Tag Archives: Android tablets

Quad Core Tablets Coming Before the End of 2011, According to Nvidia

Posted by on September 9, 2011 No comments

Nvidia’s CEO recently talked about quad ore tablets, confirming the release of the first model till the year end. Jen-Hsun Huang is the CEO in case and he confirmed to Forbes this approaching release of Android tablets with quad core processor, available this year.

Last we heard, Tegra 3 had some problems and it wasn’t able to deliver 5 times the performance of Tegra 2 as promised. Nvidia is in a hurry to release the quad core mobile CPU ahead of the rivals of Qualcomm, who will only hit the market with such products in 2012. Tegra 3 will be seen on some very hot tablet models, such as the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer 2, rumored for October but most likely delayed.

Qualcomm and Nvidia have been competing in the mobile field for a while now, with the experience on the side of the first company and the popularity on the side of the latter. As far as quad core smartphones are concerned, Nvidia was quite reserved and didn’t seem to offer us a timeline for such launches. Thus, we’re left with hoping for such releases in early 2012 at best…

The question here is why do we need quad core processors to run a light OS such as Android? Maybe to keep that chaotic multitasking from Android 3.0 in check?


Medion (Who Sells Cheap PCs at Aldi) Introduces Honeycomb Tablet and Gingerbread Smartphone

Posted by on September 5, 2011 No comments

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The people at Medion – a little-known company who sells what I would call second-rate products – have introduced two new devices at IFA Berlin. First up is an Android tablet. It’s actually in line with most Android tablets these days, specs wise, and also shares similar pricing.

For about 400 pounds, you’re walking away with a dual-core Tegra 2 processor, 32GB of internal storage, HDMI, USB, quad-band 3G radios and more. I’d probably get a tablet from a more proven OEM at that price, but it isn’t a bad device on paper.

There’s also the Gingerbread-equipped phone. It will have a 4.3 inch display and will also have quad-band GSM radios so that anyone in the world can use it (granted they’re in the coverage map of a GSM carrier). It also has a 5 megapixel camera but  no other specs have been revealed. I’m guessing many of you will pass. Don’t blame you, honestly. [PocketLint]

ViewSonic Brings Out the ViewPad Family at IFA, Details Revealed

Posted by on September 1, 2011 No comments

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ViewSonic will soon be launching a few new Android tablets into the wild, and they took some time at IFA to go over what we can expect. Three models in total will hit shelves by the end of the year, with the ViewSonic ViewPad 10pro the first among the bunch. The dual-boot Android 2.3/Windows 7 slate will be available September 5h at a price of  €499 ($714) for the WiFi-only version. It will be followed shortly by the ViewPad 7x, a 7-inch Honeycomb tablet with custom 3D ViewScene interface. We previously caught the Android 3.0 skin running on the 7x’s Tegra 2 processor back at Computex. A specific release date wasn’t mentioned but it should be out by the end of the month priced at  €349 ($499). One more tablet is scheduled to land by the end of Q4, the ViewPad 7e, a budget oriented slate with a 4:3 aspect ratio, though few other details are available. It will retail for  €169 ($242).

[via Engadget]

Sony Takes Wraps Off Tablet P and Tablet S

Posted by on August 31, 2011 No comments

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With Sony being so secretive regarding their forthcoming Android tablets lately, we expected them to finally show us everything we’ve been waiting to see at IFA. Welp, they’ve done just that. Let’s take a look at what we’re getting here.

Let’s start with the Tablet S, Sony’s 9.4 inch (IPS with Sony TruBlack and Bravia display technology) Honeycomb tablet (the one I’m sure most of us are looking at more closely).

We don’t have much in the way of specs that most of us here care about (such as processor speed/type and amount of RAM) but Sony has confirmed that there would be both 16GB and 32GB WiFi-only configurations. We’re also getting a full-sized SDHC card slot and a front-facing camera along with other usual bells and whistles.

As for the Sony Tablet P, Sony’s odd-looking Clamshell dual-screen tablet, we’ve got two 5 inch displays (effectively making it a 10 inch tablet, I suppose). The dual-screen design opens up a few exciting possibilities here.

Perhaps you want to use the bottom display for the keyboard while the top one is used for something else. Or perhaps that bottom screen will be a nice to put all of those virtual PlayStation buttons to play games.

Sony has given a “within the coming weeks” release window for $499.99 and $599.99 for the Tablet S 16GB and 32GB models, respectively. As for the P, they haven’t mentioned anything about the United States but Europe will get it at the end of November for 599 quid. They’ll also be getting the S in September for 479 quid. We’ll be on the lookout for more details in the meantime.

Fujitsu Arrows Tab – Ruggedized Android Tablet For Active Lifestyles

Posted by on August 30, 2011 No comments

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If one of your gripes with current Android tablets is how they wouldn’t be able to stand up to your active lifestyle well, Fujitsu may have something in the works for you. It’s called the Arrows Tab (F-01D) and this bad boy could be the world’s first dust/water proof rugged Honeycomb tablet when released next month on NTT DoCoMo.

Spec wise, we’re looking at a 10.1-inch, 1280×800 resolution display, 1Ghz Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, micro SD slot, 5MP rear/1.3MP front facing cameras, micro usb port, Android 3.1 and support for DoCoMo’s LTE network. Pricing has yet to be revealed. Honestly, this guy isn’t looking too bad from what I was expecting from a tablet resistant to the elements. But what do you guys think? Is there a market for more ruggedized Android tablets (providing they still keep a shapely figure)?

[Via TCMagazine]

 

Cut Down on Greasy Fingerprints with the Logitech Tablet Mouse

Posted by on August 8, 2011 No comments

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Maybe you are a bit OCD about smudging up that tablet display. Maybe you are that uses your tablet docked to a keyboard. Either way, the Logitech Tablet Mouse wants to be your best friend. The mouse is compatible with Android tablets running Honeycomb v3.1 or higher and pairs via Bluetooth with a 30 foot range. Sure, it sort of takes away from the whole touchscreen aspect of using a tablet — you know, the main design feature which makes them unique from a laptop or netbook — but for $49.99 you will get a portable companion for wireless navigation of the Honeycomb interface. Here’s the catch: there seems to be nothing inherently Android about this mouse, and there is no reason to believe any other Bluetooth mouse couldn’t do the job just as well. Check it out over at Logitech’s site.

[via Androinica]

Cut Down on Greasy Fingerprints with the Logitech Tablet Mouse

Posted by on August 8, 2011 No comments

This image has no alt text

Maybe you are a bit OCD about smudging up that tablet display. Maybe you are that uses your tablet docked to a keyboard. Either way, the Logitech Tablet Mouse wants to be your best friend. The mouse is compatible with Android tablets running Honeycomb v3.1 or higher and pairs via Bluetooth with a 30 foot range. Sure, it sort of takes away from the whole touchscreen aspect of using a tablet — you know, the main design feature which makes them unique from a laptop or netbook — but for $49.99 you will get a portable companion for wireless navigation of the Honeycomb interface. Here’s the catch: there seems to be nothing inherently Android about this mouse, and there is no reason to believe any other Bluetooth mouse couldn’t do the job just as well. Check it out over at Logitech’s site.

[via Androinica]

Logitech Tablet Mouse for Android escapes

Posted by on August 5, 2011 1 comment

A backwards step?
Logitech Tablet Mouse for Android escapes

Back in May we brought you news of Logitech's Tablet Keyboard. And whilst we've seen several tablet QWERTY offerings before, we haven't yet seen a mouse - until now with the release of the Logitech Tablet Mouse.

Designed firmly with Android tablets in mind (so 3.1+) the mouse uses Bluetooth to hook up to your slate and has a laser sensor so it will play nicely on all surfaces bar glass and mirrors.

It has a 10m range, although it's questionable as to why you'd want to operate a tablet from further than about 2m away.

But that's not the big question is it? The real issue is whether a mouse is really needed for a device which is basically one big pretty trackpad.

We suppose that for people looking to utilise their tablet as a workstation, at times, the idea is feasible. And also for neurotic people who can't stand the thought of fingerprints on their tablets.

For those people then, the price of the Logitech Tablet Mouse is $49.99. It's available now.

Read

Tags: Tablets Logitech Tablet Mouse Logitech Tablet Keyboard Logitech Mice And Keyboards Mice Peripherals

Logitech Tablet Mouse for Android escapes originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:31:00 +0100

Fling Joystick for iPad hands-on

Posted by on August 5, 2011 1 comment

Works with Android tablets too
Fling Joystick for iPad hands-on

Simple but extremely effective, the Fling Joystick for iPad is similar in concept to the Joystick-it controller we featured on Pocket-lint back in March. However, there's one important difference, rather than resemble an arcade joystick, the Fling capably apes a portable device thumbstick, which can therefore be better to use while holding the iPad aloft rather than laying it flat.

In addition, the majority of its plastic build is transparent, allowing you to see what's going on underneath. And as you can see the virtual thumbpad move on the screen below, you get a better feel for how it works.

Design-wise, the Fling is excellent. Two sucker pads hold it securely in place and if you've wiped your screen free of grease beforehand, it shouldn't move during play. The thumbstick part is made of?anodised aluminium, and features a capacitive rubber tip underneath that interacts with the touchscreen. Its body is actually?engineering-grade resin, so is remarkably flexible. Ten One Design has also crafted it into a coil, so that it moves easily in every direction that the on-screen thumbpad needs.

And while it is being marketed as an iPad accessory, we also tested it on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, where it worked just as well. Indeed, we'd go as far as saying that it should work on any capacitive touchscreen - Android or otherwise. But be aware, that we can only vouch for the Tab.

The last thing that impresses us about the Fling is that, because of the light materials used, it's highly portable, and even comes with a little carry case that you can use to wipe the screen free of gunk before use. And not once have we noticed sucker marks afterwards.

Of course, the Fling's usability is purely restricted to games that require a thumbstick. And should a game need two simultaneous controls, you'll need two of them - not a cheap investment at around ?20 each. But for those who want to use their iPad (or other compatible tablet) as a portable games console, this simple doo-hickey comes highly recommended.

The Fling Joystick for iPad is currently available in the UK from Firebox.com. There's also now a mini version for iPhone too.

Tags: Gaming Tablets iPad Fling Fling Joystick for iPad Firebox iPad accessories ten one design

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Fling Joystick for iPad hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:11:00 +0100