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Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 review (global edition)
Within an 11-day period last fall, Engadget published reviews of two different Samsung Galaxy tablets. At the time, we felt the company was turning into a caricature of itself, with slates in every conceivable size, including 10.1, 8.9 and 7 inches. Mostly, though, if we sounded exasperated with Sammy's "see what sticks" strategy, it was because the outfit unveiled not one, but two 7-inchers over the course of a month. One of these, the 7.0 Plus, went on sale in the US back in November, with mid-range specs and a mid-range price to match its in-between size. But that tablet always felt like a consolation prize next to our second contender, the Galaxy Tab 7.7, which brings a brushed metal back, 10-hour battery and Super AMOLED Plus, 1280 x 800 display. Even on paper, it always seemed promising. Special.Maddeningly, though, those of us here in the states still can't buy one through the likes of Best Buy and Amazon, and though Verizon Wireless plans to sell an LTE-enabled version, we know scant few details about when it will arrive, how much it will cost or whether there will be an off-contract option. Luckily for us, our friends over at Negri Electronics hooked us up with an international model, one with 16GB of internal storage and WiFi, HSPA+ and EDGE / GPRS radios -- a doozy of a tablet that would cost you $668.50 if you were to import it to the US. (You can buy it domestically if you live in select markets like the UK.) So is the product novel enough to warrant that novelty price? Find the answer to that question and more after the break.
Google TV 3.2 update enhances HLS video streaming support, Plex update takes advantage
The Google TV update that rolled out to Sony units earlier this week (no word on the Revue, yet) brought tweaks to Chrome and support for Blu-ray 3D playback on the player, but that's not all. The bump to Android 3.2 also improved hooks for developers to access channel listings in their apps, enabled hardware acceleration and last but not least, improved support for HTTP Live Streaming. That last detail is particularly important to those streaming video from their PCs using Plex, since additional HLS tweaks were necessary to allow viewing of files transcoded from otherwise-Google TV unfriendly formats. Also supported as in the Plex update is selection of alternate audio streams, subtitles, more channels and a few other fixes. Check out a Google+ post from Les Vogel of the Google TV team for all the Honeycomb 3.2 (API Level 13) details you can stomach, the Plex blog for more info on its software, or just make sure you're running the latest updates and take a look around yourself.
Rhapsody music streaming lands on Android tablets with 'magazine-style' app
If you use Rhapsody to satisfy your $10-per-month musical appetite, then here's another way to digest. The service can now be accessed through an app tailored to Android slates, featuring music discovery tools like expert playlists and guides, original editorial content, and exclusive recordings -- all on top of a 14 million song catalog. You'll need Honeycomb or ICS plus a minimum nine-inch display to run it though, so all you HTC Flyer, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and other 'handy pad' owners will have to stick to the phone version. More details in the PR after the break.
ZTE Optik tablet hits Sprint for $100 on February 5th, hopes EVDO is good enough
Sprint has officially taken the wraps off the ZTE Optik and, as expected, the 7-inch tablet will be landing for a measly $100 on contract. Of course, to hit that price point you'll have to make some sacrifices, like signing up for a two-year agreement and an appropriate data plan. Not to mention you'll have to settle for a 3G connection -- there's no WiMAX or LTE in sight. Underneath the hood is a respectable dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon and 1GB of RAM pushing Honeycomb to the 1280 x 800 screen. There's also the usual Bluetooth and GPS antennas on board, as well as dual cameras (5MP rear and 2MP front-facing), 16GB of storage and a MicroSD slot for adding more. If you're not keen on locking yourself into a two year contract for a CDMA-only device, you can pick up the Swype-sporting tab for $350 obligation-free on the same day -- February 5th. Check out the complete PR after the break.
Sony Google TV gets update this week, brings speedier Chrome and 3D Blu-ray support
If a simple tweet by the Google TV squad is to be believed, those of you who own Sony-branded hardware should be receiving an update within the next few days. In a scant 140-characters, Big G promises a Chrome browser that "works faster," as well as the ability to get your Blu-ray content in all three dees (if that's your thing). Google's not telling precisely when the fresh features will make their way to Sony's set-top boxes, so you'll just have to stay glued to your GTV and wait for it to magically appear.
Verizon-bound ZTE V66 slate gets photographed, looks just like you imagined
It wasn't long ago that we first crossed paths with the ZTE V66 tablet, though at the time we were unfortunate to only meet its dull black-and-white renders. Those of you unfamiliar with the tab won't have your jaws dropped by its innards, which are expected to be missing out on the Ice Cream Sandwich treatment. Aside from the OS letdown (still, it's not as bad as shipping with Gingerbread), the V66 is pretty standard fare for a modern tablet. It'll be running on Verizon's speedy LTE network, sporting a 7-inch (1,280 x 800) display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and a 4,000mAh battery will help keep it chugging along. We've yet to hear an official word from the Big Red about price and availability, so we'll let you know how deep into your wallet you'll have to dig as soon as we find out.
LG makes Optimus Pad LTE official, 8.9-inch IPS tablet coming first to South Korea
You've already seen this little guy in the wild, but LG has gone ahead and made its first LTE tablet very official -- ladies and gentlemen, meet the Optimus Pad LTE. The 9.3mm thin slate packs a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm CPU and an 8.9-inch 1280 x 768 IPS display, along with an 8 megapixel camera on the rear and a 2 megapixel option up front. Users can expect an SD card slot that supports modules up to 32GB, and there's also HDMI connectivity and DLNA certification for good measure. It's powered by a 6,800mAh battery, but out of the gate, it'll ship with Android 3.2 -- no word on when the latest Pad hopes to grab a bite of Ice Cream Sandwich. The Optimus Pad LTE's scheduled to arrive first in LG's home territory of South Korea, but for those interested in a more complete rundown, be sure to check the PR after the break.
RedPad brings Chinese patriotism to Android, costs each comrade just $1,590
Well, it was only a matter of time. Hongpaiyihao (literally meaning "red group number one"), a Beijing-based pro-government new media company, has launched a 9.7-inch Tegra 2 tablet that's "tailor-made for government officials" and patriotic consumers. Well, we're not sure whether the government's even aware of this Android 3.2 device's existence, but it's certainly preloaded with a bunch of pro-China apps (including one for the state-approved microblogging service), electronic subscription to a handful of newspapers (state-controlled, of course) and "exclusive" access to daily updates on some government strategic decisions. The damage? 9,999 yuan ($1,590) per unit, or 7,100 yuan ($1,120) each if you buy in bulk. As pointed out by Penn Olson, this RedPad is about two to three times as expensive as the iPad in China.To be honest, having dug around Hongpaiyihao's unbelievably shoddy product pages, this reeks of a desperate company trying to squeeze money out of overly patriotic folks in China. Even the screen resolution and battery capacity are inconsistent across the site: it's either 1,024 x 768 and 8,000mAh, or 1,280 x 800 and 7,600mAh, respectively. Judging by the render, the former combination is more likely the real deal; yet the screenshots in the owner manual suggest the latter. Oh, and just so you know, there's no sign of the above interface in the manual at all. If you still care, other features include a five megapixel main camera, a two megapixel front-facing camera, 3G connectivity, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. We'll stick to our diet of regular Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich, thank you very much -- they'll keep our wallets healthier.
Some Transformer Prime users unable to upgrade to ICS, serial number 'Unknown'
Ice Cream Sandwich for the Transformer Prime was one of the most anticipated updates for one of the most anticipated tablets of recent memory. It was pushed out last week and so everyone's happy -- right? Sadly, some folks are missing out. We've received a number of reports from users who haven't been as successful as we were in updating to Android 4.0, their slates showing an "Unknown" serial number preventing the application of the update. ASUS is looking into the issue and affected users were told to perform a factory reset and, if that doesn't work, try it again and let the slate sit at the desktop for about 15 minutes. Let us know how you're faring in comments, and hit up the xda developers links for more support should you need it.[Thanks, Ben]
Acer Iconia Tab A200 hands-on (video)
Here at CES, you'd expect little 'ol Tegra 2 to get lost in the mix amid the Medfield prototypes, Windows 8 samplers and quad-core Tegra 3 devices. Not necessarily -- not if the price is right, anyway. The Acer Iconia Tab A200 packs NVIDIA's last-gen SoC, and no, it's not the slimmest or lightest tablet on the block, but for $330 you get a 10-inch slate on the brink of an ICS update. That counts for something, right? We'd say so, especially if Ice Cream Sandwich does indeed correct some of the sluggishness that's plagued Honeycomb tablets (even Tegra 3-powered ones). We got a few minutes of hands-on time with it today, and though we can't speak to potential deal-breakers like battery life or everyday usability, we came away feeling that all of the sacrifices Acer made in order to hit that $330 price are quite reasonable. Take the build quality, for instance. Although the A200 trades the A500's aluminum backing for plastic, it still has a soft, slightly textured finish that feels pleasant to touch and also makes cradling the thing that much more comfortable. It's noticeably chunkier than the Transformer Primes of the world but then again, it's also one of the few tablets with a USB 2.0 port, which would help explain the thickness. The 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) display is the same middling one you'll find on the A500; it doesn't compare to the A700's 1080p screen, but its relatively narrow viewing angles won't be an issue when you're streaming Netflix by your lonesome. It's missing a rear-facing camera, but do you really mind? (At this price, we don't.) And though you don't need the so-called Acer Ring for launching apps, it's an easy to use UI that manages not to get in your way. For now, this could be a tempting deal for people who don't have $500 to spend, but after seeing other companies tease their wares here at CES, we're concerned that the price wars haven't yet hit a plateau. We know, we know: there's always going to be something faster, thinner and better, but in this case, that something better might cost less too. Take ASUS, for instance: the company is readying a 7-inch, quad-core tablet that will cost just $249. If this is where the market is headed (and recent remarks by NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang suggest it is), who knows how inexpensive Tegra 2 / 3 tablets will get over the coming months? The A200 seems fine for what it is; we just wonder if perhaps it's a transitional product, with a transitional price. Update: To clarify, the A200 starts at $330 with 8GB of storage, as previously reported. The higher-end version has 16GB, and will sell for $350. Billy Steele contributed to this report.
Hands-on with Panasonic's 10-inch Toughpad tablet
Well, Panasonic's presser here at CES just ended, and we just got done getting handsy with the company's Toughpad tablet. As we reported back in November when it was first announced, it's a 10-inch Android tablet running Honeycomb that's built to absorb abuse (as illustrated when Panasonic's Shiro Kitajima dropped one on stage today). We didn't get to spend a ton of time with the Toughpad, but we did lay our hands on it long enough to form some quick impressions. Using the tablet is much like any other Android slate, except there are a few distinct differences. First off, its 1,024 x 768 capacitive screen sports a matte finish instead of the glossy panels found on most every other tablet. It's a decent display with excellent viewing angles, but colors are a bit washed out when compared to iPads and Galaxy Tabs. While we love that the matte screen eliminates glare, it wasn't quite as responsive to swipes as we'd like, as gestures were met with a slight, almost imperceptible delay. The tablet was also a chore to hold with one hand for more than a few minutes -- a MIL-spec slate that's light in weight just isn't in the cards. The buttons at the bottom are clear plastic and clicky, but their recessed nature and short throw aren't the most finger-friendly we've found. Now, we just need to get a Toughpad we can put though our gadget grinder and see just how much abuse it can take. Ben Drawbaugh contributed to this report.
Le Pan rolls out a trio of Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich tablets for penny pinchers
Ice Cream Sandwich on a budget? That's what Le Pan is promising at CES today, with a trio of new tablets. The higher end of the two is the Le Pan III, an Android 4.0-laced slate that's powered by a 1.5GHz, dual-core TI-OMAP 4460 processor, with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. This Bluetooth 4.0-enabled device also comes with a five-megapixel rear camera and a two-megapixel front-facing shooter, and supports 1080p video output. Joining the Le Pan II is the TC978, which features just about the same specs, save for a slightly lower octane (1GHz) processor, and the lack of a five-megapixel camera. The Le Pan II, meanwhile, ships with Android 3.2 Honeycomb rather than Ice Cream Sandwich, but can make the jump to 4.0 with a simple upgrade. The device features a 9.7-inch display at 1024 x 768 resolution and is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, but the rest of its specs are just about identical to those of the TC978. No word yet on when the Le Pan III and TC978 will hit the market, but the Le Pan II is already available on Amazon for $300. You can grab it now at the link below, or head past the break for a spoonful of PR.
Marvell shows off ARM-powered Google TV, looks a lot like Google TV
Tonight at CES Unveiled Marvell gave us a peek at the future of Google TV with this tiny box, running the latest version of the software on one of its recently announced Armada 1500 ARM processors. It was controlled by a standard Logitech Revue keyboard/trackpad combo, and we couldn't really get a feel for any potential performance differences but the box was sitting there, fanlessly, cheaply and efficiently doing its thing. We'll probably know more about the actual hardware you'll be able to buy in the future tomorrow, but for now you can peep a few more pics of this reference box in the gallery. Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
Toshiba AT200 tablet coming to the US as the Excite X10, starting at $530 for 16GB
When Toshiba said its skinny AT200 tablet wouldn't be available until January, anyone with a casual interest in gadgets could have guessed that meant a splashy CES launch was in order. Sure enough, everyone's favorite trade show has rolled around, and the company is finally ready to talk pricing and availability, four months after it first announced the thing. As we've suspected for some time now, it'll go on sale in the US under the name "Excite" (Excite X10, to be exact), starting at $530 for the 16GB model, with a $600 32GB flavor also available. To recap, this is supposed to be the premium slate the Thrive wasn't, with a 1280 x 800 Gorilla Glass display, 178-degree viewing angles, TI OMAP 4430 chip, an anti-smudge coating and a 7.7mm-thick chassis, making it the thinnest 10-inch tablet on the market. It'll also ship with Android 3.2, though Toshiba says it's ICS-ready. And don't let that serious metal exterior fool you: for all its gravitas, the 1.2-pound tab is lighter than it looks. (We should know: we got hands-on ages ago.) So is a super slim design enough to make this Tegra 2 slate worth choosing over the Tegra 3-packing Transformer Prime which starts at $500 with 32GB of storage? To be honest, we suspect not, given that the Prime isn't much thicker and is also due for an upgrade to ICS. And besides, who knows what other Android tablets will surface at CES this week?
Acer Iconia Tab A200 arriving January 15 for $330, Ice Cream Sandwich coming mid-February
After slipping not-so-quietly through the FCC, we knew it was only a matter of time before Acer's Iconia Tab A200 arrived here in the US of A. Well, we just got word it'll go on sale January 15th starting at $330 -- not too shabby for a 10-inch tablet on the brink of an Ice Cream Sandwich update. According to Acer, the tablet is shipping with Honeycomb (version 3.2, to be exact), but should be getting that ICS upgrade in mid-February, about a month after it goes on sale. To be clear, that $330 price gets you 8GB of storage; the 16GB version will set you back an extra twenty bucks. Either way, it has a microSD slot for expansion, NVIDIA's dual-core Tegra 2 SoC, a modest 2MP front-facing camera, a 1280 x 800 display and a battery rated for up to eight hours of runtime. If all that sounds rather ho-hum, remember that this is still one of the only tablets with a full-sized USB 2.0 port for moving files on and off the device.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon GameCommand app ready to take on TegraZone
Didn't think Qualcomm was going to just sit around and let NVIDIA have all the fun, did you? The latter company's launch of TegraZone -- an app portal designed to show off mobile games that work best when using the Tegra 2 dual-core SoC -- appears to have inspired the competition, as Qualcomm announced the debut of its dedicated Snapdragon GameCommand app today. The idea is pretty much the same: the app, accessible on phones and tablets, will essentially be a marketplace that offers Snapdragon-optimized games (such as Qualcomm's GamePack selection) as well as some exclusive content. The app will make its official entrance on the Android Market on January 10th, but will only be available in North America until "a later date." Texas Instruments, you're up next. Head to the press release for more details.
Android 2.3 continues soaring upward, now installed on 55 percent of Google devices
Google's monthly Android distribution charts may be the most visual piece of evidence that the mobile OS is riddled with fragmentation, but at least Gingerbread has clearly become the dominant player -- and it continues to build momentum at a healthy pace (for now, at least). As always, Google reviewed which devices accessed the Android Market during a 14-day period of time in the month of December, and found that over 55 percent of those units were running a version of Android 2.3, a ten percent turbo boost from October and an increase of seventeen percent over three months. Froyo devices -- many of which are likely older phones or tablets sentenced to a upgrade-less future -- numbered over 30 percent, and Honeycomb still amounts to a meager 3.3 percent. Cupcake and ICS are tied for last place, but we expect ICS to climb rapidly as soon as it's, y'know, officially available on more devices.
HTC Flyer Honeycomb update starts rolling out for 3G tabs in the States (Updated: WiFi models too)
Jealous of our friends across the pond, with their fancy Android 3.2 on their GSM-equipped HTC Flyers? Well, be envious no more our Yankee friends -- Honeycomb is here for your stylus-friendly slate of choice. Reports are rolling in from across the web that the update is being pushed to American Flyers (at least the 3G variety) over the air as we speak. If you haven't seen a notification yet, head on in to your tablet's setting to check for it manually and enjoy your new, more tablet-tailored, mobile OS. Updated: A number of tipsters have also written in to let us know that they're receiving the Honeycomb update on their WiFi-only Flyers as well -- both here in the US and in the UK. [Thanks, Logan]
Sony cuts Tablet S price by $100, now starts at $400 for 16GB
New year, new pricing strategy? We just got word that Sony's cut the price of its 9.4-inch Tablet S by $100, so that it now starts at $400 for the 16GB model, and $500 for the 32GB flavor. The move follows a temporary $50 price cut, which Sony announced on December 15th and said would last through the end of the year. So, the fact that the outfit has lowered the price by another fifty bucks, and permanently, can't bode well for sell-through figures. In any case, that takes the Tablet S out of Transformer Prime and iPad 2 territory, though it now finds itself in an increasingly crowded field of mid-range slates, a category populated by the likes of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, the original ASUS Transformer and both Toshiba Thrive tablets.
Iconia Tab A200 and A700 slates head to CES, make a pitstop in Russia
Acer already spilled the beans on its Iconia Tab A200, a 10.1-inch slab powered by NVIDIA's 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, but whatever happened to that Tegra 3 touting A700? It went to Russia, of course. According to NoMobile.ru, the A200's slimmer, but more powerful brother will debut at CES 2012 next month. The Ruskie site pegs the tablet's 1920 x 1200 resolution screen at 10.1-inches, which is bordered by SIM and micro-USB slots, a dedicated rotation lock switch, the standard volume rockers, an audio jack and a micro-HDMI port. On its rear they found a textured back garnished with a five megapixel camera sporting a built-in flash -- the whole unit weights 650 grams (1.43 pounds) and boasts a ten hour battery life. When can we see it? At CES, says NoMobile.ru, or in stores if you're willing to wait until March. We'll poke around Acer's offerings next month and let you know what we find. Can't wait? Follow the source link below for a few more pictures. [Thanks, Erik]