Toshiba has launched its Regza tablet line for the Japanese market, releasing four tablets ranging between 7.7 and 13.3 inches. All four offerings will launch running Android 4.0, and come with 1GB RAM, a two-megapixel front camera, and a five-megapixel rear camera. All models will also have Wi-Fi capability, Bluetooth compatibility, USB2, and an SD card reader.
Although most hardware makers have focused on new cellphones and related accessories at the CTIA expo this week, ZTE also brought its new V96 tablet. The 10.1-inch device brings a standard set of Ice Cream Sandwich tablet features, along with multi-band radios for GSM and LTE networks.
Advertising network purveyor Chitkia has mined advertising impression data and discovered Apple's iPad to have the highest portion of web-use share over any other tablet by a long shot. Over 94 percent of the metered Internet traffic from all tablets comes from the iPad. The next closest competitor is the Samsung Galaxy, achieving a mere 1.22 percent.
Coby has begun shipping several of its Android 4.0 tablets that were first introduced earlier this year at CES. The two models that will arrive this month include the seven-inch Kyros MID7042-4 and the 9.7-inch Kyros MID9742-B, both focused on the entry-level tablet market.
TiVo, which just announced better-than-expected earnings earlier today, has also announced a forthcoming model that offers "four-stream transcoding" and the ability to send those streams over the internet to up to four devices, both for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets for either pre-recorded material or live TV. The future product, modelled after last year's TiVo Preview, may also offer Netflix and other online video services.
Minnesota-based Bracketron and California's Scosche Industries have both recently released new iPad accessories aimed at letting users mount their iPads inside their automobiles. Bracketron is offering both a cup-holder-based mount as well as a headrest mount that is compatible with a wide variety of tablets and e-readers, while Scosche has unveiled an iPad 2-based sequel, the Backstage Pro II mount.
Dehli-based company Classteacher Learning Systems has launched the Android 2.2 touting Classpad, a range of lower-cost tablet set to take on DataWind's Aakash, a $35 7-inch Android 2.2 tablet. While it will be priced above the Aakash, the new tablets are up to 1GHz faster at 1.3GHz than the cheaper tablet and will have options for 4GB and 8GB of storage. The Classpad tablets will also come in a range of sizes including 7-, 8- and 10-inch variations.
Although Toshiba has yet to announce US launch plans for its Excite tablet, the company has confirmed that it will be arriving in Canada early in 2012. The 10.1 inch tablet, which was first officially unveiled earlier this year at the IFA expo, will serve as the successor to the company's Thrive tablet, bringing a wide range of improvements.
Starting today BestBuy.com is offering online discounts on tablet computers like the 7-inch Coby Kyros Tablet with 4GB of memory, it was $129.99, but is now $79.99. For even less is the 7-inch Pandigital Novel E-Reader with 2GB of storage, Wi-Fi and Android operating system, now $69.99 after a $50 price break. And it's still possible to save on select iPads, like the 9.7-inch iPad 2 with 32GB of storage, Wi-Fi and 3G on sale now for $684.99 after a $45 price break.
ASUS has finally started to take pre-orders for its Transformer Prime tablet, which is expected to be the first on the market to be outfitted with NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra 3 chipset. Customers in the US and Canada can place an early order for the 32GB variant in several different colors, though the optional notebook dock and 64GB edition have yet to surface.
Samsung has continued to expand its Tab series of tablets, offering the original seven-inch model, the Tab 10.1 to compete with the iPad, and now the Tab 8.9 to fill the gap. The midsize tablet offers many of the same features as its larger counterpart, except for a smaller display and compact build. In our full review, we compare the Tab 8.9 to Samsung's other tablets and competitors from other manufacturers.
Energy Sistem has launched a low-cost tablet range for the budget conscious. Although only running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), the devices give the appearance of running Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) thanks to a skin that the company has custom developed for the trio. To of the three tablets, the i828 HD and the i824, use 8-inch displays with the HD model high-res. The i724 uses a 7-inch display.
Motorola has brought out a new, ruggedized seven-inch tablet targeted squarely at pro users. The ET1 Enterprise Tablet is built for rough handling and includes special features such as Corning Gorilla Glass, which the company claims is 30 percent thicker than conventional home tablet displays. The tablet will run Android 2.3 instead of the latest Android release, Honeycomb (3.0), but has incorporated several enterprise-specific apps and features.
Most people who are buying tablets are doing so because they see it as a new "toy," not practical, a Citigroup survey suggests. In July the firm polled 1,800 people in the US, UK and China, and found that 62 percent of those planning to buy a tablet in the next 12 months want a "new toy/gadget." Other reasons for getting a tablet -- such as gifts, work or replacing an existing computer -- are comparatively minor. The group wanting a tablet as a toy has in fact grown substantially since November, when it was nevertheless still major at 44 percent.
Accessory maker Kensington has added to its lineup of tablet accessories with a folio-style case that features a universal and removable Bluetooth keyboard compatible with anyy model of 10-inch tablet on the market, and a new line of security cases for the iPad 2 that work with with the company's own ClickSafe locks. It is also offering a new stylus called the Virtuoso Metro, which doubles as a conventional pen.
Two newly-published Apple patent applications hint at some of the display concepts the company has been exploring, notes AppleInsider. The first, Motion Controllable Dual Display Portable Media Device, depicts a tablet with an e-ink display on either side. By flipping the tablet in different contexts, different commands could be executed.
The latest Sharp Galapagos tablet has passed though the FCC certification process. The new 7-inch tablet fits between a 5.5-inch and a 10.8-inch in Sharp’s Android tablet range. The only details to emerge from the FCC testing reveal, unsurprisingly, that it is equipped with an 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi radio.
Samsung is distributing a new version of Kies for Mac, still in beta. The Mac and Windows editions of the software are used to sync data with Android phones and tablets. The Mac v1.0.0.11062_33 download adds support for the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung's new flagship tablet.
The iPad 2 has bested its competition in DisplayMate's latest comparison of display quality among several popular tablets. Although the second-generation iPad lacks the pixel density of Motorola's Xoom or Asus' Transformer, the display calibration company suggests Apple's tablet wins in nearly every other category. The tests included measurements for screen reflections, brightness, contrast, colors and intensities, viewing angles, backlight power consumption and battery life.
A number of Android smartphone makers who have turned their hand to Android tablets to try cash in on the tablet PC category dominated by the iPad are said to giving up. Instead, their focus has switched back from tablets to the development of larger, high-end smartphones with 4- to 5-inch displays. According to Digitimes, only Samsung has made any significant inroads into the segment, claiming a 10% share.
At the recent HP Discover 2011 event, Hardware Project Manager Tim Pettitt showed off some of the new features of WebOS 3.0 on the the HP TouchPad (video below). The touchpad has a set of "swipe up" gestures similar to webOS 2.x. Supported gesures include exit Exhibition, exit card view, and to open or close the launcher. Pettitt also said a number of high-end productivity apps should be ready when the Touchpad launches on July 1, although a YouTube app will not be among them. Since the Touchpad supports Flash 10.3, all the features of the YouTube website are available through the browser.
Two completely separate surveys on different aspects of the tablet market paint a revealing picture, showing primarily that the market is in the early stages of growth, and that the playing field is changing. While Apple and its iPad dominate the scene at the moment, its biggest competition -- at least in some regions -- may not be from brand-name Android tablets but instead from local or non-branded "whitebox" tablet vendors, particularly in emerging regions like China.
Media tablets, primarily the iPad, are beginning to have a serious impact on the sale of regular desktop and notebook computers, says research firm IHS iSuppli. The firm reports that global PC shipments amounted to 81.3 million units in Q1 2011, a decline of 0.3 percent from the 81.6 million tallied in Q1 2010. Three out of the top five PC makers recorded distinct shipment declines, with the worst hit being the third-ranked Acer.
Taiwan-based Red Flag Software announced at the Meego conference in San Francisco today that it plans offer an OS for tablets based on the open source software platform Meego v1.2. Named Midinux Tablet Edition, Red Flag will show off a tablet running the new platform at the Computex Conference in Taipei at the end of the month.
A hardware analyst with Goldman Sachs, Bill Shope, has lowered his overall forecasts for the tablet industry. In 2011 total unit shipments are now expected to reach just 57.7 million, as compared with an earlier prediction of 60.1 million. For 2012 the estimate shift is slightly smaller, down 2 million units to 78 million. The problem lies with Android tablets, which aren't expected to sell as well, according to Shope.
As planned, executives from Apple and Google appeared in front of a US Senate judiciary subcommittee on mobile privacy on Tuesday. Speaking on behalf of Apple was the company's VP of software technology, Guy L. "Bud" Tribble, who repeated some of the company's previous positions on mobile privacy. "Apple is strongly committed to giving our customers clear and transparent notice, choice and control over their information, and we believe our products do so in a simple and elegant way," said Tribble.
Acer has begun shipping the Iconia W500, a tablet equipped to run Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional. The device appears to be an adaptation of the Android 3.0-based A500, but with an AMD dual-core Fusion processor and Radeon integrated graphics. Both tablets integrate 10.1-inch displays with LED backlighting and 1280x800 resolution.
Acer has slashed its forecast for PC sales in the January to March quarter by 10 percent when it had previously forecast sales staying at the same level as the previous quarter. Although denying that this was the result of growth of the tablet sector, it remains a key challenge for the company. Set against this news is that Acer’s reorganization at the top following the sudden departure of former CEO and President Gianfranco Lanci is complete.
Corroborating earlier rumors, a fresh leak from T-Mobile appears to confirm launch details for LG's G-Slate. The internal document again points to April 20 as the release date for the Android 3.0 tablet, which coincides with the launch date for several of the carrier's other Android-based offerings, including LG's G2X and Samsung's Sidekick 4G smartphones.
Lenovo is reportedly working to create a large tablet based on a 23-inch LCD, according to comments from the company's senior marketing specialist, William Cai. The new device is said to be geared for home use, rather than the mobile functionality that has been the focus of most tablets recently announced by various companies.
About 37 percent of US teenagers are planning to get an iPhone in the next six months, according to a Piper Jaffray survey. The firm recently polled 4,500 teens, of which 17 percent said they already had an iPhone. The number of teens hoping to get an iPhone is not a reliable predictor of how many will however, since the device is too expensive for most teenagers to buy on their own.
Reimbursements from the US government may be playing a significant role in fostering iPad adoption by doctors, CNBC suggests. The government is operating a program called Meaningful Use, which allows doctors and hospitals to claim Medicare and Medicaid expenses when buying specific technology. The aim of the initiative is to increase migration to electronic records, theoretically reducing healthcare costs while improving the quality of service.
Amazon's legal department appears to have purchased rights to several domain names using the term 'Scratchpad,' igniting fresh speculation regarding anunannounced tablet device. The list of domains, which were registered just last week, includes AmazonScratchpad.com and several similar adaptations that include references to MWS.
Just weeks ahead of RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook launch, the company has reportedly solidified several software features that were previously mentioned. The device will eventually integrate native e-mail, calendar and contact apps directly on the tablet. The move is expected to close the gap between the tablet experience and that of RIM's BlackBerry smartphone lineup following the broader transition to QNX.
About 15 to 20 percent of iPad 1 owners will upgrade to the iPad 2 during the next year, claims RBC Capital Markets' Mike Abramsky. Even though many iPad 2 buyers may be new to the platform, the analyst suggests they will contribute to 28 million in total sales by the end of 2011. He adds that many people have likely been waiting for a second-gen model in order to get a sense of upgrades and the popularity of tablets in general.
The iPad 2 -- which launches Friday -- presents an "increasing risk of a bubble burst" for competing tablet makers, claims JP Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz. The companies' sales expectations may be too high, says Moskowitz, and could come back to bite them in the second half of 2011. "In our view, the technical and form factor improvements of the iPad 2 stand to make it tougher for the first generation of competitive offerings to play catch-up, meaning actual shipments could fall well short of plan," the analyst writes.
Acer has claimed that it has received more orders for its tablets than it is currently able to fulfill. The company has adopted a carrier model that will see its tablets ship on contract-bundled sales. According to the company, its three Iconia series tablets set to launch over March and April have generated more orders than it had anticipated leading to the supply shortfall. Acer also added that tight supply of touch panels, in particular, would also make it difficult to meet the total number of orders that it has received.
Elitegroup Computer Systems, a Taiwan-based ODM, has introduced several new Oak Trail-based tablets this week at CeBIT. A 10.1-inch variant can be built with 1366x768 or 1024x600 resolution, while battery life is claimed to reach over six hours. Other configuration options for the Windows 7 tablet includes 16GB or 32GB SSDs, a 120GB hard drive, and 1GB to 2GB of RAM.
After spending a short amount of time handling Motorola's pre-release Xoom tablets at CES and Mobile World Congress, Electronista has finally received a production unit for a full in-depth review. Before we delve deeper into the details, however, we have posted our initial impressions and several unboxing photos.
Several of Dell's upcoming smartphones and tablets have reportedly surfaced in alleged internal roadmaps for the company's 2011 plans. The handset document, which was posted on WP Central, shows an improved version of the current Venue Pro, named the 'MLK' version, along with a similar device paired with the code-name Wrigley.
Despite the focus this week on Microsoft's partnership with Nokia to develop Windows Phone handsets, the latter company has maintained separate collaboration with Intel to continue development of their own MeeGo OS. Electronista dropped by Intel's MeeGo pavilion to check out the latest version, which left us wondering if the OS will survive amid stiff competition.
Samsung's Mobile World Congress event primarily focused on the new Galaxy S II smartphone, but the company pulled the curtains back open to spend a few minutes talking about its second-generation tablet. Electronista took advantage of an opportunity to try out the new gadget, which is among the first to be based on Google's tablet-optimized Android 3.0 OS.
HTC is reportedly readying a new tablet, named the Flyer, that will be formally unveiled sometime in March, sources have told DigiTimes. The new device is said to be the first of three tablets the company is planning to introduce in the first half of 2011, with two more models scheduled for the second quarter.
Presenting at CES 2011, ASUS has announced four new Eee tablets. The first of these is the Eee Pad MeMO, a 7.1-inch tablet running Android 3.0. The device includes a stylus despite using an iPhone-like capacitive touchscreen, and can output video in 1080p by way of a micro HDMI port.
US tablet sales should more than double in 2011, says Forrester analyst Sarah Epps. Even though the firm's estimate for 2010 is being increased to 10.3 million units, Epps suggests that 2011 will be still more impressive with sales of 26 million. The trend is in fact predicted to accelerate well beyond the rate of PC sales, resulting in 82.1 million tablets in 2015. By contrast, only 44 million PCs are expected that year.
HP is sending out press invitations to a special webOS event on February 9th, reports say. The event will take place in San Francisco, and is being advertised with the slogan "Think big. Think small. Think beyond." Notably missing from the invitation graphic is Palm, which was bought by HP and originally created webOS; HP may be phasing out the Palm name.
LG is reportedly readying one of the many Android-based tablets that will appear in January at CES. Corroborating earlier reports, sources have told Korea Times the device will be based on Google's tablet-optimized Android release, v2.4 Honeycomb, which will be displayed on an 8.9-inch display.
Apple is currently slowing down iPad production in preparation for a second-generation tablet, says Concord Equity's Ming-Chi Kuo. The analyst claims that production has dropped to 1.6 million this month from 2.1 million units in November. Kuo suggests that a second-generation iPad will be announced in January, but this may be unlikely, as Apple typically limits the month's hardware revelations to minor updates unless a device is first-generation. The original incarnations of the iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air were all announced in the same month during different years.
Checks at retail confirm high demand for the iPad, says Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair. "Even with a handful of tablet competitors hitting the market, the iPad remained the only game in town in our holiday checks largely because many of the tablets hitting the market are junk for lack of a better word," he writes. Without naming specific models, Blair suggests that most tablets are currently "underpowered, poorly constructed and largely not ready for prime time."
Roughly 17 percent of the homes with an iPad have two or more tablets, a YouGov study claims. The research firm polled 1,667 tablet owners, of which 782 said they had an iPad, and 145 said they had at least one more tablet. Use by other people is said to be primary reason for having multiple tablets; 37 percent of iPad owners explained that a partner uses the iPad "all the time," while 17 percent cited family members, and 14 percent mentioned children.
