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Toshiba Folio 100 now shipping its Tegra 2-powered Froyo wares around Europe
If you're LG, you wait until Android becomes a tablet-worthy OS before bringing out your Tegra 2 slate. If you're Toshiba, you're too busy shipping your 10-inch Froyo tablet to care. The Folio 100, powered by NVIDIA's latest and greatest ARM SOC, is making its promised Q4 2010 arrival today, as it begins shipping all across Europe. There are still no release plans for the US, but Euros can now enjoy a 1024 x 600 resolution, 16GB of internal storage, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, mini-HDMI, USB and SD card-reading ports, and up to seven hours of battery life. €399 ($560) is the last price we heard for this Android Market-deprived slate, though we'd recommend trying one in person before letting go of that cash -- our own impressions of the Folio 100 weren't overwhelmingly positive. Update: Toshiba has furnished us with updated pricing. Germany will have to pony up €429 for the 3G-less Folio 100 or €529 for the 3G-equipped SKU (available Q1 2011), whereas Italy gets both of them cheaper at €399 and €499, respectively, and UK buyers will have to find £329 for the thriftier model. All prices include local sales tax.
LG Pad coming in Q1 2011, with Android Honeycomb, dual-core Tegra 2, and 8.9-inch screen
Want some specificity about LG's super-duper tablet roadmap? Last we heard from the Korean tech giant, it was canning plans for a Froyo slate and looking forward to a more suitable iteration of Android, which a senior official at the company has today clarified to mean Honeycomb, describing it as the "tablet PC-version" of the OS. He's even gone beyond the call of PR duty in placing a release schedule for the 8.9-inch LG Pad in the first quarter of 2011, boasting that it'll come with a dual-core Tegra 2 chip inside. That sounds terribly delicious to us, as does the note that LG has worked hard to accommodate the needs and wants of European and North American consumers -- the release window is explicitly said to be for both domestic and overseas markets. Update: We've just heard back from LG on the matter and the company says it has nothing official to tell us. It'd seem whoever the cited official in this piece is, he was dishing details that LG doesn't want the world to know yet. LG's PR team has also pulled a tweet about this story, ostensibly to cover its tracks.
ViewSonic G-Tablet pops up in Sears weekly ad, mistakenly claims to be the ViewPad 10 at Sears' website
Did ViewSonic's 10-inch tablets catch your eye? We've got good and bad news. The good news is that the G-Tablet (with a 1GHz processor and Android 2.2) is now on sale at Sears for $379.99 -- even less than we were told. The bad news is that the Intel Atom N455-powered ViewPad 10 apparently is, too. We say apparently because Sears seems to have crossed some wires when putting the latter slate up on its site, most egregiously stating that that dual-booting device does both Windows 7 and Android 2.2 for the exact same $379.99. Last we heard, the ViewPad 10 -- like the eerily similar Tega v2 -- could only do Android 1.6 alongside Microsoft's OS and would cost quite a bit more. Don't rely on Sears to cut you a deal, folks.
ASUS lays out Armdroid and Wintel tablet plans, we already feel overwhelmed
Leave it to ASUS to blast out an entire series of tablets that saturate the market in a single go. Many of these have already been mentioned, leaked, or even revealed at trade shows. But now we've got company president, Jerry Shen, filling in the launch details. Starting in December, ASUS will begin launching tablets in 7-, 9-, 10-, and 12-inch form factors. The 12-inch model will run Windows on an Intel chipset and be ready for purchase in January. Of interest, Shen says that Microsoft assisted in the development by making several enhancements to related technologies including touch control and the user interface. In March ASUS will launch a pair of 7 inchers (one with WiFi and the other with "3.5G" and phone functions) and another pair of 9-inch tablets (an ARM-based Tegra 2 model running Android and another Wintel tablet) with a price gap of $100. Of course, we've see a 10-incher around as well. That means we should see a grand total of five or six tablets from ASUS at CES in January. Fun.
ASUS Eee Pad EP101TC getting Tegra 2 treatment ahead of March launch?
More from DigiTimes this morning and its chatty sources within NVIDIA and Taiwanese supply chains. First up is talk that ASUS' 10-inch Eee Pad -- presumably, the Android loving EP101TC said to cost less than $399 -- will launch in March of 2011 with NVIDIA's Tegra 2 taking care of the processing duties. DigiTimes' sources also remind us that Tegra 2 tablets are on the way from Dell, Samsung, MSI, and Toshiba in addition to smartphones from ASUS, Motorola, and LG. Good to know, but for as long as Tegra 2 has been discussed, we've yet to see the SoC ship inside anything worth getting too excited over. And don't even mention the Boxee Box, they switched to Intel at the last minute, remember? Maybe Dell's Looking Glass tablet will change all that when it launches any day now.
Notion Ink founder claims Adam tablet will go 15+ hours on a charge
The Pixel Qi and Tegra 2-packing Notion Ink Adam has long been one of our favorite pieces of perfectly plausible vaporware, but founder Rohan Shravan's just made a pretty fantastic claim -- he says he's getting a minimum of 15 hours of battery life from his personal tablet and calculates you'll get up to twenty with the 24Wh, potentially user-replaceable battery nestled in its frame. While those are the figures for the $498 transflective version of the tablet and not the $399 juice-gulping LCD, they're still so stellar that they could easily make or break the Adam's sales depending on their veracity. Oh Rohan, please don't let us down.
Motorola's mysterious Olympus MB860 gets certified for Bluetooth, UPnP and dual-band WiFi
What is the Motorola MB860? It's hard to say for sure, but it could be one of the infamous Tegra 2 tablets that Motorola's been allegedly working on. Ameblo recently discovered that the MB860 had been certified for Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, and then noticed that the UPnP Forum had attached a curious codename -- Olympus -- to the device. This is where things get fairly fuzzy, but Android and Me recently reported that the Olympus was one of two Motorola tablets in testing -- though it may not be the Stingray, as that supposed 10-inch device has an alphanumeric designation of its own: MZ600. For those of you inspired to go sluthing on your own, we've got a couple final notes. First, the Bluetooth SIG has already changed its MB860 filing to read BT0001, according to Google's cache. Second, though the WiFi interoperability certificate above reads "smartphone," that's not necessarily true -- according to the Wi-Fi Alliance, Samsung's Galaxy Tab is a "phone" as well.
Kno single-screen tablet textbook hands-on: all the power in half the size
If you've been following tech news today, you'll know two tablets are coming down the pike -- RIM's BlackBerry Playbook, and a single-screen version of the Kno textbook tablet from the artist formerly known as Kakai. Running across San Francisco to a Kno meet-up, we got to see the new unit for ourselves, and discovered this interesting little tidbit: it's got all the same hardware inside. How? Find out after the break. %Gallery-103449%
Caption Contest: NVIDIA CEO flaunts tattoo on stage, still serving cans of whoop-ass
Oh sure, NVIDIA might not have had any physical chips to show off at the GPU Technology Conference earlier this week, but CEO Jen-Hsun Huang did have one very, very special exhibit up his sleeve. Paul: "And below the logo is a picture of all the shipping devices running Tegra 2." Don: "Here are the new logo designs we've been working on, Mr. Huang." Ross: "Take a cue from Peter Moore and go with temporary. You never know where you'll be in even just a few years' time." Chris: "Huang's Boxee Box tramp stamp, of course, would remain a secret." Joanna: "And this is why I hate gun, er GPU shows." Darren: "Whatever. At least it's not a Zune tattoo." Richard Lai: "Yo Intel, this is how embedded is done." Vlad: "Jen-Hsun's displays of support for Notion Ink are starting to get out of hand..."
Malata's SMB-A1011 Tegra 2 tablet spotted at GTC 2010, we go hands-on
Despite perennial delays that have mysteriously kept every slate of note from formally shipping out, there are actually a surprising number of Tegra 2 tablets floating around. Like this 10-inch Malata SMB-A1011, for instance, which seems to be very closely related to Hannspree tablet and the Interpad -- all 1GHz, 1024 x 600 tablets with theoretically fabulous spec sheets including Froyo and HDMI-out. We found the device sitting alone and unloved at Allegorithmic's texture compression booth, but after spending a few minutes of quality time we figured out why -- though the Tegra 2 T20 was plenty powerful enough to tilt windmills in real time, build quality was severely lacking. Though not light by any stretch of the imagination, the chassis nonetheless flexed when we picked it up, and we nearly dropped it more than once due to the lack of a good place to grip. There's no stand of any sort to prop it up on a table, but the screen's viewing angles are so poor (especially in the vertical directions) as to completely wash out or darken the screen when we set it down... and at least a half-dozen times the capacitive multitouch digitizer totally failed to respond to our finger. Though Froyo looked clean and had plenty of real estate to work with, the official Google suite of apps (and the Android Market) were lacking, often a major concern even on quality Android devices, and possibly the nail in the coffin for this one at the €399 (about $528) that Hannspree and E-Noa figure their versions are worth. Take a gander at the half-baked hardware yourself in our gallery immediately below, and for Tegra's sake pray that things improve before the Malata hits the market. %Gallery-102961%
NVIDIA CEO: Tegra 3 almost done, Tegra 4 on the way, expect a new Tegra annually
Though NVIDIA's GPU Technology Conference is primarily about the applications of GPU computing, CEO Jen-Hsun Huang hasn't shied away from revealing new silicon, and he just promised something quite unexpected to attending press: new Tegra chips. Though the Tegra 2 has yet to leave a single dent on the consumer marketplace -- the Boxee Box famously tossed it out -- Huang told us that not only is a Tegra 3 almost done and a Tegra 4 currently underway, but that we should expect a new Tegra SOC "every single year." Forgive us for being a mite skeptical of the company's ability to attract customers, but the only notches we see on Tegra's belt are the Zune HD... and Microsoft's failed Kin.
HTC said to have placed production order with Pegatron for mythical 'tablet PC'
DigiTimes reports can be shaky at the best of times, but this one takes the digi-biscuit. Reporting on an apparent order by HTC with Pegatron for the production of a new Android-based "tablet PC," DigiTimes claims the new development will help Pegatron achieve its goal of being one of the top four global notebook manufacturers. So is this a tablet or, dare we say it, a smartbook? Nobody clarifies that point, but specs are said to include a 1280 x 720 widescreen display, a 32GB SSD, 2GB of RAM, and Tegra 2 under the hood. Android Market support is also expected (huzzah!), though pricing might be steep at around $790 unsubsidized. At this stage, we'd be more surprised if HTC doesn't bring out a tablet in the next few months, but we wouldn't invest too much of our emotions into this report just yet. Maybe once Mr. Blurrycam decides to join the fray and give us something to look at.
ViewSonic outs 10-inch G Tablet: Android 2.2, NVIDIA Tegra 2 on the inside
Don't blink -- you might just mistake ViewSonic's new G Tablet for the ViewPad that we handled back at IFA. This guy, however, packs a very different list of internal specifications in a 10-inch tablet form factor that's beginning to look all too familiar. Showcased for the first time last night in New York City, this guy dumps Intel's Atom in favor of NVIDIA's Tegra 2, and rather than booting a pair of operating systems, it relies solely on Android 2.2 -- a mobile OS that Google has specifically said isn't tailored for use on slates. At any rate, there's also 1GB of RAM, a 1024 x 600 resolution panel, USB / HDMI, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, 16GB of storage, a 1.3 megapixel camera and a chassis that measures 9.96- x 6.5- x 0.5-inches. We're told that it handled 1080p media without any trouble, and while the capacitive touchpanel was deemed "beautiful," the ultra glossy coating will certainly turn off those who plan to visit the great outdoors. It's expected to hit shelves in October with a lofty $529 $429 retail price, and with that, we'll simply wish it the best of luck and point you to the video past the break. Update: We've been contacted by the Powers That Be and told that our source had misquoted the price by one Benjamin. Readjust your memory, it's $429. It's always been $429.
Boxee Box ditches NVIDIA's Tegra 2 for Intel CE4100, pre-orders start today at $199
The wait for the Boxee Box is nearly over -- pre-orders begin today -- but before you drop a stack of change on D-Link's half-sunk cube, know that there's no longer an NVIDIA Tegra 2 under that tiny hood. At the last minute, Boxee switched to the Intel Atom CE4100, the same up-to-1.2GHz Sodaville chip powering Google TV. That's not all, as manufacturer D-Link told us our good friend Avner Ronen may not be able to keep his promise -- though the company still expects the Box to hit the streets at under $200, we're now looking at a $229 suggested retail price. What could possibly have happened to make these drastic changes? We visited Boxee in person to get an explanation, and you'll find the surprisingly simple (yet NVIDIA-damning) answer right after the break. Update: We just learned that Amazon will be selling it for $199, though the MSRP will remain $229. %Gallery-101976%
Mouse Computer brings the exciting and new LuvPad AD100 to Japan, Froyo and Tegra come aboard
Android-loving Japanese readers, your day has come. Mouse Computer is kindly bringing you the so-called LuvPad AD100, a 10.1-inch, 1,024 x 600 tablet running Android 2.2 on NVIDIA Tegra 2 internals. As is the way of Android tablets it is naturally just a rebrand of someone else's product, which we've earlier seen showing up with a Hannspree logo and, before that, an Interpad logo. There's the typical 512MB of internal memory paired with microSD expansion (8GB included), and it can be yours in a few weeks if you get that pre-order in for ¥48,250 -- about $575. Need to see more before committing? Check out our Spanish colleagues' hands-on with the Interpad version.
Elocity A7 goes up for pre-order on Amazon with Android 2.2, Tegra 2, and a $370 price tag
Galaxy Tab? Who needs that overpriced prima donna? Here's the tablet the economical among us have been waiting for. Alright, so the Elocity A7 didn't elicit the highest of praise when it made its cameo on The Engadget Show, but let's congratulate its makers on achieving a pair of feats. Firstly, StreamTV has managed to get its Froyo tablet listed for pre-order on Amazon -- which is no mean feat in itself, just ask Notion Ink -- and secondly, it's done so at an even lower price point than promised, with an encouraging $370 tag. Even if you're like us and not entirely blown away by its performance, you've got root for this little slate to complete the narrative and start selling -- if for no other reason than that it might incite others to stoop to the same price point.
Colombia pumps out 10-inch Android and Windows 7 tablets (video)
Sure, popular belief equates Colombian exports with tons of coffee beans, but two Bogota-based companies presently have 10-inch tablet computers on the brain. Compumax has got an Android-powered Tegra 2 device on tap with a dual-core 1GHz Cortex A9, 512MB of RAM and a 32GB hard drive, and Smart PC's looking at a netbook-specced Windows 7 slate with an Atom N450 processor, a DVD burner, up to 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive, a folding stand and a pair of peripheral-friendly USB ports alongside what looks like a fairly responsive multitouch screen. Intriguingly enough, the companies claim the devices aren't rebrands and are actually built in Colombia from foreign parts -- the "Hyper" Android slate is reportedly already on sale for COP 700,000 (about $387), and you can expect the "Smart Touch" Windows machine to debut for COP 1,099,000 (about $608) when it debuts in Peru next month. See the latter machine in action right after the break. Update: We often make light of stereotypes at Engadget, hoping to expose them as such, but the one formerly posted here was not in the best of taste. We've replaced it, and would like to apologize to any offended by our original choice of words.
Toshiba's Folio 100 with Android and Tegra 2 spied in the IFA wilds
That Folio 100 (alias Smart Pad) from Toshiba we'd been hearing about? Yep, totally real, and totally Tegra 2-powered -- a theme that we think is going to be pretty popular among tablet makers this season. We caught a handful of Folio 100s firmly affixed to a wall at IFA today, showing 10.1-inch multitouch LCD displays paired with a remixed version of Android 2.1, a handful of capacitive buttons, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera, 16GB of on-board storage, and not much else -- there's really nothing visually stunning about the setup as far as we can tell, and it's not particularly thin. After bouncing out that crazy Libretto W100, Toshiba's going to have to turn up the style dial to 11 if it wants to rise above the forthcoming onslaught of Google tablets, we suspect.
Hannspree pairs Android 2.2 with Tegra 2 for a 10.1-inch multitouch tablet
Yearning for a bit of dual-core action on the move? Who isn't. Hannspree will soon try to quell that 1080p-sized hunger in all of us with its freshly announced €399 ($507) Froyo tablet. There's no lack of spec sheet ambition here: a 1GHz Tegra 2 SOC is surrounded by 16GB of internal storage (expandable via MicroSD), an accelerometer, WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, a 1,024 x 600-pixel capacitive touchscreen, and mini versions of HDMI and USB ports. Flash 10.1 is also proudly supported, while the 3,500mAh battery is said to last up to 8 hours when playing 1080p movies. We'd be getting real excited right about now, but we've learnt to be cautious with such lofty promises -- remember the Gemini?
Toshiba's Tegra 2-powered Android Smart Pad to be called Folio 100?
A Smart Pad? That's just Toshiba's product category, according to Netbook Italia's latest post on the tablet (it's previously shown off some apparent imagery). The publication has published new renders -- including a dock peripheral -- and some purported specs. Here's what's being said: Android 2.2, NVIDIA Tegra 2 (both of which we've heard in other whispers), a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 screen, 16GB internal memory, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, 3G, SD and MMC card readers, HDMI and USB 2.0 ports, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, and a 1020mAh battery with a battery life of up to 7 hours with mixed use (browsing and video playback). Software-wise, it's got Opera mobile browser, Flash 10.1, an e-book reader, and some office applications. The doubting Thomas in us still remains hesitant until Toshi gives the official word, but nothing here seems too crazy for the tablet mania most companies seem to have this year. One thing's for sure, its claimed official name -- Folio 100 -- is a few degrees to close to some bad memories of ours.
