Microsoft Confirms Its Plans To Bring Windows 8 To Smaller Touch-Enabled Devices Soon

During its Q3 2013 earnings call today, Microsoft’s outgoing CFO Peter Klein noted that the company plans to bring Windows 8 to smaller devices. Until now, Windows 8 was mostly geared toward desktops and larger tablets, including Microsoft’s own Surface and RT machines.

With the forthcoming Windows 8 Blue, rumor had it that Microsoft would enable its OEMs to run Windows 8 on smaller devices, too. Klein confirmed this on today’s call, though he mostly talked about OEMs and did not mention whether Microsoft also plans to launch a smaller Surface tablet, though that’s probably a fair bet, too. Currently, there are no sub-10-inch Windows 8 tablets on the market, but according to Klein, we will hear more about these in the coming months.

During the Q&A phase, Klein also noted that Microsoft is working on “expanding and improving the experience, not just for Surface, but for Windows 8 devices at multiple price points, including lower price points going forward.” Earlier this week, Intel’s outgoing CEO Paul Otellini also noted that his company wants to ensure that OEMs can build Windows 8 machines for under $200 soon.

In addition, Klein also acknowledged that the transition to Windows 8 isn’t easy, but the company remains “excited about the opportunities ahead of [it].” According to Klein, Windows 8 has prepared Microsoft well for the transition from desktops to touch devices. “We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we feel comfortable about where we are going.”

He also expects to see more – and more attractive – Windows 8 touch-enabled devices to come on the market in the near future, too, and he thinks these will become more attractive.

 Source: techcrunch.com

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Samsung’s New Galaxy Tab Could Have Extra-Large AMOLED Screen

Samsung loves it some AMOLED displays, but manufacturing quality AMOLED components has always been a little trickier than their LCD brethren, and the largest Samsung has managed to put on a tablet thus far has been the 7.7-incher on the appropriately named Galaxy Tab 7.7 (above). Now a new rumors suggests that Samsung has its eyes on something much larger, and could be delivering a full HD 1080p Android tablet with an AMOLED screen as large as 11.6 inches.

Supposedly, this high-end tablet would arrive as the Galaxy Tab 3 Plus, and might be on Samsung’s agenda for the IFA this summer. The source behind this rumor seems confident that it will be a large-screened tablet with an AMOLED display, but isn’t sure about just how big it might be – in addition to 11.6 inches, 10.1 might be a possibility.

In either case, it’s supposed to have a 1080p resolution, and would run an Exynos 5 SoC, but whether that’s the new octa-core component or a dual-core like in the Nexus 10, we don’t yet know. If this turns out being true, the Galaxy Tab 3 Plus could end up being the best-looking tablet around later this year.

Source : pocketnow

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Cellular set to become a standard tablet feature?

Does your tablet have cellular connectivity? Many buyers don’t spring for the cellular version which typically costs at least an extra $100, plus monthly connection charges. For example, the latest iPad with Retina display is $629 with the cellular radio built-in, $130 more than the WiFi-only model that sells for $499.

 

Carriers are hoping to spur more sales of tablets with built-in cellular. AT&T offers a $100 discount for customers that sign on to a two-year data plan. Sprint Nextel offers a similar $100 discount on tablets to connect to its 4G LTE network.

AT&T’s CFO Pete Richter admits the price of the separate cellular model is too high and may go away.

"The price difference doesn't make sense based on the components that go into it," Ritcher said at a Deutsche Bank investor conference Wednesday reported by the Dow Jones Newswire.

AT&T has had the $100 discount in place for four months, though Richter says he doesn’t believe it will be permanent and says the telecom giant will continue to re-evaluate it.

In fact, at some point, there may not be a need for any subsidy. Richter said he expects tablet prices will eventually converge and will come in one model with cellular connectivity included.
Of course there will still be a monthly connection charge should users choose to use it.

Add a tablet to your data plan

AT&T has a data plan that allow subscribers to share their cellular data plan among devices, and, for example, add a tablet for an extra $10 a month.

Bernardo de Albergaria, VP and General Manager of Citrix SaaS products group, says he isn’t so sure tablet makers are anxious to put cellular hardware in every model. 


“Most companies go with a good, better, best plan that lets them sell to different tiers of the market starting with the more price-sensitive customers,” de Albergaria told TabTimes. “The actual cost of adding wireless is pretty minimal, but it’s a way for them to differentiate the models.”

Source: tabtimes.com

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Samsung launches red Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Android tablet for $219.99

I posted a few weeks back about a report that Samsung was preparing a Valentine's Day gift in the form of a red Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 tablet, and today, the company has officially launched that slate in what it's calling "garnet red."

Unfortunately, while there's a new color option, the specs haven't been updated from the original Tab 2 7.0, which is also available in silver. The 7-inch tablet (with a screen resolution of 1,024x600) runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean using a dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP CPU and includes just 8GB of storage. It does include a handy built-in IR blaster to turn the Tab into a remote control for your TV.

You'll pay a little more for the garnet-red edition of the Tab 2 7.0--$219.99 instead of the $199.99 the silver version will set you back. However, you do get a matching red case thrown in as part of the deal. Samsung said that the red tablet will be available for a limited time only, so if you want to snatch it up, you should start looking for it at retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and Office Depot later this week.

Source : zdnet

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Polaroid Kids Tablet Coming Your Way

So, we have heard that Polaroid looks set to open up retail stores later this year, and one thing’s for sure – these brick-and-mortar stores are definitely going to have their fair share of hardware on parade. In fact, the famous photography company is about to jump aboard the Android-powered bandwagon with a 7” tablet in the works. Adults would want to steer clear of this $149.99 tablet though, as it has been specially designed for kids. The tablet itself will be accompanied by a suite of apps which were specially programmed for kids, among them include Kids Cam, Music Studio and Draw, which allows your little ones to remain occupied while expending their creative powers by snapping photos, composing music and drawing out their imagination.

The Polaroid kids tablet know exactly just which target market it caters for, which is why it comes with innovative side bumpers that help offer adequate amounts of protection, coupled with parental controls that will ensure added protection for the little ones. Dr. Seuss titles will also be pre-loaded to get your little ones hooked on reading, now how about that? Hardware specifications include a 7” screen with WVGA resolution, a 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 8GB of internal memory, a microSD memory card slot, and a 2-megapixel camera at the back, running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with a 3500mAh battery in tow.

Source : ubergizmo

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2013: The year of the Ubuntu Linux tablet and smartphone?

Canonical, Ubuntu Linux's parent company, is hinting in big, bright letters that's its about to release a fully touch-enabled version of Ubuntu Unity. The site's banner headline now reads "So close, you can almost touch it." with a clock counting down to 1 PM Eastern time, January 2nd. If this is indeed what Canonical is planning, can Ubuntu-powered tablet and smartphones be far behind?

Canonical has been planning to bring Ubuntu to tablets since it first introduced its controversial Unity interface in 2010. Then, in conversations with Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu's founder, I was told that Unity was meant to be Ubuntu's master interface for desktops, netbooks, and tablets.

At the time, while a tablet version of Ubuntu wasn't in Canonical's immediate plans, Jono Bacon, the Ubuntu Community Manager, told me that "all the pieces are in place to create an Ubuntu tablet." Even then, before Unity was launched, I was shown the first baby steps to multi-touch Unity.

Since then, Ubuntu has been working hard to incorporate full-featured touch functionality into Unity. In late 2011, Shuttleworth confirmed that Canonical would be bringing Ubuntu Linux to smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs.

Shuttleworth said at the time that, "This is a natural expansion of our idea as Ubuntu as Linux for human beings. As people have moved from desktop to new form factors for computing, it's important for us to reach out to out community on these platforms. So, we'll embrace the challenge of how to use Ubuntu on smartphones, tablets and smart-screens."

In a December 2012 Slashdot interview, Shuttleworth made it clear that Ubuntu on mobile was still in their plans. "Let's make one OS that runs on the phone AND on your supercomputer. We're close to that now - we know Ubuntu makes a great cloud OS and a great server OS and a great desktop. So I think the next frontier is to create a seamless experience from the embedded world to the cloud," said Shuttleworth.

Shuttleworth continued, the "mobile world is crucial to the future of the PC. This month, for example, it became clear that the traditional PC is shrinking in favor of tablets. So if we want to be relevant on the PC, we have to figure out how to be relevant in the mobile world first."

He plans to do this by focusing on establishing "a great story around Ubuntu and mobile form factors - the tablet and the phone - on which we can build deeper relationships with everyday consumers. All the major PC companies [such as Dell] now ship PC's with Ubuntu pre-installed. So we have a very solid set of working engagements in the industry. But those PC companies are nervous to promote something new to PC buyers. If we can get PC buyers familiar with Ubuntu as a phone and tablet experience, then they may be more willing buy it on the PC too."

So what can we expect tomorrow? I think Shuttleworth already told us part of it in the Slashdot interview. He said, "we've said clearly that the phone and tablet are key stories we need to tell by 14.04 LTS [Long Term Support]."

It that wasn't clear enough for you, on his own blog Shuttleworth recently wrote, "Unity in 2013 will be all about mobile--bringing Ubuntu to phones and tablets."

That's all well and good, but I think Canonical will actually have bigger news than just fully embracing phones and tablets with the April 2014 release of Ubuntu. First, I expect Ubuntu to announce that it will more fully support the ARM processor. Today, only the older Ubuntu 12.04 is fully supported on the ARM architecture.

The big news I hope to see tomorrow, and here I'm speculating, is the announcement of Ubuntu hardware tablet and smartphone partners. I feel pretty certain we'll see such news.

After all, without ready-to-run Ubuntu mobile devices, only hardcore Ubuntu hackers will bother with it, and Shuttleworth clearly has much bigger plans for Ubuntu on mobile than to be another alternative firmware such as Android CyanogenMod. Shuttleworth wants Ubuntu on phones and tablets to be as big a player as Android or iOS, not a mere hobbyist operating system. It won't be easy, but I'm sure that's his goal. 

Source : zdnet

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Living with the iPad Mini: Three weeks and counting

 

OK, I'll admit it. The iPad Mini hasn't left my hands in the last three weeks. It's been no contest, really. While the larger fourth-gen iPad has sat alone by my bedside table, the Mini has gone on field trips on the bus, gotten dragged in my jacket pocket while I dropped my kid off at school, been coddled at the cafe over breakfast, and slipped alongside my laptop on work excursions.

As I predicted when I reviewed it, the Mini's had a hard time leaving my hands, because few places seem inappropriate for it. At a Kindle size, it's bedroom-friendly. It'll set up nicely on a kitchen counter. It slides into otherwise lesser-used front pockets on backpacks. And it might be the best gaming handheld Apple's ever made, based on the sheer size of the screen and its thin, two-hand-friendly frame.

But, what does that mean?

 

It means, I'm enchanted with the form. And rightfully so. You could make the argument that the original iPad was all about screen size and form, more than anything technologically revolutionary. The same feels true here. The iPad Mini would have been a shocking device a few years ago, but now it slides into a landscape of other small tablets. I love using it, but I still don't find it a surprising device. I do, however, find it to be an extremely addictive one.

Why have I left my larger iPad behind? I can think of a few reasons. First, the form's less seductive. I've lived with all previous generations of iPads, and the fourth-gen feels too much like the third-gen in casual use, so I find it a little less fun to play with.

Also, I commute to New York City from New Jersey. Sometimes I take my laptop back and forth. The iPad Mini is the more commuter-friendly device, hands-down. In that regard, I'm actually pretty curious about the LTE model that's arriving in stores soon.

Limitations: A matter of perspective   

Much like the original iPad, the Mini lacks a much-desired feature, but it's not nearly as effective. The first iPad didn't have a FaceTime camera -- or any camera at all. It was a buzz kill because the iPad seemed ideal for casual video chat. The iPad Mini lacks a higher-definition Retina Display, which is frustrating because the Mini is perfect for reading, and deserves the best display tech possible to improve that experience.

But you can live without Retina Display on an iPad Mini, far more so than you could live without a camera on the iPad. The display is fine for reading. I've read books, magazines, and even written reviews. It's just not as good as it could be. Oddly, older iPad apps that don't rely on Retina seem to shine the brightest: I dusted off and redownloaded The Elements and found it looked wonderful on the Mini. It's all a matter of perspective, and Retina-conditioning. Of all the people I've shown it to, those who don't seem to follow tech or own previous higher-def or Retina Display devices didn't mind at all. Techies, those who care about the fine details of screen quality, did. Form wins out over specs for many people. For others, that finer screen matters more

 

Has anything changed over the last week? 
I've learned to live with the screen. It works. It's not a showstopper, but it's perfectly good for what it does, has excellent sharp viewing angles, and, well, I've learned to live with it. I have dreams of a Retina Display Mini, but I know that's not happening now. It could even affect battery life and size/weight. I understand that. So, I accept the Mini for what it is, which is pretty excellent otherwise. And if it means better battery life over a sharper screen, I appreciate that decision -- even if I wish that screen could be crisper and richer every time I look at it.

What I use the Mini for
Reading, playing games, watching videos. In that order. I don't find the Mini as compelling for video because the screen isn't as pitch-perfect. I love Web browsing on it, for obvious reasons. And games seem to shine more on the Mini than on the fuller iPad. The Mini crosses over just on the side of "handheld device" as opposed to "laptop replacement," and it feels more like a PlayStation Vita or Nintendo 3DS in that regard. I've found few games, virtual-thumb-control or tap-based, that don't fit the Mini's tweener size perfectly. And its size, so similar to the upcoming Nintendo Wii U's Game Pad, makes it feel like a direct competitor.

 

But I think it's so good at playing games that the rest of industry, handhelds and consoles alike, need to pay attention even more than before. The Mini feels like it's really conquered the best gaming space between the too-limited-for-most-fingers iPhone screen and the cumbersome larger iPad.

Using the iPad Mini outside isn't a fun experience because of glare, but I've never found iPad use in broad daylight to be fun. That's why I bought a Kindle.

Battery life has held up admirably. I never need to recharge after a single day, or even two, but I do because I worry about dipping below 50 percent charge. The battery feels more like the original iPad's than the third-gen one, something I don't need to ever babysit.

Tweener regrets?
The iPad Mini's closer in feel to an iPhone. Do I feel absurd using it? Not really, because the difference in screen size is still considerable.

I keep thinking about the iPod Touch. Has the iPad Mini made it vestigial? Not yet. The Mini's still bulky by comparison, and not ideal for controlling music. The Touch (and the iPhone) are pocket-size and feel more organic for audio and headphones. For some reason, I always use my iPad in my home with speakers, not headphones. It feels like a shared device.

No, I haven't spoken about the larger iPad, the one that we awarded an Editors' Choice. I stand by it as a technological milestone, and a strong overall package, a polished one. It's just not something I'm currently using. That could change -- after all, very few apps and games even exist that take advantage of that faster A6X processor in the fourth-gen iPad. When they appear, I'll be interested. Of course, if the iPad Mini becomes the go-to iPad, developers might find it less critical to make A6X-optimized games. I still think the presence of that industry-shifting Retina Display matters, especially on a tablet, and the larger iPad is the place to go for it. But it's become a premium feature in the current iPad lineup, not an essential one.

 

Too many devices?

Maybe it's just having been through reviews of the iPhone 5, iPod Touch, and both iPads in the span of just two months, but Apple's unleashed a lot of gear for the holidays. That inevitably forces people to make tough decisions. Buy the iPhone 5 or the iPad Mini? Skip this iPad generation and wait for a possible sooner-than-expected refresh? Or, maybe go whole hog and keep buying, as I've been somewhat surprised to hear some followers on Twitter doing.

The iPad Mini is the most fun new device Apple's released all year, and it's the one I most love showing off. It also seems, to my surprise, to be the device most people are most curious to see for themselves. Yet, if you love new tech, it's the least exciting under the hood. I felt the pull of both those feelings in the past few weeks -- but I have to admit, it never made me stop using it. 

Source : cnet

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Wishtel To Launch Linux Tablet @$50

The tablet will be able to perform basic computing tasks such as e-mails, Web browsing, media and office applications.

Saturday, November 10, 2012:  Ever fancied a Linux tablet? Well, Wishtel will soon be launching a Linux based tablet which will be able to support 85 global languages, right from English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic and many more. Not only that, it will also support 23 Indian languages. Another highlight of the tablet, which will be named ‘PrithV’ is its price. The company is developing the tablet for $50 in association with Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education under Prof Nagarjuna.  

The tablet will be able to perform basic computing tasks such as e-mails, Web browsing, media and office applications. It will also come loaded with educational suite to offer self learning software's for pre-primary, tertiary, higher education for languages, science: physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, geography, math: algebra, calculus, geometry, medicine, economics, computing etc.

The company is known for launching low cost tablets in the market. They have launched a few models under the IRA brand and claim to have already shipped more than 150,000 devices till now. The company has plans to extend their solutions to universities and schools all over the world and intend to empower every student with a PC enabled knowledge.  

Source: news.efytimes.com

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Modbook Pro OS X tablet gets a pre-release upgrade

If you've long given up on Apple to ever release an OS X-powered tablet, the Modbook Pro might be just what you're looking for, and the device has seen a much-welcomed pre-release upgrade.

The Modbook Pro is a tablet that's built around an existing Apple hardware system. Modbook Inc. takes a MacBook Pro system and converts the system into a tablet using its Modbook Pro Build Kit. The main part of the kit is a specially made 13.3-inch Wacom pen-controlled screen which, along with other custom components, converts the notebook into a tablet.

The first Modbooks are expected to ship by the end of this month, but the company has announced that the base specification of the device has been significantly upgraded. Pen pressures have been upgraded, making the screen more responsive to pen inputs. The solid-state drive has been increased from 64GB to a more spacious 120GB, and the RAM memory bumped from 4GB to 8GB.

The base price of the system is unchanged at $3,500.

The base system comes with a 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 processor -- upgradable to a 2.9GHz Intel Core i7 for an additional $300 -- and there are optional RAM and storage upgrades, with 16GB RAM costing an extra $240, and 240GB and 480GB of storage costing an added $390 and $780 respectively.

Modbook Inc. will also install Windows 7 onto the system into a Boot Camp partition for an extra $200. It's worth noting that as this is not an official Apple product, all warranty issues will have to go Modbook Inc.

This upgrade will apply to new units and those that have already been pre-ordered.

 Source : zdnet

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Why You Should Hold Onto Your “Old” iPad

If you own a third-generation iPad, you might be feeling a little burned by Apple this week. You’re fine with the iPad Mini the company announced. You saw that one coming. The fourth-generation iPad, though? And just six months after you bought Apple’s last latest-and-greatest iPad? Not cool. Not only are you now carrying around an iPad that doesn’t have Apple’s fastest mobile processor, what used to be an innocent port for the 30-pin connector is now an ugly scar compared to the little bellybutton of a hole for the fourth-gen iPad’s Lighting connector. Oh, and the new iPad has speedier graphics and a better camera, too.

Good news: You can ignore your buyer’s remorse. Your third-gen iPad is awesome. Hell, even the iPad 2 (which Apple still sells, by the way) is still relevant. So if you’re feeling less enamored with your third-gen iPad, stop. And if you’re thinking about ditching it altogether for the fourth-gen model, don’t.

For one thing, Apple’s iOS updates traditionally run on devices at least two generations old. For example, iOS 6, which was released in September, runs on not only the new iPhone 5 but also the iPhone 4S, 4 and even 3GS. Yes, the first-generation iPad, now a little more than two and a half years old, is stuck at iOS 5. But the fact that the iPad Mini runs on the iPad 2′s A5 processor (now two generations old) is a good sign. Apple won’t leave mini users out of any software updates for at least a couple of years. So your third-gen iPad, which has newer hardware components, is even further away from obsolescence.

Another reason to skip the new iPad is Apple’s pattern of product announcements. Before this week, Apple had always launched its iPads in the spring. The first one went on sale in April 2010, the second in March 2011 and the third in March 2012. If Apple sticks with spring iPad launches, that could mean a fifth-generation iPad early next year, which would leave owners of the fourth-gen model right where you are — contemplating the upgrade game six months after purchase. And if Apple waits until next fall to update the iPad line? Then your iPad 3 will be, at most, a year and a half old. You’d still have at least a year of relevance remaining if Apple were to maintain the shelf life it gave the iPad 1. But the likelihood is that these newer iPads will be much more future-proof than the debut model. Even iPad 2 owners are probably better off skipping the fourth-generation upgrade and waiting for what comes after.

Hopefully you’re convinced by now: Unless you own an iPad 1 or no iPad at all, you can skip this one. But if you are absolutely determined to ditch your third-gen iPad for the latest Apple slate, here are a few suggestions on how to go about it.

If cost isn’t and never was an issue for you, you can take your old iPad to an Apple store and donate it to Teach for America‘s iPads for Classrooms program. Local school districts might have their own iPad donation efforts set up too, such as the Lighthouse in the Community iPad Appeal program going on in Connecticut. There are plenty of kids — and adults — who will be blown away by your hand-me-down augmented reality apps, digital-publishing tools, 3-D maps, and on-the-fly video editing.

If that doesn’t work for you, you can always hawk your iPad on eBay or Craigslist, to someone who sees the value in what you’re about to disregard. There’s also the option of businesses that will resell your gadgets for you too — such as Gazelle, NextWorth and iCracked. But even if you resell your iPad, you’ll be doing so at a loss. Even a pristine third-gen 16GB iPad, with the original box, will fetch only about $250, versus the $500 it would have cost brand new just a couple of weeks ago.

Wait, though. If you bought your third-generation iPad within the last 30 days, you may want to call your local Apple store. Employees at the downtown San Francisco Apple Store told Wired that they will accept exchanges for all third-generation iPads that have been purchased within the last 30 days, as long as they’re free of dings, scratches and other signs of wear. But this departure from Apple’s normal 14-day policy doesn’t seem to be companywide. We’ve called other stores that have said they aren’t making exceptions for the third-gen iPad, which lines up with other reports.

Seriously, though, just hold on to your third-gen iPad. It’s still one of best tablets out there.

Source : wired

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Jailbreaking now legal under DMCA for smartphones, but not tablets

The Digital Millennium Copyright makes it illegal to "circumvent" digital rights management schemes. But when Congress passed the DMCA in 1998, it gave the Librarian of Congress the power to grant exemptions. The latest batch of exemptions, which will be in force for three years, were announced on Thursday.

Between now and late 2015, there will be five categories of circumvention that will be allowed under the Librarian's rules, one fewer than the current batch of exemptions, which was announced in July 2010. The new exemptions take effect October 28.

The new batch of exemptions illustrate the fundamentally arbitrary nature of the DMCA's exemption process. For the next three years, you'll be allowed to jailbreak smartphones but not tablet computers. You'll be able to unlock phones purchased before January 2013 but not phones purchased after that. It will be legal to rip DVDs to use an excerpt in a documentary, but not to play it on your iPad. None of these distinctions makes very much sense. But Congress probably deserves more blame for this than the Librarian of Congress.

Disability access to e-books

The first exemption applies to "literary works, distributed electronically, that are protected by technological measures which either prevent the enabling of read-aloud functionality or interfere with screen readers or other applications or assistive technologies." The work must have been purchased legitimately through "customary channels," such that "the rights owner is remunerated."

A similar version of the exemption was offered in 2010, but that one allowed circumvention only if "all existing e-book editions of the work contain access controls" that inhibit disabled access. Disability groups urged the Librarian to drop this restriction, arguing that "despite the rapid growth of the e-book market, most e-book titles remain inaccessible due to fragmentation within the industry and differing technical standards and accessibility capabilities across platforms." That meant that the rule effectively required disabled users to own multiple devices—a Kindle, a Nook, and an iPad, for example—in order to gain access to a full range of e-books. The Librarian accepted this argument and allowed circumvention by disabled users even if a work is available in an open format on another platform.

Jailbreaking for iPhones but not iPads

The new rules allow circumvention of "computer programs that enable wireless telephone handsets to execute lawfully obtained software applications, where circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of enabling interoperability of such applications with computer programs on the telephone handset." In other words, jailbreaking is permitted for "telephone handsets," as it was under the 2010 rules.

What about tablets? No dice. The Librarian "found significant merit to the opposition’s concerns that this aspect of the proposed class was broad and ill-defined, as a wide range of devices might be considered 'tablets,' notwithstanding the significant distinctions among them in terms of the way they operate, their intended purposes, and the nature of the applications they can accommodate. For example, an e-book reading device might be considered a 'tablet,' as might a handheld video game device or a laptop computer."

The Librarian ruled that "the record lacked a sufficient basis to develop an appropriate definition for the 'tablet' category of devices, a necessary predicate to extending the exemption beyond smartphones."

No more unlocking

In 2006 and 2010, the Librarian of Congress had permitted users to unlock their phones to take them to a new carrier. Now that's coming to an end. While the new rules do contain a provision allowing phone unlocking, it comes with a crippling caveat: the phone must have been "originally acquired from the operator of a wireless telecommunications network or retailer no later than ninety days after the effective date of this exemption."

In other words, phones you already have, as well as those purchased between now and next January, can be unlocked. But phones purchased after January 2013 can only be unlocked with the carrier's permission.

Why the change? The Librarian cited two key factors. One is a 2010 ruling that held that when you purchase software, you don't actually own it. Rather, you merely license it according to the terms of the End User License Agreement. The Librarian argued that this undermined the claim that unlocking your own phone was fair use.

Also, the Librarian found that there are more unlocked phones on the market than there were three years ago, and that most wireless carriers have liberal policies for unlocking their handsets. As a result, the Librarian of Congress decided that it should no longer be legal to unlock your cell phone without the carrier's permission.

DVDs: Excerpts, but no space-shifting

The most complicated exemption focuses on DVDs. Between now and 2015, it will be legal to rip a DVD "in order to make use of short portions of the motion pictures for the purpose of criticism or comment in the following instances: (i) in noncommercial videos; (ii) in documentary films; (iii) in nonfiction multimedia e-books offering film analysis; and (iv) for educational purposes in film studies or other courses requiring close analysis of film and media excerpts, by college and university faculty, college and university students, and kindergarten through twelfth grade educators." A similar exemption applies for "online distribution services."

The Librarian also allowed DVDs to be decrypted to facilitate disability access. Specifically, it's now legal "to access the playhead and/or related time code information embedded in copies of such works and solely for the purpose of conducting research and development for the purpose of creating players capable of rendering visual representations of the audible portions of such works and/or audible representations or descriptions of the visual portions of such works to enable an individual who is blind, visually impaired, deaf, or hard of hearing, and who has lawfully obtained a copy of such a work, to perceive the work."

But the Librarian did not allow circumvention for space-shifting purposes. While public interest groups had argued that consumers should be allowed to rip a DVD in order to watch it on an iPad that lacks a built-in DVD drive, the Librarian concluded that no court has found that such "space shifting" is a fair use under copyright law.

Public Knowledge, one of the groups that had advocated the exception, argued that the Librarian's ruling "flies in the face of reality." PK's Michael Weinberg noted that this reasoning implies that "every person who has ever ripped a CD to put on her iPod is a copyright infringer. Even the RIAA has recognized that such activity is, in their words, 'perfectly lawful.'"

A broken system

The space-shifting ruling is a good illustration of the fundamental brokenness of the DMCA. In order to convince the Librarian to allow DVD ripping in order to watch it on an iPad, a court would first need to rule that doing so falls under copyright's fair use defense. To get such a ruling, someone would have to rip a DVD (or sell a DVD-ripping tool), get sued in court, and then convince a judge that DVD ripping is fair use. But in such a case, the courts would probably never reach the fair use question, because—absent an exemption from the Librarian of Congress—circumvention is illegal whether or not the underlying use of the work would be a fair use. So no fair use ruling without an exemption, and no exemption without a fair use ruling. A classic catch-22.

This "triennial review" process is broken in other ways as well. Exemptions apply to the act of circumvention, but not to the separate provisions prohibiting "trafficking" in circumvention tools. So blind people who happen to be programmers are now free to write their own software to strip the DRM off their Kindle e-books in order to have them read aloud. But most blind people are not programmers. And anyone who supplies a blind person with the software needed to strip DRM from e-books is violating the "trafficking" provisions of the law even if the customer's use of the software is otherwise legal.

Finally, the case-by-case nature of the exemption process makes it inevitable that we'll get arbitrary results. For example, there's no logical reason why it should be legal to jailbreak an iPhone but illegal to jailbreak an iPad. But because no one presented the Librarian of Congress with a sufficiently precise definition of "tablet," this illogical result will be the law of the land for the next three years.

Here's a better approach: circumventing copy protection schemes shouldn't be against the law in the first place. DRM schemes harm legitimate users more than they deter piracy. Indeed, as the phone unlocking example illustrates, many uses of DRM have nothing to do with copyright infringement in the first place. Rather, they're a convenient legal pretext for limiting competition and locking consumers into proprietary products. We shouldn't be using copyright law as a backdoor means to give such anti-competitive practices the force of law.

Source : arstechnica

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Apple gets official with iPad mini; upgrades iPad again

After months of speculation, Apple officially introduced the iPad mini during a media event in San Jose on Tuesday morning.

But Apple's SVP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller started off with a surprise when he announced the fourth-generation iPad -- which was a bit of a shock considering the last one was only introduced earlier this year.

Here are some of the upgrades:

• New LTE chipset that works on more networks worldwide
• Front camera now supports FaceTime with 720p HD video capture
• 2x faster Wi-Fi connectivity
• New cables for SD and USB connectivity
• 10 hours of battery life
• Same configuration/pricing starting points (i.e. starts at 16GB Wi-Fi only for $499, etc.

But Schiller didn't disappoint anyone expecting a smaller tablet, quickly introducing the "thin as a pencil" iPad mini. Here's the rundown on the sized-down iOS tablet thus far:

• 7.9-inch display
• Dual-core A5 processor
• 53 percent lighter than full-sized iPad at 0.68 lbs
• 7.2mm thin and 0.68 pounds light
• 23 percent thinner than 4th-gen iPad
• Same resolution as 1st- and 2nd-gen iPads: 1,024 by 768 pixels
• 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi @ 5.2Ghz
• FaceTime HD front camera
• 5-megapixel iSight rear camera
• Lightning connector
• 10-hour battery life
• New Smart Covers available for iPad mini
• Comes in white and "slate black" -- no aluminum hinge; all one matte material
• LTE options

Schiller took some time to describe how the iPad mini stacks up against the competition, calling out the direct competitors in the 7-inch tablet market.

Specifically remarking that the iPad mini has 35 percent more display real estate than Google's Nexus 7, Schiller continued that the 7.9-inch mini is 49 percent larger in portrait mode and 67 percent larger in landscape when it comes to browser use.

But in the end, the real competition in this segment of the tablet market is going to come down to pricing.

While the Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire have lowered the pricing bar below $300, the iPad Mini starts at $329 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only version.

Apple is opening up pre-orders this Friday, and the Wi-Fi only editions will start shipping a week later on November 2 countries. The roll out for the 4G versions will follow at a later date.

Source : zdnet.com

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Why Are People So Amped About USB On Tablets?

Microsoft’s Surface tablets are nearly here, and their arrival, along with that of Windows 8, will continue to blur the line between tablets and fully-functional computers. Besides the available keyboard covers, part of what’s making both the Surface RT and Surface Pro models appear so much more full-featured than your run-of-the-mill Android or iOS tablet is the inclusion of a standard USB port for connecting peripherals. Is that something worth getting excited about?

We’ve seen full-sized USB ports on tablets before, with models like the Acer Iconia Tab A500 (above) supporting the attachment of regular USB accessories without the need for any sort of adapter. Still, the presence of such ports on tablets as a whole has been the exception, rather than the rule. With Surface, we could be seeing a much larger emphasis placed on such connectivity options, especially if Windows 8 gets users to abandon their desktop or laptop PCs in favor of a tablet as their primary computer.

Are these kind of USB ports all they’re cracked up to be? Do we really need such things on our tablets, or are they ultimately just too big and of limited use to demand widespread deployment? The editorial team at Pocketnow put together our own thoughts on the issue. After reading what we’ve got say, weigh-in down in the comments with your own take on the value of USB for tablets.

Brandon Miniman

I think USB on a tablet is going in the wrong direction.

Tablets are about intimacy. Just you, and a screen. If you wanted printers and USB drives and mice, your laptop or desktop is just a few paces away. But to put USB on a tablet is like having to charge your phone in the middle of the day. It misses the point.

Anton D. Nagy

Full sized USB ports are thick and they add bulk to a slate in a world where (even though not all customers want it but) the OEMs strive for thinner and thinner. You’re giving up something and you’re hoping to get something in return, like functionality. But will it improve your life? USB support on a tablet doesn’t really make sense for me; where’s the thin line between tablets and notebooks/ultrabooks?

A tablet should be a bridge between a smartphone and a portable computer, not a notebook replacement (or at least not now, today). I don’t expect to plug my USB dongle in my tablet; give me fast internet to access my data in the Cloud (WiFi and/or SIM slot) and/or microSD card support. USB keyboards and mice are not an option for me if we talk tablets. So why should I be excited about full-size USB ports on a tablet? Maybe a USB CD/DVD writer? Not with a tablet. I can’t think of any usage scenario which would justify my need for USB support on a touchscreen slate, knowing my utilization habits. Hell, I barely use the USB ports on my laptop computer (or desktop for that matter).

Jaime Rivera

At first, I’ll admit I wasn’t so fond of the iPad’s lack of a USB port, but after three years and five tablets later, I don’t miss it any more. A couple of years ago I would’ve been annoyed, but since tablets are wireless devices by design, we now find tons of alternatives that are even better than using USB ports in certain cases. If I want to transfer music to my tablet, there’s Wi-Fi sync or services like Pandora, Spotify or iTunes Match. If I want movies, there’s Wi-Fi sync or Netflix. If I want photos, Google+, Dropbox and Google Drive now do this instantaneously. I can’t remember the last time I printed something, but if I need to, my printer has wireless solutions. Services like iCloud now sync your photos, documents, music and books everywhere without your need to physically do anything, so even if I had the option to buy a USB adaptor for the iPad, I seriously feel it’s a waste of money when each tablet manufacturer is slowly moving away from giving you access to the file system.

Now there’s no denying that USB is something nice to have. For one, you have universal access to storage and peripherals, but on the other, you’ve got mobility limitations. 90% of the USB dongles are large and I just find the experience cumbersome to carry a tablet with a separate device that sticks out. I love the approach that Asus and others are bringing to the table with docking keyboards that give tablets a laptop feel, extra battery and USB connectivity. I think this is the future, though as technology evolves, USB will soon become the next floppy disk. Yeah, don’t worry, I haven’t seen one of those in almost 15 years either.

Joe Levi

USB. Love it or hate it, until we shed all our wires it’s the ubiquitous data-transfer and charging port on the majority of our devices. Sure, I’d love to live in a world where charging was inductive and data was transferred over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, but until then, we’re stuck with USB, so let’s make the best of it!

Most modern smartphones and tablets have a microUSB port. Many Androids have a special variety of USB called “USB Host” that lets users plug in “the other way”. Rather than your Android being the device that’s being plugged into (and a computer on the other end being the “host”), through a special adaptor your Android can be the host and you can plug devices into it.

What kind of devices? You can plug a keyboard, mouse, or even a mass storage device into your Android. It’s the latter that means the most to me. My primary devices are on the Nexus variety. I run a Galaxy Nexus and a Nexus 7 as my daily drivers. Both of them are fairly limited on internal storage, and neither of them has an SD card slot to let me expand that storage. The thought, I assume, is that I should be at all times connected to the web and all my content should “live in the cloud” and be streamed. That’s great — as long as you have a fast, reliable Internet connection and an unlimited and unthrottled data plan. For the other 99% of the time, it doesn’t cut it.

Using my Nexus’ USB Host capabilities I can carry around a thumb drive loaded with music and movies, and easily plug it into my phone or tablet via a relatively small, relatively inexpensive dongle. It’s not perfect, but we’re not after “perfect” (if we were, streaming would be it, right?). Instead, we’re looking for a solution that “just works”, and USB Host support is it.

Michael Fisher

To me, the whole concept of full-size USB ports on tablets would have been a value-add in years past, when tablet manufacturers were still looking for a meaningful way to differentiate themselves from the iPad. They’re still doing that, of course, but they’ve managed it pretty well in terms of software -Jelly Bean running on the Nexus 7 is a dream for a Google-centric mobile user- and hardware -look no further than the forthcoming HP Envy x2 or the Toshiba AT270 for some really awesome build quality.

In the midst of those more compelling differentiators, full-size USB is kind of ho-hum. It would have been very useful on products that OEMs hoped users would buy to replace computers, but aside from niche applications requiring carrying portable storage to accommodate large raw file sizes, like photography and audio recording, who really needs full-size USB support anymore? Cloud-based offerings and removable microSD cards are filling the gap, and doing it quite well for the average user. Why would I want to sacrifice that kind of convenience in exchange for a storage medium that’s physically much larger than any SD solution, requiring devices supporting it to be correspondingly larger?

Like wired charging, wired syncing, and physical home keys, full-size USB support seems, to me, just another tie to yesterday’s mobile landscape that should be cut.

Adam Z. Lein

I’ve been using Windows based tablets since 2002 instead of carrying a laptop, and since when I’m on the go I’m also very often taking photographs or recording video, having a USB port is very important for me to be able to transfer that content to my tablet in order to do my editing and reviewing. Yes, I know some people actually use a tablet with a camera on the back to take photos and video, but that’s about the equivalent of wearing sweatpants to church. You don’t want to be seen doing that. I’ve only used the USB port for an external CD/DVD drive when installing older software that I still have on DVD disks, but mostly I’ll use network shares to install other programs.

A couple times, it’s been very handy to be able to copy content to a USB memory stick for example when a friend or client would like a copy of something. The sneakernet is still often faster when it comes to transferring large files. Lastly, the USB port on my tablet also comes in handy for keeping the smartphone charged up without needing to take up more electrical outlets.

Stephen Schenck

The more a mobile device can do, the more useful it is. The vast, vast majority of computer accessories connect over USB, and adding one little USB port opens the door to start letting tablets take advantage of those untold mountains of hardware. Sure, there would still be driver issues to worry about, and then the need for developers to release apps that know how to use all this hardware, but I can’t understand why you wouldn’t at least want that option available. I can’t tell you how many times I wished I had a USB port on a tablet so I could hook up an external DVD drive.

What about space issues? USB, even full-sized, is already pretty darn small. There’s little issue with cramming a port into a tablet that’s still around 10 millimeters thick. If you’re concerned with sleekness and simplicity above all else, that’s fine, but anyone willing to compromise while balancing size and functionality is going to be hard-pressed to argue that a USB port is too thick to be worthwhile.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, our opinions are pretty mixed. Some of us think USB on tablets is an absolutely wrong-minded idea, some think that micro USB in host mode is a good enough compromise, and some of us are proponents of full-sized USB ports.

Ultimately, this may come down to consumer demand. If users get used to USB on their Surface tablets, they might start asking why iOS and Android don’t have more of it. If they fail to embrace and take full advantage of the ports, USB might prove itself to be a non-issue.

Where do you stand? Maybe you’ve got some strong opinions like us, or maybe you really couldn’t care about USB at all. Either way, let us know in the comments.

Source : pocketnow

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Five great Android tablets you can buy today instead of waiting for the iPad Mini

I like iPads. I own one and often use it. That said, I never cared for its size; Apple's locked-in, proprietary software ecosystem; and lately Apple's iOS updates have been including a lot of sloppy mistakes. So it is that more often than not I've been using a variety of 7" Android-powered tablets instead of my iPad. And, you know what? Just because it seems almost certain there will soon be an iPad Mini, I don't see any reason to be rushing out to buy one.

Why not? From the top: Price. Whatever Apple ends up charging for the Mini, it's a safe bet it's going to be more than the 7" Android tablets. Apple's never been anyone's idea of an affordable brand.

Next, I really don't appreciate Apple's Big Brother approach to third-party software. For example, the reason you can't watch most Website videos on an iPad is that Steve Jobs decided he didn't want Adobe Flash on iDevices. I also really don't like Apple's patent lawsuit happy ways.

Last, and to the point, over the last few months, Android and its hardware vendors have finally gotten their tablet act together. In 2010, Android tablets weren't competitive at all with the mark one iPad. In 2011, the Barnes & Nobles' Nook Color, while still primarily an e-reader, became a reasonable Android tablet. In late 2011, the small, 7" Android tablet took off with the introduction of Amazon's Kindle Fire. Then, as far as I'm concerned, the first Android tablet came along that was actually better than an iPad: the Nexus 7.

Heck, ZDNet's own Jason D. O'Grady , an Apple fan even said there was only one thing wrong with the Nexus 7: it's lack of an Apple logo. Me? I can live without an Apple logo.

So, what are the best alternatives to the forthcoming iPad Mini. Here's my list from least to most attractive:

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7 is pretty, fast, and pricey.

5) Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 

Gosh, the Samsung 7.7's AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) display is pretty. As pretty as an iPad 3's Active Matrix? No, probably, but it is eye-catching.

Under the pretty screen, you'll find a 1.4GHz dual core processor with 16GBs of storage and a GB of RAM. It started with Android 3.2, Honeycomb, but it was updated in July to Android 4.04, Ice Cream Sandwich. It also supports, with the right contract of course, 4G.

I only have one problem with it: the price tag. At $400, it's a little much for a 7" tablet.

If you like Amazon, you'll love the new Kindle Fire,

4) Amazon Kindle Fire (2012)

You can't beat the new model Kindle Fire's price: $159. It also comes tied at the hip with Amazon goodies. That's both a virtue and a vice.

I like Amazon, but I'd rather not have them as both my software gateway and, thanks to its Silk Web browser, my portal to the greater Internet. I also really, really don't like being forced fed ads if I don't cough up an extra $15.

The hardware is OK for the price. It uses a dual-core 1.2GHz OMAP 4430 CPU, a GB of RAM, and comes with 16GBs of storage. For its operating system, the Kindle Fire uses a highly customized version of Ice Cream Sandwich. On the other hand, it still doesn't have HD video support... or a camera, … or storage expansion slot... or physical volume buttons.

All that said, it's still a good tablet for the price. If I wanted to buy a tablet for a relative or friend this holiday who just wanted to read books and watch movies, I'd seriously consider the updated Kindle Fire.

The new Nook Tablet isn't out yet, but the old one is still pretty darn good.

3) Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet (2011)

The next generation of the Nook Tablet won't show for a few more weeks, but that's OK, because I'm still fond of last year's Nook Tablet at $179.

It uses a TI OMAP 4 dual-core 1 GHz processor along with 8GBs of storage, a GB of RAM and can handle addition storage with its microSD slot. Like the Kindle it uses a modified version of Android. In the Nook's case that's Android 2.3, GingerBread.

Older hardware and software and all, I still prefer the old Nook Tablet to the new Kindle Fire and I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on the 2012 Nook. Why? Because it just works better. It delivers smoother performance and I find its interface to be easier to use. Now, if only Barnes & Noble and Amazon both would make it easier for us to get fuller access to Android programs I'd be even happier.

It's not quite as fast as the Galaxy 7.7, but the Galaxy Tab 7 is nice in its own right.

2) Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0

It's not quite as good as its big brother, the Galaxy Tab 7.7, but at $350 I can live with the newly 4G LTE-enabled Galaxy Tab 2.

It comes with a a 1.2GHz dual-core OMAP 4430 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage. And, like the Tab 7.7, it uses Android 4.04. It is, as you would have guessed, slower and less full-featured than its high-priced relative. The most noticeable difference is that it has a front-facing VGA camera instead of a 2 megapixel front facing camera.

If you decide this is the tablet for you, check to make sure that you're getting the model you want. The earlier Galaxy Tab only Wi-Fi model is still available at a price of about $250. It's a trifle slower than the new model and of course doesn't support LTE, but it's otherwise a winner.

The best tablet of all, including the iPad, is the Nexus 7.

1) Nexus 7

And, I've saved the best for last. The Nexus 7, at $199, is simply the best tablet out there. It runs like a dream and it's become my go-to tablet.

With a quad-core Tegra 3 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 8GBs of storage the Nexus 7 runs very, very fast. How fast? Faster than any of its competitors. It's also the only one currently running Android 4.1, JellyBean. This is easily the best version of Android to date.

The result is an outstanding tablet. If I could only have one tablet, it would be a Nexus 7.

Mini iPad? I'm sure it will be nice, but nicer than these? Maybe. In the same price-range as them? I can't see that. And, as for being nicer and more afforable than the Nexus 7? I don't think so. 

The tablet wars are now on in earnest.

Source : zdnet

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iPad Mini: Why I am buying one as soon as possible

You could say tablets are in my blood. I have been using them for over a decade, starting with the old-school Tablet PC. I have traded up more often than I care to admit and currently own four tablets.

My love of the tablet caused me to jump on the first iPad at launch. It also prompted me to get the first Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab. That tablet first exposed me to the benefits of a 7-inch tablet. 

More recently I picked up a third generation iPad which is an outstanding tablet. I use it for both leisure activities as you would expect for a tablet, but also to get real work done. 

When Google started selling the Nexus 7 I wasted no time grabbing one. I already knew how useful a smaller tablet can be, and the Nexus 7 hasn't disappointed me in that regard. Even though I still use the iPad quite a bit, more often than not I end up grabbing the Nexus 7.

The improvements Google incorporated into the latest version of Android, Jelly Bean, go a long way to making the Nexus 7 work well. The Project Butter features in Jelly Bean finally bring a smooth operation to Android. I have used the Nexus 7 heavily since buying it, with no complaints.

So why am I planning on buying an iPad Mini as soon as possible?

To tell the truth I only came to this decision recently. I used only the Nexus 7 for a week not long ago with no issues. This was not a conscious decision, I simply ended up grabbing the Nexus 7 instead of the iPad due to the more comfortable tablet size.

I spend a heck of a lot of time using a tablet and the smaller Nexus 7 is more comfortable to use. I can do everything I want with it and hold it for long periods. It's just the right size for extended use.

When I realized it had been days since using the iPad I started picking up the iPad instead of the Google tablet. The more I used the iPad the more firmly I realized how much better the experience is compared to the Nexus 7. While I have good apps on both Android and iOS, the iPad apps are better at what they do. The interface of every app I use on the iPad is better than the equivalent app on Android. The features of the iPad apps are carefully tailored to fit the interface, more so than the Android equivalents.

The iPad operates more fluidly than even Jelly Bean on the Nexus, and it never frustrates me with lags or interruptions. The more I use the iPad the more I realize the only reason I have been picking up the Nexus 7 is due to the more comfortable size of the latter.

It hit me squarely that if there was a smaller iPad I would not ever be using the Nexus 7. While the Android apps are good and the Nexus operation is OK, a smaller iPad would be better in every way.

This is not the first time I have come to realize how much better the iPad is than the Nexus 7 for me, but the fact it's a recurring observation is telling. No matter how much effort I put into Android and the Nexus 7 it keeps falling short.

This is strictly my opinion and not intended to persuade anyone to do anything. I firmly believe everyone should use the device that fits their own needs and that they enjoy using. My opinion is not based on speculation, this is my observation formed after hundreds of hours of using both the iPad and Android tablets. While the Android tablets are not bad, the iPad is simply better for me in every way. 

Apple has not admitted there will be an iPad Mini, but I sure hope it produces one. It will be a product I will buy as soon as it goes on sale, and that's a rarity for me. I would gladly pay double what I paid for the Nexus 7, which says a lot. I am probably not alone in how badly I want an iPad Mini.

Source : zdnet

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Steve Ballmer hints Surface tablets will start from $300; Pro version to compete with the iPad

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has given the clearest indication that at least one of the firm's Surface tablets will be priced competitively with Apple’s iPad.

 

In an interview with Seattle Times, Ballmer said that the iPad is “not a super expensive device” and added that significantly cheaper tablets “do less and look less good”.

“Would somebody ever use a Kindle Fire to do their homework? The answer is no; you never would. It’s not just a good enough product,” said Ballmer.

The Microsoft CEO, compared to Oprah Winfrey last week, then gave the biggest hint that the firm's own-brand Surface tablets will start from $300 and go up to $800.

"If you look at the bulk of the PC market, it would run between, say, probably $300 to about $700 or $800. That's the sweet spot."

The Surface is available in two editions. The standard Surface will run an ARM processor (so it will run the Windows RT OS), offer 32GB of storage and will feature a slimmed down version of Office, while the Intel-powered Surface Pro will promise backwards compatibility with legacy Windows applications, 64GB or 128GB of storage and will include a stylus.

Knowing this and considering Ballmer’s comments, it would be a surprise if Microsoft launched both tablets at $800, which is $30 cheaper than the 64GB iPad. A Lenovo exec recently suggested Windows RT tablets would cost $400 to $500, while one rumor had claimed the Surface RT tablet (running Windows RT) would launch at $199.

The Surface tablet family is due to launch on October 26, the same date as Windows 8 goes on general availability.

Source: tabtimes.com

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Sony Xperia Tablet S Available In The U.S.

Sony’s brand new Xperia Tablet S has seen the light of day at the IFA in Berlin and we’ve taken a quick look at the slate while we were at the keynote. It packs a Tegra 3 quad-core CPU running clocking at 1.4GHz, 9.4-inch display with 1280×800 resolution, eight-megapixel main camera, one-megapixel webcam, plus the usual suspects.

It became available in the U.K. on September 7 and is now ready for you to purchase in the U.S. too. The 16GB version goes for $399,00 and the top model, with 64GB of internal storage will set you back $599,99 (they ask $499,99 for the 32GB flavor). Regardless of which one you choose to pick up, they’re in stock, and estimated to ship on September 11, 2012. Check out the source links below if you want to grab one!

Source : pocketnow.com

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Meet the Windows 8 tablet-laptop hybrids of IFA 2012

With IFA 2012 taking place just two months before the launch of Windows 8, it was all but guaranteed that major PC players would have next-generation hardware on display. They did, and this year there’s one particular form factor that stole the show: convertibles, or hybrids whichever label you prefer to slap on the laptop-tablet remixes. Asus, Dell, HP, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba all had models on display.

Asus is offering up a pair of Vivo Tab models, one running Windows 8 atop a dual-core Intel Atom processor and the other pairing Windows RT with a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 chip. Asus hasn’t stopped with a detachable keyboard dock this time around, however — a pressure-sensitive stylus is included, too, and it’s perfect for note-taking and sketching. The Vivo Tab offers an 11.6-inch display while the Vivo Tab RT measures 10.1 inches. It’s also the thinnest and lightest of the bunch, measuring just 8.3mm thin and weighing 520g.

You may already have seen Dell’s offerings, the XPS Duo 12 and XPS 10 (pictured). Once again, it’s the smaller of the two models (the XPS 10) that will run an ARM SoC and Windows RT. The XPS Duo 12 (which actually measures 12.5 inches on its display’s diagonal) will run Windows 8 and an unspecified Intel chip.

HP’s first Windows 8 hybrid has already made an appearance on Geek.com, too. The Envy X2 is an Atom-powered, 11.6-inch machine with 64GB of internal storage, microSD expansion, NFC support, and, of course, integrated Beats Audio. Its detachable keyboard also incorporates a giant powerpack, and it should comfortably provide all-day battery life. HP has also made sure that the dock won’t accidentally dislodge by building in a mechanical latch to supplement a pair of strong magnets.

Samsung’s offering up the ATIV Smart PC and Smart PC Pro and ATIV S. The Smart PCs will ship with an Intel chip and Windows 8. Two variants of the Pro model will be offered: one features an 11.6-inch 1080P display, an Intel Core i5 processor, and 4GB of RAM. The other will pack a Core i3 processor and 2GB of RAM. Both will offer LTE connectivity. Next up is the ATIV Smart PC, which is powered by an Atom chip and features a more standard-issue 1366×768 panel.  The ATIV S switches things up with Windows RT and a 10.1-inch display. All models will include a removable clamshell keyboard, but  only the Smart PC Pro will ship with Samsung’s S Pen and the accompanying suite of software.

As Dell already showed, not everyone is down with detachable keyboards. Sony, too, has gone a different route. You can slide back the display on the Vaio Duo 11, angle it up, and lock it in place to make use of the hidden keys. Sony’s arming this one to the teeth, with processor options ranging from a Core i3 all the way up to an i7, up to 256GB of SSD storage, 1080P displays, NFC, GPS, HD-ready cameras, and stylus input.

Toshiba’s taking a similar approaching with the Satellite U920T slider (top). It’s matching the XPS Duo with a 12.5-inch screen, and options will include Core i3 or i5 processors and SSD storage up to 256GB. You’ll also get an HDMI port and SD card expansion with the U920T.

So how much are these convertibles going to cost? Most companies haven’t said yet, but Toshiba was kind enough to provide some insight: the U920T is expected to sell for around $1200 when it lands in late October.

Source : geek.com

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