tablets - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• iPad 2 rumored for April so should you wait?

  'Tis the season for rumors about Apple's next iPad, and it's only going to get worse as the expected release date draws closer.

• TI raises speed bar with new smartphone processor

  A new Texas Instruments chip that incorporates Arm technology could raise the level of graphics and application performance in smartphones and tablets.

• Google demos Motorola Tablet running Android 3.0

  Android fans won't have to wait much longer to get their hands on an optimized version of Android for tablet devices. Andy Rubin, Google's vice president of engineering, debuted an early version of Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) running on a Motorola one-panel tablet device on Monday during the D: Dive Into Mobile Conference in San Francisco. The introduction of Honeycomb came shortly after Google launched Android OS 2.3 (Gingerbread) on the Samsung Nexus S.

• iPad 2 gearing up for Spring launch

  While Apple only recently caught up with demand for the iPad, and the tablet is virtually guaranteed to be one of the most coveted gifts of 2010, the pieces appear to be falling into place to start shipping the next generation iPad. Sources indicate that Foxconn -- the Chinese manufacturer responsible for producing the device -- will start shipping the new iPad by the end of February.

• iPad more desirable than Galaxy Tab, survey says

  Samsung's Galaxy Tab just can't beat the iPad, with 85 percent of U.S. consumers preferring Apple's tablet to Samsung's, according to a recent consumer survey. The results are based on a study conducted by investment firm Piper Jaffray, which surveyed a paltry 65 people to reach its conclusion, according to Apple Insider.

• Like it or not, the iPad is a Kindle-killer

  Results of a survey conducted by ChangeWave indicate that the Apple iPad is killing the Amazon Kindle in the e-reader market. However, the two devices are actually not direct competitors, and the ChangeWave survey results reflect a different reality than what it might seem at face value.

• Kindle, iPad aren't mortal enemies

  A recent ChangeWave survey posited that the iPad is chomping into Kindle's e-reader market share. The iPad jumped 16 per cent to 32 per cent, and the Kindle dropped 15 per cent but still commands 47 per cent of the market. Surely this means the downfall of the Kindle? No. And don't call me Shirley.

• iPad gains on Kindle in e-reader race, but does it matter?

  The race to become the most popular e-reading in the United States is down to Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle, according to a recent survey of 2,800 e-reader users by ChangeWave Research. ChangeWave found that Kindle's market share dropped in November by 15 percentage points to 47 per cent of the market compared with the results from a survey ChangeWave conducted in August. Apple's iPad, meanwhile, has jumped by 16 points to take up 32 per cent of the market.

• E-book piracy is here. So what?

  While browsing a social news site the other day, I came across a link to an e-book search engine. Sadly, alongside the many free e-books available, such as those from Gutenberg, thousands of pirated e-books were being freely offered. I won't reproduce the details of the site here and I ask that, if you know of it (or others), you keep it to yourself too.

• iOS 4.3 release rumored for December

  Days after Apple released the iOS 4.2 software update for iPhones and iPads, another update to the OS is rumored to be arriving in December, together with News Corp's iPad-only news app. A corroborated report from Apple-centric blog MacStories claims that at some point in mid-December Apple will release iOS 4.3, which will enable publishers to charge for recurring subscriptions.

• What the ultimate tablet might look like

  As cool as some of the new devices are, we've yet to find one that offers everything we want in a tablet. Here are the essential features we'd expect to see on our dream slate.

• Why your next PC will be a tablet

  The world of computing is at a crossroads. The primary computer for most users today is not a PC; it's a phone. While the PC sits on a desk at the office or on a coffee table at home, smartphones go everywhere with us and integrate into every part of our lives. But despite getting smarter and smarter, phones are too small to replace PCs completely. We need a device that bridges the gap between what PCs do and what mobile phones do. That device has arrived. Welcome to the age of the tablet.

• Samsung's Galaxy Tab (Sprint version)

  The Samsung Galaxy Tab is the first Android tablet that has what it takes to challenge Apple's dominant iPad.

• iOS 4.2 bug: Lost media? How to get it back

  Apple's iOS 4.2 software update for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch has officially been released into the wild, and already a bug has been found. Users are reporting that after they updated their devices music, videos, audio books, and podcasts seem to be mysteriously missing.

• Samsung reportedly sells 600,000 Galaxy Tabs

  Samsung says it has sold more than 600,000 Galaxy Tab Android tablets worldwide, according to a Korea Herald report.