Tag Archives: IPAD

Aug 28

Apple’s iPad Mini to Debut Weeks After New ...

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With Apple expected to drop the new 6th generation iPhone on or around September 12th, it’s apparently not too early to begin looking forward to the next Apple product release.

Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long for that “next release” to come.

All things D is reporting today that Apple will host an October event to unveil the long-awaited smaller iPad.

“only after the next-generation iPhone is out the door and on sale will Apple announce the smaller iPad it’s been working on,” John Paczkowski writes. “that device, which is expected to have a display of less than eight inches, will be un-crated at a second special event, which sources said is currently scheduled for October.”

Daring Fireball’s John Gruber says both the new iPhone and the iPad Mini are such “larger than life” products that each requires its own dedicated media event to unveil the hardware.

“I don’t think Apple would want reviews of both a new iPhone and new-size iPad appearing at the same time,” Gruber says. “Why share the spotlight? why have another Apple product battling with the iPhone for the top spots in news coverage? … the more I think about it, the less sense it makes for the iPhone to even share the stage at the announcement with any other product. the iPhone is too big, too cool, and garners too much attention — and it’s in Apple’s interest to keep that attention undiluted.”

So… which Apple product are you most excited about? the new iPhone or the iPad Mini? Please weigh in with a thought or comment below.

Apple’s iPad Mini to Debut Weeks After New iPhone

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Aug 28

iPad Mini to Be Released in October, Sources Say

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An iPad 1 and an iPad 2.

It looks like the long-rumored iPad Mini will arrive just in time for the holidays. Apple will hold two events this fall: one for the iPhone 5 in September and then another one for the iPad Mini in October, AllThingsD first reported over the weekend. ABC News’ own sources have corroborated the widely cited report of Apple’s plans to hold two events.

While Apple hasn’t yet confirmed, the company is expected to hold a launch event for the next iPhone, or iPhone 5, Sept. 12 in California; the phone is expected to start shipping on Sept. 21. the launch date for the smaller iPad would come close to a month later in October.

According to previous reports, the smaller iPad is expected to have a 7.85-inch display, be less expensive than the current iPad, and have a smaller charging port. although Steve Jobs had expressed that the smaller tablet category was “dead on arrival,” an internal Apple email revealed in the Apple v. Samsung trial revealed the Jobs had warmed up to the idea before his passing.

“I believe there will be a 7-inch market and we should do one,” Eddy Cue, Apple senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, wrote in an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook and other senior Apple executives on Jan. 24, 2011.

“I expressed this to Steve several times since Thanksgiving and he seemed very receptive the last time. I found email, books, Facebook, and video very compelling on a 7-inch. Web browsing is definitely the weakest point, but still usable,” Cue said in the same email.

The competition in the 7-inch tablet market has heated up significantly in the last year.  Amazon’s and Barnes & Noble’s respective 7-inch tablets have been some of the more popular Android tablets around and in June Google released the 7-inch, $200 Nexus 7 tablet. Amazon is expected to release a new version of its Kindle Fire tablet during the first week of September at an event in Los Angeles.

Apple declined to comment.

iPad Mini to Be Released in October, Sources Say

Aug 27

Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPhone both face Korean ...

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Apple violated two Samsung patents related to mobile data transfer technologies, the Seoul Central District Court said.

Samsung, the world’s largest mobile phone maker, infringed one Apple patent related to a “bounce-back” touchscreen feature, it didn’t copy the design of the iPhone, the court said.

The Korean case echoes Apple and Samsung’s ongoing battle in California, where a federal court is considering a clutch of design and technology patent infringement claims and counter claims.

The companies have sued each other on four continents since April, accusing each other of copying products, design and technology as they battle for dominance of a smartphone market estimated to be worth $219 billion.

The sales bans imposed by the court in Seoul don’t cover Apple’s iPhone 4S, its newest iPad, or Samsung’s latest products including the Galaxy SIII phone, all of which were released after the lawsuits were filed.

“We welcome today’s ruling, which affirms our position that Apple has been using our mobile telecommunications standards patents without having obtained the necessary licenses,” Samsung said in a statement.

“Today’s ruling also affirmed our position that one single company cannot monopolize generic design features.”

Under the ruling, Apple must stop selling the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad 1 and iPad 2 in South Korea, while Samsung must stop selling 12 products including the Galaxy S, Galaxy SII and Galaxy Tab. The sales bans take effect immediately, though the companies can appeal.

On damages, Apple must pay Samsung £22,000, and the Korean company must pay its American rival £14,000.

Observers said the South Korean would have limited impact compared on the main battle in California.

“The US case is the important one. even a neutral verdict there would be a victory for Samsung,” Kim Hyung Sik, an analyst at Taurus Investment Securities, said.

In the US trial, Apple is seeking $2.5bn to $2.75bn in damages for its claims that Samsung infringed four design patents and three software patents in copying the iPhone and iPad. Apple also wants to make permanent a preliminary ban it won on US sales of a Samsung tablet computer and extend the ban to the South Korean company’s smartphones.

Samsung is meanwhile seeking as much as $421.8m in royalties that the company claims it’s owed for Apple’s infringement of two patents covering mobile-technology standards and three utility patents.

The jury is currently considering its verdict.

Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPhone both face Korean sales bans

Aug 27

Windows 8 tablets release date, specs and prices

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  • Windows 8 Pro to cost $199.99 after $69.99 promo pricing
  • Microsoft ditching ‘Metro’ name for Windows 8 amid trademark fears
  • Intel drops expectations amid Windows 8 and tablet talk

Microsoft’s been pushing tablet computers for the best part of a decade, so you can imagine how happy the iPad’s success makes them.

But Microsoft doesn’t give up easily, and Windows 8 tablets will be with us on the Windows 8 release date – 26 October. and before you dismiss Windows 8 tablets as a flash in the pan, it looks like we’ll be getting a huge variety of them, ranging from simple slates to fully convertibfle ultraportable laptops.

Microsoft has made the Release Preview of Windows 8 available publicly, so you can check it out for yourself as well as read our Hands on: Windows 8 review.

Windows 8 is a crucial product for Microsoft financially, and it has also committed to larger touchscreen displays too – buying big-screen multitouch tech firm Perceptive Pixel.

Windows 8 tablets will run on ARM, Intel and AMD chips

As well as traditional x86-based AMD and Intel machines, Windows 8 can now run on ARM-based hardware – the same type of kit as the iPad or any Android tablet. Expect plenty of interesting kit to hit the streets after the launch of Windows 8.

  • Hands on: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga review

Windows 8 for ARM tablets will come out at the same time as Windows 8 for x86 PCs, if everything goes according to plan. As of mid-May we’re hearing that Intel Windows 8 tablets will arrive in November.

Most Windows 8 tablets will run a version of the OS called just plain Windows 8, while there will also be Windows 8 Pro. Both of those are for x86 Intel and AMD devices.

ARM devices will have Windows 8 pre-installed (you won’t be able to buy it separately). this version of the OS will be referred to as Windows RT – a name which many have slated.

If you’re confused about the difference, we’ve put together this guide: Windows 8 vs Windows RT: what’s the difference?

Read more about the Windows 8 versions here: making sense of the Windows 8 versions

However, there will be a major difference between the x86 and ARM-based tablets. Windows RT won’t support traditional desktop apps (except for a bundled, cut-down version of Microsoft Office and other basic Windows apps). everything else will be done through the Metro interface.

Lenovo, Dell and Samsung are all jumping in to produce PCs compatible with the operating system, joining Asus’Tablet 600 and Microsoft’s Surface. For the latest on what the products will be, read on.

While speculation circled for awhile about nearly all companies producing ARM-friendly tablets, Microsoft also let it be known that laptops, complete with keyboards and trackpads, are also part of the production package.

Microsoft kept a lid on the third-party Windows RT guest list, only allowing three major ARM chip makers – Nvidida, Texas Instruments and Qualcomm – to select two manufacturers a piece to build their first RT tablets.

Noticeably absent from the hardware manufactures is the No. 1 PC producer in the world, HP. the company said it’s avoiding ARM tablets in order to focus on an Intel tablet.

Intel CEO Paul Otellini hit out at Windows RT tablets, saying traditional x86 machines “have the advantage of the incumbency, the legacy support.”

Windows 8 tablets

Intel said in April that Windows 8 tablets will pack a dual-core Atom Z2760 “Clover Trail” chip, which features a “burst-mode”, providing an extra boost of power when required. Clover Trail also boasts hyperthreading technology, allowing it to act like a quad-core chip at certain times.

Intel also claims its Windows 8 tablets will deliver over nine hours of battery, 4G connectivity, NFC technology, weigh less than 680g (1.5 pounds) and sport a slender, sub-9mm body. however, tablets we’ve seen, such as the testbed Windows 8 Samsung tablet, have been running more powerful processors such as the Intel Core i5.

Tom’s Hardware reports that Intel and Microsoft are looking to reduce the iPad’s 70-per cent global market share down to below 50-per cent by the middle of 2013. however, the jury’s still out as to whether Windows 8 tablets can really make a dent. Analyst Gartner says that Windows 8 tablets will only take a 4 per cent market share this year though.

Some sources reckon that there will be 32 Windows 8 tablets by the end of 2012, while Intel has said it expects over 20 Windows 8 tablet designs based on its silicon.

Windows 8 tablets will have the new Metro interface

As we saw in our Hands on: Windows 8 review, Windows 8 tablets will have a marvellous new interface that looks rather like Windows Phone 7, called Metro.

  • 10 ways Windows 8 tablets can take on the iPad

“Fast, fluid and dynamic, the experience has been transformed while keeping the power, flexibility and connectivity of Windows intact,” says Microsoft’s head of Windows Experience Julie Larson-Green.

Windows 8 tablets

“Although the new user interface is designed and optimised for touch, it works equally well with a mouse and keyboard. our approach means no compromises – you get to use whatever kind of device you prefer, with peripherals you choose, to run the apps you love. this is sure to inspire a new generation of hardware and software development, improving the experience for PC users around the world.”

In late October 2011, Microsoft was forced to talk about how Windows 8 tablets would deal with portrait orientations – all the demonstrations thus far have been of Windows 8 tablets in landscape.

Here’s a walk-through of the Consumer Preview version:

Windows 8 tablets desktop

In February Microsoft confirmed that new ARM versions of Windows 8 tablets would have the traditional desktop as well as the new Metro interface – but it will only allow third-party Metro apps.

On ARM, the Windows desktop, with familiar apps like Explorer, Internet Explorer and the Windows Live apps, plus Office – but everything else will be Metro.the inclusion of Office means pricing for manufacturers will be high – leading us to conclude that most Windows 8 tablets will be Intel-based.

WIndows 8 removes the now-familiar Aero Glass effect seen in Windows 7 and Windows Vista and replaces it with a much plainer appearance on the desktop.

Desktop

  • Windows 8 on ARM: Steven Sinofsky speaks

Windows 8 tablets don’t have start orb

Microsoft is also facing somewhat of a backlash as Windows 8 loses the start Orb, better known as the start button – it’s replaced by the start menu in the Metro interface.

Windows 8 start menu

Microsoft has had to defend the decisions it’s made with the start Menu in Windows 8.

Windows 8 tablets manufacturers

The first one Windows 8 tablet wasn’t a commercial model – a Samsung Windows 8 tablet shown off at Microsoft’s Build conference and given out to developers on 13 September 2011.

Samsung will definitely be making a full Windows 8 tablet as well as prepping its own Windows RT tablet ready for a launch alongside Windows 8 itself. the new tablet will apparently feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor.

Microsoft is also joining the party with Microsoft Surface – a tablet of its own making that will come with a keyboard cover. the Microsoft Surface release date is the same day as the Windows 8 release date – 26 October.

Surface has already appeared on Amazon, while Microsoft has admitted the new hardware has upset some of its partners.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has set his sights high, but not too high, for the tablet. “We may sell a few million,” he said during Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference.

He said overall sales of Windows PCs could hit 375 million in the next year, but that he’s unsure exactly how many of those will be Microsoft Surface tablet sales. but he said that the Surface “will have a distinct place in what’s a broad Windows ecosystem.”

The main version of Surface runs Windows RT – however, you won’t be able to get it until Windows 8 ships – and we can’t get its big brother, the Intel Core i5 Surface for Windows 8 Pro, for another three months after that.

Microsoft Surface

HP also said it would be making Windows 8 tablets but they will be Intel-based for the moment – check out the leaked HP Slate 8 details here)

It has been widely reported that Dell is pinning its hopes on Windows 8. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, CEO Michael Dell said Windows 8 tablets “have a lot of potential.” he spoke of the bonus opportunities as they will be compatible with existing systems and software.

“We’re very encouraged by the touch capability we are seeing in the beta versions of Windows 8,” added Dell’s chief commercial officer Steve Felice in a Reuters interview on March 16.

“We have a roadmap for tablets that we haven’t announced yet. You’ll see some announcements.. for the back half of the year,” he said. “We don’t think that this market is closed off in any way.”

Speaking on Dell’s Q2 earnings call in August – during which it revealed a 22 per cent fall in consumer sales – CFO and senior VP Brian Gladden tried to allay investors’ concerns with the promise of new hardware.

“You’ll see new Windows 8 ultrabooks, all-in-one tablets and converged devices in the fourth quarter and headed into next year,” he told them.

Details have leaked of a forthcoming Windows 8 tablet from Dell – the Dell Latitude 10. According to Neowin, it’s a 10.8 inch tablet with 1366×768 resolution, dual-core Intel Atom processor, fingerprint reader, 2GB RAM and 128GB SSD. Neowin also reports that a convertible tablet will follow. however, some suggest that the pretty-standard specs are disappointing.

On 9 may 2011, we reported on a rumour of a forthcoming Nokia Windows 8 tablet. the info comes from phone commentator Eldar Murtazin, who wrote on the Mobile Review forum that Nokia will launch a tablet in 2012, possibly pushed back to 2013. Nokia said at October 2011′s Nokia World that Windows 8 represents a “broader opportunity” for the company, (reported by TechCrunch).

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop later said that the company was looking at the tablet market and is considering just how to take on the might of the iPad.

“There’s a new tablet opportunity coming… Unquestionably, that will change the dynamics [of the tablet market].” it would appear the Nokia Windows 8 tablet could be slated for June 2012.

Digitimes claimed in March 2012 that a Windows 8 Nokia tablet wouldn’t be with us until the very end of 2012 at the earliest.

A leaked slide from Netbooknews.de indicates that Asus will begin selling Windows 8 tablets in Q3 2012. at the time of the launch of the Android-powered Google Nexus 7 in July it expanded further on this: “Asus will have several tablets ready at Windows 8 launch, however out of respect for Microsoft as a partner are unable to provide any more information at this time other than what was announced at Computex [in June].”

Acer originally told TechRadar that the forthcoming Windows 8 OS could bring Microsoft back to consumer tablet devices – so expect it to launch some Windows 8 devices.

“We think that Windows 8 tablets could well be a proposition for both consumers and professionals,” said a spokesperson.

At Computex 2012, Acer duly unveiled two new Windows 8 tablets that will be with us this year.

First up is Acer’s Iconia W700, which features an 11.6-inch full HD touchscreen and Dolby Home Theater sound. the model also boasts a micro HDMI, Thunderbolt, and three USB 3.0 ports.

The Iconia W700 will also include a rather bulky cradle for both landscape and portrait viewing options in either a 70 degree presentation mode or a 20 degree angle best suited for touch use.

Acer’s second tablet is the smaller Iconia W510, sporting a 10.1 inch screen. it has a keyboard attachment – Acer says the slice can extend the tablet’s battery for up to 18 hours of use and can be flipped 295 degrees for a presentation mode to watch videos or show Powerpoint presentations to your pet cat.

Lenovo is also working with Intel on a ThinkPad Windows 8 tablet, which will come with a pen stylus and optional physical keyboard dock much like the Microsoft Surface’s Type Cover keyboard.

Weighing 1.3 pounds and measuring 9.8mm thin, the tablet will run Microsoft’s Windows 8 and an Intel Atom processor.

It looks like this tab will replace the ThinkPad Tablet. Lenovo will also be releasing the ThinkPad Yoga convertible and it looks increasingly likely this will come in both x86 and ARM versions.

The Tablet 2 also sports an Intel dual-core Clover Trail processor, a 10.1-inch WXGA touchscreen, 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

Windows 8

Windows 8 tablets pricing

Entry level slates could hit the shelves with price tags of under $300 – although not everybody believes that price point would make sense. indeed, Windows 8 manufacturers seem to be suggesting that Windows 8 touchscreen devices won’t be cheap – Dell said in may that they would be priced higher – although he was mainly talking about laptops.

According to DigiTimes, Windows on ARM tablets will struggle to meet manufacturer’s target prices to compete against the iPad – in other words, they could be a good deal more expensive.

Windows 8 tablets will have a lot of support

During an earnings call in mid-August, Nvidia’s Jen-Hsun Huang also said: “I’m very bullish about Windows 8,” adding: “I think it’s going to be an amazing operating system. Windows 8 tablets and Windows 8 clam shells that Tegra is going into, I hope will translate into real growth for our company in the second half of next year.”

“We’re not leading the charge on Windows 8, but as we become comfortable that [Windows 8] is a viable ecosystem [and] that the quality of innovation and quality of services and quality of capabilities [are] being delivered there, we will certainly be open to that,” he said in response to a question.

Nvidia has been involved with delivering sample Windows 8 tablets to developers.

Motorola has also said it is “completely open to Windows as a platform” according to Cnet.

Australian site Smarthouse.au claims some vendors will even move away from Android tablets in favour of Windows 8.

Windows 8 tablets will be thin and light

While Dell makes some unusually shaped tablets already, the Samsung tablet is “similar in size and shape to the Apple iPad, although it is not as thin.” unlike the iPad, “it also includes a unique and slick keyboard that slides out from below for easy typing.”

Some Windows 8 tablets will be designed for business

“The company believes there is a huge market for business people who want to enjoy a slate for reading newspapers and magazines and then work on Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint while doing work,” the NYT says, quoting the inevitable “person familiar with the company’s tablet plans”.

Windows 8 tablets will have apps and an app store

Apps are a big part of Windows 8, with Microsoft convinced that “app development will move to the web” and it has built a Windows Store with manufacturer-specific entrances. Again, we saw a lot more detail on this in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview.

Windows 8 will come with a number of pre-installed Metro apps, which look set to include things like a camera, messaging, mail, calendar, SkyDrive, people, photos, video and music.

The apps will be in the Windows Phone Metro style and some, like messaging may incorporate mobile aspects like SMS support.

Dolby says its technologies will be integrated into Windows 8 tablets and PCs.

Windows 8 tablets

Windows 8 tablet specs

According to Microsoft, Windows 8 supports a 10.1-inch tablet display with 291 pixels per inch resolution. the new iPad has 265 ppi. That probably means HD resolution tablet displays will be a standard feature of Windows 8 tablets.

Intel has also blogged about new sensors that will be inside Ultrabooks as well as Windows 8 tablets.

Windows 8 tablets release date, specs and prices

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Aug 23

New, Cheap Android Phones And Tablets Released

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Two more budget Android devices have been released recently and they are the ideal ones for basic usage. One of them is a basic smartphone running Android, the Pantech “Marauder”, that is being released on Verizon and the other is a tablet that is released by Archos, runs ICS and is priced at only $250. However, it is in the league of the iPad, and not a 7” device like the Nexus 7.

The first device, the Pantech Marauder is going to be available on Verizon to both existing and new customers to smartphones and it appears to be a pretty good deal. the device is going to feature two user interface modes under a dual interface option, which features a standard mode and a starter mode. the starter mode is going to have limited home screens, 4 in number and the widgets are preset and are laid out in an uncluttered fashion. On the other hand, the standard mode is the default smartphone experience and is going to have several home screens and users have total freedom to customize it all, which is the way regular Android devices are. the Marauder is priced quite low at $49.99 at select retailers with a two year contract, but it is quite power packed with a 1.2GHz dual core processor and 1GB of RAM. moreover, it has 4G LTE connectivity making it a smartphone that can run quite a while into the future.

Coming to the tablet, the Archos 97 Carbon is an ICS tablet designed to compete with the iPad in terms of performance, design and price. It has a 9.7” screen, similar to the iPad and features a resolution of 1024×768, which is the iPad 2 screen resolution. On the inside, the tablet features 16GB of internal storage and 1GB of RAM. though the nature of the processor is unknown right now, it is likely to be a moderately powerful device. the tablet comes with a reasonable set of features such as a HDMI out port and a full size USB port to interface devices easily. Pricing is quite good at $250 and as an introductory offer, it is available for $230, which is quite a steal.

Cheaper Android phones and tablets are quite aplenty from lesser known manufacturers but they are yet to make a dent in the armor of Apple’s dominance in the tablet industry, which as a whole revolves around the iPad.  You can pre-order the Pantech Marauder for only $49.99.

New, Cheap Android Phones And Tablets Released

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Aug 22

The Apple iPad is Leading the Charge in Tablet ...

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The tablet segment has seen robust growth in the second quarter and guess what contributed to the success story the most? Well, its Apple of course which led the sales out of all the different tablets on the market. To put it in sheer numbers, a total of about 25 million tablet devices found buyers in the second quarter of 2012, reports IDC which marked an increase of 33.6% increase over the 18.7 million tablet devices sold in Q1 2012. the increase in tablet sales is even more impressive when compared with the corresponding figure for the same period a year ago when 15 million tablet PCs got sold, leading to a growth of 66.67%.

Now coming to Apple’s contribution to the about 25 million tablet PCs sold in Q2 2012, the iPad alone made up for 17 million tablet devices which is clearly more than all other tablet devices available in the market. This again is am impressive improvement over the 11.8 million iPads sold in Q1 2012.

“Apple built upon its strong March iPad launch and ended the quarter with its best-ever shipment total for the iPad, outrunning even the impressive shipment record it set in the fourth quarter of last year,” said Tom Mainelli, research director, Mobile Connected Devices. “the vast majority of consumers continue to favor the iPad over competitors, and Apple is seeing increasingly strong interest in the device from vertical markets—especially education. while iPad shipment totals are beginning to slow a bit in mature markets where the device saw early traction, growth in other regions is clearly more than making up the difference.”

However, while Apple has emerged head and shoulders above all other players in the segment, other too haven’t been left out of the fun entirely. For instance, Samsung too recorded impressive sales with 2.4 million units shipped during the period, which in turn is over hundred percent increase over the 1.1 million units sold a year ago. Amazon too chipped in with shipment of 1.2 million units of the Kindle Fire. the Kindle Fire was launched towards the end of 2011 and is already due for a replacement soon. however, these were the only players to have breached the million sales figure mark though the other tablet that too has notched up significant sales is the Nexus 7. There are no sales figures available though of the Nexus 7 as the Google tablet went on sale during the Q3 period.

As for the future, IDC expects things to remain competitive in the tablet sphere during the second half of 2012 what with products such as MS Surface or the Kindle Fire 2 all set to be unleashed during this period. a mini iPad too can be ruled out and if it is indeed released, expect it to create the same sort of frenzy as its bigger cousin should have now become used to by now.

“If anything, there’s a real risk that people will have too many options from which to choose this holiday season. Consumers baffled by the differences between Amazon and Google versions of Android, or Windows 8 and Windows RT, may well default to market leader Apple. or they may simply choose to remain on the sideline for another cycle,” said said Bob O’Donnell, program vice president, Clients and Displays.

The Apple iPad is Leading the Charge in Tablet Sales

Aug 21

India's Aakash-2: iPad Guts In A Miraculous ...

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Inexpensive homegrown tablets – think between US$60 and $200 – abound in India, where the per-capita income, despite the fast-rising economy, remains US$3,700 per year. but the uncrowned king of inexpensive, Indian-made tablets is the Aakash tablet.

I say uncrowned because the student-designed, government-subsidized Aakash has yet to hit the market. and for awhile this year, the $35 tablet looked like it never would.

Besides poor reviews of version one of the Aakash tablet, there have been fingerpointing and legal suits flying between the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), whose students and professors designed the tablet, the Indian manufacturer, and the Canadian firm DataWind overseeing the manufacturer.

The Aakash-2 sports the same ARM chipset as the iPhone 4 and the first iPad. not bad – just watch out for the 3-hour battery life.

But in an article last week, New York Times correspondent Pamposh Raina reports that the Aakash not only appears to be back on track, but is now targeted to be even less expensive and with better hardware than before.

How cheap? For Indian college students, the price of the Aakash-2 has fallen 40% to about $21 (1,132 rupees). a commercial version called the “UbiSlate” will cost between 3,499 and 4,299 rupees, or between $65 and $80.

And what will students get for $21? a 7-inch Android tablet/phone which, despite the latest upgrades, is honestly about 12-18 months behind what you’ll see on the shelves of Best Buy. That’s a relatively long time in the mobile game. But hey, at this price, who can complain?

Internally, the Aakash uses a single-core ARM Cortex-A8 running at 800 MHz, an video co-processor to provide HD video, and 256 MB of RAM. though out of date in the dual/quad-core era, let’s not forget that the Cortex-A8 with 256 MB RAM is what powers the original iPad (though at a slightly-faster 1 GHz).

Other popular devices using the Cortex-A8 include the iPhone 4, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color, Lenovo’s IdeaPad A1, the Archos 5, and the Palm Pre (the latter four all via TI’s OMAP chipset).

The original Aakash only came with a 7-inch resistive touchscreen. though cheaper, these require pressure from users’ fingers or styluses, and are rarely used in modern tablets.

The Aakash-2 now also comes in a glossy capacitive touchscreen version with a 800×480 resolution. according to Raina, navigation on the capacitive screen “was simple and fast, needing only a light touch,” while video was “decent quality” with “very little pixelization.”

One of the more impressive things about the Aakash-2 are its communication options. They include Wi-Fi a/b/g, a GPRS modem for which subscriptions will only cost 98 rupees per month, or less than US$2, and the ability to add a SIM card for voice phone access.

The Inevitable Tradeoffs

You’ll need the data options to get on the Web or cloud, because the Aakash-2′s internal storage (2 or 4 GB) is meager, though users can add up to 32 GB via an unspecified memory card slot.

The casing is a generic rubberized black plastic. and the operating system is out of date - Android 2.3 Gingerbread. though it should be noted that Gingerbread still runs on 60% of Android tablets in use today. and the makers are upfront that the Aakash’s battery life is only 3 hours.

One Tablet Per Backpack.

Unlike the One Laptop Per Child Project, the Aakash does not feature any sunlight-readable displays, or any other cutting-edge, MIT-developed technology. It is simply a bare-bones Android tablet delivered at a miraculous price. I plan to bug my Indian colleagues to buy one for me the next time they go back home.

Like the OLPC, which has fallen short of its initial goals and only delivered 2.4 million laptops to school children worldwide in the last 7 years, the Aakash project has had its share of problems. hopefully, it’s moved past them – permanently.

Over the next six months, about 100,000 tablets are scheduled to be delivered to IIT, which plans to install a number of engineering and other educational Android apps.

In a country where more than 600 million people are under the age of 25, the Aakash tablet’s makers have the opportunity to bridge the digital divide for hundreds of millions of students. and perhaps even jumpstart an Indian mobile hardware industry.

India's Aakash-2: iPad Guts In A Miraculous US$21 Android Tablet

Aug 21

Toshiba Excite AT305 vs The New iPad

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For those looking for a tablet PC to enhance your productivity at work, or to tap into the world of multimedia, you will be spoilt for choice. This can sometimes make it harder to judge which is the best tablet for your needs. For this reason it would be useful to take a look at the market and pick out the leading manufacturer’s tablets to see what they have to offer. the new iPad offers a nice compromise to both business and consumer users alike. Compared to its predecessors, the new iPad offers its Retina display, faster processor, and 4G (LTE) capabilities (US only). So to see which tablet comes out on top, check out this article to discover the answer that everyone wants to know.

Form

Toshiba Excite AT305 – 262 x 178 x 9.0mm, 599g.

The New iPad – 241 x 186 x 9.4mm, 660g for Wi-Fi + 4G LTE.

The new iPad look indistinguishable from its predecessor, but the insides have been somewhat upgraded. So, the outer shell remains black or white front glass panels, with options for 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB storage capacities. it has the same size and shape as its predecessors. the new iPad is slightly thicker and heavier than its older siblings, which is not noticeable.

At just 9.0mm, this Toshiba Excite AT305 is the one of the thinnest tablets currently available and it feels great in the hand as a result. it is slightly thinner than the new iPad (9.4mm). it is light too, at 599g. All that is not bad for a tablet with a ten-inch screen. the whole thing looks neat and there are three models to choose from 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage, and you can add more storage via a full-sized SD card slot. This is the plus point.

Flip the Excite AT305 over and the rounded corners give the tablet a nice appearance with premium design, as does the silver backplate. the backplate has a brushed aluminium look to it, which is made of plastic.

In term of design, both the Excite AT305 and the new iPad look fine but are nothing out of the ordinary. they are ultra-thin. This is a draw.

Display

Toshiba has equipped the Excite AT305 with a massive 10.1-inch screen making it ideal for graphics-rich activities, delivering 1280×800 pixels with good viewing angles. the brightness and clarity are fantastic. On top of that, the Corning Gorilla Glass is very robust and scratch resistant. Generally speaking that is comparable to other ten-inch devices such as the ASUS Eee Pad transformer Prime and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Apple has managed to use its Retina display technology with the new iPad, typically found on the 3.5-inch iPhone range. the new iPad features a monster 9.7-inch Retina display. the display resolution is at 2048×1536 (QXGA) pixels, twice the resolution of the iPad 2, and would give a pixel density somewhere in the region of 264ppi.

So, Apple’s Retina technology definitely outshines Toshiba’s display.

Winner – the New iPad

Storage

The Excite AT305 offers three models to choose between either 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage which is expandable via a memory card support up to 32GB, as well as 1GB of RAM.

The new iPad also comes with the options for 16GB, 32GB and 64GB and, as usual with Apple products, without any external card storage to boost internal storage. the memory is 1GB of RAM.

Both devices offer the same RAM but with the way Apple products omitted memory expansion, this is likely to be a negative factor when it comes to the price. you have to pay additional $130 to upgrade from16GB to 32GB or 32GB to 64GB model for the new iPad, while you just purchase inexpensive memory cards to boost the internal storage for the Excite AT305.

Winner – Toshiba Excite AT305

Processor

There is a NVIDIA Tegra 3 mobile processor with Super 4-PLUS-1 quad-core with 5th battery-saver core in Toshiba’s Excite AT305. This is the same Tegra 3 quad-core processor in the ASUS Transformer Prime that is soaking up all the speed plaudits at present. This innovative 4-plus-1 chip actually includes a quad-core CPU with an extra fifth core designed to handle low power functions. Toshiba AT305 ships with Android 4.0 operating system, however with its chipset and 1GB of RAM, you can expect this tablet to have speedy performance.

The new iPad sports a dual-core Apple A5X custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip with quad-core graphics, which according to reports will boast 20 times the power of Apple’s A5 chipset setup found on the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S.

Operating System

The Toshiba Excite AT305 runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, any Android tablet shipping without it is immediately starting off on the back foot. in addition to easy multitasking and enhanced notifications, you also experience powerful new ways of communicating and sharing. the tablet has the ability to handle quite well with smooth multi-tasking, you will like the customisation interface which is innovative and user-friendly.

You can experience better web browsing with tab capability, more fluid navigation controls and enhanced performance. the latest Android, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, still boasts some significant improvements which would be most welcome on the Excite AT305. with very little bloatware from Toshiba, this keeps the tablet running smooth and fast.

The new iPad ships with iOS 5.1, Apple’s own iOS operating system, it can sync with a Mac or PC using iTunes, although iOS 5 and later can be completely Mac and PC-free.

The new iPad will feature the Siri voice assistant, as previously seen on the iPhone 4S. it is believed that the new iPad will probably have the edge on the operating system front, while the Excite AT305 runs Ice Cream Sandwich, which is easy to use and works well.

Camera

Toshiba has equipped the Excite AT305 with a 5-megapixel rear camera with a 2592х1944 pixel resolution and video capture in 720p. there is a 2MP front camera as well. This camera features include geo-tagging, an LED flash, autofocus, and digital zoom. it is a fairly basic camera that will deliver the decent image quality, but if you really want quality pictures you’d be better off using your digital camera.

The new iPad also offers a 5-megapixel iSight camera at 2592 x 1944 pixel resolution and video capture in 1080p with video stabilisation. it sports the usual crop of features such as an LED flash, tap to focus, geo-tagging, and face detection. the front-facing camera is VGA, used for Apple’s integrated ‘Facetime’ video calling over Wi-Fi.

This is an easy win for Apple with a much better camera setup.

Winner – the New iPad

Final Words

Toshiba’s latest device does a lot of things right with lots of promise in the physical design. it is a speedy beast and works well as a tablet for work and play. it is right at the cutting-edge of what an Android tablet has to offer. it is worth buying when compared with the top-end competition. the Excite AT305 is well-built with USB and HDMI ports, as well as a full-sized SD card slot.

For anyone has owned the original iPad, the new iPad is a great improvent. the new Retina display is a huge step forward. the high resolution makes everything on the screen look crisp and clear. So you get new graphics, impressive screen, better camera along with the same great user experience, the same top-notch audio quality and all that without a toll on battery life. Additionally, users in the States get the 4G LTE connectivity too.

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Aug 18

Archos 97 Carbon tablet with Android 4.0 is now up ...

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Archos seems to have realized that there is a huge group of people that want affordable tablets that look good and work well. this is how the Archos 97 Carbon seems to have been born. It’s a 10-inch tablet, so it’s not really a competitor to the Nexus 7. it has the same aspect ratio as the iPad (4:3), same resolution as the iPad 2, 1024×768, it runs Android 4.0, and it costs only $250.

Not everything about it is perfect, though. The processor is only a single-core 1 GHz CPU, which means browsing performance and overall performance will not be the best, although it shouldn’t be terrible either. I expect the interface to work well with Android 4.0, and if they upgrade it to Android 4.1 it should work even better.

The Archos 97 Carbon also has 16 GB of storage and 1 GB of RAM, so it matches the similarly priced Nexus 7. MicroSD support is there as well, so that’s another advantage it has over the Nexus 7. There’s no mention of what type of GPU the Archos has, but they claim it decodes 1080p video, so you shouldn’t experience any problems when watching media.

It also comes with a HDMI-out port and a full USB port, which once again increases the connectivity options over the Nexus 7. There are two cameras as well, and, although I wouldn’t expect high quality, they should get the job done.

Archos is currently running a deal giving a $20 discount to the buyers of the Elements series tablets, which includes the Archos 97 Carbon tablet, so if you hurry, you might be ale to get it for only $230.

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ASUS Transformer Infinity And Eee Pad To Get ...

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ASUS's Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 has started shipping and will compete against Google's new Nexus 7 Tablet and Apple's iPad. 

ASUS unveiled its all-new powerful 700 series in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. the new tablet wowed fans with its 1920×1200 HD resolution that beats most laptops and doubles the brilliance of its predecessor, which comes with 1,280×800 pixels.

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While both the Tf700 and Nexus 7 come with a Tegra 3 processor, the Tf700 is clocked at 1.6 GHz and the Nexus 7 comes in at 1.3 GHz.

The Tf700 is also an improvement on the Eee Pad Transformer Prime Tf201, which was released in December. the Eee Pad was criticized for its poor GPS performance, which Asus said stemmed from a metallic unibody design that affects the performance of GPS when receiving signals from satellites. Most of the tablet's glitches have been addressed, changing its back-panel design to increase the performance of GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, it said.

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ASUS Transformer Infinity And Eee Pad To Get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Update