Tag Archives: tablets

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 now up for pre-order at Best Buy

Sad that the Samsung Galaxy Note and Tab 7.7 aren’t coming to the U.S. ? Well, at least you’ll have the Tab 8.9 coming your way, and sooner than you think. Best Buy has just put up their preorder page for the Android Honeycomb tablet listing a $469.99 pricetag for the 16 GB model. This is, of course, the Wi-Fi-only version, and we’ll have to wait to hear from carriers about their plans for an LTE device . The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 promises to be a solid Android tablet, touting a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, running Android 3.2 Honeycomb, and measuing only 8.6 mm thick. The display resolution clocks in 1280 x 800. We’ve been waiting on this thing since March , and even got some hands-on time with it at CTIA . No doubt folks that are looking for something more portable than an iPad (but can’t quite bring themselves to buy a PlayBook) will be eager to pick up the Galaxy Tab 8.9. The thing that really gets me about Samsung’s current Android strategy is just how many differently-sized devices they’re offering. As Sascha poignantly illustrates , they’ve got devices with 2.8, 3.2, 3.5, 3.7, 4, 4.3, 4.5, 5, 7, 7.7, 8.9, and 10.1-inch screens. Which is the best fit for you? If you’d like to preorder this particular Android tablet, you can find the Galaxy Tab 8.9 over here at Best Buy . [ Laptoping via AndroidCommunity ] Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 now up for pre-order at Best Buy originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-15T15:41:15Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Playstation Suite SDK Coming In November to Playstation Certified Devices

The Tokyo Game Show is taking place right now in Japan and Sony is dropping a world of hurt on the gaming industry thanks in part to their new PlayStation Vita handheld gaming device. To help capture the mobile market, Sony is introducing the Playstation Suite SDK for developers to be available this November. This new SDK will allow developers to make cross platform games and apps that work with any Playstation Certified device like (of course) the PSVita as well as Android powered devices like the Xperia Play and Sony’s new brand spankin’ new Tablet S and Tablet P. Sony expects C# developers to have some content up and running by Spring of 2012. This is HUGE news for Android as Sony hopes to have their own Android game market for all Android users regardless of your device. Check out the full press release below. Sep 14, 2011 23:37 ET Sony Computer Entertainment to Offer Software Development Kit for PlayStation®Suite Starting This November SCE to Provide Strong Support to Content Developers for PlayStation®Suite With the Distribution of the Newly Developed Content Starting Next Spring TOKYO, Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that it will offer software development kits (SDK) for PlayStation®Suite (PS Suite), called “PlayStation®Suite SDK,” *1 for content developers starting this November. PS Suite is an initiative solution to deliver the world of PlayStation® to Android™ based portable devices. Through PS Suite SDK, content developers can create content for PlayStation™Certified (PS Certified) devices, hardware certified through the PS Suite license program, as well as for PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita). Supporting C# as the programming language, PS Suite SDK can run programs developed in C# on virtual machine equipped on both PS Certified devices and PS Vita. By supporting development for multiple devices and by adopting libraries to create a variety of content not only limited to games, PS Suite SDK will not only help developers save their cost in creating new content but also allow them to efficiently create their content on one SDK and without having to create on several different SDKs. Through PS Suite SDK, SCE will provide to game developers and publishers the potential to further expand their business opportunities to Android based portable devices. In addition, SCE can approach to a wider range of content developers, non-gaming developers and individual programmers. The detailed information of PS Suite SDK, including how to download, will be announced via a dedicated PS Suite section on SCE’s official website. As of September 15th, 2011, PS Certified device line-up includes Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB’s Xperia PLAY, Sony Corporation’s “Sony Tablet” S, “Sony Tablet” P, and SCE will continue to further accelerate the expansion of PS Certified devices in addition to the current hardware line-up. Furthermore, SCE will provide a variety of content towards these PS Certified devices from end October through PlayStation®Store*2 on PlaySation®Network, starting with original PlayStation games (PS one® classics). The service will start in nine countries including Japan, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Australia and with more countries to follow. In next spring, SCE will enhance the PS Store for PS Certified devices and provide content created by PS Suite SDK, further prevailing the world of PS Suite. Through PS Suite, SCE will deploy various measures to support content developers in their business for rapidly prevailing Android based portable devices and will expand the PlayStation entertainment experience on an open operating system. *1 Software Development Kit is a set of development tools and software libraries. Developers are able to obtain this SDK by signing a license agreement with SCE and by purchasing tool products. *2 Users can download vast digital content including games through PS Store for PS Network for PS3, PSP, PS Vita and PS Certified devices. *3 Number of content differ by regions. [Via Engadget ]

Asus Eee Pad Slider Will Be Available By The End of Month for $475 [Video]

The eagerly awaited Asus Eee Pad Slider will finally be available in the US before the end of the month. According to Engadget who got some extended hands-on time with the tablet hybrid, the device will start at $475 for the 16GB model with the 32GB model jumping a hundred bucks to $575. The Asus Eee Pad Slider features a 10-inch 1280×800 resolution IPS display, Android 3.2 Honeycomb and none of the heavy manufacturer skinning we’ve seen from OEM’s like Sony or Samsung. Is anyone still interested in this tablet? Still waiting for a quad-core Android tablet or has Windows 8 taken away some of the glitz and glamor of Honeycomb? [Via Engadget ]

Windows 8: keyboard, task manager and digital pen [Video]

Hopefully, you’ve checked out the walkthrough video of the Samsung Windows 8 tablet from Build 2011 but I actually couldn’t cover everything in there in that video. Sadly, I’ll have to give this tablet back soon so I decided to create another video to take a deeper dive into the software. As we covered before, Windows 8 is a bold reimagination of the platform which takes a touch-centric, Metro-style user interface and makes it the main focus of the computing experience. Tablet fans and mobile OS fans should find it comfortable but what about keyboard users and those who are happy with the traditional Windows experience? As you can see from the video, the keyboard shortcuts all still work and it’s easy to switch between apps with a quick ALT+Tab. I didn’t have a mouse in the video but I’ve used Windows 8 on other machines with that device and many of the contextual menus that are achieved through gestures can be brought up with a right click. Additionally, you can use the scroll wheel to “flip” through your pages of live tile apps. The Samsung Windows 8 tablet also came with a digital pen which you can use to write notes or draw pictures. Like with the capacitive stylus on the View 4G, I’m not convinced that I would ever use this but I’m sure there are some users who want it, so it doesn’t hurt to bake in support. Overall, we’re very excited about Windows 8 and what it will mean for tablets and the future of computing. Unfortunately, we’re probably still about a year away from this thing really hitting the market (maybe even longer for ARM tablets to land) so I’m going to cherish this tablet for as long as I can. Windows 8: keyboard, task manager and digital pen [Video] originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-15T01:25:55Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Qualcomm Unveils Plans for their Own 2.5GHz, Quad-Core CPUs Due Next Year

We knew NVIDIA and their “Kal-El” line of processor wouldn’t be the only cowpokes in the quad-core rodeo, but with other chip manufacturers playing catchup in the dual-core department we weren’t sure when to expect the likes of Qualcomm to reveal plans for their next generation of CPUs. The manufacturer of the Snapdragon platform that has become almost synonymous with high-end Android smartphones announced that their 2.5GHz quad-core chips could be making it to mobile handsets during the early parts of 2012. The new Snapdragon chips will be coupled with Adreno graphics and support 3D, full 1080p, and LTE at a bare minimum. With that sort of power, next year’s smartphones and tablets could start to take on the laptop market in terms of mobile computing power. It’s kind of scary, actually, to think how far we have come since the days of the 1GHz single-core Snapdragon. [via PocketLint ]

Sprint iPad on the way alongside iPhone 5?

We know that the iPhone 5 should be coming to Sprint in October but the third-largest mobile operator may also be getting the Apple tablet to go along with it. According to 9to5Mac, Apple has prepared a 3G iPad which will be compatible with Sprint’s network. This is different than the Verizon 3G iPad but the report doesn’t mention whether there will be WiMax 4G support or not. I don’t picture Apple being the biggest fan of WiMax but I think that having 4G in an iPad could be a very cool thing. The AT&T version has a 3G iPad but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the next version have AT&T’s 4G . The issue is that having 4G on each network will require different radios and Apple generally doesn’t like to alter its devices too much for carriers. Still, having an iPad available on Sprint is a solid option but let’s wait to see how the tablet data plans work out. [Via 9to5Mac ] Sprint iPad on the way alongside iPhone 5? originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-14T16:17:58Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Kantar Worldpanel ComTec: More than 3.6 million people in the UK now own a tablet

Research company Kantar Worldpanel ComTec says that there are more than 3.6 million people in the UK with a tablet, representing 7.6% of the population — up from 2.8% in November 2010. Needless to say, Apple’s iPad accounts for almost three-quarters of tablet sales with the Samsung Galaxy Tab holding the distant second position with 5.9% market share. According to the report, the iPad will likely continue to dominate the market, with just more than half of potential tablet owners saying they would buy an iPad over the next year. The Samsung Galaxy range is the next choice, with just 6% of consumers planning to buy the tablet. And that’s not all, there’s a room for other manufacturers as well – “28% of consumers that intend to purchase a tablet in the next year are still undecided about which brand to buy.” Finally, it’s important to add that the majority of tablet sales so far were Wi-Fi-only devices (as opposed to 3G + Wi-Fi)… [Via: FT ] Kantar Worldpanel ComTec: More than 3.6 million people in the UK now own a tablet originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-14T07:03:30Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Git Media Announces Surge and Pro Tablets with 250GB HDD

Git Media is hoping to enter the Android tablet race strong with the introduction of two new tablets, the NVIDIA Tegra 2-packing Surge and Samsung Exynos 4210-rocking Pro . Other than their top-class dual-core CPUs, the two device do not differ greatly. Both feature 16:9 widescreen 10.1-inch displays at 1280×768 pixels, 1GB of RAM, and a massive 250GB Seagate HDD. Also making the spec sheet are 5MP and 2MP cameras on the rear and front respectively, built-in speaker and 3.5mm headphone jack, and ports for USB, microSD, and miniUSB. Both the Git Surge and the Git Pro are available now for pre-order through the company’s website for a rather reasonable $479.99. They are even throwing in your choice of a leather case and wireless keyboard or a 3-year warranty with your reservation. The offer runs through the 15th of October. [ Git Media via AndroidCentral ]

NVIDIA launches Windows 8 app developer program

We’re at Build 2011 and have just been introduced to Windows 8 and one of the exciting things about it is that this touch-friendly platform will run on the ARM chipset. To help capitalize on this, NVIDIA has launched a Windows 8 developer program to help developer bring great apps to Windows 8 devices. What really excites us is that the Windows 8 platform will be compatible with NVIDIA’s upcoming Kal-El quad-core processor, which could bring some serious horsepower to tablets that run Microsoft’s operating system. The developer program will help developers specifically tailor their programs and Metro-style apps for this platform. “With its elegant user interface and support for tablets and notebooks using ARM-based processors, Windows 8 will bring a seismic shift to the industry,” said Jeff Fisher, senior vice president of the PC Business Unit at NVIDIA, in a prepared statement . “Our expertise in both ARM and x86 environments, and our intimate familiarity with the Windows code base, makes us uniquely qualified to support Windows 8 developers.” If you want to register for the NVIDIA Windows 8 developer program, you can go here to sign up . Are you excited about the potential of a quad-core Windows 8 tablet? [Via NVIDIA ] NVIDIA launches Windows 8 app developer program originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-13T19:42:31Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Panasonic gets rugged, launches Toughbook Android tablet

Panasonic today officially launched its Toughbook Android tablet along with upgrades to three of its Toughbook laptop range including the fifth generation of its CF-19, second generation of the CF-31, and the new CF-53. This announcement came at the Defence and Security International (DSEi) exhibition in London. The Toughbook tablet carries a 10.1-inch XVGA touchscreen, which offers high brightness and is daylight-viewable so that owners can use it in any lighting conditions. It also dispenses with the normal gleaming glass front, which helps cut down on those terrible reflections. The tablet also comes with a stylus, so input can be made simpler. The Toughbook is designed specifically for military use, so there isn’t any gaping holes in the security system, because the slate has “deep-rooted” security measures embedded at hardware level. Other noteworthy features include: Satellite-based GPS Full-shift battery life Professional-grade accessories Built-in 3G mobile broadband connectivity (optional) When it comes to the laptops: the CF-19, CF-31, and the newly released CF-53 keeps most of its build quality in tact, but highlights different features in the inside. These new products offered from Panasonic are badass; their hardware is designed to withstand extreme environments like war zones. I can definitely see consumers going after these babies, especially if they work in an rough-and-tumble industry. [via pocket-lint ] Panasonic gets rugged, launches Toughbook Android tablet originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-13T18:26:34Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j