Tablets •

The New Nokia N1 Android Tablet Revealed Today

November 18, 2014 By Troy Rubenson Leave a Comment

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It hasn’t been long since Microsoft announced that they will purchase the mobile division of Nokia. Microsoft even launched its first Lumia smartphone using the Microsoft name. The latest news comes from the Nokia side of the business as it announces their new smart mobile device called Nokia N1 Android tablet.

The new Nokia N1 Android tablet was presented at a conference in Finland called Slush and it comes with some really cool features. The N1 runs on an Android OS, it’s made of aluminum, has a 7.9 inch laminated display and 64-bit quad core Intel Atom z358 processor. Nokia N1 Android tablet also comes with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. It has an 8MP back camera and a 5MP front camera; the battery has 5,300mAh.

Nokia N1 Android tablet has rounded edges which make the N1 look a bit like Apple’s iPad. The tablet is pretty thin at 6.9 mm and it comes available in Lava Gray and Natural Aluminum.
On the software side of things, the new Nokia N1 Android tablet runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop and it comes customized the Z Launcher. The Launcher was released in June and many were pleasantly surprised with it. The Nokia Launcher allows its users to quickly launch apps or contacts onto the main screen of the tablet. It can also be used to search the web faster.

The new Nokia N1 Android tablet costs $250 and it will be first launched in China starting next year in February. Nokia said that the new tablet will be in stores just in time for the Chinese New Year, which is on February 19. After that, Nokia plans to release the N1 tablet in Russia and other European countries, where Nokia used to be very influent as a phone manufacturer before the Microsoft deal. Nokia hasn’t said anything about US release.

Nokia said that the company will not return to manufacturing smartphones, although the Microsoft contract allows it to make and sell smartphone starting with 2016. Nokia said that the company wants to license its brand to companies that want and can sell devices under the Noka brand name.

Toshiba Announces Tablets with Windows 8.1

May 29, 2014 By Georgia Dawson Leave a Comment

The great thing about Toshiba is that it can do both low-price gadgets and premium products really well. For example, the Toshiba Satellite P55T Laptop with a 4K Display is stunning. Hold on to your horses though, because Toshiba has done it again, this time in the low-price range. It just announced three tablets, one running Android and two tablets with Windows 8.1.

Toshiba Tablets with Windows 8.1

Running Windows 8.1 on tablets is a new thing for Toshiba, the company being a big Android lover. Just today, Toshiba announced that it was going to introduce three new tablets on the autumn lineup: two Windows 8.1 tablets (with 8 inch and 10 inch screens) and one Android tablet (7 inch screen). All three tablets are in the low-price range and should hit the market as early as July.

Toshiba Encore 2 with Windows 8.1

Both the 8 inch and the 10 inch tablet are powered by an Intel quad-core processor. The 8 inch Encore 2 has 1 GB of RAM memory, 32 GB of internal storage and will cost $199. The 10 inch model has the same 1 GB of memory, the same 32 GB of internal storage and it will cost $269. This is quite a feat for Toshiba, considering that their original Encore had an 8 inch screen and it cost $329.

The 10 inch Encore 2 will have a micro HDMI port, but the 8 inch model will not. Aside from that, the two products are very much identical. They’ll both have IPS displays with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels. They both have front and rear cameras with the same specifications: the front will be a 1.2 MP, 720p and the back, a 5 MP, 1080p. Both will have 802.11n Wi-Fi adapters with Bluetooth 4.0 and stereo speakers.

The 8 inch Encore 2 will weigh 0.81 pounds and the larger; the 10 inch model will weigh 1.2 pounds. The cool thing about the larger model is that it will be thinner (0.35 inches) than the 8 inch one, which is 0.38 inches.

Toshiba Excite Go with Android

Just as the other two Encore 2 tablets, the Excite Go is powered by an Intel quad-core Z2735F processor. It has a 1 GB of RAM memory and 8 GB of internal storage. If you want to expand the internal memory, you can do so with the help of a MicrSD card. The Excite Go will cost $100 dollars.

What are your thoughts on these tablets with Windows 8.1? Which one would you buy out of the three? Do you think it is a smart move on Toshiba’s behalf to run Windows on its tablets? Leave us a line in a comment section below.

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet Can Replace Your Laptop

May 21, 2014 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

Can a tablet replace a laptop? Definitely not, would say those who can’t do their jobs in the lack of a mouse and a keyboard. Can Microsoft create such an amazing product that it can directly compete with Apple’s MacBook and other ultrabooks out there? Can a Microsoft product defeat them in the market share? Definitely not, would say financial analysts who have seen the numbers related to sales and profits.

But if you are a true Microsoft fan and still believe the company can break down barriers and re-invent itself and the mobile gadgets market, then you are in luck. In a press event that took place yesterday in New York, Microsoft exec Panos Panay unveiled the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 tablet.

What is so great about this product in comparison to its Surface Pro 2 predecessor? Panay said this one is faster, better built, thinner, lighter and has a wider screen than the previous model. The killer feature of this tablet, however, is that it can supposedly replace both laptops and tablets. It can cover all the functions a laptop sports, with the added convenience of being easier to carry and to use. Is that so?

Let’s see briefly the features of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 tablet and try to underline the ones making it better than a laptop:

The Surface Pro 3 will have a screen measuring 12 inches diagonally, up from 10.6 inches in the previous model. The Pro 3 is 32 percent thinner and 12 percent lighter than October’s Pro 2. The company said it customized more than 100 parts and worked closely with chipmaker Intel Corp. to maximize performance in a slim device.

So far, no matter how well equipped this device is, it still cannot compensate for a laptop, let alone for a MacBook. This is why perhaps the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 also sports an additional keyboard and mouse pack, to get closer to the concept of “laptop”. In other words, it is still a tablet (actually more of an Ultrabook) and it is still not impressive enough to give us hope that Microsoft will boost sales in its tablets and phones department.

We admit that Microsoft is bringing new and interesting ideas to the world, in an effort to maximize profits and gain new customers, but Apple and Samsung are way ahead of it. From a financial point of view,

[quote]Currently, that market is dominated by Apple’s iPad and various devices running Google’s Android operating system, including Amazon’s Kindle Fire. According to the research firm IDC, tablets running a version of the Windows 8 operating system made up less than 2 percent of the tablet market in the first part of 2014, a grim mark for Microsoft.[/quote]

Nadella said Microsoft didn’t create new gadgets just to create new gadgets, but because they wanted to deliver new experiences and new demands in the market to power up the entire industry. If by that they mean they want to bring down the reign of Apple and Samsung, they have still a very long and hard road to travel.

Lenovo’s New Budget A Series Tablets

April 14, 2014 By Deborah Cobing Leave a Comment

Lenovo, at the CES 2014, gave nothing away that it was planning to launch a series of budget tablets, so when the company announced not one, but three budget Android tablets, the tech world was a bit surprised. Lenovo’s new budget A Series tablets are impressive for their prices. That’s exactly what they are designed to be, impressive for their prices. Let’s take a look at the three tablets Lenovo has prepared for the budget shoppers.

Lenovo’s New Budget A Series Tablets – Our Thoughts

The A7 has a 7-inch display, the A8, you guessed it, 8 inches of display and the A10, 10 inches. All the displays are IPS and feature 1,280×800 pixels. Aside from the displays, which differ, everything else is absolutely identical between Lenovo’s new budget A Series Tablets: they have the same MediaTek MTK8121 1.3 GHz processors, 16 GB of storage, 1 GB of RAM, Wi-Fi, a microSD card slot and a 5MP rear camera and a 2MP front-facing camera. Lenovo’s new budget A Series tablets all run Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). The A10 model has an optional Bluetooth keyboard, which is a pretty nice option to have on a budget tablet.

The A7 will be priced at $129, the A8 will cost $179 and the largest tablet of the series, the A10 will have you shell out $249. The prices are alright, we think, for what the tablets are offering. No doubt, you can find other tablets on the market with the same specifications and the same prices, but you won’t be getting the Lenovo stability.

The tablets will feel a bit cheap in your hands, because they actually are cheap – the plastic they are made of will give you that impression. The processor moves alright, but don’t expect to be able to run the latest tablet games with it. Lenovo’s new budget A series tablets are meant for browsing the internet, sending emails, listening to music, watching movies and looking at pictures. The tasks an average tech consumer does on a daily basis, but if you plan to do a bit more with it, then we suggest you invest in something a little bit smarter.

What are your thoughts on Lenovo’s new budget A Series tablets? Are you impressed enough to buy one? Do you think that a budget tablet could work for you or do you prefer something with a bit more quality to it and you’re comfortable with spending a little more money on it?

Smartphones and Tablets Will Be Soon Powered Up by Dolby Surround Sound

March 24, 2014 By Deborah Cobing Leave a Comment

While it is fun and useful to listen to music on your smartphone and tablet, while owning a good pair of highly performing headphones for an enhanced and rewarding experience, it is not like you can play DJ at a party with your phone, as the incorporated speakers are far from being considered powerful or even hi – tech. But without intending to do some tech giants injustice, we have to be honest and admit that there are some smartphones and tablets out there which benefit from very good sound and some companies that really invested in their customers’ need to listen high – quality sound, with HTC and BlackBerry being only two such examples, while Apple doesn’t fall behind with its sound accessories either.

But speaking the whole truth and nothing but the truth, no matter how hi – tech are the HTC BoomSound or the BlackBerry Natural Sound technologies, let’s not forget that smartphones usually come with a pair of speakers or, most of the times, with only one sound output, so how much surround can you actually get?

But let’s not forget the recent MWC 2014 event, where we were promised that smartphones and tablets will be soon powered up by Dolby Surround Sound technology, namely by the Atmos surround sound, an innovation in the field of surround tech that aims to fool the users into thinking they are indeed listening to surround sounds, even if they benefit from a common smartphone speaker system.

Atmos is said to be the new genius in town and even if we still don’t know when the smartphones and tablets will be provided with this kind of sound technology, one of the most important questions that beg further investigation is which smart gadgets producing companies will jump at the idea and provide their loyal customers with the new system that is aimed to become available later this year. Considering the specs – Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset compatibility – we will have to wait for some new smartphones to hit the market. But in all fairness, the news that smartphones and tablets will be soon powered up by Dolby Surround Sound makes us all put some money aside for the new devices to hit the market soon.

Samsung Rumored to Launch 4 New Tablets in Early 2014

December 17, 2013 By Georgia Dawson Leave a Comment

Samsung has been able to make a solid mark in the field of smartphone and tablet devices with its Galaxy line of products. However, it is smartphone devices that have brought Samsung more laurels and accolades than tablet devices. The company’s 2013 flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4 sold over 40 million units in the very first six months of its launch. The Galaxy Note 3, a big screen smartphone that offers enhanced functionality thanks to the stylus that it incorporates has also been a grand success, having sold 10 million units in first two months of launch. However, Samsung has been hard pressed to replicate the same kind of success when it comes tablet devices. Instead, it has been left watching its competitors such as the Nexus 7 tablet made by Asus or the likes of the Kindle Fire range walk away with the cake.

However, things could be vastly different from next year onwards now that Samsung is reported to be working on at least 4 new tablet that it hopes will reverse the trend in the coming year. Of the four tablets, one of them would for sure be the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite aka SM-T111. Samsung aims to take on the budget tablet segment with this one, being tagged at 100 Euros or $138. Other three tablets can only be speculated upon to be the Samsung Galaxy Note 12.2 inch aka SM-900. If it is so, then the tablet sector would get a new dimension so far as size goes, as there is no tablet of 12.2 inch as of now. It would be closer to the size of the laptop and therefore office and business users may find it more convenient to use. Another guess is that the tablets would carry AMOLED displays. There is also speculation of the line of tablets having one with dual boot feature of both Android and Window and being 13.3 inch by size.

Right now, Samsung manufactures the Nexus 10 for Google though unfortunately, the tablet has never made it to the top of the sales chart in spite of it offering the highest pixel density in the 10inch segment. poor battery live along with a few other factors is attributed to the tablet’s dismal run in the market though it remains to be seen how soon and by how much the tides turn in favor of Samsung in the coming days so far as tablet devices are concerned.

Firefox Browsers to Come Pre-Installed on Kobo Arc Tablets And GSmart Simba SX1 Smartphone

November 8, 2013 By Deborah Cobing Leave a Comment

The Kobo Arc tablets and the GSmart Simba SX1 Smartphone from Gigabyte would have the Firefox browser installed on the devices by default. This is Mozilla’s way of making their presence in the mobile devices segment that has been witnessing maximum activity off late.

The GSmart Simba SX1 from Gigabyte is going to be available soon in the market as announced by the company. They have also spelt out the specifications of the set which would be a dual SIM sporting device. It also has a unique feature which enables users to have three way talk using the phone. No special app or carrier intervention is required for the user to place an active call on hold and introduce a third caller into the conference mode. Other specifications of the GSmart Simba SX1 are a dial core processor at its core clocking at 1.4 GHz. The OS is Android 4.2 Jelly Bean while another distinct feature of the set is that it shoots pictures automatically if kept in standing position.

Coming to the Kobo Arc 7 tablet that had been launched in August 2012, it comes powered by a quad core MediaTek chip clocking at 1.2 GHz. The tablet falls in the 7 inch category and has a screen resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. There is also the Kobo Arc 7 HD which has a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels while being of the same 7 inch dimension. The core processor for this tablet is an NVIDIA Tegra 3 chip. The third tablet in the Kobo Arc line of tablets is the 10 inch Kobo Arc 10 HD with a screen resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixles. The core processor in this tablet is a quad core NVIDIA Tegra 4 chip clocking at 1.8 GHz. The OS for the Kobo Arc line of tablets is 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

So far as the fight for browser presence on tablets or mobile devices go, at the moment Chrome holds a better stronghold than Firefox which is better known in the desktop environment. The Firefox in the Android environment has one important feature worth taking note of, and that being it can present the content in a clean and easy way to read. Users can use the Reader feature built into Firefox for Android for this task.

Future Samsung Smartphones and Tablets to Feature Bendable Display

November 7, 2013 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

After a curved screen Samsung now has set its focus on a screen that could be folded. The implications of such a design are quite far reaching, as hybrid tablets and smartphones would then be possible. The ‘Youm’ OLED technology based smartphone that has a curved screen making it ergonomically more comfortable to hold and carry has been launched by LG and Samsung. Samsung followed that up with an announcement that it intends to come up with a screen that would be foldable. Samsung made the announcement during its Analyst day event, explaining that with such a technology a device that could be used as a smartphone with the display folded would also serve as a tablet with the display unfolded to present a larger screen. Samsung has also stated they are in advanced stages with foldabledisplay technologies so that we could witness the first commercial devices based on such tech by 2015 itself.

As of now the technology to create such hybrid devices are yet at their nascent stages. Samsung is confident of making the break in this field in the coming two years. Their confidence has sure been boosted by the success of the curved glass concept that they have pioneered. They have also made a mention that though the path is tough to achieve this breakthrough, they are so confident of making it that they would like suggestions for names that they could give to their device when it comes through.

Foldable displays have been talked about for years now though it is only this year that we have seen it making some headway in the commercial space. A few ebook reading devices were launced based on flexible display though none lasted long enough. What remains to be seen is whether Samsung is able to capitalize on the advancements already made in this field.

Toshiba Tablets with Windows 8.1

Toshiba Encore 2 with Windows 8.1

Toshiba Excite Go with Android

Lenovo’s New Budget A Series Tablets – Our Thoughts

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