Orange Tahiti Tablet

Orange UK introduced its own new tablet: Orange Tahiti. The selling price will be $100 with two years subscription, 2GB monthly traffic, 1 GB of which can be used only in off-peak.

Tahiti Orange has a dual-core 1.2 Gz, 5 megapixel camera, running Android 3.2. The display is TFT capacitive touchscreen and will have a 7-inch diagonal. The tablet features GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, 3G and HSDPA. The tablet is made by Huawei company and runs Android Honeycomb OS.

Check Nook Table post

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Google Nexus Tablet - the first Google tablet

Google has worked with HTC and Samsung to promote their own mobile OS (Android) to smartphones, and now it seems it wants to come strong on the tablet market segment. According to statements by the Executive Director of Google, Eric Schmidt, the online giant is preparing a tablet that will compete with Amazon Kindle Fire.

Thus, Google tablet aims to provide outstanding performance in a compact body with 7 inch touch screen, while maintaining a competitive price under $ 200.

It is rumored that the Google tablet will be available under the name "Nexus Tablet", which urges us to believe that the manufacturer will be the South Korean company Samsung, which made ​​the latest Google smartphones - Nexus Nexus S and Galaxy.

The operating system will could be the last iteration of Android's, most likely the future 4.x ICS

Although this is the logical step, Google prefers to keep us in suspense. They do not confirm anything officially. But we still have the Eric Schmidt statement, which is heavy.

If the rumors will prove true, Google tablet could appear on the market in about six months.

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Quad-core HTC tablet to be released in February 2012

HTC did not manage to have the expected success with HTC Flyer tablet. They will try their luck in 2012 with a fresh quad-core tablet. It will be interesting to see if they will use Tegra 3. Especially since they speak also of a smartphone with Tegra 3 HTC - HTC Edge.

The presentation event of the famous tablet will take place at HTC Mobile World Congress 2011 in Spain.

The race for quad-core tablets just started. Perhaps this would be the rescue solution they are waiting for. There are many things to be taken into consideration: interface, operating system, applications.

iPad still dominates the market with over 60%, Android tablets with a variety of models stands at 35%.

See more details on HTC Flyer here

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Nook tablet - a rival to Kindle Fire

Nook released a new tablet in a saturated niche. For those who don't know, Nook is a brand known for its eBook readers that was rivaling the Kindle over the years.

Nook tablet is trying to take a piece of Kindle Fire's market.

Features:

- Capacitive touch screen 7 inch IPS, 1024 x 600 pixels;

- Dual-core processor at 1 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 16 GB of storage and microSD up to 32GB;

- Android 2.3 Gingerbread;

- Range of up to 9 hours for video playback;

- price:249 dollars. Remember that Kindle Fire will start to be delivered in mid-November at $ 199.



I think that Barnes&Noble needs to revise that price in order to be competitive with Kindle.

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5 Viable Alternatives to Kindle Fire

Is Amazon Kindle Fire the most affordable tablet on the market?

I am trying to answer this question so stay with me while I go through the list of the main price/features competitors. Although Kindle Fire is currently the most brilliant diamont available for tablet fans, there are a lot of tablets out there at a similar price or less that can successfully replace it.

Below I will present six alternatives for Kindle Fire:

Asus Transformer

Asus Transformer is a real bargain. Asus is fighting for top positions in the Android tablets for some time. Transformer is offering an amazing screen and many ISP ports and is a safe tablet with a low price that runs Android Honeycomb.

And, like all other Android tablets on the market, it can run all Kindle reader applications.

BlackBarry Playbook

It's hard to fall in love with Playbook, but if you're a Blackberry fan and you want a tablet with a light OS and an amazing screen this is the right choice for you.

BlackBarry Playbook comes with preinstalled reading software called Kobo but if you want to read Kindle books you can use Kindle Cloud Reader (avialable for download).

Dell Streak 7

Although Dell tablet Streak tablet 7 is the oldest from the tablets presented here, it manages to keep up pretty well. Android 2.2 has lots of applications, including Kindle app that can satisfy even the most fussy users.

It is rumored that Dell Streak 7 will receive a big upgrade, much needed for Honeycomb users.

Archos 80 G9

Archos 80 G9 is equipped with a 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex processor, 8-inch screen and 8 GB internal memory.

Technical specifications are pretty good, but we can't say the same about the final product. However Archos 80 G9 can perform relly good the tasks of a Kindle Fire.

Nook Color

Nook Color is one of the cheapest tablets on the market. It comes with preinstalled Android 2.2 OS that features many applications, email and web browser. If you don't like the pre-installed reading application you can install the Kindle app right away.

Those from Barnes & Noble were the first to to release a complex e-reader device that acts just as a tablet at half the price of an iPad. Wee see the same move today from Amazon with the release of the new Kindle Fire.


Conclusions:

Kindle Fire will penetrate the tablet market really fast. That's a fact. This means it will take a huge bite of competitors' market share. Amazon's strategy is based primarily on the quality of its long lasting brand, quality and price. For those who want more from a tablet that Kindle Fire can offer, remember that there is always an alternative, but not necessarily a cheaper one.

Click here to see how the Kindle Fire's specs compared to other popular tablets.

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Amazon Kindle Fire vs. iPad 2 vs. Nook Color [image]

Amazon Kindle Fire is almost here, and wee need to see more about its performances and features compared to iPad 2 and Nook Color. Although the comparison with iPad 2 is not fair, I still love how Amazon Kindle Fire looks and performs. And the best part about this new tablet is the price: $199.
via thisismynext

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Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet was unveiled! [video]

After much anticipation, the largest online retailer finally released Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet, a 7-inch tablet with Android operating system and top specifications.

The new Kindle will have a 7-inch screen wired with IPS LCD technology (plus a layer of Gorilla Glass), dual-core processor and only 414 grams! The price is also very competitive: $199. Let's not forget that the main competitor, iPad 2 have a price around $ 499. Unfortunately this model will not feature 3G (WiFi only).

Amazon' Kindle Fire will have no microphone and no camera (which explains lack of 3G). It seems that Amazon wants to provide a tablet at the lowest price possible. If you buy the Amazon Kindle Fire you'll get a trial subscription for a period of 30 days to Amazon Prime.

Regarding OS, as we expect, we have Android Market, Kindle books, magazines. All these can be stored online for free through Amazon Cloud Storage. The producers say that Kindle Fire is able to store even movies. When you get home, you can continue to watch the rest of the movie on your TV set. How cool is that..!?



Even if we were told that Android operating system is present, the interface looks like nothing we have seen before. In my opinion it resembles iOS but we need to expect a review before we can decide. The preorders started today, so hurry up!

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Motorola Xoom 2 - images and rumors

Motorola will launch XOOM 2 tablet - thinner and more powerful than its predecessor (Xoom 1) was. Xoom 2 is named after its predecessor and is meant to be a substitute for e-reader.

According to various sources, the new tablet from Motorola will "come to his feet". It seems that they favor the vertical design, and this arrangement can be seen easily with the placement of the front camera.
 

The tablet will be thinner and it will have a smaller screen than expected: 8.2 inch HD IPS and it weights around 430 grams. According to ThisIsMyNext site (TIMNE), Xoom 2 wants to replace the nowadays e-reader and has "on board" IR remote control and subwoofer. TIMNE argues that the classic version will have a 1.2 GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and can record HD video in 1080p.

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The future of CPU Efficiency

Men of science at Intel developed a new project involving an experimental CPU that may conduct to gadgets and computers with importantly lower energy usage.

The chip is codenamed “Claremont” and is acknowledged as a near-threshold voltage processor, which grants electronic transistors to engage at super-low, near “verge” emfs to increase efficiency and diminish energy consumption. This degree is very close to the electric potential at which transistors turn on and start conducting current (“threshold” voltage). This brings a 500% increase in energy efficiency.

In the presentation, the prototype low-power CPU was exploited on a PC running Linux Operating System, powered exclusively off a photovoltaic cell the size of a stamp. The CPU was utilized in alignment with other experimental project, a prototype DRAM named the hybrid memory cube (ultra-effective computer memory interface).

“We used a solar cell in the demonstration to show how little power was required,” said Intel spokeswoman Connie Brown in an interview. “But it could run on anything that has power.” Like lemon juice, or perhaps a potato as Brown suggested. “The key message is the low power and how much more transistors would be power-efficient running at near-threshold.”

Numerous years of exploring unknown territories in research have conducted to Intel’s near-threshold voltage-processor design. Claremont changes into NTV mode (under 10 mW in power consumption) when its workload is light.

This implies, besides powering off entirely, a CPU can remain in an “ultra low-power state,” conserving open applications and active processes — “always-on” devices. The technology could even be applied to produce “zero-power” computer architectures powered by solar power. The future is bright!

Watch the presentation here


image credit: intel.com

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New Toshiba AT200 tablet

Toshiba is ready to launch it's latest ultra-thin tablet: AT200. As you can see in the video, this tablet is a serious competitor to Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Features:
- 10.1 inch display (1280x800), 7.7mm thick
- ultra-thin design, metal backing, well built
- runs Android 3.2
- TI OMAP 4430 1.2 Ghz processor
- up to 64GB memory
- 5 megapixel rear camera, 2 megapixel front camera
- up to 8 hours of battery life promised

Read the press release here

More pictures after the jump

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HP TouchPad for $99!

I'm not sure if you heard about it, but HP is killing webOS. This means it will discontinue all the phones as well as the HP TouchPad tablet. I don't necessarily consider this a good decision, because I really think webOS was amazing.

The good part about all these is that HP TouchPad is blowing right now! It might not be a perfect tablet, but for the new price they are selling ($100), it will be hard to beat even by iPad 2.

The HP TouchPad can be bought from:

Bestbuy.com / Bestbuy.ca
Futureshop.com / Futureshop.ca
Hp.com / Hp.ca

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Hardware acceleration to Honeycomb tablets

Zinio and NVIDIA have brought hardware acceleration to the magazine reader app Zinio for Android. That means increased performance, smoother page turning, zooming and panning for Honeycomb tablets with Tegra.

via Android Market

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India will release a $35 tablet this month

The project was put on hold for a while, but the Indian Government backed it again and it's ready to see the light of day. This low cost table is codenamed 'Sakshat' and is expected to launch by the end of this month.
read more here

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USB stick PC for $25

David Braben is a very known game developer, the chief of the UK development studio Frontier Developments, but is even as known for being the co-developer of Elite.

The studio he's working in brought Rollercoaster Tycoon series, Thrillville, Lost Winds, and most lately Kinectimals. Along these functions, he's trying to get programming and general computer learning back in schools.

Braben debates that pedagogy since we acceded the 2000s has converted towards ICT which instructs utile skills such as composing documents in a word processing system, how to make presentations, and primary computer use skills.

His answer isn't to create his personal trend, but alternatively to construct a very low-priced microcomputer that can be donated to kids and classes built up around their use. When we state low-priced, we think of so low even the OLPC would be struck.

David Braben has produced a small USB stick PC that features a HDMI port in one end and a USB port on the other. This microcomputer can be plugged into a HDMI socket, then plug in a keyboard via the USB port applying you a fully running PC running a version of Linux. The cost for this device? $25.

features:

• 700Mhz ARM 11 processor
• 128MB of Ram
• OpenGL ES 2.0
• 1080p output
• 12MP camera
• Ubuntu OS

This Tiny PC will be distributed through Raspberry Pi Foundation
via BBC News

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Folding laptop concept

This amazing concept is called LIFEBOOK X2 and starts from an amazing idea: a folding laptop. The best thing about this laptop is its compactness and it's amazing design.

As you can see in the pictures, the laptop has 4 superimposed components that could be opened in two ways.

What I like about this concept design is that you have a full size laptop if you unfold all the components, but you can have a compact laptop if you unfold only two components.

The downside of this design is the middle line of the screen. When in full size, a line can be observed in the middle of the screen. This cannot be avoid due to the unfolding concept. But I'm sure you'll get used to it!

How do you like the folding laptop concept?

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 preview

This is the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 preview. It features a 8MPx camera with LED flash.
read more about it on PCMAG

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The best tablet of 2011 Comparison

This is a short comparison between Apple iPad 2, Motorola Xoom, HP TouchPad and BlackBerry PlayBook.


When it comes to platform, I really think iPad 2 and Motorola Xoom are the best because you can find plenty of apps for iOS and Android.

Motorola Xoom  has the highest resolution (1280x800) on a 10.1 inch display.

If we talk about CPU speed, HP TouchPad stands up with its 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon. It's almost certain that every of these tablets will feature 1GB Ram, so it's a tie here.

The camera winner is BlackBerry PlayBook with a 3 megapixel front camera, and 5 megapixel rear camera being able to record 1080p videos. As you've seen in my previous post, iPad 2 is thinner than iPhone 4, and that also makes him the thinnest tablet PC available so far.

Which is the best Tablet PC of 2011? I really think it will be a fight between Apple and Motorola, but if we take into consideration the large fan base Apple has gathered over the years, it's certain it will be the most talked about tablet this year.

image source: engadget.com

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Reasons not to buy a Tablet PC

I know tablet PCs are huge these days, but there are folks not too pleased with them. It's hard to understand why someone would choose not to buy an iPad, a Samsung Galaxy Tab or Archos 5 and opt for a desktop or an old fashion laptop.

The first reason is that the tablet provides no tactile feedback. It's really hard to feel something real while touching a glass. On-screen keyboards are not as accurate as good-old-fashion keyboards we are found of.

Of course, you can do a lot of cool things with your tablet PC, but there are better alternatives. They say a tablet is great for watching TV online, but the experience is much better on a real TV using the remote control. You can read books on it, but Kindle is way better because of the eInk technology that has reduced eye fatigue. It's easier to surf the web on the computer, because you can use multitasking and multiple tabs in the same time. Many tablets these days does not offer that. Any available app for a tablet has a desktop alternative that is better in any way.

The argue is that a tablet is useful when traveling often, but in your own home a laptop would be better.

What's your opinion on the matter?

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Sudoku is so real on the iPad

Sudoku Game has a nenchanting story. "Su" stands for number in Japanese, and "Doku" relates to the individual place on the puzzle board that each number can fit into. Besides this, it implies someone who's separate—so, one way to depict the game is "Solitaire with numbers." While its name is Japanese, its ancestries are in reality European and American, and the game symbolises the best of both cultures. Contrary to several other games, Sudoku's evolution exposes it to be a true hybrid conception.

I'm a long time Sudoku fan, so I was pleased to come across this amazing app for iPad and iPhone. Sudoku Real Edition for the iPad Is not about reinventing this amazing puzzle game, it’s more or less about the feeling. When I played it for the first time it was just like actually playing Sudoku on a real book.


It features extremely detailed graphics and animations to put the iPad’s great video resolution to work. What's interesting about this version of Sudoku is that all of the important graphical elements in the game are real-life items that were photographed to supply a more naturalistic feel. Animations and sound effects have also been simulated after a real book. They aspired to absorb you even further by supplying small touches to the Sudoku game, like rather than admitting a pause screen, Sudoku Real Edition has a digital bookmark that slips into place.



new features on version: 1.3 via iTunes

- Single number annotation added
- Annotations "how-to" added
- Graphics improvements

price 1.99

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2010 Laptop ASUS NX90 Design Innovation

NX90 is the new laptop from ASUS. After reading some reviews, I found out its nickname: "The Monster". It is a gigantic 18.4″ quad core laptop sporting two touchpads, one on each side of the keyboard.

Established on the audio system Bang & Olufsen ICEpower and branded technology with the advance SonicMaster ASUS, this amazing Notebook has won favor with the jury of experts and the public to Top Audio Video Show, the most significant Italian event dedicated to audio / video, in Milan.

It features a polished aluminum exterior and palm rest, contrasting nicely with a matte-black keyboard and twin touchpads.

Specifications via Amazon.com :

• Intel Core i7-720QM Quad-Core Processor 1.6GHz with turbo boost up to 2.8GHz
• 8GB of DDR3 1066MHz SDRAM, 3 slots, 12GB Max; Nvidia GT335M graphics with 1GB DDR3 VRAM
• Hybrid TV Tuner; 1.28TB Hard Drive (2x640GB 7200 RPM); Blu-Ray Combo Disk Drive; Wi-Fi 802.11 bgn
• 2x USB 3.0 ports; 2x USB 2.0 ports; Bluetooth; 2.0MP Webcam; eSATA; 8-in-1 card reader; HDMI port; VGA port
• 18.4-Inch Full HD (1920x1080) LED Display; Windows 7 Ultimate (64 bit) Operating System

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