How the Samsung Galaxy Note fares as a mini-tablet
Samsung's own advertising poses the question of whether the new Galaxy Note is a phone or tablet. And punlike portmanteaus like "phablet" aside, the question is surprisingly pertinent.
Samsung's own advertising poses the question of whether the new Galaxy Note is a phone or tablet. And punlike portmanteaus like "phablet" aside, the question is surprisingly pertinent.
As more tablets come to market, be prepared to be wowed by the power that some of these slates are capable of. You'll find plenty of models out there, including tablets with impressive dual-core processors or even quad-core chips. And many tablets can satisfy specific needs. The iPad 2 shines bright, but it isn't the only star in the tablet universe.
Considering that 2012 will be the year of Microsoft's dramatic <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/245877/windows_8_four_big_concerns_based_on_what_we_know_so_far.html?tk=rel_news">upgrade to Windows 8,</a> one might have thought the floor of the Consumer Electronics Show last week would be filled with prospective hardware platforms for the new Windows operating system. it might have seemed logical to expect that to hear lots about tablets with Windows 8. But news on that front was surprisingly...quiet.
At CES we spotted hordes of tablets this year, but only a few knocked our socks off with impressive specs, great value, and innovations that rival Apple's leading iPad 2. Instead of giving you the tablet laundry list of every single slate shown here at CES (and there were many) we are going to get right to the point.
The Sony Reader Wi-Fi PRS-T1 is a slim and stylish e-reader whose unusual design sets it apart from the pack. Its core specs are on a par with those of the other big guns, too. In spite of this model's handy buttons, however, it stumbles in overall usability and navigation.
The Toshiba Thrive 7" Tablet is the latest in a recent deluge of 7-inch contenders. Its biggest distinguishing factors are its crisp, high-resolution 1280-by-800-pixel display and its strong complement of ports. But disappointments lurk as well--the tablet's disappointing audio performance foremost among them.
What will tablets look like in the coming year? Tablets are out of their infancy and moving into adolescence--which means that we can expect big changes ahead as tablets' design and components improve.
Motorola has announced its newest entries into the tablet market - the Droid Xyboard 8.2 and Droid Xyboard 10.1. Motorola has been suspiciously quiet on the US front ever since its Xoom became the first Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet to market this past February. Sure, there have been small, iterative improvements to that original Xoom, but nothing more. Until now.
For a long time, you didn’t have much choice if you were in the market for a tablet--Apple’s iPad was the only good option. But that’s starting to change: Though the <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/242407/apples_ipad_dominance_fades_i_dont_think_so.html">iPad 2 remains the top slate overall</a>, the best choice for you may well be one that runs Google’s Android operating system.
The Kindle Touch (Wi-Fi + 3G) is the flagship of Amazon's Kindle e-reader line. The addition of touch navigation aligns Amazon's Kindle with its competition, but a few debatable interface and physical design choices reduce my enthusiasm for this product. Still, if you want a connected-anywhere dedicated e-reader, the Kindle Touch (Wi-Fi + 3G) is the way to go; no other e-reader maker currently offers a 3G version.
Some people want a tablet but don't want to shell out big bucks for it. For those frugal shoppers, this week was special, as it marked the release of the $US200 Amazon Kindle Fire and the $US250 Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet.
The Amazon Kindle Fire is one of the most anticipated tablets of the season. Here's a look at some of its notable features.
All eyes are on the Amazon Kindle Fire to provide fresh competition for Apple's iPad 2, today's dominant tablet. Not so fast: Beneath the Kindle Fire's slick veneer and unparalleled shopping integration lies a tablet that fails to impress as either a tablet or as an e-reader.
The $US249 Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet may look like its predecessor, Nook Color, but that's where the comparisons stop. When I picked it up the Nook Tablet it was clear that this tablet was leaps ahead of B&N's first-gen effort. That said, the Nook Tablet is not a full-featured tablet and lacks built-in Bluetooth, stereo speakers, GPS, and front- and rear-facing cameras.
The wraps are finally off Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet. Its splashy entry into the tablet firestorm was hard to miss -- Amazon made quite a statement with its $199 price -- and yet I'm underwhelmed. Although reporters were not allowed to touch the Kindle Fire during the demonstrations following Amazon's New York launch event, I spent considerable time observing the tablet in action, and grilling Amazon executives about different features. My gut reaction to what I saw today: This is not the Amazon tablet we've all been looking for.