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T-Mobile Springboard review
T-Mobile Springboard and Galaxy Tab 10.1 finally get official launch dates T-Mobile to carry Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus with 4G, available November 16th for $250 Sprint files suit to stop AT&T / T-Mobile merger When the Huawei MediaPad was first announced in June, it was notable for being the first tablet we'd heard of to run Android 3.2. Since then, the Acer Iconia Tab A100 and others have beat it to market, but its arrival in the US is timely nonetheless: it joins the petite tablet party at about the same time as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and forthcoming Toshiba Thrive 7", to name a couple. We already knew that when the MediaPad landed here in the States it would be known as the T-Mobile Springboard, but the carrier just announced some key pricing and availability details: it'll go on sale November 16th for $430 off contract, or $180 with a two-year agreement and $50 mail-in rebate -- not surprising, given that we've been hearing this would cost less than $200 on contract. In addition to running on T-Mobile's 14.4Mbps HSPA+ network, it has WiFi and GPS radios, a dual-core 1.2GHz chip made by Qualcomm, 227 pixels-per-inch IPS display, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.3 shooter up front, 8GB of internal storage, a microSD slot and support for 1080p playback. We'll return to all those specs in detail after the break, but nonetheless, it's important to get them out of the way from the get-go. After all, there's soon to be a glut of Android 3.2 tablets, and it's worth asking if this one is worth the slightly high price -- or maybe even a two-year marriage to Big Magenta. %Gallery-138087%
Karuma's PlayBase tablet doesn't mind doing it for the kids
Infant-friendly devices are the "in thing" for panicking adults who don't want jammy fingers all over their Galaxy Note. Karuma is the newest to aim for the pre-Bieber crowd with the PlayBase: a cheap, durable tablet that's 9.7mm thick. The key specs include a 7-inch capacitive multitouch display, WiFi and a 1.2GHz Rockchip RK2918 Cortex A8 (the same chip in the AndyPad Pro, Archos Arnova 8 and 10). It's running a custom-skinned version of Gingerbread, but the company has included 1GB of DDR3 RAM in anticipation for a forthcoming bump to Honeycomb or Ice Cream Sandwich. As well as the rugged design, you'll also find it comes with a shock-absorbent silicon cover that protects the screen from the elements and can fold back to double as a kickstand. A front-facing camera and five hours advertised battery life round out the rugrat tablet (rugratblet?). Fans of pre-ordering things can throw down cash on November 15th and it'll be on sale proper come December 1st. Whichever way you wish to pay for it, it'll cost you £170 ($270).
Huawei MediaPad passes go at FCC, collects $200
Huawei's mildly anticipated dual-core MediaPad shouldn't be long now that it's passed the multimeter-wielding ministrations of the FCC. As per tradition, it was the WiFi-only model that was passed fit for human consumption, but we're still expecting it to drink from T-Mobile's well of HSPA+. The 7-inch tablet will have a 1,280 x 800 IPS display, run Honeycomb and should arrive before the holidays for $200 on contract.
T-Mobile unveils Galaxy Tab 10.1 and SpringBoard, combines 4G talk with HSPA+ walk
Sure, rumors and scuttlebutt clued is in that T-Mobile might be seeing a pair of slates landing sometime this year, but we loves us some confirmation. The magenta network just announced that the T-Mobile SpringBoard with Google and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 are primed to launch just soon enough for you to shove some HSPA+ holiday cheer into your relatives' oversized stockings. The SpringBoard looks very much like the dressed up MediaPad we expected, replete with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 5 megapixel rear-facing 720p camera and an SD card slot for up to 32GB of expandable memory -- not to mention a 7-inch capacitive touch display, and a 1.3 megapixel camera upfront. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the same Samsung slate we already know and love, but dressed in T-Mobile's not-quite-4G HSPA+ style. In fact, both tablets sport HSPA+ compatibility and run Android 3.2. There's no official word on price yet (although that MediaPad was rumored to hover at about $200 on contract), but the press release promises these slabs will drop sometime before the holiday season. Oh, that PR? Just hit the "read more" button below.
AndyPad Pro review
Picture the scene: you're checking your emails on a shiny new device (worth two months pay) and from nowhere, a greasy-fingered infant is screaming at you to play. Reluctantly, you pass it over, watching your own hands cup the air beneath any potential drop zone, wondering how best to explain the jam-smeared calamity to your insurance company. Then you wonder if there isn't a useful, hard-wearing and cheap device you could let them play on without fear of bankruptcy. That's what prompted Norwich-based bedding magnate Andrew Kerry to conceive the AndyPad, an inexpensive, 7-inch Android tablet he could fling at kids. It wasn't long before jealous adults were demanding their own version, so a tooled-up edition of the device called the AndyPad Pro was born.The tablet is currently UK-only and it retails for a lot less than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 (£280; $345 on Amazon) and Acer Iconia Tab A100 (£273 for the 8GB version; $328 on Amazon), and HTC Flyer (£330; $499 on Amazon). What's more, Verticool, an outfit founded by a man more famous for his Mattressman chain than any interest in technology, believes it can match the competition in a fair fight. Do the electronics giants have something to fear from the bargain-basement tablet or does it promise much and deliver little? Read on to find out.%Gallery-134698%
Seven-inch Huawei tablet headed to T-Mobile, priced at $200 on contract?
It looks like T-Mobile is getting a seven-inch stablemate for the incoming Galaxy Tab 10.1. According to these shots from TmoNews, Huawei's dual-core MediaPad will arrive in magenta clothing, though branding is limited to a few apps and an additional press shot, included after the break. Aside from a 1280 x 800 IPS display and 4G goodness, details remain sketchy, though pricing is expected to be around $200 with a two-year agreement. No word either when it'll go on sale, but if Huawei's earlier promises of end-of-year availability apply to carrier-branded versions, you can expect to get your hands on it at some (vague) point between now and 2012.
Toshiba announces 7-inch Thrive tablet, we go hands-on (video)
Toshiba rolls out fix for Thrive tablet's sleep problems Toshiba's super-thin AT200 tablet running late, not out til next year ASUS TOUGH 7-inch Honeycomb tablet lands in Japan ready for some corporate abuse It looks like the AT200 isn't the only Toshiba tablet poised to land in time for the holidays. The company just announced the Thrive 7", a (surprise!) 7-inch version of the original. Like its big brother, it runs on Tegra 2 and packs twin 5 MP / 2 MP cameras, though this time around that textured, rubberized back isn't removable, and the rear-facing camera comes paired with an LED flash. As you'd expect, in exchange for a smaller form factor (0.88 pounds, half an inch thick), you'll be giving up the full-sized ports that made the original so unique. Instead, it offers a more typical selection, including mini-USB and micro-HDMI sockets, a headphone jack, docking connector and a microSD slot. Like pretty much every 7- and 8-incher trickling into the market, it runs Android 3.2, and Toshiba did us the favor of leaving it completely unskinned (it did include Swype as a keyboard option, though). No word yet on pricing or availability, though a Toshiba rep confirmed that 16GB and 32GB models will go on sale by early December with a starting price of "less than $400." How low is Toshiba willing to go? Your guess is good as ours but until then, you can meet us past the break for some early impressions and a short vid, too. %Gallery-134999%%Gallery-134997%
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 official: dual-core 1.4GHz CPU, Android 3.2, HSPA+
Here it is, official as official gets: Samsung just announced the Galaxy Tab 7.7. As the name suggests, it has a 7.7-inch (1280 x 800) display -- specifically, a Super AMOLED Plus panel. Like so many other 7-inchers hitting the market, it runs Android 3.2 and yes, that's a skinned flavor of Honeycomb, with Samsung's tablet-optimized TouchWiz UX layered on top. Inside, it runs the same Samsung-made dual-core 1.4GHz processor found in the new Galaxy Note, along with an HSPA+ radio promising theoretical download speeds as high as 21Mbps. Other specs for the 0.74-pound (335-gram) tablet include 16GB to 64GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, a 5,100mAh battery rated for 10 hours, 802.11n WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0 and dual 3MP and 2MP cameras. In a nutshell, it's the in-between-sized do-over a lot of folks have been awaiting since the original Galaxy Tab grew stale -- a slate that promises faster speeds and some seriously improved viewing angles. We'll be the judge of that in our review, but in the meantime stay tuned for some early hands-on impressions. %Gallery-132222%
BlackBerry PlayBook update brings zip extraction, more storage options for attachments (updated)
RIM sure is working fast to bring its 500,000-strong BlackBerry Playbooks up to functional par. The tablet's been on the market for three short months and is already set to receive its fourth software update. This go 'round, RIM added the ability to save attachments to a removable SD card or your phone's internal storage, extract zip files from email (although you'll have to use Bridge and port from your BlackBerry smartphone), a pinch-to-zoom feature for video viewing and -- winner of the duh award -- portrait viewing for photos. Also, the software now supports 15 additional languages -- great news if you speak Galician. If you're planning on picking up this QNX tab, you'll receive the v1.0.7 update as part of the setup process. Current owners can wait for an update notification, or just pull it manually. So, what are you waiting for? Get downloading. Update: And it's gone. Seems some folks who downloaded the update were having connectivity issues using BlackBerry Bridge. RIM posted on Twitter saying users should expect a fix later this week.
Haier's HaiPad ships in August, to become the preferred tablet of lolcats everywhere
We thought Haier's HaiPad looked oddly familiar, and a quick trip down memory lane suggests we aren't (completely) bonkers: it's a rebranded Quanta we spied at CES. The 7-inch slate now sports a custom Froyo skin from DianXin, an 800MHz processor, 802.11 b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and a WCDMA radio. We're told that last antenna provides the slate with phone and texting capabilities just like some versions of another 7-incher we know. Also present are "dual-cameras" (which we assume means one on each plane), availability in five "stylish" hues, and a vague August ship date. With less than a month to scrounge up 3,299 RMB (about $500) and train to fight off thousands of felines, you had better get cracking. [Thanks, Marco]
Sharp sends another Galapagos tablet through the FCC, keeps all the pertinent details to itself
Over the past six months, we've gotten scant few details about when, exactly, Sharp's Galapagos tablets will at last make the long trip stateside. When they do, though, it might be an even bigger family than we were expecting. We took note when the 10.8-inch EB-WX1GJ slipped through the FCC, making reference to another slate -- the 5.5-inch EB-W51GJ -- in its user manual. Now, yet another slate has passed the FCC's battery of tests. It's called the EB-W71LJ-H, and based on Sharp's naming convention thus far, we suspect it could have a 7-inch display, which would be a nice, just-right complement to the 10- and 5-inch models we already knew about. Based on the test results, we also know it has a 802.11b/g/n WiFi radio, but other than that, the report is devoid of specs, as Sharp asked the FCC to refrain from playing show-and-tell with its trade secrets. For now, though, you at least don't have to wonder where the company plans to slap that requisite label.
Elusive Acer Iconia Tab A100 coming to Walmart for $349 (updated)
Typically, the whole fun of spotting products in the wild is that they haven't been officially announced to the world yet, but in the case of the Acer Iconia Tab A100, we're just amazed it's finally here, and that it's so... unassuming. Just weeks after rearing its head in FCC drawings, the delayed Tab has quietly surfaced at Walmart with a price tag of $349. That sticker there says it all, but for the money you'll get Tegra 2 innards with 8GB of internal storage, a 2 megapixel front-facing camera, and a 5 megapixel one 'round the back. And of course, it runs Android 3.0 at a time when most other 7-inchers still tap out at Android 2.3 -- possibly the reason it was delayed in the first place. There's no listing on Walmart's website just yet, and our tipsters indicated it wasn't actually on display. Still, if we're seeing a price and tag, that means we're beyond the point of any more delays... right? Update: What you see in the wild is a display tag -- not the elusive A100, of course. You can't pop into a Walmart to buy one yet, but if that sticker is any indication, that'll change soon. Update 2: One sneaky reader snagged a sheet of wally-world pricetags, see the A100's barcode hanging with tags for the Iconia A500 and HP Touchpad after the break. [Thanks, Mat, David, Jared, and Clyde]
HTC EVO View 4G review
It's not often that we feel a keen sense of déjà vu while writing a review, but here we are. The EVO View 4G ($399.99) is a first, but also something you've most definitely seen before. This tablet is, for all intents and purposes, the HTC Flyer: it has the same 7-inch display, aluminum build, single-core 1.5GHz processor, Gingerbread-plus-Sense-combo, 32GB of storage, and stylus for pen input. But, it also happens to be Sprint's first WiMAX tablet to go on sale in the US, with a 4G radio promising download / upload speeds up to 10Mbps / 1Mbps on Sprint's network. And, at the risk of spoiling our review, the View's connection is, indeed, zippy. But does this have any bearing on the tablet's overall value? Join us past the break to find out -- we've got some revisiting to do. %Gallery-126499%
Amazon beats Dell to the punch, quietly ships WiFi-only Streak 7 in the US
If you've been impatiently waiting for that $380 WiFi-only Dell Streak 7 you pre-ordered, you can stop your fidgeting because it looks like Amazon, at least, has quietly started to ship them out to eager US customers -- the second market to get the Android tablet this week. Just to refresh your memories, it offers a dual-core 1GHz Tegra T20 processor, 16GB of storage, dual cameras, and, eventually, an upgrade to Android Honeycomb (3.0), something Samsung's 7-inch Galaxy Tab isn't guaranteed to get. But is that worth the Streak's higher price and shorter endurance? We'll let you and your wallet be the judge.
Archos flashes 7c Android tablet, brags about its 1.2GHz clock speed
After taking a breather from cranking out new tablets, Archos is at it again, this time with the Archos 7c Home Tablet, a 7-inch number that ARMdevices.net caught on camera during a visit to the company's Chinese outpost. This slate packs a Cortex A8 processor and RK2918 chipset, which the rep quaintly says is "faster than any chipset you can find" -- you know, owing to its 1.2GHz clock speed and all. Alas, it runs Android Gingerbread (2.3) Eclair (2.1) and not Honeycomb (3.0), so you'll have to do some hacking to get your Android Market fix. Although the 7c has a capacitive display, the woman leading the demo appears to jab at browser links with her finger -- a throwback to some less-than-responsive resistive screens we've tested. On the bright side, 1080p video plays smoothly -- at least in the few seconds before the camera pans away. The 7c is headed to the US and Europe in June for an unknown price, but for now you can head past the break to see it in action. Update: Check out the official (translated) press release after the break.
Dell Streak 7 gets certified in WiFi-only form, shows up on Amazon for pre-order
At about $200 on-contract, Dell's Streak 7 is one of the cheaper ways to get yourself into an Android tablet -- or at least into one made by a manufacturer you've actually heard of before. But, that "on-contract" bit means of course the 3G-equipped handheld will be considerably more expensive in the long-run -- or $450 up-front if you skip the contract. Here's one that isn't. Early this AM we got word that a WiFi only version of the tablet had been certified and, now, here it is up on Amazon for pre-order. No release date is available but the price is: $379.99. That's about $70 less than the 3G model and $20 less than the 3G-free Galaxy Tab is expected to retail for. Is that cheap enough to make up for its flaws? That, dear reader, is a question you must answer for yourself.
Archos planning to launch high-end tablets at IFA later this summer?
Over the years we've certainly seen that Archos can do some decent things on limited hardware, but of course the real money is to be found on the higher end, where your iPads and your Xooms play. According to tabletblog.de, Archos has stated intent to announce two new tablets at IFA later this year, fitting into the 7- and 10-inch domains like the older (and lower-rent) 70 and 101 Internet Tablets above. Supposedly the company doesn't know what hardware either will be running, only that they'll be top-shelf components integrated using posh design. Surely that'll mean a posh price, too.
Motorola's Sanjay Jha hints at a 7-inch tablet before the end of the year, foresees tablet prices dropping
Motorola's CEO Sanjay Jha had hinted once before that there would be a family of Motorola tablets, but speaking at Morgan Stanley's Technology, Media & Telecom Conference today, he promised that those other Moto tablets would hit before the end of the year. Naturally, Jha wasn't talking specifics, but we're betting that next tablet is a 7-incher -- he mentioned that 7-inch form factor a number of times and said that size was more "fun" and "portable." Similar to what he said on the Moto earnings call, he implied that the 10-inch size was more for professionals. Jha also spent a bit of time talking about pricing, and stated that he expects the price on the Xoom and other tablets to come down in price in the second half of the year, especially as component prices decrease. So, how's the Xoom doing at that $599 starting price? Well, it's only been a couple of days, but he assured the interviewer that "sales have started relatively well."
Motorola planning 4G devices for Verizon, 7- and 10-inch tablets early next year
It looks like this CES could be a hot one for Motorola. Can you believe it was only a bit more than a year ago that Motorola introduced the Droid? Now it has a whole lineup of incredibly hot phones, and CES seems like a perfect time for the beating of chests in front of an industry. Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha just went on record during a keynote at the Credit Suisse 2010 Technology Conference, saying Motorola will be entering the tablet space 'in the near future.' He also said that he sees both 7-inch and 10-inch tablets as viable sizes -- something that seems perfectly logical to us, and might jibe with how we initially heard of Motorola's "Stingray" tablet as a smaller device, but later heard it was a full 10-incher upgradeable to LTE. This all follow's on Sanjay's statement in September that Motorola wouldn't be joining in on the tablet space until next year, a year which is rapidly approaching. Meanwhile, Sanjay also confirmed that Motorola would have 4G devices "early" next year, which also sounds like a CES hint to us, though it might just be 4G modems and hotspots at the outset. Still, bring it on.
Editorial: My next iPad won't be a 7-incher, but I wish it could be
It took me a while, but I'm starting to fall in love with my iPad in a way I haven't loved a gadget for a long while. There's something about the form factor, the apps, the OS that feels just right and makes me want to do as much of my daily computing on it as possible. Of course, that's still a pretty small sliver of my overall day, and the iPad isn't even close to replacing my laptop for the large majority of my work, but I'm finding myself increasingly doing casual browsing, casual gaming, serious writing, and, yes, even some reading on Apple's 10-inch tablet. But I have one "big" problem with the tablet that doesn't look like it'll be solved anytime soon: it's not 7 inches. Will Apple ever eat its words and build a smaller iPad, or will the 7-inch form factor be left to the rest of the emerging tablet market to fight over?
