Logitech has introduced its new FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for the Apple iPad. The new device is compatible with the iPad 2 as well as third and fourth generation iPads. The device takes some design cues from the Microsoft Surface TouchCover, by integrating a super low profile keyboard into the cover of Folio.
An investment note from JPMorgan analyst Mike Moskowitz on Tuesday downplaying the likely impact of Windows-based ultrabooks was backed by support from PC resellers. He saw most competitors pursuing the MacBook Air and going for "more of the same" in computers, largely trying to replicate what they'd seen before instead of trying something new. The emulation was ironic for an industry that had initially downplayed the Air, he said, although he saw there being a number of practical competitive issues as well.
Dell is trying an unusual strategy to try and steer ultrabook buyers towards the XPS 13 on Thursday. Nicknamed the Ultrabook Challenge, the demo campaign Thursday amounts to a blind taste test for the thin-and-light notebooks. Starting in San Francisco first, those at the corner of Chestnut and Scott, and later at Fisherman's Wharf, are being asked to pick an ultrabook based on "look and feel" with all the branding covered up, ostensibly to avoid bias.
HP's Folio 13 ultrabook is now on sale, in more ways than one. What was due to cost $900 can be purchased for $850 at LogicBuy or just $703.50 with the NBK3573 coupon code, according to Liliputing. The notebook weighs 3.3lbs and is 0.7 inches thick while sporting a 13.3-inch, 1366x768 display.
HP formally launched itself into the ultrabook space early Wednesday with the Folio 13. The 13.3-inch system is "less than" 0.7 inches thick and, while heavier than the MacBook Air at 3.3 pounds, also has what HP claims is the longest-lasting battery in the class. At nine hours, it can last for up to two hours longer than the Air, although Apple's tests are usually real-world where HP's are theoretical.
Toshiba plans to make up for many of the mistakes made with the Thrive tablet through a much improved model uncovered in an Italian leak. The new version would scrap the thick and heavy rubberized design for a much thinner, brushed metal design. Expansion would still be a focus, Notebook Italia saw, as Toshiba would switch to micro HDMI, micro USB, and microSD to get similar features, just through adapters.
Toshiba Australia's Information Systems GM Rob Wilkinson claimed that his company's upcoming Android 3.0 tablet would trump the iPad 2. He expected that Toshiba could equal Apple's pricing but with a device that would be "richer in features." The Tegra 2-based tablet had its drawbacks, he told Smarthouse, but it would overall do well, especially as Toshiba would sell it through traditional PC shops rather than try to push it through carrier stores.
ViewSonic late Monday explained that the sudden recall of the gTablet was owed to a combination of unfinished software from Adobe and itself. The company has been affected by the same lack of Flash optimization for the Tegra 2 chip and won't have an official option for Flash 10 until late January, when Adobe hopes to have a faster version. Users who still feel they need Flash can download it separately, the company said.
Google and NVIDIA together faced their second setback together in as many months today as a leak on Saturday revealed that Staples was pulling the ViewSonic gTablet from shelves. The Android 2.2 tablet is being shipped away due to a "manufacturing defect" and its display area removed entirely. No indication has been given to the CrunchGear tipster that the gTablet will ever return, and customers seeing this week's flyer will be told that there's no equivalent replacement because of how soon it was brought to market.
Case maker Speck has added a new folio-style iPad case to their offerings, called DustJacket. Now available in black or red leatherette, the cases are intended as a more stylish and sturdier alternative to Apple's own optional case. The DustJacket features a custom cradle, three preset landscape viewing angles and a padded exterior.
Toshiba's entry into Android tablets hit a major setback today as UK retailers have stopped sales of the Folio 100. A set of leaks of company memos from Dixons chain stores Currys and PC World have shown that both are freezing sales after a "high return rate" for multiple issues. Shops have pulled it off their websites and deliberately boosted the price to £999 ($1,613) to deter customers from asking about a sale.
NVIDIA chief Jen-Hsun Huang in a conference call tonight to discuss fiscal results was ready to note that Google had slipped back in tablet development compared to Apple. He thought that the work Google had done on optimizing Android for tablets and future smartphones was "really amazing" but mentioned twice that the company was a "little bit behind" in bringing it up to par with the iPad. The finished work, which would often focus on NVIDIA's dual-core Tegra chips, would help Google, NVIDIA and their partners catch up.
Toshiba brought a new Android tablet to CEATEC that hasn't been seen before, as it's not the Folio 100. The device was brought to the show to demonstrate Toshiba's Book-Place service for the Japanese market. There are no details on this feature, nor the tablet itself.
Apple may be stepping up the release of a camera-equipped iPad to get it out ahead of time, sources claimed on Friday. Although it only just launched in April and supplies have just caught up to demand, AppleInsider understood from a "proven" contact that the tablet was in late testing. If finished on time, it could be ready as soon as the holidays but would arrive no later than the first quarter of 2011, which ends in March.
Samsung in a brief talk on Thursday both confirmed a future Android codename and hinted at its tablet focus. In confirming that it hoped to upgrade the Galaxy Tab to Android 3.0, nicknamed Gingerbread, product planning lead WP Hong told TechRadar the next version would be Honeycomb. He claimed it would be "specifically optimised" for a different tablet besides one like the seven-inch Galaxy but wouldn't provide much more detail.
Toshiba's previously leaked out Folio 100 tablet was confirmed today with a sighting at the company's IFA booth. The Android 2.2 tablet didn't have a specification sheet attached in Pocket-lint's viewing time but was clearly running a heavily customized front end with large buttons for Flickr photos, DailyMotion videos and 7digital's music service. Toshiba Places, also mentioned, may either be a social network or a name for some or all of its interface.
Toshiba's Android tablet has been given a more definitive name and specs in a scoop that points to an Apple influence. Now labeled by Notebook Italia as the Folio 100, the device not only has a proprietary Apple-style dock connector but a similar cradle to match. Toshiba will also try ot take a cue by running its own store, Toshiba Marketplace, as a supplement to Android Market.
