iPad 2: An upgrade that maintains Apple's tablet lead
At today's Apple event, Steve Jobs wasted no time jumping straight to the point: "We're here to talk about Apple's third post-PC blockbuster product."
At today's Apple event, Steve Jobs wasted no time jumping straight to the point: "We're here to talk about Apple's third post-PC blockbuster product."
After a few years in development, Intel formally unveiled its next-generation data transfer interconnect. The new Thunderbolt standard represents a shift in the underlying technology -- and a potential shift in how we can do things down the road.
Android has always frustrated me. I've tracked Google's mobile operating system ever since its debut on the T-Mobile G1, and time and again I've seen new versions fall short of overhauling the interface into a clean, user-friendly experience that can compete with -- and push -- Apple's iOS.
All eyes are on the Motorola Xoom tablet, and for good reason: It's the first device in an expected multitude to ship with Google's tablet-optimized Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). The Xoom has a lot of features to like, and a lot to set it apart from the ever-growing crowd of tablets; but it also has some drawbacks that temper my enthusiasm about it.
The tablet craze has reached fever pitch. Every day, a new iPad 2 rumors arise. At the annual Mobile World Congress, major players such as HTC, LG, and Samsung unveiled their respective Android tablet offerings. And Motorola has captured headlines with its confirmation that the full-strength 3G + Wi-Fi version of the Xoom will sell for $US800 -- $130 more than the first-generation iPad.
It has only recently been formally introduced, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 was almost a foregone conclusion. Even as more manageable 7-inch tablets have made headlines in the past months, including the first Galaxy Tab, manufacturers have had Apple's iPad in their sights. And to compete toe-to-toe with the 9.7-inch iPad, it was only a matter of when -- not if -- we'd see a flood of 10-inch class tablets. So many so that it's starting to get hard to tell them apart.
The tablet landscape just got a bit more crowded: Hewlett-Packard's WebOS event here in San Francisco launched both the new HP Veer and the HP Pre 3 and the company's first consumer tablet. Due out this summer, the HP TouchPad appears set to stand out well in the ongoing tablet deluge.
Today I got my first hands-on time with the Motorola Xoom tablet, running Android 3.0.
The great tease is over: Today, here at its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., Google showed off Android 3.0, a tablet-friendly operating system also known as Honeycomb. The new tablet-optimised OS emphasizes a slick interface, beefed up graphics for games, and support for in-app purchases.
The Dell Streak 7 was one of the many tablets revealed at CES last month, but at the time, T-Mobile kept mum on pricing and availability details. Now, all is revealed -- and from a pure-play price perspective, T-Mobile has kept its promise to best the tablet competition with this model.
During its earnings announcement today, Amazon released some tantalizing tidbits that show just how its book business has evolved in the past year. The company still won't discuss hard and fast numbers for actual Kindle devices sold, or books sold for that matter, but that doesn't make the new information any less noteworthy.
With so much chatter about tablets this year, you might think that the handheld, rectangular devices being unveiled represent a significant innovation. The reality is that so much of what we're seeing is not a whole lot different than what we saw in previous years; these products offer only a few new twists. But those new twists could make the difference between tablets' remaining a niche item and their finally busting out to the mass market in a meaningful way.
Fujitsu demoed its next-generation tablet at the Consumer Electronics Show. It came as no surprise, as the company has long been a player in highly mobile and slate-style products--especially ones aimed at corporate and vertical markets in previous pushes towards a tablet PC.
After hearing so much about RIM's PlayBook it was good to get the opportunity to take this one for a spin, and while I certainly see what the fuss is about the device still faces hurdles ahead.
Hard to believe that just five years ago at CES, the Blu-ray Disc specification first announced. And five years on, with one format war under our belt, and another scuffle brewing, Blu-ray is in fact doing very well.