Archos 101 XS Android tablet with Coverboard keyboard case

The Archos 101 XS is a 10.1-inch Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablet (with a Jelly Bean update due by November) that comes complete with a "Coverboard" magnetic keyboard. Made of a combination of fiber casing and steel, it's an attractive mix of chromes and white highlights, with the tablet measuring just 8mm thick (13mm when closed with the protective keyboard cover), and lighter than the new iPad at 600g.

Snapping together with strong magnets, the tablet and keyboard combine into a netbook format thanks to an adjustable kickstand that folds flush into the Coverboard when not in use. Though thin (and lacking the trackpad of the ASUS Transformer series), the keyboard has comfortable travel with its chiclet keys. There's no battery in the slimline keyboard (it's connected to the tablet via a proprietary USB connection, rather than a Bluetooth connection that would require power), but there is a microUSB port on the rear that allows it to act as a pass-through charging dock for the tablet.


You'll also find sockets for USB connections, mini HDMI and microSD dotted around the tablet's edge, though there's no 3G slot. With 16GB of onboard storage, that microSD card allows for up to 64GB of expansion (or 128GB theoretically, if that card SDXC card size ever went mainstream). All the usual sensors (G-Sensor, compass) and connectivity options (Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0) are onboard, as well as a 720p webcam.

With a snappy ARM Cortex A9 processor and 1GB of RAM, the 101 XS is responsive, even when under a heavy multitasking load and running intensive, 3D gaming apps. Even though the screen isn't full HD, it's perfectly capable of outputting 1080p video, stutter free over HDMI, with average usage squeezing 10 hours out of the battery according to the on-hand Archos representative at the launch event. Typing on the keyboard was as comfortable as any similarly sized tablet keyboard; despite the low profile, we could see a user getting plenty of real work done with the 101 XS.

Source : techdigest

Disgo 9104 tablet: Ice Cream Sandwich on the cheap, but no Google Play

Android Ice Cream Sandwich on a tablet for less than £180? That's what the Disgo 9104 promises to deliver.

At £179.99 it offers a 9.7-inch capacitive IPS display running at a 1024 x 768 resolution, 1.2 GHz Boxchip Cortex A8 ARM processor, 16GB of flash storage (expandable up to 64GB) and a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera and 2-megapixel one on the back of the slate.

£100 worth of "Disgo Apps" will come pre-installed, including Office Suite Pro, with additional apps available via the SlideME app store.

However, with the Disgo 9104 lacking Google certification, you won't get access to the thousands of apps available through the Google Play store, nor see the benefits of the many first-party Google apps that come pre-installed on many other Android tablets.

"We are proud to launch the 9104 as Disgo's flagship product and believe it will cement our place as one of the leading tablet manufacturers delivering the latest technology at affordable prices," said Luke Noonan, Purchasing Director at Disgo.

"Our experience tells us that many consumers are looking for a happy medium between cost and function in the tablet market and the obvious players are not always the most affordable choice. The 9104 fills the void in the market for a high spec tablet for less than £180."

It comes with a few caveats then, but £179.99 is as cheap as you're likely to see an Ice Cream Sandwich tablet for some time.

Source : techdigest

ViewSonic VSD220: Kooky Android PC/ 22-inch tablet monitor revealed

Is it an oversized, desktop Android tablet? Or a touchscreen PC with Android smarts? Or something new altogether? We're not entirely sure, but ViewSonic's freshly revealed VSD220 screen has certainly caught our attention.

A 22-inch touchscreen all-in-one computer, ViewSonic's VSD220 sidesteps Windows 8 in favour of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Fully Google certified, it'll come complete with all the usual Android apps like YouTube, Gmail and Maps, as well as full access to the Google Play Store to download more apps from.

The screen itself runs at full HD 1920x1080 resolution, and is powered by a Texas Instruments OMAP 4 dual-core processor.

Though full specifications have yet to be revealed, the VSD220 will come complete with a host of ports and connectivity options, including micro HDMI, 3x USB ports, microSD, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and Bluetooth. There's also a 1.3 MP webcam built into the chassis for video calling, and SRS speakers, though no mention of how much storage space is onboard.

"For consumers, the VSD220 is perfect for surfing the web, engaging on social networks and enjoying a world of Android apps", says Mark Lufkin, managing director of ViewSonic Europe.

With Ice Cream Sandwich fully supporting external peripherals such as mice, keyboards and hard drives, you're looking at essentially a desktop computer here, albeit one based on Android rather than Windows. It's an interesting concept and one we're keen to have some extended time with.

Source : techdigest

China-based Huawei, ZTE to step into tablet market, say sources

While international smartphone players including LG Electronics, Motorola Mobility, RIM and Nokia have apparently retreated from the tablet PC market in order to focus on their core businesses, China-based vendors Huawei Technologies and ZTE have expressed great interest in launching tablets in addition to smartphones, according to industry sources.

Huawei and ZTE plan to extend their global marketing from smartphones to tablets through cooperation with mobile telecom carriers around the world and to launch entry-level Android-based models initially and Windows Phone 8 models later, the sources indicated.

The launch of tablet PCs by smartphone vendors reached a peak in 2011, including the Xoom from Motorola, the Optimus Pad from LG, the Flyer and Jetstream from HTC, and the Playbook from RIM.

But most vendors, with the exception of Samsung Electronics, have slowed or even stopped the development of new tablets in the wake of slow sales of their models, while Apple has continued to maintain its leadership in the segment.

LG has withdrawn from the table PC market temporarily; Motorola has halted plans to launch new tablets due to development strategy at Google; and RIM is now focusing on its new platform, the BlackBerry 10.

Nokia will obviously focus on the development of Windows Phone 8-based smartphones, since its software partner Microsoft has already released its own-brand Surface tablet, and additional models are expected to be rolled out by Microsoft's other hardware partners.

Having not released any new tablet in one year, HTC is scheduled to launch its new tablet, the HTC Flyer 2, in the fourth quarter of 2012, revealed the sources, but adding that HTC is expected to continue to give priority to the development of new smartphones in order to shore up its declining market share.


Source : digitimes

Amazon unveils new tablet PCs

Online retail company Amazon.com on Thursday in Santa Monica, California, unveiled four new Kindle Fire models with larger screens to compete with Apple’s iPad, which is planning to launch mini (smaller screen) iPads.

The new tablet personal computers will have 8.6-inch screen from earlier Fire that had a 7-inch screen. The speculation on the mini iPad is that it will have a 7.85 inch screen as compared to 9.7-inch screens available right now.

The basic 7-inch Fire model will cost $159 as compared to $199 of its earlier version. The company will start shipping the new product from September 14.

Amazon is also coming out with a high-end version called Kindle Fire HD (high- definition) that will have two Wi-fi channels for faster transfers. That will be crucial for high-definition movies and other large files, Jeff Bezos, Chief Executive Officer, said.

The high-end model will also have more storage -- 16GB as compared to 6GB of the older Fire. Apple’s iPads starts with 16GB models.

The 7-inch HD model will cost $199 and the 8.9-inch will be of $299 which will start shipping from November 20.

It will start shipping a new e-reader called Paperwhite priced at $119 from October. The new device promises eight weeks of battery life even with the light on.

Amazon is also dropping the price of its low-end Kindle to $69 from $79 which will start shipping next Friday.

Analysts say the new Kindle Fire is an effort to take a larger share of the tablet PC market dominated by Apple’s iPad in the world.

Source : thehindubusinessline

Toys ‘R’ Us to Launch its own Tablet PC

he tablet PC market is full of some serious competitors. Amazon recently announced a variety of new Kindles it will be selling soon. Apple is expecting to make a long-awaited announcement this week, likely involving a new iPad. Samsung, Google, ASUS, and a few other companies also manufacture and sell tablets to consumers. Seems a bit crowded, right? How would a business break into the tablet market at this point? By offering something different, but focused.

A Tablet for Kids?

That’s exactly what Toys”R”Us today announced it will be doing. According to Lisa Ward at the San Jose Business Journal, “Toys”R”Us is expected to launch a tablet designed for children that will exclusively be sold in its stores.” Yes, you read that right. A toy store is releasing its own tablet computer.
At first I thought, “Hah! This is going to be a bad tablet and a failure.” But the more I thought about the idea, the more it made sense to me. Kids are a huge market. Toys”R”Us is a business designed to sell things to kids. (Well, it’s designed to get their parents to buy things for their kids.) Either way, the kid is essential to their business model. Their stores are designed to attract children, and they are generally fun places for kids to be. I can still remember getting very excited to go to Toys”R”Us.

Details on the Tablet

There have been a handful of kid-friendly tablets released over the years, but nothing too special. This new Toys”R”Us tablet, named the Tabeo, appears to be not only designed for children, but also a relatively powerful tablet. According to Adrian Diaconescu at the popular Android Authority Blog, the Tabeo has “a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen … and [features] a 1 GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU, 1 GB of RAM, Wi-Fi” and more. Plus, it runs on the Android OS.
The Tabeo will come with a variety of kid-friendly games, apps, and educational programs pre-installed. As Adrian Diaconescu adds, the Tabeo “comes with the usual pre-loaded parental controls software.” If Toys”R”Us can find a way to market this successfully to kids, it could be a very profitable offering for the company. Anything that can be shown to help a child in his or her education is often justified in a parent’s mind. Plus, the Tabeo isn’t going to break the bank either. It will be sold for $150.

The Tabeo – Only in Stores

One final interesting point about the Tabeo is where you will be able to purchase one. In today’s bustling ecommerce world, we can buy almost any product online from numerous sources. When the Tabeo is released in October though, the only place parents will be able to pick one up for their kids is in a Toys”R”Us store on the Toys”R”Us website. Lisa Ward said, the Tabeo ” will exclusively be sold in [Toys"R"Us] stores,” and that doing this “is an attempt to get around ‘showrooming.’”
Showrooming is what many savvy consumers like to do when they go shopping. If they find something they like, they will check online to find the same product, cheaper. For a retailer, this is terrible. You’ve basically just acted as free advertising for another vendor to take sales that could have been yours.

Will the Tabeo Work?

As I mentioned earlier, at first I was very skeptical of this whole idea. Most kid-friendly “computers” I have ever seen failed to impress. But I can see a lot of potential in the Tabeo. At the very least, the tablet is a great example of a company creating products focused on their audience. It will be interesting to see how selling the Tabeo only in Toys”R”Us stores, or on Toys”R”Us’ website, works out though.
With a solid promotion strategy, the Tabeo could be very successful. It has the physical capabilities a tablet needs. Plus, with new games and apps always on the way with the Android operating system, it could be something a kid would enjoy using for years. We’ll have to wait and see though.

Source : business2community

‘iPad Mini’ Coming in October, Following a September iPhone Launch [REPORT]

AllThingsD is confirming that Apple will unveil a seven-inch “iPad Mini” in October, following the September launch of the next-generation iPhone.

ATD‘s John Paczkowski reports the “iPhone 5″ and a smaller iPad will premiere at two separate events before the holiday season commences. He cites “several” unnamed sources. The next iPhone will debut at an “as-of-yet unannounced event” on Sept. 12, the report says.

“Only after the next generation iPhone is out the door and on sale will Apple announce the smaller iPad it’s been working on,” Paczkowski writes. “That device, which is expected to have a display of less than eight inches, will be uncrated at a second special event, which sources said is currently scheduled for October.”
........

Source : mashable

10 Reasons Why Android OS Is Better Than Symbian And IOS

The Android application development is the process of creating new applications for the Android OS. Applications are usually developed in the Java making use of Android Software Development Kit. From the past few years about 200,000 Android applications have been developed by the developers for the use of the customers to make the Android phones more smart with wider features. Android development has led to the booming of the new applications which the customers can use for their daily purposes helping them from house activities to handling of businesses. Google initially helped in the development of the Android and after which it revealed the Open Handset Alliance which was a consortium of about 86 hardware. Since 2010 the Android have become the leading smart-phone platform for the users in comparison to Symbian and IOS.

Android OS is in many ways better than the Symbian and iOS.

1. Better User Interface

Unlike the iPhone OS, Android user interface has been continuously developing and improving over the years. With Android 4.0, Google has made the user interface much more innovative and elegant. The prime feature of the OS is navigation buttons, which makes it easier for the user to navigate around the phone. Unlike the iPhone with only one navigation button (Home Button), Android phones have back, menu, and multitasking buttons, which provides a better user interface thus making Android more user-friendly.

2. Processor speed

The Android is faster and better than Symbian and iOS because of the processor speed. The Android work on dual core processors which adds a lot of applications with great speed.

3. Internet Speed

When we compare the default browser of the Android with Symbian and iOS here too Android wins as other browsers come with complicated algorithms which slows the Internet spreed. However, Android browser comes with visual bookmarks, which is handy and easy to use with smooth flow on information.

4. More applications

The Android is developed by Giant Google which support almost 500000 applications instead Symbian is developed by Nokia, which is embedded with limited applications as it makes them dependent on Nokia. Android gives the experience of Google calendar, Google earth, Google voice, Google translator, Blogger and Chrome. With the increase of the flow of applications in the market, the Android comes with perfect blend of these applications for the convenience of the users. The Symbian and iOS has limited applications confining their use.

5. Change firmware

In Symbian OS, you can never change the firmware, but in Android OS you can change it any time the way you want and easily install the updates which allows you to use more applications.


6. Multiple screen keyboards

In Android you can change the screen keyboards the way that is easy and apart from this you can install Gingerbread to Froyo and from Swype to Honeycomb. With one tab you can choose multiple spelling suggestions and deleting a word or adding. While in Symbians and iOS does not come with this customization features of new keyboard installation.

7. Multi tasking system

The Android applications come with such a framework which provide all key API’s including things like accessing the telephony system, sharing and receiving data as well as notifications. The Symbian and iOS does not provide you the multi-tasking system.

8. Greater fan-base

The Android has much more great fan-base, which is integrated with Google services while as Symbian and iOS have not such a larger fan-base.

9. Live applications and widgets

The Android OS works on Linux which provides large things like virtual memory and power management. The Androids are designed with rich and customizable content which allows the users to go through live application content through interactive widgets. This also helps store more data than Symbians and iOS.

10. New Platform Developer Kit

The “Platform Developer Kit” is a really smart move by Google considering its large manufacturer and partner base. You don’t often think of hardware as something that can be “opened,” but the ability to institute the very basic aspects of Android with one simple kit will make it much easier for hardware companies to start building on new versions of the platform.

Hence Android development has revolutionized the OS systems and applications by providing more wider features than others which have a limited user applications.

Android developers at TalentsfromIndia possess more than 3 years of value experience in Mobile application development utilizing JAVA programming language and other existing systems. At TFI, we deliver high quality solutions for Android application development by using cutting-edge technologies that the web has to offer by offering most superior developers for Android.


Source : cmvlive

Symbian Belle FP2 for Nokia 808 PureView spotted early, pulled quickly

Nokia has been tuning up its Symbian Belle phones with new software over the past few days, but there's been one glaring exception: the 808 PureView. The camera-centered behemoth isn't far behind, though, as a handful of users have spotted and grabbed a 113.10.1506 OS update lurking on Nokia's servers before it was abruptly yanked. While Nokia hasn't confirmed details of the upgrade, those few who tried the download can vouch that it really is Belle FP2, or Belle Refresh. As such, it's bringing an overhauled keyboard with text prediction, new versions of the browser and music player apps, fresh widgets and no doubt a few under-the-radar bug fixes. It's hard to know if the update is final code, so we'd advise caution before loading up any unofficial copies you might find -- even so, it's a portentous sign for 808 owners who'd like to have a definitive instance of smartphone-grade Symbian before the platform rides into the sunset.

Source : engadget

Apple Working on Pandora-Like Music Service? [Updated]

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Apple is "seeking to create a Pandora-rival custom radio service." Citing "people familiar with the matter", the Journal claims the service would work across Apple's line of products -- including Macs, the iPhone and the iPad -- and possibly even on Windows PC's. Unsurprisingly, it would not work on Android devices.

Apple only recently initiated licensing negotiations with record labels for its putative service, and even if it does complete deals, it could be a matter of months when such a service might launch, according to these people.

The company has in the past contemplated and abandoned other interactive features, including a Spotify-like service that would have let users rent unlimited amounts of music for a fixed monthly fee. But people familiar with the current talks say they appear to be more serious than those previous tentative inquiries.

As on Pandora, the music would be interspersed with ads, in this case carried by Apple's iAd platform, which syndicates ads to iPhone and iPad apps.

The WSJ says Apple is negotiating its own licensing deals with record companies, rather than going by the government-set rates paid by Pandora.

The article does not lay out a timeline for the service, though its claim that Apple is still in negotiations with record companies suggests it won't be arriving at the Apple Media Event already announced for September 12.

Update 8:04 PM: The New York Times has filed its own report on the developments, citing "three people briefed on Apple’s plans". The report offers a similar description of Apple's goals, noting that the service would likely arrive as an app that could interface with a user's iTunes Store account to build upon the current Genius functionality in iTunes. Apple’s service would likely take the form of a pre-installed app on Apple’s devices like iPhones and iPads and might be able to connect to a user’s iTunes account to judge his or her tastes.

Like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times indicates that a launch for the service "could be months away" and is not likely to be announced at next week's media event.

View the original article here

Telstra Smart-Touch 2 Android phone

Telstra's original Smart-Touch was the first Android smartphone to break the $100 price barrier in Australia, but its tiny, resistive display made for an extremely poor user experience. The company has gone back to the drawing board with the Smart-Touch 2 but the same $99 price tag remains. The larger screen and newer software make the Smart-Touch 2 a better proposition than its predecessor, but the user experience remains frustratingly sluggish.

Looks cheap, feels cheap

It's tough to be critical of a fully fledged Android phone that sells for less than $100, even if it's not a great product. The Telstra Smart-Touch 2 falls squarely into that category. There's nothing essentially wrong with its basic, candybar form factor but the plain black casing really doesn't inspire any confidence in ZTE's build quality. The rear battery cover feels hollow and visibly depresses when force is applied, the glossy front is a fingerprint magnet and the overall feeling you're left with is that this is a very cheap phone. Yes, the Smart-Touch 2 is a cheap phone, but we would have appreciated a simple silver edge to spice up a bland look, for example, as well as a slightly sturdier build.

Despite its plain looks there are a few things we like about the Telstra Smart-Touch 2. Its relatively lightweight and its rounded edges and curved corners means the phone comfortably fits into the palm of your hand. The plastic casing on the back feels a little like rubber, too, which means the device is easy to grip and therefore shouldn't be easily dropped.

Source : pcworld

Why would Apple make a 7-inch iPad? The kids

While Apple products have always been cool among college students (even back in the Stone Age when I was an undergraduate), the company really became a mainstream presence when the iPod, and then iPhone, became hits with high school students, then tweens, and even elementary school kids. (If you don't have children, trust me on this.)

Children also love the iPad, though due to its higher price, they are more likely to be "borrowing" their parents' tablet than learning -- i.e., playing games -- on their own. And that fact alone may explain while Apple appears to be readying a smaller iPad, despite Steve Jobs' infamous diss of 7-inch tablets. (Though privately he may have been more receptive.)

Proof of that sentiment comes in a recent poll by CouponCodes4u. While an overwhelming majority of respondents -- 78 percent -- said they'd rather get the forthcoming iPhone 5 (or whatever Apple plans to call it) than a mini iPad, 21 percent said they would consider buying a smaller iPad for their children. Of those surveyed, 39 percent already had an iPad, which might explain why many aren't keen about a 7-inch iPad -- but also explain why more than a fifth of respondents would think of buying one for their kids.

You might not think a company as chic (at least in tech circles) as Apple would lower itself to making product decisions based on 10-year olds, but it makes perfect sense in terms of growing its market share. Look no further than the iPod Nano for a cheaper, smaller version of a pricey Apple product that would more likely be a child's Christmas or birthday present than its full-sized sibling. Even if there wouldn't seem to be huge consumer demand for an "iPad Mini," the company doesn't want to see more kids playing their own Amazon Kindle Fire or Google Nexus 7 tablets instead of grabbing the iPad away from their parents.

Would you buy a smaller iPad for your child? Do you think a mini iPad would be a big hit among younger users? Let us know your thoughts in the Talkback section below.

Source : zdnet

Kobo and Kindle's Android e-readers get kicked up a notch

Just over a week ago, I started complaining about trying to read books on an Android tablet. At the time, I was unaware that there were new e-readers coming from both Kobo and Amazon, oddly enough; not that I suspect any complaints from this end would have changed anything either way, but with these new offerings, there’s something new for both the tablet fans and the e-ink fans.

Canada’s homegrown Kobo has a new Android-based tablet, the Kobo Arc, which will be available for sale in mid-November. It’s an update on the Kobo Vox, increasing the horsepower of the processor to 1.5 GHz dual-core, and the seven-inch screen is bumped up to 1280x800, making it possible to play full-on 720p videos. While the Arc has both 8GB and 16GB models available ($199 and $249 respectively), this time out there’s no expansion slot for microSD storage – instead, you’ll have to rely on the cloud for additional storage space.

The Kobo Arc has also made the move to Ice Cream Sandwich, which – while not exactly the newest and best operating system – is still more current than many of the other tablets out there. Of course, Google’s new Nexus 7 tablet, which is matched pretty closely in hardware specs and pricing, is running the new Jelly Bean OS, which means the Kobo Arc is at a slight disadvantage here.

On the other hand, the Arc has introduced the Tapestries interface, which gives you a slightly different way of organizing your content on the device. Tapestries allows you to pin your content together in different ways (including books, music and movies), so you can organize it on the tablet the way you see fit, rather than having it rigidly siloed, like on other tablets. Time will tell if that’s enough to prevent people from buying a Nexus 7 and installing the Kobo app.

Not to be outdone, Amazon announced a few new models on the exact same day as Kobo.

The Kindle Fire has now been updated to the Kindle Fire HD, and will be available starting September 14. Like the Arc, it’s powered by Ice Cream Sandwich. The Fire HD’s seven-inch screen sports a 1280x800-resolution, but unlike the Kobo Arc, it’s powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor rather than a 1.5 GHz model.

However, the Kindle Fire HD comes with Dolby-certified sound onboard (the Kobo Arc comes with SRS TruSound), and an updated dual-antenna Wi-Fi configuration for better wireless performance. Plus the Fire HD gives you more storage for your money: it’s available in 16GB and 32GB models, for $199 and $249 respectively.

Amazon has also upped the ante a bit by releasing two versions of the Fire HD with an 8.9-inch screen. The Kindle Fire HD 8.9” model bumps the screen resolution up to 1920x1080, and the processor up to 1.5 GHz dual-core. It runs $299 for the 16GB model, and $369 for the 32GB model. And there’s also a 4G LTE Wireless version coming, tied to AT&T in the US (Canadian availability and carrier to be determined). This model comes in a 32GB model for $499, and a 64GB model for $599.

While that price seems a bit high after looking at the more affordable versions of the Kindle Fire HD, it’s really worth comparing that to its true competitor: the iPad. Right now, the Wi-Fi only version of the iPad starts at $519 in Canada; the 4G LTE version is $649, and that’s only the 16GB model. As it stands, the new versions of the Kindle Fire HD 8.9” are undercutting the iPad’s price by about $250, which is a pretty substantial sum.

When Amazon launched the original version of the Kindle Fire into the marketplace, it pretty quickly became the number one Android-based tablet. If Apple doesn’t have any tricks up its sleeve during Wednesday’s launch event, it’s likely that these new Fire HD tablets will shift more of the overall tablet market share into the Android column.

Despite the launch of these new Android-based e-readers, it’s worth noting that both Kobo and Amazon had something for the e-ink fans out there.

The first of Kobo’s two new e-ink readers is the $129.99 Kobo Glo, which comes with LED front-lit illumination, so you can read in the dark (the lighting is hidden at the bottom end of the bezel). During the day, it’ll be the same touch-based e-ink display as you’re used to with the Kobo e-ink models such as the Kobo Touch.

The second new Kobo reader is the $79.99 Kobo Mini, which sports a five-inch touchscreen, and an overall design that makes it easy to fit into a jacket pocket – the key here is extreme portability. While this new form factor may be a bit too small for people with large hands, it may be the perfect stuffing stuffer for those with smaller hands, or for children. Both the Glo and the Mini will be available at retail at the beginning of October.

Over at Amazon, the new e-ink model is the $119 Kindle Paperwhite, which also comes with a built-in light for reading in the dark. But this awkwardly-named reader’s real selling point is the increased resolution, and the higher contrast between the ink and screen, both of which are designed to make the device look more like a sheet of paper. There’s also a version with built-in 3G, for $179. Both will be available in October.

Of course, these new e-ink models are dedicated e-readers, unlike the new Android-based models. But for people like me who find the backlit tablets a bit eye-gouging, it’s nice to know that our favourite e-book purveyors still have our backs…and eyes.

Toys'R'Us Selling Exclusive Android Tablet in October

powered 7-inch tablet designed specifically for kids. It's now available for pre-order, costing $149.99 USD and shipping on October 21. It will arrive with 50 free, preinstalled apps that were carefully selected to entertain and educate children, while helping them explore the Internet, the company said.

"Over the past year, we’ve spent considerable time talking to parents and children to determine what features and functions they really want in a kids’ tablet, resulting in tabeo," said Troy Peterson, Vice President, Divisional Merchandise Manager, Toys'R'Us, U.S. "We are proud that tabeo offers robust and flexible parental controls that can help protect children as they surf the Internet, and we are pleased to offer the tabeo App Store, which features only kid-safe content carefully curated by the Toys'R'Us team."

According to a brief list of specs, the tablet will feature a 7-inch capacitive TFT LCD screen (16 million colors, 800 x 480), a "child friendly" interface, a 1.0 GHz ARM Cortex A8 SoC and 1 GB of RAM. It will also come packed with 4 GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot for adding an additional 32 GB of On Monday toy retail chain Toys'R'Us introduced tabeo, an Android-space. Other features will include HDMI output, a drop-safe bumper, 802.11 b/g/n connectivity, support for Adobe's Flash, and parental control options for blocking inappropriate content.

"To help keep kids safe while exploring the Internet using tabeo’s wi-fi capabilities, the device comes with a full suite of customizable parental controls," the company said. "Adults can easily set tailored levels of security for up to eight users, allowing children of multiple ages to access different types of content. tabeo’s filter can be set to block 27 predetermined categories of content, and parents can choose additional sites to block and can select specific online content to unblock."

The toy store's tablet will also ship with Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" although it's presumed that the "child friendly" interface will hide any signs of Google's mobile OS (think Kindle Fire). The tablet will even sport its own tabeo App Store featuring more than 7,000 free apps specifically selected by the tabeo team to ensure that everything available is high quality and kid-friendly.

As for what's already pre-installed, the tablet will have nearly 20 games such as Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Cut the Rope, Temple Run, 100 Floors, Collapse!, Tiki Golf, Tiki Cart 3D and more. There will also be 10 educational apps (AlphaTots, Discovery Kids Putterbugs, Operation Math, TechCalc, etc), several entertainment apps (Putt Putt Zoo, Freddy Fish and the Stolen Shell, Camera App, etc) and books such as iStorybooks, Candy Factory and Little Red Riding Hood.

Source : tomshardware

Motorola (Droid) RAZR M Review: The Best Non-Giant Android Phone

Android phones have been getting bigger and bigger, but that’s not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea. As Motorola said at unveiling of the Droid RAZR M, some people just want a smaller phone. Does this phone, designed to fill that niche, still deliver on performance?

What Is It?
The Droid RAZR M is a relatively small and thin Android phone that will be known in Australia as simple the RAZR M. The mid-range smartphone will initially be a Telstra exclusive and is expected to launch here by the year’s end.

Who’s it For?
People who want an Android phone that fits into skinny jeans.

Design
Super solid — hard metal body, laminated Kevlar back and 4.3-inch Gorilla Glass. Dense and very thin with no bezel. Just 8.3mm thick.

Using It
It’s fast. Call quality was excellent on Verizon’s LTE network in the US, and the speakers are nice and loud. Motorola’s UI skin is pretty close to plain Android, which is a good thing.

The Best Part
The size. The main differentiating factor isn’t a gimmick — it feels good to use. 4.3 inches is plenty big for most purposes, and you can reach every part of the screen without straining your thumb.

Tragic Flaw
The camera. The results are terrible — reds bleed together, it struggles with contrast, the focus is inconsistent, image stabilisation is basically non-existent and tap-to-focus doesn’t adjust the brightness. It’s possible to take a nice, sharp shot, but it’s tougher than it should be. Click for sample photos/video.

This Is Weird…
The back has two panels. The larger Kevlar panel and a smaller glass panel where the camera is. It’s very reflective, almost mirror-like. Maybe for helping you frame your self-portraits?.......

Source : gizmodo

Google Beefs Up Google Drive for iOS, Android

Google on Monday updated its Google Drive app for iOS devices, adding editing and collaboration tools for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users that are already present in the Google Drive app for Android.

The search giant also added some new features to Google Drive for Android. The updated iOS app is available in Apple's App Store and the latest version for Android smartphones and tablets is available in Google's Play Store.

Google Drive was released this past April as the formal cloud-based service wrapped around the company's Google Docs office suite. The file storage and synchronization service provides users with 5GB of free storage capacity, with additional capacity available for a monthly subscription fee that charges $2.49 per additional 25GB of cloud storage.

Google Drive 1.01 for iOS now lets users create new Google documents, edit them, and format text in Google docs, according to Google senior product manager Anil Sabharwal, who announced the updates on the official Google blog. Those features had already been present in Google Drive for Android.

Users of Apple mobile devices will also now be notified of other people's edits of Google Docs in real-time, he wrote. That's a feature that has been available in Google Drive for PC users from the start.

The improvement to Google Drive for iOS goes beyond just documents—iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users are now able to create folders and move files between via the app, and upload media like photos and videos to Google Drive from their devices. Google's presentation software has also been integrated into the new version of Google Drive. Users of iOS devices can now view presentations on their smartphones and tablets, plus look at speaker notes, switch to full-screen mode, and swipe between slides, Sabharwal wrote.

For all of the additions to the iOS app, Google managed to keep users of devices running its own Android mobile operating system ahead of the curve. Owners of Android-based handsets and tablets running the Google Drive app can "now add comments, reply to existing comments, and view tables in your Google documents," Sabharwal wrote.

The new presentation features for the iOS app are also present in the updated Android app, he added.

Sabharwal promised future additions to Google Drive for mobile devices, including "native editing and real-time collaboration for Google spreadsheets."

For a breakdown of the new features in Google Drive for iOS and Android devices, check out the video below. For more, see PCMag's full reviews of Google Drive and Google Drive for iPad.

Source : pcmag

Sony's Sound Forge Pro Mac Launching This Month for $299 [Mac Blog]

Sony's Sound Forge Pro Mac Launching This Month for $299 - Mac Rumors window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({ appId : '263507923666566', status : true, // check login status cookie : true, // enable cookies to allow the server to access the session xfbml : true // parse XFBML }); }; (function() { var e = document.createElement('script'); e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; e.async = true; document.getElementById('fb-root').appendChild(e); }()); Front Page Mac Blog iOS BlogRoundups Buyer's Guide ForumsGot a tip for us? Share it...Twitter • Facebook • RSSa. Send us an emailb. Anonymous formclose (x)Sony's Sound Forge Pro Mac Launching This Month for $299Friday September 7, 2012 8:39 am PDT by Eric SlivkaWe've been following the story of Sony's work to bring its Sound Forge audio recording and editing software to OS X for some time now, beginning with the initial teaser site that our investigation suggested was indeed a Sony project and continuing through to Sony's confirmation late last month.


Sony has now officially announced Sound Forge Pro Mac, noting that it will launch this month at a price of $299."People who work on audio editing platforms recognize the need for a fresh option in the marketplace, one that's built for OS X as opposed to something that's simply been ported over. In addition, it's no secret that cross-platform professionals have been demanding Sound Forge for the Mac for years," said Dave Chaimson, vice president of global marketing for Sony Creative Software. "Our response is Sound Forge Pro Mac, a truly contemporary OS X design. Producers will appreciate its simple elegance, uncluttered look and amazing flexibility. The included suite of mastering and repair plug-ins makes this 1.0 edition a value-packed editing powerhouse right out of the box. Sound Forge Pro Mac is our second major OS X application release this year, and we're pleased to now be very actively engaged in application development for the Mac platform."

Sony's press release addresses a number of features of the new software, including focused editing with viewing panels and toggles for customizing tool sets and a number of mastering, processing, and repair/restore plug-ins to enhance the functionality of the software.

Sony Creative Software has yet to update it site with information on Sound Forge Pro Mac, but new pages should be going live shortly to share screenshots and other promotional materials. [ 14 comments ]Tweet Top Rated Comments(View all)

4God21 hours ago at 09:24 amThis is cool, I've used Sound Forge, Vegas and Acid during the Sonic Foundry days (right before my move to Mac) and really liked the remixes I was able to do with it. Haven't used any of the products since but like the idea of new options coming to Mac.Rating: 1 Positivesdysamoria20 hours ago at 10:43 amUpgrade options for existing Windows users??Rating: 1 Positives519tbarr19 hours ago at 11:34 amAs a Sony Creative Software purchaser of Sound Forge Pro 10 and Acid Pro 7 i've asked the same questions in their forums. So far no answer. Being a purchaser of the previous product makes me want a version of the mac Sound Forge 1.0 but their quietness on the issue makes me think they are going to class it as a completely new platform and not opt for an option to upgrade existing users.
SCS - has been busy this year with Spectra Layers Pro, A new Vegas Pro 12 version coming soon, Sound Forge Pro 1.0 coming to the mac - and still no word on Acid Pro. Acid Pro is approximately 4 years old. Either it's next for a refresh and maybe mac version or it is pretty safe to say after 4 years the platform is dead.Rating: 1 Positivesjsalda19 hours ago at 12:02 pmNew Mac Pro? Oh wait, that says "....Pro Mac"Rating: 1 Positivesmilo17 hours ago at 01:10 pmUpgrade options for existing Windows users??

Disappointing they haven't announced that. But it probably wouldn't be that big a discount, their current upgrade from previous windows versions runs $239.


I'm honestly shocked this isn't something like $49, $89 or even $99.

That's actually a drop from their previous PC version at $375. And they charge that because they can - cheaper apps don't have all the features pros need, and people doing audio for a living are more than happy to shell out that much. It pays for itself in time saved very quickly.

If a $49 app covers your needs, buy that $49 app instead. I'm ecstatic to finally get it on mac.Rating: 1 PositivesTTOZ15 hours ago at 04:00 pmHi guys, my first post here, i have been lurking for years..

It's nice to finally register..

I am an avid mac nut and audio professional, who has been wanting sound forge on mac for a long time!

My gripe at present is that none of the media reports indicate anything about cd architect being included as it is on the windows version, and i hope it's just an oversight and it does indeed include CD burning...

If not.. it really won't be the end all solution i have been hoping for...

Adobe audition is also a brilliant editor that does burning, but although the AUD is stronger than the USD at present, Adobe will not allow me to purchase from the American store, and their Australian prices are pretty much double.. it's something i can't fathom or understand...

So i really hope SF for mac has CD burning, $299 USD for such a complete app is very reasonable i feel.

cheers!Rating: 1 Positives
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