Post Tagged with: "Tablets"

iPad still beats Android tablets by default, PC Magazine illustrates

Asus Transformer Prime TF700T

PC Magazine‘s Sascha Segan put together a telling piece this week illustrating exactly why it’s still tough to recommend Android tablets to average users: compared to the iPad, the apps simply aren’t very good. He points out that it’s not entirely Google’s fault — the tools exist to make stellar tablet apps, but Android developers frequently take the easy way out by letting the platform’s in-built resolution independence simply scale up their existing phone apps. The technique works, but without tweaking it just doesn’t look very good on a much larger display (often in a different orientation). In fact, Google’s excellent support for multiple resolutions and form factors ends up being a big part of the problem: on the iPad, iPhone apps…

The Verge – All Posts

March 27, 2012 0 comments Read More

Low cost tablets to control 60% of the market by 2016

Since Apple introduced its iPad tablet more than two years ago, the market the market it revived has been approached by nearly every other PC and smartphone vendor. By market research firm ABI Research’s count, there are currently more than 220 tablet models available worldwide. While Apple’s iPad remains the market leader, ABI predicts that by 2016, 60% of the market will be occupied by sub-$ 400 tablets like the Kindle Fire and Google’s rumored Nexus Tab. “The majority of new entrant media tablet models have been in the sub-$ 400 segment that focuses on growth markets like India and China,” said Jeff Orr, group director of consumer research. “The strong wave of growth in this segment over the next few years is expected to be driven by the adoption in emerging markets.” ABI also predicts that eReaders will continue to see accelerated growth, with total shipments projected to grow more than 20% in 2012. ABI Research’s press release follows below.

Apple Will Maintain Tablet Market Dominance in the Short Term, Low Cost Segment to Take 60% by 2016, Says ABI Research

SINGAPORE – March 21, 2012

The media tablet segment has evolved as a dynamic landscape since its inception about three years ago, evidenced by the fact that there are currently more than 220 models in the market. While the Apple iPad remains the market leader in the media tablet segment, the buzz created by iPad has paved the way for more and more vendors to join the race, especially in the lower price segment. The market for sub-$ 400 media tablets is expected to see significant growth over the next five years, occupying more than 60% of the market share by 2016, while the market for the over $ 400 segment is expected to shrink.

According to Jeff Orr, group director, consumer research, “The majority of new entrant media tablet models have been in the sub-$ 400 segment that focuses on growth markets like India and China. The strong wave of growth in this segment over the next few years is expected to be driven by the adoption in emerging markets.”

Wide aspect display media tablets (nine inches and above) are still favored in the market and accounted for more than 75% of the total media tablet volume in 2011, which is mostly attributed to the Apple iPad 2. However, the trend in coming years is expected to be inclined toward display sizes between seven and nine inches as smaller-sized media tablets provide better portability options for end-users.

No longer considered the unprivileged elder cousin of media tablets, eReaders are also on an accelerated growth track, with more than 30 models currently available by major vendors. 2011 has seen a healthy 33% growth in the eReader market and the market for total shipments is projected to grow over 20% in 2012. “Availability of competing models increases options for consumers and will help to boost eReader adoption,” says research analyst Aishwarya Singh. “However, the slower pace of digitization of local content will be the key market inhibitor for adoption of eBook Readers, as well as media tablets, in the emerging markets.”

ABI Research’s new market data, “Mobile Internet Device Product Tracker,” tracks media tablet, netbook, UMPC, MID, and eReader releases from all major vendors.

It is part of firm’s Tablets, Netbooks & Mobile CE Research Service.

BGR: The Three Biggest Letters In Tech

March 23, 2012 0 comments Read More

Rockstar Games and OnLive release ‘L.A. Noire’ for Android tablets

OnLive on Monday announced that it has added a redesigned version of Rockstar Games’s award-winning “L.A. Noire” to its cloud-based video game streaming service. The two companies teamed up to optimize the game for touch and gesture interfaces on Android tablets, making L.A. Noire the first AAA console-class title to be designed specifically for touch controls. The OnLive gaming app can be found in the Google Play app catalog for compatible smartphones and tablets, and L.A. Noire is priced at $ 5.99. Read on for OnLive’s press release.

L.A. Noire for tablets: Touch games revolutionized

We’re stoked to announce the launch today of L.A. Noire: Touch Edition, BY FAR the highest-performance game ever designed for tablets, courtesy of OnLive technology. It’s a major milestone in gaming, bringing one of the highest-end games ever developed to the fastest-growing new consumer device category, the tablet.
Developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games, the award-winning L.A. Noire delivers a level of realism, detail, performance and emotion never seen in a video game on any platform. It was actually the first videogame ever to be an Official Selection at the Tribeca Film Festival, and now it is the highest-performance console video game developed specifically for touch-enabled play via mobile cloud gaming. Ever.
If you already have L.A. Noire (or L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition) through OnLive, your game has already been updated for touch-enabled play. If you don’t have it, rent or buy it now: it’s really pretty mind-boggling to check out on any platform, and with OnLive you get to play it on Tablet, PC, Mac and TV, via the OnLive Game System, with just one purchase, with prices starting at $ 5.99 /£3.99.

If you haven’t tried console-class gaming on your tablet, we have 25 more touch-playable OnLive games on the service that you can demo free. Some of these games have been specially redesigned from the ground up to support touch controls, others have various forms of virtual gamepads right on the screen, and there are nearly 200 more that can be played using our Universal OnLive Wireless Controller. One thing unifies them all: ridiculously high-performance games that have no business running on a tablet, but utterly redefine the tablet experience.

You can pick up the OnLive app and find the full list of compatible Android tablets and smartphones in the Google Play store.

L.A. Noire welcomes you to a whole new world of console-class touch gaming. The future of tablet gaming begins today.

BGR: The Three Biggest Letters In Tech

March 21, 2012 0 comments Read More

Android tablets can’t compete with the iPad 2, let alone the new iPad, analyst says

Since Apple’s iPad event last week, the tablet has seen a record number of pre-orders with shipping times for new orders now reaching two to three-week delays. Canaccord Securities analyst Mike Walkley anticipates Apple will continue to dominate both market and value share in the growing tablet market through 2013. The analyst wrote in a research note on Wednesday that due to the company’s leading hardware specs, competitive pricing and iOS developer and application ecosystems, Apple’s lead will not be challenge in the near future. In fact, according to Walkley, Android vendors have indicated to him that they can’t compete. Read on for more.

“We believe Apple has extended its leadership position in the fast growing tablet market, and we have increased our 2012 and 2013 iPad tablet share estimates,” Walkley wrote in his note to investors. “We believe the new iPad has raised the bar relative to competing tablets with impressive hardware specs, competitive pricing, and the leading software ecosystem of over 200k iPad-specific applications.”

The analyst continued, “At MWC, our meetings with Android OEMs focused on smartphones as tablet OEMs indicated difficulty competing with the iPad 2, let alone the new iPad.”

Canaccord has increased its 2012 iPad shipment estimates to 65.6 million units from 55.9 million, and Walkley now predicts that Apple will sell 90.6 million units in 2013, up from his previous estimate of 79.7 million. He also projects that Apple’s EPS will increase to $ 44.58 in fiscal 2012, and $ 50.68 in fiscal 2013.

Walkley reiterated a Buy rating on Apple stock, and he raised his price target to $ 710 from $ 665.

BGR: The Three Biggest Letters In Tech

March 14, 2012 0 comments Read More

Clear Stick Atlas WiMax dongle connects to computers, tablets without any software

Clear Stick Atlas

Clear has launched a new USB device that it claims is the first in the US to give users instant connectivity to its WiMAX network without the need for any additional software. The Clear Stick Atlas offers what sounds like a fairly simple plug-and-play experience, and it’s compatible with a number of operating systems. This includes standards like Windows (XP, Vista, and 7), OS X, and Linux, but also both Android and Chrome — so in addition to your laptop, you could use it on your Android tablet. The Clear Stick will run you $ 49.99, but you’ll need to be in one of the areas covered by Clear for it work. You’ll also need to fork out for a Clear plan, which start at $ 34.99 a month. Then again, with Clear’s LTE network set to be deployed…

The Verge – All Posts

March 8, 2012 0 comments Read More

Archos G9 tablets begin receiving OTA updates to Android 4.0 today

Archos G9

It’s been a long time coming, but the Archos G9 series of tablets are finally being upgraded to Android 4.0. This over-the-air update will roll starting today, so start checking your notification area furiously to see when its your turn. As we saw back at CES, this update should bring a fairly clean version of Ice Cream Sandwich to all devices in the Archos G9 range, including the original 80 and 109 G9 tablets as well as the more recently-released “turbo” variants. The new features Archos is touting are what you’d expect out of Ice Cream Sandwich: folders on the homescreen, a new application drawer, a new multitasking system, the “people” app, resizable widgets, and everything else Google released back in November. While this still…

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March 8, 2012 0 comments Read More

Ice Cream Sandwich updates coming to 12 Verizon phones and tablets

Verizon Wireless on Tuesday announced that the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, will be coming to 12 smartphones and tablets currently offered by the carrier. No details regarding release timing were provided, however the carrier stated that Ice Cream Sandwich updates will be issued for the following devices: HTC ThunderBolt, HTC DROID Incredible 2, HTC Rhyme, HTC Rezound, Motorola XOOM, Motorola DROID BIONIC, Motorola DROID RAZR, DROID RAZR MAXX, Motorola DROID 4 Motorola DROID XYBOARD 8.2, Motorola DROID XYBOARD 10.1, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 and LG’s Spectrum. Verizon’s full announcement follows below.

Ice Cream Sandwich Coming to Many Verizon Wireless Smartphones

03/06/2012

Verizon Wireless will deliver a tasty treat to many smartphone and tablet customers this year – Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS).

It’s a frozen snack that many in the Android community have been eager to try since ICS launched in December 2011 on the Galaxy™ Nexus™ by Samsung. The redesigned user interface includes many cool enhancements, including upgraded multitasking capabilities, notifications and Web browsing.

Wondering if your device will receive Ice Cream Sandwich? Here’s a list of Verizon Wireless 4G LTE devices currently scheduled to be upgraded.

HTC:

HTC ThunderBolt™

DROID Incredible 2 by HTC

HTC Rhyme™

HTC Rezound™

Motorola:

Motorola XOOM

DROID BIONIC™

DROID RAZR™

DROID RAZR™ MAXX™ DROID 4 DROID XYBOARD 8.2

DROID XYBOARD 10.1

Samsung:

Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 10.1

Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 7.7

LG:

Spectrum™ by LG

We will continue to update this list as additional details become available throughout the year. Also, follow @VZWNews on Twitter for additional upgrade announcements.

BGR: The Three Biggest Letters In Tech

March 6, 2012 0 comments Read More

Splashtop THD released for Tegra 3-based Android 4.0 tablets

skyrim prime 1020

Splashtop has finally launched its Remote Desktop THD software, optimized for Tegra 3-based Android 4.0 tablets. The software works very much like other remote desktop or VNC solutions, giving you access to your Mac or Windows PC, however Splashtop promises that thanks to the Tegra chip in your tablet you’ll experience no discernible lag. Back at CES we were given a chance to play Skyrim on an Asus Transformer Prime, with an Xbox 360 wired gamepad connected to the Prime. As promised, there were no lag or framerate issues, with the game feeling like it was running on the tablet itself.

The app costs $ 6.99 in the Android Market, and you’ll also need to install the free streaming server onto your PC. While the listing says that it’s…

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March 2, 2012 0 comments Read More

OnLive Desktop App now available for Android tablets

The OnLive Desktop App is now available for free in the Android Market. OnLive is known for its cloud-based gaming service, which delivers console-quality games that are synchronized, rendered, and stored on remote servers and then streamed over the Internet to compatible devices. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, the company announced the “OnLive Desktop App” for the iPad, and now an Android version is available as well. The app uses virtualization technology to create a remotely hosted, fully functional version of Windows 7 desktop on your tablet. The basic OnLive Desktop service is free with a “Plus” version available for $ 4.99 per month, which features gigabit-speed accelerated web browsing and access to other cloud storage services such as Dropbox. The OnLive Desktop app requires at least Android 2.3 and is compatible with the Acer Iconia Tab A500, ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, Motorola XOOM, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, and HTC Jetstream. Read on for OnLive’s press release.

At OnLive, we don’t like to rest on our laurels. So we didn’t stop at bringing instant-action cloud gaming to your Android tablet. Now we’re delivering OnLive Desktop as well—an instant-response Windows desktop loaded with full Microsoft Office apps, Adobe Reader and, with the OnLive Desktop Plus service, gigabit-speed* accelerated browsing.

The OnLive Desktop App is now available free in the Android Market, empowering you to get your work done anywhere with unprecedented speed and efficiency. Enjoy a no-compromise, media-rich, multi-touch Windows desktop on your tablet, with fully functional applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe Reader, along with 2GB of cloud storage. The OnLive Desktop Plus service, available for $ 4.99/month at desktop.onlive.com, provides all OnLive Desktop Standard features plus our gigabit-speed accelerated browsing—the world’s fastest browsing experience, whether you’re connecting over Wi-Fi- or 4G LTE. Together, we think they’ll change the way you look at your tablet forever.

Let me give you an example. Say you’re in transit to a meeting and you need to put some finishing touches on your PowerPoint presentation. You can just upload it from your PC or Mac into your free OnLive storage at files.onlive.com (or, if you have OnLive Desktop Plus, save it into third-party cloud storage like Dropbox) and open it instantly on your tablet on the go. Create new graphics, add in videos … with full app functionality and instant-response multi-touch gestures, you’ll feel like you’re working locally. And, with a Bluetooth keyboard and/or mouse you may forget you are not using a local PC.

With OnLive Desktop Plus, you can even email your presentation to co-workers for input or approval and make changes on the fly. Webmail attachments, even 50 MB ones, transfer in less than a second. By the time you arrive at your meeting, your presentation is polished, up-to-the-minute accurate and ready to present, either directly from your tablet or by simply signing in to OnLive Desktop from a different device. (OnLive Desktop is also available on iPad. Smartphones, PCs, Macs and monitors/TVs are coming soon.)

Simple, right? You look professional and your work does, too. No time lost. No compromises. Even better, OnLive Desktop Plus can actually reduce Web browsing data usage by a factor of 10 or more, since only the top layer of the current view of a website is sent over your local Internet connection**.

The OnLive Desktop app requires at least Android 2.3 and is compatible with the following tablets: Acer Iconia Tab A500, ASUS Eee TF101, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, and HTC Jetstream. For more details—and to sign up for your free OnLive account—check out desktop.onlive.com.

BGR: The Three Biggest Letters In Tech

March 1, 2012 0 comments Read More

OnLive Desktop comes to Android Tablets

via olwriter.files.wordpress.com

OnLive’s Desktop service is available for Android Tablets, allowing owners to access a copy of Windows 7 with a variety of apps including Microsoft Office running in the cloud. We first got a taste of OnLive Desktop back in January for the iPad, with it even making an appearance in On The Verge at CES, and found it slick and responsive. OnLive’s CEO Steve Perlman describes Android as “a great platform for OnLive Desktop,” specifically calling out the availability of LTE and support for mouse and keyboard as major benefits.

The basic OnLive Desktop service is free, which gives you access to your own thin client, 2GB of storage, and access to all of the apps. For $ 4.99 per month, users are also given access to other cloud storage services…

The Verge – All Posts

March 1, 2012 0 comments Read More

Post Tagged with: "Tablets"

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