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All about the Apple iPad (FAQ)

Apple finally gave us the date the first iPads will hit store shelves: April 3. We've been closely following the touch-screen tablet since Apple first announced it in late January, but here's a quick guide for your most essential questions about the device.

First things first: How big is it? The iPad's screen offers a maximum resolution of 1,024x768 pixels and measures 9.7 inches diagonally, 5.75 inches wide, and 7.75 inches tall. An 0.86-inch bezel frames the screen (with a hair extra room on the bottom to account for the home button), making the front of the iPad a total of 7.47 inches wide and 9.56 inches tall. The total thickness of the iPad is half an inch at its thickest point, which tapers down to a quarter of an inch near the edges. Total weight is 1.5 pounds for the model with Wi-Fi only, or 1.6 pounds for the version with 3G.

What hardware features does the iPad offer? Many of the iPad's hardware capabilities are identical to the Apple iPod Touch, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, a stereo audio output (headphone jack), built-in speaker, an integrated lithium ion rechargeable battery, and NAND flash memory. A built-in accelerometer and ambient light sensor are also included on the iPad.

Hardware features that distinguish the iPad from the iPod Touch include a 1GHz A4 processor, an oleophobic screen coating, integrated digital compass, built-in microphone, mute switch, and support for 802.11n Wi-Fi (in addition to 802.11b/g). The 3G version of the iPad includes a SIM card tray, as well as assisted GPS capabilities.

… Read more

Is the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t an iPad-killer?

Sorry for the blunt headline, but the question immediately came to mind when reviewing the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t, a new capacitive touch-screen convertible Netbook tablet that's now available for purchase. We found its design appealing back at CES 2010, and were wondering whether Netbooks such as these could evolve to be a legitimate solution to those otherwise looking for devices like an iPad.

The connecting points are all too obvious: both have 10-inch screens, or near enough. Both have multitouch capacitive input. Most importantly, the Apple iPad's price starts at $499, and depending on where you purchase the … Read more

iPad to hit the U.S. on April 3

Eager for the Apple iPad? You'll finally be able to get your hands on the tablet in the U.S. starting Saturday, April 3.

Apple announced Friday that the Wi-Fi version of the iPad will launch in the United States on that date, followed by the Wi-Fi + 3G edition later in the month. Additionally, both versions will hit Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K. in late April.

Starting March 12, consumers can preorder both the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G models from Apple's online store or reserve a Wi-Fi version to pick up … Read more

Report: iPad suppliers deny any delays

Denying a report of delays, iPad component suppliers say they are on schedule to deliver parts to the manufacturer.

The suppliers said that Foxconn, Apple's longtime manufacturing partner, should be able to deliver 600,000 to 700,000 iPad tablets in March, according to a DigiTimes report on Wednesday. The suppliers also predicted that 1 million iPads can be delivered in April, as production ramps up.

This is in stark contrast to a report from Peter Misek, an analyst with Canaccord Adams, earlier this week. Misek said Monday that production problems could limit the number of iPads coming to … Read more

Panasonic Toughbook C1: a 3.2-pound 'business rugged' convertible tablet

Is there room for a thin "business rugged" laptop that costs more than twice what "regular" laptops do? Walking the liminal plane between touch tablets and ultraportable laptops, the newly announced 12.1-inch Panasonic Toughbook C1 looks like an attempt to capitalize on the tablet meme while still catering to a small business crowd that may not take to boxier and more weatherproof designs. Slimmer than many Toughbooks before it but not exactly as super-durable as them either, the newly announced Toughbook C1 bridges the gap with a look that reminds us of mainstream Panasonic laptops … Read more

Archos tablets go bigger, dumber, cheaper

Do you like the idea of a coffee table tablet PC, but can't imagine shelling out $500 for an iPad? If so, perhaps you'd be interested in paying half as much for half the functionality at half the speed.

That seems to be the logic behind the latest announcement (Google Translate) from Archos, where details for a pair of "Home Tablets" were made public ahead of Cebit.

The Home Tablets are both based off Google's Android operating system, but skinned and augmented by Archos in a similar fashion as the Archos 5 Internet Tablet released near the end of last year.

The smaller of the two new tablets is the Archos 7, which sports a design similar to the Archos 5, but uses a larger 7-inch touch screen. Internally, the Archos 7 takes a big step back from the Archos 5, running its system on a basic 600MHz ARM 9 processor. You can connect over Wi-Fi to check e-mail and browse the Web, but Archos 5 features such as Bluetooth and GPS are a no-go.

The Archos 7 also includes a microSD memory slot, which is a good thing considering the device will only come in 2GB and 8GB capacities. Multimedia playback is mentioned in the press release (including Flash video), but no… Read more

Wacom revamps 21-inch Cintiq display-tablet

Well-funded digital artists take note: Wacom has announced its Cintiq 21UX, a second-generation device that combines a 21.3-inch display with the company's pen-controlled tablet.

The new Cintiq is geared toward artists, designers, and others who benefit from being able to draw or otherwise interact directly with images on the screen rather than through a separate tablet or mouse. It doesn't come cheap, though, with a price of $1,999 when it ships in late March or early April.

The color LCD, with a resolution 1600x1200, can be laid flat or rotated one way or the other up to 180 degrees in its stand, or dismounted altogether, Wacom said in its Monday announcement. On the back are two "touch strips" that let a finger slide adjust properties such as zoom or drawing brush size. … Read more

New HP EliteBook tablet adds capacitive touch, new Intel processors

Lest anyone be left out of the tablet/slate wave that's currently crashing over the laptop and ultraportable industry, HP has announced a new 12.1-inch EliteBook convertible tablet for the business-minded who feel the need for pens and capacitive multitouch displays at the same time.

Equipped with a stainless steel finish and magnesium casing, the EliteBook 2740p tablet PC will be available with either a Core i5 or Core i7 processor, a reinforced glass screen, and a touch interface that will also work with an included pen. The 2740p (and its non-tablet sibling, the 2540p below) also meet … Read more

Lenovo continues to break ThinkPad mold wide open

Since Lenovo took over the ThinkPad brand in 2005 from IBM, for the most part the line has kept its iconic, no-nonsense form intact. Love it or hate it (and many do love it), that branding has originally a far more recognizable part of Lenovo than the name Lenovo itself.

Years later, Lenovo has gotten some wind in its sails with a number of IdeaPad laptops and innovative computing products, and perhaps this has fueled some of the inevitable changes away from the ThinkPad as we generally know it.

Most recently, Core i7 updates to the dual-screen workstation W701DS and … Read more