tablets

The official CNET review of RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook is now available for your tablet-evaluating pleasure. If you haven't already been swayed by Apple or Google's tablet offerings, this device is definitely worth a look.

To be completely candid, we were a little surprised at how great the PlayBook is. No slight on RIM, but the 7-inch tablet space has never really bowled us over. The PlayBook is a delightful exception. It actually inspired us to go back and knock the Galaxy Tab's score down a few pegs.

Why's the PlayBook so hot? What surprised us most? As the video above points out, the PlayBook's browser finally makes good on the iPad's promise to put the whole Web in your hands. It loads sites in their full glory and bolsters the experience with Adobe Flash 10.2 support that is nearly indistinguishable from a desktop experience (if you squint really hard).

To learn about all the other highs and lows of life with a PlayBook (including a browser speed battle), stretch your BlackBerry thumb, and head over to our full review. … Read more

A few weeks ago, HP released its WebOS 3.0 SDK to developers. Devs who get a prerelease version of an OS are generally bound under a strict "don't show people what we have" agreement, but that hasn't stopped one from doing just that, sending PreCentral.net a copy, which they ran in emulation to put the OS through its paces. And it looks decidedly cool.

As one might expect from a beta of a touch-based tablet OS, the new version of WebOS, which is destined for HP's announced TouchPad tablets and likely a new generation of Pre smartphones, looked something like iOS for the iPad in some ways (for better or worse).

That said, it also appears to have a few innovative features that improve over Apple's implementation, such as a three-paned e-mail view, better organization of browser windows, and an excellent-looking notification system.

In addition, 3.0 interestingly abandons Google's pervasive maps in favor of Microsoft's Bing maps. The new map app, like most of the others, is seen in the video after the jump, and it's impressive. … Read more

Whether you agree with the phrasing or not, Steve Jobs' assertion that we're in the "post-PC era" might not be far from the truth.

The data on the latest PC market share for the first quarter of 2011 is out today and it is not good for the sector. PC shipments were down year-over-year for the first time in almost two years. In other words, the bounce back that PC makers saw after the recession? It's officially over.

IDC says global PC shipments shrank 3.2 percent from a year ago, worse than the already meager … Read more

Shipments of mobile PCs are expected to grow in 2011, albeit at a slightly slower rate than last year, according to a report from DisplaySearch released today.

Shipments of mobile PCs--which include tablets, "mini-notes," and notebook PCs--grew by 30 percent in 2010, according to the research firm. This year, the company expects worldwide shipments to reach 277.7 million units, representing a 27 percent gain year over year.

That DisplaySearch includes tablets in its mobile-PC forecasts, and thus, its growth tallies, has annoyed some who say that by doing so, Apple, the leader in the tablet space, is … Read more

I'll be the first to admit this isn't news--Apple has been selling the refurbished 16GB iPad with Wi-Fi for $349 shipped (plus sales tax in some states) for the better part of a month.

So why am I posting it now? Because I have some thoughts to share, and because I don't think this deal will be around for much longer.

Indeed, now that the iPad 2 has arrived, Apple has only a finite number of original iPads left to sell. When they're gone, they're gone, meaning your only option will be the $499-and-up iPad … Read more

No sooner had Intel announced its newest Atom chip for tablets than the company rolled out its next-gen "Cedar Trail" Atom processor due in Netbooks this holiday season. The chipmaker brandished new Netbooks based on the next-generation Atom processor and touted its tablet strategy at a developer conference in China today.

Cedar Trail Netbooks will be "quieter, thinner, lighter than current Netbooks," according to Doug Davis, general manager of the Netbook and tablet group at Intel. Davis was speaking at the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing, where he showed off a future Cedar Trail Netbook and an Intel Classmate PC that will use the future Atom chip. The event was streamed over the Web.

Davis also mentioned that Intel has shipped 90 million processors into the Netbook segment to date, which means Apple still has to ship tens of million more iPads to even begin to catch up to Netbook numbers. … Read more

News and media typically find their way to your eyeballs through three types of screens: your TV, your computer, and your mobile phone. The Chumby 8 hopes to add a fourth screen to that equation.

Part tablet, part digital photo frame, and part jukebox, the Chumby 8 packs a ton of content behind an 8-inch touch screen. Unlike its forefathers (the Sony Dash, Insignia Infocast, or the original Chumby), the Chumby 8 offers a simplified new interface and a built-in Web browser.

Throwing a browser onto the Chumby 8 makes it possible to add and delete apps from the device … Read more

Despite rising competition from the likes of Android, Apple's iOS-based iPad will continue to lead the tablet market on into 2015, according to a report out today by Gartner.

Looking at the tablet market by operating system, Gartner pegged Apple's share at 84 percent last year and is forecasting 69 percent this year. Though Apple's dominance may ebb over the next few years, it will still maintain its lead, with 63 percent of all tablets sold next year and 47 percent in 2015, according to the market researcher.

Amid any decline in market share, unit sales of … Read more

Intel said today it is shipping a new processor slated for tablets from Lenovo and Fujitsu among others, as the world's largest chipmaker tries to blunt an onslaught of designs based on competing silicon from ARM.

The Atom Z670 processor delivers improved video playback--up to 1080p--and longer battery life than previous Z series Atom chips, according to Intel. The chip will also allow smaller, thinner tablet designs owing to a 60 percent reduction in the size of the "die," or the raw piece of silicon that contains the integrated circuits.

In addition to Lenovo and Fujitsu, other … Read more