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Tablet, e-reader ownership almost double over holidays: survey | Reuters

January 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The number of Americans owning a tablet computer or e-reader nearly doubled over the holiday period as Kindles, Nooks and iPads proved to be popular gifts, a new study found.

In early January, 19 percent of Americans surveyed by Pew owned an e-reader, up from 10 percent in December, with identical results for tablets, according to a report released on Monday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

As a result, the percentage of Americans owning at least one digital reading device rose to 29 percent in January from 18 percent, according to the survey.

via Tablet, e-reader ownership almost double over holidays: survey | Reuters.

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21-year-old IT whiz creates iPad look-alike from scratch – The China Post

July 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

An enterprising Chinese man has come up with a solution for gadget-crazy people who desperately want Apple’s popular iPad tablet computer but cannot afford it — DIY.

In a 20-minute video posted on Youku — the Chinese YouTube equivalent — Liu Xinying demonstrates how to assemble an iPad look-alike using computer parts, a touch screen and a case with a keypad, to the sound of metal music.

At the end of the video dubbed “DIY IPAD 3,” the IT whiz shows off the finished version — an apparently functional tablet computer that looks like a thick iPad but runs on Windows, an operating system made by rival Microsoft.

News of Liu’s apparent feat spread on several foreign and Chinese technology websites, as well as on the nation’s Twitter-like Weibo service.

When contacted by AFP, the 21-year-old from the eastern province of Shandong said that since he posted the video online a month ago, he has knocked back requests from a dozen people wanting him to make them a DIY iPad.

“I did this for fun,” said Liu, who works at a computer store in Jinan city. “It cost me 2,000 yuan (US$309) to make it, so I guess that’s how much it’s worth.”

via 21-year-old IT whiz creates iPad look-alike from scratch – The China Post.

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Microsoft Set to Show Off Windows for Tablets Next Week | PCWorld

May 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Microsoft may essentially have been first to the market with the modern tablet computer, but Redmond has seen any advantage there erased by a failure on the software side. Windows just isn’t meant for the touchscreen world. No doubt the company is eager to change that, and is said to be set to debut its tablet operating system shortly, sources say.

Bloomberg reports that Microsoft would preview the platform in a set of demonstrations next week. The first comes at Walter Mossberg’s All Things Digital D9 conference in California, followed by another overseas at the Computex show in Tapei. This would confirm reporting in March that indicated Microsoft was close to being ready to show off its work.

The tablet devices would run on NVidia’s Tegra chip, which is intended for use in tablet devices. Nvidia says the dual-core chips are ideal for such small devices due to their low power consumption and integrated graphics processor.

While Redmond is taking the wraps off the tabletized Windows now, it’s likely that the actual release will not come until March, Bloomberg says. It’s pretty likely that the tablet platform would be built upon Windows 8, which may suggest that the desktop version of the software could be released around the same time.

via Microsoft Set to Show Off Windows for Tablets Next Week | PCWorld.

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RIM PlayBook an Enterprise Tablet, Not an iPad, Android Killer – Desktops and Notebooks from eWeek

October 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

When rumors bubbled up last week that Research In Motion was set to unveil a tablet computer, talk turned to how the device would battle Apple’s iPad and devices based on Google’s Android operating system.

It turns out that the PlayBook—as the world learned it was called after its launch at the BlackBerry Developer Conference Sept. 27—is more of a rival to a desktop or notebook in the business sector.

Indeed, the 7-inch device, expected to be available in the United States early next year, is not a BlackBerry OS-flavored version of today’s media-focused tablets, such as the popular iPad or the Android-based Samsung Galaxy Tab.

RIM is not positioning its tablet as a Netflix-craving machine geared for mass video consumption, but as a device fitted with “true multitasking, high performance multimedia, and advanced security features.”

The tablet’s pair of embedded cameras will enable smooth video conferencing. The PlayBook is also compatible with BlackBerry Enterprise Server, enabling all manner of business apps to run on the device.

Enterprise-grade security is all well and good, but a tablet still demands content and applications.

via RIM PlayBook an Enterprise Tablet, Not an iPad, Android Killer – Desktops and Notebooks from eWeek.

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RIM’s BlackPad, BlackBerries To Use New OS — InformationWeek

September 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Earlier this year, BusinessWeek claimed to have inside information about RIM’s “BlackPad” tablet computing device. Tuesday’s report from the Wall Street Journal appears to confirm many of the details previously offered by BusinessWeek.

At RIM’s developer conference, scheduled for the week of September 26, the smartphone maker will introduce its tablet device, which will have a seven-inch display as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The Journal notes that the BlackPad (not the official name, by the way) will not have its own cellular data radio, as do the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab devices. It can connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi, or by tethering to a BlackBerry device. An interesting limitation, but one that makes sense, I suppose.

Other details suggest the device will have two cameras, might have chips from Marvell, and will be available during the fourth quarter. The Journal believes Qaunta is manufacturing the device, which has confirmed that it is building a tablet computer for one of its clients.

More important than the hardware and connection capabilities, however, is the operating system.

According to the Journal, the BlackPad will not run RIM’s new smartphone OS, BlackBerry 6. Instead, it will use a brand new operating system developed by QNX Software. QNX Software makes user interfaces and operating systems for a wide range of devices and form factors. RIM purchased QNX earlier this year.

via RIM’s BlackPad, BlackBerries To Use New OS — InformationWeek.

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AFP: HP dabbling with Windows 7 tablet computer

July 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday said it is gauging the promise of a tablet computer that runs on Windows 7 software from Microsoft.

The word from the US-based computer giant came as speculation mounted that HP had abandoned a Windows 7 “slate” in favor of a tablet computer based on an operating system from freshly-acquired Palm.

“In reference to a Windows 7-based slate, we are in customer evaluations now and will make a determination soon on the next step,” HP spokeswoman Marlene Somsak told AFP.

Customer evaluations could involve providing a prototype HP slate to businesses to get feedback and learn how they might use it.

via AFP: HP dabbling with Windows 7 tablet computer.

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