Tablets

Getting a tablet's no longer an 'if' question for most--it's a question of how much. The bar's getting even lower now that Hisense has announced its Walmart-exclusive line of tablets: the Sero 7 LT and Pro.

These tablets aren't about being innovative. They're about being cheaper. But Hisense promises that screen brightness and battery life on the Sero 7 are better than average, too. That remains to be seen. Each tablet is Google Certified and features Hisense's smart remote software which allows them to function with Hisense TVs in some capacity.

The Sero 7 … Read more

Getting a tablet's no longer an "if" question for some people -- it's a question of how much. The bar's getting even lower now that Hisense has announced its Walmart-exclusive line of tablets: the Sero 7 LT and Pro.

These tablets aren't about being innovative. They're about being cheaper. But Hisense promises that screen brightness and battery life on the Sero 7 are better than average, too. That remains to be seen. Each tablet is Google-certified and features Hisense's smart remote software, which allows them to function with Hisense TVs in some … Read more

Broadcom is ramping up more chips designed to support 5G Wi-Fi, aka 802.11ac.

The chipmaker today announced its first 5G Wi-Fi combo chips designed specifically for entry-level consumer devices, meaning PCs, notebooks, tablets, and smartphones. Combo chips offer Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and FM radio all in one package. This second generation of 5G Wi-Fi chips includes the same features as Broadcom's current lineup but integrates more components to keep costs down.

"This 1x1 design lowers cost while still delivering dramatic speed, power and performance, empowering a broad new user base to effortlessly stream HD video, and significantly increase … Read more

Lenovo seems to be the only top PC vendor bucking the trend of sour sales.

The Hong Kong-based company today reported record results for its fiscal year that ended March 31. For the year, Lenovo captured sales of $34 billion, a 15 percent increase from the prior year. Earnings hit $635 million, up 34 percent. And its PC shipments grew by 10.2 percent, compared with an overall industry drop of 8.1 percent.

Lenovo's 15.5 percent market share for the year put it in within reach of stealing the top spot from Hewlett-Packard. A recent report from … Read more

LAS VEGAS -- For parents looking to settle backseat brawls over which kid gets to hold the tablet next, Digital Innovations' EasyMount contraption for tablets offers one affordable solution.

The patent-pending plastic and aluminum mount hooks onto the front-seat headrests with sliding arms that can accommodate most cars, trucks, and vans. Adjustable arms and clips in the mount's center accommodate tablets of varying sizes. The result? A tablet that's equidistant from the left and right back seats, and that can be controlled by any passenger.

The device looks sturdy, though I wasn't able to see it in … Read more

Being able to schedule an SMS, tweet, Facebook post, or Gmail is extremely useful. An SMS can be used to wish a distant friend or relative a happy birthday. A tweet or Facebook post can help your small business, or remind friends about a local event. And lastly, scheduling a Gmail message is useful when the recipient lives in another time zone and you don't want to disturb them.

The Schemes app for Android lets you schedule all of these message types, at no cost. Furthermore, you can send these scheduled messages without needing to create any … Read more

In just a few short years, smartphone photography has reached critical mass. It used to be the case that a camera module on a phone was a curious anomaly rather than the rule, but now you would be hard pressed to find a mobile device without a lens on it somewhere.

To demonstrate just how much mobile photography has permeated contemporary society, take a trip through any tourist venue and count the number of people taking photos. No doubt there will be a mixture of compact cameras, SLRs and mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs). But just as many people will … Read more

Apple's iPad Mini could be entering a rough few months, according to the latest information the sometimes-spotty DigiTimes.

The blog on Friday reported that AU Optronics, the company that supplies panels for Apple's iPad Mini, will only ship 2.5 million to 2.8 million units to manufacturers in the second calendar quarter, down from the 4 million it shipped in the first quarter.

According to DigiTimes, which is citing "supply chain sources" who claim to have knowledge of the drawdown, Apple cut orders in anticipation of a slowdown in iPad Mini shipments for the rest … Read more

Preorders for Nvidia's Shield will begin today, May 17, at Newegg, GameStop, and Canada Computer. Preorders are also available on Nvidia's Shield site.

Earlier this week, Nvidia announced that preorders for Shield at the aforementioned retailers would begin on Monday, May 20, but now cites "growing buzz" as its reason for making the portable console available sooner.

The Nvidia Shield is an Android-based portable gaming console using the company's Tegra 4 processor. The device is scheduled to ship in June. You can check out my hands-on impressions here.