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Microsoft Surface and its rivals: The first wave of Windows RT tablets

Windows RT. I'd say it's divisive, but I don't think there's enough support in its corner to elicit much in the way of disagreement. In other words, most people either don't like it or don't understand its purpose. Or both.

If you've no idea what Windows RT is, here's a quick breakdown. It's essentially the "lite" version of Windows 8. It runs on ARM processors (cheaper and more energy-efficient than its Intel counterparts) and is optimized for Microsoft's Windows 8 touch interface. It's also incompatible with traditional Windows programs.

Sure, we've gotten insight into the reasons it was developed, but I still have problems with some aspects of its execution. Namely the Desktop interface.

Also, so far, only three of the five officially announced Windows RT tablets have actually been released, and one of the five, the Samsung Ativ Tab, won't be showing its pretty face to the U.S. market at all. The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 is the only officially announced yet unreleased Windows RT tablet.

Both Nokia and HTC Windows RT tablets have been rumored for a while, but there's still nothing official yet.

Will we see further Windows RT tablets or will the OS suffer a quick death? By "quick" I mean less than a year and by "death" I mean no other Windows RT tablets are announced in the next few months.

It's still too early to tell, so in the meantime if you're interested in a lower-priced Windows tablet, the following four are currently your only choices.

Sprint to sell LG Optimus G, LG Mach, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

Sprint Nextel expanded its lineup of 4G LTE devices, nabbing the LG Optimus G quad-core smartphone, the LG Mach QWERTY slider, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 tablet, and a 4G USB stick.

Apart from the previously announced LG Optimus G, Sprint announced the new devices at the MobileCon wireless trade show today. No pricing or availability information was available.

The brand-new LG Mach features a full QWERTY keyboard and is expected to be a more affordable device. The smartphone runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, has a 5-megapixel rear camera and VGA front-facing camera, and is … Read more

Acer brings Android 4.1 to four Iconia Tab models

Acer confirmed that an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update is in the cards for at least four of its Iconia Tab models.

The software update is coming to the Acer Iconia Tab A110, Tab A210, and Tab A510 models, a company spokesperson recently said.

Each tablet will reportedly get the tasty OS treasure later this quarter. The Iconia Tab A700, on the other hand, began seeing its own Jelly Bean rollout last week.

It's not all good news for Acer owners, though. The company rep says that the Tab A100, Tab A200, and Tab A500 will not see … Read more

Add tabs to Windows Explorer with QTTabBar

A little Internet Explorer shell named Netcaptor introduced tabbed browsing, and major players like Opera and Mozilla Firefox (and then Google Chrome) made the feature a default tool for surfing the Web. Even though Microsoft eventually added tabbed browsing to its own browser with Internet Explorer 7, the idea of tabs never really translated to Windows Explorer ... until QTTabBar.

QTTabBar is an extension that brings tab functionality to the Windows Explorer file browser. Began as a project by a Japanese developer known as Quizo, QTTabBar (which also goes by QT TabBar) added tabs to Window Explorer during the many years … Read more

U.S. judge given go-ahead to decide on Samsung tablet ban

In a new ruling, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit says a lower court judge should make a determination on whether to dissolve a U.S. sales ban affecting Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet.

Samsung's once-flagship device was given a preliminary sales ban in June, with stipulation that it could be reversed if Samsung was cleared of infringing Apple's D'889 tablet design patent. That's just what happened in the jury verdict that was delivered last month, leading Samsung to appeal the decision.

"When the jury found that the Galaxy … Read more

AT&T's Samsung lineup: Note 2, Rugby Pro, Express, Tab 10.1 2

AT&T has unveiled its latest lineup of Samsung devices, including two smartphones, a tablet, and a tweener smartphone/tablet hybrid.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 2 were already unveiled at earlier Samsung events.

In addition, AT&T will sell the lower-end Samsung Galaxy Express, which AT&T said will target first-time smartphone users, and the rugged Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro. Prices and availability details are still forthcoming, although the carrier said they would available "in the coming months."

The Galaxy Note 2 is the next jumbo phone from … Read more

Browse the news feed with MenuTab for Facebook

MenuTab for Facebook eliminates the need for another tab in the browser by providing widgetlike access to the popular social network. Its uncluttered interface is similar to Facebook's iOS app and will be familiar to those who own an iPhone. Its handy features such as alerts and notifications make it a useful app -- if we ignore some of the bugs -- for anyone who likes prompt reactions on social media.

Facebook for iPhone users will be greeted by a familiar interface when they log in to MenuTab for Facebook on their Mac. We can say that if you … Read more

Apple wants $3B in damages from Samsung, says report

Apple will reportedly request $3 billion in damages from Samsung for patent infringement, triple the amount initially awarded by a court.

Attorneys for Apple plan to ask U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh to order Samsung to pay $3 billion after losing the recent patent suit between the two companies, reports the Korea Times. A hearing is set for Friday in which Apple will argue its case.

In seeking triple the amount in damages, Apple would likely rely on a jury decision that found Samsung guilty of "willfull infringement" on five of the six patents in question. This … Read more

Crave giveaway: Wi-Fi-only Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0

This is your week, tabletphiles. Our latest giveaway prize is none other than a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0.

Released earlier this year, the lower-cost follow-up to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus houses a 1GHZ CPU and a microSD card slot that lets you add an additional 32GB of storage to the built-in 8GB. It sports Bluetooth, an IR blaster, a VGA front camera, and a rear camera that produces 3-megapixel quality, but sans an LED light. (Get a detailed rundown of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 by my CNET colleague Eric Franklin here.)

The … Read more

The weird, new world of Windows 8 hybrids: Laplets vs. tabtops

Windows 8 is about to unleash a tsunami of strange devices upon us all. Call them tablets, ultraportables, hybrids, convertibles, tiny touch-based mobile computers...they're everywhere, and they're multiplying.

HP has them. Samsung does, too. So does Dell, and Lenovo, and Toshiba, and Asus, and Sony. Everyone has them. That's because Windows 8 promises a better environment for touch in mobile computing, and the promise is too tempting not to experiment. Or, alternatively, all these companies need a product out there to plant a flag into this strange soil -- a territory that Microsoft's already visiting via the Surface.

The big problem I see with them is that for every device that emerges, the landscape gets ever-more-cloudy. … Read more