Apple has finally released the highly-anticipated iOS 4.2. While the attention around iOS 4.2 has been focused on the enhancements and new features -- particularly for the iPad, the update also fixes more than 80 vulnerabilities in the iPhone, iPod, and iPad.
Down: Actually Updating the iPad
The iPad might be the hot tech gift this holiday season, but prospective iPad buyers may want to wait for January as rumblings about a new iPad are starting to surface.
To buy an iPad or not to buy an iPad? That's the big question this holiday season after a slew of rumors and speculation surfaced saying that a next-generation iPad is in the works for 2011. The new iPad is rumored to be lighter, thinner and faster, and have a front-facing camera for FaceTime video chat.
The iPad has been embraced as a business tool despite some very vocal naysayers proclaiming it a mere consumer toy with no place in the business world. The iOS 4.2 update -- expected to be released later today -- includes a variety of features that make the Apple tablet even more suited for business use.
The Dell Inspiron Duo tablet (or is it a netbook?) will be officially released November 23, <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20022898-64.html">CNET says</a>, citing "industry sources familiar with the launch plans."
Research in Motion is taking shots at Apple with its new Blackberry PlayBook video, in which it shows how the PlayBook's web browser embarrasses the iPad's in speed tests.
It's no secret Lenovo has its eye on the tablet market, and now China's biggest PC manufacturer appears ready to challenge Apple's iPad in the U.S. The company's LePad, an Android-based slate announced in July, will arrive stateside next year.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab has only been out a few days in the United States, but already the benefits of its open source roots are becoming evident. Specifically, Samsung has released the open source portions of the software code used to run the device, opening up the doors to a potentially exciting array of third-party modifications and enhancements.
After sitting on the sidelines watching iPhone and iPod Touch owners enjoy the virtues of iOS 4.0 for the past few months, iPad owners have been anxiously counting the days until iOS 4.2 will be released for the tablet. Well, it seems that wait will continue for at least another few days while Apple does some fine-tuning of the Wi-Fi connectivity.
The reviews are in and the Samsung Galaxy Tab one-panel slate is a hit, mostly. Reviewers don't appear to be bothered by the Galaxy Tab's diminutive size compared to the iPad, no matter what Apple CEO Steve Jobs says. And most see the Galaxy Tab as a credible competitor to the iPad. Will the Galaxy Tab win over your heart? Will Samsung sell one million Galaxy Tabs before the end of the year, or will the electronics maker be forced to come out with a 10-inch Galaxy Tab in the near future?
Once upon a time it was nice and simple. If you were in charge of corporate IT, you bought Microsoft. Serious quantities of computing power required a different solution, but for everything from mid-level enterprise down to desktops, Microsoft did the job. When it came to smartphones, <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/208491/mobile_os_smackdown_windows_phone_7_vs_ios_vs_android.html">Microsoft's products</a> have never been great but always integrated neatly and were favoured by some although not all organizations.
BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) plans to undercut Apple's iPad pricing when its PlayBook tablet launches next year, according to a BusinessWeek report.
While Apple has major momentum in the mobile application developer space, there is room for other companies to steal Apple's thunder, according to an analyst report released earlier this month.
Samsung said it will likely sell one million Galaxy Tabs by the end of the year, but what do theoretical sales really mean, especially when Apple has already sold seven million iPads this year? For Samsung, one million units would mean a tidy profit and the establishment of the company as a solid competitor in the tablet and wireless market.