Tablet PC or tablet computers are mobile computing devices that enable users to input data via a touchscreen display.
There are two main device variants in the market.
The first are classic convertible notebooks (Tablet PCs) with keyboards and sviwel screens, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X Tablet, HP EliteBook 2740, Dell Latitude XT and Inspiron Duo, or various Fujitsu LifeBook models. The second group are tablets or slates, a newer generation of devices with touch display only and virtual on-screen keyboards, such as the iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom, and others. The former mostly run Windows operating system and often support pen input, while the latter usually come with Android OS (iPad is an exception, of course) and are focused on finger multitouch. However, hybrids between slates and convertible-style touch computers are the market trend in the last months.
iPad 3 2012
Apple launched today the iPad 3, their latest generation tablet.
The 2012 iPad features a 9.7″ 2048 x 1536 Retina screen, the A5X dual-core processor with quad graphics cores, Wi-Fi and optional Verizon or AT&T 4G LTE connection, a 5MP back camera capable of recording 1080p videos, and storage choices of 16, 32, and 64 Gigabytes. iOS version is 5.1, which adds dictation support, besides other enhancements and new features.
The Sony Tablet P is now available via AT&T.
The dual-screen Sony Tablet P, released back in September 2011, is now available in the US.
AT&T carrier offers the 4G + Wi-Fi version for $399.99 with a 2-year contract. Available monthly mobile broadband data plans for the tablet include DataConnect 3GB and 5GB for $35 and $50 per month, respectively.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
Besides the standard Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Samsung has announced at the MWC the Galaxy Note 10.1 with pen input support and a feature called “multi-screen functionality”.
To support pen input, the Android 4.0-powered 10.1-inch Samsung Note includes some free apps, such as S Note for writing, Shape Match to digitize geometric shapes, Formula Match for digitizing mathematical formulas, as well as free copies of Adobe Photoshop Touch and Adobe Ideas.
Asus PadFone
The Asus PadFone Android smartphone, which can be placed inside a dock to form a full-size tablet computer, is on display at the MWC 2012 in Barcelona.
Asustek announced today that the PadFone will hit retail stores in April, but the price wasn’t disclosed. The PadFone itself has a 4.3″ Super AMOLED screen, while the PadStation tablet dock has a 10.1″ display. Besides the display, the dock has a battery inside. Main components, such as CPU and storage are located inside the phone. It’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz dual-core processor and runs Android 4.0. According to the company, the phone will be available with 16, 32, or 64 GB of internal storage and with 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. The back camera has an 8MP sensor, while the front cam has VGA quality.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
Samsung has released the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, a larger version of the Android 4.0 ICS-powered Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. The 10.1-incher has a resolution of 1280×800 pixels. It’s interesting that the Tab 2 10.1 is thinner than the seven-inch version, measuring 9.7mm versus 10.5mm. The bigger Tab also has a higher capacity battery of 7,000mAh, whereas the 7.0 comes with a 4,000mAh unit.
Barnes & Noble announced today the Nook Tablet 8GB, a downgraded and cheaper version of the original 16GB Nook Android slate. Priced at $199, down from $249, the 8GB Nook also has twice smaller RAM memory – 512MB versus 1GB.
Acer Iconia Tab A500 will get ICS in April.
Acer in the US is now updating over-the-air the Acer Iconia Tab A200 tablet to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) version. The same update will arrive on the older Acer Iconia Tab A100 and A500 in April, the company officially announced yesterday.
DigiTimes reports that Asustek and Acer plan to unveil convertible touch-screen ultrabooks this summer.
We can expect innovative convertible laptop designs, like on the 360-degree flip-and-fold Lenovo Yoga, scheduled for release in the second half of 2012. Also, DigiTimes says we could see sliding screens like on the Toshiba Portege M950, showcased at the CES Show last month.
Windows 7 isn’t designed with touch-screens in mind, but touch-enabled laptops could be pretty useful with upcoming Windows 8, which solves touch input shortcomings of Microsoft’s current OS. However, size and weight of convertibles are apparent disadvantage when compared to keyboard-less tablets.
This is the Archos 101 G9 ICS.
Gadget seller Dynamism today made available for pre-order the Archos 101 G9 ICS, one of the first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tabets. Besides Android 4.0, the Archos 101 G9 ICS sports a 10.1″ 1280×800 display, and a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU paired with 1GB RAM. Storage options include 8GB or 16GB of flash-based memory, or a traditional 250GB hard drive with a thin form factor. Archos’ new tablet has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a front 720p camera, GPS, mini HDMI port, and Micro SD card slot.
Fujitsu Laptop and Tablet Roadmap for 2012
Fujitsu has on its 2012 roadmap ultrabooks, Android tablets, and a laptop / tablet hybrid, according to a leaked slide.
In May, Fujitsu will unveil “two new ultrabooks”, followed by a “Slimbook” laptop and a “mainstream Android media tablet” in June. A “performance slate” with a detachable keyboard like on the Asus Transformer or Lenovo S2 will come in September and this could be the most interesting Fujitsu mobile computer this year. Unlike Android tablet, the slate has no green robot logo, so it could be a Windows slate with a fast Intel processor like on the Samsung Slate 7.
According to the slide, Fujitsu expects Windows 8 to arrive in Q4.
Source: Notebook Italia
The current iPad 2.
The latest round of iPad 3 rumors indicates that Apple is going to release the new version of their tablet on March 7th.
The iPad 3 will reportedly have a Retina 2048×1536 high-resolution display, quad-core A6 processor, and 4G LTE mobile broadband connectivity. Carriers offering the iPad 3 in the US will be AT&T and Verizon.
The iPad 3 launch is a significant event for the tablet market, since it holds a market share of more than 50%.
This is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7-inch Tablet.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, their first tablet with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS, was officially announced today. Besides ICS with TouchWiz user interface, the Galaxy Tab 2 sports a 7″ 1024×600 screen, 1GHz dual-core processor paired with 1GB RAM, 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB of storage, 3MP rear and VGA front fixed-focus cameras, Bluetooth 3.0, A-GPS, and a microSD card slot. The slate is powered by a 4,000mAh battery.
This is a Windows 8 Metro UI screenshot.
A developer pre-beta version of Windows 8 OS for laptops, tablets and desktops based on x86 architecture was released a couple of months ago. In February, Microsoft will also launch the first developer Win 8 version for ARM-based devices, accoring to CNet’s sources.
ARM-optimized Windows 8 is expected to have a significant role on the tablet computer market, since it will enable Windows to run on cheap and power efficient chipsets such as Nvidia Tegra. The tablet market is currently dominated by Apple’s iOS and Google Android and Windows is currently used only on tablets with x86 Intel and AMD chips, which at this stage have much greater power consumption than ARM parts.
On today’s market, you can find an iPad 2 and a bunch of Android tablets for under $500, but those based on Windows 7 OS usually carry higher price tags.
Fortunately, these prices drop. We have made a comparison of the two most serious Windows 7 multi-touch tablets with sub-$500 prices – the Dell Inspiron Duo 1090 and HP Slate 500. Windows 7 is not optimized for touch input like Android or iOS and the battery life with PC-use processors is generally shorter than on ARM-based slates, but if you want a cheap tablet and depend on Windows, this comparison can be handy.
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