tablets and e-readers are the latest electronic tools that enable the new era of interactive content experiences available to consumers anytime and anywhere.
month in and while this two month update may be a few days late, it is only because we’ve been working hard to open 
as Steve Jobs boasted recently, has been selling at a clip of "one every three seconds." So, the burning question for analysts and consumers alike is, which technology will compete most effectively with that of the iPad, which runs on Apple's iPhone OS? 
device called the 210-70D01A-003 through the FCC
will revolutionize the world by giving a different meaning altogether to the 
Fujitsu. I’ll be shooting some video of the pen + multi-touch system in action as well as of the general hardware. But since I have some quiet time now, I thought I’d spill some thoughts about the inking.
sales in 2 months – most PCs and cell phones can’t come close to those numbers. In fact one analyst effectively believes it will pass the Mac by year end. On the other hand, for those folks that like the Kindle and are focused on books, it simply isn’t good enough, but the Kindle is a one trick pony and the iPad should easily pass it in total sales by the end of the year as a result. The product we are waiting for is one that combines the iPad’s multimedia/app functionality with the Kindle’s eBook features and, I would argue, isn’t tied to either Apple or Amazon. Both have content limitations and neither have everything you want to read or watch. While the small 2nd generation Kindle is closer to the ideal sub $200 price point for this class, both products remain too expensive to penetrate the market broadly yet.
founder Steve Jobs said that he had thought of a tablet computer before coming up with the idea for the iPhone. 
entertainment program, according to numerous media reports this week.
Tuesday. The much-hyped portable tablet computers were the highlight of the show, as hardware makers hope to take advantage of the buzz surrounding Apple's newly launched iPad.
million unit mark, IDG News Service reports that the Computex Taipei trade show is anticipating demonstrations of a dozen or more 
hear another rumor or two about upcoming devices, and its only going to get worse. A recent patent application shows that Sony is the latest company preparing to pile on the bandwagon, but this time you might be interested to hear they are taking a page from the scrapped Microsoft Courier, namely its dual displays. 
couple of new tablet computers -- the 12-inch Eee Pad EP121 and the 10-inch EP101TC.
and customers. Using the point-of-sale dealer system called MB Advantage, dealers will be able to instantly access to marketing programs for specific models, move more quickly through the credit application process, and increase speed and efficiency on the return of lease vehicles.
edition. Though the publication was originally intended to be released based on a version of Adobe's Flash, the software was completely rewritten in Objective-C for approval on Apple's App Store.
end of the year and more than 46 million units to ship by 2014. That is in large part due to the success of Apple's iPad, which has flown off store shelves since its introduction in April. Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Asus, Fuijtsu, Acer, Archos, and many others have also flocked to the the decidedly gray area that tablets occupy between a smartphone and notebook.
Windows ed2b21Phone 7 to tablet-sized computers. At an event in Singapore, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the company is focusing on “putting Windows phone 7 in phones,” which isn’t really all that surprising. Heck, the OS has “phone” in the name, right?
official information. The MSI Slatebook tablet we posted about earlier is now official and will be hitting the US and Europe in the third quarter of this year. MSI’s Slatebook is based around an Intel Atom Z series processor, multi-touch capability, Windows 7, a built-in 3G and Wi-Fi module, and USB and HDMI ports. The Slatebook will also carry a final weight of 800g.
people the best “on-the-go” entertainment, social connection, and navigation experience. Early this June the Dell Streak will be available across the UK at O2 stores, O2.co.uk, The 
snappy upgrades, including some speedy Intel features.
be a new tablet announced every week. We can't keep track of every slate thrown into the wild, but if you're curious to know what your options are, we've compiled a general overview of the tablet landscape. 
the Apple tablet to turn its summer catalogue into a shoppable slideshow.
distribution expertise by Australian owned/operated company 
you're not alone. It also wants you to know there are options, one of which would benefit said company's bottom line should you choose to accept. The new Aspire Timeline 1825PT is an 11.6-inch netvertible at heart, boasting a swivel-screen multitouch panel (1,366 x 768 resolution), up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 1.3GHz Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor, integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics, HDMI / VGA outputs, a 250GB or 320GB hard drive, integrated media card slot, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, a VGA webcam, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, gigabit Ethernet and a 6-cell battery that can reportedly last up to eight solid hours under ideal conditions (read: no chance).
getting a brand spanking new Apple iPad is important for your education experience.
an
nounced the industry’s first slate tablet PCs with Intel® Core™ vPro™ processors, offering new levels of performance, security and manageability. Built on the company’s proven line of tablet PCs, Motion’s F5v and C5v meet the needs of mobile workforces across industries, and now feature enhanced integrated features, connectivity and durability. 
we get into Billy’s experience with the Classmate PC, we have to disclose the fact that we aren’t talking about some average seven year old either. Billy has been playing Nintendo DS, Wii, doodling on his parents laptop, and building everything and anything out of LEGOS for sometime now. He has the energy of most little boys and the imagination and technical skills that might surpass many adults. So he was the perfect person to test out the laptop and see if it indeed met the needs of a young student. It didn’t take much for Billy to learn the ropes behind the Convertible Classmate . After a quick tutorial from his mother on how to turn it on and off, and how to use it in Tablet mode – he was off. He was able to operate the PC on his own
whether these devices can emerge as an alternative to textbooks for the student community. Though, many agree that these devices can one day replace the good old textbooks in developed countries, can this be the same scenario in a country like India also?
screen and all new 2010 Intel® Core™ i5-520M vPro™ Processor . With its support of on-screen gestures, the dual digitizer takes user interaction to a new level, delivering a more efficient and convenient computing experience. The LifeBook T730 Tablet PC offers the ultimate freedom of choice - optional dual digitizer with pen input and multi-touch interaction, modular bay, and optional bright display providing 160 degree vertical and horizontal viewing angles. 
that any tablet looking to compete with the Apple’s iPad would like to adopt before anything else. So can the iiView M1Touch from the Hong Kong based manufacturer live up to what it is being touted as? Let’s find out.
encrusted iPad from UK luxury gadget maker Stuart Hughes will probably make them faint. The 64GB iPad WiFi + 3G would normally set you back £699 but after adding diamonds and gold, the price of the iPad Supreme Edition rockets up to a bank balance obliterating £129,995.
nothing but an Intel Classmate tablet. The little machine has a 10.1-inch LCD that can be used as a tablet or a clamshell netbook too. 
are you serious about trying to participate in the tablet market? The answer is yes...The message is stay tuned for Computex," Intel Vice President Mooly Eden, who heads the chipmaker's client group, said at the Intel investor meeting on Tuesday. 
different iPad competitors capable to really fight against Apple’s tablet. One of these machines could very well be a webOS HP tablet, but that’s still wishful thinking for now. A more real possibility is represented by the MSI Slatebook, a tablet scheduled to be unveiled at Computex 2010 and said to run Windows 7.
connections often dropping. Reasons for this have been determined by some to be the DHCP lease expiring where the iPad needs to grab a new IP address and in so doing, has problems for some reason.
world’s dominant computing device by 2006
so can be used as a full-blown laptop or, with the screen folded back, as a slate for that true ‘iPad’ effect. HP looks set to move the HP TouchSmart Tm2 to faster and more power efficient Intel Core processors. Read on to find out about the HP TouchSmart Tm2 getting an Intel Core i5 processor. 
unhappiness with how it ran Windows 7. After HP acquired Palm and promised that webOS would boldly go where webOS had not gone before, everybody assumed that HP meant tablets, and now we’re hearing the first rumblings of a webOS-powered tablet coming through HP’s pipeline.
recently been announced for the international launch. One of the Apple iPad competitors has changed its name to WeTab. The name was earlier set as WePad and soon after the international launch of the iPad the WePad has been renamed as WeTab.
turned their attention towards something else. This time, viewers saw Adobe Flash running on a mysterious Google Android tabloid in a marvelous display of 
notebook and tablet computers, will show its mobile rugged notebook and tablet PC including the newly released RT10A during the 2010 Joint Warfighting Conference in booth 700. The event will take place at the Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, VA from May 11 to May 13, 2010. 
BlackBerry tablet codenamed “BlackPad” or possibly “Cobalt”, that will be smaller and thinner than the iPad but have “full BlackBerry OS compatibility and functionality.” The Blackberry OS 6 is looking pretty slick, so you never know what they might be cooking up!
its one millionth iPad.
Tablet PC designed for mobile point of sale, data entry, and monitoring. The portable terminal features 3.5 G WWAN, WiFi, and Bluetooth technology, expanding your reach and keeping you connected on the go. Powering the system is the low power consumption, fanless Intel® Atom 1.6Ghz Z530 Processor, allowing the system to operate up to 6 hours by battery in the field. The large touch screen display features enhanced transflective LED technology providing vibrant color and sharp text in all environments including direct outdoor sunlight, perfect for running application, reading documents, and surfing the web. Everything is packaged within a compact lightweight rugged chassis weighing in at 2.6lbs and featuring IP54 rated water/dustproof resistance, multiple 3-foot drop rated, and enhanced shock and vibration protection.
market their products with. Either way, the 
Prototypes of the 
them. And the best way to figure out whether it's a plausible alternative to a PC, an e-reader, a game console, or any other better-established gizmo is to give it a whirl. So we did--read on to see what we found
