Tablets

HP Launches Split x2 Win 8 Laptop-Tablet
May 15, 2013

HP on Wednesday announced the Split x2 Windows 8 hybrid laptop-tablet, the second such device in its lineup after the Envy x2, which debuted last year. The Split x2 is a detachable PC, meaning that the screen can be removed and used separately as a tablet. HP also announced the Android-based SlateBook x2 on Wednesday.

Amazon Mints Coins and Makes Deposits in All Kindle Fires
May 13, 2013

Amazon Kindle owners have a new way to pay for games, apps and in-app purchases -- Amazon Coins. Amazon released its virtual currency Monday, and to kick off the new feature the company deposited 500 free Coins into the accounts of every Kindle Fire owner. Since each Coin equals a penny, the gift amounts to $5 for each user.

Nook Users Get to Come Out and Play
May 03, 2013

Barnes & Noble on Friday announced a software update enabling its Nook HD and Nook HD+ devices to access content at the Google Play store. This opens the Nook to more than 700,000 Android apps and games, as well as millions of songs. Nook users will also get Google services with the update, including the Chrome browser, Gmail, YouTube, Google Search and Google Maps with the update.

Microsoft Climbs to 5th Rung in Soaring Global Tablet Market
May 02, 2013

The worldwide tablet market is surging. Shipments increased 142.4 percent year over year in the first quarter of 2013, IDC reported Wednesday, for a total of 49.2 million units. That figure surpasses the total for the entire first half of 2012. Among the interesting trends evident in the report is that Microsoft moved into the top five rankings.

BlackBerry's Heins Gives Tablets 5 Years to Live
April 30, 2013

BlackBerry CEO Thorstein Heins made some bold claims on Monday. For one, he predicted a big turnaround for the company, suggesting that BlackBerry could once again become the absolute leader in mobile computing. What raised more eyebrows, though, was Heins' prediction that in five years, tablets might be out.

Samsung Throws Galaxy Tab 3 Into Mini Tablet Mix
April 29, 2013

Samsung on Monday announced the Galaxy Tab 3 7-inch mini tablet. The device will come with 8 or 16 MB of internal storage and up to 64 MB of expandable memory. A WiFi-only version of the Galaxy Tab 3 will be available worldwide in May, and a 3G version will be launched in June. Product availability will vary by market in a gradual rollout.

Samsung Tinkers With Mind-Controlled Tablet
April 22, 2013

Samsung is researching a system that would allow consumers to use thought control on a tablet computer, according to published reports. Together with Roozbeh Jafari, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, the company is testing how sensors and brainwaves could let users turn on a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, launch applications, select contacts or choose songs from playlists.

Yahoo Weather, Email Mobile Apps Aim for Elegance
April 22, 2013

Yahoo last week unfurled two new apps that should help strengthen its mobile bona fides: the Yahoo Weather App for iPhone, iPod and iPod touch; and Yahoo Mail Apps for iPad and Android tablets. The new releases are in keeping with CEO Marissa Mayer's intention to pare Yahoo's extensive mobile portfolio to a handful of strong, user-friendly and productivity-oriented apps. Both are streamlined, and both deliver on Mayer's promise.

Kobo's Aura HD Targets Folks Who Want to Curl Up With a Good E-Reader
April 17, 2013

Kobo on Monday introduced the Aura HD, an e-reader that sports some high-end touches such as a one-month-plus battery life. Other features that set the Aura HD device apart from other e-readers in the market include a high- resolution E Ink display and a 6.8-inch screen designed to look and feel more like a book. The Aura HD, which retails for $169.99, became available for pre-order on Tuesday on the Kobo site.

The Rebirth of PCs, or Telling IT to Frack Off Again
April 15, 2013

I've been watching the horrid numbers surrounding the PC market with double digit declines and folks increasingly talking about the "death of the PC," but I don't think the PC is dying any more than computing was dying when the PC was created. What we are seeing is a rapid evolution of the platform -- a shift to where the calculations are made back to a centralized resource, but the end result is at least as personal as we have always had.

Gamers Get Hardcore on Razer's Edge
March 29, 2013

Razer's Edge is now shipping, preinstalled with Steam software, Valve's online gaming delivery and management service, which offers access to more than 2,000 titles. "It is certainly an impressive device, one that is really an all-in-one computer with a touchscreen," said Lewis Ward, IDC research manager for gaming.

The Fall of Apple and the Return of BlackBerry
March 25, 2013

We tend to be slow to see change. If a company is on top, like Apple was, it takes a lot for us to see its fortunes have changed, as they clearly have post-Jobs. If a company is on the bottom, like BlackBerry was, it may be even tougher to see it on the rebound. We simply don't like the change in our worldview, and this isn't just with regard to companies but people as well.

Dell's XPS 18: Radically Rethinking the Tablet
March 19, 2013

From the first day of the tablet computing revolution -- April 3, 2010, when Apple's iPad became publicly available -- users have willingly traded limitations in computing form/function for innovations in access/interface. In part, that was because Apple maintained a careful line between the iPad and its traditional Macbook and iMac products to avoid self-cannibalization.

iPad May Run Away From Home a Lot Longer
March 15, 2013

Wireless charging may be in the works for iPad owners if Apple follows through on a patent awarded to it by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Thursday. The tablet cover described in the patent would include "an inductive power transmitter arranged to wirelessly pass power to a corresponding inductive power receiver unit disposed within the tablet device by inductively coupling."

Why Haven't the Android Hordes Routed the iPad?
March 14, 2013

The fact that IDC revised its 2013 tablet market forecast to give Android-based tablets the edge in shipping over the market-leading Apple iPad wasn't surprising. What was surprising? That it has taken Android so long to get anywhere near this point, a projected 48.8 percent of the market to Apple's 46 percent by year's end.

Report: Apple to Relinquish Tablet Crown to Android
March 12, 2013

Android tablets -- especially those with smaller screens -- will continue to gain market share this year at the expense of the iPad, which is expected to give up its spot as the No. 1 tablet platform, according to a report released Tuesday by research firm IDC. The trend toward screens measuring 7-8 inches will drive worldwide tablet shipments to 191 million by year's end.

New Facebook News Feed Features In-Your-Face Photos
March 07, 2013

Facebook on Thursday announced a major makeover of its News Feed page with an emphasis on bigger images, more user control and a recognition that more members are accessing the social network on mobile devices. "News Feed has become primarily about visual content," CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.

News Corp. Goes Back to School With a Teacher-Friendly Tablet
March 06, 2013

Amplify, the education subsidiary of News Corp., announced Wednesday a 10-inch Android tablet platform for K-12 schools. The Amplify tablet will run the latest version of Android Jelly Bean, and will be available in WiFi-only and a 4G LTE version running on AT&T's network. The education market "is a more or less open field," said Charles King, principal at Pund-IT.

Verizon May Pay Dearly for Full Control of Its Precious
March 06, 2013

Verizon wants complete control of its joint Verizon Wireless division with Vodafone, so it is reportedly considering a merger of the two companies or a buyout. Vodafone currently holds a 45 percent stake in the wireless venture, estimated to be worth about $115 billion. The two have discussed a merger as recently as December.

White House Support for Unlocked Phones May Dial Up Pressure on Congress
March 05, 2013

The White House agreed Monday with consumers who want to be able to legally unlock their mobile phones and tablets and move them to the carrier of their choice. The Obama administration's statement was in response to a petition on the White House's We The People forum.