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HP's Zeen tablet gets Android 2.2 Froyo update, finally (video)
If you decided to throw good judgement out the window and buy an HP Photosmart eStation just for the tablet, let us start by saying we told you so. Now that we have that squared away, it looks like there could be hope for HP's Android-powered slate yet -- reports are starting to roll in of a long awaited Android 2.2 update for the Zeen. For months, owners of the tablet have filled HP customer service forums with complaints about the promised, but never delivered update, but as you can see from the video below, Zeen owners can now download a beta version of Froyo complete with Flash-compatibility, and from what we've heard, it's a huge improvement. If you must see it for yourself, check out the video after the break, but let us issue yet another warning: the audio in this video will creep you out. [Thanks, Zac]
iPad, iPad 2 get unofficial CF card compatibility (video)
Given the impressive knockoffs and official camera kits we've seen, we'd say the iPad's definitely got the stuff to help out most shutterbugs, but up until now, uploading content from a CF card wasn't exactly easy. Well, our friends over at MIC Gadget recently showed off an iPad / iPad 2-compatible card reader that fixes that on the cheap. Simply called the CF card reader for iPad and iPad 2, the thing slips right into the slate's dock connector port and, as you can see from the video below, it transfers HD video and high-res images in a snap -- it also sports USB connectivity. Like its predecessor, the reader's available from MIC for $29.90, but you'll have to wait at least a month to get your hands on one. Oh, and a word of warning, you might want to make sure the iPad supports your camera's video format before shelling out the dough, as MIC found the slab couldn't playback video from a Canon EOS 5D Mark II.
Netbook Navigator announces it'll announce three new Windows-based tablets at CES
Netbook Navigator has made tablet pcs in the past -- one of which we reviewed -- so it should come as no surprise that they've got several more brewing. In fact, we are now hearing that the company's got three (yes, three) Windows-based tablets to show off when the floor opens and the stampede begins. Among the offerings will be the NAV7 tablet, what the company is describing as the "first ever multitouch Windows 7-inch" tablet, plus the NAV10i and a slightly revamped NAV9. While we don't have full specs for any of these tablets, we do know that all will be Atom CPU-based devices with SSDs, 2GB of RAM, 'several' USB ports, WiFi, Bluetooth, and webcams, plus optional 3G. Other details about the NAV10i -- it'll be a 10-incher (capacitive LCD), while the NAV9 will be a rugged 8.9-incher. We'll let you know as soon as we get our hands on these bad boys, but until then: the full press release is after the break.
ASUS EEE Slate EP121 shows up for pre-order on Amazon
Just yesterday, ASUS finally officially unveiled its brand new, IPS display-sporting EEE Slate EP121. If you can't remember yesterday, the EP121 boasts an Intel Core i5-470UM processor, up to 4GB of RAM, and a 64GB SSD all in a 12.1-inch package running Windows 7. This high end tablet is due later this month, but if you simply must pre-order one today, that's now possible as it recently appeared at popular online retailer Amazon for $999. Get over there! [Thanks, DocWllk]
Live from Microsoft's CES 2011 keynote
Once again we're on the ground to deliver all the news from Microsoft's much-talked about CES 2011 keynote event! Will we see new Windows Phone 7 devices or software? An appearance of Windows 8? A slew of new tablets? Xbox advancements? Media Center updates? The Courier? We kid. One thing you can count on is that we're delivering everything fresh and as-it-happens -- capturing every minute of Steve Ballmer's rage-filled presentation with the kind of joy only Engadget can deliver. So tune back in at 9:30 EST / 6:30 PST for all the action!
Toys R Us Black Friday doorbuster includes $80 netbook, $140 Sylvania tablet
Believe it or not, America's favorite holiday is under a fortnight away. And this year, it looks as if Toys R Us won't even wait for Thanksgiving Day to conclude before forcing employees behind registers and breaking families apart as they seek out lukewarm deals camouflaged as revolutionary purchases. This year, Black Friday begins at 10PM on Thanksgiving Eve, meaning that quite a few desperate souls will be lined up in a parking lot rather than circling a stuffed bird and chuckling with loved ones. The culprit? Two devices in particular. The first is an unnamed 7-inch netbook, complete with WiFi, three USB sockets, a sub-two pound weight, a red chassis and a mind-scrambling $79.99 price tag. The second is a 7-inch Sylvania tablet, sporting Android 2.1, WiFi and an SD card slot; we're assuming it's the same unit Kmart is hawking for $180, but Toys R Us will have it for the low, low price of $139.99. Other hidden treasures include a Vivitar point-and-shoot for $39.99, 7-inch Coby digiframe for $24.99 and a Vivitar pocket camcorder for just $19.99. We know your gears are already turning, but lest we forget that time with family is priceless... right? [Thanks, Dave]
Microsoft creating its own software layer for Windows 7 tablets? Boy, we hope so
It's no secret that Microsoft has a slight tablet, err Slate PC problem on its hands: Windows 7 certainly works on a "pad," but the user interface isn't meant for strictly finger input. The makeshift solution has been, of course, for its partners to create software skins of their own -- see HP TouchSmart UI, the ExoPC "Connect Four" skin, etc. -- but according to Microsoft know-it-all Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet, the guys in Redmond may just be working on a layer of their own. Now, Foley says these are just recurring rumors at this point, but they happen to line up with similar whispers we've heard that Microsoft might develop its own optional "shell." Foley actually believes that it could be based on Windows Media Center, and points to an article by UK blogger Mark Wilson in which Ballmer is quoted saying, "what you'll see over the course of the next year is us doing more and more work with our hardware partners creating hardware-software optimisations with Windows 7 and with Windows 7 Media Center [...]." We don't need to tell you, Mr. Ballmer, that we think that sounds like a glorious idea, and it'll certainly buy you time until Windows 8 is ready in 2012. Speaking of which, he also confirmed that it won't be releasing another version of Windows in the interim as some may have suspected. We've similarly heard that Microsoft is heavily optimizing the new OS for slates, and is already prepping its partners with information on that front. Obviously all of this should be taken with a grain of salt at this point, but we sure are happy to hear that Microsoft's starting to understand how important those UI layers are to consumer adoption and that the wheels may be in motion on finger-friendly interface improvements. Of course, for now we'll be sitting here twiddling our thumbs until next week's October 11 event to see if any elusive Microsoft slate announcements do in fact decide to make an appearance.
Netbook Navigator Nav 9 Slate PC review
It's been over nine months since Steve Ballmer whipped out the HP Slate at CES and divulged that there'd be Windows 7 "Slate PCs" hitting the market. It sure was a memorable keynote, but since that fateful day all we've got to show for actual Win 7 tablets are a slew of leaked videos of HP's elusive device, information / trade show sightings of lots of similar products, and the less than stellar Archos 9. Until now that is. A small company, interestingly and rather ironically called Netbook Navigator, has managed to get its act together slightly ahead of the rest with its Nav 9 Slate PC. Starting at $599, the 8.9-inch resistive-touch Windows 7 Home Premium tablet is powered by an Intel Atom N280 processor and can be configured with up to 2GB of RAM and 32GB of flash storage. Yep, it sounds a heck of a lot like your first generation netbook with its keyboard cut off... and, well, that turns out to be just one of the Nav 9's major problems. You'll want to see what we mean in our full review after the break. %Gallery-103660%
Dell Inspiron Duo hybrid netbook / tablet stars in another film
We'll freely admit how smitten we are with Dell's concept, the Inspiron Duo. While it's supposedly coming to retail by the end of the year, it's so special that every time we spy new photos or video footage of it, we watch joyfully. Of course, Intel doesn't need to watch from afar, as demonstrated in a new video -- they simply asked Dell's Inspiron Product Marketer, Dave Zavelson to show it off on film. The Duo, in case you've been hiding under a rock since before IDF, is a 10-inch netbook with a swivel screen which enables you to use it as a sort of tablet... you know, those things that everybody's cranking out these days. It also boasts a dual-core Atom N550 CPU and Windows 7 Home Premium. Regardless, we still haven't heard any pricing or definite availability info yet, but the video is below.
NASA launches free iPad app
NASA's launched a free version of its app for iPad, and it's called NASA app HD. From the looks of it, the app is pretty content rich, and though it's very simple -- there aren't many bells and whistles -- it works well and is pretty attractive. In addition to browsing NASA's latest news, there are sections dedicated to the agency's calendar of activities, a map you can use to locate NASA centers throughout the country, and information pages on each body in the solar system, as well as detailed sections for people who work at NASA, the rest of the universe, and the history of the organization. We've yet to fully dig into the app, but for anyone interested in space and space travel who also happens to own an iPad, it's probably a must. We've pull some screenshots for you -- they're in the gallery below if you want to check them out. The app is available now. %Gallery-101309%
MasterPad prototype marries Windows 7 to 11.6-inch IPS screen (video)
Check out this 14mm-thin contender: built by Pegatron and still at the prototype stage, the MasterPad looks to be the embodiment of Steve Ballmer's incoming armada of desirable Windows 7 tablets. It sports an 11.6-inch IPS screen, which accommodates a 1,366 x 768 widescreen resolution, a 1.3 megapixel webcam plus mic, two USB ports, a memory card reader, an accelerometer, mini-HDMI port, 3G connectivity, and 32GB or 64GB SSD options. All that hi-tech goodness is wrapped up in a magnesium and aluminum alloy body, weighing 990 grams. There are some less cutting edge specs, like the disappointing 2-cell battery that will only get you 5 hours of use and the 1.66GHz Atom N450 CPU -- but we're being promised 1080p video playback and Flash compatibility are ready to roll, and our machine translation hints at an additional HD video-processing chip. The early hands-on experience seems to have left the Israeli journos impressed, and their homeland can expect the MasterPad to arrive "in the coming months," with an Android version also in the works. See it on video after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Image courtesy of Nitsan Saddan, Ynet
ASUS Eee Pad EP101TC opts for Android, dumps Windows Embedded Compact 7
The lesser of ASUS' two Eee Pad tablets announced at Computex this year, the EP101TC, is getting itself a software rejig ahead of its planned early 2011 launch. Originally slated to run on Microsoft's Windows Embedded Compact 7 -- a wordy OS, if nothing else -- the Pad will now entrust its operational infrastructure to Google's Android. ASUS is currently working on prototypes with Froyo on board, but Gingerbread (or Android 3.0) has not been ruled out as a possible final OS choice. We're told to expect the first public demos at CES 2011, with retail units likely following on from there at a relatively brisk pace.
Lenovo promises LePad Android tablet for the end of the year
Liu Jun, Senior VP and President of Lenovo's Consumer Business Group, has revealed his company's intention to deliver an Android tablet by the end of this year. To be known as LePad, this apparent resurrection of the Skylight / U1 Hybrid R&D effort seems destined to follow LePhone in seeking its fortunes in China first before expanding out to the rest of the world. Lenovo's chairman did recently note that Apple's relative inaction toward mainland China creates opportunities for others, so this may well represent the IdeaPad maker's play for that burgeoning market. Of course, we'd love to be wrong and see a simultaneous release around the world -- it's about time the iPad got some legitimate competition in the slate realm.
HP Android tablet coming later than you think, or not at all
Although nothing official has come from HP on this front, we got some pretty solid word back in April that the American giant was mulling an Android tablet. As it turns out, what with the WebOS acquisition that followed and HP's dogged commitment to Windows 7, that Googly project has apparently slipped out of the limelight in HP HQ. Word from All Things Digital is that there'll be nothing forthcoming this year (as was tentatively expected) and if an HP Android tablet is to materialize, it'll have to come in 2011. The company seems to be in the midst of reallocating resources to its higher priority projects, and who knows, should that rumored Hurricane tablet blow us all away, Android might never gets its chance to shine at all.
NPad tablet shown off in China, running MeeGo
Red Flag Software's just shown off a custom MeeGo tablet that's China-bound. Though we don't have any images of the unit yet, we know that the NPad be a Moorestown-powered, 10.1-inch touchscreen tablet that "looks like" the iPad, and it'll boast WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G, and GPS. The company also says that it'll be cheaper than the iPad, so there's that!
Apple has sold three million iPads in 80 days
Apple's just announced that it's sold 3 million iPads worldwide since the US launch date, which is a pretty impressive sales rate, we'll give them that. The announcement also mentions that the tablet will drop in nine more countries during the month of July, so if you're currently living in a sad iPad-less nation, take comfort: you could be next. Press release is below, if you're into that sort of thing.
NEC LifeTouch Android tablet isn't exactly a beauty
Hey, they say beauty's in the eye of the beholder, but we're going to go out on a limb here and call this one like we see it: NEC's LifeTouch Android tablet isn't a looker, in our opinion. That said, this 7-incher runs Android 2.1 and packs an ARM Cortex A8 processor. Although it's scheduled for release in Japan in October, it turns out that it'll be sold directly to businesses, so don't hope to grab up one of these -- unless you have the best employer ever, that is. Hey, at least it's original looking. Video below.
iPed tablet running Android 2.1 spotted in the blurry, blurry wild
The Orphan iPed M16's shown up in the wild, and thankfully, it's running Android 2.1. This 10.2-inch, cloney-looking fellow has a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, 256MB of DDR2 RAM, 1GB of Nand ROM, plus a miniUSB port, Ethernet and Wifi, and a webcam. Optional add-ons? Well, there's the keyboard, Bluetooth and the 3G model if you want to get real fancy. We have to tell you that the tablet (which is in the video below) still doesn't look that compelling to us. There's no word on availability or pricing of this one, but we have a feeling it's not going to cost as much as an iPad.
HP Slate killed? Rumor mill says 'yes'
Last night TechCrunch reported that, according to an unnamed "source briefed on the matter," HP had stopped development of the Slate in its tracks, killing off the project entirely. Why? Well, according to the source, HP isn't thrilled with Windows 7's performance on the tablet. The Slate -- which was officially unveiled in January by Steve Ballmer himself -- had a rumored price of $549, and was supposedly launching in June. So, what should we make of all this? Well, there's probably some major chaos over at HP with the news of the Palm acquisition, so we wouldn't be surprised to hear some shaky -- or even incorrect -- information coming out of the company right now. On the other hand, HP killing off the project doesn't sound completely out of the realm of possibility to us. We've reached out to HP for comment, but they've yet to get back to us. We'll let you know when we hear something more concrete. Update: Here's the response we just go from HP -- "We don't comment on rumors or speculation."
Android Eee Pad to debut in June, could ship as early as July
We have more details on that impending Eee Pad for y'inz. Interested? Of course you are! Speaking at a conference in Taiwan, Asustek Computer chairman Jerry Shen recently announced that the device will get its official introduction at Computex 2010, the first week of June. With any luck, the thing will hit retail channels the third quarter of this year -- possibly as early as July, a DigiTimes' source reports. Shen said that the device is meant to be all the things that the iPad is not: expect Google Android, USB, an integrated webcam, and Flash, for starters. The aforementioned source went on to state that, after wireless provider subsidies are taken into effect, the thing should cost around $15,000-16,000 TD (or about $480-510).
