Tag Archives: slate

ZTE T98 Is the First Tablet With Nvidia Tegra 3 CPU, 7 Inch Display

Posted by on September 28, 2011 No comments

This was bound to happen: witnessing the debut of a quad core tablet based on Nvidia chipset. I’m taking about the ZTE T98, a Nvidia Tegra 3-based slate with a 7 inch display and Kal-el technology on board. As you might remember, according to a recent Nvidia announcement, the 4 cores will actually be 5.

Last I heard, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer 2 was supposed to be the first quad core tablet, but now here comes this ZTE unit stunning us. Shown as the PT/Expo Comm in China, this Tegra 3 model uses a 1.3GHz CPU of the quad core kind, a 7 inch display with impressive resolution and Android 3.2 Honeycomb. There’s also 1GB of RAM on board, 16GB of internal memory and a 3G modem.

A 4000 mAh battery will power the device, that also packs the generic 5MP cam at the back and 2MP cam upfront. ZTE T98 supports a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and measures a pretty hefty 11.5mm in thickness. This is also another premiere: the first ZTE tablet with Honeycomb and if you’re wondering, we have no idea about the availability and the price just yet, but this is a supposed to be a budget slate, I know that much.


7 Inch Toshiba Thrive Coming in November, Priced at Under $400 (Video)

Posted by on September 28, 2011 No comments

Toshiba Thrive was a bit of a rough product, having an anti Apple ad campaign, a problem with its sleep mode and some other bugs. Now, the 10 inch device gets a follow-up, through a 7 inch model that will be priced under $400 and come in November.

The result will be a slate that weighs 14 ounces, is less than half an inch thick and comes with a couple of useful ports, but not as many as on the original Thrive. I’m talking about a 3.5mm audio jack, a mini HDMI, mini USB, a microSD card slot and a docking port. Toshiba also upgraded the resolution to 1280 x 800, which is impressive for a 7 inch diagonal.

As far as the rest of the specs are concerned, we get a dual core Tegra 2 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 5MP rear camera, a 2MP front camera and 16 or 32GB of internal storage. And here’s the 7 inch Thrive in action in the following hands-on experience. Wonder if we’ll see Android 3.2 on this puppy, since it would make sense, considering the diagonal of the display.


Kindle Fire to Be Succeeded by More Enticing Amazon Tablet in Early 2012?

Posted by on September 27, 2011 No comments

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Amazon is set to announce their first Android tablet tomorrow, but if new rumors have any veracity to them the retail giant already has their sites set on what comes next. When whispers of an Android-powered slate from Amazon first popped up, all reports pointed towards the release of two tablets. It was then learned that the second tablet was being held off until Amazon could gauge the reception of what is now known as the Kindle Fire, but according to gdgt the more powerful device is on track for a Q1 release in 2012. The Kindle Fire could merely be a holiday placeholder that will help Amazon compete head-to-head with the second Nook Color and other tablets, while the next-gen device is supposedly the slate the online retailer will truly put their weight behind.

Whether or not that turns out to be true, we will be learning all we need to know about the Kindle Fire tomorrow, where the question of whether or not we have a true iPad competitor on our hands will be answered.

[via gdgt]

Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet Unveiled on Wednesday, Details Confirmed

Posted by on September 27, 2011 No comments

Remember the invites sent out last week by Amazon for a special press vent held on September 28th? Well, now it has become official: they’ll unveil the Amazon tablet dubbed Kindle Fire. The event will take place in New York City and the name “Fire” is meant to set apart the slate from the e-Ink Kindle models.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will be present on stage to unveil the device, that will ship in the second week of November, according to recent info. The tablet will be a 7 inch backlit model very similar to the BlackBerry PlayBook, according to people close to the situation. Kindle Fire was built by the same company that built the PlayBook, Quanta, so that’s the cause of the resemblance.

It seems Amazon is hoping to capitalize massively on the upcoming holiday season and sell quite a bunch of these units. People who have already played with the Kindle Fire ensure us that the device is extraordinary and that its software is better than the PlayBook’s, plus the content is a lot better. Amazon included as OS its own customized version of Android and its very own Android Appstore.

The retailer will also be providing TV shows and movies via its streaming video service, that will be very available and handy on the tablet. Amazon’s MP3 service and bookstore will also have a vital role on the Fire, we’re told. As far as hardware goes, we’ll see a TI dual core OMAP chipset, probably at 1.2GHz. With a $250 price tag and all of these hot features, I’d be surprised if the Kindle Fire didn’t sell millions of units this year.


Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet Hands On at Lenovo Do Tour 2011 (Video)

Posted by on September 26, 2011 No comments

As you might already know, the joint team of Mobilissimo.ro, our sister site and us, Tablet-News.com was present at the Lenovo Do Tour 2011 event, taking place in Romania. This involved a bunch of Lenovo trucks, carrying around the latest in tablets, laptops and other similar gear. Among the devices we had the pleasure to experiment with there was the Lenovo ThinkPad tablet, a business slate that was really interesting.

The device comes with a stylus and last I heard, this model was available in the USA for $479, in the 16 GB WiFi version, but without a stylus. As far as business features go, we have text recognition from the Notes app interacting with the stylus, plus solid encryption and a solid array of ports. Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet comes with a mini HDMI port, a microUSB port, an audio jack, a SD card slot, a microSD card slot, a proprietary dock port and a full USB port.

You’ll also find 4 physical buttons below the display: Back, Home, Internet and a mysterious button that might serve to change the orientation of the on-screen image. The ThinkPad Tablet runs Honeycomb in a customized version, that includes a Lenovo app store, a main widget with media playback, Internet browser and customizable features, plus an efficient multitasking system.

The set of apps that are usually open in Honeycomb from the lower left side are now available for closing, by pressing the X they have attached. As far as hardware goes, this slate uses a 10.1 inch display with a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, plus a 5 megapixel camera at the back, a 2MP one upfront and support for connectivity of the WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G kind. There’s also a SIM slot on board, in case you were wondering. Finally, Android 3.x is aided by a Tegra 2 CPU and 1GB of RAM.

Security measures on this tablet include encryptions (SD card included), the McAfee antivirus, an anti theft system and much, much more. Lenovo also promised 2GB of storage via cloud with this product. And now it’s time to let the videos provide more details:


Kobo Vox eReader Tablet Reaches the FCC, Is All About the Books

Posted by on September 26, 2011 1 comment

It looks like the Kindle won’t be alone out there anymore and neither will the Nook, since we’ll have the Kobo Vox eReader to keep us warm during the long winter nights. This device has just reached the FCC and it’s a pretty clear reworked edition of the Kobo ereader touch, although some say it could be a totally new slate.

The FCC listing says “eReader tablet”, so maybe the unit is more like the Barnes & Noble Nook Color or the Kindle Tablet, rather than your average book reading gear. Keep in mind that Kobo was also spotted during the recent f8 event that detailed the latest in Facebook, so we might see some special social integration here.

As far as we know, the device is one that packs a touchscreen and its design reminds me more of the latest Nook than the latest Kobo. A microUSB port is revealed by a shot from the FCC, as well as an audio jack and a multimedia headset it supposed to be bundled with the tablet. Also expect a microSD card and WiFi to be here.


Pantech P4100 Honeycomb 3.2 Tablet Features 1.5GHz Processor, Benchmark Leaks

Posted by on September 24, 2011 1 comment

Pantech’s P4100 is  Honeycomb 3.2 tablet that’s supposed to feature a 1.5GHz CPU and headed to AT&T, apparently. This model is based on the Snapdragon chipset with Adreno 220 GPU and an anonymous source is saying that the US carrier I mentioned is the “target”.

This dual core slate shouldn’t be any different from other models and it should pack a 7 inch display, that’s usually associated with Android version 3.2. Resolution will be around 1024 x 720 and if you want a resemblance, this model has the same processing power as the HTC Jetstream, the latest 10 inch tablet from HTC and the first with such a diagonal.

We know that Pantech has been very active lately, also preparing a bunch of smartphones, but sadly they favored Asia for launches and not Europe or the US. Let’s hope that the P4100 will break the ice in the West.


Sony Tablet S Teardown Reveals Original Design

Posted by on September 23, 2011 No comments

In spite of the fact that a recent series of benchmarks showed that the Sony Tablet S is quite a weak device, the product remains interesting. This Honeycomb tablet is pretty average in specs, fitting with the rest of the bunch of Tegra 2 units with 1GB of RAM and dual cameras. The design makes a big difference though…

The folks of techrepulic decided to take apart the 9.4 inch slate and tear down its components to see what’s inside. What they found is, among others, a plastic frame that covers the components, for extra rigidity and sturdiness. The idea is the same as the one involved with the magnesium alloy frame in business laptops made by Lenovo and HP.

The problem with this plastic frame is that it makes repairs more complicated. Another thing to note is that the case is easy to break open for the Sony Tablet S, since its maker relied on normal screws. The user can even replace the battery by himself, in case the battery life has become too little. The teardown finally reveals a remote control chip, a voice processor and places for 3G and 4G cards, so such versions are expected.


Motorola XOOM 2 Pictured, Comes With 7 Inch Display!

Posted by on September 19, 2011 No comments

The week has barely started and there’s already a major leak here, the one of the presumed Motorola XOOM 2. Packing a 7 inch display, this slate was previously promised by Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha as a follow-up for the Motorola Xoom 1. The folks of This is my next received this picture, but no trace of specs yet…

This device looks very slim, extremely slim actually and it seems to be running Honeycomb. Considering how new this model is and the affiliation of Motorola to Google, I’m expecting Android Ice Cream Sandwich on it ASAP. WiFi and Bluetooth should be on board, as well as 3G/4G, a microUSB port and most likely a HDMI one as well, in the micro version.

If this image is real, we’re dealing here with a revamped model, one that leaves behind the rectangular angles of the original unit. Some people compare this tablet with the Photon 4G already and that’s a sexy handset, I’ll give you that. No trace of when this tablet will be announced, but soon would be a good guess…


CyanogenMod 7 Reaches HP TouchPad, Almost Everything is in Working Order (Video)

Posted by on September 18, 2011 No comments

Most of the people who bought a HP TouchPad tablet for $99 were dreaming about an Android port on the device and now they’re closer than ever to getting it. Courtesy of the CyanogenMod team things have progressed a lot and now the CM7 ROM is found on the HP TouchPad. There’s a video below showcasing the major functions available now on the tablet.

For one, Android Market now works, although the main page is shown in a strange way on the 9.7 inch display. As you can see, there’s also a live wallpaper available, the one with the little fishes, that doesn’t cause any lag. Even waves are available once you touch the screen, so that’s a nice touch. For now the, YouTube Android app isn’t functional, but rest assured that it’s coming in the near future. At least we can use the YouTube website, if the need arises…

There’s also a benchmark being run on the slate, but the performance was a bit slow, I have to admit. At this time, it seems that only one of the two 1.5GHz cores is active, at least in the demo, so this is the culprit responsible for the slow performance. I always had this curiosity: once Android will be full go on the TouchPad, will anyone want to keep webOS for dual boot purpose?