Tag Archives: Android tablet

ASUS Intros ZenPad S 8.0 Android Lollipop Tablet Series

June 1, 2015 Nir Shein

Computex 2015 — ASUS has officially rolled out a new line of super stylish Lollipop tablets, also known as the ZenPad series. The slates on stake which are said to replace the previous range of MemoPad variants include the ASUS ZenPad 8.0 (Z380C) and ZenPad S 8.0 (Z580CA) models, both of which to be available in 7-inch, 8-inch and 10.1-inch versions and are aimed at the low-end and the premium tablet market.

The first out of the two is the Asus ZenPad S 8.0 slab, a premium product for the high-end user with a sharp 2,048 x 1,536 (324 ppi) IPS display, as well as Intel’s 64-bit Atom Z3580 chip processor, 4GB of RAM and your choice of either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage.

Measuring in at only 6.6mm thin, the ZenPad S 8.0 tablet runs on an Android Lollipop 5.0 OS and is coming with an 8MP rear-facing camera, a 5MP front-facing camera, one USB Type C connector on the side and a 15.2Wh battery, capable of up to 12 hours of continuous work.

The second model, the ASUS ZenPad 8.0 Z380C, which provides a good entry-level consumer-business experience tablet with an Atom X3 (SoFIA) quad-core processor and Mali 450MP4 GPU is offering either 1 or 2 gigabytes of RAM under the hood, as well as your choice of either 8 or 16 gigabytes of internal storage. In addition to the standard 1280×800 pixel display on top, you’re getting a 5MP rear camera behind, together with an Android Lollipop 5 OS and an optional Audio Cover cradle for adding 5.1 surround sound for your tablet. Connectivity options include WiFi, Bluetooth, and the optional dual 4G LTE network support.

Pricing and availability still remain undisclosed at the moment.

General

Nokia Returns With The $250 N1 Android Tablet

November 18, 2014 Nir Shein

It’s been a while since Nokia has officially released a brand new Android/Windows tablet to the wild, so it is nice to see them adding one more. The Finnish company which was acquired by Microsoft a little under a year ago for $7.2 billion, is finally back on track with the addition of a 7.9-inch slate. So, what this is all about? We’re looking at a 6.9mm thick device, dubbed the Nokia N1, that features 2GB of RAM inside as well as WiFi connectivity and 32GB of internal storage.

While this N1 tablet looks a lot like Apple’s iPad mini 3, it is actually thinner and lighter than pictures would suggest. Nokia outfits the new slab with a nice HD display that measures 7.9 inches diagonally and features a resolution of 2048-by-1536 pixels on top (same as Apple’s 3rd-gen iPad mini model). The front-facing camera offers 5-megapixel resolution alongside an 8-megapixel shooter on the rear. In terms of speed and performance the N1 will arrive to the market with a 64-bit 2.4GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 processor on board, together with a duo set of speakers, and your choice of either “Natural Aluminum” or “Lava Grey” colors.

The tablet runs on Android 5.0 (which has just been confirmed to be called Lollipop) but there is a software layer that Nokia has added on top of its existing proprietary platform, called the Z launcher. Furthermore, the tablet is said to be one of the first devices in the world to feature the reversible type-C faster USB connector. Unfortunately, it is likely to be the only single USB port.

The N1 is due to launch in China for $249 sometime before the Chinese New Year which takes place on February 19, 2015, with a release in Russia and a few European countries to follow shortly after.

Hit the Play to watch the video

[youtube id=”IwJmthxJV5Q”]

IFA, tablets

Samsung Intros 8-inch Waterproof Galaxy Tab Active

September 5, 2014 Nir Shein

You didn’t really think we’d have a European electronic show without a new Samsung gadget, did you? The Korean giant announced Thursday morning a new Android tablet at the annual IFA 2014 press event. This isn’t your regular tablet that just has a touch interface like all the rest you can buy these days. It is an 8-inch, ruggedized slab iteration of the Galaxy Tab, with a water and dust resistant proof around, which aims to lure enterprise users away from Apple iPads. The new slate, that comes pre-loaded with Samsung’s Knox security program is being described as a tablet with a tougher C-Pen stylus attachment and a protected cover which can withstand against a 1.2 meter drop. It packs a 1.2GHz quad-core processor under the hood, along with 1.5GB of DDR3 RAM, a 1280×800 LCD display, 16GB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot expansion (up to 64GB),

the slate which goes by the name Galaxy Tab Active, also includes a 3.1 megapixel rear camera to bring out the photographer in you, as well as a front-facing 1.2 megapixel camera that’s perfect for Skype calls with colleagues and friends.

Price and availability are yet to be determined.

Samsung adds that:

The Galaxy Tab Active represents Samsung’s commitment to meeting customer needs. In order to learn what business leaders wanted from a mobile device for optimal performance and efficiency, Samsung engaged in a series of advisory group workshops with Fortune 500 companies. The top companies across vertical markets, such as retail, logistics and transportation participated, providing valuable feedback that went directly into the development of the Galaxy Tab Active.

Hit the Play to watch the video

[youtube id=”oD70Lk5e5uU”]

Video courtesy of CNET

tablets

LEAKED: NVIDIA’s Next-Gen Gaming Shield Tablet (Update: Now Official)

July 18, 2014 Nir Shein

Gaming company Nvidia has already been rumored to be developing a new gaming focused slate that could be running a Quad-core Tegra K1 processor inside as well as 2GB of RAM and a 7.9-inch screen display. While still unofficial, a leak courtesy of @evleaks seems to confirm the word on the street. So far, Nvidia was offering the Tegra Note 7 tablet as a way to highlight its Tegra 4 processor (which hasn’t been a huge success, btw) but now the company is looking to expand with more richer gaming experience and improved entertainment value of game (thanks to the Unreal Engine 4 capabilities).

A quick look at the picture above suggests that Nvidia’s next-gen Shield successor will probably be available in a gunmetal grey color, covering a front-facing VGA camera as well as a nice pair of stereo speakers along the top and bottom of its panel. The new device, which will run under an Android platform, is expected to launch before the end of the year.

Update1: Nvidia’s shield tablet is going up for sale in the US and Canada on July 29th, and in Europe on August 14th, with prices starting at $299 for the basic 16GB wifi-only model, and up to $399 for the 32GB device, including LTE 4G support. The gamepad accessory is another $59.

Update2: Now with an official video: and full specs:

Full specs:

8-inch “Full HD” 1920 x 1200 IPS LCD screen
NVIDIA Tegra K1 SoC
5MP front-and-rear facing cameras
Front-facing stereo speakers
Black and Steel Gray colors
Directstylus 2
16/32GB of internal storage, expandable up to 128GB via microSD
WiFI a/b/g/n, Optional LTE
19.75 Watt Lithium Ion battery

[youtube id=”VohrddwVQqg”]

tablets

LEAKED: HTC’s Next-Gen 8.9-Inch Nexus ‘Volantis’ Tablet

June 22, 2014 Nir Shein

The Nexus 7 tablet is one of the best 7-inch slabs around. It is powered by Google Android OS and has a lot of great features at the price of $199. However, many reports have indicated an 8-inch version of the tablet will launch later this year. While there was no tangible evidence other than the rumors themselves, a new report from Android Police confirms the product might actually be real.

The report suggests an 8.9-inch HTC Nexus tablet, powered by a 2048×1440 screen, as well as a Tegra K1 processor, running under a zero-gap aluminum frame. The tablet which goes by the name Volantis is packed with a pair of cameras (3MP front, 8MP rear) that take pictures and videos just like real life forms. In addition it offers a choice of 16GB/32GB storage, along with 2GB of RAM, a bunch of high-quality stereo speakers, WiFi, Black/White casing, and an optional LTE connectivity aboard.

The tablet will launch later this year starting at $399 for the 16GB flavor.

[Android Police]

tablets

Dell Outs Two Android Venue Tablets, Starting at $160

June 2, 2014 Nir Shein

Dell is refreshing its Android tablet lineup with two new budget offerings: Dell Venue 7 and Venue 8. The two slates which are considered as updated versions of the existing Venue series, will be powered by a more powerful processor under the hood and should be featuring Android 4.4 KitKat OS.

As you can guess, Dell’s Venue 7 is the 7-inch tinier model in the series, with 1280 x 800 pixels resolution that yields good color contrast, great for video, gaming, electronic books and browsing. It comes with 16GB of internal storage, as well as microSD card expansion (up to 64GB), 1GB of RAM, and pair of cameras, with the primary one at 5 megapixels and the front-facing VGA snapper at 1 megapixels overall. The commodity processor used in this model is a dual-core Intel Atom (Z3460) ‘Merrifield’ processor clocked at 1.6GHz, and the cost of the slab is ridiculously low – only $159.99 and not a single dime more. It weighs only 290 gm, and comes in swish black or red colors.

The Venue 8, is an obvious upgrade choice with 8-inch IPS display and a full-HD (1920×1200 pixels) resolution on top. It has the same set of cameras, only with a slightly bigger 2 megapixels shooter on the front. There’s a faster Intel Atom Z3480 processor inside, and the battery is of 4550mAh. It will go live online starting July 1 at $199.99 and the same variety of colors.

tablets

Xiaomi Announces Its First Ever 7.9-inch Mi Pad Tablet Device

May 15, 2014 Nir Shein

Xiaomi, a company that I think is doing a lot of great things in the mobile phone market these days, has officially launched the Mi Pad, Its first foray into the wild world of mid-range Android tablet devices. It’s clear the Chinese electronics company wants to take some of the tablet profits away from giants like Apple and Samsung but will it translate to success on the field? Well, judging by design and specs it’s definitely a chance worth taking.

The tablet itself, which looks exactly like a colorful outline of the popular iPad Mini, packs a 7.9-inch 2048 x 1536 high-def screen (326 ppi), courtesy of Sharp, along with 2GB of RAM, a WiFi-only internet connectivity, your choice of 16 or 64GB of built in storage, as well as a microSD slot, supporting up to 128GB of extra portable storage.

Xiaomi’s Mi Pad tablet runs a new version of its own MIUI, based on Android 4.4.2 KitKat. It is also one thin and light product, measuring in only 7.5mm thick and weighing 360 grams. The battery of the Mi Pad is 6,700mAh and the company promises to deliver 11 hours of video playback and 86 hours of quality audio.

Some other parts of the upcoming slab include Nvidia’s next gen Tegra K1 SOC, featuring a 2.2GHz 4 plus 1 core CPU and a 192 core Kepler GPU. For imaging, there is an 8-megapixel rear camera with flash and f2.0 aperture and a 5-megapixel front-facing variant for those free video chat calls.

As far as retail pricing goes, the Mi Pad tablet will start at $240 for the 16GB version, and up to $270 for the 64GB flavor.

While the actual release date is still under wraps, the launch is expected in a few months period (perhaps in time for the holiday season). Meanwhile, we hear that the slate will go on a beta test program in China sometime in June.

Xiaomi MiPad specs

2.2 GHz NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor with 192-core Kepler GPU
7.9-inch (2048 × 1536 pixels) display at 326 ppi with Corning Gorilla Glass 3
2GB of RAM
16GB or 64GB of internal storage
6700 mAh battery
Android-KitKat MiUI ROM
8MP rear camera with Sony BSI stacked sensor, 1080p video recording, f/2.0 aperture
5MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture
WiFi 802.11/b/g/n/ac Dual Band

[youtube id=”lVp34KQbAqk”]

tablets

LG Announces a Trio of G Pad Android Tablets

May 12, 2014 Nir Shein

Today LG announced a trio of Android tablets powered by Android version 4.4 (KitKat), and soon to be available in various sizes ranging from seven to 10.1 inches (with LG admitting that “not one size fits all”). The new lineup will be categorized under the company’s G Pad series which already includes the 8.3-inch tablet iteration – whether with the Google Play addition or without it. The names are obviously going to suggest the tablet size in this case, and the package to be wrapped up with some basic LG software such as QPair 2.0 (direct calls and notifications from a paired smartphone) and the new Knock Code wake-up security platform. No word on pricing or availability but expect these to become official during the MedPl 2014 trade show which takes place this week in Monaco.

tablets

Next Generation Samsung Galaxy Tab Slates To Have Super AMOLED Screen Displays

May 11, 2014 Nir Shein

By now you may be starting to think that you’ve seen it all this year, then BAM! Another variant in Samsung’s portable collection. The source of information this time is from SamMobile who claims to have obtained exclusive footage of Sammy’s next-gen series, also known as the Galaxy Tab S. And while the overall design may be somewhat somber, the line of specs is simply phenomenal.

Even though the possible release is still unconfirmed, the latest report indicates there are two versions of the Tab S tablet iteration: the 8.4-inch and the 10.5-inch, both equipped with a Super AMOLED display.

Unfortunately for us, most details are scarce at the moment, and we know only that the 10.5-incher packs a 1.9GHz Exynos 5 Octa processor under the lid, as well as Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, dual cameras, 8MP for the rear-facing one and 2.1MP for its front-facing counterpart, Android 4.4 KitKat OS, and a great large display on top with a massive resolution of 2560×1600 pixels.

Pricing and availability information has yet to be disclosed, though we might learn more very soon.

General, tablets

Acer Debuts New Line Of 7-inch Iconia Tab Android Tablets

April 30, 2014 Nir Shein

The mid-range tablet market is heavily crowded with great devices. Acer today launched another addition to their Iconia Tab family of 7-inch tablets. The following, which will go under the Iconia One 7 and Iconia Tab 7 monikers, are said to replace some of the company’s previous market generations (the B1-720 and the Iconia Tab 7 1st gen).

The Iconia One 7

A new 7-incher with a nice bump in the screen resolution (1,280 x 800), featuring a faster Intel Atom Z2560 processor, 8GB of storage (16GB version will be optional as well), and Android 4.2 Jelly bean for the OS (KitKat upgrade to be available sometime in the future). Acer says the battery life in this slab will last up to seven hours of use time, and that pricing will likely begin at $130 when Canada/U.S. sales commence somewhere around May.

Acer Iconia Tab 7

The company has also announced a new iteration of the Iconia Tab 7, with a 1,280 x 800 screen resolution as well as a quad-core MediaTek chip, set to push this Android KitKat 4.4 device even further ahead in the tablet competition. Furthermore the slate will offer 3G HSPA+ networks, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, built-in GPS and your choice of Black or White hues with either 8GB and 16GB internal storage, starting at $205 for basic configurations.

tablets

Lenovo Introduces Four Entry-Level Android Tablets

April 2, 2014 Nir Shein 2 Comments

It’s been a while since we last posted about a new budget-friendly device. Surely, we should have seen more of these available in the market, but not at the expense of quality and size, right? Well, depends on who you are asking I suppose. However, with that in mind the big news of today comes courtesy of Lenovo, where they have just revealed their latest collection of entry-level slabs. The new line, which is comprised of four different Tabs, the A7-30, A7-50, A8 and A10, comes equipped with a quad-core MediaTek processor under the hood, as well as Dolby-powered dual-front speakers and a version of Android OS that is yet to be disclosed.

The first model, which happens to be the smaller and weaker of the four, is the Tab A7-30. It has a 7-inch 1024×600 resolution display along with a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor, a 3500mAh battery, and a suite of low-resolution cameras (2MP on the back plus a VGS up front), with an optional cellular support.

Lenovo’s A7-50 really isn’t much of a difference except the slightly better 7-inch “HD” display which boasts 1280×720 screen resolution. Other than that it packs the same batch of cameras, an optional SIM card tray and an 8GB storage for all your media source files, including video, photos and audio.

The Lenovo A8-50, which you can see in the picture above, is said to be coming with a larger 8-inch HD display on board, coupled with 1280×800 pixel resolution along with a 5MP rear camera plus a 2MP camera on the front.

The last tablet in this series is the Tab A10, which runs a 10.1-inch wide HD screen at 1280×800 resolution. There’s also a larger 6340 mAh battery inside and the mix of cameras offers 2MP front-facing camera and a 5MP shooter on the back. It will be available worldwide from Q2 2014 for £169.99, while the other three will cost £99, and £139 respectively.

tablets

Is This Samsung’s Next Galaxy Tab 4 Tablet? (Update: Confirmed)

March 27, 2014 Nir Shein

Serial leaker @evleaks has recently unveiled what is believed to be the next generation of Samsung’s mid-range Galaxy Tab iteration, the Galaxy Tab 4 — a great compliment to the company’s next 10-inch Galaxy Tab slate, which has just passed through the FCC today (dubbed as SM-T805), featuring a 10.5-inch display, as well as 2,560×1,600 screen resolution, Android 4.4 KitKat for the OS, and your choice of either Wi-Fi, 3G, or LTE models. The 8.4-inch Galaxy Tab version, which appears to go under the SM-T801 moniker, is likely to come with that similar gigantic 2,560×1,600 resolution, paired with a Samsung Exynos powerful processor and a minimal amount of in-screen bezel. More details to follow soon.

Update1: Samsung has officially confirmed the new batch of Galaxy Tab 4 devices, featuring the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 4 7.0, 8-inch Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 and the 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab 4 10.1, and with a list of system specifications that includes a 1.2GHz quad-core CPU, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, duo cameras at the 3MP and 1.3MP shooting range, Android 4.4 KitKat for the operating system, MicroSD slot, and LTE Category 4 standard support. The Tabs are scheduled to come out sometime this quarter in black or white hues.

Update2: The new line of Galaxy Tab 4 devices is finally coming Stateside, in 7.0, 8.0 and 10.1 inch sizes, with WiFi iterations to land in US shores on May 1st starting at $200 for the seven-inch slab, and up to $350 for the 10-incher.

[via Sammobile]

tablets

Lenovo Takes Wraps Off The Android-Powered Yoga Tablet 10 HD Plus

February 24, 2014 Nir Shein

Lenovo’s Yoga Tablet 8 and 10, which only launched four months ago, are somewhat of a different breed in their appearance and design, featuring a long wide kickstand at the back and a curvy handle that’s not afraid to bend a few rules. Today, however, the company has slightly improved these fancy shamncy Android models even further with the addition of a better line of specifications. While the overall shape of the Yoga is preserved, the internal structure has been functionally upgraded.

The new version, known as the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+, comes equipped with a 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 Full HD display, compared to the early model’s 1,280 x 800 screen resolution. This model features a quad-core 1.6GHz Snapdragon 400 processor under the hood, while previous slates were mostly based on a 1.2GHz MediaTek processor. Finally, the internal memory is doubled to include an integrated 2 gigs of RAM and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera vs. a 5-megapixel shooter on the first iteration of Yoga tablets.

Lenovo offers 16GB or 32GB storage configurations with the new Yoga 10 HD Plus. Moreover, there’s an optional 3G wireless connectivity as well as microSD slot expansion, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11n standard Wi-Fi, and last but not least, a massive 9,000mAh battery pack, with up to 18 hours of continuous run time.

Yoga 10 HD+ tablet is likely to be shipped with Google’s Android Jelly Bean version sometime in April with prices starting at $349 for the 16GB option.

[youtube id=”flZCgPbaNu8″]

Video courtesy of Mobilegeeks

tablets

HP Unveils ProPad 600 And ElitePad 1000 Windows Business Line Of Tablets

February 24, 2014 Nir Shein

A new lineup of Windows tablets shine at Mobile World Congress 2014 — HP intros two of them for the business end users who are using Microsoft technology, the ProPad 600 and the ElitePad 1000. Both units are equipped with Intel’s latest Atom Bay Trail quad-core processors under the lid, 10.1-inch displays with 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution and a thin environmentally friendly cover of Corning Gorilla Glass atop. The two also offer a choice of Windows 8.1 or Windows 8.1 Pro operating systems.

The HP ProPad 600, which is the cheapest of the two, will boast a WiFi-only platform, paired with a microSD card slot, micro HDMI output, dual 8MP and 2MP cameras, 2GB or 4GB of RAM configurations, Bluetooth 4.0, and pressure sensitive stylus for detailed drawing and easier navigation. The ProPad will be available in April with prices to be determined.

The ElitePad 1000 model, on the other hand, will be available in March with a starting price of $739. It packs pretty much the same specs as above but slightly better, with both 802.11 a/b/g/n wifi connectivity and 4G LTE radio support, as well as your choice of 32GB or 64GB of internal storage capacities, a much stringer 64-bit processor and the same sharp 1,920 x 1,200 screen on top. Of course, you will also have all the ports necessary for a daily work included inside, such as USB 3.0, microSD card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack and an HDMI out for video streaming on your TV screen.

Update: HP has also unveiled an 8-inch Android tablet which is expected to sell for $170. The new device which falls under the obvious name of HP 8, is packing a mediocre 1,024 x 768 screen, along with, a quad-core ARM chip, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 3,800mAh battery pack and an Android 4.2.2 pre-loaded for the OS.

Mobile, tablets

Huawei Announces 7-Inch MediaPad X1 Android Tablet: Lightest in the World!

February 23, 2014 Nir Shein 1 Comment

Huwei introduces a new 7-inch Phablet, Android tablet with a mobile phone function, which also happens to be the lightest in the category weighing in at just 239g and only 7.18mm-thick. As much as we would welcome any change or innovation in the global mobile market, a 7-inch tablet will always look preposterous as a “hold up to your ear” smartphone, right? While you could always use it as a tool in getting connected via mobile, the tablet part seems to be the main purpose most of the time.

But will the new slab be a player in an increasingly crowded market? Well, it’s definitely possible due to the increasing size of the manufacturing company and the top-notch quality of the internal specs. The name, if you were wondering, is the Huawei MediaPad X1 and it is likely to contain some of the greatest specs available in the market today, including a high-res 1,920 x 1,200 LTPS display (323 ppi) on top, alongside a 1.6GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 processor, 2GB of RAM and a Mali-450 MP4 GPU.

The MediaPad X1, which has an rigid aluminum frame, will also include a 5,000mAh battery pack, claims to provide up to 5 full days of work, as well as 802.11n WiFi connectivity, a HUGE breed of 5-megapixel f/2.2 front-facing camera plus a 13-megapixel f/2.4 shooter placed on the back. In addition, it will sport both 4G LTE network capabilities, WCDMA technology configuration and 3G connection wherever you go. There is also a healthy 16GB of built-in storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card slot.

The X1 which runs on Android Jelly Bean OS will be available in various countries around the globe such as China, Russia, Western Europe, the Middle East, Japan and Latin America from March 2014 for an unknown price.

Update: Huawei will also release a basic 7-inch tablet under the M1 moniker and with some entry-level specs, including a 7-inch 1,280×800 pixel HD IPS display, a rear-facing a 5-megapixel camera plus a 1-megapixel shooter on the front. Storage wise, you get the choice to choose between 8GB or 16GB capacities and up to 32GB expandable memory via microSD card slot. The M1 will be available in May for 299 Euros.

[youtube id=”yo171G-2kAg”]

tablets

8-inch Archos Helium 4G Tablet Breaks Cover

February 21, 2014 Nir Shein

Archos has just taken the wraps off of the 80 Helium 4G tablet, an 8-inch follow-up to the well-reviewed French line of gadgets. And while, admittedly, this isn’t exactly an official announcement, the company decided to unveil the slate moments ahead of MWC 2014 where the tablet is expected to be seen for the very first time. The basic 80 Helium 4G offer is said to be featuring an 8-inch 1024 x 768 IPS screen, paired with a 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 quad-core processor, and an Android 4.3 Jelly Bean for the operating system. It will also include a 4G/LTE network support, with 1GB of RAM, a 5MP rear-facing camera capable of 1080p Full HD video capture, plus a standard 2MP front-facing shooter sitting up front. Moreover, the Helium, which is going to be priced at roughly $250, is cramming inside Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi and GPS for use with Google Maps and Navigation. We should get more details at MWC 2014.

tablets

Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet Specs Leaked (Now Official)

February 17, 2014 Nir Shein

Another day, another @evleaks leak. This time it’s a new successor to the beautiful Sony Xperia z1 tablet, which happens to be registered under the name of Xperia Z2 (is anyone surprised?). If rumors are proven correct, the next Xperia iteration is likely to pack a SnapDragon 800 2.3GHz x4 processor under the hood, alongside a 10.1-inch 1920×1200 Full-HD Triluminos Display, with a system memory of 3GB RAM, and an internal storage capacity starting at 16GB and doubling at each step. The storage is obviously expandable via microSD slot expansion, and the camera features are top of the line as well. Apart from 8MP rear camera, the device also holds a 2MP secondary camera for video calling and runs on Android Kitkat 4.4 OS. And while the actual product photo is not available, It is also rumored to come with a very thin body measuring at 6.4 mm and it’ll also be enclosed in a waterproof body. More details to follow.

Update1: The guys over at @evleaks just posted an unverified image of the next Xperia tablet. Initial look and feel is very similar to the first generation, the Z1 tablet, only with some better specs. We look forward to learning more about this product at Sony’s Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona on February 24.

Update2: Mobile World Congress 2014 began yesterday in Barcelona, lifting the curtain of the upcoming Xperia Z2 tablet which Sony claims to be the thinnest and lightest waterproof slate in the world. Other than that, leaks were right on the spot with the new Z2 packing a 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 pixel Triluminos display along with 3GB RAM, a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, dual 8.1/2.2-megapixel cameras, and a super slim chassis measuring in only 6.9mm thick. Naturally, it comes running the latest and greatest Android OS known as 4.4.2 KitKat.

[youtube id=”fA4dIRau5Mc”]

video courtesy of T3

tablets

Archos Unveils Three New Neon Android Tablets

February 4, 2014 Nir Shein

French manufacturer, Archos, is once again aiming to reach out to the mass market with a variety of new tablets offered under the Neon moniker. The trio, which are expected to be announced just under $200, will pack a quad-core A9 processor, along with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage (expendable via microSD expansion up to 64GB), WiFi connectivity, and Micro USB 2.0. It has also been confirmed that the budget-friendly devices will run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean under the lid, paired with an integrated speaker, a built-in mic, an embedded G-sensor for device orientation, and a Lithium Polymer battery pack. The new Neon series is coming in three variants: the 9-inch Archos 90 Neon (800 x 400 screen resolution), 9.7-inch 97 Neon (1024 x 768 screen resolution), and the 10.1-inch 101 Neon (1024 x 600 screen resolution), while the first and third models will only include a front-facing VGA shooter which caters for all your video chat needs, and the second, the 9.7-inchers comes with an additional 2-megapixel rear-facing cam. U.S. availability is yet to be determined but in Europe, the tablets are already on sale.

[Archos]

tablets

Samsung’s New 7-Inch Galaxy Tab 3 Lite Aims For The Low End Market

January 16, 2014 Nir Shein

As if the mid-range tablet market isn’t crowded enough, Samsung is officially announcing yet another Android tablet, dubbed the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite. The new device, which has leaked just a few days ago, is packing a 7-inch WSVGA display with 1024×600 pixel resolution (170 ppi) on top. It’s good, but not as good as you would expect from a company like Samsung. We thought we’d see a 1920×1080 pixels screen instead, but since that’s not really a premium device, we’ll just have to settle for this!

Other than that by taking a look at its inner specifications, it still seems subpar to other major tablets such as the iPad Mini and the Google Nexus 7. With a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card slot), Sammy’s new Tab 3 Lite may not be enough to satisfy your gaming itch, but most consumers will be very happy with it, I suppose. In addition, this Android 4.2 slab will come with WiFi-only and WiFi+3G variants; both to include a rear-facing 2-megapixel camera, and a 4-cell 3,600mAh battery pack.

No word on pricing and availability yet but it will be offered in a variety of colors when taken out.

[Samsung]

CES, tablets

8.4-Inch Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro Tablet Images Leaked (Update: Now Official In 8-, 10- and 12-inch Sizes)

January 6, 2014 Nir Shein

It’s 2014, ladies and gents, and Samsung is obviously planning some big things to be announced later on! Not one of them leaked to the media, up until now. Today, however, we’ve been fortunate enough to learn of a new tablet device (courtesy of @evleaks) which will hopefully be a part of this company offerings real soon. The culprit, also known as the Galaxy Tab Pro, is said to be wearing an 8.4-inch WQXGA 2,560×1,600-pixel display atop, alongside a 2GB of memory and up to 32GB of internal storage. The slate is also packing Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box, and is likely to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor. In addition, we hear that the 8-incher may also be accompanied by a second model sized at 10-inch, and a third iteration sized at 12-inch tall. All three will be running the same operating system and rumored to be rocking the same screen resolution under the hood, while the larger models will also deliver an higher performance Exynos 5 Octa processor, with bigger memory and storage capacities. Finally, the 10.1 and 12.2 tablets are likely to be available in three connectivity options: Wi-Fi-only, 3G, and 4G LTE high speed broadband. Stay tuned for a lot more to come.

Update: Samsung has officially taken the wraps off of its three new tablets at CES 2014. The trio are measuring at 8-, 10-, and 12-inch sizes, when all three run the same exact Android KitKat OS on board (with the multi-window system), and are expected to include an impressive 2,560×1,600-pixel resolution. Sammy’s brand new Galaxy Tab Pro lineup will come in WiFi, 3G, and LTE variants. Options for internal memory will be in the range of 32 or 64 gigabytes, but the bundle includes a 50GB of Dropbox storage freebie. In addition to that, the back of each model is covered with some kind of a leather texture which would be cool to grab, alongside the Samsung Galaxy S-Pen Stylus Pen and two cameras: an 8-megapixel one on the back as well as a 2-megapixel one on the front. Last but not least, the Wi-Fi models are powered by Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa chip while the LTE models will utilize Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800. Price and availability are yet to be determined.

[youtube id=”XKop29JrepQ”]

Video courtesy of talkandroid

[toggle title=”FULL PR TEXT”]

Samsung Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO series set a New Rule for the Tablet Experience at CES 2014

Extending the company’s innovation legacy with best-in-class media consumption and productivity capabilities

Las Vegas, NV – January 6, 2014 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today unveiled the Samsung Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO line of tablets, setting a new standard of mobile excellence, equipped with innovative and meaningful technology. Sporting four powerful devices in the lineup – the Galaxy NotePRO (12.2-inch), TabPRO (12.2, 10.1, 8.4-inch), Samsung’s Galaxy tablet portfolio redefines what a tablet can do.

“We created the Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO series to kick-off a year in which Samsung truly establishes its leadership in the tablet market,” said JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics. “This new line offers the best-in-class content consumption and productivity, combining a stunning viewing experience with Samsung’s design legacy. The Samsung Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO truly demonstrate our commitment to providing our customers with extraordinarily versatile product offerings, tailored to tablet users of every description.”

Providing users with an extraordinary display and a matching feature set, the Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO series bring premium style and powerful performance in a single device. Created to satisfy every possible type of user case scenario, the Samsung Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO combine a crystal-clear, WQXGA display for a world-class viewing experience, powerful productivity tools, and unique features with preloaded and free downloadable content, producing a superior mobile solution.

Introducing Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO (12.2) – the Definitive Tablet Viewing Experience

The Samsung Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO present the world’s first 12.2-inch WQXGA Widescreen (16:10) display, offering crystal clear resolution (2560×1600) with more than 4 million pixels, making it an ideal platform for every type of content creation and consumption. With a larger viewing area, the defined screen allows users to enjoy stunning Full HD video play and view even more information at a glance. In addition to the industry-leading display, the devices have been designed with a sleek, light, slim frame that is both premium and highly portable.

A personalized Magazine UX, specifically optimized for a large screen, allows users to further tailor their Galaxy tablet experience for their own needs. The UX enables them to organize their favorite content in an easy-to-use dashboard with automatic feed or news updates and then quickly access the most frequently used apps for a more comfortable reading experience. By utilizing a screen size that is more comparable to traditional magazine-sized material, content is easier to view in its original format when reading digital magazines or e-books.

Powerful Partner for Productivity

The Samsung Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO (12.2) come equipped with a variety of productivity tools to help users to manage both their personal and professional lives.

Multi Window enables users to split the screen up into four different windows and an innovative, Virtual Keyboard provides them with enough space to type comfortably, leveraging haptic feedback to produce a more realistic typing experience.

The Samsung S Pen included with the Galaxy NotePRO delivers a more responsive, productive and overall efficient tablet experience with access to features such as Action Memo, Scrapbook, Screen Write and S Finder. In addition, Pen Window enables users to simply draw a window of any size on the screen, and instantly access unique in-application features such as YouTube or a calculator.

Users can easily access and control their home or office PC directly through their Galaxy NotePRO or TabPRO with Remote PC in order to seamlessly edit and save files remotely.

The Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO also come pre-loaded with Cisco WebEx Meetings platform, the industry’s leading web conferencing solution that provides users with an easy way to meet with anyone, anywhere. And now for the first time on Android tablets, users can share anything on their screen as well as starting a WebEx meeting from contact list. Samsung e-Meeting provides collaboration capabilities by giving users the ability to share content during a meeting without having to access a central server or network.

Ultimate User Content Gift Package*

For additional value and productivity right out of the box, the Samsung Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO (12.2) will feature up to approximately $700 worth of the premium pre-paid, long-term subscription offers from best-selling news, social media and cloud storage providers, including:Bitcasa, Bloomberg Businessweek+, Blurb, Cisco WebEx Meetings, Dropbox, Easilydo Pro for Tablet, Evernote, Hancom Office for Android, LinkedIn, LIVESPORT.TV, NY Times, Oxford Advanced Learner’s A-Z, and Sketchbook Pro (content packages may vary by region).

The Samsung Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO line will come in various connectivity options: WiFi Only, WiFi and 3G, or WiFi and LTE. Users can choose between the 12.2-inch Galaxy NotePRO that comes with an included S Pen, and the 12.2-inch Galaxy TabPRO, Galaxy TabPRO 10.1-inch and 8.4-inch without the S Pen.

Designed to extend productivity even further, the following optional accessories are also available for purchase with the Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO: Various Book Covers, USB LAN HUB, Universal BT Keyboard and S Action Mouse (accessories may vary by product model).

The Samsung Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO tablet line will be offered globally and will be available starting from Q1, 2014.

For more product information, please visithttp://www.samsungmobilepress.com / m.samsungmobilepress.com

[/toggle]

CES, tablets

Polaroid To Release New Q Line of Android 4.4 Tablets

January 3, 2014 Nir Shein

Have you ever heard the name Polaroid before? Well, it is not exactly a glamorous company anymore, but it sure is making a formal comeback. And while we haven’t heard all that much about it lately, the 75 years old company apparently has some interesting plans to share with ya all. Today, Polaroid announced its Q line of Android-based tablets, including the 7-inch Q7, 8-inch Q8 and 10.1-inch Q10. Neither device is exactly best in breed, but the choices you get are fairly decent and the price is reasonable. For instance, all three tablets ship with Android 4.4 Kit Kat under the hood, and the processor inside is a quad-core Snapdragon 600. There’s also a Wifi connectivity, alongside an HDMI port, and dual HD cameras to capture video and photos. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much all the details we got to share with you now, but we certainly hope to bring even more. Overall it’s not that bad for the price you pay, which is about $129.99, $149.99 and $179.99 respectively.

[Polaroid]

tablets

Nvidia Tegra Note 7 Gets Updated With Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

December 27, 2013 Nir Shein 1 Comment

Some of you probably remember the Tegra Note 7 that has been recently released by hardware giant, Nvidia (and sold under brand names such as EVGA, ADVENT, Gigabyte, Shenzhen Homecare Technology, ZOTAC and XOLO). If you don’t, let me refresh your memory: It’s a 7-inch Android tablet device running a Tegra 4 SOC under the lid with a quad-core Cortex-A15 processor, 16GB of internal storage, 2GB of RAM and a 72-core GeForce GPU. It was launched worldwide last October both in shelves and online for only $199, and has gained popularity over other basic slates available in the market.

Yesterday, we learned that Nvidia had apparently rolled out a new update for the 7-inch Note that promises to boost general usability. Aside from the OS upgrade to Android 4.3, the new update also improves the graphics tablet pen, which now offers support for left-handed users, as well as a wide range of manual setting features, and a better accuracy of touch in the DirectStylus response. In addition, you can transfer apps from the tablet’s internal storage over to a microSD card and by doing so save even more space.

Finally, the update has also added an always-on HDR function for the 5MP rear-facing camera, which means a real-time HDR engine when taking candid photos of people in the street. Some other enhancements include a new video stabilization feature and even better results in taking low-light photography moments.

The update is now officially available for a download over the air.

[NVIDIA]

tablets

LG G Pad 8.3 Tablet Finally Gets The Google Play Edition

December 11, 2013 Nir Shein 1 Comment

Although LG has already introduced the G Pad 8.3 tablet more than three months ago, it didn’t announce the Google Play Edition, and gladly it is doing so today. The new 8-incher which has been specifically designed to take on Google Nexus 7 directly, is running the latest and greatest stock version of Android 4.4 (KitKat) under the hood, along with similar ingredients that we have already encountered before, including a stunning 1920 x 1200 Full HD IPS display, a quad-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 system-on-chip, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2-megapixel shooter up front. In addition, the 8.3mm thick device, which happens to retail for exactly the same price as the regular one ($349), boasts the best technology in terms of connectivity (e.g NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi), paired with a 4600mAh battery and a microSD card slot.

There are many benefits of having a stock Google Android machine instead of the company version, particularly when it comes to the frequency of updates, simplicity in UI, the absence of bloatware that can slow the system down, and the overall performance, which it is expected to deliver. The LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition is now officially available via Google Play — are you getting one?

tablets

Toshiba Reveals Budget Excite 7 Tablet

November 21, 2013 Nir Shein

Toshiba today announces its latest 7-inch tablet, the Excite 7. Now, don’t expect this new device to be on par with the rest of the popular Excite tablet family. It is a budget 1.6GHz quad-core slate, with a mediocre 7-inch display on board, boasting 1,024×600 screen resolution and with Mali 400MP quad-core GPU. Not exactly the top-notch hardware you’d get with the Excite Pro and Excite Pure Android Jelly Bean slabs, but the price is to be respectively less as well. At its $169 base price, Toshiba’s entry-level tablet packs 1GB of RAM, your choice of 8GB or 16GB of internal storage, a microSD slot expansion, USB, HDMI out and a standard Wifi connectivity plus Bluetooth 4.0. The cameras on this fat bezel slate are at the low end of the digital spectrum range, with only 3-megapixel camera on the back and a 0.3-megapixel shooter up front. Again, it’s a cheap makeover but fairly new. On the other hand, there are quite a few great options out there that have more reliable performance technology inside, and that cost only a few dollars more; the new Nexus 7 for example. Anyways, everything is at your discretion what to buy and what not to.

[youtube id=”PXsc6_WcYcs”]

Video courtesy of Android Central

[Toshiba]

Computex, tablets

MSI Unveils The Primo 81, a 7.85-inch iPad Mini-Like Tablet

June 3, 2013 Nir Shein

Computex 2013 is definitely a place for global exhibitors to make new product announcements. And that includes MSI which today introduced their latest entry to the mid-range tablet space, in the form of a 7.85-inch slab, dubbed the Primo 81. At this point, I’m sure you all think that it looks exactly like the iPad Mini, and there’s certainly a lot of similarities in appearance between the two, but the primary difference is that the Mini runs an iOS software, while the Primo will receive an Android Jelly Bean soul. That being said, both tablets feature the same 1,024 x 768 capacitive IPS display, made by LG, with similar version of the 1GB RAM stick, and almost identical finish and size in dimensions. But the CPU is slightly different from each other. While the Mini comes with a Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 chip inside (Apple A5), the Primo provides a fairly cheap and powerful upgrade — It has the quad-core Allwinner A315 processor. We also know there will be a 16GB capacity version for the MSI model, but can’t be sure about any other storage forms. Unfortunately, there’s still no word about pricing or availability but we’ll keep you posted as we find out more.

[via YugaTech]

tablets

Samsung Officially Announces The Galaxy Tab 3 Tablet

April 29, 2013 Nir Shein 1 Comment

Another day, another Samsung Galaxy tablet. That’s right folks, the S.Korean corp has just announced the official release of yet another mid-range Android Jelly Bean device, also known as the Galaxy Tab 3 model. After the previous 8 incher this 7 inches (1024×600) slate looks pretty much the same, only with about 1-inch less of your fancy touch-screen real estate. Other than that, we’re basically looking at a tad thinner and lighter Sammy version (compared to the Galaxy Tab 2 iteration), with a dual-core 1.2GHz processor under the lid, either 8GB or 16GB of internal storage (expandable up to 64GB via microSD card slot), a 3 MP rear camera and 1.3-megapixel front camera for video calling, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth 3.0, and GPS + GLONASS navigation system. There’s also a 4,000 mAh battery pack inside this slab, and an optional 3G HSPA+ capable baseband. While pricing information is still largely unknown, Samsung has announced that it will begin selling the Tab 3 WiFi -Only brand sometime in May, and the 3G edition about one month later.

[toggle title=”PRESS RELEASE”]Samsung Unveils GALAXY Tab 3

SEOUL, Korea, April 29, 2013 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced the introduction of the GALAXY Tab 3 – 7-inch tablet featuring sleek design and enhanced capabilities that bring capabilities that bring better performance and multimedia experiences to your fingertips.

With the new GALAXY Tab 3, Samsung has evolved its range of innovative tablets, making them smaller and easier to carry, while increasing the user experience overall

• Easy Handgrip and Portability: Its compact, one-hand grip form factor ensures users can hold comfortably for hours as well as store in a pocket or small bag for reading and entertainment on the go. The sleek and stylish design encompasses thinner bezel than the previous GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0). • Better Multimedia Performance: Powered by a 1.2GHz Dual Core processor, the device allows for faster downloads and sharing, while providing easy access to videos, apps, games, and the web. Offered with either 8/16 of internal storage plus up to 64GB of expandable memory, the device has plenty of space to hold your favorite photos, music, apps, videos and more.

• Enhanced User Experience: The GALAXY Tab 3 7-inch is equipped to better capture life’s moments in stunning clarity and resolution with its 3-megapixel camera rear camera and 1.3 -megapixel front camera. Combined with the latest Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), it allows users to share photos, videos, and life’s special moments through a few quick taps and swipes.

The GALAXY Tab 3 7-inch WiFi version will be available globally beginning May and 3G version will follow in June. The product availability varies by market and will be rolled out gradually.[/toggle]

tablets

HP’s 7-Inch Slate 7 Gets May 1st UK Release

April 18, 2013 Nir Shein

HP has already announced plans to release a 7-inch Android tablet sometime this year, after its first webOS device, the TouchPad, failed to make a dent in the market. Now, the company seems to be ready to fight back, and grab a little market share from popular players like Apple’s iPad Mini, and Google’s Nexus 7. The product, which the US hardware maker is going to actually role out, is set to have a UK release on May 1st, with a tiny £129 price tag, and a formidable list of internal specs, including a 7-inch 1024×600 display, 1GB of RAM, an ARM Cortex A9 dual-core 1.6GHz processor, 3.15MP plus 0.3MP cameras, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the tablet OS. With the new Slate 7, we’re also looking at 8GB of storage (expandable up to 32GB via microSD), Red or Silver hues at your choice, and integrated Beats Audio software. Those who are looking to be the first to have this one within the European boundaries, can officially pre-order the slab from HP’s UK online store, right away. There’s still no word when you will be able to get this one Stateside.

[HP]

tablets

ASUS Officially Announces The FonePad: A 7-inch Tablet with Phone Capabilities

February 26, 2013 Nir Shein

All in a sudden, the tablet-phone trend has become visible at Mobile World Congress. First it was Samsung to include a cell phone functionality inside the Galaxy Note 8.0, and now it’s the Taiwanese corp with their latest and greatest Asus FonePad (not to confuse with the company’s PadFone), which still features the same 7-inch 1,280 x 800 IPS form factor, alongside a 1.2GHz Atom Z2420 chip, 1GB of RAM, and a PowerVR SGX540 GPU. The positive point of this tablet other than the display sharpness and relatively strong CPU, is the stylish design, with either gray or gold colors covering the back, and the thin bezel that gives the unit a clean and polished look. The FonePad comes equipped with a 4,270mAH battery that can provide up to nine hours of continuous work, and of course, as the title suggests, there’s an HSPA+ radio connectivity, running under Google’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean platform. Inside the device you’ll also find a micro-SIM slot, 16GB of built-in storage, a digital mic, and a microSD card reader (expandable to 32GB).

Asus has revealed it is planning to release the FonePad in Europe, this coming March, for £179 or €219, depends on your country of residence. And while a US release date has not yet been set, Asus has already confirmed a $249 price tag. Hit the break for full PR and some videos.

[youtube id=”TuMHScgnRUI”]

[youtube id=”1Ki_LaDoYwk”]

ASUS Announces Fonepad™
ASUS’ latest mobile lifestyle device features built-in 3G for fast mobile data and full telephony support along with the versatility and power of a 7″ tablet

Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain (25th February, 2013) – ASUS today announced Fonepad™, a competitively priced handheld with 3G voice and mobile data for all the features of a smartphone, with the versatility of a 7-inch tablet. Powered by a new Intel® Atom™ Z2420 processor with Android 4.1, Fonepad™ features a vibrant HD display with IPS technology for wide viewing angles and outstanding clarity.
“It is ideal to have a larger screen with entertainment, social media and other online activities now playing an increasingly important part in our mobile lifestyles,” said Jonney Shih, ASUS Chairman. “The incorporation of 3G mobile data with full telephony support makes the Fonepad™ a perfect combination of tablet and phone in one single device.”
“Extending our long history of collaboration, including most recently on the Ultrabook™ and Intel-based tablets, we are very excited to be partnering with ASUS again,” said Hermann Eul, Intel® vice president and co-general manager of the Mobile and Communications Group. “Intel’s new Atom™ Z2420 processor delivers the power, performance and flexibility required to accommodate a range of devices and market needs. We think the ASUS Fonepad™ is a very innovative device in an emerging category of 3G tablets with telephony features.”

Beautiful metallic design with Intel® Atom™ performance
ASUS Fonepad™ is ideal for people who value both the voice communication features of a smartphone and the entertainment opportunities afforded by a tablet, but prefer the convenience of carrying just one device. Fonepad™ is a sleek and compact tablet with a metallic design that can be held comfortably in one hand, thanks to its light 340g weight and slim 10.4mm profile. Powered by the latest Intel® Atom™ Z2420 processor with full Android compatibility, Fonepad™ features a perfect balance of performance and energy efficiency, with hardware-accelerated 1080p Full HD video decoding and up to nine hours of battery life.
The 7-inch screen features 10-point multi-touch, and a crisp 1280 x 800 HD resolution for crisp, readable web page text and incredibly detailed photos. IPS technology ensures vibrant color with 178-degree wide viewing angles, and images that are clear and bright, even outdoors.

Built-in 3G for mobile data and voice calls
Built-in 3G with HSPA+ mobile data means ASUS Fonepad™ is an always-connected mobile device for seamless web browsing, fast downloads from Google Play Store, and smooth streaming of audio and video. Thanks to its full 3G telephony support, Fonepad™ can also be used for voice calls using the built-in noise-cancelling digital microphone or a Bluetooth headset. With just one mobile data plan to pay for, running costs are also much lower than those of a separate smartphone and 3G tablet.
Fonepad™ will be available in the UK with 16GB of internal storage and up to 32GB of additional storage with a microSD card. All models feature a front 1.2-megapixel camera for easy video chat and ASUS SonicMaster audio technology with MaxxAudio 3 processing by Waves ensures clear, well-rounded sound quality.

Exclusive ASUS apps and accessories for greater productivity
ASUS Fonepad™ comes with a number of exclusive ASUS productivity apps: Floating App for easy management of running apps and multi-tasking; SuperNote Lite for handwritten notes and drawing; and WebStorage Office Online for Microsoft Office-compatible document editing on the move. Fonepad™ users also get 5GB of free lifetime ASUS WebStorage for syncing and sharing data with other devices.
Two new optional accessories are also available for Fonepad™. Available in four different colors, VersaSleeve 7 is a wraparound cover with a folding design that both protects Fonepad™ and props up the screen in two different positions for typing and watching video. Turn Case is a lightweight hard-shell case for Fonepad™ that features a soft interior to keep the screen clean and a built-in stand that places the screen at a perfect angle for watching video.
###
*Specifications may vary without prior notice. Options, pricing, performance and availability dependent upon region. For more details about the product mentioned in this press release, please visit http://press.asus.com .

AVAILABILITY & PRICING – UK
ASUS Fonepad™ and accessories will be available in the UK late Q2 2013. Prices start from SRP £179 (inc VAT) for the 16GB Fonepad. VersaSleeve costs £19.99 and Turn Case £39.99 (both SRP inc VAT). Exact pricing and specifications will be confirmed closer to launch.

tablets

Lenovo Rolls Out Three New Android Tablets, 7-inch A1000 and A3000, and 10-inch S6000

February 25, 2013 Nir Shein

As a leading manufacturer of personal computers, and laptops, Lenovo has predictably returned to Mobile World Congress with a heaping armful of new tablets of both the 7-inch and 10-inch variety, all of which run Android Jelly Bean under the hood, and will probably be globally available sometime in Q2. Starting with the 7-inch models, key specs for the entry level A1000 tablet, include a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, alongside a microSD slot expansion (32GB at max), 1,024 x 600 screen resolution, and up to 16GB of inbuilt storage. The A3000, on the other hand, boasts a tad stronger 1.2GHz quad-core MTK processor inside, together with an IPS display, expandable microSD slot (up to 64GB), and optional HSPA+ network.

The 10-inch form factor, dubbed the S6000, is an high-end slate, housing a 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek’s 8389 / 8125 CPU, a much better 1,280 x 800 IPS display, a shell that’s 8.6 mm thick and weighs just 560 grams (the 7-inchers measure at 11mm), and with eight hours of battery life to work with. Regretfully, there are no price details at the moment, but you can check out the videos and read the full PR after the break.

Update: Lenovo has finally begun selling the A1000 and A3000 slates online, with prices starting at $149 (after $40 discount) for the very basic IdeaPad device, and up to $229 in case you’d like to try the better alternative.

[youtube id=”an01GtoGX_c”]

[youtube id=”so4haeRrlnk”]

The two videos are courtesy of gadgetjm

Lenovo Announces New Android Tablets

Series includes new functionality and various configurations, tailored for distinct customer segments

BARCELONA – February 24, 2013: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced a line-up of new Android tablets, offering configurations and form factors to match consumer needs for both ultra-portable tablets and multimedia performers. The portfolio, which also boasts unique connectivity features, will be available starting in the second quarter 2013.
The range starts with two new A-series tablets, seven-inch devices, designed for optimal mobility while still packing a performance punch. The A1000 is ideal for first-time tablet buyers and features enhanced audio, while the A3000 offers quad-core processing for speedy performance whether for gaming or web-browsing. Alongside these models, Lenovo also announced the new 10-inch S6000, which offers extended I/O options, a large, vibrant screen and a super-slim profile that looks sophisticated and elegant, whether the user is web-surfing in the coffee shop or enjoying movies and games at home.

“Lenovo’s latest Android tablet family is designed to meet the demands of a wide range of customers, particularly young, active users who are always on the go, and have adopted the seven-inch form factor as their own. With these latest additions to our tablet portfolio, we’ve created devices that address these customers’ needs, as well as devices for more demanding gamers and multimedia users,” said Chen Wenhui, vice president Lenovo and GM Mobile BU, “We believe that our Android family of tablets will appeal to customers across the world as we’ve built our products to be highly accessible and flexible to serve multiple needs and budgets.”

S6000, Mobile “Home Entertainment” Center
As tablets have continued their march into the mainstream, increasing demands with regards to larger screen devices have raised the bar for tablet makers. Lenovo has responded with the S6000, a sleek and powerful option for customers looking for a device that switches seamlessly from entertainment to social media and beyond. Powered by the MTK 8389/8125 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, the S6000 shines as a multimedia and gaming tablet fronted by a 10.1-inch IPS 1280X800 display with a wide, 178-degree viewing angle, micro HDMI port and digital microphone. The S6000 also offers a number of additions to optimize its performance as a connectivity tool for social networkers including optional HSPA+ and a substantial battery that allows for more than 8 hours of continuous WiFi web browsing. Even with these specifications though, the S6000 does not lose track of style and convenience; it is all tied together in a super slim (8.6mm) and light (560g) frame that feels good and helps you look good.

A3000, Full Performance in a Compact Package
In today’s connected world, devices must be mobile, without skimping on performance. The A3000 bristles with specifications typically found in a much larger device, all packed into a seven-inch form factor that is thin and light. Powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core, MTK processor, the A3000 optimizes the user experience for games, video, photo-sharing and web-browsing, offering seamlessly fluid navigation and highly responsive performance. The benefits of the seven-inch form factor are not ignored on the A3000 either. The tablet, which sports an IPS 1024×600 screen, weighs in at less than 340g and is only 11mm thick, but can still hold a wealth of content with an extensive memory, which can be extended to 64GB with the external micro-SD card. Optional 3G HSPA+ support ensures you stay connected when you’re on the go with Lenovo’s ultra-portable tablet.

A1000, Pocket Studio with Dolby®

The A1000 delivers an audio experience normally reserved for more expensive tablets in a seven- inch device. With Dolby Digital Plus integrated into the device and large, front-facing speakers that ensure the sound is directed at the users’ ears rather than the floor, the A1000 is perfect for music lovers and those seeking a “pocket studio” for either music or movies. The A1000 runs Android Jelly Bean 4.1 on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and has on-board storage of up to 16GB, extendable to 32GB with a micro-SD slot, so users can load content up and take it to the gym, the office or anywhere else they want to experience high-quality sights and sounds. It also comes in either black or white, allowing users to customize their Lenovo pocket studio to their lifestyle.

Lenovo Mobile Access
All the new Android tablets come with Lenovo Mobile Access, a unique service that allows users to connect instantly “out of the box”. When customers first power up their Lenovo device, they will see an icon indicating Lenovo as their access provider. Without having to set up a special data plan, they can immediately start browsing web pages, accessing their email and sharing content with friends using HSPA+ 3G access or through WiFi according to their specific configuration. When the initial Lenovo Mobile Access service expires users will be prompted with the option to easily renew their plan or select an alternative service.

Pricing and Availability
The newest Android tablets will be available worldwide from Q2, 2013. Although pricing varies according to market, configuration and model, each tablet in the range is competitively priced to ensure maximum accessibility to a premium user experience for all customers.

General

Toshiba Announces 10.1-Inch REGZA Tablet AT501

February 14, 2013 Nir Shein

Toshiba has just announced a new joiner to its burgeoning Android tablet family, the REGZA Tablet AT501, which supposed to replace the previous AT500 model. The new device has the latest version of Google Android, under the hood, alongside a 1.3GHz Tegra 3 chip and 1GB of RAM. The screen measures 10.1 inches diagonally, but the pixel rate is only at 1,280 x 800 IPS. Famous for its TV line, Toshiba has also added to this slab, a nice feature that will enable you to use it as a cool companion to the popular REGZA series, at no time. And while battery is said to deliver up to 10 hours of continuous work, the camera on the back is a bit disappointing, at 3-megapixel only. But that’s what you get for the price of 40,000 yen, or $425, right?

[Toshiba]

tablets

Alcatel Announces Evo 7 and Evo 7 HD Android Tablets

January 8, 2013 Nir Shein

You may have noticed we haven’t heard much from Alcatel in the tablet area so far, but then you may ask what is CES for? Today the company officially announced it is going to release a new line of Android products, with two 7-inchers on the stake.

The first, out of the duo machines, is the 7-inch Evo 7 tablet that is claimed to include a single-core 1GHz processor, under the lid, alongside a front-facing VGA camera, an Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) for the OS, 1GB RAM and 4GB of integrated storage. Other than that, the French corp has also tossed in a microSD slot, paired with a Bluetooth 2.1 technology and WiFi support. In addition, you’re getting the option to add a mobile data HSPA+ 21 module, but that will cost you just a little more (prices are yet to be determined).

The second device, the Evo 7 HD, features an upgraded line of specs. While display remains at 7-inch, the screen resolution was updated to 1,280 x 800, and camera wise, you get two instead of one, a 3-megapixel rear camera and a VGA shooter up front. Furthermore, it packs 4GB of internal memory, microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB), a dual-core 1.6GHz CPU, and Android Jelly Bean for the OS. Of course, there’s a 802.11 b/g/n WiFi on board, together with a Bluetooth 4.0. Finally, you can either choose between the optional 3G module setup that will run you $249, or the 4G module that will set you back $349.

tablets

Archos 97 Titanium HD Tablet Breaks Cover with Retina Display and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean On Board

December 23, 2012 Nir Shein

Another day, and yet another Android tablet announced by Archos. But this one is not as same as previous models. While the external look might suggest it is, the inner parts include a 9.7 inch IPS display with 2048 x 1536 pixels – same as the one you get on Apple’s latest and greatest iPad 4; although we may have good reasons to believe that the Archos 97 Titanium HD (yes, that’s how it is called) would probably cost you cheaper. As mentioned, the new release will run the most updated version of Android, the Jelly Bean, under the hood, alongside a 1.6GHz dual-core A9 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, two cameras, the main camera is 5 megapixels and the front-facing camera is of 2 megapixels, and a microSD card expansion support (up to 64GB). Price and availability are yet to be determined, but this looks really interesting and one to certainly look out for.

Update1: Apparently the 97 Titanium HD tablet is only one of a whole new set of Archos tablets, called “Titanium” and featuring four different slabs, including the Archos 70, Archos 80, Archos 97, and Archos 101. These names, as you may or may not noticed, refer to the actual size of the screens, that sport high-def IPS capacitive multi-touch technology, paired with a 1.6GHz dual-core processor, a quad-core GPU, And Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the OS. Prices range between $119 for the smallest 7-inch version, and up to $199 for the 10.1-incher. Full PR after the break.

Update2: Archos has just released another series, under the Platinum” label” with a larger 11.6-inch, 1920×1080 IPS display, a quad-core 1.2GHz processor, eight-core GPU, and an Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) for the OS. In addition, there are two cameras (front and rear) in this pack, along with an HDMI out, and a microSD card reader. The price, if you guys are wondering, is at merely $349 and not a single dime more.

[Archos]

ARCHOS Introduces the New TITANIUM Line at CES
CES, Las Vegas – January 10, 2013 – ARCHOS, an award-winning innovator in consumer electronics introduces the Titanium line in its Elements range of tablets.

This range offers high-end specifications at an aggressive price and all tablets will feature:
High Definition IPS display capacitive multi-touch screen
Dual core CPU at 1.6 GHz with Quad core GPU, with 1080p video decoding
Sleek aluminum design
Android 4.1 ‘Jelly Bean’ with the 700,000 applications on Google Play and the Archos Media Center applications
The ARCHOS 70 titanium (7 inches), priced at 119€, $119, £99 offers similar features to competitors such as Amazon, at a better price point.

The ARCHOS 80 titanium (8 inches), priced at 169€, $169, £149 has been designed to offer similar user experience as the iPad mini, for a fraction of the price.

The ARCHOS 101 titanium (10.1 inches), priced at 199€, $199, £169, is around 30 per cent cheaper than competition with comparable features.

The ARCHOS 97 titanium HD (9.7 inches), with a resolution up to 2048 x 1536 pixels is priced at 249€, $249 and £199, and aims to be an alternative to the new iPad for half the price.
ARCHOS will have the full Titanium range and the recently announced ARCHOS TV connect on display at CES until Friday, January 11th, so stop by now and get your hands-on demonstration – Central Hall, booth number 15322. www.archos.com

tablets

7-inch Scroll Evoke Tablet with Jelly Bean OS To Launch In Europe

December 11, 2012 Nir Shein

From time to time we get to hear of a new Android tablet, that is not one of the top five names (e.g Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung or Asus), coming out of nowhere and making some noise. The latest and greatest in that category is the new 7-inch Scroll Evoke, which was recently announced by a company called Storage Options, in the UK, and is now available online for pre-order at £120. And while you may think that specs are the king, the average Joe Public doesn’t necessarily agree; look and feel are critical to the overall experience, and this Android Jelly Bean slate is well designed to excel in this area. But the internal parts ain’t bad either. The 7-inch slab comes equipped with a 1024 x 600 screen resolution (same as the iPad Mini’s), while other parts include a 1.6GHz dual-core Cortex A9 CPU, 8GB of internal storage, a microSD slot and a strong quad-core Mali-T604 GPU to push your Evoke performance to great new levels. Does this sound any good? In that case you should definitely click the short link below, find more details and read further information about it.

[Scroll Evoke]

Storage Options Unveils its Most Powerful Tablet
Scroll Evoke brings Android Jellybean to UK’s widest tablet portfolio

UK-based technology brand, Storage Options, has announced its most powerful tablet to date – the Scroll Evoke. In an exciting first for the award-winning Scroll portfolio, the Evoke will adopt Android’s 4.1 Jellybean – the latest operating system from Google – offering dramatically improved response times, performance and accessibility.

Retailing at just £119.99, the sleek and stylish Scroll Evoke features a new Dual Core Cortex A9 1.6GHz processor, enhancing performance and offering a crystal clear viewing experience. The 7″ tablet also offers 8GB of on-board memory (expandable by up to 32GB with a Micro SD card) ensuring plenty of room for e-books, music and movies, plus Bluetooth connectivity provides access to a range of wireless devices such as a keyboard or mouse.

Providing a truly portable experience, the Scroll Evoke comes with a brand new Mali-T604 quad core graphics processor, offering the user an impressive, polished display and rich viewing experience.

Paul Evison, Head of Brand at Storage Options, comments: “The Scroll Evoke is an exciting and important addition to our range and as the first device to run on Android 4.1, we are re-enforcing our commitment to offering the latest technology to our customers. Our Scroll range now offers a tablet to suit everyone, whether they are looking for an entry level device or something more sophisticated. With great features such as a Quad Core graphics processor and Bluetooth connectivity, we feel that the Scroll Evoke is the perfect addition. With an RRP of only £119.99, the Evoke is also one of the most cost effective tablets on the market which runs the latest Android operating system.”

The Android 4.1 Jellybean operating system is the fastest and smoothest version to date and introduces a new Google search experience. Everything in Jelly Bean is faster, more fluid and smoother. These new 4.1 features have improved performance throughout the Scroll device including faster orientation changes, quicker responses when switching between apps and more consistent rendering across the system through triple buffering.

Available to order from http://www.storageoptions.com, the Evoke is the newest tablet to join Storage Option’s award winning Scroll line up with tablets ranging from 4.3″ to 9.7″.

– Ends –
About Storage Options
Storage Options is a UK-based technology brand created with a vision of offering great value, high-performance products without compromising on quality or service.

Since Storage Options arrived in the UK in 2010, the brand has gone from strength to strength successfully growing its customer base and expanding its product portfolio into many new areas. The brand’s aim is to deliver great products that meet expectations, offer exceptional value for money and provide the good service and support expected by UK and Irish customers.

Further information is available on their website http://www.storageoptions.com or you can follow Storage Options on Twitter and Facebook.

tablets

Archos’ New 13.3-inch FamilyPad Tablet Wants You To Get All Your Family Together

November 22, 2012 Nir Shein

Archos has just announced their plans to release a brand new Android tablet, scheduled to come out in time for the 2012 holiday season. Surely, the most busiest season of the year, where shoppers are hustling around trying to find the perfect gifts for their family and friends. Speaking of which, a family, as a family, is pretty much like a one big package during this particular period of time of the year, which best explains the rationale behind that recent tablet announcement – A 13.3 inch Android Ice Cream Sandwich slab, dubbed the FamilyPad (no word regarding a Jelly Bean update). Yes, you got that right, Archos wants you to share your digital experience with your loved ones, and it’s doing so by launching a big-screen device, running a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU under the lid, alongside a 1,280×800 HD display on top, 8GB of storage, two cameras with 2-megapixels each, HDMI out and a microSD card slot. Due for release in the UK first (with a US date to follow), the giant black slate will run you £274.99 ($438), which is more than you’d expect. Full PR after the break.

ARCHOS Brings Back Game Night and Puts a Digital Twist on Family Time with the Release of FamilyPad
The FamilyPad 13.3″ will revolutionise game night with digital board games that the family can play together, movie and picture sharing and a special digital family organiser
London – November 20, 2012 – ARCHOS, an award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, is proud to announce a new type of tablet for the entire family called the FamilyPad. Perfectly sized for a family to use together the FamilyPad, featuring an impressive 34cm HD screen, will become the must have family companion this holiday season. Families can sit down and play digital board games, watch movies, share pictures or connect to social networks together. The FamilyPad runs smoothly and displays everything on a large sharp color 1280*800 HD display. It also features a 10x multitouch screen that allows up to four people to play a game as if it’s a real game board. It can also be put on display in the kitchen, living room or family room as a family organiser. The FamilyPad will be first released in the UK for £274.99 starting in December 2012.

Play together

The FamilyPad brings a new meaning to family game night and recreates the traditional board game into a digital game that provides a complete interactive experience for the entire family. With its 10x Multitouch screen, families can play games with up to four people at time for a real game board experience. The FamilyPad features thousands of various games to choose from including a range of pre-installed games selected by ARCHOS for an instant out of the box gaming experience.

Perfect for sharing movies and pictures

Family members can load all their HD videos, pictures or movies on this tablet for a high quality 1080P HD resolution viewing experience. The FamilyPad features a special embedded animated slide show functions that make pictures come alive for an entertaining slide show on a 34cm screen.

Organise the family

Family members can use the FamilyPad as a complete family organiser by placing it on display in the kitchen, living room or common area. In addition, they can keep connected with friends and family anytime through social networking and chat applications. It also allows configuration of a variety of email accounts for each family member, access to newspapers, sport news, financial information, traffic updates, weather forecasts and more. The FamilyPad is the perfect sized display tablet that will help keep every family member informed and organisedeach day.

Technical Specs:

· Storage: 8GB flash memory and expandable via micro SDHC Slot up to 32 GB

· Operating system: ANDROID™ 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich”

· CPU: ARM Cortex A8 @ 1 GHz RAM: 1GB

· Display: 13.3″ inch (34cm), capacitive 10 points MultiTouch Screen, 16 million colors, 1280 x 800 HD screen resolution

· Interfaces: 1x Micro USB host 2.0 for external devices, Micro SD slot, HDMI output

· Camera: Front camera 2.0 MP (1600*1200) and back camera 2.0 MP (1600*1200)

tablets

Nexus 7 3G Android Tablet Now For sale at $299

November 14, 2012 Nir Shein

The Nexus 7 is already a big hit all over the globe, and it’s barely out of the factory doors. With top-notch specs (such as 1GB of RAM, a beautiful 7-inch display, NFC, GPS, Android Jelly Bean for the OS, a front 1.2MP camera, plus a Tegra 3 processor on board) and affordable $200 price point, the decision of buying this tablet is perhaps the easiest one to make, for so many people, both techy and non. Until now, the Nexus 7 was a WiFi-only device, as many of us with basic challenges prefer it. Today, however, the search engine giant is adding a 3G compatibility to practically all carriers across the US pond (and for use with GSM carries around the world), as the mobile data version will from now on be available with SIM unlocked form. The new Nexus flavor is offered in a 32GB storage capacity only, and it comes priced at $299, or about $50 more than the regular Seven slate is. Click through the link to read the original Google source.

[Google Play]

tablets

8-Inch Dual Core Archos 80 Cobalt Tablet Announced

November 1, 2012 Nir Shein

You didn’t honestly think that a company like Archos would sit aside and let the big moguls (e.g Google, Amazon, apple) play the game all by themselves, did you? Good, because the French tablet maker has just announced a new addition to its Elements line, dubbed the Archos 80 Cobalt. Right from the beginning one can sense that this tablet has an 8-inch capacitive display on top, crammed with 1024 x 768 pixels and 1080p video playback support. Other than that I couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. There’s a dual-core 1.6GHz processor under the lid, tucked with a quad core GPU, Ice Cream Sandwich for the OS, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage (Expandable via micro SDHC Slot up to 64 GB). If you’re into it, there’s also a 3.5mm jack for your headphones/speakers and a Micro USB slave 2.0 port, alongside a rear 2-megapixel webcam and a 0.3 shooter on the front. Again, there’s no pricing or availability yet, but if Archos wants to win, it will have a lot to do to catch up with the competition.

[Archos]

tablets

Google Nexus 10 Tablet Leaked With Android 4.2 and Super AMOLED Screen (Update: Now Official)

October 28, 2012 Nir Shein 2 Comments

Google’s Samsung 10-inch joint venture tablet, the Nexus 10, just leaked ahead of launch (which was scheduled for October 29 but postponed due to weather conditions). Of course you should take all this with a little grain of salt, but the pictures and video footage (after the break) speak a million words. Not to mention Google’s Senior VP of Engineering, Vic Gundotra that was posting some images the other day (taken with a Nexus 10 device) on a Google Plus page of his own.

So basically, there’s something in the new horizon. What is it? According to the guys over at BriefMobile, we’re looking at a 1.7GHz Samsung Exynos 5250 dual-core slate, powered by a strong Mali-T604 GPU and paired with 2GB of RAM, about 16GB of internal storage, a 5MP camera on the back and some top-notch connectivity features like NFC, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0. The screen on this slab works with a very exceptional 2,560 x 1,600 HD resolution, and this new iteration is claimed to be running an Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on board.

For now, let’s just hope it will go live as expected, and will do just as well as the Nexus 7 model

Update1: It sure didn’t take long for Google to officially announce the Nexus 10, a 10.055-inch tablet made in partnership with Samsung. As already stated, the new device will indeed pack a whopping 2,560 x 1,600 screen display at 300 ppi – a Retina-level display that is impressively thin and stylishly designed. Moreover, it will also include a 1.7 GHz Cortex A15-based Samsung Exynos 5250 processor inside, as well as a Mali T604 GPU, 2GB of RAM, a 1.9-megapixel front facing camera plus a 5-megapixel rear shooter, microUSB, Pogo Pin, microHDMI, Android 4.2 for the OS and some cool built-in features that we all have come to know.

It will be available starting November 13th for $399 (16GB) and $499 (32GB), in countries like the US, UK, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan.

Update2: We have just added a chart, comparing the Nexus 10 to some of the most popular tablets available in the market

[via BriefMobile]

[youtube id=”-4zeAyxCmNY”]

The table is courtesy of engadget.

tablets

Sony Xperia Tablet S Now Official, Tegra 3 and ICS Onboard

August 29, 2012 Nir Shein

They say that every rumor has some truth to it, and the one that was talking about a new Sony slate, has also succeeded to live up to its claims. In other words, those leaked slides were spot on to the inch, as the Japanese corp officially announces the Xperia S tablet – A very powerful Tegra 3 quad-core device, with up to 64GB of internal storage, 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth 3.0, a gyroscope, accelerometer, a full-size SD card slot, HDMI out, and a Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform for the OS. In that regard, the company promised that a Jelly Bean update will be made available as soon as possible.

While Sony managed to preserve most of the Tablet S exterior design, the internal parts, however, were greatly enhanced. The storage capacity substantially increased, the chip, as mentioned earlier, was upgraded from Nvidia Tegra 2 to the latest and greatest Tegra 3, battery is now at 6,000mAh, or somewhere around 10 working hours. But the wonderful TruBlack Bravia screen, that was first shown at IFA last year, remained untouched at 9.4-inches with 1,280 x 800 resolution.

Sony has always been a leading TV brand, and as such the new Xperia S can also be used as a universal remote control when watching TV, with programmable shortcut keys (up to 6 macros) and an integrated IR emitter.

The tablet comes with preloaded apps like Watch Now, which lets you watch live TV and share your thoughts with other online users (either via Facebook or Twitter), get recommendations, or any other related info. There’s also a “Guest Mode” feature that enables apps control or surfing limitations. All in all, a good privacy keeper, we’d say. And, of course, some multitasking capabilities were tossed in, alongside Sony’s multimedia apps, the Video Unlimited and Music Unlimited, where you can browse and purchase some digital content.

The Xperia Tablet S launches September 7, in three different Wi-Fi only flavors: 16GB ($399.99), 32GB ($499.99) and 64GB ($599.00).

You may also buy yourself a wide range of handy accessories for the Xperia Tablet S, including a cover plus keyboard ($99.99), docking stand ($99.99), simple stand ($24.99), carrying cover ($50.99 – $79.99), charging cradle ($39.99) and speaker dock ($129.99, available in November).

Official video plus a quick hands-on footage:

[youtube id=”9mkhSQtanAE”]

[youtube id=”40HHnAR3EMk”]

Second video, courtesy of TechRadar

tablets

Huawei’s Ice Cream Sandwich MediaPad 7 Lite Tablet Introduced

July 26, 2012 Nir Shein

The Android tablet scene is changing quickly, and flush with new arrivals. Is it going to stop anytime soon? Likely not. We’ve recently seen Google’s Nexus 7 making a splash around the globe and today, Chinese group Huawei is said to be launching their very own seven inch version, also known as the MediaPad 7 Lite. As you may have guessed, it packs a standard 7-inch 1280 x 800 touchscreen atop the center stack, and likely to run an Ice Cream Sandwich platform under the lid. There will be a WiFi and 3G connectivity inside, as well as a sleek -black metal unibody and a rear camera of unknown resolution. At this point, we are still waiting to hear on pricing and availability in Asia, and if you’ll see the Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) update, or not. So stay tuned folks.

[Huawei]

tablets

Archos Launches Ice Cream Sandwich 97 Carbon Tablet

July 6, 2012 Nir Shein 1 Comment

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from Archos, but now they are planning to return strongly, with a new line of cheap Android ICS tablets, dubbed “Elements.” Basically, we’re looking at three different versions in that series, at three completely different sizes. The first one, the 97 Carbon, is said to include a 9.7-inch IPS display, along with a 1GHz processor, two cameras, 16GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD slot. The 0.45-inch thick aluminum tablet will also have an HDMI output to increase the TV connection options for users, as well as a full-sized USB hub and an Ice Cream Sandwich platform for the OS. Prices range from $230 to $250 USD, with 7 inch and 8 inch tablet devices to follow in the coming future. Full PR after the break.

ARCHOS Releases New ELEMENTS Line; Introduces First in the Series, the 97 Carbon

ARCHOS, an award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, is pleased to introduce the ARCHOS 97 carbon, the first of its new tablet range called “ELEMENTS”, an entry-level line up of 7, 8, and 9.7 inch tablets that combine ARCHOS design and engineering with full access to Google PlayTM and a full suite of Google apps at an affordable price.

Equipped with the latest mobile technology and an elegant aluminum finish, the ARCHOS 97 Carbon is only 21.8 ounces and 0.45″ thick. Its sharp and clear IPS multi-touch screen delivers amazing vivid colors and impressive wide viewing angles. For the smoothest interface experience, ARCHOS has powered this tablet with a fast 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM while running AndroidTM 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich”.

Combining very high performance hardware, intuitive software and affordability, this Google PlayTM supported device will be available starting in July 2012 for $229.99 – $249.99 SRP.

“We wanted to introduce a new series that not only combines affordability with a new slim design, but features the best that Google has to offer,” says Henri Crohas, ARCHOS Founder and CEO. “With the ELEMENTS series we have done just that. It’s the perfect balance of hardware, software optimization and content through the Google PlayTM ecosystem.”

tablets

High-end Asus Transformer Pad TF700 Coming to The U.S in July

June 27, 2012 Nir Shein 1 Comment

Asus is gearing up to break into U.S high-end tablet market with the whole new 10-inch Transformer Pad TF700, which was announced last February in Barcelona, at the Mobile World Congress. Known as the Transformer Pad Infinity, the new TF700 is of all-Gorilla Glass construction on top, housing a 1920 x 1200 IPS display under the hood, and rocking 600 nits of brightness, at max. In addition, you will find 1GB of DDR3 RAM inside, paired with a quad-core Tegra 3 SoC, and in the 4G case, a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor. As for operating system, the TF700 ships preloaded with Android 4.0, the latest portable OS from Google. Moving forward, there’s also a built-in Bluetooth 3.0 for speedy wireless connectivity, and a pair of cameras, including an 8MP f/2.2 rear facing camera capable of 1080p video recording, and a 2MP secondary camera up front for video chat.

Word is it’s due to be released Stateside July 16th, and will cost about $499 for the 32GB model and $599 for the 64GB flavor. While the docking cradle will set you back $149. But if you already have any previous version, we’d recommend you keep it, they’re very compatible with each other.

[youtube id=”s7YvXgHe5UY”]

tablets

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 Officially Live In The US

May 13, 2012 Nir Shein 1 Comment

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 has now officially launched Stateside. Announced back in February, at MWC Barcelona, Samsung’s latest tablet device offers a plethora of good features and hardware, including a 1Ghz dual-core processor, Bluetooth 3.0, 1GB of RAM, Android 4.0, two cameras – rear and front, plus a big display, supporting 1280 x 800 screen resolution on top. The South Korean officials say it’ll be sold through Best Buy, Amazon, Tiger Direct and some other various channels, while the price tag of a 16GB wifi-only version is $400, which is quite steep for this kind of slate, especially when there are other strong options, available on the market. But the only way to decide what’s best for you is to do the math on your own. Full PR after the break.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2™ 10.1 and 4.2 Galaxy Player™ to be available for purchase nationwide this weekend

Samsung Electronics America Inc., today announces that its newest additions to the Galaxy Family, Galaxy Tab 2™ 10.1 and Galaxy Player™ 4.2, will be available for purchase nationwide beginning Sunday, May 13.

The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 will be available for $399.99 SRP, and the Player 4.2 will sell for $199.99 SRP. These complement the already available Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 and Galaxy Player 3.6.

Retailers carrying the devices include Amazon, Best Buy, hhgregg, Tiger Direct, WalMart, Office Depot and others. (Not all models available from all retailers).

For additional retail outlet availability, visit http://www.samsung.com

Key highlights include

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

Control, Watch and Share Your TV Content
· The perfect TV companion, use your Tab as a universal remote, multitask on the web while watching and wirelessly stream the live feed from your TV to your Tab.

Your Movies, Videos and Games Will Come Alive
· Everything’s more exciting on a bigger screen. Browse the web, explore over 450,000 apps from Google Play and Samsung Apps, and access thousands of TV shows and movies via WiFi.

Built to Power Your Entertainment
· A big 10.1″ entertainment machine The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is powered by Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, a dual-core processor with a microSD™ card slot and more.
Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2

Listen to your favorite music on the go
· Get instant access to your music with WiFi; as simple as drag and play.

Personalize your player. So many options to make it your own
· Discover a large collection of apps to customize your player.

One single device for all your entertainment needs
· The Galaxy Player 4.2 includes premium EA games. Experience seamless multimedia playback and much more!

tablets

Toshiba Launches Excite 10, 13 and 7.7 Android Ice Cream Sandwich Tablets

April 11, 2012 Nir Shein

We’ve already heard a few details about Toshiba’s upcoming Excite tablets lineup (both in January and March of this year) but it is only now that the new series has been officially confirmed. Generally speaking, there are three new Excite flavors included: The 7.7-inch, the 10-inch, and the 13-inch (!). And while the Japanese Corp. hasn’t really made a big splash in their previous attempts to enter the market – Mainly for launching bulky, cheap looking, plasticy models – This time, though, it’s going to be different. Why? It’ll be different because this time Tosh is rolling out remarkably thin bunch of slates, powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the OS, 1GB of RAM, and NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 quad-core chipset.

The largest and most interesting slab out of the three versions being offered, is naturally the 13.3-inch Excite 13 tablet. A very courageous attempt by the Japs to go against the odds and toss in a massive device, bigger than anything that had been built so far in this very crowded category. Under the lid, you’ll find a 1600 x 900 pixel backlit LED display, made of Gorilla Glass materials, alongside a 13-hours battery, a full-sized SD slot expansion and duo cameras on the back (5MP) and up front (2MP). This one measures approx 10mm thick and weigh 2.2lbs in total. It will go on sale starting June 10, for $650 (32GB) and $750 (64GB).

The mid-size version is the Excite 10, which surprisingly features a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 display, paired with an 8.9mm chassis, similar camera aspects and the same full-sized SD card slot. this one will be equipped with a 10-hours battery and said to go live May 6th, priced at $500 for 16GB, $530 for 32GB, or $650 for the 64GB.

The smallest candidate, the Excite 7.7, packs a brilliant AMOLED screen display sized at the 7-inch range. It is certainly very thin and measures only 7.6mm thick and weigh JUST 0.84lbs. Nonetheless, it sports 1280×800 screen resolution, a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, and a micro-SD slot expansion. Toshiba officials say it will hit the shelves June 10th as well, with prices starting at $500 for the 16GB handset and $580 for the 32GB option.

TOSHIBA SET TO EXCITE THE TABLET MARKET WITH NEW 10-, 13- AND 7.7-INCH TABLETS
Toshiba Introduces Three New Android-powered Tablets, Giving Consumers More Choice
IRVINE, Calif. – Apr. 10, 2012 – Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the expansion of its Excite™ family of Android™-powered tablets with three new display sizes – 13.3-inch, 10.1-inch and 7.7-inch. The new Excite tablets boast thin-and-light designs, brilliant displays, quad-core performance as well as a full range of essential ports and smart features.

“One size does not fit all, so we are carefully considering how and where people are using tablets and designing form factors to best suit various needs,” said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. “With amazingly thin and light designs, our new Excite family of tablets continues to incorporate what consumers have come to love about Toshiba tablets: essential ports for a more complete tablet computing experience plus durability that ensures they can go the distance.”

Powered to Perform, Built to Last and Designed to Excite
The three new tablets – Excite 10, Excite 13 and Excite 7.7 – feature elegant and sturdy aluminum shells and scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass displays, making them not only stylish, but also durable. Powered by Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, which builds on the things people love most about Android – the tablets offer a simplified UI, easy multitasking, customizable home screens, resizable widgets and a full suite of familiar Google™ mobile services applications – as well as powerful new ways of communicating and sharing.
From scrolling and swiping the web, to the fast action of the latest games, the Excite tablets’ all-new NVIDIA® Tegra™ 3 processorsi deliver amazing multitasking, web, gaming and video. This innovative mobile processor features the world’s only 4-PLUS-1™ mobile quad-core CPU, providing users outstanding performance for even the most demanding applications. Apps run faster, games are played at console-quality, HD video is smoother, plus it features a unique 5th battery-saver core to handle everyday apps – extending battery lifeii.

Each tablet is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera on the back, along with a 2-megapixel front-facing shooter for convenient photography, video capture and chat. The tablets also include stereo speakers with exclusive sound enhancements by Toshiba and SRS® Labs, as well as Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® connectivity.

Excite 10: Smart, Speedy, Durable
An all-around tablet designed for home and away, the Excite 10 tablet delivers an exceptional visual experience, featuring a bright, high definition 10.1-inch diagonal AutoBrite™ LED Backlit display with 1280×800 resolution and 10-finger multi-touch support, making it an ideal choice for web browsing, reading, games and apps. Measuring just 0.35 inches thin and weighing just 1.32 poundsiii, the Excite 10 tablet is extremely portable and delivers up to 10 hours of battery lifeiv and seven days of stand-by.

Delivering more performance than previous generation tablets, the Excite 10 tablet is powered by a quad-core NVIDIA® Tegra™ 3 processorv with GeForce graphicsvi and 1GB of RAMvii, opening up new possibilities for everyday multi-purpose use and next generation mobile games. Built to do more than the average tablet, users can enjoy easy syncing and sharing between all of their favorite devices, with a selection of built-in ports, including Micro USB, Micro HDMI® and a full-size SD card slot.

Excite 13: More Screen for More of Everything
Delivering more screen real estate than any other tablet on the market, the Excite 13 tablet offers a big, bright, higher resolution display, while delivering more room for everything else – from sharing photos and web browsing to playing games and watching movies with a group. Ideally suited for the home, from growing families to empty nesters, the Excite 13 tablet is only 0.4 inches thin and weighs 2.2 poundsviii, so it is still easy to carry.

With a 13.3-inch diagonal AutoBrite™ LED Backlit display with 10-finger touch support, the tablet boasts a cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio and 1600×900 native resolution, perfect for watching HD movies and videos. A four-speaker sound system with exclusive sound enhancements by Toshiba and SRS Labs delivers amazing audio and an included tablet stand makes it easy to prop up on a table, kitchen countertop or coffee table to share videos with friends and family.

Not only great for movies, the Excite 13 tablet can power through the latest games and multitask with ease. Powered by the quad-core NVIDIA Tegra™ 3 mobile processorix with GeForce graphicsx and 1GB of memoryxi, the large display tablet offers smooth, console-quality gaming plus the performance for high definition entertainment. Extremely power efficient, the Excite 13 tablet is targeted to deliver up to 13 hours of battery lifexii and seven days of stand-by. The Excite 13 tablet includes Micro USB, Micro HDMI® ports and a full-size SD card slot for syncing and sharing content.

Excite 7.7: A Brilliant AMOLED Display
Toshiba’s first tablet to feature an AMOLED display, the Excite 7.7 tablet is ideal for consumers on the go and is perfect for the mobile gamer and movie lover alike. The tablet’s brilliant 7.7-inch diagonal display brings games, movies, books and photos to life like never before with rich colors, deep contrast and amazing sharpness. Extremely thin at just 0.3 inches and light at only 13.4 ounces, Excite 7.7 fits easily into a bag or jacket.

Exceptionally powerful and able to tackle the latest games and HD content, the Excite 7.7 tablet is powered by a quad-core NVIDIA® Tegra™ 3 processor with GeForce graphicsxiii and 1GB of memoryxiv. The tablet includes a Micro USB port and a Micro SD card slot for syncing and sharing content.

The Convenience of Android and Exclusive Toshiba Apps
The new Excite tablets include a full suite of familiar Google™ Mobile Service applications, including Google Play™, YouTube™, Gmail™ and Google Maps™. Additionally, the tablets come pre-loaded with a useful mix of Toshiba software and third-party applications, including TOSHIBA Book Place, which offers more than 3 million e-books, the TOSHIBA Media Player that supports content sharing, TOSHIBA File Manager, as well as Netflix™ and Zinio™, the ultimate app for magazine lovers and more.

Pricing and Availability
The Excite 10 tablet will be available for purchase on May 6, 2012 for $449.99 MSRPxv for the 16GB model, $529.99 MSRPxvi for the 32GB model and $649.99 MSRPxvii for the 64GB model.

The Excite 7.7 tablet will be available for purchase on June 10, 2012 for $499.99 MSRPxviii for the 16GB model and $579.99 MSRPxix for the 32GB model.

The Excite 13 tablet will be available for purchase on June 10, 2012 for $649.99 MSRPxx for the 32GB model and $749.99 MSRPxxi for the 64GB model.

These tablets will be available at major retailers, e-tailers and direct from Toshiba at ToshibaDirect.com.

Image Gallery: http://bit.ly/excitetablets.
Connect with Toshiba on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ToshibaUSA, on Twitter at twitter.com/ToshibaUSA and on YouTube at youtube.com/ToshibaUS.

tablets

ASUS Transformer Prime To Get a GPS Add-On Fix

April 8, 2012 Nir Shein

The Wall Street Journal reports that Taiwanese Corp. Asus has officially confirmed that it plans to begin the roll-out of a special kit in order to fix, once and for all, those GPS issues that’ve recently plagued its most powerful Transformer Prime tablet. According to a Friday announcement from Asus, the company will soon offer Transformer Prime users to register online their personal slates (on a dedicated members site) and secure themselves an external dongle that “may help improve signal reception and optimize the user experience.” In that regard, the GPS Extension Kit is scheduled to be released somewhere around mid-April of this year, and will be given away to all customers as a free hardware solution. Not bad Asus, not bad at all.

Update1: Looks like Asus has officially opened up doors to Prime users from across the world, to register their “Pads” and have the dongle shipped over. And while there’s no exact date on when this GPS add-on will be delivered, the offer will expire on July 31st.

tablets

Motorola Xoom WiFi Finally Gets The Android 4.0.4 Update

April 5, 2012 Nir Shein

If by chance you happen to be a proud owner of the 10.1-inch Xoom Wifi tablet, there is a new update coming your way, so you can start getting excited about that – It’s the long awaited Android 4.0.4 version. According to the good guys over at Droid-Life, Motorola users are likely to get the Ice Cream Sandwich software just about now, over-the-air, with a few improvements including a quicker screen rotation, immediately lock-the-screen feature, a better camera and some other minor changes and bug fixes. If preferred, you may choose the manual path by simply going to Settings > About tablet > System update, and make the magic happen. Happy updates!

[via Droid-Life]

tablets

Acer Iconia Tab A510 Officially Coming Stateside with Tegra 3 and Android 4.0 On Board

March 23, 2012 Nir Shein 1 Comment

The Acer Iconia Tab A510 was out and about at CES 2012, back in January, but it’s only today that we’re getting an official announcement from the Taiwanese corp. The 10.1-inch Android 4.0 tablet that is powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 3 processor, was specifically designed to replace the company’s Iconia A500 variant, and compete with top-notch tablets already available in the market. As of now, the A510 is up and available for pre-order in the US and Canada, in black or white flavors, starting at $450. Inside, you’ll find the most recent specifications, including that 1280 x 800 screen resolution, paired with a quad-core chip, 1GB of RAM, microSD slot expansion, 32GB of storage, a 5 megapixel shooter on the back plus another one at 1 megapixel up front. The battery inside is claimed to provide up to 12 hours of continuous work, and the new tablet device will feature the Olympic Games logo engraved at the center of the rear coat. As we’ve already mentioned, it will launch with an Ice Cream Sandwich OS out of the box, but meanwhile until something else happens, you can hop past the jump to read the official word from Acer.

Update: It looks like the Iconia Tab A510 has finally gotten its hooks into Internet sales. The 10.1-inch Ice Cream Sandwich slate is now apparently available for purchasing at Acer’s US online store, and will set you back about $450.

Acer Iconia Tab A510 Tablet Delivers Quad Core Performance for High-End Entertainment and Productivity

Editor’s Summary:
* Acer first tablet with Quad Core Tegra 3 Processor
* Provides long battery life of up to 12 hours for video playback
* Pre-installed productivity solution: mobile office suite Polaris™ 3.5 and wireless printing app
* New tablet is first Acer Olympic Games Edition, exclusive design features Olympic rings
* Pre-sale starts now at $449.99 for 32GB Iconia Tab A510 in U.S. and Canada

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 22, 2012 – Acer America today debuts its first quad-core tablet in North America, the Acer Iconia Tab A510 with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor. It is designed to deliver outstanding performance and a visually rich experience for mobile game playing and entertainment such as enjoying video and lifestyle apps.

In addition, the new 10.1-inch tablet Acer Iconia Tab A510 goes beyond what most people expect of their tablets to enable heightened productivity. The new tablet comes with the full suite of Polaris™ Office 3.5, which is compatible with Microsoft Office and allows reading and editing of various document formats for mobile access to important information. The new Acer tablet also includes Acer Print, so customers have a convenient and seamless way to print wirelessly from their tablet.

The first rate tablet experience is heightened with Android™ 4.0 OS (Ice Cream Sandwich) which features a more intuitive interface and improved overall performance for faster browsing, better multitasking, as well as enhanced app and folder management.

“The new Acer Iconia Tab A510 will exceed the expectations of customers who are ready to embrace using their tablets for more fun, entertainment and a first-rate mobile gaming experience,” said Paul Tayar, director of product marketing for connected devices, Acer America. “Our second-generation Acer A510 builds on the success of its award-winning predecessor with notable improvements in performance, responsiveness and ease-of use, elevating it to the status of ultimate mobile companion. Plus, the tablet will really surprise people with its comprehensive suite of productivity apps that will enable them to remain productive and connected on-the-go.”

Ultimate Performance with NVIDIA Tegra™ 3 Quad Core Processor, Extended Battery Life
The Acer Iconia Tab A510 provides blazing speed and responsiveness powered by the NVIDIA Tegra™ 3 Mobile Processor and high-performance 12-Core GeForce NVIDIA GPU. This processor provides a unique Super 4-PLUS-1™ Quad Core CPU design with a fifth Battery Saver Core that allows up to four cores to be dedicated to demanding tasks such as watching video and playing the next generation of graphics-intense mobile games.

These four cores provide up to 2.6 times the performance and up to three times the graphics performance compared to previous generation processors, making the tablet incredibly responsive with life-like and crisp visuals for mobile entertainment and console-quality gaming on-the-go. The processor also provides up to four times faster web-browsing, smooth navigation, and hardware-accelerated support for Adobe Flash 11, which comes pre-installed on the tablet.

When the tablet takes on everyday tasks, the fifth Battery Saver Core becomes engaged in place of the other four cores, ultimately using less power and improving battery life. The 9800mAh battery, one of the highest capacity models in the industry, further improves battery life, so customers can enjoy their tablet for up to 12 hours(1) of video playback.

Productivity Suite, Printing, Make A510 Tablet a Mobile Workstation
The Acer A510 tablet is packed with a full suite of productivity apps optimized for use on a tablet that will give any road warrior a much needed boost. The anchor of the suite is Polaris™ Office 3.5, which provides customers a premium way to read and edit various popular documents while providing enhanced integration with other tablet apps. It also features Evernote, the easy-to-use personal assistant that keeps customers organized by allowing them to capture and save web pages, photos, ideas and documents and then store them to the cloud for access from other devices.

With Acer Print, customers can print wirelessly from the convenience of their Acer tablet, unlike some tablets that require confusing or costly apps that don’t support a wide range of printers. Acer Print is compatible with 87 percent of brand name printers on the current market. In addition to supporting a variety of printing formats (doc, pic and browsers), Acer Print also shows the exact print layout on the screen, no matter if it’s a spreadsheet for work or coupons for grocery shopping.

Additionally, the Acer A510 can be taken to a meeting to deliver a presentation; it supports HDMI to VGA for quick connection to projector.

Thrilling Extras for Entertainment, Connectivity
The Acer Iconia Tab A510 highlights lifelike and compelling 720p visuals thanks to the gorgeous 10.1-inch WXGA (1280×800 resolution) HD display. The Acer A510’s 16:10 aspect ratio and wide 85-degree viewing angle ensure an optimal viewing experience that is further improved by Dolby™ Mobile 3 audio. Plus, the display is a 10-point touch capacitive screen, so it delivers a remarkable degree of accuracy and responsiveness.

In addition, customers can share video stored on Acer Iconia Tab A510 with other devices via the tablet’s built-in micro HDMI port. Blu-ray™ quality 1080p video in 30fps can be streamed from the tablet to an external display. Plus, the micro USB 2.0 port enables quick content transfers to and from the tablet. Plus, the new tablet has been enhanced with the ability to conveniently charge it from its USB 2.0 port via another USB 2.0 device.

The Acer A510 is packed with features customers want in a tablet. Its 1GB of RAM(2) contributes to its fast mobile performance. The new tablet comes with an integrated 32GB of flash storage(2) for ample storage of photos, music and videos. The Acer A510 also has a Micro-SD card reader that supports up to 32GB Micro-SD cards(2) that can access additional digital content.

The Acer Iconia Tab A510 keeps consumers connected to Wi-Fi networks with reliable Acer 802.11a/b/g/n wireless technology. Plus, the integrated Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (enhanced data rate) allows consumers to connect the tablet to a variety of other devices, such as headsets and printers.

The 1MP fixed-focused front-facing camera has an improved zoom, making it ideal for video conferencing. The 5MP rear-facing camera is auto-focusing, and provides the ability to take snapshots while recording HD video. Video clips and photos can be enhanced on the fly, stored and searched for based on various tags, and conveniently stored on Google+™.

The Acer Iconia Tab A510 is ready for hours of entertainment with popular pre-loaded apps such as Kindle™ for reading and Netflix™ for instant movie enjoyment. Google™ Music allows customers to create and enjoy their own personal playlists on their tablet. The preloaded Tegra Zone Android™ app brings customers direction to the best Android™ games that are optimized for NVIDIA Tegra powered tablets.

Intuitive Experience with Android™ 4.0 and Acer Ring, clear.fi
The Acer Iconia Tab A510 runs on Android™ 4.0 OS to deliver faster browsing, enhanced app and folder management options, more intuitive navigation, and a more polished design with enhanced holographic effects. Customers can easily customize their Acer tablet and will enjoy improved integration with Gmail™ email and calendar functions as well as improved multitasking and switching between tasks.

The Iconia Tab A510 features the unique interactive Acer Ring interface that can be customized to launch favorite apps, programs and websites. The Acer Ring one-touch button is always at the bottom of the display, so customers are always only a single touch away from what they care about most. It also features Screenshot, which can be used in any app to capture images of a web site, high score on a game, map and even a still from a video call.

Acer clear.fi is installed on the Acer Iconia Tab A510 to connect with any other DLNA-compliant device to quickly and easily share digital media. Clear.fi automatically connects all Acer devices on a network (smartphones, notebooks, desktops, HD media plays and storage devices) and gathers and organizes media files by type (video, music, photos, pre-recorded TV).

Olympic Edition Highlights Sleek, Usable Design
The Acer Iconia Tab A510 is a special Olympic Games Tablet Edition of the Acer Iconia Tab line. It features the Acer and Olympic logos on the chassis to celebrate the company’s sponsorship of the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games. The new tablet was designed with on-the-go usability in mind. The chassis’ soft-touch finish is comfortable to hold and buttons such as volume and screen lock are well-placed. It easily fits in a purse, briefcase or book bag, as it measures only 10.2(w) x 6.9(d) x 0.43(h) inches and weighs just over 24 ounces.

Available in U.S. and Canada Starting at $449.99
The new Acer Iconia Tab A510 is available for pre-sale starting today at national electronics retailers in the United States and Canada at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $449.99 USD and CAD. The premiere models are the Acer A510-10s32 (silver) and Acer A510-10k32 (black).

Customers can purchase the sleek protective case to protect the Acer A510 tablet. The snug-fitting design prevents slipping on surfaces and props it up for improved access for game-playing and typing. It also allows convenient access to the connectors and ports. It is available through Acer at a price of $39.99.

tablets

Sharp RW-T110 Gingerbread Tablet Unveiled with NFC Support

March 21, 2012 Nir Shein

Sharp’s Galapagos line of tablets hasn’t really found traction in the market, which continues to be defined by Apple’s iPad. Nonetheless, it has been confirmed that the Japanese corp will be adding a whole new media device to its burgeoning array of Android products. The 10.1-incher, formally known as the RW-T110, sports a 1280 x 800 display, alongside a 1GHz TI OMAP processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage capacity, Gingerbread for the OS, and the new NFC transaction platform for mobile tablets and phones. There is also a 6,240mAh battery under the lid, which provides about 9 hours of back-up power supply for video watching and audio playback. Other than that, Sharp expects the RW-T110 to go on sale March 27th, in Japan, at an undisclosed price, without further plans to expand in the international market. At least not yet!

[via Akihabara News]

tablets

Asus’s New Tablets Lineup ‘Transformer Pads’ Announced; Includes The TF Pad Infinity & TF Pad 300

February 27, 2012 Nir Shein 1 Comment

You didn’t really think that you could go a day at MWC Barcelona without a new announcement from Asus, did you? Well, in case you missed that one from earlier this morning, the Taiwanese corp has just announced a rebranding of their well known Android tablets series to ‘Transformer Pads,’ and that it will launch two new tablet models, including the TF Pad Infinity and the TF Pad 300. While both versions look alike, the TF Pad Infinity is a powerful, high-end tablet, fashioned by Asus for 2012, while the TF Pad 300 is more of a cheaper low budget type. Both are said to be better than the 2 months old Transformer Prime tablet, in case you were wondering.

Alright, let’s dive into the nitty gritty stuff: The Transformer Pad Infinity will offer a dual-core Qualcomm MSM 8960 Snapdragon S4 CPU under the lid (Tegra 3 chip is optional, but only with the Wi-Fi model), paired with a breathtaking 10.1-inch, 1920 x 1200, Super IPS+ Gorilla Glass 2 display, 1GB of RAM, your choice of 16/32/64GB of storage, optional LTE radio, 8 megapixels camera on the back plus 2 megapixels imager on the front. The 8.5mm thick device will come out at the earliest Q2, preloaded with Ice Cream Sandwich platform out of the box.

The TF Pad 300 on the other hand, is expected to include “just” a quad-core Tegra 3 SoC, along with a standard 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 IPS display, optional LTE radio, an HDMI out, Ice Cream Sandwich for the OS, a microSD card expansion and 16GB of internal storage, at most. The battery life is claimed to be around 10 hours of continuous use on a single charge, while the back of the slate is mostly made of quality plastic, to be available in vibrant colors like blue, white and red.

No word on price or availability at the moment, but both machines are likely to go live with optional keyboard cradles. Meanwhile, you can hop along and read the full PR after the jump.

ASUS PadFone and upcoming Transformer Pad Lineup unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2012
ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih introduces the latest ASUS mobile devices and discusses his vision of ubiquitous cloud computing

Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain (27 February, 2012) – At today’s “Incredibly Mobile Endless Possibilities” ASUS press event, Chairman Jonney Shih unveiled the revolutionary PadFone and upcoming Transformer Pad lineup. “The time has finally arrived when every screen in your lives could transcend into a portal with real time access into your digital world,” said Mr. Shih as he introduced the ASUS PadFone which transforms into a three-in-one combination of a smartphone, a tablet and a notebook when accessorized with the PadFone Station and PadFone Station Dock.

The ASUS PadFone is an incredible 4.3″ smartphone featuring a Super AMOLEDqHD display, the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual core processor and an ultra-sharp 8-megapixel digital camera with Fuji image processor all wrapped in an exquisite design that is optimized for Google’s Android 4.0 operating system. When placed inside the optional PadFone Station, it transforms into a 10.1″ tablet with 5 times the battery capacity. The PadFone offers unmatched versatility via ASUS’ proprietary Dynamic Display technology which allows seamless transition between the PadFone and PadFone Station display screens. In addition, the PadFone Station offers an optional keyboard dock that essentially turns the PadFone into an ultraportable computing device. The PadFone also comes with the option of a PadFone Stylus Headset which is a Bluetooth stylus pen that transforms into a headset for picking up calls easily.

ASUS is redefining the future of mobile computing devices and is excited to announce the new and innovative ASUS Transformer Pad lineup. Offering three distinct models to fit the unique needs of mobile media consumers, ASUS believes in providing consumers with choices. The ASUS Transformer Pad lineup includes the ASUS Transformer Pad Prime and upcoming ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity series and ASUS Transformer Pad 300 series.

The Transformer Pad Infinity Series is poised to be the go-to tablet for HD mobile entertainment as it features an impressive 1920×1200 Full HD Super IPS+ display and ASUS SonicMaster technology. The 4G LTE* model comes armed with the powerful Qualcomm MSM 8960 Snapdragon S4 Krait Dual-core 1.5Gh processor and is capable of download and upload speeds of up to 100Mbps and 50Mbps respectively. The WiFi model features the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor for incredible application and gaming performance. The Transformer Pad Infinity has a 2MP front camera for HD video conferencing along with an 8MP rear camera with a large F2.2 aperture, 5-element lens and LED flash for stunning high quality images or HD video capture.

The Transformer Pad 300 Series makes for an ideal mobile web surfing and gaming platform with its NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor and high quality 10.1″ 1280×800 IPS display with either 4G LTE* or WiFi options. It features a 1.2MP front camera for video conferencing and an 8MP rear camera with a large F2.2 aperture, 5-element lens allows for high quality images along with HD video recording. The Transformer Pad 300 Series has battery life of up to 10 hours*, and that is extended up to 15 hours* with the optional keyboard dock.

tablets

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) Officially Breaks Cover With Ice Cream Sandwich Running On Board

February 14, 2012 Nir Shein 2 Comments

Well it’s not just a rumor anymore! Samsung has officially announced the release of the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0), a contemporary version to Sammy’s latest and greatest Galaxy Tab Plus edition, that will probably go live sometime this March, with Android 4.0 operating inside alongside a 1024 x 600 LCD, 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, A-GPS, 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, and your choice of Wi-Fi or always-on 3G connectivity out of the box. Furthermore, the 10.5mm tablet will pack a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, paired with a typical 1.3-megapixel flavor on the front. There’s also a 4,000 mAh battery under the lid, an optional HSPA+ connectivity (in case you’re interested), and a DLNA support to wrap it all up. Prices are yet to be determined, but full PR release and the video announcement can be found, after the jump.

[youtube id=”0IVwzPw-mt4″]

video by dotekmánie

[via Sammyhub]

Samsung’s new GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) offers optimal multimedia experiences in life

February 13, 2012

Samsung expands the GALAXY Tab range with GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) powered by the AndroidTM 4.0 and a 1GHz dual core processor

Prague, February 13, 2012 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today introduced its first line-up of tablets for 2012 with the launch of the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0), expanding the choice of tablets to customers. Light and portable, the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) is the ideal personal on-the-go device, available in 3G and WiFi versions. Starting from UK, the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) will be launched in global market from March.

“Two years ago, Samsung GALAXY Tab began to offer customers more possibilities on the go. Since then, Samsung has actively enhanced our tablet line-up with several tablets in different sizes,” said JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “The new GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) will provide people with delighted multimedia experience and allow efficient communication.”

Samsung’s first Android 4.0 Tablet

Samsung’s first Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)-powered tablet offers a variety of new and improved Android OS features. An upgraded Android Market enables access to more than 400,000 applications which can be enjoyed across phones or tablets. Furthermore, a more intuitive user interface includes the ability to swipe-control applications as well as a wholly redesigned app gallery for easier sharing of content. The new OS’s vastly faster performance and response times across multiple applications is further enhanced by HSPA＋ 21Mbps or WiFi connectivity.

Additionally, Android 4.0 includes a selection of embedded Google applications that enables users to quickly launch sites and applications that they use frequently; meanwhile, the innovative Face Unlock feature unlocks the tablet through unique facial recognition software.

A complete experience with enriched multimedia content

The GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) offers users easy multimedia access, playback and sharing experiences with Samsung Hub services. Samsung’s Music Hub provides a full music store solution with access to over 17 million tracks. Additionally, the Readers Hub provides the user with access to over 2.3 million e-books, 3,500 magazines and over 2,000 newspapers in 51 languages, while the Game Hub instantly connects users to the latest game titles. Samsung is also introducing the Video Hub, which offers over 1,000 film titles for purchase or rent, and provides reviews, trailers and recommendations for easier content selection using the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0).

Complementing the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0)’s multimedia offering is Samsung’s upgraded Touchwiz user interface that features Hub widgets for one-step access to users’ content in Hubs; the device also presents S Suggest, a new service offering recommendations of apps suited to users’ tastes directly on a home screen.

The GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0)’s superb multimedia experience is further boosted by Samsung’s AllShare Play, a new content-sharing service available for the first time on any Samsung mobile device. AllShare Play allows users to play or live-stream their multimedia content on their GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) from PCs, other Samsung smart devices as well as third-party web storages. Users can also easily transfer content to other devices or directly to web services.

Better Communication Capabilities

Connecting socially has never been easier with GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0)’s built-in powerful communication capabilities.With the voice call capability, the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) can be used just as easily as a phone, affording users the handy convenience of a second device in case they misplace their primary phone. It also lets users to spontaneously arrange multi-party video calls via Google＋ hangouts, as well as engage in group chats or micro-communities to collectively chat or share content. In addition, ChatON, Samsung’s cross-platform communication service, connects all phone users of any platform into a single community. ChatON uses phone numbers instead of ID and passwords, and provides easy instant messaging and group chatting in various formats-images, video, voice, contacts-to make messaging simple and intuitive.

Operating Systems, tablets

HP TouchPads Get Ice Cream Sandwich Thanks To a CyanogenMod 9 Alpha 0 Release

January 18, 2012 Nir Shein

If you’re one of those very lucky guys, who have managed to put their hands on HP’s “not available anymore” Touchpad devices, you need to pay close attention to possible opportunities arising from an early Alpha 0 build of CyanogenMod 9 that lets you run your own edition of Ice Cream Sandwich instead of the pre-loaded WebOS platform available on board. Of course you can have a triple boot tablet constructed from webOS, CM7 and CM9 all together, but that’s not really recommended. However, toying with the idea of bringing this new Android 4.0 into the Touchpad, definitely is (even though you may run into some minor issues when it comes to the camera, video acceleration and Android Market access). To learn more, please visit the RootzWiki link below, or click the jump to watch the video.

[youtube id=”u8imU7nzLG4″]

[via RootzWiki]

Hit the Play to watch the video

Hit the Play to watch the video

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