If you enjoy painting on canvas, you might find that you also enjoy “painting” on an iPad. Or if you’ve never painted before, doing so on a tablet is fun and way less messy. I am a doodler and don’t claim to have any talent whatsoever. I just enjoy drawing cartoons and thingamabobs whenever I’m bored. Lately I’ve been interested in trying to paint instead of sketching. I happened to see the Sensu Artist Brush capacitive stylus on Kickstarter and thought it would be a great new addition to my growing collection of styluses. I’ve been testing it for a couple of weeks with several popular drawing programs for the iPad. If you’re a budding digital artist, you’ll want to read this review.

Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

I mentioned above that I have a growing collection of styluses, but the Sensu Brush is only my 3rd paintbrush style stylus. Pictured above you can see it next to  two of my other brush styluses (Nomad Brush and iClooly). With one look at the Sensu, you can see that it resembles a traditional paint brush a bit more than the other two. Its look isn’t all the Sensu has going for it though…

First of all, it’s the first stylus I now of that comes in a thick felted sleeve. The sleeve is a good idea because it protects that shiny chrome finish when the stylus isn’t being used.

In the closed position, the Sensu looks like a little like a Fisher Space Pen.

In this position, you can use the rubber stylus tip. The tip is a standard hollow style tip used on a lot of styluses on the market like the Targus Stylus. This Tip works best for sketching and writing, but the tip is large and isn’t my favorite for detailed doodling/sketching.

The magic happens when you pull the stylus out of the protective cap, the Sensu Artist Brush tip is revealed.

Placing the cap on the end creates a 7.25 inch long paint brush.

Looking at the smooth bristles, you wouldn’t guess that it would work as a capacitive stylus. But it really does. The brush feels comfortable in hand due to the soft touch rubber around the handle. It’s well balanced too.

Depending on the painting app (some of my favorites for painting are Procreate and ArtRage), the Sensu feels and behaves exactly like a real paint brush. The only difference is that you don’t have to wash the paint out of the bristles at the end of each painting session.

The Sensu works really great as a paint brush, but don’t expect to be able to easily create detailed sketches with the brush tip (or the rubber tip end for that matter) because it’s just not made for that. In the hand of a true artist, I think it could help make some great art. I might not be an artist, but I really enjoy using the Sensu. It’s my favorite paintbrush style stylus in my collection. Ok, I have to get back to my Bob Ross how to paint videos.

Filed in categories: Android related, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: Stylus, Tablet

Sensu Artist Brush Capacitive Stylus Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 26, 2012 at 9:33 pm.

Asus announced the new Transformer TF300T tablet and B&H Photo now has them in stock. Priced at $399.00, this Android tablet offers the latest and greatest OS version (4.0 Ice Cream) along with a 1.2GHz Tegra 3 Quad-Core CPU, 10.1 1280 x 800 Resolution display, Micro HDMI Port & MicroSD Card Reader and 1GB internal memory & 32GB Flash Storage. If you’re interested in snapping one up, you better be fast because Asus tablets tend to be pretty popular. If I was in the market for an Android tablet, this is the one I’d buy. You can order and read more about this tablet at B&H Photo.

Filed in categories: Android related, News, Travel Gear

Tagged: Android, Tablet

Latest Asus Transformer Pad Tablet now Available at B&H Photo originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 23, 2012 at 10:30 am.

A couple of years ago I reviewed a very unique Canadian made stylus called the oStylus. It had a very unique design with a bullseye style swivel tip. At the time I really liked the stylus because it made it much easier to draw due to the fact that I was able to see the tip of the “ink” as I moved around the display, giving me much better control over my work. Now the folks at oStylus have a new version called the oStylus DOT which is more geared towards writing than drawing. Let’s take it for a spin.

Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

First of all, let’s compare the original oStylus (top), with the new DOT (bottom). Both have a comfortable bead blasted anodized solid aluminum handle that gives the stylus a nice heft and balance.

The hinged tip is attached to the handle by two titanium wires.

The tip is made of stainless steel. Unlike the original oStylus, this is not a see-thru style tip. It’s a solid 6mm dot.

The ability of the tip to rotate 180 degrees is supposed to provide natural contact with the display so that holding and using the stylus is comfortable.

The area of the tip that comes in direct contact with the display is protected with a vinyl film that will not scratch the display. The DOT comes with 2 replacement stick-on films.

The overall design and construction of the oStylus DOT gives off a cool industrial arts type of vibe. Looks aside, the stylus performs pretty well. I like it better than the average hollow rubber tip style stylus like the Targus and Tuff-Luv because the tip is significantly smaller, allowing you to better see what you’re writing and drawing. I can write smaller text and draw more detailed doodles with the DOT.

So while it can be considered an improvement over the generic stylus, it’s not quite as nice as the Adonit Jot Pro stylus which has a tip that swivels in all directions allowing it to always remain in contact with the display. That’s where I had some problems with the DOT. On numerous occasions while doodling SketchBook Pro, I would draw a long stroke and the line would not start until halfway into the stroke. I noticed the same issues while writing in PhatPad. Sometimes my efforts to cross my T’s and dot my I’s will go unnoticed. I know this is due to the DOT’s tip not coming into full contact with the display. Since it’s a very small tip (only 6mm), if you don’t have it fully touching, it will not make an electrical (capacitive) contact. Once you’ve used the DOT for awhile you start learning how to hold it so that you minimize these skipping problems. After several days using it, I have noticed less problems, but they still happen here and there…

I like the look and feel of the oStylus DOT, but it’s hard to fully recommend it due to the problems I’ve had with skipping while writing and drawing. I think the tip is just a little too small for its own good. Have any of you tried this stylus? If so, please share your thoughts about it.

Filed in categories: Android related, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: iPad, Stylus, Tablet

oStylus DOT Capacitive Stylus Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 20, 2012 at 6:49 pm.

The anticipation for a new gadget can often be more exciting than getting the actual product in your hands. Apple’s new iPad definitely offers some nice updates with the Retina display, 4G and improved camera, but is it a worthy upgrade for someone that already has an iPad 2? Janet, Dave and I are here to give you our take on Apple’s latest tablet.

If you’ve been hanging around The Gadgeteer for awhile, you know that we post occasional dual author reviews that offer two sides/opinions to a product. This time we’re adding one more voice for a trio review. Janet and I have experience with all 3 iPads, but Dave upgraded from the original iPad. He also lives in an area with 4G coverage, so he’s able to tell us what it’s like to use the new iPad 4G enabled on the road.

My comments will be in Black, Janet’s will be in Blue italics and Dave’s will be in Red bold.

Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

Hardware Specs

• Dual-core Apple A5X custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip with quad-core graphics
• 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch Retina display with IPS technology, 2048-by-1536-pixel resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi)
• Dual-core Apple A5X custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip with quad-core graphics
• Available as Wi-Fi a/b/g/n only, and Wi-Fi/4G for Verizon and AT&T
• Dimensions: 9.5”h X 7.31”w X 0.37” deep; 1.44 pounds (wifi), 1.46 pounds (4G)
• Storage: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB
• Bluetooth 4.0 technology
• Back camera: 5MP, Video recording, HD (1080p) up to 30 frames per second with audio
• Front camera: Video recording, VGA up to 30 frames per second with audio; VGA-quality still camera
• Photo and video geotagging over Wi-Fi
• Built-in 42.5-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery with up to 10 hours of battery life for surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
• Sensors: 3-axis gyro, accelerometer, ambient light
• Location: Wi-Fi and digital compass
• Check the Apple iPad page for more information about the Wi-Fi only model and the Wi-Fi/4G models

Package Contents

• iPad
• Dock Connector to USB Cable
• 10W USB Power Adapter
• Documentation

The Physical Differences

Julie: A quick look at the new iPad when compared to the iPad 2 will not reveal any major physical differences. It’s only when you pick both devices up at the same time or do a close comparison that you’ll notice that the new iPad is slightly heavier (~.11 lbs) and thicker. Both of these differences aren’t real noticeable, at least to me. The tablet feels solid and comfortable to hold. That said, I don’t use mine as a book reader where I hold it for hours on end like Janet. My usage tends to last less than an hour at a time, doing email triage, RSS feed reading, and some game playing.

Janet:  Hmm..  I weighed both the iPad 2 and the new iPad on my trusty digital kitchen scale, and I found the iPad 2 weighed 1 pound, 5.2 ounces.  The new iPad weighed 1 pound, 7.07 ounces. That’s a difference of about 1.87 ounces on my kitchen scale, or about 0.117 pounds difference, which is very close to Apple’s stated difference of 0.11 pounds.

Julie: The image above shows a stack up of the original iPad, iPad 2, and new iPad from bottom to top.

Janet:  Julie’s right, there’s not a lot of difference in appearance between the iPad 2 and new iPad.  The new iPad seems to be just a bit thicker and a little less sloped when viewed from the side, as you can see in the above picture.  If you haven’t spent as much time with an iPad 2 as I have, you might not even notice that difference.  That said, the slightly different shape doesn’t make it feel any different in my hand.  At first, I noticed the weight difference, but I’ve gotten used to it, especially after I cased it up.  I ordered the white, and I’ll admit I was a little disappointed that people aren’t going to see me with it and immediately know that I’ve gotten a new iPad. 

According to Apple specs, the new iPad is 0.6mm thicker than the iPad 2.  I don’t have caliper hands, so I can’t even feel that slight difference.  I was worried that the slightly different thickness and shape would mean the new iPad wouldn’t fit in some iPad 2 cases, and that meant I’d have to wait for a new back cover to use on the new iPad.  That’s not the case, if you’ll pardon the expression.  I tried the HyperShield back cover  from my iPad 2 on the new iPad, and it fit perfectly.  Like all TPU cases I’ve used, the HyperShield had developed some discoloration, so I purchased a new iPad 2 back cover (not a HyperShield) to use on my new iPad.  When my new cover arrived from Amazon, I was upset to see it was a stiffer type that snaps on the corners instead of a softer type that folds up over the edge, like the HyperShield.  I was surprised to see that the new cover snapped on easily and fits like a dream. The new iPad also fit perfectly into the Sena Borsetta purse/case and the Kensington KeyLite keyboard folio I recently reviewed.  It actually fit a bit better in the Kensington case than the iPad 2 did.

I’ve read articles saying that Apple has done something with the sleep/wake magnets that cause some third-party covers not to work with the new iPad’s automatic sleep/wake function.  Some reports even say that old Apple Smart Covers don’t wake the new iPad properly.  I have a variety of Smart Covers in the house: one I bought at the iPad 2 launch, a leather one I received as a birthday present in December, 2011, and a leather one my husband bought for his new iPad.  All three of these Smart Covers fit on the new iPad, and all three sleep/wake the new iPad flawlessly.  The Sena Borsetta doesn’t have the magnets.  The Kensington keyboard folio has them, but they didn’t work well for the iPad 2 because of the way the cover fits over the iPad 2.  The Kensington performed the same way for the new iPad – the new iPad would sleep if I aligned the Kensington’s front cover so it was straight with the back cover and pressed the two sides together to make the case close.

Julie: I purchased a new leather Smart Cover with my new iPad and also have an older non-leather one I use with my iPad 2. Like Janet, both work fine with the new iPad. The other cases I use are typically slip covers, which also work fine.

Dave: I am using my new iPad without a case or Smart Cover…totally embracing the feel and form of it (definitely better than the original iPad). Although, I am considering purchasing a leather Smart Cover for it and will be reviewing Zagg’s invisibleSHIELD HD which will add protection against scratches while supposedly not impacting the great look of Retina display. But for now, I am using it naked, carrying it around in the Renaissance Art Messenger Bag (for the iPad) I reviewed a few years ago.

Janet: I still do use my iPad for hours a day.  I have to charge it every night, and sometimes I have to plug it up while I’m still using it at the end of the day.  Even starting from the first day of use, it didn’t feel any different to use.

Julie: Except for that gorgeous display

Janet: Right!

Dave: For those of you who still own the original iPad (aka, who skipped the iPad 2), upgrading to the new iPad is sooo worth it. When the iPad 2 was released, I had not been using my iPad all that much, and from an operational standpoint, I did not see any compelling reason to upgrade. With the new iPad, I decided to try embracing the device and use-experience it once again and so far, I have zero regret taking the plunge. In addition to the new iPad’s better look and feel (compared to the original iPad), the screen and 4G/LTE definitely make it a worthwhile upgrade.

From the left: USB plug on new cable, USB on old cable, 30-pin connector on new cable, old 30-pin connector

Janet: There is one physical difference that doesn’t involve the iPad directly.  The charging cables that came with the new iPad have slightly longer reinforcement sleeves at the plugs.  My old cables are bent from long use, and I’ve been worried the connections inside were pulling loose.  Hopefully the new sleeve will protect the juncture better. 

Dave: This is a close up of the cable that Apple included with my iPhone 4. As you can see, the point where the cable meets the plug is failing. I would say approximately half of my iCables are in this condition (and I do not abuse my tech-stuff at all). Apple appears to be addressing this design/engineering weakness….a minor but positive thing.

Julie: Janet, good eyes noticing that difference! But all the real hardware updates are under the hood, with the major ones being the Retina display, Camera, Graphics processor and 4G.

Retina Display

Julie: Doubling the screen resolution from 1024 x 768 to 2048 x 1536 pixels really improves the user experience of the iPad. Everything looks so much nicer. Text is crisper and images are more lifelike. Check out a comparison…

Above is an icon on the iPad 2.

Julie: Here’s the same icon on the new iPad. Notice how you can’t easily see the individual pixels on this image the way you can on the first / iPad 2 image? The increased resolution makes eBook reading much more comfortable and makes game graphics really pop. After using the new iPad for just a brief period, I found that going back to the iPad 2 felt like the difference between HD and standard def TV channels. You know how it is when you turn to a channel that broadcasts shows in non HD and you’re like YUCK, this is garbage. You’ll feel the same way once you set your eyes on the new iPad.

One other thing that I noticed right away is that apps made for the iPhone look MUCH better when you put them in 2X (full screen) mode now. They almost look like a native iPad apps. I now run all the iPhone apps in full screen on the new iPad.

What do you guys think about the Retina display? Do you agree that it’s a game changer?

Janet:  I always thought the screen used for both the original iPad and iPad 2 looked great, and I even said in my review of the iPad 2 that I didn’t care it didn’t have the Retina display.  I felt so foolish after I got an iPhone 4 and saw how beautiful the Retina display is and how easy it is on the eyes.  After I got used to a Retina display on the iPhone, looking at my iPad 2 felt like I was looking at it through one of those wire mesh window screens.

Dave: I love the screen. I find the Retina display the best feature of the new iPad. When my friends and associates ask if they should get an iPad 3 (vs sticking with or buying an iPad 2 for less money), after explaining the improvements I advise them to go to an Apple Store and look at the iPad 2 and new iPad side by side to see if the screen alone is worth the $100 more.

Julie: I didn’t have a complaint with the first two iPads displays either. But once you go Retina, you’ll never go back. Or something like that…

Janet: I agree with Julie that reading on the new iPad is much easier on my (aging) eyes.  Both the iBooks and the Kindle apps have been updated for the Retina display, and ebooks look beautiful on the new iPad.  Actually, text is nice and sharp in the Safari browser, too.  You can easily tell which apps have been optimized for the Retina display, because graphics can be a bit fuzzy in apps that haven’t been upgraded.

Dave: Even with very good eyes, the improved viewing experience and clarity is awesome. It definitely makes reading books and magazines an even more enjoyable activity.

Janet: I also agree with Julie that iPhone apps look much better on the new iPad than on the older iPads.  Even when screen-doubled, they are much sharper and easier to read on the new iPad.

Janet: People always want to know how the screen looks in sunlight, so I took the new iPad when I went to pick my daughter up from school.  Sitting in the driver’s seat was very bright, but I wasn’t in direct sunlight.  I had to increase my screen brightness, but it was very easy to read my ebook copy of one of The Walking Dead graphic novels.  These pictures were taken with my iPhone 4, not my Nikon D5100, but I think they are clear enough to give you a good idea.  The pictures haven’t been edited to improve the picture.  (I did crop the following picture so you couldn’t see how desperately my floor mats need vacuuming. )

There was a patch of bright sunlight on the passenger seat, so I laid the new iPad there and took another picture.  I left the screen brightness at the same setting used for the previous picture.  Part of the screen is hard to see, but I think that’s at least partially due to reflections.  You can tell the light was bright enough to wash out the edges of the white iPad.  You might not be able to sit uncovered with the sun shining over your shoulder onto the iPad screen, but I think you could read outdoors if you’re sitting under an umbrella or in the shade.

Dave: I agree with Janet, that the iPad is totally usable device outdoors and with the fact you might have to angle it in such a way that reflections are minimized. I grant you, it is cloudy a majority of the year here in Seattle, but on those rare days the sun is out, the iPad screen is still more than readable.

Julie: I used mine in the car with full sun light streaming in and found the only issue to be heat. I could see the screen just fine, but it felt like the iPad started getting hotter than it should. I was also using 4G at the time… 

Upgraded Camera

Julie: Although some people might use the iPhone 4S as their primary camera, I am pretty sure that would never be true for the new iPad. I can’t imagine using such a large device as a camera. That said, the new iPad’s camera has been upgraded so that it’s now on par with the iPhone 4′s 5MP camera. So if you want to take pictures with it, those pics will turn out great.

Check out some sample images below.

Left to Right: iPad 2, iPhone 4S, new iPad

Left to Right: iPad 2, iPhone 4S, new iPad

Janet:  The 5MP iSight camera is better, but the new iPad is still too cumbersome to easily use as a camera.  Apple did do one thing in iOS 5.1 to make it a bit easier to use; they moved the on-screen “shutter button” to make it easier to reach.  When I try to use the iPad as a camera, it’s usually in the horizontal orientation with my hands in the middle of the two sides.  The shutter button used to be in the middle of whichever edge of the iPad was at the bottom as you held it, and my fingers couldn’t stretch to press that button without jiggling the iPad.  Now the shutter button has been moved to the middle of the right edge, as you hold it, as seen in the above screen shot from my new iPad.   I can easily reach that button with my thumb now.

Julie: It’s funny you should mention that update. When I was taking those sample images, it took me a few seconds to find the shutter button. I thought something was wrong with the camera app for a little while. The new location is MUCH more convenient…

Janet: The iSight camera has an ƒ/2.4 aperture and a five-element lens, and there’s a hybrid infrared filter to cut down glare for sharper, brighter pictures.  The camera lens is located at about the same place on the back of the iPad, but it’s noticeably bigger than the iPad 2′s camera (see image above with new iPad on the right).  The bigger camera lens fits inside the camera opening on all the iPad 2 cases I’ve tried with the new iPad; none of the old iPad 2 cases have interfered with taking pictures with the new iPad.

Julie: I read that the camera in the new iPad is the same one used in the iPhone 4. I wonder why they didn’t just use the same camera as the 4S?

Janet: Probably because the iPhone 4′s camera is cheaper than the one in the iPhone 4S, and using it was a necessary cost-cutting measure because they were giving us the Retina display and the 70% bigger battery needed to power it.

Like before, you can tap on the part of the picture you want optimized for lighting and focus for still pictures.  Tech specifications for the iSight camera mentions face detection for still images; it can automatically detect and use up to 10 faces for automatic lighting balance and focus. 

Janet: The iSight camera can take 1080p HD video, and it has automatic video stabilization to minimize shakiness. 

The front camera seems to be the same as the one in the iPad 2 – VGA-quality photos and video up to 30 frames/sec.  It seems to be as starved for light as the front camera on the iPad 2.  You know, I think it would be better if they just got rid of the back camera and put the iSight camera on the front.  I think more people would be interested in having a good camera for Face Time chats with friends and family.

Dave: I agree, the forward facing camera does seem like a waste of effort. I do not believe that most folks will not be using their iPads to take pictures but would appreciate a better camera for Face Timing (something I hope to do more of with the Gadgeteer Kid while traveling for work).

Julie: Apple should just make both the front and back cameras the same…

Graphics Processor Upgrade

Janet:  Apple uses their new A5X chip in the new iPad, a “custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip with quad-core graphics.”  Tear-downs show that the new iPad has 1GB of memory, which is double that of the iPad 2.  Tests done by Insanely Great Mac show that the actual CPU seems to be the same as the one used in the iPad 2, and only the graphics processor is quad-core.  You can watch IGM’s video detailing their testing and benchmarks for the original iPad, iPad 2, and new iPad for more details, but the bottom line is that the off-screen graphics performance is significantly better for the new iPad.  The actual graphics display performance is almost identical for iPad 2 and the new iPad, which suggests most of the extra performance from the quad-core processor is needed for the retina display.

4G LTE

Dave: Living in a 4G/LTE area, I get to speed-test the new Verizon 4G LTE iPad.

iPhone 4 / 3G	New iPad / WiFi	New iPad / 4G

All of these speed tests were conducted in the same location (downtown Seattle) and time with strong signal strength (4-5 bars) across the board. The speed test on the left was taken on my iPhone 4 (3G), middle was taken on my new iPad (WiFi), and the test on the right was taken on the new iPad (Verizon 4G) LTE.

The WiFi and 4G speeds are on the same order of magnitude; both are two orders of magnitude faster than 3G. The numbers do not lie, the new iPad’s LTE is very responsive and zippy. From an operational/use standpoint, there is little difference between WiFi and 4G. There was a tiny bit more of a lag, but overall dancing the Net from site to site felt just like WiFi. Even though it will eat up your monthly data allotment, watching video was seamless….I experienced zero bumps or hiccups.

Julie: I only have 3G coverage in my area. I went ahead and bought the 4G iPad just in case I might need / want that ability. Since it’s going to be awhile till we have 4G here, I will probably only use the data feature when I travel. I do think the prices for the data plans are not really based in reality. For example, $30/mo for 2GB; do you realize that if you want to stream a movie, it will probably use the entire 2GB (and then some). Who in their right mind would pay $30 to watch a movie on their iPad?

Janet: I live in a Verizon 4G area, and there are several other areas nearby that have 4G coverage.  I opted not to buy the 4G model for a couple of reasons.  I don’t want to pay for another data plan when we’re already paying for 3 iPhone 4 data plans.  I can also stop at most any fast food place or coffee shop for a quick soda and some free WiFi if I need to get my iPad connected for some reason.

Julie: You can also turn the hotspot on in your iPhone and use that too. I’ve done that before and it works great. It’s not 4G though…

Janet: Right, but turning on the hotspot costs $20.00, and a soda’s only about $2.00.  ;)

Dave: While I too, do not want another monthly fee and wish it was more like 4-5GB/$30, the convenience of always-on connectivity is (very) worth the cost for me. I travel a great deal for work, and when I am home my schedule is hectic to say the least. So, finding/stopping by a hotspot can mean the difference between being on time or late for whatever my next activity is. I look at the $30/month cost as a dollar per day….one third to one quarter the cost of a Starbucks latte. Literally pocket change.

I only stream video while in WiFi areas, knowing if I did watch video on 4G I would chew through my data limit in little to no time, as Julie said. But that is just a reality of the current carrier/data limit dynamic. I find that I can regularly check emails, surf the Net, and play Words with Friends as much as I want and not go over my 2GB limit.

Julie: I didn’t think I was going to get a chance to test the 4G feature in time for us to post this review, but by chance, I was in Indianapolis this weekend and took my iPad with me. I thought I had made a mistake by not turning the data feature on before leaving. At first I thought it required you to turn it on while you had WiFi coverage as it took me two tries to get it initialized while we were driving down the interstate. I had some weird connectivity issues while driving north on I65 from Columbus to Indianapolis. Even with full bars, it would sometimes say it couldn’t connect to 3G. I finally gave up and didn’t try again until later when we were at the Indianapolis State Fair Grounds. Then I used it in car while waiting for Jeanne to finish up at the Rock and Mineral show we attended there. Indy has 4G coverage and it felt very snappy… Just like I was at home on WiFi. It was also wonderful to use Google Maps with the new iPad as we were trying to navigate to a restaurant for lunch.

I do wish that you could turn off the data feature and only be charged for the time/data you use. I’m not sure if that’s the case now, but you could (can?) do that with the hotspot feature…

Battery Life

Julie: So far battery life seems to be about the same as it was with my iPad 2. Have you guys noticed a big change between the original iPad or iPad 2?

Janet:  Every iPad I’ve owned has consistently given me at least 10 hours/day, and the new iPad is no exception.  I did make sure to run my battery completely down, until it turned itself off, the second day I used it.  (I’ve heard you should do this a couple of times to “condition” a new battery.  I don’t know if that’s true, but I do it anyway.)  I don’t keep my screen very bright (at about 25-30% on the brightness slider) and I don’t keep Bluetooth turned on, but I do leave WiFi on all the time.  I leave it in sleep mode instead of turning it completely off, but it really doesn’t have a lot of standby time except when I’m asleep.  I don’t watch movies or play music on my iPad, but I spend hours a day surfing, reading, and playing games (I’m addicted to Bejeweled Blitz).  A couple of days ago, I got about 12 hours on a charge.  I don’t expect that every day, but I do expect I’ll get a solid 10 hours of use between charges.

Dave: I leave my WiFi and LTE on all the time, plus have my brightness set at 75%. I have yet to drop below 50% battery power during a day’s worth of use. I forgot how long the iPad lasts on a charge; easily able to handle 2 hours of airport waiting plus a coast to coast flight.

Julie: I’ve always been extremely happy with the battery life on my iPads. I love that I can ignore the iPad for even a week or two and when I come back to it, it still has a charge. Try that with your iPhone!

Janet: Just a note – The new iPad has Bluetooth 4.0, which should use less power than the Bluetooth radios used in previous models of the iPad.

This and That

Julie: There are reports that the new iPad runs too hot…

Janet:  I’ve read the reports about the new iPad being too hot to hold.  I haven’t found this to be true, but I don’t use my iPad under the extreme conditions they tested with.  I always hold my iPad in the horizontal position, with the home button on my right.  I’ve noticed the bottom edge, especially on my right, sometimes feels warm.  I’ve never thought it was hot, and I’ve certainly never been burned.  I always rest that edge on my chest, and trust me, I’d be complaining to everybody who’d listen if I got burned.  I have noticed that it gets warmer when I’m using it while it charges.

Julie: Mine did run noticeably hot that first day I was playing with it setting it up, which had me really worried when I started reading the articles complaining about the heat. But I’ve not had any issues with it since that first day. The back might feel slightly warmer than the iPad 2, but it’s no where near what some people are complaining about. What about you Dave?

Dave: Whether I am watching a movie or using LTE, my iPad gets warm but definitely not hot. My iPhone 4 has been much warmer on occasion but even then I would not classify it as ‘hot’. That said, I have read several of the quantitative thermal testing write ups, and while warmer than the iPad 2, it’s not painfully so…. . Personally, I think it is all just media hype trying to get readers to read their commentary…trying to create another ‘antenna-gate’ out of nothing.

….and if nothing else, the new iPad makes a great hand warmer on a cold, stormy Northwest evening.

Janet: Dictation is another new feature for the new iPad.  You can only use dictation when you have an internet connection, because what you say is apparently sent to Apple for translation.  You won’t even see the microphone button on the keyboard if you aren’t connected.  You can speak in small chunks – about 40 seconds or so – before you have to wait for translation.  You also have to say what punctuation you want added.  I tried it, and it did do a good job of understanding what I say, even getting my daughter’s first name right.  Still, I think this would be better for sending a quick email, rather than writing War and Peace. 

Conclusion

Julie: I opted for the 64GB 4G iPad and a Smart Cover. With tax, the total price was not far from $1000. Yes, I know that’s a crazy amount of money to pay for a tablet… but I did it anyway. Am I having buyer’s remorse? The first couple of days I had a little… Mainly because that’s a lot to pay for a pretty display since I’ll very rarely use the camera or 4G. I do really love that display though… and now I can’t imagine not having a retina display.

That said, in my opinion, I would advise current iPad 2 owners who are thinking about upgrading, that they should probably save their money and wait for next year’s iPad. Whatever you do, don’t go play with a new iPad because once you see how nice that screen looks, all bets are probably off. What do you guys think?

Dave: Like Julie, I splurged and got the Cadillac 64GB 4G/LTE (black) iPad. But instead of a Smart Cover, I opted for the AppleCare+….eking me just over a cool grand. I have zero buyer’s remorse and am having a great time using my new iPad, primarily due to the Retina display and the 4G always-on connection.

Janet: I got the 32GB WiFi iPad, and I’m using the red leather Smart Cover I already had.  My husband got the 32GB WiFi and a leather Smart Cover -  so about $1360 with tax for our purchase.  We have not the slightest hint of buyer’s remorse.  I don’t care about the camera or the 4G;  I think the Retina display alone was worth the money for an upgrade.  I use my iPad all day long, except when I’m writing for The Gadgeteer, and my aging eyes thank me for the sharp, clear display.  My husband, Butch uses his at work and at home.  He also says the Retina display is worth the update.

I think many people would agree with Julie, that there’s just not enough “new” to warrant an upgrade from an iPad 2.  I think the Retina display alone is worth upgrading, but maybe that’s just me.

Julie: Let’s hear from you. Did you upgrade from the original iPad or iPad 2? Any buyer’s remorse?

Filed in categories: Featured Items, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: iPad, Tablet

Apple iPad (3rd Generation) Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 25, 2012 at 1:00 pm.

The Pogo Sketch Plus from Ten One Design is a stylus for capacitive displays like those found on the iPad, iPhone and Android tablets. Check out my full report after the jump.

Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

Made of anodized aluminum, the Pogo Sketch Plus is available in Pink, Orange, Sliver and Green. As you can see, they sent me the Pink version of the stylus.

The Pogo Sketch Plus is shorter, thinner and lighter weight than the Targus Stylus.

The steel pocket clip allows it to magically (ok, magnetically) stick to the iPad’s smartcover or the iPad itself.

The Pogo Sketch Plus is a very basic stylus. It has a hollow feeling rubber tip like the Targus stylus. When I say it feels hollow, I mean that you can squish it with your fingers. It is not a solid rubber tip.

You can see that the Pogo tip is smaller than the Targus tip. This is a good thing because it makes it much easier to see what you’re writing or drawing.

Drawing and writing with this stylus works fine. It glides smoothly across the screens of my iPad 2 and Kindle Fire. I also tried it with my iPhone, but it didn’t work as well because I have a screen protector installed. It tended to drag a bit on the protector.

You will notice that the end of the tip has little holes in it that remind me of a salt shaker. I have no idea what purpose the holes provide, but they’re there.

It’s important to realize that you can not replace the tip on the Pogo Sketch Plus if it somehow becomes damaged. You’ll have to replace the entire stylus.

There’s not much else to say about the Ten One Design Pogo Sketch Plus capacitive stylus. It writes/draws smoothly on the displays I’ve tested and won’t break the bank. I prefer the Pogo to the Targus mainly due to the tip size, but my current favorite stylus is the Adonit Jot Pro.

Filed in categories: Android related, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: iPad, Stylus, Tablet

Ten One Design Pogo Sketch Plus Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 15, 2012 at 5:07 pm.

The LapGear Smart-e universal tablet lapdesk is a padded holder for your favorite tablet device for comfortable couch or bed surfing. It offers an adjustable stand with a ledge that will keep your device from sliding around while you’re using it. The version pictured above sells for $35. A deluxe version that includes storage for the tablet and charger is also available for $40.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: Tablet

LapGear Smart-e Gives your Tablet a Home on your Lap originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 12, 2012 at 10:00 am.

Amazon introduced their first Kindle device back in 2007 when the dedicated eBook reader population was made up almost exclusively by Sony’s Reader line of products. The eReader population has grown to include more brands than I can count and in the last 5 years, we’ve seen the technology in this category evolve from e-Ink devices to readers with color LCDs. After several popular e-Ink Kindles, Amazon’s first color device is the Kindle Fire. Although it may look and act like a tablet, Amazon does not want you to compare the Fire to an iPad or dedicated Android tablet. They say the Fire is just a content consumption device for books, magazines, music and video.  Of course telling people not to compare their device to other tablets, will cause them to do the opposite. I’m going to take a look at this already very popular device and let you know what I think.

Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

Hardware Specifications

Processor: 1Ghz Texas Instruments OMAP 4 dual-core processor
Operating System: Android
Display: 7″ multi-touch 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16 million colors
On-device Storage: 8GB internal (approximately 6GB available for user content)
Battery Life: Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as web browsing and downloading content
Charge Time: Fully charges in approximately 4 hours via included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via USB
Connectivity: Wifi 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or enterprise networks with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks
USB Port: USB 2.0 (micro-B connector)
Audio: 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, top-mounted stereo speakers
Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8
Size (in inches): 7.5″ x 4.7″ x 0.45″ (190 mm x 120 mm x 11.4 mm)
Weight: 14.6 ounces (413 grams)

Included in the Box

Kindle Fire
U.S. power adapter (supports 100-240V)
Quick Start Guide

Let me start out by showing you how the compares to the iPad 2 as far as device size. For me personally, a 10 inch display like the iPad’s is the sweet spot when it comes to web browsing and magazine reading. The smaller 7 inch display of the Fire is definitely great for portability, but it feels cramped when I’m using it for web browsing and viewing magazines. That said, I find the screen size of the Fire to be just fine for reading books, watching full screen video and playing games.

The Kindle Fire has a very spartan design. It’s available only in Black and you’ll find no flashy chrome trim, LED status lights or menu buttons on this device. Actually it has only one button… a tiny power button located on the bottom edge.

The front of the device has the display with a narrow bezel around all the edges.

The display is crisp and clear, with colors that are bright and vibrant. It’s not Samsung brilliant, but it’s still very nice. The image above does not do it justice. It’s very difficult to photography glossy color LCDs like the Fire.

The back of the Fire is made of a soft rubber like material that attracts smudges and grease.

Along the top edge are two speakers. Don’t expect to be able to hear audio in noisy environments. Even at max volume, it’s not very loud. In a small room, it works fine though.

On the bottom edge you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack, micro USB connector for charging and the power button. That’s it. No dedicated volume buttons, microphone and no camera. These omissions definitely restrict the Fire from being considered a full fledged tablet since you’ll be unable to use it for Skype calls and other video chat type applications. The omissions do not end with the microphone and camera though. The Fire also does not include a flash memory card slot for file expansion and it lacks Bluetooth connectivity as well. The lack of Bluetooth means you will not be able to connect a wireless Bluetooth keyboard or headphones. The lack of a flash card slot isn’t a deal breaker since Amazon gives you free file storage in the cloud for all their content and the built in 8GB of memory (6GB available for user content) enables you to store 80 apps, 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books directly on the device.

In hand the Fire feels really solid. It feels like a slab of Lucite with no flexing, creaking or cracking. It’s comfortable to hold in your hand because the edges are rounded and the back has a slight grip to it.

User Interface

The Kindle Fire is powered by the Android operating system, with a highly modified front end.

The home screen uses a familiar bookshelf motif that consists of multiple shelves. The top shelf is a carrousel / cover flow style stack of icons of the latest accessed apps, books, music, videos and webpages. You can flip through the icons by dragging your finger across the stack. I don’t really like flipping through the icons because frequently I’ll tap an icon and nothing will happen or it will flip to the next icon in sequence and launch that one instead. You can add your own icons to the bottom shelf, which is designated to hold your favorite apps, books and magazines. If you add more than 4 favorites, a new shelf will be created to add more. Then the whole home screen will scroll up and down.

At the top of the screen is a search box that will allow you to search the content on your device. As you type a book title or app name, you’ll see a list of matching items that filters as you continue to type the search criteria. The search feature will not drill down into books though. It will only allow you to find items based on titles, authors and artists.

Below the search box is a navigation bar that takes you to the 7 areas on the device: Newsstand, Books, Music, Video, Docs, Apps and Web.

Like other Android devices, you can view your notifications by swiping down from the top left corner of the display. To access the volume slider and other hardware settings, you tap the little gear icon in the upper right corner.

You will also notice a Home icon and back arrow at the bottom of the display. This is a menu that isn’t static on the screen. You usually have to tap the screen to have it appear. I really prefer a dedicated home button (and volume buttons) of some sort on my devices.

Reading Books

Here we see the book area. You can view your library by cover art grid view…

Or display it as a list which shows the title and author. In list view it also shows a percentage of how much you’ve read for each book.

It would be great if there was a way to file books in named folders, but the only way to organize the book list is by author name, recently read or by title.

Notice the Device / Cloud button at the top of the display. You’ll find these buttons on the Books, Magazines and Apps pages. When you’re on the device tab, you’ll see the books, magazines and apps that have been installed directly on your device in the 8GB of built-in memory. The cloud on the other hand, is an online storage space for you to securely store and access all of your own personal content, from your own personal movies, mp3′s, documents, etc. You can access your “Cloud Drive” on Amazon from almost any device that can access the internet.

Your amazon account includes 5GB of free cloud storage. For $20 per year more, you get 20GB of storage space, plus unlimited space for your mp3 music files. If you need even more memory, there are additional paid plans.

Of course you can access Amazon’s store to browse and purchase books. You’ll need a WiFi connection though as the Fire does not include built in 3G connectivity like other Kindle devices.

I like the interface for the store a lot. It’s simple and easy to navigate. I always found the store on older (non-touch) Kindle’s to be a little tedious to use.

I love that you can download a free sample of a book that you’re interested in buying. The samples show up in your library with the rest of your books.

I found the book reading experience on the Kindle Fire to be enjoyable. I’m already very comfortable reading on devices with a color LCD as I do almost all my reading on an iPhone. I always switch the background to black and the letters to grey, but you can also have a white or sepia background.

When you’re reading there are no distractions on the screen. Just words.

To see the clock, you have to tap the center of the screen. Turning pages is accomplished by tapping the left or right side of the screen. You can select words or phrases for a definition. You’re also able to highlight and make annotations.

You can then view your notes and highlights for each book by clicking the menu button at the bottom of the display.

Reading Magazines

Reading magazines on a 7″ display isn’t a wonderful experience in my opinion because you can’t easily read the magazine pages as intended due to the screen size.

The Fire’s magazine reading interface does offer a solution to that problem by allowing you to toggle into a Text Mode. If you look at the image above on the Left, that’s the normal magazine page. In order to comfortably read the small text, I have to zoom in. But if I toggle to Text mode as seen above on the Right, the article text is reformatted in more of a book style. Pictures are still shown and you can even search text. However, you can’t annotate, highlight or bookmark pages in magazines.

FYI: turning the Fire into landscape view makes things worse. It shows 2 magazine pages side by side with even tinier text.

Listening to Music

The music player on the Fire isn’t overly fancy. It has the necessary features to get the job done. Just remember, that the max audio output from the built-in speakers is pretty low and the Fire does not have dedicated volume buttons. The music player has a volume slider right on the screen though.

You can use the music player to stream music stored in your cloud drive. But of course, you’ll need to have a wifi connection to do so.

Watching Video

The Fire comes with a free month of Amazon Prime service. Amazon Prime gives you free 2 day shipping on tons of products and unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows at no additional cost along with newer movies and TV shows that can be rented or purchased. For example, right now you can rent The Help for $1.99 for 48hrs. Or buy episodes of The Vampire Diaries for $1.99.

I did cartwheels (ok, not really…) when I saw that the original Star Trek episodes were available for free. I watched the very first episode, which I had somehow managed to have never seen. The episode streamed perfectly with no hiccups, pausing or stuttering.

It’s important to note that the Prime Instant Videos are streaming only. So you’ll need a Wifi connection to enjoy them. However, rented movies and purchased TV shows can be downloaded so that you can view them even when you’re offline.

Apps

The Kindle Fire is powered by Android, but you will not be able to access the standard app market with this device. You’ll only be able to use Amazon’s own appstore, which is a bit of a bummer considering that Amazon’s appstore does not include all the apps that the app market has to offer.

Don’t get me wrong, Amazon offers a very good selection of apps and even offers a paid app for free each day. But I hate not having it all. I’m greedy. One example of an app that I’d like to install on the Fire which is not included in Amazon’s appstore is the official Gmail app.

The good news is that there’s an email app included on the Fire. I set it up to connect to my Gmail account. Yay right? Well… not really. The app is ok for reading and responding to messages.

In portrait mode you can thumb type.

Or kinda touch type on a very cramped keyboard when in landscape orientation. But here’s the bad news… you can’t connect to your gmail/google contacts. What is up with that? Grrrr…

Good news again… you can use the Fire’s web browser to access your Gmail and your contacts.

Web Browsing

Browsing my favorite sites on the Fire is an ok experience. It’s not nearly as comfortable as browsing on the iPad due to the screen size though. You can browse in tabbed mode as shown above.

Or full screen mode, which gives you a few extra lines per screen.

In landscape mode, it’s much easier to read the text, but you have to scroll more often.

Browsing on a small screen can also cause frustrations when tapping links when they are small and next to each other. A lot of times you’ll need to zoom in so that you can tap accurately. I don’t know how many times I tried to tap something and would end up tapping an adjacent link and then have to press the back button.

Book marks can be viewed by thumbnail or list.

One of the touted gee whiz features of the Fire is this new web page loading technology called Amazon Silk. According to Amazon, it’s supposed to be a revolutionary Cloud-Accelerated “Split Browser” that dramatically improves web page loading times. Unfortunately, I really haven’t noticed it being any quicker than surfing on my iPad. If anything, it actually feels SLOWER to me. I wanted to do some speed test with my favorite Speedtest app, but guess what? It’s not in the Amazon market and my attempts to sideload it failed.

Another weirdness I noticed is that some flash based sites like CNN’s video pages, prompted me to install the latest Flashplayer and thought the Fire was an OSX device. Of course trying to install it didn’t work.

I had the same issue with Hulu.com. Android fans always brag about being able to load flash enabled sites but it feels hit or miss to me. I never really notice the lack of flash on my iPad because I don’t visit many (any?) flash enabled sites.

Performance

Changing from screen to screen, app to app, loading books, magazines, etc, all feels snappy. The Kindle Fire has a dual core processor, so it’s not laggy by any means. The only lag I can really complain about is with the web browser. I’m not the only one complaining, so I’m hoping and expect Amazon will improve the tech behind Amazon Silk.

Battery Life

No complaints here at all. Battery life is great. I can get days and days of use out of the Fire before needing to charge. Granted, I don’t watch many videos or surf for long periods of time using this device.

Conclusion

The Kindle Fire is already a wildly popular device because of its sub $200 price tag and Amazon’s brand reputation. The reasons why I like the Fire are its price, compact size, nice display, snappy performance and good battery life. The reasons why I don’t like this device are the lack of 3G, Bluetooth, dedicated volume and menu buttons, laggy web browser and no access to Google’s app market or core apps (Gmail, Calendar, etc.). I understand that this is Amazon’s first “tablet” device, so I’m cutting them some slack and am hoping that that future models will address at least some of these deficiencies.

I don’t consider the Amazon Kindle Fire to be a real tablet.  But it will be many people’s first taste of Android and using a tablet style device. I think this device is causing ripples in the tablet market which will benefit all of us. Even an iPad fan like myself.

Filed in categories: Android related, eBook Readers and Gear, Featured Items, Reviews, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: Android, ereader, Kindle, Tablet

Amazon Kindle Fire Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 31, 2012 at 11:10 am.

Those of you who lug around a lot of gear like myself, and remember my article on a single convergence device, might just find this concept design by Indian Industrial Designer Prashant Chandra very interesting. His entry in the Fujitsu Design Awards competition, the Lifebook2013, was shortlisted to the top 100 from over 3000 entries from 99 countries. Consisting of a notebook, tablet, phone/MP3 player, and camera, the unit doesn’t actually have a physical keyboard, the tablet becomes a virtual keyboard when docked. When connected, the unit shares hardware and storage and only needs a single power charger.

“Our life in this IT age typically consist of these digital devices that we use everyday to do our work, entertain ourselves, enjoy our hobbies, save our memories and share and socialize with our family & friends. Presently we buy each one of these devices separately and then struggle to keep them all synchronised with our data. Also we always use these devices one at a time. This means a lot of wasted hardware which is repeated in these devices and is sitting idle in one device, when we are using other. If there was a device that could have these devices integrated into one thereby making synchronization a seamless process and overall cost of ownership lesser than what I would spend for four individual devices, it would truly be my Lifebook.”

More pictures and details can be seen in Prashant’s portolio on coroflot.com

Filed in categories: Gear, Laptops and Gear, News

Tagged: concept product, notebook, Phone, Tablet

Lifebook 2013 Concept – A single convergence device? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 21, 2012 at 1:00 pm.

Should Amazon be worried that ARCHOS has just announced a 7 inch Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) tablet for $199? If I were faced with a buying decision between the Kindle Fire and this new ARCHOS 70b Internet Tablet, I would pick the ARCHOS due to the specs alone. The processor is faster than the Fire’s at 1.2Ghz, it has an HDMI out port, a SD card slot and the full app market. It won’t be in stores till January, but that’s just a hop, skip and a jump away. Which tablet would you choose between the two? Full press release after the jump.

ARCHOS Unveils the ARCHOS 70b Internet Tablet, the First Android Honeycomb Tablet Under $200

DENVER, CO – (December 20, 2011) – ARCHOS, an award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, announced today the upcoming availability of the first android 3.2 ‘’Honeycomb’’ tablet under $200, the ARCHOS 70b internet tablet. The new ARCHOS 70b IT is an enhanced version of the ARCHOS 70 IT Gen 8 that features an upgraded capacitive touch screen and a powerful processor at 1.2 GHz.

The ARCHOS 70b internet tablet runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb, Google’s full suite of mobile applications with Android MarketTM, giving users access to over 300,000 applications such as games, books, social media and news. With Honeycomb, users will have faster and smoother transitions between different applications, and more intuitive navigation to and from home screens.

Very slim and light, the newest version of the ARCHOS 70 internet tablet Gen 8, offers the best performances in terms of portability, immediate internet access, multimedia, apps and affordability.  This new version has a higher resolution capacitive screen (1024 x 600) for vibrant colors and crisp clarity and has doubled the RAM to 512 MB for a smoother web experience and more efficient multi-tasking.

This connected mobile device with a sublime user interface, 3D Graphics accelerator and Wi-Fi connectivity, also comes with a full pack of connected apps such as a web browser and email application, HDMI output and Micro SD connectivity.

With this enhanced Android tablet, users will benefit from:

•    An affordable price starting at $199 for 8GB
•    Smoother multi-tasking and a faster web experience thanks to the upgraded RAM
•    Brighter colors with a high resolution capacitive screen
•    Android 3.2 Honeycomb, the Android version designed for a tablet
•    Access to a full array of apps with the Android Market and its 300,000 apps such as news, eMagazines, eBooks, social media, games and more
•    A full multimedia experience with upgraded multimedia ARCHOS apps for video and music
•    HDMI output, giving users full access to their Android experience on their TV including all the pre-loaded apps, video playback, 3D games, photos and all the Android Market apps

Availability & Price The ARCHOS 70b internet tablet will be available in stores starting in January with the recommended retail price of $199.

About ARCHOS ARCHOS, pioneer in the portable audio and video player market, and now specializing in Android Tablets, has repeatedly revolutionized the market for consumer electronics since 1988. Today, ARCHOS offers Android Internet Tablets, Tablet PCs and MP3/MP4 players. In 2000, ARCHOS launched the Jukebox 6000, the first MP3 player combined with a hard disk. Then in 2003 ARCHOS introduced the first portable multimedia players with TV recording. In 2006 Wi-Fi is implemented and then touch screens in 2007. In 2008, ARCHOS launched the first generation Internet Tablets, and then the first ever Android powered tablets in 2009. ARCHOS has offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. ARCHOS is quoted on Compartment C of Eurolist, Euronext Paris, ISIN CodeFR0000182479. Website: www.archos.com.

Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ARCHOS.EntertainmentYourWay Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ARCHOS_US

Filed in categories: Android related, News, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: Android, Tablet

ARCHOS Unveils the First Android Honeycomb Tablet under $200 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 20, 2011 at 12:54 pm.

“The pen is mightier than the finger”

-Ian 2011
(Apologies to Edward Bulwer-Lytton)

Let me start this article by saying that if you’re looking for a technical review of the new Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet then this is not the article for you. There’s quite a few speed and feed reviews out there, but what I want to cover here is how the “business grade”  Thinkpad Tablet differs from most of the other tablets out there in the market, and how these features  work for me especially in regards to its pen input.

Still interested ?  Read on ……….

I’ve stated in several forums (including this one) that I thought that the 7″ tablet format was what I believed to be the perfect form factor to me, however when I was offered a (very) good deal on a Thinkpad Tablet I had to have a long, hard think if I really wanted to purchase one. I didn’t want to blow money on something that was basically just a bigger version of my Samsung Galaxy Tab 7″, even if it did have “bigger and better” specifications. After reading many reviews of the unit it became clear that the pen input really set this unit apart from all the currently released Android tablets out there. I could see where this could be potentially very useful.

It’s worth noting that I have played with various pen based Windows units through the years, and to me they were never quite good enough, or didn’t have that killer app, or didn’t fuse into the total pen/tablet experience.

95% of this review has been written with my Thinkpad Tablet, all the text, all the pictures, the whole lot. Note that this is meant to be more of an “experience” article rather than a hardware or software review.  All apps are available from the Android Market except Mobile Notes (which is OEM only) - some free, and some fee-based, and some in both formats.  It’s worth noting that many of them will work without a pen as well.

Firstly some semi-technical stuff that differentiates this tablet from most of the tablets on the market (and a chance to demonstrate marking up a jpeg ).  While some of the features individually exist on any other tablet on the market today, the Thinkpad is the only one with this unique combination of features.

• Full size USB – allows use of USB keys, hard drives, keyboards, mice
• 4 Physical function buttons ( Orientation Lock/Browser/Back/Home )
• Full Size SD – easy transfer of information from notebooks and digital cameras
• Optional plugin keyboard folio case
• 10.1″ Duosense touchscreen that allows for either finger input or the Thinkpad Pressure Sensitive Pen

It’s the last feature that really stands out here. I’ve had some form of PDA since the days of the early Sharp Organisers and the Palm 100; however, since then I’ve never found a PDA/Tablet that really suits my needs for taking everyday notes.  Now I don’t actually write much these days (as you can probably see from the quality of my writing in the picture above ), but I still carry a diary or a notebook and pen with me wherever I go just to jot down notes or doodle pictures.  Keyboards, whether physical or virtual, have never done it for me while say taking notes at a client visit. It’s just not fast enough and to me seems a bit intrusive during a meeting. The idea of being able to write notes was very appealing, but how well would they work in real life ?

The included OEM app for the pen supplied with the tablet ( Notes Mobile ) allows you to create notebooks to classify your information and supports pen pressure.  It supports automatic OCR,  freehand, or a combination of both.  You can also write in freehand and convert it to OCR later. Here’s an example of freehand:

And here it is after it’s been OCRed:

Actually , if you look at the translation above, the OCR isn’t that bad given my chicken scrawl… It does have some cool features like being able to scribble things out to delete them and a long vertical line will add a space.  As an included app, this works pretty well. Changing OCR font, pen size or color isn’t intuitive, quick or easy while working, and the recognition still isn’t 100 percent -but as mentioned in the note, that might just be my bad handwriting  The program is quite useful for writing short notes that you require OCRed and then shared into Gmail or Evernote.

One of the bugbears currently is palm rejection.  The screen basically has a single digitiser that  detects capacitive (finger) input and  active (pen)  input.  When the pen’s being used, palm rejection should disregard finger/palm input; however this seems to work in varying levels in the different applications. With the badly implemented apps, you end up with artifacts on your picture/note/form where you’ve rested your hand. Have a look at the Notes Mobile screen above, and in the bottom right there’s a small dot. That’s an artifact from where palm rejection hasn’t worked properly.

Primarily the tablet will be used for work purposes. Below is an example of a typical page of notes I might take during a client visit. This is created with Quill, which was itself developed on the Thinkpad Tablet.  There’s no notebook support in Quill   ( V7.0 – 28/12/12 now supports notebooks) and  you can use a tag system to sub classify your notes.  Quill supports the pen pressure and makes it easy to do all the things you need to do, like changing pen size and colour (though it could be easier) . Palm rejection works perfectly On returning to the office or wirelessly, I can then attach my notes to an email, an appointment, or into our CRM system for future reference. For freehand notes, this is really where the tablet, pen and software come into their own. This is currently my must have app for freehand notes and workflow.

Ever been emailed a PDF form that you have to fill in and email back?  This normally involves printing out the file, filling it in with pen, scanning it back in, and then emailing it off. The same goes for papers for comment or approval or photos etc. With the Thinkpad Tablet and EZPDF you can fill it in with the pen and send it back. You can fill in fields, highlight and annotate in different colours and font sizes. Very useful  If I can get PDF’s of presentations I can see myself using this during training or conferences to write notes during the sessions.

I’m a bit of a doodler as you can see from my headline picture on this article. The pressure sensitive pen and the right app allows you to digitally doodle. Autodesk has released Sketchbook for Android. It supports layers, heaps of pens and effects and much, much more than I’ll ever use. Note the varied thickness and trailing in some of the lines due to the pressure sensitivity. While it’s not as good as a dedicated graphics tablet you can see that the results can be quite good and all this on a single fully contained portable device that is as small as a normal graphics tablet by itself. Here’s a quick pic I created while watching tellie last night. You can also use Sketchbook to markup and change graphic files as well ( as per my Tablet “spec” sheet above ).

All the programs above have the capability of being able to export your creations into a variety of  apps including Evernote, Dropbox, Gmail etc.  So getting information off your device after creation doesn’t mean having to connect it to your PC or muck around with SD Cards.

All in all I’m really enjoying the experience with the Thinkpad Tablet. The pen adds a new dimension to portable tablet computing. You of course require the right apps to be able to support the pen and to be able to make the pen fit into your workflow.

I’m still finding more and more uses for the tablet everyday and think that the pen support really has the potential to take my mobile computing up to the next level.  I’m slowly working through how this unit fits my work flow, both personal and business. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come in the mobile computing space and well worth having a look at if you’re given the chance.

Addenum ( 20/11/2011 AEDST ) :

Based on the comments received  I’ve just created the below video.  This is my fully loaded Tablet not some cleanskin demo model that’s tweaked or modded .  It’s an attempt to show the workflow to create a document in Quill, exporting the document to GMail and then using Myscript Stylus as a keyboard replacement to complete the email.  This is to demonstrate the speed, accuracy, responsive of the tablet that can’t be conveyed in still pictures.  Probably a bit slower than in real life than normal as I had to use at an unusual angle to film properly  and was making it up on the spot. Enjoy ! ( and if you don’t I apologise in advance but I can’t give you that 4:04 minutes of your life back )

Filed in categories: Android related, Reviews, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: Android app, Android tablet, digital pen, Tablet

Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 16, 2011 at 11:00 am.

Want to introduce your kids to the tablet world but you’re not quite willing to hand them your expensive iPad?  Check out the Nabi Kids Tablet, a Toys “R” Us exclusive.  This 7 inch capacitive multi-touch tablet runs on Android OS (not sure which version) and sports a Duo Core 1.1GHz processor.  The Nabi is pre-loaded with lots of apps, games, learning materials and ebooks that are geared to kids.  There’s also a “Mommy Mode”, which will let mom’s enjoy the full-featured Android tablet.  It’s priced at $199.99 direct from Toys “R” Us.

Filed in categories: Android related, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: Android, Tablet

Nabi Tablet – A tablet for your kids originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 15, 2011 at 9:00 am.

The wait for Amazon’s Kindle Fire is almost over. Just one week to go and then we’ll see if this small tablet can give Apple’s iPad a run for its money. In case you weren’t aware, the Fire isn’t just a color Kindle eReader. You’ll be able to do a lot more with this 199 dollar 7 inch tablet than just read ebooks and magazines. You can surf your favorite sites via WiFi, watch movies, listen to music and install 1000′s of Android apps using Amazon’s AppStore. Current Android tablet and smartphone users are probably already familiar with Amazon’s AppStore, but for those of you that will get your first introduction through the Kindle Fire, the main differences between it and the regular app store (which I doubt you’ll have access to via the Fire), are that purchases will use your existing Amazon acct and Amazon offers a free paid app every day. It’s also good to know that once you download an app from Amazon’s AppStore, that same app will be available on your other Android devices.

Facebook, Pandora, Netflix, Rhapsody, Games from Electronic Arts, Zynga and Rovio, and Several Thousand More Apps and Games Coming To Kindle Fire Next Week

Just like with movies and TV shows, music, books, and magazines, Kindle Fire offers a fully-integrated Android apps and games experience – purchase or register for an app or game once, enjoy it on your Kindle Fire and other Android-based devices – and all apps and games are backed up in the Amazon Cloud for re-download anytime

SEATTLE, Nov 09, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — (NASDAQ: AMZN) – When Kindle Fire customers across the country open their boxes next week, they will be able to choose from several thousand of the most popular Android apps and games, including Netflix, Rhapsody, Pandora, Twitter, Comics by comiXology, Facebook, The Weather Channel and popular games from Zynga, EA, Gameloft, PopCap and Rovio. Kindle Fire customers will be able to download these apps and games without having to register multiple times and using Amazon’s simple and secure 1-Click payment technology. Plus, all apps are Amazon-tested on Kindle Fire for the best experience possible, customers can get a great “paid” app for free every day, and once you’ve downloaded an app from the Amazon Appstore, it’s available on Kindle Fire as well as your other Android-based devices.

“We started talking to app developers everywhere the day we introduced Kindle Fire, and the response has been overwhelming,” Dave Limp, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “In addition to over 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, and magazines from Amazon, we are excited to offer customers thousands of apps and games to choose from on Kindle Fire – from Pandora and Rhapsody to Facebook and Twitter to Netflix, as well as popular games from EA, Zynga and many other top game developers. And this is only the beginning – we’re adding more apps and games every day across all categories.”

With the Netflix app, Kindle Fire customers who are Netflix members can browse and instantly watch unlimited TV shows and movies and resume watching where they left off on their TV or computer. “We’re excited to team up with Amazon to give what we think will be a huge community of Kindle Fire owners the opportunity experience all that Netflix has to offer,” said Bill Holmes, Vice President of Business Development at Netflix. “We’re certain that our members will have a great viewing experience on Kindle Fire.”

“EA is proud to be part of Kindle Fire,” said Bernard Kim, Senior Vice President & Head of Global Sales and Marketing at Electronic Arts. “On Kindle Fire, we’re offering some of the world’s most popular titles with incredible gameplay and breathtaking graphics that anyone can play and enjoy anytime, anywhere.”

“Zynga strives to deliver the best mobile social gaming experiences that can be enjoyed by players anytime and anywhere,” said David Ko, Chief Mobile Officer at Zynga. “Teaming with Amazon to make Words With Friends a featured game on the Kindle Fire provides us with a great way to reach new and existing players on a fresh and exciting device.”

“As Gameloft continues to create games for the mass market, Kindle Fire comes as a very exciting new platform for us to offer our games on,” said Baudouin Corman, Vice President of Publishing for the Americas at Gameloft. “Not only does it provide us with an innovative channel for us to reach new audiences, but the tablet is set to enable a great gaming experience as well. In effect, we plan on providing Kindle Fire customers with a large catalog of top quality premium and free-to-play games.”

“We’re excited to be bringing our massively popular games to Kindle Fire,” said Andrew Stein, Director of Mobile Product Management at PopCap Games. “Kindle Fire is a great gaming device, and consumers will love the touch-screen optimized adaptations of top titles such as Plants vs. Zombies.”

“Personalized radio has the power to enhance all types of experiences anytime, anywhere and we’re thrilled that Pandora is a launch app on the new Kindle Fire,” said Jessica Steel, Executive Vice President of Business and Corporate Development at Pandora.

“We are really stoked to offer our members the Rhapsody experience on one of the most anticipated new devices this holiday season,” said Brian McGarvey, Vice President of Business Development for Rhapsody. “We want to make sure Rhapsody is available on every must-have device, including the Kindle Fire.”

“Being a featured app on Kindle Fire will allow The Weather Channel to continue to fulfill our mission of providing consumers with the most reliable weather information to help plan their daily lives – no matter where they are and what device they use,” said Cameron Clayton, Executive Vice President of Digital Product at The Weather Channel Companies.

Additional examples of apps and games that will be available to Kindle Fire customers include Allrecipes, Bloomberg, Cut the Rope, Doodle Fit, Doodle Jump, Fruit Ninja, Jenga, LinkedIn, Zillow, Airport Mania, Battleheart, Pulse, The Cat in the Hat, Quickoffice Pro, Jamie’s 20-Minute Meals, IMDb Movies & TV, and Monkey Preschool Lunchbox.

Kindle Fire offers more than 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, magazines, apps and games, as well as free storage in the Amazon Cloud, Whispersync for books and movies, a 14.6 ounce design that’s easy to hold with one hand, a vibrant color touch screen, a powerful dual-core processor and Amazon Silk – Amazon’s new revolutionary web browser that accelerates the power of the mobile device by using the computing speed and power of the Amazon Web Services Cloud – all for only $199. Customers also enjoy a free month of Amazon Prime, providing access to Prime Instant Video with 13,000 movies and TV shows available for unlimited streaming and the new Kindle Owners’ Lending Library where Kindle owners can now choose from thousands of books to borrow for free including more than 100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers – as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates.

Customers in the U.S. can pre-order Kindle Fire at http://www.amazon.com/kindlefire and it ships November 15. For high resolution images and video of the all-new Kindle Fire, visit http://www.amazon.com/pr/kindle.

Filed in categories: Android related, News

Tagged: Amazon Fire, Tablet

Thousands of Apps and Games Coming To Kindle Fire Next Week originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 9, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

HP has just released an update for their Windows 7 based slate tablet.  The newer Slate 2 has a faster Atom processor at 1.5 GHz, Swype input support and 32GB SSD to start.  They also changed the backing of their Slate 2 to be flat instead of the diamond style they had in the previous model.  Still no integrated stylus slot and you’re still stuck with a disappointing 3 MP rear facing camera.  On the upside, HP has lowered the starting price to $699.

Filed in categories: Handheld PCs / Ultra Portables, News

Tagged: HP, slate, Tablet

HP updates the Slate 500 and names it Slate 2 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 3, 2011 at 4:00 pm.

When you want to use your smartphone or tablet hands free, you really need some sort of stand for it. Just like cases, there are a wide variety of device stands on the market. Today I want to show you the FoneStand. It’s an inexpensive plastic stand that can be used for iPhones, Android phones and many different tablets. Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

The FoneStand is a sturdy plastic stand that is available in Black or White. It has a nice wide base that is 3.25 inches across.

The back of the stand has a large grippy rubber pad that keeps your device from sliding around.

There’s also an opening in the base that you could use to route a charging cable.

The FoneStand has 4 feet that are also really grippy and keep it from sliding around on your desk or other flat surface.

I tried my iPhone 4S with the FoneStand and found it to work perfectly in both portrait orientation…

and landscape orientation. It can even accommodate the iPhone when it’s in a case.

I found that the FoneStand also works well with the iPad as long as it’s in landscape orientation. If you try to place the iPad in portrait orientation, it will tip over too easily.

There isn’t much I can really criticize about the FoneStand. It’s sturdy, has a nice wide base that doesn’t slide around, a grippy back that keeps devices from sliding around and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

The only feature I wish this stand had is the ability to fold up so that I could easily carry it around with me in my gear bag. That said, I think it will earn a spot on my desk either at home or work.

Do you use a stand for your smartphone or tablet? If so, which one do you prefer?

Filed in categories: Android related, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: Smartphone, Stand, Tablet

FoneStand Smartphone and Tablet Stand Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 30, 2011 at 5:08 pm.

So, the Amazon “Kindle Fire” tablet is now reality and I believe it will be a big seller. At $199 it is within shouting distance of that “no brainer” gadget purchase price. Best of all, for us consumers, Amazon is forcing the rest of the tablet market to prove their value and “reason for being”.

That doesn’t mean that Motorola, Asus, Acer, Toshiba, Vizio, Samsung and whoever else is making an Android tablet this week is going to be out of business. Oh, and unless Apple hires Leo Apotheker (former CEO of Hewlett-Packard), I very much doubt the iPad is going to be killed off anytime soon.

There is an “if” though, because I’m writing about a device I’ve only seen in demo videos. Problems have been known to become apparent when a million users fire up a new device or service. But, for the sake of this article I’m going to assume that the demos are real, the people that used the demo units are being honest and that Amazon is sticking with their practice of not releasing products until they are ready. Besides, if Amazon doesn’t deliver it will make for an even better article come mid-November.

First let’s talk about the timing of Amazon’s release. It’s about as good as it could get. The product is available for presale now, on the cusp of the fourth quarter, it will be released over a month before Christmas and most importantly, may be available several months before Apple is expected to announce its new iPad model(s).

In designing the Kindle Fire Amazon looked at their target market and only included hardware necessary to support that offering. The device features:

1. 1 Ghz Dual Core Processor
2. 7″ multi-touch display with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16 million colors
3. Battery Life – 7.5 hours of video or 8 hours of book reading (WiFi Off)
4. Weight 14.6 ounces (413 grams)
5. Charges from wall adapter OR computer USB port
6. Free cloud storage for all Amazon content.
7. One-month Prime Subscription
8. 8GB RAM
9. Amazon Silk web browser (http://amazonsilk.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/introducing-amazon-silk/)

So, Amazon has developed a device that when coupled with their extensive online content library is clearly aimed at the consumer/home market both in price and capabilities. I doubt we’ll be reading stories about the Kindle Fire being used as a Point-of-Sale system or for navigating commercial aircraft.

However, the Kindle Fire has more than enough processing power to provide for smooth video playback, fast app launches and a responsive user interface. The display is bright, has a higher pixel density than the iPad 2, and (hallelujah!) an anti-reflective screen.

If the battery life lives up to the claims it’s more than acceptable for consumer use and being able to charge the device from either the wall or a standard USB port makes it less likely you’ll have to carry, or hunt for a high-amperage charger when needed. Basically, you’ll be able to charge it with the same charger or cable you’re using for a number of other devices in your home or car.

The Kindle Fire comes with 8GB of storage space and no slot for extra memory. I believe that is going to be sufficient when you consider Amazon is also including free storage on their cloud system. To give you an idea I looked at memory usage on my iPad where I have over 350 apps installed and they only take up about 3GB of space. For further comparison I checked my T-Mobile G2 phone and found that 150 apps there resided in less than 700MB of memory.

This should leave sufficient room for the device to hold several hours of video, books and a lot of music, and provided there’s a WiFi signal available content can be removed from the device and new downloaded from your online library. Once you have purchased content from Amazon it is always available. I suspect that Amazon will charge for non-Amazon content that is uploaded to their service much as they do with their existing MP3 library service (the first 5GB of non-Amazon content is free and 20GB of storage costs $20/year with higher limits available.).

What may also aid in the Kindle Fire being a game-changer is their new “Silk” browser. Amazon is attempting to split the workload of the browser between their “EC2” cloud service and the device. They’ll be caching pages in their cloud service as well as making intelligent guesses (based on data gathered from all of their users) at what links you’re likely to follow and pre-downloading them to the device. They’ll also be optimizing (shrinking) graphics and other content so that it is only the quality and size necessary to look good on the Kindle Fire’s display. Companies like AOL, Opera, Skyfire and a few others have tried similar, albeit less complex, schemes in the past. If Amazon can succeed in speeding up the browsing experience it would become another significant differentiator between them and the competition.

Amazon’s choices of what features they didn’t include in the Kindle Fire are almost as important as the features they did. Amazon’s new tablet reportedly does not include:

1. GPS or Accelerometer (G-Sensor)
2. Bluetooth Radio
3. 3G/4G Radio
4. No Microphone
5. No Cameras
6. No Memory Expansion Slot
7. No HDMI/mini HDMI port

All of these missing features were shaved to reduce cost, size/weight and battery usage. The only item on the list that surprises me is the Bluetooth radio as it would allow people to connect their wireless headphones and external speakers. Perhaps one can be added via the device’s mini-USB port, but that smacks of the same connectivity unfriendliness as the iPad Camera Connection kit for the iPad. Dante’ should have included “dongle usage and storage” as one of the “Circles of Hell” .

Some will complain about the lack of a 3G/4G option, but I don’t believe Amazon wanted to include a feature that would require their customers to contract with a third-party company. The cost of providing an all-inclusive 3G package like they offer on the existing 3G Kindle readers would have been too pricey. Customers don’t like metered service, contracts and, in general, mobile carriers. Even the best of the carriers is ranked pretty low on the American Consumer Satisfaction Index.

I’m sure AT&T’s backpedaling on the iPad 3G’s $30/month unlimited package (it’s now $25/month for 2GB) shortly after the iPad 3G was launched also had struck a nerve. It wouldn’t take many movie downloads to more than equal the price of the device in data charges. That may lead to unhappy customers.

On a side note, I’d suggest that anyone absolutely needing 3G/4G service for their Kindle Fire consider purchasing one of the standalone mobile hotspots. For roughly the same cost you could have 4G service (if available) and use it with a variety of devices. There are also some phones offered by the carriers that allow tethering as part of their data plan (My T-Mobile G2 phone is one of them).

The rest of the items are superfluous to the Kindle Fire’s intended use. The Amazon’s development team was not intent on replacing your computer, car navigation system, smartphone or point and shoot camera. The Kindle Fire is a relatively inexpensive device that is meant to fulfill the desire to watch TV shows, movies, play games, read books, newspapers and magazines, listen to music, browse the web and check things like email and personal calendars. My guess is that list covers about 85% of the use most tablets see today and a far higher-percentage of the use predicted for the hundreds of millions of people that haven’t yet purchased a tablet.

Certainly there are going to be people that want a device that has one or more of the features that Amazon did not include. Amazon is gambling that a lot of consumers are going to decide against paying $200 more for some of the fuller featured Android tablets or $300 – $450 extra for a WiFi iPad/3G iPad with GPS capability.

Presently, there’s only one successful tablet maker, Apple and the iPad. I’m looking forward to seeing how Apple reacts to the Kindle Fire. Their response is going to tell us a lot about Apple’s market strategy moving forward. Do they want to be a sales leader in the tablet marketplace or are they content to be the manufacturer of a highly regarded, high-margin luxury model? Steve Jobs once stated that the Macintosh’s market share was greater than that of Porsche, BMW or Mercedes and being the BMW or Mercedes of the computer market wasn’t a bad thing. We’ll soon get to see if that’s still the Apple strategy or if they’re willing to compete based on price in the tablet marketplace. With their locked-in content libraries (iTunes and the Apple App Store) proving to be a significant profit center for Apple the pressure to drop price or produce lower-end iPads might be very tempting.

While Apple is planning its next move the other Tablet makers need to decide in which segment of the market they want to compete. Google (and its licensees like Asus, Acer, Toshiba, Samsung and even Sony) trails both Amazon and Apple badly in availability of streaming video and other saleable content.

Even if Google can improve its content offerings it would be hard for their partner tablet manufacturers to reduce their margins of the units when they will be sharing their profits from the sale of content with Google or even Amazon’s own Android market offerings.

I expect we’ll see some of these guys pull the plug on their current offerings and others re-work their devices to go after the other potentially large tablet segment, productivity machines. Samsung, Asus, and Acer have always been adept at producing lower-cost versions of products. None has ever shown itself to be a market pioneer or provider of entertainment content. This may lead to some of them jumping ship from Android to Windows 8 and its desktop integration, but that’s over a year away and in a marketplace where the lifecycle of a device can be less than two months (HP TouchPad), a year is a long, long time.

Sony’s choices will also be interesting to watch. While their e-readers have been technically competent they haven’t really challenged Amazon or Barnes & Noble in that marketplace. They have two tablets and, of course, their own library of video and music content. In the past they have licensed that to vendors like Apple and Amazon. I doubt they’re going to pull that content from Apple or Amazon, two significant revenue sources; however tablets like the Kindle Fire do pose a threat to their portable gaming devices, and even to their PlayStation 3 consoles.

My guess, Sony will also focus their tablet offerings to compete in the productivity segment and perhaps work a revenue sharing deal with Amazon for content distribution through their PlayStation devices.

For those old-timers out there like me, I expect that the Kindle Fire could have the same impact on the tablet market as the Commodore 64 had on the personal computer industry back in 1982. Commodore’s CEO Jack Tramiel used to proudly claim that he made, “Computers for the masses, not the (upper) classes.

So, we may end up with the two of the highest rated companies for customer satisfaction in their respective markets going toe to toe (Apple is the highest rated Personal Computer Manufacturer and Amazon holds the top spot among online retailers according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index).

For those that enjoy watching the machinations, sparring and outright wars in the high technology industry this should be a great show.

Filed in categories: Android related, Articles, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: Acer, Amazon, Apple, asus, Commodore, iPad, Jack Tramiel, Kindle, Samsung, Sony, Tablet

Kindle Fire – A Tablet for the Masses? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 2, 2011 at 11:00 am.

As expected, Amazon.com Inc.’s CEO Jeff Bezos announced the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet and a trio of new Kindle e-readers two carrying the name and capability, “Touch”. The Fire will have a 7-inch screen and run on a heavily modified version of Google, Inc.’s Android operating system. Included with the Fire will be a one-month trial to Amazon’s “Prime” service that includes no-additional charge streaming videos and two-day shipping on many of the products sold by the world’s largest online retailer.

First shown were the new Kindle e-readers two of which will utilize an improved e-ink screen with touch capabilities, allowing the company to remove the keyboard and other function buttons.  Page-turning will be accomplished by touching various segments of the screen and be easily done with one-hand.

Pricing for the WiFi version of the new Kindle Touch was set at $99 with ads or $149 ad-free and the Kindle Touch 3G version that reportedly will work in over 100 countries is priced at $149/$189. There is no additional charge for data usage on the 3G model. Mr. Bezos then presented a non-touch screen/non-physical keyboard equipped WiFi Kindle that will sell for $79/$109

While Mr. Bezos didn’t give specifics the devices all look smaller than the existing third-generation Kindles and will have better battery life than existing devices.

The touch-screen Kindles will be available for pre-order shortly and ship on November 21 while the non-touch-screen model is available for sale/shipment today.

The new 14.6 ounce Amazon Kindle Fire tablet is powered by a dual-core CPU, 7-inch IPS display that’s protected by Corning, Inc.’s “Gorilla Glass”. The device will rely heavily on Amazon’s cloud services. Synchronization will be handled by the same Whispersync system that Amazon utilizes with their existing Kindles. This means that if you’re watching a movie, listening to music, or reading a book on one device and move to another device you’ll be able to seamlessly pickup at the same spot. A connection to a PC will not be necessary.

The Kindle Fire is based on Google’s Android, but the user interface doesn’t resemble any Android device released to date. Among other apps, Amazon is providing its own web browser named, “Silk” which will utilize Amazon’s back-end servers to cache and speed-up web page display on the devices’ display in a process they’re calling, “Dynamic Split Browsing”.

The Amazon Kindle Fire will ship on November 15 and is available for pre-order today for $199.

The devices are now available for sale/pre-order.

Filed in categories: Android related, eBook Readers and Gear, News, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: Amazon, e-reader, Tablet

Amazon Announces the $199 Kindle Fire Tablet and Three Kindle E-Readers originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 28, 2011 at 11:28 am.

About a year and a half ago Steve Jobs introduced the iPad and declared that we were now in the “Post PC Era”. I purchased an iPad, then I bought an Asus eee Transformer (with dock) and finally bought an HP TouchPad. They all do about the same things with various strengths and weaknesses; overall all of the tablets are pretty much the same when compared to the functionality of a PC. (For the sake of this article a PC is a desktop or notebook running Windows or Mac OSX.)

Tablets have allowed me to move easily away from my desk to read email, read some websites, check Twitter, Facebook, watch some videos, use apps and, of course, play games. This increased mobility is great and this has provided both entertainment value and, in some cases, productivity gains over a PC. Tablets can be a useful tool.

Now, if that’s all you need from a PC then Mr. Jobs is correct and for those people it is the “Post PC” era. But I believe a great many of us do quite a bit more and would suffer major productivity losses if we found ourselves without PCs.

The greatest failing of the tablet is data input. On-screen keyboards for phones are problematic, but we put up with them because we’re rarely typing more than a sentence or two. On-screen keyboards for tablets are just horrendous. You can either put yourself through the torture of thumb-stretching in portrait mode or try laying the device down on a flat surface and hoping it doesn’t slide, rock, or shift screen orientation while you hunt and peck on a keyboard that can require shifts, functions keys and keyboard changes to do something as mundane as typing your address. All the while giving up half of an already too-small screen and guaranteeing that your display will quickly look like it was the test blotter for a fingerprinting kit.

Much to the chagrin of some, I happen to write documents longer than a two sentences. Call me crazy (you won’t be the first), but I’ve even been known to have five or six applications open and running at the same time. Sometimes I even utilize two monitors.

Those aren’t things that Tablets do very well if at all. When it comes to replacing the computer…I just don’t see the tablet taking its place. Sure, it is a substitute for some functions, just as it also serves the purpose of a gaming console, portable gaming console, and TV at times. Actually, if anything, it’s the TVs and gaming consoles, which have the most to worry about from tablets.

While a tablet won’t take the place of your 60-inch flat screens it is stealing the TV’s lock on our attention. For years companies have been trying to bring the internet to the TV screen. There have been devices that allow people to read their email on a TV, browse the web and lately they’ve been pushing accessing Facebook and Twitter on our big screens. Problem is the only thing worse than typing on a tablet is trying to type on a screen that’s 10-feet away. It doesn’t work, and why would anyone really want to do it anyway?

Now, while we’re watching that episode of “Jersey Shore”, we’re bringing the internet with us to check on whether Sammy and Ronnie really worked it out. Some are even skipping the TV altogether and watching their video entertainment entirely on the tablet.

We also use tablets the same way we use TVs. Instead of clicking a remote and going from CBS, to NBC to HBO…you’re going from You Tube to Facebook to Angry Birds and then maybe to Netflix or Hulu. The newer tablets like Sony’s S1 and Vizio’s VTab both include extensive TV remote control functionality and all of the manufacturers continue to expand their entertainment offerings.

Recent studies have shown that more than half the homes in the United States have three or more televisions. I see that number beginning to shrink as the TV becomes more of a special events product. Sure, we’ll probably all gather around the large screen for big events like the Super Bowl especially if the TV developers can come up with workable 3D technology that doesn’t require everyone in the room wearing a battery-powered pair of Groucho Marx glasses.

As for the PC, I believe it to be a long way from dead. Yes, just as gaming consoles took over as the major gaming platform from PCs, tablets may begin to erode PCs being used for non-productivity web use, portable gaming and basic video entertainment viewing. But it’s the keyboard/mouse, larger displays and significantly more powerful processors that will keep the PC as the primary computing device at work, at schools and in the home…just not the living room sofa.

Filed in categories: Articles, Miscellaneous

Tagged: Android, HDTV, iOS, iPad, post pc, steve jobs, Tablet

Post PC? It Looks More Like the Post TV Era originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 20, 2011 at 11:00 am.

The stylus is making a comeback in a big way this year. We’ve reviewed quite a few here on The Gadgeteer (see the list of related posts below for just a few of them…). I’m still trying to find the BEST stylus out there and I’m thinking that the XStylus Touch might be it. I can’t be sure till I get my hands on one, but it looks pretty cool from the demonstration videos I’ve seen so far. The only problem is that the XStylus Touch isn’t yet available for sale. It’s part of a crowd funding project at IndieGoGo (similar to Kickstarter) that has 29 days to go. This capacitive stylus is weighted and can attach magnetically to your iPad when it isn’t be used. I’ve never given my money to a crowd funding project before, but I think I’m going to take a chance on this one… What is your favorite capacitive stylus?

Update: I just contributed $25 to this project. It’s the first crowd funding project that I’ve participated in. If the project doesn’t get all the funding needed, my contribution will be refunded.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: Capacitive, iPad, Stylus, Tablet

XStylus Touch – Best Capacitive Stylus Design Yet? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 17, 2011 at 3:11 pm.

Lately, most of the tablet talk has centered on HP and the TouchPad/webOS soap opera. The drama continued today when various tech news outlets reported that HP may be making as many as 1,000,000 more TouchPads to fulfill commitments with their supply-side vendors. At an estimated loss of almost $200 per unit I’ve got to believe that those vendor contracts must have had some significant penalty clauses. In any event, in just a few weeks everyone’s $99 TouchPad dreams may be answered and the eBay scalpers may be facing a bit of a nightmare.

With TouchPad fans now in a waiting game, and Apple not introducing a new iPad until sometime in 2012, tablet fans turned their attention towards Germany and IFA 2011 (a super-sized version of the Consumer Electronics Show). Everyone is chasing after the iPad and using different methods of attack. Google’s Android OS is the base for at least three major manufacturers to launch tablets of different sizes, shapes, designs and price points.

Sony entered the tablet wars with a couple of devices; a standard full-sized slate (SonyTablet S) and an interesting clam-shell design (Sony Tablet P). Toshiba added a second tablet to its lineup, joining the “Thrive” is the super-slim (.3-inch) Toshiba AT200. Toshiba has always been great at making computing devices smaller, lighter and thinner. I expect their latest handiwork will be well received. Lenovo, who already has two full-sized and priced tablets on the market appears to be trying to garner some of the low-priced TouchPad interest with its announcement of the 7-inch IdeaPad A1 priced at $199.

Then it was Samsung’s turn…and today they decided to go small rolling out a new Samsung Galaxy Tab at 7 inches and a 5.3-inch little gem called the ”Galaxy Note” that made my heart flutter.

The Galaxy Note is a 5.3-inch phone/tablet that includes all of the usual top-of-the-line bells and whistles; HD Super AMOLED display, 1.4ghz dual-core processor, and dual cameras (8mp and 2mp). The big difference though is a real, honest-to-goodness stylus. You can use the stylus or your fingers interchangeably throughout the UI and it includes handwriting recognition capabilities.

Yes, I know that Steve Jobs has declared the stylus a sign of device design failure, but for those of us that need to input text or are sick of pressing the wrong link or are just tired of carrying screen cloths everywhere we go the stylus is a wonderful implement. Hey, Steve, we all finger-painted at one time, but most of us progressed to crayons and then pens and pencils.

My first tablet was the Apple Newton MessagePad. I purchased it back in 1993. While it took Apple a few revisions to get it right the Newton 2100 became my constant business companion. It was the right size for taking notes in a meetings, reading and composing emails, looking at websites without having to scroll side-to-side or zoom in and it could easily be held in one hand. While writing by hand isn’t nearly as fast as typing on a full-sized keyboard it sure beats pecking away on glass or, even worse, the thumb stretch we’re all trying to do with our iPads, TouchPads, etc.

When the iPad came out,  Steve Jobs made a brilliant strategic move in downplaying a design decision Apple had made. Rather than be faced with the iPad as a finger only device and the others as the stylus UI he discredited the concept entirely. It worked, at least for a while; his competitors went along with the Jobs’ law of tablet input and created finger-only work-alike devices.

It’s my belief that there is a significant market for people that want a device that is smaller than carrying a “netbook-sized” screen around and larger than an iPhone-sized mobile phone. There was a time when almost every businessperson carried a calendar/notepad of sorts. Generally men carried them in the inner pocket of their suit jacket and women had them in their purse or business case. They were close by and allowed for notes to be quickly jotted down. In the early 90s companies tried to replace this item with the Personal Digital Assistant. It was a bit smaller, had a stylus for input and allowed for some form of handwriting recognition.

Then Handspring/Palm decided to insert a phone into the mix and created the Treo. Somewhere along the line the basic functions of taking notes, and real calendar functions got pushed into the background and gaming, video, and  internet/app use took over.

There’s nothing wrong with playing games, watching videos, running apps or reading the web, but as screen size has grown to accommodate those needs phones are becoming more and more cumbersome to carry. A mobile phone should be smaller, and meant for the quick retrieval of information, short text input and even an actual phone call or two. The smaller and lighter the phone is the more convenient it becomes.

When we’re going to be in a situation where we need more such as a business meeting few people are going to try and type notes on their phone…or pull out a full-sized tablet. That’s the time for what I hope devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note will become. Small and light enough to carry around regularly, but not all the time, fully stylus capable for relatively quick and accurate input and still large enough to allow it to make sense as a notepad, calendar, email client and even a semi-reasonable browser in landscape mode.

Hey, we know that all of this technology started with Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek…and Starfleet officers always carried a communicator (which got smaller as the series went on ) and a tricorder for gathering information and then when it was time to kick back with a video they pulled out their larger PADD. If they all could work in the 26^th century…I think they can work now.

Filed in categories: Android related, News, webOS

Tagged: Android, HP, IFA 2011, Lenovo, Newton, PDA, Samsung, Tablet, toshiba, webOS

Samsung Galaxy Note – Boldly Going Where Tablets Were Meant To Go originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 2, 2011 at 3:00 pm.

Most Wacom tablets have to be connected to a computer for it to work.  But what if you prefer drawing on physical paper with a pen?  That’s where Wacom’s Inkling comes in.  It works similar to the Livescribe but the Inkling doesn’t require special paper.

The Inkling uses a clip-on receiver that you attach to your notepad and then you sketch with the included Wacom ink pen which has 1024 pressure points.  Your sketch then gets transmitted to the receiver which can then be plugged into the computer so you can upload your sketches.  What’s amazing is that the receiver has a button which will add new layers to your sketch.  Once imported, you can edit these layers in Photoshop.

Wacom has nicely bundled everything into a small charging case ready to go at a moments notice.

Wacom’s Inkling will be available in mid-September at $199. Check out the video after the jump.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Drawing, Tablet, wacom

Wacom’s Inkling lets you draw without a tablet originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 30, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

Asus’ Honeycomb-enabled tablet the Eee Pad Transformer TF 101 received an over-the-air upgrade yesterday that enabled U.S. owners to watch Netflix “Instant Watch” content and Sony’s Crackle. The Transformer has been running the latest version of Android (3.2) for a couple of weeks but required an additional patch to enable the Netflix server to allow a connection. Details on how to get it after the jump.

If you haven’t received a notification about the update yet, you can download it manually:

1. Fully charge and/or plug-in your tablet.
2. Tap Settings
3. Tap About Tablet
4. Tap System Firmware Update
5. Tap Check Update
6. Follow on-screen instruction
7. After the install is completely done. I like to reboot my tablet by turning it off and on.
8. If you also own the Transformer’s matching keyboard dock, you’ll want to now plug your tablet into that dock and allow it to update that device as well.
9. You should now be running Bulid number HTJ858.US_epad=8.6.5.9-20110816

Netflix still shows as not being compatible in the Android Market, but you can download it other ways and it will run. This link will take you to a site that has full directions. If you would rather wait, I expect that Netflix will update the Market in the near future. Crackle is now available directly in the Android Market.

Filed in categories: Android related, News

Tagged: Android, Tablet

Netflix & Crackle Now Running on Asus Transfromer originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 24, 2011 at 3:00 pm.

Back in December of last year, I had the opportunity to review Samsung’s first Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab 7″. I liked it well enough, but ended my review saying that I really wanted an iPad sized Android tablet because a 10″ screen is the sweet spot for me. Since that time I’ve reviewed a handful of other Android tablets, both big (iPad sized) and small. The Motorola Xoom running Honeycomb came the closest to making me want to shell out my own cash for one, but I kept dragging my feet on making the purchase. Now it’s 8 months later and there are quite a few 10″ sized Android tablets running the latest and greatest version of the OS (Honeycomb). Verizon was kind enough to send me the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G LTE to try. Am I tempted to buy one for myself? Let’s see.

Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

Hardware Specifications

Processor: AP (nVidia T20, Dual Core Cortex A9, 1GHz) + CMC220(LTE) + VIA CBP 7.1
Memory: 16GB or 32GB internal –actual formatted capacity will be less
Operating System: Android 3.1 (Honeycomb)
Network: Verizon 4G LTE/3G and Wi–Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n)
Display: 10.1” 1280×800 WXGA 16M PLS TFT screen
Camera: 3.0MP rear–facing camera w/auto–focus and flash, 2.0MP front–facing camera for video conferencing
Bluetooth: v2.1 + EDR
Battery: Usage time up to 12 hrs OR Standby time up to 400 hrs
Dimensions: 10.10”x6.90”x0.34”
Weight: 1.25 lbs

Hardware Tour

Out of the 10″ sized tablets currently on the market, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is probably the most iPad like as far as looks go. It’s thin, sexy and even weighs a little less than the iPad 2.

The tablet has a brushed grey shell with rounded corners. The casing looks like metal, but it’s plastic as far as I can tell. Even so, it has a very nice feel to it and it’s really attractive.

The front of the device is taken up entirely by the 10.1 display. There are no buttons, just a Black bezel around the screen with the front facing camera on top.

On the back, there’s the main camera and LED flash.

On the left side of the tablet, you’ll find a speaker grill (there’s another one the opposite side), power / wake button and volume button.

Listening to music and audio through this tablet is enjoyable. Max volume isn’t deafening, but the quality of the audio through the side firing speakers is much better than I expected.

The earphone jack and 4G SIM card slot are located along the top edge.

The docking / charge connector and microphone are found on the bottom edge.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 feels really solid and doesn’t creak, crack or rattle when I perform my patented squeeze test on it. Except for the fact that it has a plastic shell instead of a metal back like the iPad 2, it feels every bit as good in hand. The texture of the back gives it a better grip than the iPad too.

Samsung is known for the AMOLED displays in their smartphones, but unfortunately this tablet doesn’t have such a display – probably because AMOLED displays aren’t yet available in this size. Even so, the display is bright, crisp and easy to read, with a wide viewing angle. I have no complaints about it at all when it comes to visibility.

Watching video through the included Media Hub application (sorry, no Netflix…) is very enjoyable with the large display.

As far as touch sensitivity, this display feels responsive. However, I have noticed some issues in various apps where my taps are sometimes ignored, but I think this is due to some software glitches and not the display itself.

Camera

The camera built into this tablet takes mediocre pictures. Indoors they are a bit grainy… but outdoors they fare better. Of course I don’t see anyone using a 10 inch tablet as a camera, so this isn’t a make it or break it feature. Here are a couple sample images (cick to see the full-size):

I do like that you can tap on an area in the viewfinder to focus on. That’s a feature of iOS that I’ve always liked and I’m glad to see it here too.

System Performance and Battery Life

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a snappy performer. Apps launch and lists scroll quickly. Using WiFi to watch movie previews through the included Media Hub app is smooth with no hiccups.

Using 3G (we don’t have 4G in my area) has been a decent experience too. Not having to worry if there is free WiFi available makes it very convenient. Of course, you have to pay for that convenience. Monthly data plan rates will set you back 2GB $30, 5GB $50, 10GB $80 per month.

I’ve been impressed with battery life while I’ve been testing this tablet. I don’t have any real data to share, but I’ve been able to use the tablet for a few days between charges. Battery life seems to be on par with my iPad 2.

Software

This tablet is thankfully NOT loaded up with a bunch of junk applications that you’ll wish you could delete. In addition to the normal suite of apps like the Calendar, Contacts, Gmail, Browser, Calculator, Market, Music, Camera, Clock, Maps, and Talk, you also get Quickoffice, Movie Studio, Media Hub and a GPS Navigator.

One of the first things I tried to find after getting this tablet setup was a swype style keyboard. I’ve been using Swype on my Droid X and love it. I ended up installing the demo version of an app called SlideIT, which works pretty well. I wish I could have this type of keyboard on my iPhone/iPad <sniff>

Some of you hate it when I compare the iPad to an Android tablet, but I can’t help it. The iPad is a standard that I hold similar gadgets up to because I like it so well. That said, there are several things that this particular Android tablet beats the pants off the iPad:

• You don’t have to sign into the market every time you download a new app
• Home screen widgets
• Flash support in the stock browser
• Swype and similar alternative keyboards
• Bluetooth mouse support

I’d like to note that the last item in the list above is pretty important to me if I need to use this tablet as a laptop replacement. I’m happy to report that I was able to pair a Bluetooth keyboard AND mouse with this tablet at the same time. When you pair a mouse with the tablet, an arrow cursor appears on the display and you can move it around exactly like you do on your laptop.

I’d love to be able to use this tablet (or an iPad) as a laptop replacement when needed. Although the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes pretty close to being able to do so, it still fails – for me. I say “for me” because I’d want to use it to do blogging work through The Gadgeteer’s WordPress admin interface. It has some issues with being able to upload images and editing posts. It can be done, but it takes too much effort to make it easy and enjoyable.

But using the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 strictly as a tablet is a very good experience. It works well for emailing, surfing, playing games, watching movies, etc. I really enjoyed my 2 weeks with this device and really don’t want to send it back to Verizon… That said, I probably won’t buy one for myself because of the fact that I can’t quite use it as a laptop replacement for blogging. If someone would ask me which tablet I’d buy between the iPad 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, I’d have a hard time giving them an answer because I love both devices. I’d like to take the apps and accessories for the iPad and add them to the ability to add desktop widgets and view Flash content with the Android and create my own Frankentablet. Sadly I can’t…

Bottom Line

If you want an Android tablet that is thin, sexy and weighs very little, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a good choice. It’s a little pricey when you figure in the 4G data plan, but you can get this tablet in a WiFi only version…

So tell me, what is your favorite Android tablet right now and why?

Filed in categories: Android related, Reviews

Tagged: Android, Tablet

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Verizon 4G LTE Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 18, 2011 at 11:00 am.

I know there is a lot of debate regarding Android vs iPad tablets (cue comment along the lines of “What debate, x is clearly superior) but one exciting thing about Android tablets is the variety of creative products possible. Asus has already seen some success with their Transformer series of Android Tablets (and you have to like the “Robots in Disguise” implication). With the Transformer, you can put the tablet in a keyboard dock complete with touchpad. With the SL101, they are taking it one step farther, by integrating a keyboard in the design of the tablet. They are not listing price and availability yet, but it looks promising.

Cool design is fine and all, but what about the specs. You can check out the full specs on their product page, but what stuck out to me were:

• Android 3.1 (they are confirming 3.2 upgradeable, but offer no timeline)
• 10.1″ WXGA (1280×800) display
• Gorilla Glass with 178° viewing angle
• Multi-touch (10-finger)
• NVIDIA Tegra 2 1 GHz dual-core CPU
• 1 GB Memory, 16GB/32GB Storage
• MicroSD slot (they call it a Card Reader)
• 1.2 MPixel Front Camera, 5 MPixel Rear Camera
• Rated 8-hour battery life
• Mini HDMI port
• Audio Jack (can be Headphone/Mic-in)
• USB 2.0 port

Filed in categories: Android related, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: asus, honeycomb, Tablet

Asus Announces Android Tablet with Integrated Keyboard originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 15, 2011 at 9:00 am.

The HP Touchpad that’s been available in the US since July  finally has a release date of August 15th in Australia. Following it’s permanent price drop in the US, the Australian release price  will also  be $100 cheaper than first indicated.  Harvey Norman will be the initial exclusive retail partner.

Will webOs have the  features and the the backing of the development community to be able to compete with Apple and Android in Oz ?

I must admit I have a soft spot for any Palm based OS as my first handheld was a PalmPilot 1000 ( with the 512KB upgrade )  

For more information see HP’s Website 

16GB Wifi  $ 499AU     32GB Wifi  $599AU   64GB Wifi  $699AU

Note: HN is offering a bonus prepaid  3G wifi modem router with min 4GB of data with purchase  until 11 Sept or until sold out

See here  :(

Filed in categories: News, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: australia, Palm, Palm OS related, Tablet

HP Touchpad Australian Touchdown – Bonus 3G Wifi Router originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 12, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

VIZIO‘s 8” Tablet with WiFi is now available through retail outlets such as Sam’s Club, Walmart, Costco, Amazon, and other VIZIO retailers at $299. This Android tablet has a cool feature not found in other tablets on the market. You can use its built-in IR blaster and app to turn it into a universal remote control. The app communicates with your home theater devices so that you can control them with the tablet. You can even set up a profile for each room in your house and then control those devices as you move from room to room. There’s also a built-in HDMI port so you can output HD video to your big screen HDTV. Is this the Android tablet that you’ve been waiting for?

Filed in categories: Android related, News

Tagged: Android, Tablet

VIZIO Tablet now available at Walmart and other stores for $299 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 9, 2011 at 2:54 pm.