Asus and NVIDIA announce 7-inch Tegra 3 quad-core tablet with Ice Cream Sandwich for $249

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  • January 10, 2012 at 3:35 am

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Asus 7-inch NVIDIA Tegra 3 tablet ME370T

There are a lot of new tablets at CES this year. The biggest piece of news however has just come in today. NVIDIA has announced that a 7-inch version of the Asus Transformer Prime, which will also run on the Tegra 3 quad-core SoC and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, is coming soon. The Asus ME370T tablet will sell for $249 at launch.

This completely blows the under-powered and barebones $199 Kinde Fire and $249 Nook Tablet out the water. Besides the super fast Tegra 3 chip, the 7-inch Asus tablet will have a 1280 x 800 screen resolution and an 8-megapixel camera.
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Lenovo IdeaTab S2 10-inch tablet with Android 4.0 and keyboard dock

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  • January 9, 2012 at 4:38 am

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Lenovo IdeaTab S2 10.1-inch Android tablet with keyboard dock

Did we mention we are expecting an onslaught of Android tablets at CES 2012? Hot on the heels of Acer’s Ice Cream Sandwich bearing Iconia Tab A700, Lenovo has announced its own Android 4.0 tablet. The Lenovo IdeaTab S2 with a 10.1-inch IPS LCD 1280×800 resolution and Qualcomm’s latest 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 SoC. Similar to the Asus Trasformer Prime, the IdeaTab S2 can be used with a detachable keyboard dock.

Thin is the game now, and the S2 tablet measures just 0.34 inches thick and weighs a mere 1.1 lbs. Lenovo claims a 20 hours runtime when the tablet is paired with its keyboard dock. We’ve mentioned that it will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, though Lenovo will slap its own Mondrian UI on top. You get the typical set of Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, micro-USB and micro HDMI. The S2 is said to come in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flavors, though no pricing or availability has been made public yet.
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Acer Iconia Tab A700 10-inch tablet with 1080p display, quad-core Tegra 3 and Android 4.0

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  • January 8, 2012 at 6:47 pm

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Acer Iconia Tab A700

CES 2012 is expected to open the floodgates for new tablets, yet Acer has managed to put its competitor early in. The Acer Iconia Tab A700 is a 10.1-inch tablet with some spectacular specs. The screen has a full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, it runs on the quad-core Tegra 3 SoC, which is clocked at 1.3GHz, and will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich pre-installed.

Of course you get a typical set of ports, like micro-USB and HMDI, and connectivity, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and 3G, together with a 5-megapixel rear camera and a front-facing camera for video chatting. The A700 also boasts Dolby Mobile sound. Measuring 9.8mm thick, it might not be the thinnest tablet around but with a 9,800 mAh battery you’ll be pleased to carry it all day with you.
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OLPC XO 3.0 tablet to debut at CES: 8-inch configurable with Pixel Qi display and Android starting under $100

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  • January 7, 2012 at 4:51 am

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OLPC XO 3.0 tablet early concept

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) has just announced that the organization’s promised under $100 XO 3.0 tablet will be shown off at CES 2012. OLPC will also be delivering its first XO 1.75 laptop orders in March to school children in Uruguay and Nicaragua.

Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of OLPC, announced the XO tablet over four years ago, however the development process overrun the 2010 initial delivery date. The XO 3.0 tablet was designed by Yves Behar, who’s also designed the XO laptop and the B&N Nook Color. Above is the initial concept render of the XO 3.0, though the design may have now changed.

Based on preliminary specs the XO 3.0 tablet will have an 8-inch 4:3 1024 x 768-resolution display configurable as either a standard LCD or a dual-mode Pixel Qi sunlight-readable screen. It will run on a Marvell Armada PXA618 SoC, with either 512MB or 1GB DDR3 RAM and 5GB to 16GB of NAND storage. Approximate weight will be 0.5kg (around 1lbs).
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ASUS Transformer Prime to receive update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on 12 January

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  • January 3, 2012 at 2:00 pm

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ASUS Transformer Prime running Android Ice Cream Sandwich

ASUS has taken to its official Facebook page to announce that its Nvidia Tegra 3 tablet will soon be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). The update will start rolling out on the 12th of January to the 10.1-inch quad-core ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime, making it the first Android tablet to officially receive Android ICS. We are sure this will put a smile on all the lucky Transformer Prime owners out there.

Nevertheless, there has been a backlash from the developer community, as Transformer Prime owners discovered that the tablet’s bootloader is locked. ASUS explains that having a locked bootloader is a Google DRM (Digital Rights Management) requirement in order to allow users to rent videos. ASUS intends to provide an unlock utility. Use of the tool will void your warranty and make Google Video unavailable.
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HTC Flyer 7-inch tablet now retailing for £200 (deals)

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  • December 28, 2011 at 5:42 am

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HTC Flyer with digital pen

HTC’s Flyer is quite a capable 7-inch Android tablet. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.5GHz processor, weighs 420 grams (14.82 oz) and comes with a digital pen for creativity on the go. The Flyer has recently been updated to Android Honeycomb, and together with today’s price cuts, it has become quite a bargain.

The 16GB Wi-Fi only HTC Flyer now retails for £200 in the UK; you can grab one either from Amazon UK (make sure it’s directly from Amazon) or Dixons. The 32GB 3G/Wi-Fi version is showing as £250 from Dixons, but we are having issues accessing the item’s website, maybe it’s a temporary problem.
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Android Ice Cream Sandwich finds its way on the Kindle Fire, melts into our hearts (video)

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  • December 27, 2011 at 3:31 am

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Android Ice Cream Sandwich running on the Amazon Kindle Fire

It had to happen. Someone was bound to get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich running on Amazon’s budget conscious 7-inch Kindle Fire tablet. Thanks to the Android developer community a pre-alpha version of Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) can now be seen running on the Fire and if you are feeling extremely adventurous you can go ahead and download the test ROM to start tinkering.

The pre-alpha ROM is based on the public Android Open Source Project (AOSP) release of ICS, and judging from the video, things are going well on the development front. Main issues are with audio and video not always working properly. The video and download link are after the break.
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B&N Nook Color 1.4.1 update brings additional functionality, Netflix and comics

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  • December 12, 2011 at 12:17 pm

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Nook Color - Curvy back, speaker port and magnetic latch

There is no better way to start your day than to find out that you lovely tablet/e-reader has received a software update, making it, well, more awesome. The Barnes & Noble Nook Color has just received an update to version 1.4.1 which brings a number of enhancements and additional functionality bringing it closer to the recently released Nook Tablet.

First off the new version brings landscape reading with books, something we had noted was lacking when we initially reviewed the Nook Color — you can find our pretty lengthy review here. There is also a new category of books named PagePerfect, which are carefully put together electronic versions keeping with the original colorful print version; the category includes cookbooks, art books and the rest.

Those of you who prefer to sit back and be entertained, the Nook Color is getting Netflix movies and TV shows support. Marvel comic book fans should also be excited as the Nook Color joins the Nook Tablet in receiving Nook Comics. Finally B&N is claiming over 100 minor enhancement which should make the Nook experience better.

You can connect your Nook Color to a Wi-Fi network and wait for the update to be delivered to your device automatically or if your are the impatient type (and we would completely understand if you were), head over here and follow the instructions under ‘Get Version 1.4.1 Today’.
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HTC Flyer now receiving Android Honeycomb update

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  • December 5, 2011 at 12:54 pm

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HTC Flyer Android tablet drawing

As much as we wanted to love HTC’s 7-inch stylus-friendly Android tablet, we couldn’t get past the fact that it was still running Android Gingerbread, and not a tablet optimized version of the OS. Thankfully for those who have put their faith in the HTC Flyer, the company has just started rolling out an over-the-air update to Android Honeycomb 3.2. The update, which is over 200MB, is initially targeted for the 32GB 3G version of the Flyer. HTC has confirmed that the 16GB Wi-Fi only version will be getting the update soon.

Of-course Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has already been officially launched, nevertheless, Honeycomb is a major step for tablets and we are sure users will love the upgraded functionality. Since Honeycomb operates with on-screen buttons, the tablet’s fixed touch buttons become inoperable once the update is applied, but the stylus continues to function as before.

If you have an HTC Flyer, be sure to connect to a nearby Wi-Fi access point and check for software updates.
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ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime Tegra 3 tablet gets a hands-on foreplay video review

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  • November 23, 2011 at 6:04 pm

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ASUS Transformer Prime with keyboard dock

By now you should be well briefed on the quad-core Tegra 3 powered 10.1-inch Android tablet by ASUS, also known as the Transformer Prime. We first looked at the keyboard dock-able tablet early this month and we know that it will hit retail channels in the coming weeks. You can actually pre-order it from Amazon.de for EUR 599.

One lucky fellow managed to get his hands on a sample Transformer Prime and has shot a nice overview video of the tablet. The unofficial review starts the tablet on the keyboard dock and ends with an obligatory thickness comparison to the original ASUS Transformer and of course, the iPad 2. The Transformer Prime ships with Android Honeycomb on-board, but judging by the video already released by Nvidia, it won’t take long for it to be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Video is after the break.
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Android Ice Cream Sandwich demoed on ASUS Transformer Prime Tegra 3 tablet (video)

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  • November 22, 2011 at 4:26 pm

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ASUS Transformer Prime running Android Ice Cream Sandwich

If you’ve been wondering how Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) looks like on a tablet, then wonder no more. Once Google made the source code of ICS available, Nvidia and ASUS rushed to the challenge and got the new operating system working on the ASUS Transformer Prime tablet. As a reminder the Transformer Prime is the first device to run on Nvidia’s brand new quad-core Tegra 3 chip. We’ve covered the Tegra 3 here, and it’s an impressive piece of silicon, which promises not only awesome processing and graphics power, but also longer battery life through aggressive throttling and a frugal 500MHz companion fifth-core.

We would easily guess that pairing such a chip with the latest and greatest version of Android would result in some smooth performance and now we’ve got the evidence to prove it. Nvidia has published a video of Android Ice Cream Sandwich running super smoothly on the Transformer Prime. If you would enjoy watching cool transitions, smooth 1080p playback and a demo of a quad-core optimized game called Riptide GP, head on after the break.
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Updated Google Search app for iPad offers new features, design and interactive animations (video)

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  • November 21, 2011 at 5:11 pm

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iPad Google Search app

Google has just updated its Search app for the iPad. The new version offers a complete redesign with much more visual appeal and new features. Interactions are designed to take advantage of the iPad’s large screen and touch interface.

As soon as you start typing in the input box, Google Instant starts to display relevant results so that you will be able to get better prediction of your intended search with fewer keystrokes.

You now have a choice between reviewing the search results as the classic list or switch to a visual slide presentation, navigable by swiping. When doing an image search you are now presented with a default image carousel, where you can swipe left or right between the images.
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How-to: Install any Android app on the Amazon Kindle Fire

Guides

  • November 15, 2011 at 10:12 am

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Amazon Kindle Fire 7-inch Android tablet

One of the limitations of Amazon’s new 7-inch Kindle Fire tablet, is that you are restricted to the apps available on Amazon’s Appstore for Android rather than the full Android Market. So what happens when you want to use an app that’s available in the Android Market but hasn’t yet reached Amazon’s store.

There is actually a not-too-complicated way around that limitation. Although, if you wanted to sideload applications on the B&N Nook Color you had to actually root it first, Amazon hasn’t really locked-down the Kindle Fire. It all falls down to enabling a simple option in settings.
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Adobe Photoshop Touch and five other Touch Apps now available for Android

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  • November 15, 2011 at 5:03 am

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Adobe Touch Apps

Adobe has just released its Touch Apps suite for Android tablets, made of five creative apps each priced at $9.99 and available on the Android Market. There is an Android 3.1 Honeycomb or higher requirement, while Adobe points out that you’ll need at least a 8.9-inch 1280×800 tablet to get the most out the applications. As the name implies, they are all touch optimized applications, but also integrate with Adobe Creative Cloud. You can open Photoshop or other Adobe desktop application files saved in the cloud, work with them on your tablet and then save them back to the cloud to continue working on a desktop or other device.

King of the pack is of course Adobe Photoshop Touch. You can get your images from social networking sites such as Facebook, use locally saved images or snap live from your tablet’s camera. The app includes layer support, various adjustments and filters, and of course you can share your results back to Facebook.
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