Handhelds / PDAs - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• RIM PlayBook may undercut HP TouchPad, compete with iPad

  Pricing for the new HP TouchPad hasn't been announced, but it looks like Research In Motion's 16GB BlackBerry PlayBook will cost $500. That rumor comes after Twitter user Ben Shipley posted a screenshot that shows what appears to be an internal Office Depot webpage of the PlayBook with a $500 price tag. The page also says the PlayBook is coming to Office Depot stores in Week 17 (presumably of 2011), suggesting a late April launch. Shipley once worked for Office Depot as a Regional Project Specialist, according to his Facebook page. It's not clear whether he is still employed with the big box retailer.

• HP TouchPad: 5 features the iPad lacks

  HP's TouchPad looks pretty similar to Apple's iPad on the outside but the inside is a different story.

• EU publishers blast Apple's iPad subscription plan

  European publishers have added their voice to the chorus of criticism surrounding Apple's plans for iPad newspaper subscriptions.

• Can Honeycomb tip the scale for Android tablets?

  Since Apple introduced the world to the iPad, the tablet rivalry has been heated between iOS and Android. The problem, though -- for Android at least -- is that the rivalry was filled with idle speculation and vaporware compared to the blockbuster real-world sales for the iPad. With the impending launch of Android 3.0, a.k.a. "Honeycomb" -- designed specifically for tablets -- perhaps Android's tablet fortunes will change.

• Dell Streak 7 gets aggressive pricing, imminent release

  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.

• HTC launching three Android tablets

  HTC, the maker of several popular Android smartphones, plans to launch three Android-powered tablets, with the first of the lot arriving as early as March, according to a DigiTimes report. The first tablet from the Taiwan-based manufacturer would be called the Flyer and won't run the tablet-optimized Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the report says, but rather Android 2.3 until Google releases the new OS later this year.

• iPad 2 will definitely have a camera

  Your dream of holding an iPad 2 steady in front of your face so you can snap a photo of your friends and family is about to be realized -- new visual evidence confirms that the device will have at least one camera.

• HP's upcoming WebOS tablet appears in leaked images

  Leaked photos of HP and Palm's WebOS tablet have appeared online, courtesy of Engadget. The device - slim, sleek and running WebOS - is the companies' response to the iPad and is just a fraction what we will see at an HP event, HP says. But can an HP WebOS tablet win against the iPad, in a fight where its smaller counterpart, the Palm Pre, lost against the iPhone?

• HP's Cloud-based tablet could change the world

  Details of Hewlett-Packard's new WebOS tablet have leaked out, and lots of people are gazing at its shininess and digesting technical details. But one thing appears to have been missed: Suggestions say that it will be the world's first true cloud tablet.

• Report: iPad 2 Has Dual-Core Graphics for Retina Display

  As the anticipated announcement of an iPad refresh draws nearer, the tidbits of insider information are seeping out at faster rates.

• Wall Street Beat: Software to drive IT growth

  Intel and SAP results and various forecasts issued this week suggest that while 2010 was a recovery year for just about all sectors of IT, enterprise software and accompanying services will be the main drivers for technology revenue growth over the next few years.

• Hands-on with Opera for Android and Windows 7 tablets

  Opera devotees will be glad to hear that the browser is coming to tablets running Android and Windows 7, with the same features of its mobile software on other platforms.

• Microsoft bashes Apple at CES while previewing next-gen Windows

  Microsoft Windows president Steven Sinofsky took a shot at Apple while previewing the next generation of Windows during CES in Las Vegas, saying users are being inconvenienced because there is no convergence across the iPhone, iPad, iPod and MacBook.

• iPad competitors face rocky market, says Forrester

  While the iPad was a runaway hit for consumers in 2010, Forrester analyst Ted Schadler says its competitors should temper expectations if they expect rapid adoption in the enterprise market.

• Wait for the tablet dust to settle

  Vendors have descended on Las Vegas for the annual showcase of new gadgets and technologies known as CES. This year, the area that seems to be getting the most attention, and the greatest number of new devices entering the market is the tablet. The variety and competition are a good thing overall, but they are also a very good reason to hold off rather than rushing out to grab a new tablet.