Tablets

Hewlett-Packard isn't overly impressed with Microsoft's Surface tablet.

Speaking in an interview published yesterday with IDG Enterprise, HP PC business chief Todd Bradley said that his company could "hardly call Surface competition," adding that the Microsoft-branded tablet is quite flawed.

"One, very limited distribution," Bradley said, listing what he feels are the Surface's greatest flaws. "It tends to be slow and a little kludgey as you use it....It's expensive. Holistically, the press has made a bigger deal out of Surface than what the world has chosen to believe."

Microsoft … Read more

The iPhone 5 and new iPads will trigger a surge in sales for Apple this quarter and next, says Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty.

In an investors note out today, Huberty pointed out that key suppliers for both devices say their own revenue will be higher than anticipated for the current quarter. They're also seeing above-average orders from Apple for next year's first quarter. And demand could rise even higher before the year is over.

The analyst believes the iPhone 5 will drive more customers to upgrade this quarter and on into next year. At the same time, … Read more

When iOS 6 was released two months ago, the native YouTube app went away. Google has since released a YouTube app for the iPhone, but it has yet to release a YouTube player that works with the iPad. After its most recent update, my recommendation for the best all-around YouTube player for the iPad is Jasmine.

A YouTube player for the iPad such as YouPlayer or Video Tube plays videos in a small window while displaying other relevant content such as related videos and comments alongside it. You can, of course, tap again to expand the video to fill the … Read more

The Nintendo Wii U comes out in just a few days, just in time for Thanksgiving-time shopping. Look at its signature feature: the GamePad. It has a 6-inch touch screen. It has a gyroscope. It has buttons. It's more than a little like a supertablet.

But it's not. I've tried using the Wii U. Nintendo's upcoming console is clearly a nod toward the fusion of handheld tablets with TV set-top boxes, a second-screen device if ever there was one. It can play games on its little screen even when the TV that the Wii U is plugged into is turned off or doing something else. And it can even move to another room and be used wirelessly. It's not a tablet, however. A lot of people will wish it were. And that's exactly where Nintendo needs to eventually head.… Read more

When iOS 6 was released two months ago, the native YouTube app went away. Google has since released a YouTube app for the iPhone, but it has yet to release a YouTube player for the iPad. After its most recent update, my recommendation for the best all-around YouTube player for the iPad is Jasmine. If you'd like the idea of being able to download videos to your iPad to view when you are offline, however, Video Tube is the way to go.

Before we get to the good part, let's quickly cover Video Tube's drawbacks. The biggest … Read more

The biggest rumor of the week insists that Apple is going to have a surprisingly exciting first quarter next year. We discuss whether it makes any sense to flout the patterns of history and release three brand-new devices at the start of the year so soon after the holidays and hot on the heels of the iPad 4 and iPhone 5 releases. Are you willing to bet on it? Vote in the polls in our interactive video player, and here in the blog post.

We also discuss a rumor about Facebook that Emily thinks is the epitome of creepy, and … Read more

Earlier this week Google released a new line of Nexus devices along with a small update to the Android operating system itself. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean includes a few new features for both smartphones and tablets alike.

One of the new features included in Android 4.2 is the addition of widgets to the lock screen. These widgets (a total of five currently available) provide a preview of your inbox, the clock, messages, calendar, or a shortcut to your camera and a widget to quickly identify a song.

You'll, of course, need to be running Android … Read more

As Black Friday expands into a week-long marathon of deals (followed by the now-requisite Cyber Monday), a new laptop, desktop, or tablet may be high up on your shopping list. And with Windows 8 launching dozens of new computer models, that's just one more reason to upgrade. Perusing the major retailers for PC deals, I found a few noteworthy ones, as well as a few you should be warned away from.

There are decent discounts on some mainstream full-power laptops, as well as on newer touch-screen Windows 8 systems. Tablet deals were less common, largely restricted to no-name brands. … Read more

The Royal Collection is getting its first tablet.

Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1 was chosen as the Royal Collection's tablet by the Royal Commonwealth Society charity, the BBC is reporting today. The organization considered going with the iPad, but instead chose Samsung's device. It's not clear why the Galaxy Note 10.1 was picked over the iPad, which, like it or not, essentially defined the tablet era we're entering.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 is the device that will house Queen Elizabeth II's "digital time capsule." According to the BBC, people from … Read more