Dell halts online sales of Streak 7 tablet, turns toward a new mobile future

 

You might wanna pause for a moment of silence, because it looks like Dell has just discontinued its Streak 7 tablet. As the folks over at Streak Smart recently noticed, the Android slate has mysteriously disappeared from Dell's website, replaced only with a note to confirm that it's no longer available online. Dell, which axed the smaller Streak 5 back in August, provided us with the following statement:

Dell remains committed to the mobility market and continues to sell products here and in other parts of the world. Streak 7 delivered a unique experience for customers who wanted a larger screen-size yet the freedom of staying connected to their personal and professional content while on the-go. It continues to be available in many markets through retail, distributors and carrier partners such as Optus in Australia. A 10-inch version of the tablet, Streak 10 Pro, is currently offered in China, offering the ultimate digital divide between work and life. The Venue and Venue Pro devices, as well, continue to earn accolades for performance, design and functionality around the world. We also recently launched the Latitude ST, a 10-inch Windows 7-based touch-screen tablet designed for vertical markets such as education, finance and healthcare in November of this year. We remain committed to expanding our reach beyond PCs with a targeted set of open, standards-based mobility solutions and services designed for commercial and mobile professional customers.

So Dell isn't leaving the mobile space entirely, and it doesn't look like the Streak 7 is completely dead, though based on the above statement, it certainly seems to be on its way to pasture.

Dell halts online sales of Streak 7 tablet, turns toward a new mobile future originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Dec 2011 07:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell halts online sales of Streak 7 tablet, turns toward a new mobile future
Amar Toor
Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:32:00 GMT

Motorola Xoom 2 review

 

Motorola's Xoom 2 arrives at a point where Apple's iPad (first- or second-generation...) still dominates the tablet market. The original Xoom was the first tablet to arrive with Android Honeycomb, an OS dedicated to the tablet form. In the months since we gave it a middling review, plenty more tablets arrived, faster, thinner, and more longevous (like the Galaxy Tab 10.1).
So what now? Well, Motorola has recast its Xoom: it's made it faster, slimmer and lighter.
They've beefed up the disappointing screen found on the original, it's now a Gorilla Glass-coated IPS screen that promises 178-degree viewing angles. But Motorola has also cut more corners than the four you see before you -- ones that it hopes customers won't miss.
However, with a certain quad-cored, ICS-imminent transforming tablet already stealing the hearts of many an Engadget reader (and editor), does this slimline sequel do enough to make up for its past mistakes? Is there now enough in the Android market to make Google-powered tablets a viable alternative to the iPad? Is £396 ($620) now too much to pay for a 16GB Android tablet that's merely dual-core? We'll be sure to try and answer all these right after the break.

Gallery: Motorola Xoom 2 review

Continue reading Motorola Xoom 2 review

Motorola Xoom 2 review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Xoom 2 review
Mat Smith
Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:30:00 GMT

Acer Announces The Iconia Tab A200, A Boring Yet Capable Android Tablet

 

Acer is back with another Android tab. The Iconia Tab A200 is now shipping, loaded with Honeycomb but Ice Cream Sandwich is reportedly in the works. Hopefully Acer fanboys weren’t waiting for a Transformer Prime competitor. The A200 seems like just a repackage of the company’s original A500 Android tablet.

The slightly chunky 10.1-inch tablet runs a a Tegra 2 dual-core chip along with 1GB of RAM and either 8GB or 16GB of storage along with a microSD card slot. A 3260mAh battery is said to provide 8 hours of life during video playback. A 2MP camera sits in the front bezel as the tablet’s only image capture device.

The A200 comes pre-loaded with several software packs. Most notebly is the Acer Ring launcher as demoed in the video below.

There is no word on pricing or US availability just yet but Netbook News is reporting that the tablet is already shipping in some countries. The tablet current ships with Android 3.2 but the company indicated in the tablet’s press release that come January, units will ship with Ice Cream Sandwich pre-installed. Also, at that time, an ICS update will roll out to the previously purchased models.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPBM1ePZhPU&feature=player_embedded

 

Acer Announces The Iconia Tab A200, A Boring Yet Capable Android Tablet
Matt Burns
Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:55:55 GMT

Kindle Fire Auto-Update Scorches Roots and Potentially Shutters Android Marketplace [Amazon]

 

Amazon rolled out its newest software update for the Kindle Fire—version 6.2—this evening. Initial reports indicate that it both de-roots your jailbroken device and removes access to the Android Marketplace. But don't worry—the borking is reversible. More »

Kindle Fire Auto-Update Scorches Roots and Potentially Shutters Android Marketplace [Amazon]
Andrew Tarantola & Chris Beidelman
Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:34:45 GMT

Lenovo unveils the LePad S2007 and LePad S2010, both with Honeycomb and 1.5GHz dual-core chip

 

Oh no, it isn't just about the 5-inch tabletphone today. Announced at the same event in Beijing just now are a couple of larger tablets from Lenovo: the LePad S2007 and the LePad S2010. Interestingly, the latter 10.1-inch device isn't quite the same as what we saw in our exclusive scoop from two weeks ago: it's 1.5GHz Qualcomm dual-core rather than 1.6GHz NVIDIA quad-core, 1GB RAM instead of 2GB, no funky fingerprint scanner on the back, and it's launching with Android 3.2 instead of Ice Cream Sandwich. But fret not, as we've been informed that its international counterpart -- aka the IdeaTab K2 in our scoop -- will launch with the latest Android OS; so we're just waiting for a release date.
Both of these Honeycomb tablets share many similarities: Qualcomm's dual-core 1.5GHz chip, 1GB RAM, 1,280 x 800 IPS display (pretty nice on a 7-inch form factor, with 216ppi density), eight megapixel main camera, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, dual-mode 3G (China Telecom's EV-DO plus China Unicom's WCDMA) for data plus voice calls, and plans to upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich in the future. Aside from the obvious physical differences, these tablets also come with different battery capacities: the 360g-heavy, 9.7mm-thick S2007 comes with 3,780mAh that can last up to eight hours on WiFi; whereas the 670g-heavy (almost the same as the original WiFi iPad, uh-oh), 9.9mm-thick S2010 has a generous 7,560mAh that can push it to 11 hours. Like the S2005 tabletphone, both tablets will be available in China next month; so for now, stay tuned for some hands-on photos from our folks over at Engadget Chinese.
Update: It turns out that there was a slight misunderstanding regarding the voice call feature -- the Chinese press release meant using Skype-like software to enable this. Pah.

Lenovo unveils the LePad S2007 and LePad S2010, both with Honeycomb and 1.5GHz dual-core chip originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 03:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo unveils the LePad S2007 and LePad S2010, both with Honeycomb and 1.5GHz dual-core chip
Richard Lai
Tue, 29 Nov 2011 07:28:00 GMT

Google Catalogs is now available for Android tablets (Abigail Holtz/Google Mobile Blog)

 

Abigail Holtz / Google Mobile Blog:
Google Catalogs is now available for Android tablets  —  For many of us, the arrival of piles of catalogs marks the start of the holiday shopping season.  But what if you could have all your favorite catalogs in one place, with the latest issues always available at your fingertips?

Google Catalogs is now available for Android tablets (Abigail Holtz/Google Mobile Blog)
Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:00:34 GMT

Lenovo LePad K2 NVIDIA Tegra 3 tablet gets benchmarked

 

A few days ago we reported that Lenovo had plans to launch a 10.1” NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core tablet (dubbed the Lenovo LePad K2) and its specifications were a bit of a mystery back then, but thanks to a recent benchmark test that Lenovo conducted on GL Benchmarks, more details surrounding the device has surfaced. (more…)

Lenovo LePad K2 NVIDIA Tegra 3 tablet gets benchmarked, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : iPhone 4S Review,

 

Lenovo LePad K2 NVIDIA Tegra 3 tablet gets benchmarked
Tyler Lee
Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:03:55 GMT

Archos debuts Arnova 9 G2 Android tablet, offers Gingerbread on a 9.7-inch IPS display

 

Archos' new Arnova 9 G2 tablet looks to be the very definition of a mixed bag. It's part of the company's budget-minded Arnova line, so it will likely be relatively inexpensive (there's still no official word on a price), and it packs some specs that range from decent to high-end, including a 1GHz ARM A8 processor and a 9.7-inch IPS display with a 1,024 x 768 resolution (the same as the iPad). But it also runs the smartphone-minded Android 2.3 OS on that decidedly tablet-sized display and, as with other inexpensive Android tablets, you'll have to make do without official access to the Android Market (Archos offers the Appslib application store instead). Still curious? Details on everything but a price and release date can be found at the source link below.

Archos debuts Arnova 9 G2 Android tablet, offers Gingerbread on a 9.7-inch IPS display originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos debuts Arnova 9 G2 Android tablet, offers Gingerbread on a 9.7-inch IPS display
Donald Melanson
Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:49:00 GMT

Hands on with the Nook Tablet: A solid $249 device

 

Not long after I finished spending some time with Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire this week, Barnes & Noble shipped over a review unit of their new $249 Nook Tablet.

I’ve only just opened the box and spent about a half-hour playing with the new Nook, and if you’re familiar with the prior model, you’ll see much of the same here. But there are some nice upgrades; particularly in the hardware department, with new a 1-GHz, dual-core chip running the show.

Just as with my hands-on Kindle Fire post, this isn’t meant to be a full review of the Nook Tablet. Instead, it should provide some early impressions on the device.

• The out-of-the-box experience is pretty good. It takes a few steps to wireless connect and register the device, but it’s up and running in under three minutes — five if you watch the useful video introduction. Once running, any B&N-purchased books you previously bought are immediately available for download.
• The in-hand feel is really nice thanks to the excellent build quality and the slightly lighter weight compared the prior model. Thanks to rounded edges, it feels very comfortable to hold, even better than my 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab. One issue for me: Because the Nook is slightly wider than my Tab, it doesn’t fit as well in a back jeans pocket.

• Like the old model, the power button is nicely integrated on one side, while two volume controls are on the other side. Neither is in a spot where you’d accidentally press them.
• Also similar to the old model: You won’t see any signs of Android. The customized interface is intuitive and fluid, plus you can easily modify items on the home screens, both in terms of where they’re located and what size they are. Even the device setting screens use the B&N custom interface. It’s well done. And can I just say I love the native font that B&N uses on the Nook?
• Some may like it, but I’m not a fan of having to hit the hardware button for some actions and the touchscreen for others. It feels disjointed to me, even though it’s the same method from the prior model.
• Scrolling and animations are fairly smooth, as I’d expect from a dual-core device. In fact, overall performance is solid.
• Notifications are seamless and unobtrusive.

• I like the 1024×600 resolution, 7-inch display, which has an anti-glare coating. There’s still some reflectivity, but it’s minimized. The screen is plenty bright at 50 percent for me, but others may find it too dim. The touchscreen is responsive and works well, with little lag.
• The email client supports multiple POP and IMAP accounts, but doesn’t support Microsoft Exchange. The help information suggests using a third-party app if you need Exchange.
• Although there’s only one speaker in the back, it’s not bad, provided you turn the volume up fairly high. I can use this tablet for music or video without headphones, provided there’s not much background noise around.
• There’s no store for music or video. Instead, you consume content through third-party apps such as Pandora, MOG, Netflix, and Hulu Plus to name a few

• Watching a Netflix video was no different from any other 7-inch tablet I’ve used in the past. It works well after some initial low-quality buffering playback and has the new Netflix storefront, which I think is a huge improvement.
• The reading experience is little changed from the prior Nook and that’s good. It’s easy to modify setting such as font sizes, spacing, etc. You can take notes, look up words in the dictionary and share quotes via Facebook or Twitter.
• Speaking of Facebook and Twitter, neither official app is in the Nook app store, but Seesmic works well. I hope B&N gets both of these native apps in the store, but maybe others won’t mind.
• I’m a fan of the software keyboard, finding plenty of spacing between keys. But even though I have the keyboard set to correct commonly mis-spelled words, I don’t see it doing so, at least not in the native email app. Nor does it offer suggested words as you type.
• Browsing the web offers a relatively fast experience. It’s not as fast as the iPad 2, for example, but will be seen as capable by most, and I’d have no problems using this browser while away from a laptop or desktop.

For $50 more than Amazon’s Kindle, the Nook Tablet offers a similar package with double the memory: 16GB on-board, plus microSD expansion support. But it lacks a native store for music and video, although I was able to watch a video rental from YouTube on the web. Which is the right device for you? That depends on your budget and your needs, but I’ll try to answer that question in a head-to-head follow-up soon, so stay tuned!

 

---

 

Hands on with the Nook Tablet: A solid $249 device
Kevin C. Tofel
Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:22:58 GMT

Kindle Fire Versus iPad 2 – Our Video Comparison

 

The Kindle Fire is finally here, and a few of us at AppAdvice ordered one to see if this new device is really going to be an iPad killer, as many rumors are suggesting. After a day of playing around with it, we want to bring you a comprehensive review of how the Kindle Fire works and compares to the iPad.

We want to show you how it works in real life, so we put together the video below. We compare the two devices side by side so you can decide if the aforementioned rumors are true (we don’t think they are). Very soon, Bryan will have a great article on all the features of the device for you to check out as well.

Enjoy!

Kindle Fire Versus iPad 2 – Our Video Comparison is a story by AppAdvice.com

AppAdvice - iPhone, iPad, iPod, App Reviews + News

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Kindle Fire Versus iPad 2 – Our Video Comparison
Sue Megrund
Thu, 17 Nov 2011 02:58:21 GMT

Sharp unveils 7″ Galapagos tablet

 

Sharp had originally announced three Galapagos tablets. They were meant to give Apple’s iPad and the other Android tablets in the market a run for their money (isn’t that always the case?), but unfortunately Sharp cancelled two of those three tablets, leaving us to wonder about the fate about the last one. The good news is that the last 7” Galapagos tablet has surfaced, along with Sharps announcement that they will not be abandoning their Galapagos tablet line. (more…)

Sharp unveils 7″ Galapagos tablet, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Epic 4G Touch Review,

 

Sharp unveils 7″ Galapagos tablet
Tyler Lee
Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:40:28 GMT

Nook Tablet hands-on: Can it fight the Fire?

 

Nook Tablet or Kindle Fire?

That's the question that's already bedeviling consumers and gadget aficionados alike.

In a matter of weeks, it seems, the tablet market has been compressed to just a handful of choices. The iPad 2 still rules the high end ($500 and above), but the "e-reader as tablet" option now looms large in the sub-$250 range, with the $199 Kindle Fire going mano a mano with the $249 Nook Tablet.

The Kindle Fire has just started shipping, and the Nook Tablet will follow as soon as tomorrow (a few days earlier than originally expected).

Last year, Barnes & Noble released the Nook Color at the same $249 price. Back then, a 7-inch color e-reader that could run apps as well as read color books and magazines, and even play movies and music, was a revelation. The Android tablet could even be rooted--to many, it became known as the not-so-secret most-affordable Android tablet around with the best design (other similarly priced and more-generic Android tablets are, by comparison, terrible).

With the Fire on the horizon, Barnes & Noble knew it had to up the ante. Thus, 2011's Nook Tablet takes the basic Nook Color formula and delivers more storage, a faster dual-core processor, an improved screen--and, notably, a larger selection of apps.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

This year's design is very much like last year's. The Nook T... [Read more]
Related Links:
B&N unveils $249 Nook Tablet, $99 Nook Touch, to offset Amazon
Nook Tablet: Hands on with Barnes & Noble's Fire-eater
Best Buy swipes Nook Color price down to $200
Kindle Fire vs. Nook Tablet
It's official: New Nook Color tablet launching Nov. 7
 

Nook Tablet hands-on: Can it fight the Fire?
Scott Stein
Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:00:36 GMT

Tablets for the blind - The Stanford Daily

 

 

Tablets for the blind
The Stanford Daily
Using a tablet computer is a complicated task for the visually impaired, with few tactile reference points on the screen and few, if any, built-in features to make it easier. But thanks to research this summer by Adam Duran, a New Mexico State ...

Tablets for the blind - The Stanford Daily
Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:44:34 GMT

Samsung and AT&T Announce Galaxy Tab 8.9, Six new LTE Markets

 

Not to be outdone by Verizon with its LTE-enabled Galaxy Tab 10.1 (which we reviewed), Samsung and AT&T today announced that it's introducing an LTE enabled Galaxy Tab 8.9 of its own. The specs are basically what you'd expect for a Galaxy Tab, though interestingly enough the AT&T Tab 8.9 comes with a 1.5 GHz dual core snapdragon, undoubtably of the APQ8060 kind, likely paired to an MDM9200 (just like the Samsung Skyrocket on AT&T). 

Galaxy Tab 8.9 AT&T LTE

SoC
1.5 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon (APQ8060)

Baseband
MDM9200 (LTE, HSPA+) (?)

Memory
1 GB LPDDR2

Storage
16 GB NAND, Expandable to 32 GB

Camera
3.2 MP rear facing, 2 MP front facing

Display
1280x800 PLS, 8.5"

Mass/Size
15.9oz, 8.6mm thick

OS
Android 3.2

The Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE will go on sale November 20th for $479.99 with a two year contract. AT&T will also be running a promotional offer and give you either of their Galaxy S 2 variants (the Skyrocket, or the more vanilla international-looking version) for free if you buy their Tab 8.9. 

Gallery: AT&T LTE Galaxy Tab 8.9

The other real news is that AT&T will be expanding LTE coverage to six new markets also on November 20th. New markets are Charlotte, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, which brings the total number of markets AT&T LTE covers to 15. Our own Anand Shimpi spent the weekend testing AT&T LTE in Washington, DC on a Samsung Skyrocket and came away decently impressed with speeds on AT&T's 10 MHz FDD LTE network there. We'll have much more AT&T LTE related news as coverage (and devices) continues to grow.

Source: Samsung

Samsung and AT&T Announce Galaxy Tab 8.9, Six new LTE Markets
Brian Klug
Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:22:00 GMT

Netflix reveals new user interface experience for Android tablets, iPad counterpart coming soon

 

You've already had a peek at it in the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet, but it seems that redesigned user interface is going to be hitting more than just the holiday's most-talked about duo. Netflix has made official a newly redesigned user interface experience for Android tablets -- one that "makes browsing and instantly watching unlimited TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix better than ever." The new look provides multiple rows of titles with larger artwork to scroll through, with Neil Hunt, chief product officer at Netflix, noting that the company has seen a "threefold increase in how long Netflix members are watching on their tablets." As of today, interested consumers can simply update their Netflix app in the Android Market, while iPad users are being asked to wait "a few weeks," after which the new tablet experience will be dubbed Tabster and led on Twitter by a 17-year old methamphetamine addict.

Continue reading Netflix reveals new user interface experience for Android tablets, iPad counterpart coming soon

Netflix reveals new user interface experience for Android tablets, iPad counterpart coming soon originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix reveals new user interface experience for Android tablets, iPad counterpart coming soon
Darren Murph
Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:25:00 GMT

Amazon Kindle Fire review

 

It seems like ages since Amazon introduced us to the $199 Fire at a hectic New York City event, but in truth that was only about six weeks ago. Maybe our perception of time is warped because we've been hearing talk about this 7-inch Android tablet for months now. Maybe it's because Amazon launching a tablet seemed like such a natural thing to do after Barnes & Noble paved the way with its Nook Color. Or, maybe it's just because the gadget Amazon shipped looks nigh-identical to the 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook that we've had for, well, ages.
For whatever the reason, what Amazon has delivered is a device that is intimately familiar yet mysterious -- a simple, minimalistic exterior design hiding a flashy, seemingly quite trick customization that's sitting atop a decidedly ho-hum Android Gingerbread build. Our questions leading up to this review were many: How will it handle sideloading? Are the battery life and performance better than the PlayBook? Can a tablet that costs two hundred bucks stand a chance against those that cost two and three times as much? C'mon baby, click on through to find out.

Gallery: Amazon Kindle Fire review

Continue reading Amazon Kindle Fire review

Amazon Kindle Fire review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Kindle Fire review
Tim Stevens
Mon, 14 Nov 2011 04:00:00 GMT