tablets

Tabletop PCs: The first wave

This new category of PC can be hard to pin down. To some, these are all-in-one desktops, similar to the Apple iMac, but with the added ability to either fold down flat or detach their screens. To others, these are battery-powered megatablets, with screens measuring between 18 and 27 inches, but are otherwise similar to Windows 8 slates such as Microsoft's Surface Pro. But, I think they're an entirely different animal, with features of a personal computer, a piece of consumer electronics equipment, and even living-room furniture.

That's why I call them tabletop PCs, and since late … Read more

The Archos 80 Xenon tablet with 3G to land in June for $199

Another day, another Archos tablet announcement. Recently, the company unveiled its gift to chefs and foodies, the ChefPad. Not the cleverest of names, but it does include an interesting app-filtering feature. OK, where was I? Oh, yes, a new Archos tablet, the 80 Xenon, is coming in June for $199.

The 80 Xenon features an 8-inch IPS screen with an iPad Mini-matching -- but still unimpressive -- 1,024x768-pixel resolution. A 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 acts as the brains, with an Adreno 203 chip running all things graphical.

With specs like that, don't expect much in the … Read more

Lenovo's Windows 8 Yoga 11S convertible now up for sale

Consumers awaiting the Lenovo Yoga 11S convertible can now order one through Lenovo or Best Buy, though they'll have to wait at least a month before it ships.

Available through Lenovo's Web site as of Thursday, the Yoga 11S is an 11.6-inch ultrabook that can close to transform itself into a touch-screen tablet or bend over backward into "tent mode" or "stand mode" to act strictly as a display. The new Yoga is outfitted with Windows 8, upping the original Yoga 11, which offers Windows RT. Buyers also have a choice of two … Read more

Android beats iOS with 52 percent of ad impressions

Android scooped up more than half of all ad impressions seen by Millennial Media last quarter, according to the ad network's new MobileMix report.

For the first quarter, Android won 52 percent of all impressions (the number of times a mobile ad is displayed), up from 49 percent in the year-ago quarter.

In second place, iOS accounted for 39 percent of all impressions, up from 33 percent. That left the third spot to the BlackBerry OS, which saw its slice of ad impressions cut in half to 7 percent from 14 percent. Microsoft's Windows Phone also witnessed a … Read more

Google I/O: What we didn't get

The Google I/O keynote for 2013 is here and gone, but not without a fight; at nearly 4 hours, it was enough to challenge even the most rapt attention span.

Yet, Google I/O's central keynote event had precious little of the things we dreamed of and even downright expected. Instead, all most of us can seem to discuss is what we didn't get. Well, for starters:

No new Android OS: Despite a preshow rumor that Android Jelly Bean 4.3 would be unveiled, there wasn't any news. No Android 5.0, not even Android 4.… Read more

Google Play redesigned to focus on tablet apps

Google rolled out a new design for Google Play on Wednesday, showing some extra love to tablet apps.

Google Play's recommendations -- some of which are based on a user's Google+ account -- will now surface apps designed for tablets in its top app charts, Google announced at its Google I/O developer's conference.

Engineering Director Chris Yerga said the new Google Play will make it easier for users to find the apps they want.

Surface RT tablet buyers in the UK can score a free cover

U.K. consumers who pick up Microsoft's Surface RT tablet can get a free Touch or Type cover as part of the deal.

Buyers simply need to purchase the tablet through Microsoft's online store or through qualifying retailers, such as John Lewis, Currys, or PC World. The Touch cover normally sells separately in the U.K. for 99.99 pounds ($152), while the Type cover goes for 109.99 pounds ($167). Both prices include value-added tax.

The Surface RT tablet runs for 399 pounds ($608) for the 32GB version and 479 pounds ($729) for 64GB.

The deal exclusively … Read more

HP goes Android with x2 hybrid

Hewlett-Packard has a newfound affinity for Android.

After announcing the Slate 7 in February, HP announced Tuesday that it is adding a second Android tablet, the SlateBook x2.

The SlateBook takes its well-received Envy x2 design and loads Android 4.2.2 and Nvidia's brand-new Tegra 4 chip inside a sleek 10.1-inch tablet that can double as a laptop.

An Android laptop, mind you, not a Chromebook.

"With an advanced magnetic hinge design and dual battery system -- one battery in the base and one in the tablet -- users can easily switch from notebook to tablet … Read more

HP's SlateBook x2 tablet hits retail in August with Tegra 4 and a keyboard dock

If nothing else, HP's second try at an Android tablet is a bit more promising than its first. The SlateBook x2 has a 10.1-inch, 1,920x1,200 resolution screen and ships with Android 4.2.2. It will be one of the first tablets to house Nvidia's Tegra 4 processor when it debuts in August for $480.

Design-wise, the SlateBook x2 looks not unlike HP's Windows 8 tablet, the Envy x2, with power and volume buttons located on the back, near the left and right edges. However, instead of brushed aluminum, the SlateBook features a plastic … Read more

BlackBerry CEO likes tablets, just not as they are

ORLANDO, Fla.--OK, so is BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins a fan of tablets, or isn't he?

Heins, who made waves last month when he said he didn't see a place for tablets in five years, made some seemingly contradictory comments on tablets when he spoke on Tuesday during a Q&A session with the media while at the BlackBerry Live conference.

"We believe in a single element of mobile computing: one on your hip," Heins said.

Roughly 15 minutes later, Heins said BlackBerry was looking at the future of tablets and investing R&D … Read more