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Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 quietly goes on sale as the Gobots of transforming tablets
Lenovo's 10-inch IdeaTab S2 was one of the belles of its CES ball in offering a distinctly Transformer Pad-like experience for those not beholden to ASUS' view of the world. While there wasn't much attention given to the Android 4.0 tablet outside of the FCC filing we saw last month, it's getting its time to shine at last: the device is now sitting on Lenovo's virtual shelves as the S2110. The 10.1-inch slate's selling point remains its (strictly optional) keyboard dock, which supplies a trackpad, an SD slot, USB and 10 extra hours of battery life to keep that movie marathon going. Even if you have no intention of constructing the Gobot to ASUS' Transformer original, though, the S2110 is still a big leap over the so-so S2109 from the spring. A 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon APQ8060A, a rear 5-megapixel camera and a landscape 1,280 x 800 screen are all incentives to pay the premium over the S2110's budget predecessor. Not that there will be much of a premium to pay -- despite setting a $449 official price, Lenovo is already discounting the S2110 to as little as $343. That's low enough to lure the cost-conscious away from the Transformer Pad elephant in the room, even if it reminds us of relatives that always bought us the cheaper robot toys when we were kids. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Google takes Nexus 7 camping for its first ad, can afford to pack light (video)
There's more than a small amount of fervor swirling around the Nexus 7, so it only makes sense that Google wants to seize the moment and pitch its first Nexus tablet to the world. Its first commercial is a very Norman Rockwell-like, father-and-son camping trip -- if Rockwell replaced Boy Scouts with Jelly Beans, that is. The 7-inch slate handles just about every task the two could care for, whether it's learning about (and exaggerating) the local fauna as well as keeping busy on a rainy day. We'll let you witness the slight twist of an ending first-hand, although we'll add that Google is careful to use a lot of Nexus 7 features that don't demand always-on WiFi: the search giant wants us to know that we can head to the boonies without the tablet becoming a paperweight. The one shock is the absence of that all-important $199 price, which you'd think would help trigger some impulse shopping. You can reconcile your disbelief and enjoy some family bonding by catching the full commercial after the break.
Engadget's tablet buyer's guide: summer 2012 edition
Time flies, doesn't it? It seems like only yesterday that we were just putting the final touches on our spring tablet buyer's guide, and here we are, updating it for a new season. This time, the sun is out and the trousers are getting shorter, which can mean only one thing -- yep, it's the summer edition! Even if the weather isn't so lovely where you are, or you're still wearing long pants, there should be something in here to tickle your technical fancy. Not least because we've seen at least one major player enter the foray, along with some other strong contenders. So, how has that changed the line up? Head on past the break to find out, but before you dive in to the cool refreshing water, remember you can visit our review hub all year round. Surf's up!
Qantas to hand out free iPads to all passengers on Boeing 767s, save fuel and our sanity (video)
Qantas just upped the ante for its Australian counterparts Jetstar and Virgin in the airline tablet wars. Following an earlier trial, the transporter plans to hand out free iPads to all of its passengers -- not just the high-flyers in business-class, like with Jetstar's iPads or Virgin's Galaxy Tabs -- on every Boeing 767 aircraft in the fleet. The rollout, which starts in the last quarter of the year, will let those bored in the back seats watch an equally free 200 hours' worth of QStreaming audio and video. Don't confuse the gesture with a sudden bout of altruism on Qantas' part, however. The pound-and-a-half weight of a current iPad sheds the tremendous amount of weight that would normally be needed for a conventional in-flight entertainment system built into the headrest, which on a typical 375-seat 767 could see the iPads pay for themselves within years, if not sooner. The option will give many Aussies something to look forward to for their domestic summer vacations. In the meantime, hop past the break for a Qantas video explaining how QStreaming worked during the original trial run.
N-Trig pen tech whittled down to single DuoSense chips and sensors, shrinks scribblings to travel size
As much as N-Trig is an old hand at supporting styluses, it's had to focus on tablets and other larger devices due to technology limits: the HTC Flyer is about as small as the company has gone to date. A new version of N-Trig's DuoSense chipset family could be the ticket to going to much smaller sizes. The new 4000 series condenses both pen input and multi-touch finger gestures into a combination of one chip and one sensor, letting any entrepreneurial device maker stuff the two control methods into a handheld device with as little as a 5-inch display. Naturally, the chip line scales all the way to 15.6-inch panels for creatives poking at the screens of laptops and larger Ultrabooks. We're told that both Android and Windows slates will get N-Trig's tinier touch tricks before the end of the year -- whether or not that includes phablets with the same girth as the Galaxy Note or Optimus Vu, however, is left to our wild imaginings.
Microsoft delves into Windows 8 touchscreen keyboard design, wants us to be extra-comfy
Microsoft has lately become big on touchscreens -- sometimes, really big -- which makes it only natural that the company would want to explore Windows 8's on-screen keyboard in detail. As User Experience team member Kit Knox explains, the company has made an about-face from the days of unceremoniously foisting touch on a desktop OS. Windows 8's keyboard is not only optimized for fingers, but accommodates the little subtleties that others might miss, like the typical postures for tablet use and our tendencies to frequently hit certain wrong keys. The crew at Redmond ultimately hopes to bring out all the advantages of touchscreen keyboards while reminding us of some creature comforts from old-fashioned physical buttons. The surest way to understand Microsoft's keyboard research will likely be to pick up a Surface tablet this fall, but those of us who can't wait to put fingers on real glass can hop over to Knox's all-encompassing overview at the source link.
German court rules Motorola Xoom doesn't violate Apple's iPad design patent
Apple filed a stealth lawsuit last summer alleging that the Motorola Xoom violated the design patent that underpins the iPad. While Apple has had some success leveling its big patent gun against Samsung, the same can't be said for Motorola: a German court just declared that the reference Android tablet doesn't infringe on Apple's design claim. The ruling isn't a complete win for Motorola, however, as the court wouldn't invalidate the patent -- it could theoretically be leveled against other tablets in the future. The loss will still sting for Apple, which now has to resort to a multi-touch patent claim (among others) if it wants to make Motorola feel the heat in Mannheim.
Nexus 7 pre-orders ship to some customers -- has yours?
It could be a trickle or a torrent, but reports are coming in that Google is shipping the first Nexus 7 pre-orders to those customers who pulled the trigger at the Google Play Store while the I/O keynote seats were still warm. Third-party retailers Adorama and Ebuyer also briefly started selling the Jelly Bean tablet, although they're now known to have jumped the gun: both were told by Google to freeze sales until at least Sunday. The word of an imminent arrival is no doubt music to the ears of those who thought that even the three-week wait was interminable. Still, we'd like to know whether yours is truly on its way or if that $199, ASUS-made Android dream will have to wait a little longer. %Poll-76356%
HTC Vertex pops up in benchmarks, might bring a slice of One X muscle to tablets
HTC has been stoking the fires of anticipation for its return to tablets, and that small flame is quickly turning into a full conflagration. A slab nicknamed the Vertex has surfaced in benchmarks with a 1.3GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 and a 1,280 x 752 usable resolution that's noticeably wider than the similarly Tegra 3-equipped One X's 720p display. Other than Android 4.0 (and a probably Sense 4.0), however, there's scant else to go on. The last murmurs of a Vertex from the fall had it carrying a rear 2-megapixel camera and a front 1.3-megapixel shooter, but it's been long enough now that we wouldn't count on that still being true -- or that the new benchmarks necessarily reflect what we might get. Let's just hope that the resulting device is more competitive than the pricey Jetstream.
Toshiba unites PC, tablet and TV design groups, aims for hub of digital harmony
Toshiba is one of the few Japanese tech giants to be riding high from a cash standpoint, but the company is still looking for ways to trim the fat -- not to mention get some fresh design in the process. The firm is merging the design team for its Regza TVs into the same western Tokyo facility that houses its PC and tablet groups. While there's a certain amount of cost-cutting involved, the shift will help "fusion products," Toshiba says, where TV influences PCs and tablets (or vice versa) like so much chocolate getting into peanut butter. The only amount of discord left might be in Toshiba's TV production, where quality and production controls are being outsourced and more of the production itself is leaving Japan. As much as we'd argue that the Excite 13 is almost too much like a TV to begin with, we'll only find out whether or not there's merit to Toshiba's design nirvana after the groups get cozy with each other later this year.
IDC and Gartner: PC market flattened out in Q2 while Apple, ASUS and Lenovo remain the stars
Microsoft's Steve Ballmer might be working overtime to keep Apple at bay, but the PC market that his company largely built is hurting, if you ask researchers at Gartner and IDC. Both estimate that shipments of traditional computers dropped by a tenth of a point in the second quarter of 2012 -- not a good sign when Intel's Ivy Bridge processors and a wave of Ultrabooks were supposed to usher in a PC renaissance. While the exact numbers vary, the two paint a partly familiar picture of the world stage: HP and Dell are taking a bruising, while ASUS and Lenovo are making huge leaps forward. Depending on who you ask, though, Acer is either kicking Dell down to fourth place or occupying that all too comfortable spot itself. The economy and tablets are once again blamed for making would-be PC upgraders jittery, although this time it may also be the wait for Windows 8 leading some to hold off. If there's a point of contention, it's the US figures. Gartner and IDC alike agree that Acer, Dell and HP all took a drubbing. The two analyst groups are at odds with each other when it comes to everyone else, though. Apple will have gained market share to as much as 12 percent, but either increased or shrank its shipments; it's Lenovo or Toshiba completing the top five outside of the usual suspects. Accordingly, take results with a grain of salt until all the PC builders have reported in. Nonetheless, if the groups have the same reasonable level of precision as they've had in the past, Microsoft may have to defer its ambitions for a little while longer.
SugarSync to ship with many Samsung mobile devices, make Galaxy S III a home away from home
Samsung and SugarSync are already cozy with each other, having struck a deal to put SugarSync's cloud file sharing on Samsung's AllShare Play-equipped TVs. That relationship just got a lot closer: SugarSync will now be a mainstay for Samsung's rather successful mobile devices. Starting with the Galaxy S III, any Samsung phone or tablet that supports AllShare Play will have SugarSync built-in, whether it's for looking at files and media from back home or just to upload the phone's own photos and videos for sharing later on. The service still offers a free 5GB of storage as a baseline and will scale up to 500GB if you're willing to fork over up to $40 a month. Between this and a Dropbox deal for most carriers, Samsung has the cloud largely sewn up on its handhelds -- if you can't access it, it probably doesn't exist.
Rovio's Amazing Alex arrives on Android and iOS July 12th, bosses everywhere weep for lost productivity (video)
It's finally happening: after roughly two and a half years, Rovio Mobile is weaning itself off of its addiction to avians. The company's first non-bird title in what feels like an eternity, Amazing Alex, will be reaching the official stores for both Android and iOS come July 12th. Strictly speaking, Rovio is taking something of a shortcut to bringing this Incredible Machine-style puzzler to market: it bought the rights to Casey's Contraptions and enlisted the developers, Miguel Friginal and Noel Llopis, to bring the title into the Rovio family. While that means it's not quite as fresh as it could be, the game has already piqued our interest and could be exposed to many (many, many) more players. While we wait, we'll pour one out for the managers and supervisors bound to lose hours of work from staff trying to finish just one more level.
Apple launches new iPad in China on July 20th (update: here's why)
Apple is about to complete an important part of the puzzle for the new iPad's world rollout: it just confirmed that its Retina display-packing tablet will reach mainland China on July 20th. The company isn't specific about local pricing, but it's promising both WiFi and cellular versions at its own stores and through resellers. The company is keen to avoid some of the mobs and scalping it's seen in the past and will open reservations for pickup starting on July 19th -- although the company is unusually limiting the reservation window to just three hours each day, between 9AM and noon. No matter how it shakes out, the official Chinese expansion is likely to keep the number of slingshot-delivered imports to a minimum. Update: As some commenters have noted, the Chinese launch is helped mostly by the truce with Proview. The current iPad design has been certified since March; Apple isn't about to mention Proview by name in the release, but it likely wasn't keen on risking another store ban when it could just avoid the battle altogether.
Kouziro crafts wired-only, 21.5-inch Android 4.0 mega tablet, makes us think it's compensating for something
We're wondering if Kouziro saw the ASUS Transformer AIO and developed a little Freudian envy. That would certainly help explain the company's FT103 tablet, which at 21.5 inches is one of the biggest devices running Android 4.0 without veering into full-size TV territory. If you're having sudden flashbacks to the Toshiba Excite 13 and dreading the thought of lugging around all 11 pounds of this slab, you'll breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Kouziro doesn't make any pretenses surrounding portability: there's no battery, and a kickstand keeps it upright on a desk rather than crushing your lap. The lackluster 1GHz TI OMAP 4428 processor and 8GB of storage certainly won't do much to draw attention, though. All the same, the HDMI input and 1080p screen resolution could make it a very clever secondary display for another device, and the extra-extra-extra-large size lets it stuff in two full USB ports and Ethernet along with the usual front camera and mobile expansion. The late July release in Japan and the ¥34,800 ($437) price aren't outlandish for what's in the box -- just brace yourself for psychoanalysis from friends and family after taking the FT103 home.
KeyPoint's Adaptxt keyboard enters beta for Android tablets, adds handwriting for that extra touch
Aftermarket keyboard layouts are still relatively rare among tablets, which makes KeyPoint Technologies' new Adaptxt beta for Android tablets that much more valuable. Along with optionally splitting up the keyboard to make thumb typing that much gentler, it expands on the stock keyboard formula with aggressive word prediction and shortcuts for words or whole sentences. The wait for a tablet version has also rewarded the patient with a handwriting recognition extra, just in case they'd like to revive cursive writing as an art form. The beta is is free to use for anyone who's running at least Android 2.3 on a big-screened slate, although only for a "limited period" -- if you're willing to accept a few rough edges, we'd recommend hitting the source links before there's a price tag attached.
iPad mini rumors resurface like so many leftovers, have production start in September
There have been rumors of a shrunken iPad since time immemorial, so you'll have to forgive us if we look at most fresh claims with a jaded eye. Still, when both Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal hear that Apple is close to producing a tablet with an 8-inch or smaller screen, there might be some fire to go with the smoke. What details that exist are unsurprisingly thin outside of the dimensions, although Bloomberg understands that there won't be a Retina display like in the current 9.7-inch slab. That's not a shock given the size and likely cost concerns -- we're more interested in the talk of nearing production plans with an uncanny level of synchronicity. The Wall Street Journal has caught murmurs that volume production ramps up in September, while its business paper rival Bloomberg thinks that an announcement could come "by October." We still won't be shocked if these are just wild misinterpretations of an upsized iPod touch or become nothing but vapor. Should they pan out, however, our good friend the Nexus 7 could feel some heat this fall.
Amazon reportedly acquires UpNext, 3D map wars begin in earnest (update: value might vary)
We might as well call 2012 the year of the 3D map. We've seen both Apple and Google show their cards, but GigaOM now hears that Amazon has jumped in by acquiring newcomer UpNext. The details are scant, but the approximately $2.5 million deal would give Amazon the startup's 3D, Android-native maps of 50 US cities, complete with navigation and extra information about notable buildings. The online reseller hasn't confirmed whether or not the acquisition is happening, which leaves it very much in rumor territory for now. That said, it's not hard to imagine Amazon taking that leap. The Kindle Fire is cut out of the official Android ecosystem and won't get built-in 3D maps without effort on its creator's part -- a buyout would certainly put that mapping on the fast track. Update: As reader James points out, the value of the deal is likely to be higher: unless the $500,000 investment let the investors control all of the company and the sale price wasn't higher, talk of a fivefold return on investment could represent considerably more than $2.5 million. Without any official response from Amazon, though, it's probable that the acquisition was small enough that it didn't have to publicly report the details.
Nokia claims Nexus 7 treads on its WiFi patents, wants a little dough for that Jelly Bean (updated: Nokia statement)
We're fans of the Nexus 7. Nokia, however, isn't quite so keen. It claims to The Inquirer that the ASUS and Google joint project is using Nokia WiFi patents without a license. The two companies never even asked, Nokia argues. As it's a question of standards-based patents, it's more likely that Nokia will simply cough politely and ask for a royalty rather than launch into yet another legal battle -- still, it's not exactly a minor accusation. We've reached out to both ASUS and Google for comment, but we can't imagine that either will be happy with the potential hit to their respective bottom lines. Sending a slice of what's left to Finland could be more than a bit painful when that $199 Jelly Bean tablet is already operating on virtually non-existent margins. Update: We also reached out to Nokia to get an official statement on the matter and it had this to say: Nokia has more than 40 licensees, mainly for its standards essential patent portfolio, including most of the mobile device manufacturers. Neither Google nor Asus is licensed under our patent portfolio. Companies who are not yet licensed under our standard essential patents should simply approach us and sign up for a license.
GameStop plans to sell Nexus 7, starts taking Android tablet trade-ins
Google's Andy Rubin suggested the Nexus 7 would reach third-party US stores eventually -- we just didn't think it would be this quickly. GameStop says it's taking pre-orders for the 16GB version of the Android 4.1 tablet starting today. At $249, it will cost exactly what it does in its currently exclusive Google Play home; in other words, one of the parties involved could be taking a voluntary hit on the already razor-thin profit margins. The 7-inch slate should be arriving roughly at the same mid-July timeframe as it is for those ordering straight from the Google source. It wouldn't be GameStop if there weren't trade-ins involved, and sure enough, the game retailer is using the Nexus 7 as the lure. Confirming an earlier leak, the chain is now accepting Android tablet trade-ins worth up to $200 in cash (or $250 in store credit) depending on how pristine the hardware is coming into the store. Play your cards right, and you're very nearly getting the Google-blessed tablet for free. As an extra incentive, any gear whose exchange goes directly towards buying the Nexus 7 will get a 30 percent boost in value. Knowing the buzz surrounding the price-to-performance ratio of the ASUS-made Nexus, we won't be surprised if GameStop suddenly faces a glut of older Android tablets in its backrooms.
