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Dell Looking Glass tablet leaks: Tegra 2 coming your way in November
We'd already heard that Dell was working on larger tablets, and tonight's huge leak brought us tons of info on the Looking Glass, a seven-inch big brother to the Streak 5 that's due out in November. For starters, it's running Android 2.1 on a Tegra 2 processor, with an optional TV tuner module so you can watch ATSC or DVB-T programming on the seven-inch 800x480 display -- the same resolution as the Streak, which is sort of weak. In addition, the render on the slide shows an AT&T U-verse browser, though, which is interesting -- too bad there's no more info about it. RAM is pegged at 4GB, with another 4GB of flash for storage and an SDHC slot for up to 32GB of expansion, and there's a 1.3 megapixel camera. Yep, it's pretty much just a bigger Streak with a different, potentially awesomer processor -- imagine how slick you'll look with this bad boy held to your face on a call. %Gallery-91366%
Socle Technology's ARM-powered, 1080p tablet platform due later this year
Socle Technology, a system-on-a-chip manufacturer based in Taiwan, has just announced its sPad A11 design and development platform. Consisting of the GlobalFoundries 65nm chipset, the ARM 1176 CPU and FPU core, Mali 3D Graphic Core, and a full HD 1080p Video CODEC application processor, this bad boy supports multitasking, 3D graphics, and sports a camera, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. This is a device for those of you who believe there aren't enough Android tablets in the world -- or at least for those of you who realize that the Intel Atom and the Apple A4 aren't the only games in town. Are you an enterprising young businessman or woman hoping to get into the slate game, and in a hurry? We thought so (you do have that "look" about you). The company promises that this thing'll be available sometime in the second half of this year. For more info, peep the PR after the break.
Acer Aspire 1825PTZ convertible tablet unboxed for your pleasure (video)
Another tablet has entered the fray, the Acer Aspire 1825PTZ convertible -- a little sub-notebook that sits just above a netbook in terms of specs, but isn't much larger than your average Eee. NewGadgets.de has managed to get its hands on one and was kind enough to hit the record button for that special moment of unboxing, sharing the joy as this 11.6-inch capacitive touchscreen'd model entered the world. Inside, the machine sports a 1.3GHz SU4100 Pentium processor, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB disk drive, 802.11b/g/n wireless along with Bluetooth, and a six-cell battery. Sadly the video after the break doesn't actually entail turning the thing on, but hopefully that'll be part of a big-budget sequel. We hear Michael Bay has signed on to direct.
Thieves snag iPad from buyer, yank a finger off while they're at it
We'll be honest with you -- it literally pains us to write this. If you're the queasy type, we'd probably suggest scrolling on down and continuing about your day. For the hardcore still with us, the story goes a little something like this: a Denver-area man headed out to his local Apple store to pick up an iPad for a colleague (read: not even for himself), and in an interview, he admits to not even really understanding the fascination with Apple's new product. After doing his good deed and plopping down the plastic, he casually curled the strings atop the Apple bag around his hand as he headed for the exits. Unfortunately, a pair of thugs met him along the way, yanking the bag, the iPad and all of the flesh surrounding his pinky finger as they bolted for a getaway. Currently, police are investigating surveillance footage in hopes of tracking down the crooks who pulled off the stunt... and, uh, a bit more than they likely bargained for. Video after the break if you've still got the stomach. [Thanks, Chris]
HP Slate leaks its way into the wild: 'meh'
We've only ever seen the HP Slate in extremely controlled demonstrations and cheesy videos until now, but it looks like the Windows 7 tablet just spent a little bit of time in the wild -- Conecti.ca's posted up a full hands-on and mini-review. Their conclusion? "The official verdict is meh." Yeah, ouch. Apparently the Slate's biggest strength is also its greatest weakness -- it's essentially a touchscreen netbook, and that means that while it can run everything including Flash, it can be "slow and annoying." Unfortunately there's not a lot of info on how well HP's TouchSmart Windows 7 skin works, so we'll wait till we play with one before we make a decision, but man -- we definitely weren't expecting this thing to look so chunky in the photos. No wonder the press pics and other demos are so carefully arranged -- it really does look like a chopped up netbook. At least the HDMI dock is somewhat sexy, we suppose. Couple more pics after the break. [Thanks, WikiWarrior]
Toshiba's tablets said to offer Tegra 2 power, have we already seen the Android version?
News continues to trickle out about Toshiba's upcoming tablets, which we learned just last week would come in both Windows and Android flavors and would be shipping before the year is through. Now it seems that both versions, despite offering different designs, will offer NVIDIA Tegra 2 internals. That both tablets will be manufactured by Compal makes us wonder if we weren't given a preview of the future Tosh model when playing with a 7-inch Android prototype at CES in January, pictured above. There's a video of that after the break to refresh your memory, a relic dating from the pre-G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra era. Simpler times, those.
Sharp's NetWalker PC-T1 is the very definition of a MID, coming in May
You'll recall, wise and knowledgeable as you are, that we weren't exactly bowled over by Sharp's keyboard-equipped PC-Z1 portable when we got to play with it at IFA last year. Coming back for another bite at the cherry, the Japanese company has just announced the NetWalker PC-T1, which does away with the disappointing keyboard but retains the crazy pixel density (1024 x 600 resolution on a 5-inch display) and Freescale i.MX515 CPU of its predecessor. Also on offer are Bluetooth and 802.11b/g wireless options, Ubuntu 9.04 as the OS, and USB and MicroSD ports for a nice bit of expandability. An Anglo-Japanese dictionary comes pre-installed plus you'll get access to Sharp's e-bookstore, which has over 25,000 titles on offer. Of course, all that good stuff is tempered by a mediocre 6-hour battery life and a ¥47,000 ($510) price tag. Look for this MID archetype to hit stores in Japan next month. %Gallery-91105%
Adobe CEO: Flash coming to Android, WebOS and BlackBerry 'smartphones and tablets' in 2H 2010
This week Adobe released version 5 of its Creative Suite software compilation. CEO Shantanu Narayen has naturally hit the interview trail to promote his company's wares, but the biggest news from him is actually a delay of sorts. We'd previously heard that Android, WebOS and BlackBerry versions of Flash 10.1 would be available in the first half of 2010, but Adobe's chief now places delivery to those platforms in the second half of the year. At least consolation may be found in his teasing of new Flash-enabled tablets -- most likely to be running Android or Chrome OS -- which we're told to expect to see within the same time frame. As to the question of Apple's holdout from Flash nirvana, Narayen describes it as a business rather than technology decision, which "hurts consumers" and will ultimately be judged by people voting "for the experience that they want through their wallet." Can't really argue with that. Skip past the break for the full interview. Update: The blog of Adobe's Lee Brimelow gives us a likely reason for the delay: Flash Player 10.1 for Android has just entered private beta, as has AIR 2.0, with public betas on the way. Devs can sign up to be notified about both right here.
Report: iPad grabbed 0.03 percent of all web traffic in its first week on earth
Yesterday, when Apple announced it was pushing back the international launch of the iPad until the end of May, high demand was cited -- over 500,000 units delivered, it said. And today, we've got a report out from NetApplications that indicates the iPad might be quickly making inroads with users. Over the first week of the device's public availability, the report says, the iPad nabbed about 0.03 percent of all web traffic. For comparison, the iPhone averages about 0.51 percent of traffic. This number nearly matches web traffic for BlackBerrys in March -- 0.04 percent (Android grabbed up 0.07 percent, as did Windows Mobile). Of course, NetApplications tracks only a sampling of website traffic to gather its data, so we'll keep our eyes peeled for longer term trends.
RIM's Mike Lazaridis makes the case for QWERTY keyboards on phones, says market for tablets not 'clear yet'
Both of RIM's co-CEOs have reputations for being pretty opinionated dudes, and we feel like Mike Lazaridis in particular would go to the ends of the Earth to support BlackBerry's business model -- but at the cost of one of his own products? Speaking at a tech conference in Toronto today, Lazaridis apparently said that the long-term viability of the tablet market (iPad included) is in doubt, especially as smartphones get more powerful; that would probably serve to quash the rumors from a few days back that the company is working on its own large-display device for release later this year. More interestingly, though, were his comments that full touchscreen phones like the iPhone "aren't that popular" -- that's news to us -- and that many that end up buying them ultimately go back to a physical keyboard handset. You know, like a Bold or a Curve, for instance. Whether Lazaridis is conveniently forgetting the existence of his own Storm and Storm2, suggesting that touchscreen devices don't have a long-term future at RIM, or just saying that they'll remain a niche play for the company going forward is unclear -- but any way you slice it, we'd say it's a pretty significant dis for the Storm series and its owners. Looking at the bigger picture, it might also be a sign that these guys are still very much on the fast track to becoming the next Windows Mobile -- dinosaurs paralyzed by their own past successes -- but who knows? Maybe there'll always be limitless demand for an endless array of barely iterative hardware paired to a decade-old user interface. Update: We've received the full transcript of Mike's session from the conference relating specifically to the touchscreen phone and tablet comments, and the reality is quite a bit different from the summary we'd been working from before. As tablets go, he says that "you can't say what's the market for tablets in exclusion of... other devices" -- a fair argument, considering that the iPad's ultimate target demographic still isn't totally fleshed out -- and actually never disrespects touchscreen phones outright, instead saying that the "QWERTY push messaging experience" is still "really, really important" while acknowledging that the company "[continues] to evolve with the research and [investment] in the Storm technology to make sure we get those right." Follow the break for the transcript.
Dell's 7-inch and 10-inch Streak tablets leaked!
We'd heard through the grapevine that the engineers at Round Rock were working on a number of slates to fill the Streak lineup, but man, we didn't see this coming... at least not yet. A couple of images along with an internal Dell announcement landed on our virtual doorstep this fine morning, and lo and behold, it looks as if a 7-inch and 10-inch Streak tablet is on the horizon. But that's not all -- we learned that the "coming soon" we heard earlier regarding the Aero's release date on AT&T really means "June." Later this "summer," said phone will be joined by the Streak 5 (yeah, that's the Mini 5 we've had for months now) for those who prefer a more capable mobile. As for the 7-inch Streak? Look for it to launch (presumably with or without AT&T support) late in 2010, while a 10-inch flavor follows in "early 2011." Is Sidetalkin' really about to return? We're ready -- so ready. Update: Dell hit us up with a totally corporate line when we dug deeper for details: "Dell continually develops and tests new products that extend the mobile experience. We have not made any product announcements and do not comment on speculation, rumor or unannounced products." So insightful. %Gallery-90999%
Supposedly legit WePad video gives us a case of the JooJoos
Ok, so the 11.6-inch WePad was launched running a video and not the real UI. Big deal, at least now we know it'll run Windows 7 in a pinch. In an attempt to save face, the lads at Neofonie posted a video showing what appears to be a real-live working WePad in action. Unfortunately, touch is not yet enabled so the navigation is accomplished with a USB mouse assist. Having been burned once, we're not sure what we can believe about this €450 Atom N450-powered slate. See the video after the break. Update: Video was removed. [Thanks, Mauro]
Keepin' it real fake: Moonse iPad knockoff loses a few inches, runs Android
This is far from the first iPad knockoff to emerge from KIRF-land, but Moonse's new E-7001 tablet may just be the first to garner some serious interest -- if it ever actually turns up for sale, that is. Supposedly, the tablet will sell for as little as 900 Chinese yuan (or about $130), which will get you a 7-inch touchscreen, a 600MHz Rockchip RK2808 processor (which could possibly be upgraded to a Cortex-A8 before launch), Android 1.5 for an OS, an SD card slot for storage, built-in WiFi, and a promised five hours of battery life. What's more, while it is slightly thicker than an iPad, it apparently weighs just 0.7 pounds, or about half as much as the iPad, and it boasts a few advantages of its own, in a front-facing camera and a USB port. As you may have guessed, there's not even a hint on availability, but it does seem to at least exist in prototype form, and there's plenty more shots of it at the source link below.
Toshiba reveals more tablet details, confirms Windows and Android versions
It wasn't that long ago that we heard confirmation from Toshiba America's Jeff Barney that there was a slate coming from the company in early 2011. Now Jeff has disclosed a bit more information to Reuters, including the presence of not one but at least two of the things, and he's saying they'll be out before the year is through. The first will be a premium model running Windows 7, roughly 10 inches in size and, interestingly, having not one but two screens. (Is this you, Courier?) The second will run Android and is said to come in at a lower price, though beyond that it's up to you to decide what kind of specs it should have. The prime intent for both is "media consumption" according to Barney, who sees the presence of slates as "expansive like netbooks." In other words: not stealing sales from the company's laptop business. Given he also took the time to talk up the 50-percent boost in Toshiba laptop and PC sales this year, he'd better hope that's the case.
iPad international launch pushed back until the end of May
Listen, foreigners: We're sorry, okay? America's avarice for sleek, ultra-hip gadgets has overwhelmed Apple, who sold over half a million iPads during its first week in the market. In response to this "unexpected" sales surge, and in anticipation of even higher demand for the tablet, Apple has delayed the international launch of the device from late April to the end of May. Overseas readers will have to wait until May 10 before finding out exactly when the iPad will be available for purchase, and the price point at which it will be sold. Heck, by that time, the U.S. will have already moved on to the next big thing in mobile technology: The Tamagotchi. That's right. We're bringing it back. [Via Engadget]
ODROID tablet sports Hummingbird application processor, shows off naked dev edition on video
Time to add another candidate for the tablet portion of your gadget budget. The ODROID tablet -- being developed by Hardkernel, the folks behind the ODROID portable console -- has at its heart a 1GHz Samsung S5PC110 application processor. Also known as Hummingbird, this chip can drive 1080p video at 30fps according to Samsung, and its ability to deliver a flawlessly smooth user experience was demonstrated in our Galaxy S hands-on. It is an extremely promising core to build around, and the 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with 1,366 x 768 resolution and Android 2.1 inclusions are nothing to sniff at either. For now, all we have is the demo video after the break -- starring your favorite tech blog -- but we'll surely keep an eye out for developments with this device. Particularly if the bezel matches the thin metal frame we're seeing right now.
Telstra's landlocked T-Hub tablet phone launches in Australia (update)
A few years back, Telstra -- synonymous in Australia with "communication" -- told Apple it had no business making a cellphone. Look how that turned out. To make a long story short, the company has since repented, and is on the verge of releasing an app-filled touchscreen phone of their own, the Telstra T-Hub, on April 20th. Thing is, this tablet stays plugged into your wall. Marketed as a "family organizer," the T-Hub stores contacts, surfs Facebook, plays YouTube, displays photos, accesses personal bank accounts and even sends text messages like a smartphone, but does it all while connected to a landline telephone jack. While existing Telstra customers can get the device for $300 AUD, the company would of course prefer you get it for $35 with a 24-month service agreement... for a minimum total cost of about $1980 AUD with 2GB data per month. We're not Australian, but compared to US iPhone pricing, that doesn't sound terribly fair. Update: Telstra spokesman Craig Middleton tells us the T-Hub isn't permanently tethered to your wall. While the phone's base station does connect to a landline telephone jack, the tablet assembly itself is a portable cordless phone with WiFi for web-connected apps. He also adds that the aforementioned 2GB data plan isn't just for the T-Hub, but rather your entire home internet connection.
WePad comes out of tablet hiding, reveals its €450 price and August availability
There's no I in pad. Only we, of course. Yeah, we've been wanting to make that joke for awhile -- but in all seriousness, Neofonie, makers of the 11.6-inch WePad, held a press conference in Berlin today to reveal a bit more about its Linux-based slate. According to our German counterparts there will be two versions of the Intel Atom N450-powered tablet, which has two USB ports and an onboard webcam -- the 16GB / WiFi version will go for €450 and the 64GB / HD capable model for €569. We're a bit intrigued by the promised "full HD" support of the larger version, but Neofonie was quick to say that there is no NVIDIA inside. Hmm... Broadcom's Crystal HD, perhaps? The company wasn't willing to let reporters play with the early build of the multitouch device, but they did show off some videos of the Linux interface. You can watch a few after the break, but the live widget-based GUI looks extremely attractive and amongst other things, the browser supports Flash. It sort of hurts that we won't be able to get our hands on one until August, but we're happy to hear that the company, unlike some others, is taking the time to get things right. Updated: We can't help but laugh at the fact that many sites are reporting that the WePad on display at yesterday's press conference was actually running Windows 7 underneath the Linux-looking UI. Apparently the company has more work to do than we originally thought.
Apple iPad vs. Dell Mini 5 / Streak... fight! (Bonus: smartphone pile-on!)
Occasionally we've had strangers -- very likely non-Engadget readers -- coming up to us and ask, "Sorry mate, but is that the iPad?" To which we reply, "No, it's the Dell Mini 5." This may sound like a silly boo-boo to make, but there is this common misconception of the iPad being just "a bigger iPhone" while not knowing how much bigger it is (despite our best effort). To clear this up once and for all, we've brought the two devices in question together -- the Mini 5 / Streak smartphone on the left, and the iPad on the right. Now it's up to you guys to spread the love. As a bonus, we also threw in various phones -- HTC HD mini, Nexus One, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, and HTC HD2 -- to pile on top of Apple's latest toy, just to kill the Sunday afternoon. No magical and revolutionary devices were harmed in the making of this article. [Thanks for the toys, Chris and Andy]%Gallery-90236%
Meizu Mbook tablet gets pictured, initial specs detailed
Well lookie here, folks, everyone's favorite clone phone maker is getting in on the tablet game, announcing the 8.4-inch Mbook. It's said to have a 1024 x 768 capacitive touchscreen, 3G and WiFi, a 12 hour battery, and even HDMI output over which it will pump enough data to tickle every pixel on your 1080p display. Promising (if a bit optimistic) specs for sure, and while we don't know what OS the thing will be running, those icons are looking mighty familiar. In other words, don't be surprised if this thing winds up being just a big M8. Update: Commenter Mr. Crosini pointed out that the photo above is actually a fan-made conceptual render added here by ardent Meizu fanboy bingo_zheng. However, the specs are said to have come straight from the mouth of Meizu's CEO, and if you can't trust Jack Wong who can you trust?
