tablets

Google airs Nexus 10 ad focusing on how it's 'shareable'

In a new ad, Google aims to show just how "shareable" its Nexus 10 tablet is. The ad (see below) features a couple expecting a baby and has scenes bouncing back and forth between the two who each use the tablet to make calendar notes, share on Google+, and read up on pregnancy books.

It seems that Google's goal with the Nexus 10 ad is emphasize that more than one user can use the tablet, each with their own user login credentials. The ad ends with the line, "The shareable 10" tablet from Google." … Read more

Tablet Monday: Get a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 for $126.99

Lover of alliteration that I am, I generally try to wait till Tuesday to trot out the tablets. But today's deal couldn't wait.

For a limited time, and while supplies last, Best Buy has the refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 tablet for $126.99 shipped, plus sales tax where applicable. Barely a year ago, this same model sold new for $249, and still runs about $179 elsewhere.

Update: Drat! I knew this was too good to last: Looks like it's sold out already. But do check back throughout the day in case Best Buy releases … Read more

What's the best low-power Windows 8 tablet?

While there are some Windows 8 tablets that feature ultrabook-level performance, the majority of them use lower-power Intel Atom processors to keep costs down and battery life up.

Even though memories of the Intel Atom Netbook era may make one gun shy about using a low-power CPU, these systems all still run the full gamut of Windows 8 applications -- and even do a surprisingly good job at handling apps optimized for the Windows 8 experience, including IE10 and Netflix.

These are the Windows 8 "low-power" tablets, as we call them, that we've reviewed so far, all … Read more

Android tablets set to wrest throne from iPad in 2013

Apple's iPad is under attack from countless directions by an Android army that's finally catching up to the one-time undisputed sovereign of slates.

A forecast released this week from market researcher IDC predicts that 49 percent of all tablets shipped this year will run Android. This means that -- for the first time -- Google's OS will control a higher percentage of the market than Apple's iOS, which IDC projects will run 46 percent of all tablets shipped. Windows and Windows RT tablets combined will make up less than 5 percent of tablets shipped.

Last year, more than half of all tablets shipped were iPads, a level of popularity usually reserved only for leftist Latin American leaders and Honey Boo Boo.… Read more

Refurbished iPad Mini, fourth-gen iPad now on sale

Customers looking to get a break on the price of an iPad or iPad Mini, this one's for you.

Apple has started selling refurbished iPad Minis and fourth-generation iPads in its online outlet store. Apple is selling a customer's choice of the black or white 16GB fourth-generation iPad with Wi-Fi-and-Celluar. The price represents a $50 cut compared with the full-price model.

The iPad Mini's price is $429 -- a $30 drop compared to the $459 new option. The only refurbished iPad Mini on sale is the 16GB option with Wi-Fi-and-Cellular.

Buying refurbished products isn't necessarily a … Read more

Microsoft Surface Pro sales hit 400K in a hurry

Microsoft has sold 400,000 Surface Pros since launch, according to a Bloomberg report.

That's not a bad start for a very pricey tablet -- starting at $899 -- considering that the Windows 8-based Pro launched only about a month ago.

"That's a respectable number and it leads me to believe that Surface Pro will end up outselling Surface RT," Bob O'Donnell, an analyst at IDC, said in a phone interview.

O'Donnell is referring to the RT version of Surface, which is less expensive, starting at $499, but it is not compatible with older … Read more

Wireless mobile storage expander roundup: Your iPad wants one of these

It's really a shame that the iPad, or any tablet or smartphone for that matter, comes with such a limited amount of internal storage -- usually around 64GB (OK, there's a 128GB iPad, but it's just too expensive). And after the operating system and apps, the remaining space for digital content is much less than that. This is the reason a wireless storage expander is a must for savvy users who want to carry their entire digital library around with them.

The good news is there is now a relatively big selection of these type of devices. … Read more

Apple eyes wireless charging via the iPad's Smart Cover

iPad owners may one day be able to wirelessly charge their tablets without the need for a separate charging station.

Published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple's patent application called "Integrated Inductive Charging In Protective Cover" describes a method of using the iPad's Smart Cover itself as the wireless charger.

The cover would be built with inductive power coils and possibly a battery, both of which could provide juice to the iPad. Charging the tablet this way would be a simple matter of closing the cover, which would then power the iPad … Read more

Does it still make sense to buy a laptop?

Last summer I asked if it still made sense to buy a desktop PC.

After all, laptops are cheap, portable, and powerful enough for most computing tasks. The folks who need desktops are those diminishing few who play graphics-intensive games and work on photos, videos, CAD stuff, and the like.

In the eight months or so since I posed that question, tablets have taken over the world. Apple unveiled three iPad models in the span of about six months. Amazon and Barnes & Noble introduced bigger and more-powerful Kindles and Nooks. Google gave us the Nexus 10. And Microsoft jumped … Read more

The killer iOS 7 feature the iPad needs: Touch-pad support

It took using the Microsoft Surface Pro to make me remember an article I wrote a year ago, about productivity on an iPad.

I love using the iPad. I also love some of its keyboard accessories. As a product, it's superior to a Surface Pro. But that doesn't mean it's the perfect laptop replacement. And that's still, in my opinion, largely because of one little touch pad. Or, a lack of it.

The iPad never claimed it was a laptop replacement. It stands in its own, hard-to-define "post-PC" territory. Yet, accessories have sprung up … Read more