tablet

Trapped in the temporal vortex between the iPad's announcement and its actual release, the Archos 9 PC tablet --a Windows 7 touch-screen slate PC--has the unenviable job of competing with the ridiculously high expectations set by Apple's device.

Despite its slim, sturdy metallic design, full-featured operating system, and even a USB port, the first version of the Archos 9 we looked at fell well short, even when grading on a curve, of iPad/tablet fever.

At the time, we said: "The final result fully satisfies neither as a Windows PC nor as a handheld multimedia device," … Read more

Now that the iPad has been delayed for international customers, people around the globe who can't wait might be tempted to buy a U.S. version of the tablet and bring it with them to their home countries.

In most places that won't be a problem. But in Israel, it will result in confiscation.

According to a report in Israel newspaper Haaretz, the country's Communications Ministry has decided to "block the import of iPads to Israel." The paper also reported that when people attempt to go through customs, officers have been ordered to take all … Read more

Intel on Wednesday in Beijing is debuting an Atom processor designed for home tablets and announcing a partnership with China Mobile.

Speaking at the Intel Developer Forum 2010 Beijing, Doug Davis, corporate vice president and general manager of Intel's embedded and communications group, disclosed a future Atom processor code-named "Tunnel Creek" that is targeted at home-use tablets and in-vehicle infotainment systems.

Intel describes always-on tablet devices for the home as "media phones," which can serve as a digital photo frame, MP3 player, a standard Web browsing device, a home command center, and, of course, a phone. (OpenPeak bases its tablet design on Intel's Atom processor.)

Tunnel Creek is based on Intel's Moorestown system-on-a-chip Atom design and combines an Atom core, the memory controller, graphics engine, and video engine. The chip is designed to work with a variety of devices that don't necessarily use accompanying Intel silicon, called chipsets.

The new Atom chip also features enhanced graphics capabilities. So, for example, with in-vehicle infotainment systems, the front seat display could have 3D mapping while the back seat simultaneously displays improved gaming graphics, according to Intel.

On a separate front, Intel Chief Technology Officer Intel Labs Director Justin Rattner showed a concept device for managing energy consumption powered by an Atom processor. The demonstration showed how a homeowner could use the intelligent electronic dashboard to provide ongoing information and suggestions on energy use, thereby reducing power costs.

Partnerships with China Mobile and HawTai Automobile Intel also announced… Read more

Surround sound? That's old technology. How about surround vision?

The folks at the MIT Media Lab have developed a new system called surround vision that can let you follow objects outside of your regular TV screen by viewing them on smartphones and handheld Internet devices. Imagine you're watching a movie on your regular TV, and a car drives off the screen. You could follow and view that car as it drives away by looking at and pointing your smartphone or tablet in its direction.

The person leading this promising new project is Santiago Alfaro, a graduate student at the lab. To kick-start his testing, Alfaro attached a magnetometer to an existing handheld device. A type of digital compass, magnetometers are already used in smartphones like the iPhone to detect the direction the device is pointing. He then created the necessary software to sync the magnetometer with other sensors on the device.

After outfitting the handheld with motion sensors, Alfaro shot video on campus from three different angles--center, left, and right. Watching the TV screen straight on played video from the center. But by pointing the handheld to the left or right, Alfaro was able to view the footage shot from both side angles.

As a further test of the technology, Alfaro took advantage of the alternate takes found on many DVDs. He created a demo that let him switch between the final footage and the alternate takes and angles by changing the direction of the handheld device.… Read more

Last week, the folks at Fusion Garage sent me a JooJoo. The device, formerly known in tech circles as the Crunchpad, is a touch-screen tablet with an HD-capable, 12.1-inch screen and a home-brewed Web browser compatible with Adobe Flash. An ambitious product from a start-up company, the JooJoo is the David to Apple's iPad Goliath.

Unfortunately, after only a few days out of the box, my JooJoo died. A trouble-shooting call with Fusion Garage CEO Chandra Rathakrishnan Wednesday confirmed that my JooJoo was beyond a phone-assisted fix and a replacement would be shipped out. Given a choice between an immediate replacement or a two-week wait for a unit running updated software, I opted for the latter.

Selfishly, as a reviewer, I take no pleasure in reviewing products twice. If a device isn't ready for prime time, I'm not going to revise my entire review every time a firmware update comes out.

For the JooJoo's sake, let's hope the upcoming software update is truly substantial. In the 24 hours I had with the JooJoo before it went belly-up, the experience left plenty to be desired. Let's just say that Engadget's assessment had me nodding sympathetically. Managing and closing Web pages is a glitchy experience, the unique two-finger scrolling often had me selecting page links accidentally, and the product's flagship feature--Flash support--offered spotty performance.

Fortunately, it seems reasonable to expect that these issues can be ironed out with a software update.… Read more

Apple's touch-screen iPad tablet has only been out for a few days. But a study has found that by 2015, the majority of kids under age 15 will be using computers that feature a touch-screen display.

According to market-research firm Gartner, the younger generation could lead the way in touch-screen computing. The firm said it believes about 50 percent of the computers that will be bought for kids aged 15 or younger in 2015 will feature a touch screen. In 2009, that figure stood at just 2 percent of PCs.

Gartner also predicts that the enterprise will see an … Read more

Didn't it seem like just yesterday that everyone and their brother was announcing plans to launch an e-reader? Well, now that the Apple iPad has landed, we wouldn't be surprised to see the floodgates opening and tablet announcements flying just as fast and furiously, if not more so.

Today's supposed contender: Finnish phone giant Nokia, which is working with design and manufacturing partners on a new touch-screen tablet that could emerge as early as this fall--at least according to one analyst, Ashok Kumar of Rodman Renshaw.

"Nokia hasn't fielded any breakaway products in years," … Read more

The appeal of the iPad, HP's upcoming Slate, and other tablets will take a bite out of Netbook sales this year, according to a report released Monday by DisplaySearch.

Driven by the iPad, the tablet market will see dramatic gains this year, taking market share away from clamshell-style Netbooks, says DisplaySearch's "Quarterly Notebook PC Shipment and Forecast Report."

Most of the growth, especially for the iPad, will come from North America and Western Europe, where Apple has set up key distribution lines and created agreements with content providers. Overall, consumers are expected to pick up around 5 million tablets this year, forecasts DisplaySearch.

But don't count out the Netbook just yet. Traditional clamshell type Netbooks, or mininotes, are expected to continue to entice customers as their average selling prices have dropped from $400 to slightly less than $300. The Apple iPad, which will account for most tablet shipments this year, starts at a price of $499 and moves up to more than $800. The low prices of Netbooks will remain appealing to people looking for a second or third PC and help lure in first-time PC buyers in emerging markets.

Ironically, though, the low prices of Netbooks will continue to result in thinner margins and lower sales numbers for their manufacturers, component suppliers, and retailers, says DisplaySearch.… Read more

After a weekend of immense enthusiasm and even wide-eyed utopian futurism regarding the debut of Apple's iPad, a bit of dust has settled. Perhaps Apple has hit the nail on the head of a new trend in future computing; perhaps this is just a bump on the road before the next leap.

Either way, from this point going forward, the iPad will be referenced when discussing portable computing, for good or for bad.

Back when the iPad was announced, our first instinct was to reflect on what the cheap, stalwart Netbook could provide that the sleek, homogeneous, iPhone-like iPad … Read more