Tablets

No matter how tricked-out your Android layout is, you'll always find something new you want to do that takes one click too many to reach. Just as all projects go over budget, all your favorite apps and bookmarks are sure to spill over beyond your home screen. There's no one perfect solution for everyone, but there are a few habits and tools that can help keep your digital life close at hand.

Be ruthless. Clear your device of any applications you don't use, and clear your home screen of everything you don't either use every day (… Read more

Android tablets will win over more customers but continue to play second fiddle to Apple's iPad, according to some recent reports and forecasts.

Apple's tablet will dominate the industry for the next 10 years, predicts Needham analyst Charlie Wolf. In a research note released Friday, Wolf is eyeing an 85 percent share for the iPad this year from nearly 100 percent in 2010.

Although that number will gradually shrink each year over the next decade, Apple will retain its lead. And by 2020, the company will still account for a 60 percent slice of the tablet market, predicts … Read more

Vizio has launched its 8-inch tablet at a price that could make it a key player in the Android tablet space.

Customers looking to get their hands on the device can head over to Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, Costco, and Amazon, among other retailers, and pick up the tablet for $299.

Vizio's decision to drop the price of its tablet to $299 comes as a surprise. In June, reports surfaced, claiming Wal-Mart would be selling the tablet for $349. Last month, Vizio started offering the device on pre-order for $399.99. However, at the time, customers could go to … Read more

Wanna take a sneak peek at what Google Chrome OS for tablet devices could look like?

According to Lilputing, a Web developer named Francois Beaufort recently compiled the latest version of Chromium OS and discovered a hidden touch-screen interface for the open-source OS. He activated the touch-screen mode by adjusting export GYP_DEFINES="touchui=1", then running the standard "gclient sync" to revise the tarball. Voila!

Beaufort made a one-minute video of the interface, which, to be honest, looks refreshingly easy to use. A large black keyboard somewhat reminiscent of Android is found at the bottom, menus are enlarged, and navigation and option buttons are more easily accessible. While it's no Honeycomb, it wouldn't be hard to imagine this OS running on a less expensive tablet. … Read more

You've got access to the world wide Web in your pocket. Now you want to start looking up info and reading sites. Unfortunately, you must keep your data use within your data plan's limit, or having a smartphone could be prohibitively expensive. No problem. Check out these three tips to keep your data usage in check while Web browsing.

Tip 1: Make sure you're on mobile Most Web sites have full and mobile versions. The differences between the two are their layouts and amount of content. Generally, the mobile version has far fewer page elements to load … Read more

Keeping your browsing history from prying eyes is difficult on a device that you may share with family or friends. Whether you're shopping for a surprise present or an engagement ring or surfing the Web for some other personal reason, you may want to keep your activities private. If you're looking to erase the sites you've visited from the memory of your Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, follow these quick steps:

Step 1: Open the Web browser on your Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Step 2: Click on the menu in the top right corner, and choose Settings.

Step … Read more

Admire the lines. Sigh at the sheer, breathtaking Frenchness that oozes from every pore. Marvel that, now, finally, holding an iPad will be nothing more than wearing H&M.

For famed designer of beautiful, expensive, and possibly quite useless things, Pierre Cardin, is releasing an iPad rival.

Of course, I'm serious. It's Monday.

The Pierre Cardin PC-7006 Tablet PC (which really could do with a better name) represents the true triumph of form over function. It boasts a tagline that expresses everything one could hope for: "Stay Connected In Style With The UK's First Designer … Read more

Hewlett-Packard is trying to make the sting of paying full price for the TouchPad a bit less painful for early adopters.

Over the weekend, HP announced that it would be offering some customers a $50 credit for the company's application marketplace, the App Catalog. The credit is available to those who bought the TouchPad in the U.S. between July 1 and August 4.

HP's TouchPad has been having difficulty competing against the leader in the tablet space, Apple's iPad. Last week, the company announced that it was offering an "instant rebate" on the TouchPad … Read more

Verizon Wireless announced today that a new software update is available for its Motorola Xoom tablet. The biggest wins from the HTJ85 update are microSD card support and a screen scaling compatibility mode, but users should appreciate the smaller features as well.

With a microSD card you'll now be able to use the file manager to view files stored on the card and write content to the card through a PC or Mac connection. Considering that file managers aren't consistent across all Android devices, we're glad to see more user accessibility here.

The new screen-scaling option will let you switch to double pixels mode for selected applications and then save the settings you prefer. … Read more