What was that we were saying about the “PC market” needing to be redefined to include tablets? More market predictions are out, and this one from Canalys includes tablets in the mix, which paints a different picture of the PC market from one that’s experiencing lagging sales to one that is simply...Read more...
Intel is making a play for a bigger chunk of the mobile market, and although ARM says that it’s a generation ahead of Intel’s Atom (on smartphones, at least), Intel showed off its 22nm Silvermont microarchitecture and new Atom (Bay Trail) tablet platform and demonstrated a substantial generational...Read more...
What do you get when you see an enterprise-grade hardware maker team up with a leader in gesture recognition? A pretty interesting launch at Computex, that's what. TabletKiosk and SoftKinetic have teamed up to bring embedded 3D camera technology to the portable Tablet PC market. TabletKiosk has created a conceptual...Read more...
Microsoft had a simple formula for competing in the mobile space: Launch a Surface Pro device running Windows 8 for people that need a full fledged system for getting work done yet desire the portability of a tablet, and Surface RT for consumers who are primarily interested in a tablet. In Microsoft's mind, this would...Read more...
ASUS has some announcements brewing for Computex in a few days, and they’re teasing with the slogan “WeTransform”. Presumably, this has something to do with the company’s Transformer line of tablets, and/or possibly with some convertible PCs. Or perhaps we’re reading into the slogan...Read more...
It's perhaps the ultimate Catch 22. HTC needs to expand into more frontiers beyond the smartphone one in order to generate more revenue. But it lacks the revenue to expand into new product segments. Years back, HTC actually tried its hand at a tablet. While the device did well in reviews, hardly anyone actually...Read more...
Remember when Steve Jobs thrashed the concept of a 7-inch tablet, calling it a tweener device that sits between a smartphone and what he viewed as a traditionally sized slate (9.7 inches)? At the time, it seemed unlikely Apple would ever launch an iPad smaller than 9.7 inches, but then came the iPad mini, which is giving its bigger brother...Read more...
Earlier this year, the IDC forecasted a 1.3% decline in PC shipments, which was supposed to be followed by a gradual increase, but now the research firm has adjusted its predictions dramatically: The IDC expects the PC market to drop 7.8% this year and another 1.2% in 2014; it won’t bounce back up until 2015, and even then, it will only...Read more...
As much as I've wanted Microsoft to hit a homerun with its advertising efforts, I haven't been super impressed its commercials the past few years. I didn't really care to see Seinfeld shopping for shoes or Bill Gates talking about churros, neither of which were worthy retorts to Apple's Mac vs PC ad spots. And let's not even talk about Microsoft's...Read more...
Wondering if tablets have officially become a mainstream commodity? Well, here's your answer: they're flooding Walmart. While iPads and select Android tablets have been around on Walmart shelves for a bit, you know these things are getting popular once a brand like Hisense gets approved. It's spectacularly diffcult to...Read more...
Although Samsung’s Galaxy Tab devices are generally very fine products, the sheer number of SKUs in the line make individual Tabs less interesting. However, there’s a rumor that the upcoming Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 will be packing an Intel chip instead of a homegrown Samsung Exynos or other mobile processor...Read more...
The mobile market is a bitter one for Intel at the moment, as up to this point, it's been unable to secure any major design wins using its Atom-based SoCs. There have been a couple of phone releases, but they've been far and few between, and mostly targeted at Europe. A couple of months ago, one win came in the form of ASUS' Fonepad, a 7-inch...Read more...
Apple is said to be finalizing the design of its 5th generation 9.7-inch iPad tablet and will begin trial production within the coming weeks, if not days. Assuming all goes well with the trial run, Apple's manufacturing partners will kick things into high gear and begin volume production in July, according to chatter...Read more...
Sony and E Ink have collaborated on a brilliant digital paper 13.3-inch notepad tablet that’s designed as an A4 size equivalent. The flexible-display device uses E Ink Mobius technology, and Sony’s part appears to be primarily on the mass production side. DigInfo.Tv shot a demo video of the tablet in...Read more...
Acer President Jim Wong earlier this month stated he doesn't see the value proposition in Windows RT tablets, but that doesn't mean Acer wants nothing to do with Windows 8. Need definitive proof of that? Just head over to Acer's Finnish website and spy a new entry for its upcoming Iconia W3, an 8-inch Windows 8 tablet...Read more...
Archos has made a bit of a living out of producing low-end, super affordable gadgets. Namely, audio players and tablets. While they hardly ever impress anyone from a benchmarking standpoint, it's tough to overlook the latest. It's the Archos 80 Xenon, the company's latest and greatest 3G tablet in the Elements...Read more...
Acer tried warning Microsoft that it's not easy competing in the hardware space. Nevertheless, the Redmond outfit threw caution to the wind and introduced the world to its Surface RT and Pro devices, neither of which has shaken up the industry. We can speculate that the cost of entry -- $499 and up -- is a large...Read more...
If you're living in the UK, and have been holding out for a Microsoft Surface, the wait is almost over. After launching months ago in the U.S. and Canada, the Surface Pro will make the journey across the pond starting May 23rd. The Windows 8-based unit will ship for £719 in the 64GB configuration, and £799 for the 128 GB configuration....Read more...
It's probably a bit premature to play Taps whenever the topic turns to Windows RT, but at the rate things are going, someone may want to type up an obituary just in case (Acer would be game). Windows RT is proving a tough sell, as evidenced by its lackluster market share and by deep price cuts, the latest of which comes from Dell. On the bright...Read more...
The Galaxy Note 8.0 was first introduced at Mobile World Congress as a multifaceted device; it was part tablet, part mobile phone. Indeed, the global variant of the Note 8.0 is equipped with a cellular radio that can handle both data and voice transmission. But the Note 8.0 that shipped in the U.S. market is a simpler device, mostly because...Read more...
Samsung introduced the original Galaxy Tab in late 2010 and Samsung's line-up of Galaxy-branded products has simply exploded since then. Even for those who avidly follow consumer technology, it's getting tough to track. There's the Galaxy Tab line of tablets, the Galaxy S line of smartphones, and then there's the Galaxy...Read more...
Word on the web is that Asus is building another 7-inch Nexus tablet for Google. That's pretty exciting, considering the original Nexus 7 is viewed by many to be the best Android tablet in its size class that's currently available, yet Asus left a little bit of room for improvement for a follow-up act. Will the next...Read more...