Items tagged with tablets
It has barely been two and a half months since Amazon introduced a new generation of Fire HD 8 tablets with upgraded hardware and features, and they are already on sale. Rather than looking at spending $89.99 and up, which is a relatively affordable starting price for a tablet, today's crop of deals drops the cost of entry to just $59.99. Affordability is what the Fire HD 8 family hangs it hat on, making them excellent budget alternatives to Apple's iPad mini. Sure, it is a bit of an apples to oranges (and Apple to Android) comparison, with different platforms, ecosystems, and performance levels between the two. However, the aggressive pricing on the Fire HD 8 line raises the question of whether...
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Back in ancient times, before the Internet was a thing and touchscreen devices dominated the landscape, people read newspapers made from wood pulp (and other ingredients). You could roll it up and tuck it under your arm. Touchscreen tablets don't afford the same level of convenience, but that might change. Researchers at a Queen's University in Ontario have developed a rollable touchscreen tablet that looks like a modern day scroll. The research team is led by Dr. Roel Vertegaal, a professor of human-computer interaction (HCI) at Queen's University's School of Computing, and a pioneer in bendable screens. What he and his team built is a 7.5-inch flexible display with a 2K resolution. It's called...
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It was not all that long ago when analysts and tracking firms were predicting the demise of the PC in the wake of rising tablet shipments. Like the creatures from Wayward Pines, it was expected that tablets would overwhelm traditional computers with sheer numbers and wipe out the populace of PCs. We knew better all along, and now so do the analysts. As IDC now notes, the worldwide tablet market continues to contract. Tablet makers combined to eek out 36.2 million unit shipments in the first quarter of 2017. That is a year-over-year decline of 8.5 percent, and the tenth consecutive quarter that tablet shipments were lower than the same quarter a year prior. It has not been a slow descent, either—tablet...
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It came as quite the surprise when Apple recently introduced a new generation 9.7-inch iPad model at a lower price point than previous generation models, and with more onboard storage to boot. Does Apple just not care about the tablet market as much anymore? That might be the case, as also surprising is a new report that Apple is instructing employees to replace faulty 4th generation iPad models with iPad Air 2 tablets.An internal memo obtained by 9To5Mac reads, "Starting March 30th, iPad 4th generation whole unit repairs may be substituted to iPad Air 2." The memo also instructs Apple employees to let customers know of the iPad Air 2's color and capacity options. That is relevant to customers...
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Store shelves are packed with fresh pencils, pens, and backpacks. Kids are begging their parents for new clothes and kicks. And teachers are frantically organizing their classrooms in the last few days of summer. It is that time of year again -- back-to-school season is upon us, like it or not. If you are looking to pick up some new tech gear for you or a loved one for the impending school year, but do not want to do all of the homework necessary to find that perfect product, do not sweat it, we have got you covered. This is Hot Hardware's personal study guide to help you choose the perfect laptop, tablet, 2-in-1, desktop, gadget, or accessory. Think of it as the "cliffs notes" for tech shoppers... ...
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As good of a job Dell did in constructing in its Venue line of Android tablets over the past several years, it's kicking Google's open source operating system to the curb and focusing more on Windows 10 devices, specifically the fast growing 2-in-1 convertible market. That means no more Android slates, nor will Dell offer its Android-based Wyse Cloud Connect PC-on-a-stick."The slate tablet market is over-saturated and is experiencing declining demand from consumers, so we've decided to discontinue the Android-based Venue tablet line," Dell told IDG News Service in an email. "We are seeing 2-in-1s rising in popularity since they provide a more optimal blend of PC capabilities with tablet mobility....
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If you've recently tried shopping for a Surface 3 tablet, you may have noticed that your options have dwindled. Over at the Microsoft Store, the only SKU that's in stock is the model with 64GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, and Wi-Fi + 4G connectivity. The other three models are sold out and it's anyone's guess if they'll be back in stock before Microsoft ends production altogether by the end of the year. "Since launching Surface 3 over a year ago, we have seen strong demand and satisfaction amongst our customers. Inventory is now limited and by the end of December 2016, we will no longer manufacture Surface 3 devices," Microsoft said in a statement regarding Surface 3's availability.There's an option...
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It’s no secret that the traditional [slate] tablet market has taken a nosedive in recent years. We’ve seen market leader Apple report declining sales for the past two years, with iPad sales falling 25 percent year-over-year during the company’s fiscal Q1 — and if Apple is seeing a slide in tablet sales, the rest of the industry is surely seeing similar trends. Well, according to International Data Corporation (IDC), the worldwide tablet market took a 13.7 percent hit in sales during Q4 2015. Total quarterly tablet sales came in at 65.9 million, while full calendar year sales tallied 206.8 million (which represented a 10.1 percent decrease from 2014). By while the overall tablet market was down,...
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It's hard to believe this year is nearly over. It feels as if our holiday gift guides are being assembled at an ever more rapid pace. Perhaps that has to do with the non-stop innovation in the tech sector, and our insatiable desire for ever-advancing product development. Each year, the leaps in processing power and graphics performance, in addition to the miniaturization and integration of advanced technologies, seems to constantly push the envelope, which means that there are almost always plenty of suitable replacements for our favorite gadgets and gizmos. And if you're on the hunt for gifts for a special someone, we think we've got you covered. From budget products to flagship devices, your...
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There’s no doubt that tablets have revolutionized the way many of us consume media. The tablets on the market today have developed to fill many niche categories and are beginning to rival notebooks in terms of performance. We see everything from the venerable iPads, to the upcoming Amazon Kindles, to a wide variety of Android slates and the latest installments of the Surface line from Microsoft. So, how do you know what is right for you?As is the case with most devices, there just isn’t a single “best” tablet anymore. A more useful start is to determine what kind of user you are. Broadly speaking, are you a mainstream user whose primary interests are web surfing,...
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IFA Berlin 2015 won’t officially get underway until September 2, but product announcements are already breaking. LG is one of the companies getting ahead of the pack, announcing today its LG Rolly keyboard, which rolls up into a slender stick. It’s one of the smallest collapsible keyboards we’ve seen.The keyboard has a small stand that houses the single AAA battery and the hardware for the keyboard’s Bluetooth 3.0 support. It can connect to two devices, which is a nice touch, and you can toggle between them with one of the keyboard’s keys. The stand anchors the keyboard and can hold your phone or tablet (up to 10 inches), thanks to two arms that fold out when needed. LG hasn’t indicated how long...
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When Samsung announced its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge smartphones earlier this month, the electronics giant confirmed previous speculation that it would preinstall a bundle of Microsoft apps. Both flagship smartphones will come with OneNote, OneDrive (complete with 100GB of storage, free for two years), and Skype already installed fresh out of the box. Samsung announced today that it is expanding its partnership with Microsoft and will preinstall its apps on “select” Android tablets. In addition to the apps that are preinstalled on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung tablets will come with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint starting in the first half of 2015. Samsung will also offer...
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Having built itself up to be the world's top supplier of PCs, Lenovo's long-term strategy is to continue leading the PC market while also making a strong run at mobile. In the short-term, that means the release of three new consumer tablets, including a pair of A Series Android slates, the Lenovo TAB 2 A8 and A10-70, and a Windows tablet, the IdeaPad MIIX 300.In a nutshell, the new A Series Android tablets are designed to deliver entertainment on 8-inch and 10.1-inch displays with high-speed LTE connectivity and Dolby Atmos technology, while the 8-inch IdeaPad MIIX 300 brings Windows users a productivity tool in a pocket-sized form factor.Moving beyond the Cliff Notes, we'll start with the TAB...
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Before the iPad came around, tablets were just another has-been sector that didn’t show much promise (does anyone remember Windows XP Tablet PC Edition?). However, following the introduction of the iPad in 2010, the sector exploded in popularity. Numerous manufacturers have jumped onboard in the years since, although Apple is still the top tablet manufacturer, with Samsung taking up the second place position. But over the past year, we’ve seen some softness in the tablet market. Apple’s iPad has seen sales declines for the past few quarters. For fiscal Q1 2015 (actual Q4 2014), iPad shipments fell to 21.4 million units, representing an 18 percent year-over-year decline. However, the iPad sales...
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‘Tis the season of giving. NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang and his wife Lori recently announced a $1 million donation to non-profit City Year. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation granted $500,000 to CARE in India. Napster founder and former Facebook President Sean Parker gave $24 million to Stanford to build an allergy research facility. Today, Microsoft joined that list by donating $2 million in software to NBC-sponsored charities. HP Stream 7 with Windows 8.1 And, to put some icing on the cake, Microsoft also donated 200 HP Stream Windows tablets to the same charities so they’ll have hardware to run that software. Microsoft’s New York District General Manager Reid Downey...
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The ambitious, deeply troubled effort by the Los Angeles, Calif. school district to provide every student with an iPad ended this week with FBI agents seizing documents under a federal subpoena. Federal officials are investigating questions regarding the $1.3 billion contract. Ramon C. Cortines, the superintendent for L.A. schools, put an end to the contract yesterday citing controversy surrounding the failed plan. Agents reportedly removed about 20 boxes of documents during the raid. Image credit: AppleThe effort to equip students with iPads was experiencing problems in the classroom, as well. A review by a Washington, D.C.-based group concluded that most of the schools were not using the iPads...
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It feels like only yesterday that we were whipping up last year’s holiday gift guide, but somehow a full year has passed and we’re staring yet another winter in the face. Don’t fret, though — just because you haven’t prepared for this season doesn’t mean that you’re hung out to dry. As the technology behind smartphones, tablets, and laptops has evolved over the past twelve months, we’ve collected the best and brightest in order to shape your gift buying. Regardless of whether you’re shopping for yourself or a loved one (or both), it’s a great time to be in the market. From budget products to flagship device, your options have never been so diverse--or powerful. We’ve assembled our top...
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For the past year, Intel has pursued what's known as a contra-revenue strategy in its mobile division, where product is deliberately sold at a loss to win market share and compete effectively. This has led to a huge rise in tablet shipments, but heavy losses inside Intel's mobile division. Today, the company announced that it would take steps to fold its mobile and conventional processors into a single operating division. While this helps shield the mobile segment from poor short-term results, it also reflects the reality that computing is something users now do across a wide range of devices and multiple operating systems. Currently, the two markets are divided mostly by processor type. Intel's...
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Hands-On: Dell Launches Venue 8 3000, Venue 8 7000, Venue 11 7000 With Core M, Tablets At Dell World
Dell just launched a trio of new tablets at its Dell World conference, currently taking place in Austin, Texas. One of the tablets, the sleek and ultra-thin Venue 8 7000, we’ve already shown you, because it was first unveiled by Michael Dell at IDF a couple of months back. But the other two are brand-new products that target completely different market segments. The Dell Venue 8 3000 First up is the new Dell Venue 8 3000. As its name suggests, the Venue 8 3000 is an 8” slate. It features an IPS display with a native resolution of 1280x800 and is powered by an Intel Bay Trail-based quad-core processor, backed by 1GB of RAM and 32GB of solid state storage. The Venue 8 3000's...
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For the past few years, Intel has promised that its various low-power Atom-based processors would usher in a wave of low-cost Android and Windows mobile products that could compete with ARM-based solutions from its major competitors. And for years, we've seen no more than a trickle of hardware, often with limited availability and/or questionable pricing. Now, that's finally beginning to change. Intel's Bay Trail and Merrifield SoCs are starting to show up in attractive, full-featured, sub-$200 devices, and we've got one of them on the test bench today, the Acer Iconia Tab 8, along with a competing tablet from Dell that we've shown you previously, the new for 2014 Dell Venue 8... Android...
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For the past few years, Intel has promised that its various low-power Atom-based processors would usher in a wave of low-cost Android and Windows mobile products that could compete with ARM-based solutions from its major competitors. And for years, we've seen no more than a trickle of hardware, often with limited availability and/or questionable pricing. Now, that's finally beginning to change. Intel's Bay Trail and Merrifield SoCs are starting to show up in attractive, full-featured, sub-$200 devices, and we've got one of them on the test bench today, the Acer Iconia Tab 8, along with a competing tablet from Dell, that we've shown you previously, the new for 2014 Venue 8. Acer Iconia...
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Word broke a few days ago that Lenovo was going to discontinue tablets in the U.S. under 10 inches or so in size. It appeared that demand for smaller tablets stateside was dwindling, with users preferring larger devices. Lenovo released a statement today addressing that bit of news, and the long and short of it is that the statement is untrue. “We will continue to bring new Windows devices to market across different screen sizes, including a new 8-inch tablet and 10-inch tablet coming this holiday,” reads an unequivocal Lenovo news post. However, as reported, Lenovo has stopped selling the ThinkPad 8 in the U.S. In a roundabout way, Lenovo said that it would stop selling the Miix...
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