Tag Archives: nexus

Aug 30

Motorola Xoom Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Update ...

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Google promised that the Motorola Xoom would be one of the first devices to get the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update and it appears that the company will make good on that promise.

According to Droid-Life, members of Motorola’s Feedback Network have confirmed that Motorola has begun sending out invites to test new software. Motorola hasn’t explicitly said what the software is, but because we haven’t heard of any other upcoming updates, we’re inclined to believe that it’s the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update that Google promised for mid-July.

The update is going to be coming to the Wi-Fi model of the Motorola Xoom first. unfortunately, it’s unclear when the Verizon version of the Motorola Xoom will see the upgrade to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Read: Verizon could Hinder the Galaxy Nexus Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Update.

It’s also not clear when the update for the Wi-Fi model will roll out. Should the testing of the software go well, the update should roll out in a matter of days. If there are issues, it could mean a bit of a delay.

Google originally promised Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the Motorola Xoom, Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S would be among the first to see Android 4.1. the Motorola Xoom is the second device to get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. the first was the Samsung Galaxy Nexus HSPA+, which saw the software roll out last week.

Sadly, we still don’t have any timeline for the updates for the Nexus S or Galaxy Nexus but we expect to hear something come to the surface in the not-so-distant future.

That being said, those who own the Wi-Fi Motorola Xoom should be on the look out for a software update in the form of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

It should arrive soon.

Read: Jelly Bean makes Galaxy Nexus Faster, Smoother & Smarter.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was originally announced at the end of June at Google I/O. the software is going to bring a number of new features and enhancements including Google now, re-sizable widgets, customization notifications, offline Voice dictation, and more.

Companies like HTC and Samsung have promised to update current device owners on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update time lines soon, but as of yet, we haven’t see any official details.

Motorola Xoom Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Update Rolling Out Soon?

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Aug 28

Acer Iconia Tab A110 priced in the UK at £179, to ...

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We all know that any piece of technology is nothing without good marketing, which is why we’re pretty upset to see how Acer is choosing to (not) advertise its upcoming Iconia Tab A110 tablet.

Secretively unveiled back in June at Computex Taipei, the 7-incher looked like a winner to us, both in terms of raw power and pricing. it was pretty obvious that this little guy was capable enough to take on Amazon’s Kindle Fire, which basically changed the way we look at tablets.

In the meantime, Google unleashed the Nexus 7, so 7-inch tablet competition grew ever stronger, but the few of us that remembered the A110 still felt like this could be a gadget to look for. Unfortunately, we heard nothing about it ever since its unveiling.

Although we still have nothing official to report on the “Nexus 7 killer”, a rumor has surfaced online regarding the new tab’s release date and pricing. According to stuff.tv, the A110 will go up for sale in the UK at the end of September for £179 (the 8 GB version).

There’s no mention about a possible US launch in this fresh new report, but we’re willing to bet the 7-incher won’t take long to hit the States. As for pricing, we hope to see the tab selling for as less as $179, but we admit that a $199 tag won’t make it undesirable either.

Meanwhile, the Acer Iconia Tab A110 has popped up on Ebuyer.com, the official website of the largest independent online retailer of electrical goods in the UK. the tab is, of course, listed as “out of stock” with no mention of an ETA, so this is most likely the work of a zealous worker who wanted a shortcut to a favorable Google search position.

The amusing part at Ebuyer’s listing is the gadget’s spec sheet, where the A110 is mentioned as coming with “Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.1” out of the box. This also stinks of SEO optimization from a mile, although it could only be an innocent spelling error. or, but this is a very long shot, the 7-incher might actually be running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean upon its release, and not ICS.

If you’ve missed the A110’s introduction from June (and you most likely did), here’s the tab’s full spec sheet:

So what do you Android enthusiasts think? could Acer give Amazon and Google a run for their money? And does this 7-incher stand a chance without a heavy marketing campaign behind it?

Acer Iconia Tab A110 priced in the UK at £179, to be released in late September

Aug 25

Google Nexus 7 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 ...

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Samsung was once the preferred partner of Google, producing not one but two Nexus mobile phones. These were the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus. Google’s Nexus alliance has switched of late, with the Internet search engine giant partnering with Asus for the Nexus 7 Android tablet. Samsung recently released a 7in tablet: the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. This device was the successor to the Tab 7.0 Plus from 2011, which in turn replaced the original 2010 Tab. the 7in screen tablet market now has a new challenger for the crown, the Nexus tablet. ITProPortal is measuring up all the specifications of the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 against the Nexus 7, in a head-to-head comparison of their features.

The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 was announced in February this year, with a 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4430 processor. the tablet is powerful enough, but it’s a slight step back from the Tab 7.0 Plus’ 1.2GHz CPU.

Google’s Nexus 7 now enters the arena with a quad-core 1.2GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 chip that outperforms the two. As the name implies, this has four main CPU cores (all ARM Cortex-A9 ones like those in the Galaxy Tab’s OMAP CPU) for multiprocessing and performance-intensive tasks. It also has a fifth “companion core” that uses a low power silicon process for less intensive tasks such as background email syncing, social media updates and while the device is in standby. This “battery-saving” core is capped at 500MHz and is ‘on’ while video and audio playback is being handled by the Tegra 3′s dedicated hardware decoders and encoders.

The Nexus 7′s Nvidia Tegra 3 SoC also features a 12-core GeForce graphics processing unit for rendering games, graphics and Flash-based content. Samsung, on the other hand, has opted for the quad-core ARM Mali-400 GPU.

At 193.7 x 122.4 x 10.5mm (HxWxD), the Tab 2 7.0 is not too far off the Nexus 7′s 198.5 x 120 x 10.45mm dimensions. Basically, the Tab 2 is a little shorter and a littler wider. their weights are also similar – 345g for the Tab 2 and 340g for the Nexus 7.

The two products have powerful batteries, with Google claiming that the Nexus 7 is capable of eight hours of active use. This comes with a 4,326mAh battery, whereas the Tab 2 7.0 has a 4,000mAh one.

Both have 7in displays, although they differ based on the technology used. There’s a PLS (Plane-to-Line Switching) LCD in the Galaxy Tab 2 and an IPS (In-Plane Switching) one in the Nexus 7. These panels provide wide viewing angles and good brightness, although Samsung’s PLS tech is meant to deliver a higher brightness level with lower power consumption. the two tablets differ in terms of resolution, too, with the Samsung device sporting 1,024 x 600 pixels and the Google device a ”720p-ready” 1,280 x 800 pixels.

Rear-facing cameras aren’t always necessary in tablets, although front-facing versions are useful for video-calling. both have front cameras, with a 640 x 480-pixel sensor in the Tab 2 and a 1.2-megapixel sensor in the Nexus 7. the Tab 2 does have a rear-facing 3.2-megapixel snapper that can record HD 720p video.

Accessing the Internet is key for any mobile device, none more so than a tablet. the Nexus 7 only ships in a Wi-Fi edition, but with Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC built-in. the Tab 2 7.0 is available in 3G and Wi-Fi versions, which does add an extra £100 to the cost. there is only Bluetooth 3.0 as standard here with no NFC support.

Both tablets run Google’s Android operating system, with the familiar Samsung TouchWiz user interface on top of the Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 OS. ICS is not always expected with tablets that shipped early this year, so it was a key attraction to the 2012 Samsung range. the Nexus 7 ships with the very latest version of Android, Jelly Bean 4.1. It’s the first new product to go on sale with this platform, which has features such as offline voice recognition and the Google now personal assistant.

Both tablets have 1GB of RAM. there is also a range of storage options, with both of them purchasable in 8GB and 16GB versions. the Galaxy Tab 2 does have a microSD card slot in its favour, which the Nexus 7 lacks. With it you can increase the storage capacity by adding a 32GB memory card. Obviously, the Nexus 7 can get around storage limitations with Dropbox or Box.net apps, but this doesn’t entirely make up for the lack of a microSD card slot.

The Google Nexus 7 costs £159 for the 8GB version, or £199 for the 16GB model. the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 has a price of £197 or £232, for the 8GB and 16GB Wi-Fi versions, respectively (prices from Amazon).

Check out our reviews of the Google Nexus 7 and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system.

Google Nexus 7 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 – specs comparison

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Aug 25

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 tablet hands-on review

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In a tablet market dominated by the 10-inch iPad, Samsung is trying to reach a new audience by launching their 7-inch Galaxy Tab. Its main rival is the Google Nexus 7, which hits the stores at a lower price and a higher spec, but there are a number of things which make Samsung’s latest offering worth considering.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 features the option to purchase books, music and games from Samsung directly, featuring several exclusive releases which will be unavailable through the alternative Google Play store.

Currently the Galaxy Tab 7 retails at around £200, but it is highly likely that the price will come down very soon to make it cheaper than the Google Nexus. Also, the software will shortly be upgraded to match the higher-spec Nexus 7.

With a few extra software additions, including a notes facility which is not present on the Nexus, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 is likely to be a strong competitor in the 7-inch tablet market in the coming months.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 tablet hands-on review

Aug 24

4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook — only for ...

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Even if I may not come across as a Research in Motion fan, I actually like the Canadian smartphone manufacturer more than you’d think. RIM is the underdog in the smartphone race and after I wrote the article on the new 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook I thought to myself “yeah, this is nice; I’d actually have one over a Nexus 7“. The specs pointed to a very capable 7-inch tablet that is better than typical, run-of-the-mill, BlackBerry PlayBook in almost every single way. What’s not to love about a new, strong entry on the market? Well…

I didn’t expect to like the tablet, since I didn’t expect it to be launched in the first place, given the financial context being most unfavorable in a long time for RIM. The 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook is a miracle in its own way, being released at a time when RIM shares plummeted harder than a Tic-Tac falling from a skyscraper. Then I saw the price: CAD549.95, in Canada, at Bell, Rogers and Telus; I’m still left wondering: “What are they thinking?” That’s about $554 for the folks south of the Canadian border. Since both the Canadian and United States BlackBerry shops have the same prices for the PlayBook, it’s fair to assume the 4G LTE BlackBerry Playbook will too.

The 32GB BlackBerry Playbook, the unpretentious RIM tablet, normally sells for $249 but it’s discounted now to $229 in Canada and United States. an easy subtraction shows a $220-225 difference depending on currency (higher for US Dollar) and that could be reasonable if it was a wonder tablet, except it’s not. that $550 for a 7-inch tablet is simply absurd when a 16GB Nexus 7 sells for less than half its price. is the RIM 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook two times better than the 16GB Nexus 7? take the LTE connectivity out and the hardware differences between the two do not favor RIM’s tablet, except it has more storage. are BlackBerry OS + 16GB of extra storage worth around $300 on top of the 16GB Nexus 7 price? It’s not, at least for me anyway.

It’s double the price of its most obvious competitor, but it’s also $30 more than the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G iPad 2 in the United States and the same price as the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G iPad 2 in Canada. Between the two, I’d say more people will go for the iPad, despite it not having 4G LTE connectivity. I’m wondering if the guys who decided upon the price looked at other tablets on the market before setting the target on $550. where I’m standing, it looks like an overpriced 7-inch tablet that’s neck and neck on price with the iPad 2 and probably a bit less expensive than Microsoft Surface with Windows RT.

RIM stock traded for $7.17 per share at the time of writing the article on the announcement of the 4G LTE BlackBerry Playbook and from the looks of it the news of a new product isn’t going to miraculously improve their market cap.

And it actually didn’t do squat for the smartphone veteran. on August 2, when the story was published, RIM stock sold for $6.95 per share at closing time, worse than earlier during the day when I wrote it. on August 7, rumors of a partnership between RIM and Samsung surfaced and, coincidentally or not, the stock market rewarded RIM, which share price reached $8.34 on Monday. It’s $7.44 in early trading today.

Simply put, RIM launched a new product, gaining little short-term benefit but when a rumor appeared of a possible partnership with Samsung the stock prices have suddenly improved. I’d venture a guess and say that the news of the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook came like an alien landing in a deserted area: no one was there to see it, so it didn’t make any difference.

So to answer my two questions from my previous article on the RIM 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook, I’d have to answer with “No” on both counts; it didn’t influence stock prices, not for the better that is and I can only assume based on pricing that the sales of the Google Nexus 7 will not be disturbed by it.

Now, I’m not a pessimist by nature; I was actually optimistic about when RIM announced the new tablet, hoping that the underdog would fight off the bigger players. But when a sky-high price is added to the equation, the hardware and software combination don’t shine even half as bright as almost two weeks ago. I still like the underdog, but I don’t agree with its ways.

Now that the price has been set, who is interested in buying it? Not me.

4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook — only for die-hard RIM fans?

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Aug 24

Microsoft Surface Tablet’s Price Allegedly ...

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A $199 suggested retail price would directly pit it against the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire, which fall into the same range. Surface for Windows RT reportedly features a quad-core Tegra 3 processor similar to the one found in the Nexus 7, but the construction materials found in the tablet are vastly different.

“It would put Windows 8 on the map in a big way and give a lot of people a lot of reason to try out an operating system that is going to feel rather different than previous incarnations,” writes Tim Stevens of Engadget.

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The Surface could be the device that lures traditional PC users to embrace Windows 8, since the interface and design is catered to mobile products. Microsoft's tablet could especially benefit avid users of Microsoft Office, with the seamless transition of tools and service such as Word, Excel and Power Point. The Surface could potentially become a replacement for notebook and netbook computers, both for students and businesses. those accustomed to working on the go might find this a more suitable tablet choice than Apple's iPad or the Nexus 7, since it will have compatibility with Microsoft programs.

Rumors about the Microsoft Surface's price isn't the only news surrounding the tablet. Toshiba has confirmed that it will not be manufacturing the ARM-based Surface tablets, according to Mashable. 

“We will continue to look into the possibility of Windows RT products in the future while monitoring market conditions,” Toshiba spokesman Eric Paulsen said.

Toshiba said its decision was driven by delays in components, which would “make a timely launch impossible.”

Hewlett-Packard pulled a similar move near the end of June, when it also declined involvement in the Surface tablet due to component supply issues.

Microsoft has previously expressed concern that the Surface could pose some potential risk for business partners, since the company will be competing with products made by its manufacturing partners.

“Our Surface devices will compete with products made by our OEM partners, which may affect their commitment to our platform,” Microsoft said in the 10-K document filed for the second quarter of 2012, according to Computer World.

It is unclear how exactly the Surface will fare against its rivals, but it does seem that Microsoft is coming closer to unveiling a price.

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Microsoft Surface Tablet’s Price Allegedly Revealed As October Release Date Approaches; Do The Rumors Match Up?

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Aug 23

Official: Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Student Edition ...

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The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Student Edition Bundle (what a name!) has been making rounds through the rumor mill for a few weeks now. one of our readers managed to purchase one ahead of release, but that was obviously not supposed to happen, as Samsung has officially announced the device’s release date to be this August 19th.

The education-oriented bundle comes with the tablet (of course) in white, a keyboard dock and a USB adapter for the same $249.99 tablet’s original price. it is a great deal for those looking to get a portable tablet with some extra functionality without breaking the pocket. Some might still prefer the power and quick updates the Nexus 7 offers, but the general consumer wouldn’t mind getting $100 in added value (price of the accessories) in exchange of paying $50 over the Nexus tablet.

Samsung’s official press release confirms the $250 price tag, but also brings a bit of sad news. this offer will only last two weeks (while supplies last), so you better get to your nearest participating store if you want this student bundle. you can get it starting this Sunday at best Buy, Amazon, Tiger Direct, Costco and Fry’s Electronics.

It might not be the high-end device every gamer is looking for, but the added keyboard and USB adapter will come in very handy for light school tasks. So what is it going to be, Nexus 7 or Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Student Edition Bundle?

SAMSUNG Brings the Galaxy Tab 2 Back to School with Student Edition Bundle adding Keyboard Dock and USB Adapter at no Extra Cost

For Two Weeks Only Beginning 8/19, Bundle delivering $100 in added value to be available at participating retailers

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., August 17, 2012 – Samsung Electronics America Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today announces that its Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 device will be available in a special Student Edition, beginning 8/19 and for two weeks only. The Special Edition includes a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 in a unique white color, a keyboard dock and USB adapter in the box – a retail value of $350 – for an SRP of just $249.99.

Students will realize substantial benefits from the bundle, which will add a physical keyboard to the device as well as a USB adapter that supports plugging in USB thumb drives as well as peripherals such USB mice. With these accessories and the preloaded Polaris Office, the Galaxy Tab 2 is perfect for typing research reports or even creating presentations. in addition, the multimedia features on the Galaxy Tab 2 are perfect for enjoying movies and music.

“The education market is a significant priority for Samsung, and we are very pleased to deliver a bundle that is sure to be appealing to just about any student at a very competitive price point,” explained Travis Merrill, Director of Marketing, Galaxy Tab, Samsung Electronics America. “A busy student can achieve a PC-like setup in the dorm room, yet still pop the Galaxy Tab 2 out of the dock and slip it into a pocket for usage while on the go. it truly is the smarter way to learn.”

The special packaging for the new bundle also includes an insert with a series of recommended cool educational apps from Google Play.

Galaxy Tab 2 – Powerful, Smart, Easy to use

The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is a powerful dual-core tablet running Android 4.0. The devices features an integrated IR blaster for universal remote capabilities, as well as an easily accessible memory card slot for convenient loading of multimedia files in a range of supported file formats.

The tablet also offers endless content access in a sleek design that can maximize the home entertainment experience. The Smart Remote App and built-in IR Blaster turns the Tab 2 into a universal smart remote, helping users easily find their favorite shows. Users can choose from over 450,000 apps, surf millions of web pages with Adobe Flash™ support, and access favorite movies and TV shows from Google Play or Media Hub.

In addition, the Galaxy Tab 2 is fully Google certified for complete access to Google Play and is competitively priced at $249.99, so students don’t need to compromise when selecting a tablet.

The bundle will be available while supplies last, from 8/19 through 9/1. Participating retailers include best Buy, Amazon, Tiger Direct, Costco and Fry’s.

[Source: Samsung]

Official: Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Student Edition Bundle launching on August 19 for two weeks only

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Aug 19

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 could be offered as a ...

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According to a recently leaked image received by Engadget, best Buy is going to sell a tablet bundle as a student promotion starting August 19.  The tablet is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 complete with a keyboard dock and a USB peripheral connector accessory.  The price will remain the same at $249, which means you get the tablet at normal price with a keyboard and USB connector throw in for free.

Unfortunately, there is no word on whether best Buy is going to make sure only students purchase the bundle of if it’s available to anyone.  In addition, the bundle deal is still in rumor stage, but we may see an official announcement from best Buy on deal come August 19.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 contains a 1GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.0, 8GB of memory, microSD expansion, 3MP rear facing camera, VGA front facing camera, and a 7 inch display with 1024 x 600 resolution.  Would you consider getting this tablet deal over the Nexus 7?

[Engadget]

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 could be offered as a special student bundle on August 19 through Best Buy

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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.

Archos 97 Carbon tablet with Android 4.0 is now up for sale for $250

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Aug 16

AnandTech – The 16GB Nexus 7: Storage ...

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for the first time, in our Nexus 7 review, I started seriously looking at integrated storage performance of tablets and smartphones. I've casually done this in the past, but users complaining of poor system responsiveness with background writes on ASUS' Transformer Prime/Pad series demanded something a little more thorough. 

As I mentioned in our Nexus 7 review, most tablet and smartphone makers integrate a single chip controller + NAND combo to save on cost and space. In the case of the 8GB Nexus 7, you get an 8GB eMMC package from Kingston. In this tiny package is an eMMC controller and NAND die. The component list should sound familiar to anyone who remembers the earliest affordable MLC SSDs for PCs, particularly in the absense of any on-board DRAM for caching duties. The lack of DRAM is only part of the issue, the fact of the matter is these cheap eMMC controllers just aren't very fast – at least compared to high-end SSD controllers. things will get better over time, but for now cost is still a major concern.

The Kingston controller in the 8GB Nexus 7 is much faster than what ASUS uses in the Transformer Prime/Pad series, but I had heard the controller in the 16GB models was even quicker. I just got my hands on a 16GB N7 and ran through the Android version of our standard four-corners SSD tests using Androbench. just like last time I increased read/write sizes to 100MB in order to get consistent results out of the device. 

Sequential read speed is around 14% slower on the 16GB part, but it's still higher than what you'll get out of a Transformer Pad Infinity. The drop here is unfortunate as sequential read performance does matter – that's really the only downside to the 16GB model's IO performance though. The drop is also not significant enough to cause any additional stuttering or otherwise undesirable behavior.

Sequential write speed is up by 24%, putting the Nexus 7 further ahead of the other devices I tested here. 

Random read performance shoots up by over 60%, putting the 16GB Nexus 7 ahead of the Galaxy Nexus.

Random write performance sees a 43% increase, putting good distance between the 16GB and 8GB N7s. None of these numbers are particularly good (we're still talking about mechanical hard drive levels of performance here) but it's definitely a step in the right direction.

It's always possible that we'll see multiple controllers used in the 8 and 16GB Nexus 7s, but for now all of the 16GB models use the same controller. The difference in IO performance isn't significant enough to push you towards the $250 Nexus 7 if you don't need the extra space, but consider it an added benefit if you do order the 16GB model.

AnandTech – The 16GB Nexus 7: Storage Performance