tablet

May 23 2013

Hisense launches a pair of Walmart exclusive tablets starting at $99

Hisense

Price meets performance with the new Hisense Sero line of tablets, exclusively from Walmart

Hisense and Walmart have got together on a pair of Android tablets designed for the budget minded consumer. There are two offerings, both at pretty compelling price points and the hardware itself looks nice enough to make us look twice.

First up, the $99 Sero 7 LT. At the cost of a typical e-reader you'll get a Google certified device with the following specs:

7 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display
1.6 GHz dual-core CPU
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
1GB of RAM
4GB of storage
Mini HDMI, micro USB, microSD
Wifi

While there's nothing here to amaze anyone, the price point and Google Play certification make it one of the better sub-$100 tablets available.

On the other hand, the $149 Sero 7 Pro has the right price, and specifications that best the Nexus 7 in almost every way:

7 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display
1.3 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
1GB of RAM
8GB of storage
5.0MP rear camera with auto-focus and flash
2MP front-facing camera
mini HDMI, microSD card slot, micro USB port
Wifi, Bluetooth, NFC
10 hour battery life

Hisense has made their first step into the tablet market pretty interesting we think, and we'll definitely have to take a good long look at the Sero 7 Pro. The tablets should be available in stores and online at walmart.com starting May 24. The full press release is after the break.

By Jerry Hildenbrand • Hisense, sero 7, tablet, Tablets, walmart • 0

May 16 2013

Archos introduces the 80 Xenon tablet, arriving in June for $199

Android Central

Quad-core, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and 3G capabilities in Archos' latest 'Elements' line tablet

Archos has today introduced another tablet to their Elements series, the Archos 80 Xenon. This 8-inch tablet comes with 3G and WiFi, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a quad-core Snapdragon S4 1.2GHz processor and a 1024x768 resolution IPS display. So, we're looking at a solid mid-range tablet, with Jelly Bean and full Google Play access as is now the norm for Archos tablets.

Other specs to mention include 1GB of RAM, but just 4GB of on-board storage expandable by way of microSD card. It comes with a pair of cameras, though neither is much to shout about. The rear camera is just 2MP, with a front facing 'webcam.'

The 80 Xenon is set to be available sometime in June, priced at $199.99.

Source: Archos

By Richard Devine • 80 xenon, archos, Jelly Bean, tablet, Tablets • 0

May 15 2013

HP announces SlateBook x2 Android tablet with detachable keyboard

HP SlateBook X2

HP's second entry into the Android market is decidedly different from the Slate 7

Following in the footsteps of both ASUS with its Transformer series as well as other Windows OEMs with their convertible laptop/tablet hybrids, HP is announcing SlateBook x2 today. We're basically looking at a standard 10-inch Android tablet, but in the configuration of what HP is calling a "two-in-one device" that has a keyboard dock. As is usually the case, the tablet is completely contained as a stand-alone device, with a 1920x1200 IPS display, Tegra 4 processor and 64GB of storage. The SlateBook x2 is also shipping with Android 4.2.2, and what looks like very limited customizations from HP -- it even goes so far as to say this is "HP’s push to offer access to the Google experience". The docking station has a full keyboard and trackpad, along with a USB port, SDcard slot and an additional battery to charge the tablet.

Based on the information given to us right now the HP SlateBook x2 is expected to ship in August in both grey and white lid colors, and the pricing seems quite nice at $479.99. However this is a "starting price", and it isn't clear whether or not that includes the keyboard dock. The tablet market may be a bit different by the time this device hits store shelves, but it certainly seems like it will have a better shot at grabbing sales than the Slate 7 does. Stick around after the break for a promo video of the device by HP.

Source: HP

By Andrew Martonik • hp, HP SlateBook, HP SlateBook X2, News, tablet, Tablets • 0

May 13 2013

Archos’ ChefPad is an Android tablet for your kitchen

Archos Chefpad

Budget tablet with a focus on cookery

If you've ever wanted a tablet designed especially for your kitchen, Archos has a product that might be worth a look. The newly-announced Archos ChefPad is a budget-level Android tablet with a 9.7-inch XGA screen, an adjustable stand and silicone case to protect against splashes. Archos also has also loaded it up with a selection of cooking apps and suitably foody wallpaper.

The ChefPad is powered by an unnamed dual-core 1.6GHz CPU and Mali 400MP GPU, with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD slot. On the software side it's running a pretty vanilla-looking Android 4.1 Jelly Bean UI with Google Play.

The food-centric tablet is due to become available from June, with prices starting at $209.99 from the company's online store.

Source: Archos

By Alex Dobie • android, archos, chefpad, food, kitchen, News, tablet, Tablets • 0

May 6 2013

ASUS MeMO Pad mini review – you can get so much more for an extra $50

ASUS MeMO Pad.

There's a fine line between a quality, low-cost tablet and an underpowered, low-resolution tablet that happens to run Android and also doesn't cost all that much money. And that line, we've discovered, is about $50.

It's not often that we pick up a new device -- and quickly want to put it down again. A phone or tablet might not be the cream of the crop, but we try to find some good in it. Some reason to buy. But with the top-of-the-line hardware hitting a bit of a plateau over the last year or so, and with prices continuing to drop, we've raised our minimums. There's less room for low end these days, plain and simple.

That brings us to the 7-inch ASUS MeMO Pad Android tablet.

By Phil Nickinson • android, asus, memo pad, tablet, Tablets • 0

May 6 2013

Samsung GT-P5200 comes out fighting in Antutu benchmark

It’s time for another benchmark result, this time from an, as of yet, unidentified Samsung product. The GT-P5200 scored an impressive 24616 in the popular Antutu benchmark, sticking it right up at the top of the performance table with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One.

Some have speculated that this could be a benchmark for Samsung’s 10.1 inch version of the recently released Galaxy Tab 3, after all the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 was the GT-P5100. However, it looks like this it could be a result from an earlier prototype, as the codename has supposedly changed.

But if this is indeed a benchmark from one of Samsung’s next tablet devices, then it would be one of the fastest Android tablet results recorded to date.

All we know hardware wise is that the device packs a 1.6Ghz processor, a 1280×800 resolution display, and comes with Android 4.2.2. Based on the results, it could easily be using a Snapdragon 600 chip, which scored 24258 when clocked at 1.7Ghz in the HTC One and 25900 when clocked slightly higher in the 1.9Ghz Galaxy S4. On the other hand it might be a slightly slower Exynos 5 Octa, it’s possible that a 200Mhz under-clock could cause a nearly 3000 point loss compared with the 1.8Ghz Exynos powered Galaxy S4.

Of course benchmark scores aren’t the most reliable pieces of data as they are quite easily tampered with, so well just leave this as speculation for now. Still, whatever Samsung device the GT-P5200 turns out to be, it could be a pretty snappy piece of hardware.

By Robert Triggs • benchmarks, News, rumor, Rumors, samsung, Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1, tablet, Tablets • 0

Apr 17 2013

Android devs can now upload better screenshots for their tablet apps

Android-Tablets

The Google Play team posted on its blog an update on tablet app guidelines and screenshots. With the rising popularity of tablets, smaller form factors in particular, it’s just appropriate to give Android developers a better opportunity to showcase their apps to tablet owners. After all, if the developer stories are to be believed, there are a rising number of developers committed on making tablet-optimized apps and seeing huge investment returns.

One useful update is the ability to upload to the Google Play Developer Console multiple screenshots of apps that are running on 7- and 10-inch tablets. When users then check out the app on the Play Store with their tablet, the screenshot that is appropriate for their tablet’s screen size is shown, allowing users to fully confirm before downloading what optimizations have been made that make use of the larger screen real estate.

screenshots-example

According to the blog, the tablet app quality checklist that was released last October has also been updated for additional tips and guidelines. Designed to educate developers the best means to create tablet apps that are appealing to users, the checklist now comes with more details on optimization technicalities. These tips and guidelines are also expected to appear in the Google Play Developer Console soon, as well as to guide users in discovering better tablet apps in Google Play.

In the meantime, Android users already have a great selection of apps that looks stunning and functions great on their tablets. Just check out these 13 must-have tablet apps.

By Conan Hughes • Apps, News, tablet, Tablet Apps • 0

Apr 16 2013

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 could soon come in red and grey

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 aa 600 px (12) According to a listing on Cyberport.de, Samsung could be launching its Galaxy Note 8.0 in red and grey colors soon.

Samsung has not confirmed whether the tablet will be launching in red or grey models, so take this with a grain of salt for now. On the other hand, the Korean tech giant often releases its devices in a variety of colors, so it wouldn’t be surprising to soon see a red, grey or even “charcoal black” Galaxy Note 8.0 soon.

galaxy-note-8

The new tablet launched in the U.S. on April 11 for $399 and supports an 8-inch 1,280 x 800 LCD display. It also has a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos 4412 processor, 2GB of RAM and a 4,600 mAh battery along with a 5MP rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. On the software side of things is TouchWiz atop of Android 4.1.2.

The device comes in both 16GB and 32GB models and has a microSD slot for up to 64GB of additional storage. Samsung originally announced the device at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

By Brad Ward • Cyberport, grey, News, red, Rumors, Samsung Electronics, Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0, tablet, Tablets • 0

Apr 15 2013

Alleged specs and picture of Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 show up online

Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-3-leak

With Android devices eating away at Apple’s dominance of the tablet market, there has been a lot of talk about when Samsung might announce details about their next tablet. Well, Greek site Techblog has apparently leaked the specs of the rumored Galaxy Tab 3 series, which might help Samsung usurp Apple’s leading position.

The Galaxy Tab 3 looks like it will come in two versions, the Tab 3 10.1 and Tab 3 8.0. The initial differences between the two versions are mainly the screen sizes, although the 10.1 model obviously has a larger battery than the 8-incher.

Design-wise, the image that Techblog supplied along with the supposed specs of the two Galaxy Tab 3 models suggests that Samsung will go for the rounded edges look of the Galaxy Note 8 and the Note 10.1.

According to the leak, the Galaxy Tab 3 is set to be powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and feature 16GB of internal storage space. Another difference between the two devices is the amount of RAM – the 10.1 has 2GB, whilst the Tab 3 8.0 will have 1GB of RAM running the system. Both models will run on the 4.1 version of Jelly Bean, which is a step up from the previous model. However, these specifications are not different from the current Galaxy Tab 2 models, which questions their veracity.

The alleged leaked information suggests that we won’t have to wait too long to get our hands on the two devices, with a release date supposedly slated for May for the 3G versions, and June/July for the 4G LTE models.

By Andrew Roach • android, News, Rumors, samsung, Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1, Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0, tablet • 0

Apr 12 2013

A measure of Android tablet popularity

samsung galaxy tab 2 311

Do you have an Android tablet? According to a survey by Pew research, 25% of adults have a tablet of some sort, and the iPad is clearly leading the way. We’re not worried about them, though… we want to know about Android!

So, take a guess… which Android tablet do you think is the most popular? That sweet Nexus 7? Probably a Kindle Fire, right? I mean, it’s technically Android… so it counts. Is it a 10-inch tablet… or a 7-incher? Here are the results from Animoca, showing the following: Device, Market Share, Screen size.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7 (includes p3100+p3113), 11.8%, 7
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, 8.3%, 10.1
Amazon Kindle Fire, 7.5%, 7
Amazon Kindle Fire HD, 4.9%, 7
Samsung Galaxy Tab, 4.8%, 7
Asus Google Nexus 7, 3.8%, 7
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, 3%, 10.1
Asus Transformer TF101, 0.9%, 10.1
Asus TF300, 0.9%, 10.1
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, 0.8%, 7.7
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9, 0.7%, 8.9

Aside from the last two, which have different size screens, the 7 & 10-inch varieties are equally represented. Samsung also controls 60% of the list, which is not surprising as they produce new devices nearly constantly, saturating the market.

This is not a terribly precise poll, though. Animoca tracked who logged onto the Play Store to play one of their games, which is useful… but may not be finite. The number were tracked for a month, between mid-February to mid-March, and garnered nearly 1,000,000 users. A good sampling, and gives us a really good idea of what’s going on with Android Tablet usage. That’s just it, though… this represents usage… which might be a more accurate representation of popularity than sales.

We’re wondering… which Android tablet do you have?

By Nate Swanner • android, News, tablet • 0

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