Category Archives: Tablets and Slates
Galaxy Mega narrows the last phablet gap
Since the launch of the first Galaxy Tab, products marketed as tablets have been at the 7″ floor, with some Windows tablets going to 11″ and beyond sizes. Meanwhile, phone sizes have progressively broken larger and larger barriers, With Samsung’s announcement of the 6.3″ Galaxy Mega, the big-screen phone pioneer leapfrogs Huawei’s 6.1″ phone announcement at CES to reclaim the ergonomic threshold crown at 6.3″. This narrows the gap between phone and tablet to a mere 0.7″, with nothing inhabiting … Continue reading
Microsoft gains greater distribution for Surface RT
Staples’ decision to carry the Surface RT probably won’t do too much to help such a consumer-focused device, but Best Buy’s carrying of it is bigger news. As much as the additional distribution will help Microsoft, Best Buy may be the bigger winner. Not only will it add to Best Buy’s selection, but it will drive store traffic to offer exposure to a host of other Windows RT and Windows 8 devices. In contrast, there was little to cross-sell Surface … Continue reading
iHS says e-readers are doomed to limited markets
iHS senior principal analyst Jordan Selburn draws a comparison between the e-reader and other portable electronics, such as portable media players and point-and-shoot cameras, that have seen their functionality incorporated into the smartphone. Fair enough, while the smartphone was the spiritual successor to the PDA (or basically a cellular-connected PDA with voice). Still, while average e-reader screen sizes (and especially those of e-readers like the Kobo Pocket) are smaller than those of tablets, they were close enough where I always … Continue reading
AMD and the future of ultramobile
Sean Hollister at The Verge writes a great piece about AMD’s woes which, among other criticisms, notes that AMD stayed out of the netbook market for too long. But with the low margins and eventual collapse of the netbook market as it had previously existed, that might have been a wise business decision. Perhaps the best thing gained from being in the old netbook market would have been gaining a greater understanding of the new ultramobile market of tablets and … Continue reading
Nook for Windows 8: The PC is not an e-reader
As it comes to market with new Android-based tablets boasting impressive pixel density (but not as impressive as other devices), Barnes & Noble has teamed with its joint venture partner Microsoft to roll out Nook for Windows 8. Other than the relatively early adoption of a new platform, there’s not much remarkable about the announcement of support per se. However, it doesn’t indicate an intermediate step toward a Windows-based Nook. You can use Nook for Windows 8 or Windows RT from … Continue reading
The tradeoffs of an iPad mini Retina display ʦ
Marco Arment: Apple didn’t make an arbitrary decision to withhold Retina on the Mini to save money, upsell more buyers to the iPad 4, or “force” the first generation of iPad Mini owners to upgrade next year. They chose not to ship a Retina iPad Mini because it would be significantly worse than the previous iPads in very important factors. Marco makes astute observations about the often non-obvious tradeoffs in product design. There are always compromises. However, the new Nook … Continue reading
On Microsoft’s Xbox Surface gaming tablet rumors ʦ
Tablet games, as the heir to PC games, are more graphically impressive and immersive; they will come to walk the fine line between casual and hardcore games that even the home consoles must navigate these days. My latest Switched On column for Engadget discusses how Microsoft’s rumored 7″ powerhouse would mesh with industry trends.
Xbox Surface: Microsoft doubles down on tablet gaming
The Verge reports that Microsoft is working on developing a high-powered 7-inch gaming tablet dubbed Xbox Surface. It would represent a modern-day Xbox contrast — launching a primary gaming platform on Microsoft hardware but supporting multiple mobile OS tablets and smartphones as second screens via SmartGlass. This appears like a radical change of strategic direction and in some ways it is. Microsoft had previously kept its homegrown hardware to home console games, eschewing competition with Sony and Nintendo in the portable space. … Continue reading
Zagg snags first keyboard cases for the iPad mini
Even before the iPad mini’s strong opening weekend, the race was on as to which company would be first to give it the clamshell treatment. It’s not too suprising that Zagg, which leaked the iPad mini’s availability prior to its official announcement, looks prepared to win that race with a pair of accessories. In contrast to their current folios, in which a split back works with a keyboard groove in which to place the iPad, the ZAGGkeys Mini 7 and … Continue reading
On crowdfunded iPad carrying and propping accessories ʦ
Manatee looks like it could be a great aid to those with limited mobility or the bed-ridden. However, while Realize says that the product was named after the parts that grip the iPad since they resemble a manatee’s arms, there is a fair possibility that some would begin to resemble the endangered sea cow with prolonged supine use of the product. My latest Backed or Whacked column at TechCrunch discusses three products that can be used to support the iPad … Continue reading