Tablets

Amazon.com may introduce a tablet computer to compete with Apple's iPad, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal Wednesday afternoon.

The new tablet, which is supposedly due out in October, will reportedly have a nine-inch screen. And it will run Google's Android operating system, the Journal said, citing unnamed sources. Amazon isn't designing the tablet itself. Instead, it will outsource the design of the device to an Asian manufacturer, the report said.

The Amazon tablet will reportedly be designed to allow Amazon customers to watch movies, listen to digital music, and read e-books, all … Read more

It looks like Sony's partnership with AT&T will go beyond the PSP Vita.

On Wednesday AT&T announced that it will be the exclusive broadband provider for the Sony S2 tablet.

Sony Electronics' Senior Vice President of Networked Technology and Services Division Mike Lucas said, "AT&T provides the speed and coverage that are integral to the different features and functions of our tablet. We value our relationship as they share our commitment to growing the 'Sony Tablet' S2 and the tablet market overall."

According to AT&T, the Sony S2 will, … Read more

I'm long overdue on a promise I made before I left for the E3 Expo over a month ago. As I packed my bags, I said I'd take iLuv's new keyboard case for the iPad with me, and see if I'd end up using my iPad 2 plus a keyboard more than I used my laptop to write. Pitted against the keyboarded iPad 2: a Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E220s.

In short: the laptop won.

That's probably not much of a surprise. E3 is mission-critical time for writing quick posts and editing on the fly between … Read more

Sony's Phil Molyneaux doesn't offer a lot of new information about its forthcoming S1 and S2 tablets in this video from CNBC this morning, but the hands-off demo at least provides an idea as to their proportions.

Sony still won't talk about the prices of either Android-based tablet, although it does mention easy-to-predict support for Sony's Q Music and Q Video services, as well as a soft keyboard for the lower screen on the S2.

Editors' note: Until July 22, 10 CNET personalities are showcasing their 10 personal favorite Android apps as part of the CNET 100. With each post, you can read why they hold the apps so dear and you'll get the opportunity to vote for your own favorite title. Then after the series ends, we'll collect the full list of 100 apps and announce the 10 that you, our readers, love the most.

Google and Android have long been of particular interest to CNET News senior writer Stephen Shankland. Though formerly based in San Francisco, he now lives in the … Read more

It used to be that iOS devices only fell from high places by accident, but the phenomenon of tossing them has also become great marketing fodder. The latest example comes from the folks at G-Form, who previously tested their iPad Extreme sleeve by tossing it 500 feet from an ultralight aircraft (the sleeve also survived being run over by a car in this video).

This time it's a head-to-head with what appears to be a hard-cover iPad case in a drop onto asphalt from 60 feet up. Check it out in the video below.

The iPad in the hard shell smacks the pavement with a thud and gets smashed up pretty good, while the G-Form Extreme Portfolio soft sleeve gets a nice bounce off of impact, takes a licking, and keeps on playing whatever Pixar movie it is that they cued up.

After G-Form's last video with the toss from the ultralight, I speculated that some credit may be due to the tough glass Apple uses for iPads, but this latest video installment and all the shattered glass therein gives me a sudden appetite for crow. Anticipating such skepticism again, though, the G-Form folks have made the entire, uncut video available on their Web site for those suspicious of a possible switcheroo. … Read more

This week: The new MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and Mac Mini are coming soon, allegedly right alongside OSX Lion. We handicap the chances of seeing those this week or next.

Then it's time to show off some social media games. Scott demos Tiny Tower for iPad and Dan plays Civ World on Facebook. Finally, turntable.fm is the hottest invite-only ticket on the Web right now, so we throw it up on the screen to check it out live.

Bonus: Download the show's jaunty theme song as a free MP3 here.

… Read more

Knowing who sent you a text message before even looking at your phone is extremely convenient, especially if you are the type who receives many SMS messages daily. One way to know who is on the other end of that SMS you just received, is to customize the text alert, based on a contact, on your iPhone. It is a simple process to set up, but one that is easy to miss if you aren't paying attention.

While this capability has been around for those in the jailbreak community from early on, it's a fairly new feature having been introduced in iOS 4.2. 

… Read more

Today, HP announced its intention to bring a 4G-compatible version of the HP TouchPad tablet to AT&T.

Exact timing and pricing have yet to be determined, but HP was nice enough to tease some of the tablet's specs. Aside from being blessed with 4G networking, the TouchPad 4G will use a beefed-up 1.5GHz processor, and have 32GB of storage and integrated GPS.

HP's competition in the current 4G tablet space includes the HTC EVO View 4G, the T-Mobile/LG G-Slate, and the (hypothetically 4G) Motorola Xoom. Manufacturers have also announced intentions to build 4G versions … Read more