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Panasonic's 7- and 10-inch BizPads port the Honeycomb drizzle to Japan's enterprise set
Salarymen, get those contactless employee IDs set to swipe. Panasonic's throwing your overcaffeinated ilk a bone with two Honeycomb-based enterprise slates for release this winter. Coming under the BizPad umbrella, these 7- and 10.1-inch Android 3.2 tablets are ruggedized for the road warrior treatment, offering the clumsy and sleep-deprived alike dust-, drop- and water-proof protection. Both tabs pack a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 16GB of onboard storage, 1GB RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC capability (via its IC card reader), but the shared specs end there. While the larger tab certainly wins out with its higher resolution, digitizer-friendly WXGA 1280 x 800 IPS capacitive display (vs. WSVGA 1024 x 600 resistive LCD display), the more diminutive of the bunch gets the better 5 megapixel camera (vs. 1.3 megapixel) and optional 3G connectivity. No word yet on pricing or an actual launch date, but don't let that stop you from petitioning your IT department right now.
Sony's Tablet S and P get 3G in Japan, NTT DoCoMo preps for October 28th release
It's hard being the Jan to Japan's Marsha, always sitting quietly on the sidelines and watching as the "prettier" sister gets lavished with the latest goods. Well, envy doth strike again as Sony's partnered with NTT DoCoMo to add a dash of cellular connectivity to its line of slates. While the country's already seen the launch of the Tablet S earlier this September, that particular model was WiFi-only. Now, the privileged, electronic-consuming hordes over to our East can make the most of their Honeycomb 3.2, PlayStation Certified tabs at speeds of up to 14Mbps down / 5.7Mbps up. There'll be two flat-rate data plans on offer when the devices go on sale this October 28th, with the promo "FOMA Tablet Start Campaign" running until the end of next April. Feel like turning Japanese or at least moving overseas? In this case, we really think so.
Archos 80 G9 review
Archos debuts Arnova 9 G2 Android tablet, offers Gingerbread on a 9.7-inch IPS display Nokia to release Windows 8 tablets this June, top drawer Lumia in the works? Velocity Micro Cruz T410 Gingerbread tablet will run you a penny under $300 As far as tablets go, a couple of interesting things are going to happen between now and the holiday season. One, we're going to see a glut of smaller 7- and 8-inch tablets running Honeycomb (like this, this and this) hit the market. And if the Kindle Fire and Acer Iconia Tab A100 are any indication, they're going to be cheaper, making slates palatable to folks who previously couldn't bring themselves to spend $500 on a plaything. The Archos 80 G9, then, is the perfect specimen on both counts. Here you have an 8-inch tablet running Android 3.2 with a kickstand and full-sized USB port -- costing just $300 for the base model ($270, even, on sites like Amazon). So how does it stack up against other diminutive, aggressively priced tablets? Let's see. %Gallery-134564%
Eee Pad Slider shipping now, Archos 80 G9 hits pre-order status
It's practically raining tablets these days, and two more just hit the market. Of course, the Asus Eee Pad Slider and Archos 80 G9 were announced some time ago, but now you can finally handover your hard-earned paper for one of these Android 3.2-sporting devices. The Slider is already available from a variety of outlets, including New Egg and Amazon, starting at $479, while the G9 is up for pre-order direct from Archos starting at just $299. If you need a reminder of what to expect from the latest Honeycomb slates you should check out our hands-on coverage before hitting those source links and loading up your shopping cart. [Thanks, BH] Update: Well, looks like a few of those Archos 80 G9s are shipping earlier than expected. A reader wrote in to let us know he "pre-ordered" a trio of them yesterday and they actually arrived today. He sent in the receipt (which we won't be sharing) along with a pile of photos and even a video as evidence. Check it out below. %Gallery-134567% [Thanks, Andrew]
GameStop to bring Android-based gaming tablet to market
No surprises here. GameStop, which announced its intentions to become a technology company earlier this spring, has officially selected Google's Android OS for its upcoming tablet-based "certified gaming platform." The video game retailer's prexy Tony Bartel relayed the news to GamesIndustry.biz, and plans to sell the slate alongside offerings from industry heavyweights. The news comes on the heels of the company's spring acquisition of developer Spawn Labs and Impulse, with a pre-production model design already selected for the tab. Expect the hardware to come pre-loaded with a handful of games, and to have a focus on an OnLive-like, cloud-based gaming platform. Consumers in Dallas were the first to get a hands-on with the beta device that should sport a custom designed controller at launch. According to Bartel, "It's hard to imagine how to stream a game - let's say Modern Warfare 3 - onto a tablet and then play it with your finger." The GameStop-made tab could also see third-party exclusives head to the platform, crafted with its controller interface in mind. Bartel made no mention of a release window, but it's clear the company's adapting to the industry's digital download future. Hit up the source below for the full interview.
ASUS Eee Slate B121 slabs it up for the enterprise market
Temper that excitement. This isn't the rumored quad-core, Kal-El running Transformer 2. Still, ASUS is doing its best to port the tab buzz to the enterprise set with its quietly introduced Eee Slate B121. Unlike its tablet PC brethren, this business-minded slate runs Windows 7 Professional atop an Intel Core i5 processor, and comes loaded with the security tweaks necessary for the corporate road warrior: like Computrace LoJack for remote location and data wipe, and a Trusted Platform Module microchip that stores encrypted data. Also tacked on to the $1,500 12.1-inch package are a Bluetooth keyboard and Wacom Digitizer stylus. As for the specs, well, there's a 1280 x 800 LED Gorilla Glass display, 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage, dual USB 2.0 ports, mini-HDMI out, SD card slot and 2 megapixel front-facing camera. No official word on exactly when this biz-friendly tablet'll be available, but now would be a good time to convince your IT department to order it up. Be sure to hit the source below for the company's soft sell.
Engadget's back to school guide 2011: accessories
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we've got a slew of accessories -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! Fall's slowly, but surely creeping back in, and we bet you've already started to gather up the necessary gear for your return to the residence hall. Sure, you've got the basics covered, with a computer, smartphone, MP3 player and even a tablet at the ready. But wouldn't it be nice to start the school year off in style with some handy accoutrements to trick out those digital crutches? Let's face it, you're going to need a lapdesk buffer zone between you and your laptop's scorching heat for those countless hours spent churning out term papers. Or, an external hard drive, so you can store those full seasons of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and bring the late night funny to your stressed-out friends. However you manage to make it through the year and snag that 4.0 GPA, we've got a selection of accessorized aids to match your collegiate budget. Oh, and don't forget, we're giving away $3,000 worth of essential back to school gear to 15 readers, and you can be among the chosen few simply by dropping a comment below! Click on past the break to start browsing.
Microsoft gesture patents reveal possible dual-screen tablet focus
Earlier this year, we heard a slew of whispers promising a late winter launch for Microsoft's Windows 8 tablets -- there was even mention of a tab-specific OS. While it's become clear that Redmond intends for its new operating system to run on multiple devices, insight into its tablet plans are still somewhat shrouded in mystery. From the looks of these gesture patents, however, it's clear MS has been eyeing a dual-screen tablet future (hello Courier). The recently published patents, not yet granted to the company, touch upon methods for off-screen input (read: bezel-based), but mainly focus on these multi-screen input options: dual tap, pinch and expand, hold and page-flip, hold and tap, and finally, bookmark hold. As you can glimpse from the image above, the patents handle simultaneous touch screen input, allowing a user the ability to swap images between screens, or even freeze a page on one side while continuing to browse on the other. By the looks of things, Sony might have some fierce competition in the multi-screen tablet market. Head to the source below to get a fuller look at these touch-based solutions.
Sprint brings short-term data passes to HTC EVO View 4G, the contract-averse silently applaud
Because tablets were made to consume data, Sprint's launching an alternative pay model for those hesitant to enter into long-term contracts. Available now from the Hesse-led carrier, HTC EVO View 4G owners can select a per day, week, or even month data pass according to their wireless appetite. If you're amongst the shackled hordes currently subscribing to a monthly package, you're gonna have to sit this one out. For the commitment-phobic, however, there's a $14.99 day plan that nets users 150MB of 3G / 4G use, a $29.99 week plan that ups the ante to 500MB, and the top end $49.99 month pass that serves up 1.5GB of wireless radio soup. In the event you haven't been sufficiently seduced, the third place network's even thrown in a "free day" promo pass to get you hooked started on that "third device." Be sure to head to the source for the full à la carte breakdown.
Opal: the 7-inch HP tablet that almost was
Shoulda, woulda, coulda, but alas, HP ultimately didn't. Such is the tale of the behind-the-scenes gaffes that almost saw webOS launch on a path to success, and instead, ended in the platform's corporate disavowal. The story may be all too fresh in our memory, but did you also know we were this close to a fire sale for a lesser-sized tablet? According to a report on gdgt, HP's QA team had in its possession a production-ready model of the "Opal" tablet, and were in the process of debugging the unit. The aborted 7-inch little brother to the TouchPad had reared its head at the FCC only two weeks ago, en route to a future AT&T home in both 16GB and 32GB versions as the TouchPad Go. Though the passing days bring further bits of this muddled HP puzzle into perspective, it appears likely this mini webOS tab may never know the appreciative touch of consumer hands. And with the recent news of an overseas-only bow for the Pre 3, all that remains to be seen is what'll happen to our recently adopted TouchPads.
HTC files trademarks for Enamor and Rhyme, keeps on hustlin'
We've seen a few leaks from HTC lately, and now we've got the scoop on two more. And get this: one is being developed just for aspiring hip-hop moguls! Okay, not really... but a couple of new names were filed with the USPTO last week, as it keeps spittin' game in the mobile marketplace. Four total trademark applications were filed for the HTC Enamor and HTC Rhyme -- covering smartphones and tablets along with their hardware and software cohorts. No specs have been revealed (or much else) as of yet, but if you'd like to scope out the particulars for yourself, hit the source links below.
Logitech's clip-on tablet speaker latches onto your slate for dear life, doubles as a stand
We can swear we feel hints of fall creeping in already, but Logitech just announced a product we would have loved to see at the start of beach season: a speaker bar that clips onto the back of any tablet, effectively turning it into the boombox it wasn't built to be. We know, we know, that barrel of a speaker looks a tad silly next to the likes of the iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1, but we're digging how it doubles as a stand, propping up the slate if, perchance, you're also down for watching a movie. In our brief hands-on, the speaker felt lighter than it looks in those photos down there, and delivered decently loud sound, too. Like we said, we can see this making for a festive old time at the beach or a picnic, though when we asked a Logitech rep about durability he said we might want to shield the speaker from sand. Because this is a wired product (it charges via USB and lasts up to eight hours on a charge), it commands less than the wireless speaker for iPad that Logitech's already shilling. Specifically, we're told it'll cost $49.99, though as of this writing it hasn't popped up in the company's online store, which means those of you unashamed of your Justin Bieber collection will have to just sit tight. %Gallery-130784%
Twitter.com for iPad eyes-on, now with 100 percent more HTML5
Even if you weren't waiting for it, it's finally here. Next time you grab your iPad and want to check Twitter sans official app, you'll be able to do it in tablet-optimized form. The San Franciscan company just outed a delectable HTML5 redux of its desktop equivalent, carrying over the animated two-pane design of its forebearer, while replicating niceties like pull-to-refresh and scroll bouncing from its native iOS app. Unfortunately, we couldn't get to the goodness from our Galaxy Tab 10.1, but given the open nature of the web, we're hoping an Android compatible version isn't far off. And if you're not seeing the refresh on your iPad yet, sit tight; the company's rolling out access throughout the week. In the meantime, feel free to ogle at the bevy of snaps we grabbed below. %Gallery-129892%
Google refines search experience for big-fingered tablet owners
Having trouble selecting those tiny links with your big, ol' digits on that swanked-out slab? Don't you worry, Google's just made some slate-friendly improvements to its bread and butter search site, and it's available for iPad and Honeycomb 3.1+ users. On deck for this UI refresh: a much simplified search results page, larger-sized buttons and text, and a quick access button located below the search box that skips you off to "Images, Videos, Places, Shopping and more." There's also been some visual tweaks made to its image search results, with enlarged previews, faster thumbnail loading and continuous scrolling. If you're not seeing this overhauled layout just yet, sit tight -- the update's expected to roll out in the next few days.
Mystery Lenovo Tablet tries to sneak through the FCC, 7-inch IdeaPad on the way?
Tell Sally Kimball to grab her bike, looks like we're gonna have to leave Idaville to solve this mystery. What appears to be a brand new tablet from the fine folks at Lenovo just tried to sneak its way through the FCC, bearing the model numbers IdeaPad A1-07 and LePad A1-07. There is a chance, however remote, this could be LePad successor CEO Yang Yuanqing said would be coming in September or October. But, with the K1 and P1 having only recently emerged from the shadowy back alleys of Leaktown, it's hard to imagine the Chinese manufacturer is already prepping a follow up. The "07" implies this could be a 7-inch sibling of those 10-inch slates, but we're just taking shots in the dark. The only thing we know for certain is the A1-07 sports Bluetooth -- not terribly surprising. If you're the type who likes line graphs and regulatory labels make sure to hit up the source link.
Microsoft's Andy Lees on Windows' future: one ecosystem to rule them all
Microsoft has seen the future of personal computing, and it's a world with a single Windows ecosystem. Windows Phone head honcho Andy Lees -- who said that we won't be seeing WP7 on tablets during Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference yesterday -- still sees slates, phones, consoles, and PCs playing together in perfect harmony. His plan is to provide users with a consistent experience across all Microsoft-powered devices, though he didn't flesh out exactly how this singular ecosystem will work. Given recent evidence indicating Xbox integration in Windows 8 and the UI similarities between the forthcoming desktop OS and WP7, it seems that Microsoft is well on its way to a consolidated future. But, only time will tell if Mr. Lees' can deliver us from fragmentation with a unified Windows.
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]
NEC's VersaPro VK15V/TM-C looks like a tablet, runs like a netbook
If you've been looking in vain for the right Windows tablet, you might want to have a gander at NEC's VersaPro VK15V/TM-C, a pad that looks like the slate it is, but packs some netbook-like specs -- namely, a 1.5GHz Intel Atom Z670 processor, Win 7 Professional, 2GB of RAM, HDMI-out, and an SDHC slot. And while it's 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) display is par for the course among Windows tablets, its 64GB SSD storage bests some other slabs on the market. No word on price -- or how much battery life that Oak Trail CPU promises -- but it's expected to go on sale in Japan this summer.
Dual-booting ViewSonic ViewPad 10 gets Android 2.2 upgrade, patient owners join 2010
Good things come to those who wait. If you bought the dual-booting ViewSonic ViewPad 10, Android 1.6 be damned, we have some good news -- the tablet's getting an upgrade to Android 2.2. Just to refresh your memories, that leap from Donut to Froyo means ViewPad 10 owners will now get updated Gmail, Calendar, Google Maps, Gallery, and YouTube apps, a refined onscreen keyboard, compatabilty with newer applications, and a healthy dose of sorely needed eye candy. New customers can choose one that also runs Windows 7 Home Premium and has 16GB of flash storage ($599) or one with Win 7 Professional and 32GB of space ($679). As for those of you champing at the bit to upgrade, ViewSonic is keeping things interesting by compelling you to download Froyo onto a thumb drive, and then plug both it and a USB keyboard into the ViewPad to install the update. Then again, something tells us the kind of person who would opt for the ViewPad 10 over other ViewSonic tablets might actually enjoy the challenge.
Switched On: Honeycomb or the highway
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. During the holiday season of 2009 when netbooks were the hot commodity, Apple lost share in the PC market. It had nothing to compete with the sunken prices and shrunken sizes of those miniature laptops. PC vendors such as ASUS and Acer, on the other hand, did well in the netbook segment, as they could call on their expertise in building inexpensive Windows notebooks. After the iPad's introduction, though, the tablets were turned. While many PC vendors loathed the low profitability of netbooks, they were now faced with competing with their own products. With the exception of HP, which shelled out billions of dollars for webOS, the iPad set PC vendors scrambling to choose which operating system might best compete. Is it Windows, the devil they know, or Android, where they have far less experience than competitors from the smartphone market? Switched On has already taken on the role that Windows might play in future tablets, but what about Honeycomb? In contrast to the original version of Android, which was in the works prior to the introduction of the iPhone, Honeycomb arrived a year after the iPad. Android licensees, particularly smartphone vendors, surely beseeched Google for a tablet-optimized version of their preferred mobile OS. But Google may also be a victim of the iPad's jujitsu.
