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Friday Grab Bag: Intel Disappoints, New Linux Tablet on the Horizon?

January 18, 2013 by 4 Comments

A half year after formally showing off its Google Glass technology at its developer show the company is now holding a pair of developer events that will center around glasses that will be held at the end of the month, according to Slashgear.

Both coasts will be represented, with one held in New York City and the other held in San Francisco. The event will center around developing for its Mirror API for the Glass technology and both will be two day affairs. The San Francisco event will be Jan. 28 and 29 while the New York one will run Feb. 1 and 2.

Other news around Project Glass involves a virtual touchpad that can be projected onto any surface and used to control the glasses. The company has applied for a patent that would call for a small laser that would be mounted on the glasses, according to Engaget.

Intel’s earnings disappoint
Intel has released its fourth quarter earnings with less than expected results and has predicted a soft year in 2013. Revenue was $13.48bn, down 3% from the same period a year ago. For the quarter it reported net income of $2.47bn, down from $3.36bn, in the year-ago period.

Revenue was $13.48bn, down 3% from the same period a year ago. Intel in October projected fourth-quarter revenue of $13.6 billion, plus or minus $500 million. Its core PC business was down 6% at $8.5bn from the previous year. It said that the PC is transitioning into tablets. The company said that it expects to increase its capital spending to $13bn in the current year.

Samsung Rumor predicts 8-inch Galaxy Note
Samsung appears ready to provide any size tablet a user could want and now the rumor mill is predicting that the company will soon be offering an 8-inch Galaxy Note as it expands that popular product family, according to Digital Trends and first reported in a Samsung News Blog called Sam Mobile.

It calls for the company to introduce the device to the world at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It is expected to have a 1280 x 800 resolution screen and be available in two models, a16GB version and a 32GB model.

DaVinci Prepares Linux Tablet
Add one more contender to the slowly growing market of tablets that are capable of running the Linux operating system as DaVinci Mobile Technology is reported to have an offering that is a month away from the market. The tablet, called ‘Kite” is expected to be a dual operating system according to PC World.

It will be capable of running either Android 4.0 or Ubuntu 12.04 and will include a 10.1-inch display with 1920 x 1200 HD resolution and will be powered by a Samsung Exynos quad-core 1.4 GHz processor. It is expected to have WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0, 2 GB RAM and 32 GB of internal storage.

Filed Under: Android, Google, Intel, Samsung, Tablets Tagged With: , , ,

Asus Goes Small With 7-inch Memo Pad Tablet

January 16, 2013 by 3 Comments

Asus avoided the glitter of CES by waiting until after the show had closed its doors before quietly expanding its tablet offerings with the Asus Memo Pad ME172V, a 7-inch tablet that will be priced just under $150.

The tablet will have a 1GHz processor powering the device that will include the Android 4.1 operating system and will feature 1024 x 600 dpi screen resolution and will initially be available with either 8GB or 16GB of storage. It has a 1MP front facing camera and has the ability to expand its storage by as much as double via the use of a 16GB microSD card and also includes a microUSB port for additional peripherals.

The company has not given a definitive release date for the tablet in the United States but has said that it will release it in select markets later this month. It has been speculated that this means the US, but that is not clear yet. It will be available in three colors

It will be in a very competitive space where rivals are more entrenched including the Nexus 7 which has a better screen and a more powerful processor. However the move by Asus has been long anticipated, and is just its first move into the 7-inch space. It came after a flurry of additional tablet news from earlier in the month.

A Pair of Tablets Unveiled at the Show
This follows a bigger splash from Asus at the CES show, where it took the wraps off a pair of tablets as well as an ultrabook. The first of the tablets was the Vivo Tab Smart, one of the first tablets that will be available running Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating systems and powered by an Intel Z2760 dual core Atom processor. The 10-inch tablet features a 1366 x 768 dpi display and includes an 8MP rear focus camera as well as the 2MP front facing camera. So far the company has not revealed when it will be shipping or at what price.

The company also revealed additional details of its Transformer AiO tablet, a large form devices that it has designed to run both Windows 8 as well as Android. It features a 18.4-inch screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. As befits a device designed to run dual operating systems it has both an Intel Atom and an nVidia processor, one to run each OS apparently. Delivery date is still unannounced but an entry level device is expected to start at $1,300.

Filed Under: Android, Asus, Intel, Microsoft, Tablets, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , ,

Analysts predict worse than Expected Windows Surface Sales

January 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Microsoft’s Surface tablets are still trying to find its footing in the market months after a steady media buildup that ended with the huge rollout event held last October. The holiday season did not bring the joy that executives might have been hoping for in terms of volume sales, according to recent analyst reports.

According to a piece in Business Insider, Brent Thill the managing director and senior analyst at UBS’s Software Group has released his latest estimation on the Surface’s sales dueling the just completed holiday quarter and the news is not good. He estimates that Microsoft sold approximately 1 million of the Surface RT devices, and that is 1 million less than he had originally estimated. . According to the piece Thill also was critical of Microsoft’s distribution effort that initially had a limited national coverage and so made it more difficult to purchase the devices.

To add insult to injury is the estimation that Apple, the company with the falling stock due to poor perceived performance, is expected to have sold 20 million iPads during that same period. Of course Apple is an established player in this space and Microsoft is trying to carve a new space for itself but that is still a telling number.

There are some issues with the Surface, some of which will be taken care of in the future and some who knows. The new operating system, Windows 8, is a big leap from previous offerings with a wide array of differences that could cause people to have second thoughts on purchasing the device. Or they could simply be waiting for the version of the Surface tablet that runs on Intel rather that ARM processors Maybe they are waiting for a larger ecosystem of apps to be available. Then again maybe consumers simply do not like the platform.

However it is not all bad news from USB. Thill said that he expects the next version of the Surface, the Surface Pro, to have a good deal more success, particularly in the business world. This platform will run on Intel processors and be compatible with existing desktop and mobile apps for Windows.

Filed Under: Apple, Apps, Intel, iPad, Market Research, Microsoft, Surface, Tablets, Windows 8 Tagged With: , ,

Google Expands Hardware Offerings with Latest Trio

October 29, 2012 by 1 Comment

Google did not let the cancellation of its New York event due to Hurricane Sandy get it down and came to market today with a trio of new products including a pair of tablets as well as a new smartphone all running the latest version of Android.

Starting smallest first is the latest in its smartphone lineup, the Nexus 4, built by partner LG. It features a quad core processor, a 4.7-inch 320 ppi screen with wireless charging capabilities. On the software side there are several new or enhanced products starting with the latest version of its Android operating system, Jelly Bean 4.2., support for Gesture Typing and a new photo technology called Photo Sphere.

The 8GB version is available for $299 while the 16GB for $349; available unlocked and without a contract on November 13. The 16GB version will also be available through T-Mobile for $199, with a 2-year contract

It has revamped its existing Nexus 7 to make it slightly thinner and lighter and with expanded communications capabilities with HSPA+ mobile data plans from carriers such as AT&T. The Wi-Fi-only versions will larger storage options: 16GB for $200 for the original version or 32GB for $250. The 32GB HSPA+ version of the tablet will cost $300.

The company has also broken into the 10-inch tablet space with the debut of the here’s also the Nexus 10, built in partnership with Samsung. With a high end display with a 2560 x 1600 resolution display and a battery than can support nine hours of video playback. It has a range of interesting features including support for multiple users with their own profiles and apps. The Nexus 10 will be also be available on November 13 in two storage capacities- the 16GB for $399 and the 32GB for $499.

The move comes days after Microsoft entered the 10-inch tablet space with the first of its Surface tablets. A host of third party Windows 8 tablets are expected in the next few weeks and months. Apple has also just expanded its iPad franchise with the release of the iPad mini last week. It was just a few weeks ago that Amazon expanded its Kindle lineup.

One thing is for certain-consumers looking for a tablet this holiday season will have a much broader, much better built lineup of products from a much bigger range of developers.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, Amazon, Android, Apple, Apps, Facebook, Google, iOS 6, iPhone, Kindle, Microsoft, Samsung, Smartphone, Surface, Tablets, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Mobile Sports Report TechWatch: Amazon Kindle Sales Soar after iPad Mini Launch

October 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment

After Apple‘s executives disparaged rival 7-inch tablet makers, at least one has struck back. If you have visited Amazon’s home page you see a pretty good comparison between the Amazon Kindle HD and the Apple iPad Mini highlighting the advantages the Kindle has over the iPad.

In addition Amazon has announced that sales of the Kindle have spiked upward after Apple introduced the iPad Mini. Is the iPad Mini the hardware version of Apple’s Map apps — a second poorly thought out project that would have benefited from more time?

Apple sales soar also
However the news out of the Apple camp paints a slightly different picture as it has reported that the iPad Mini has almost sold out in pre-order. Mashable is reporting that four of the six Mini iPad SKUs are sold out at the Apple Store, and shipping dates have been pushed back because of the high demand.

It was rumored that Apple made an initial order of 10 million of the tablet devices and so if that is true the company has to be very happy about the results so far.

Samsung also claims sales increase after an Apple event
First high tech companies were planning events to steal a rival’s thunder and now it seems they are releasing press releases that claim that a rival’s new product actually help their sales. Amazon has done it with the iPad Mini (see above) and Samsung also now claims that sales of its Galaxy S3 smartphones took off after the iPhone 5 was announced. Well I guess this is better than a vaporware war.

No Google Android Event today
Google’s planned Android and possibly tablet announcement that was slated for today was rained out due to Hurricane Sandy. The event was planned for today in New York City hours prior to Microsoft’s Windows Phone Event in San Francisco.

That is too bad in one way. There have been a number of rumors and teaser videos that appear to show a 10-inch tablet that has a better screen resolution than Apple’s iPad and I would have been interested to see what they actually had in store. I am sure I will not have to wait long.

Apple working to improve Maps app
Apple has taken a good deal of heat over the quality, or lack thereof, of its new apps program that it is now using rather than Google Maps in the recently released Apple iOS 6.0. The company took time during its recent quarterly report to say that it is working night and day to improve the app and that more changes should be expected soon.

Motorola drops a few charges in Xbox case
In the ever changing set of lawsuits between Microsoft and Motorola you can now subtract a few issues, and amazingly it was not after a ruling by a judge. Motorola has asked the Federal Trade Commission to drop the Wi-Fi related patent infringement claims that involved in its lawsuit with Microsoft. The request does not affect the rest of the issues at play in the two’s global lawsuit battles.

Filed Under: Amazon, Apple, Apps, FTC, Google, iOS 6, iPad, iPhone, Lawsuit, Microsoft, Motorola, Samsung, Tablets, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Microsoft Launches Windows 8- Surface Tablet

October 25, 2012 by 1 Comment

In dueling releases a few hours apart Microsoft first took the wraps off of its latest operating system, Windows 8, and then off of its Surface tablet family that will be some of the first hardware that will run the OS.

The operating system rollout is one of the biggest from Microsoft in a while as it is aimed at moving the company in a new direction, away from being viewed as primarily one for desktops and laptops but also a provider for the growing mobile/digital environment.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer talked up the new OS at the company’s event in New York and noted that Microsoft has brought together the best of two worlds, PCs and tablets. He also mentioned that the company has reworked a good deal of its existing apps and other technologies to work with Windows 8 from its MSN.com website to new products that are just now being released.

Microsoft expects that there will be approximately a combined 400 million Windows 8 phones, tablets and PCs in a year, which it will need as the company faces an uphill battle currently getting app developers to create for its platform first, and sometimes at all.

Windows 8 will be available for download to upgrade existing PCs in more than 140 markets and 37 languages starting tomorrow. For most users there will be three different versions to choose from, one Windows RT, ,designed specifically for tablets that run ARM-based microprocessors Then there will be the more mainstream Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro.

Also available tomorrow will be its Surface tablet, and it is marketing it as more than a tablet, but also as a type of laptop and I think that is a good tool to both help differentiate it from Apple’s iPad but also could help open the door to wider acceptance in businesses as a replacement technology for existing PCs.

There will be two basic versions of the Surface tablet– those that run Windows RT and those that run Windows 8 Pro. Aside from that it is basically the same system. For the RT version It will weigh in at 1.5lbs and have a 10.6-inch display that has 1366 x 768 resolution. Powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 core it will have 2GB RAM and be available with either 32GBs or 64GBs of storage.

There are two 720p HD LifeCams, one front and one rear facing; it will have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity as well as a USB 2.0 port. The Windows Pro version weights a bit more at two pounds and will have a choice between 64GB and 128GB storage and this tablet is powered by Intel’s Core i5 processor. It has a USB 3.0 port. The RT version will be available tomorrow at $499 while the Windows Pro will have pricing and availability announced at a future date.

Filed Under: Apple, Apps, Intel, iPad, Microsoft, Surface, Tablets, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , ,
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