Tablets

Top 5 Options for Tablet Purchase

We are living in the age where tablets are gaining popularity. The drastic improvement in memory technologies and advancements in processing technologies have enabled the development of handheld computing devices, called tablets.

Let us check the top 5 tablets in terms of their performance –

Apple iPad 3 or The New iPad

Apple iPad is the third generation iPad. Apple iPad 3 offers a very high resolution display thanks to the innovative ‘Retina display’ system with a whopping 2048 x 1536 resolution. You can enjoy high definition movies and video games on the crystal clear display. Another strong feature of new Apple iPad (Apple simply calls iPad instead of iPad 3) is 4G connectivity, with the help of which, internet is accessible at amazing speeds. iPad comes with 9.7” LED backlit IPS LCD screen & is powered by 1GHz dual core Apple A5X processor, along-with an internal memory of 1GB. You can avail storage capacities of 16 or 32 or 64 GB depending on your budget. The tablet is enabled with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The camera’s image quality is rated 4 out of 5. Even though the gadget is bet heavier than its predecessor, it has all the possibilities to attract customers as well as pose challenge for competitors in the market.

Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 LTE

Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 LTE offers attractive features to compete with top brands including Apple and Google. The tablet features HD display, Dolby sound system, dual band and dual antenna and 4G LTE connection. You can purchase the tablet in two storage capacities (either 32 GB or 64 GB). It lets you enjoy crystal clear video calls through Skype. Your kids will fall in love with Kindle Fire with a personalized interface.

Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 LTE gives you access to a large number of movies, television shows, games, magazines, books (PDF and audio) and music files. You can save a lot towards the carrier cost in the first year. It has fastest Wi-Fi and revolutionary 4G connectivity. The advantage of going with this tablet is the wealth of content which Amazon provides.

Google Nexus 7

Google Nexus 7 comes with high quality hardware that will give you long life. It comes with NFC support, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and a large bundle of Google freebies. Since this is a Nexus device, you’ll be guaranteed OS updates from Google, which roll out so much more faster than on other devices.

The tablet signifies Google’s attempt to present the best in class Android powered gadget. Tera 3 quad core processor and high end specifications make Google Nexus 7 a great choice for tablet lovers at an affordable cost of $199 for the 8GB varient. If you’re the type who like carrying around your media collections, you may want to invest a little more for higher storage, since there’s absolutely no way to upgrade the memory on this device.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 is a very light and thin tablet. It comes with a very fine looking aluminium finish. You can enjoy the great display and long battery life. We did review the older version of the Transformer here months back.You can enjoy games with Tera 3 processor. The advantage with this tablet is the docking station which doubles up as a physical keyboard and an additional battery. With the keyboard dock, the tablet transforms itself into an ultrabook, which makes typing those long documents and emails so easy. The keyboard dock is not part of the sales package and has to be bought separately.

However, it doesn’t look to challenge the supremacy of the market biggies.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will enhance your creativity to the maximum. The most unique thing about this tab is it’s S-PEN stylus which would allow you to draw & write notes. It is also packed with exclusive quad core processor, latest Android’s Icre-cream sandwich platform.

The micro SD card slot always allows you options to add more storage. The wi-fi feature allows you to get connected to the web at any given moment, along-with multiscreen facility. It’s competitive pricing always is an add-on incentive vis-a-vis other tablets.

So, which one are you buying?

Kindle Fire 2 – Feature Upgrades and Competition

Kindle Fire 2 is all set to be launched with a powerful camera and high resolution display system. By Nov. 2012, Amazon’s Kindle Fire will be celebrating its first birthday and the season should coincide with its successor.

The USP of the new Kindle Fire Tablet will be more powerful and yet thinner and lighter in weight than the current one. A built-in camera with 1280 x 800 pixels resolution will be the main attraction of the new gadget.

Let us explore more about the current Kindle Fire before what to expect from the Kindle Fire 2 which will be launched soon –

Kindle Fire

Kindle Fire, the tablet computer gives you the power to perform most of the day to day task that you perform on a personal computer. Some of them are as follows –

• You can browse, purchase books and movies, watch TV shows and play games on small sized Kindle Fire.
• If you possess Kindle Fire, you can purchase applications of your choice from the Amazon App Store.
• If you are one of the fortunate prime customers of Amazon, you can stream movies directly on the Kindle Fire.
• Compared to iPad, Kindle Fire’s price is very less.
• Kindle Touch and Kindle Keyboard are other versions which are still priced less than Kindle Fire.
• Kindle Fire uses Amazon browser called Amazon Silk. It is boasted that web services will load fast through the browser.
• Kindle Fire is rumored to be priced less than its actual cost price to attract new customers.
• Amazon has alternate plans to compensate that loss by selling content from the store.

The new features of Kindle Fire 2

The new Kindle Fire’s dimensions will be in a similar range as that of iPad 2 and it will be a great facelift from the current Kindle Fire. The current tablet offers resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. In addition to the improvement in the resolutions, the edges will be sharper than before. The aspect ratio of the coming version will be 1.6 whereas the current version holds it at 1.7. When compared to the iPad 3’s resolutions, Kindle Fire stays far behind. It is expected that the new device will be rolled out in September.

In addition to the better resolution, there are rumors that multiple models of the device will be launched, and there’s also rumors of 4G connectivity on the Kindle.

Competition

As per the reports from a different source, Amazon is going to launch two tablet versions. The first one code named, Coyote will be powered by dual core processors and the second tablet code named, Hollywood will be powered by a quad core processor. Regardless of one or two tablets that are being launched, Amazon is going to face stiff competition from iPad and other tablets in the market. It will be a great challenge to defeat feature-rich iPad. Apple is also poised to launch a mini version of iPad which will match the price of the Kindle Fire. It will be a touch task for Amazon to head on with user friendly iPad. The 7″ sized Nexus 7 from Google which had already received great reviews is another great competitor.

Consumers would have plenty of options to choose from in the coming days. The winner would have to have the best of features, technology, user-friendliness and must be ever-innovative. Must say, the tablet war could be more competitive than the smart-phone war. The more competitive it is, the better it would be for you & me.

Android & Windows Tablets vs. the iPad

Innovative and user-friendly features are the hallmark of Apple products. Apple’s iPad continues to attract a large number of customers all over the world in spite of powerful alternatives available in the market.

Apple seems to be undeterred by the so-called Android revolution and new tablets powered by Windows.

Windows 8 based tablets are on the anvil which are expected to hit the market at the end of 2012 or early 2013. However, these have been speculated to have some interoperability issues. Developers have an affinity with iOS based applications rather than Android applications. It is also to be noted that there are a larger number of paid iOS applications than the number of paid Android applications. Thus, the iOS ecosystem is growing strong and at a steady pace.

Apple’s contribution towards Mobile Computing (where only smartphones and tablets are taken into consideration) is significant. The mobile and computing giant has made remarkable progress in terms of global sales. Global revenue for the same has doubled from 2007 to 2011. It is amazing to find that Apple generates 47% of the total mobile revenue by selling just 11% of the total mobile computing devices. Android and windows based mobile computing devices share is to the extent of 53% of the total revenue.

There are a number of reasons for the success of iPad:

Apple is successful in exploring new markets
The design and features create a very innovative user-experience
Pricing, ability to share among iOS based devices and iOS applications are reasons worthy of mention
The large screen lets you watch full length movies comfortably.
The touch interface is easy to use.
There is a solid range of innovative applications to enhance the horizons of entertainment
It’s not only entertainment but also the learning zone extended through iPad makes it a favorite digital gadget

In recent times, iOS-based application development has been made far easier than Android-based development, as developers have to deal with a number of screen sizes to develop Android applications. The portability between iPhone and iPad is another plus factor. Almost all games that can be played on the iPhone can be enjoyed on iPad as well. This kind of flexibility is not available with Android based applications as it is required to deal with a number of screen sizes. The monetization channels are well established for developers to develop applications that run on iOS and the same is not yet established with Android applications.

Microsoft has announced Windows 8 – ARM powered tablets; with challenges (from existing players) to strengthen its mobile computing market. Windows 8 based tablets should feature easy to manage features. It’s price and the ability to provide best business tools and user-friendly features are deciding factors to dethrone iPad in near future. Microsoft can target businesses which have not yet implemented iOS based mobile computing infrastructure. On the other hand, it is difficult to convert clients even though they are using windows based personal computers but are accustomed to iOS based mobile computing infrastructure. The deficiencies present in the development of Android based applications and the difficulties present in windows based tablets will continue to lure customers to go for iPad. The uncertainty in the release date of Microsoft 8 based tablets will also boost iPad sales.

All said & done, it’s Apple winning the war comfortably.

Archos Launches the 70b; Low cost Android Tablet

Archos which was present in the electronic industry for the past many years has introduced a new internet tablet. Archos 70b internet tablet which is loaded with Android Honeycomb version is a low-cost tablet priced under $200. The new model will be rolled into the market in January, 2012. Archos had launched 70 IT Gen 8 earlier. Some of the remarkable features present in 70b are upgraded touch screen, 1.2 GHz processor and Android 3.2 aka Honeycomb.

The new Archos 70b supports more than 200,000 Android applications from Android app store. These are versatile applications which include games, books, news and social media applications. The new model has a catchy appearance and also comes in light weight. Archos 70b is not only cheap but also offers enhanced features and capabilities. It comes with 1.2 GHz processor, 512 MB Random Access Memory, HDMI output, a high-resolution of 1024 x 600, internal storage of 8 GB and a provision for Micro SD Card reading. Honeycomb version of Android offers user-friendly interface and the process of toggling between applications is easier than ever before. The navigational capabilities are improved with honeycomb version.

The big screen gives you better clarity and you can enjoy by viewing crystal clear photos and videos. You can also share photos with others on various social networking sites with high-speed internet connection. The tablet has 3D graphics accelerator and comes with web browser and email application. The device is portable with the ability to transfer data through SD Card and HDMI port. Archos is present in the market since 1988. It had introduced various audio and video products in its lineage and it is always first to bring new models with new capabilities. To some extent, Archos 70b can be compared to Amazon Kindle Fire and other cheap tablets. Amazon Kindle Fire is equipped with Android 2.3 version and it comes with a custom interface. Kindle Fire supports limited applications and is having access to Amazon App Store only. A similar type of storage capacity is available both in Kindle Fire and Archos 70b. There are some cheap tablets which are even priced below $100 and loaded with Ice Cream Sandwich Android OS. Customers should double check the features and facilities available in cheap tablets. By all means, Archos 70b comes out be the cheapest on all counts including price, features and capabilities.

Critics feel that Archos should improve in providing support to its products. In order to attract more customers both technical and customer support service should gear up to meet the coming challenges. Another negative aspect is being fitted with 512 MB RAM which is too little to handle some complex games and multimedia applications. A minimum of 1 GB will fare better. As smartphones have made their way with Android OS similarly more tablets may be launched in future loaded with Android OS. Android applications have made life easy, fun and created a new way of exploring the world and building relations.

You need to wait for a few more weeks, to know about the success of Archos 70b.

Product Launch News – Amazon’s ‘New’ Kindle Tab

Android run new Amazon Kindle Tablet is going to be launched soon. In many ways the piece is similar to Blackberry Playbook. Unlike iPod which depends on 10 fingers, kindle tablet depends on touch pad with 2 fingers. The kindle is back lit. This will be the first full color kindle tablet. We can expect that the kindle may roll out with the latest generation e-ink based display which gives better contrast. It is estimated that by the end of November, the new 7″ tablet will be released by Amazon, although the company has plans to release the 10″ tablet by next year. As per the latest information available through online sources, the piece is almost ready but just undergoing the twisting process of the software to achieve least setbacks or none altogether.

As per the original idea, Amazon is supposed to launch both 7″ and 10″ model this year alone. Later on, the company preferred to launch these products in a phased manner. They decided to launch 7″ first and if the product is successful, it will boost their morale so that they can go for premium 10″ model with advanced features. Amazon’s kindle tablet is likely to compete with Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color which also offers full color screen being built on Android operating system. Amazon has tweaked Android operating system in such a way that it will not look like android at all for users.

Different services are integrated in a clean fashion. No buttons will appear on the surface of the device and everything can be controlled through touch only. Book reader in Amazon kindle performs the same functionality as happens in Android and iOS. Cloud player performs the function of music player. Instant video player performs the function of movie player. You cannot find Google app or Android Market on Amazon tablet. Experts believe that Amazon has cooked the tablet operating system on top of the old Android version. It is evident that Amazon is not going hand in hand with Google which has the authority to approve mobile phones built with Android OS. This could mean that some of the Google Service could be crippled on this device like access to Google Market and others.

According to the lucky folks at Tech Crunch who’ve already had a chance to play around with the device, The Kindle Tablet comes with good user interface. . Amazon will ensure that in addition to games, applications and content, you will be able to run most of the applications available on Amazon’s Android app store. The Kindle is expected to come with a black casing on the backside which is similar to playbook. It has got no camera and is expected to come with 6 GB memory and a single core processor with good battery backup. It is known that earlier launched kindles are giving battery backup of up to 2 months with a book reading rate of half-an-hour per day. It may offer free subscription to some premium services for a limited period of time and facility to purchase any number of items with free shipping, via the Amazon Prime addon service. One of the important freebies includes free access to video service offered by Amazon. Unlike the earlier launched kindles which are of low profile, the new one is going to be a high end tablet.

Kindles are selling like hot cakes on Amazon for the past two years. There is demand in two angles, i.e. for personal usage and gifting others. These have been getting 5 star review ratings consistently on the website which shows the usefulness of these products by being able to read, organize and access books and other applications as per your convenience.

Do you want to kindle with these tablets?

A Waterproof Tablet – Arrows Tab LTE F-01D

The basic rule of expensive electronics 101 is – Don’t get them wet. However, Fujitsu Limited, a Japanese multinational computer hardware and IT services company is stepping up its efforts to bring its LTE (Long Term Evolution) services of providing a waterproof tablet to the masses. Collaborating with NTT DOCOMO, Fujitsu has announced the H2O resistant tablet – ARROWS Tab LTE F-01D. This joins Fujitsu’s earlier tablet in the rugged tablet range of devices. This is considered to be a welcome value-add in Japan to the time spent soaking in an ofuro (a type of bath in Japan). Along with a waterproof body, the tab features a special gesture control function that allows the user to slide its screen without using their finger. It also runs a preinstalled application called G Cloud, which is the first cloud gaming network in the world running on NTT DOCOMO launched by Ubitus Inc.

The main specs of the Fujistu arrow consists of an Android 3.2, the last version of Honeycomb before Ice cream Sandwich, a 10.1-inch screen with a LCD resolution of 1280×800 pixels, a 5.1 MP CMOS camera along with 1.3MP inner camera, micro SHDC slot, a GPS module and Bluetooth 3.0 along with wi-fi, digital TV tuner, 1 GB RAM, 16GB memory and LTE FOMA 3G support. The 181×262×11.3mm tab weighing 597gm comes with Japan’s OneSeg mobile TV. The new extended application programming interface (API) support in android 3.2 SDK lets developer to develop their applications to run properly on multiple resolutions which will be necessary since 3.2 adds supports for additional display resolutions.

The dual core 1GHZ OMAP 4 CPU enables long battery life with less heat dissipation. It’s OMAP 4 platform includes applications processors, a comprehensive software suite and a power management technology. It employs parallel processing for higher performance and better time efficiency. The symmetric multiprocessing`s (SMP’s) scalable performance activates only the cores for the particular process to reduce power consumption or substantially increase performance. This industry leading OMAP 4 platform along with the comprehensive software suite provided by Texas Instruments will be able to develop a break-through in multimedia improvements when compared to today`s most popular smart phones and best class in power management technologies with smart reflex 2 technology. It also provides faster higher quality image and video capture with digital SLR-like imaging up to 20 mega pixels.

On the launch of the tab, users can take advantage of MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games), where a large number of players interact with one another in virtual game world and 3D-action games. The users will have an option where they can use the free content or purchase ‘Play Tickets’. But this option is offered only on NTT DOCOMO – Japan’s largest wireless service provider.

The NTT DOCOMO’s 3G FOMA (Freedom of Mobile Multimedia Access) which is deployed in the 2GHZ frequency band, uses packet data transfer speeds to support a broad variety of applications that include Internet access, e-mail, file transfer, internet phone application and remote log-in. This 3G network uses an architecture that is completely different from 1G and 2G allowing users of various traffic types for true multimedia capability. Though this product is said to be launched by mid October, it is still unclear whether it will have an international release.

So, are you planning to buy one ?

Toshiba Thrive – The Latest Honeycomb Android Tablet

Honeycomb Android tabletshave flooded the market recently. Many companies have brought forward their versions of this new trend and most of them have been quite uninspiring. However, the latest in this flagship line is Toshiba’s Thrive. Toshiba Thrive is pitted against the obvious choices in this category; Apple’s iPad2 and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1. However, Thrive does put up quite an impressive competition against them.

Design Features

Thrive has its very own special design that is in no way similar to any other Android tabs in the market. The design gives it a look of a sleek and powerful device. Toshiba has started out with a standard display screen of 10.1 inches with a 1280×800 resolution. The screen area has been kept absolutely basic and clutter free. There are only three LED indicator lights and the 2 megapixel camera with a dedicated microphone. The LED indicators are not extremely essential but they are definitely unique to the Thrive. The 2 megapixel camera is front facing while there is a 5 megapixel camera at the back of the tablet. Both cameras offer Toshiba’s standard of picture clarity.

Technical Features

Toshiba Thrive is instilled with Honeycomb 3.1 Android and has the power of NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual- Core Processor. The tablets come in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models. All these models are quite affordable. The specifications also include 1GB DDR2 RAM, an accelerometer, a gyroscope and Wi-Fi.

Toshiba Thrive also comes with a full SD port and the micro USB and HDMI ports. Don’t miss out the full size USB 2 port which comes with the device as well. Useful if you’re planning to transfer data through your USB drives. A very unique feature of this latest tablet is that you can connect a PlayStation 3 controller with it and control the device via the UI and navigate with the launch applications provided. Although, Toshiba still needs to smooth over some parts of this function, it still remains one of the highlights of Thrive.

Apart, from these standard ports, there is a mini USB port hidden underneath the cover, a DC-in port for charging, a headset input jack and a removable docking port. The back cover of the tablet is customizable. You can choose to remove the back cover and replace with the variety of designer cover options that Toshiba has on offer for a very reasonable price of $20.

You can also carry a spare battery for extended travel as well, since the tablet features a user replaceable battery. So when you run out of charge, just pop out the battery and pop in the charged spare.

Multimedia

The Thrive comes with two cameras, a 5MP one at the back and a 2MP one on the front. The front cameras come in useful if you’re on video chats or video conferencing apps. The tablet also features stereo speakers.

Apps

Regarding Apps you have a choice between Toshiba’s App Place and Amazon’s App store via the Android App market. You can enjoy the games and apps that have already been installed in the tablet. However, the specifications allow for a smooth and powerful gaming experience as well as quick app launches whenever you require.

Price

At the time of this writing, the Toshiba Thrive start at $399.00 for the 8GB model and goes up to $499.99 for the 32GB version.

Even if just a recent period has passed after its launch, Toshiba Thrive has been through quite a few updates. It also should be noted that in comparison with other tablets, Thrive has encountered fewer problems and in general has had a smooth sail so far. The Honeycomb web browser is quite effective and offers amazing speed. Also, the Thrive tablet comes with a very effective media app that centers all the related, essential apps that you will need for an amazing media experience.

In conclusion, Toshiba’s Thrive is built and packed to provide a powerful performance. What it lacks in size and weight, it more than makes up with its delivery and compatibility.

For more information about the Toshiba Thrive, head over to the product’s details page on Toshiba’s site.