tabs

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

Think you've got a handle on what Windows 8 means for laptops and tablets? Based on Asus' announcement of a bevy of new products at IFA, you're not even close.

Asus has been a champion of aggressive design ideas for years, and to the company's credit, a lot of these products seem like clever ways to explore the touch potential of Windows 8. There are no fewer than three detachable tablet-cum-hybrid laptop products, two touch-screen laptops -- one of which has a two-sided screen -- and a large, standard but very stylish ultrathin 15-incher. Let's take a walk through the magical Windows 8 zoo, shall we?… Read more

Lenovo left a lot of room to improve its IdeaTab S2109, and so far the tablet's successor, announced today at IFA 2012, is a step up.

In a nutshell, the 10.1-inch Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 Android tablet promises a larger screen, a better processor, and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera. That camera comes with autofocus and LED flash; fingers crossed it captures crisp, detailed images.

It also gets a bump up from Bluetooth 3.0 to Bluetooth 4.0, which means it'll be able to pair up with compatible devices with a tap. Though larger than its predecessor, the … Read more

In a filing earlier today, picked up by Bloomberg, Apple said it wants to extend an earlier injunction on Samsung's Wi-Fi-only 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet to encompass the cellular version as well.

Apple cites the jury verdict from last week, which found the Wi-Fi version of that tablet to infringe on three of Apple's "feature" (i.e., software) patents. The 4G version of the tablet was also on the verdict form, but the jury didn't find that it infringed any of Apple's design (i.e., hardware) patents. … Read more

Samsung, aiming to find a silver lining in its devastating court loss to Apple, has asked a court to remove its previously ordered sales ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet.

The company yesterday filed that motion with a federal court in San Jose, according to Bloomberg, which obtained the court documents. The company cited Friday's landmark ruling, in which a jury found that Samsung had not actually violated a patent that caused a ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Back in June, Apple posted a $2.6 million bond that paved the way for it to enforce a preliminary injunction … Read more

iPhone users now have yet another choice for a mobile browser.

Maxthon has finally made its debut for Apple's iPhone. As of today, the new version of the mobile browser is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, 4, and 4S, and with the iPod Touch 3G and 4G.

A dedicated iPad app has been around for a while. Maxthon also provides desktop clients for Windows and the Mac, as well as mobile versions for Android phones and tablets.

Like its big brother iPad edition, the iPhone flavor offers several features not found in Mobile Safari.

Maxthon starts off with a … Read more

The Apple-Samsung trial has been such a show that it has invaded my head in the same way as the first time I learned dwarf tossing was an entertainment in places like France and Canada.

Could anyone really have wandered into Best Buy and confused a Samsung Galaxy Tab with an iPad, as has been suggested?

While some began to pulsate at rumors that many, many people had exchanged their Galaxy Tabs for iPads at Best Buy, a study suggested that only 9 percent of people who returned a Samsung product at Best Buy did so in order to exchange … Read more

Verizon today confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 will join the carrier's tablet stable in a few days time. Arriving on Friday, August 17, the Android 4.0 tablet will cost $350, however it will not be tied to a contract.

Specifications for the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 include a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 8GB internal storage, a 3.2-megapixel rear camera, a front-facing VGA camera, and 4G LTE support. On the software front, the tablet is Samsung SAFE (Samsung Approved For Enterprise), and offers on-device AES-256 bit encryption and enhanced support for Microsoft Exchange … Read more

Samsung Electronics' total U.S. Galaxy Tab unit sales represented just 4 percent of the Apple iPad's sales, underscoring the tremendous gap between the two companies when it comes to tablets.

In total, Samsung sold 1.4 million units of its Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the LTE variant of the 10.1 version, according to sales data disclosed in conjunction with the ongoing trial between the two companies (read CNET's full coverage here). By comparison, Apple sold 34 million units of the iPad in the U.S.

The data is just the latest secret to … Read more