Hasta La Gadget!

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

At AsiaD this week, Google’s Andy Rubin noted that there were at least six million Android tablets in use. That number included only those running Google services. One could question whether the briskly selling Nook Color — which is not open to Android apps at large — is relevant to that tally, at least from a developer perspective. It will certainly be the case, though, that the Kindle Fire — also expected to be a hot seller — will be an important addition to the number moving forward.

Still, Rubin conceded, it was a tally far behind that of the 30 million cumulative units of the iPad, which broke open the modern-day tablet category, extended its lead with the iPad 2, and will likely see another revision this coming spring. When Apple introduced its tablet device, it set a precedent for third-party developers by rewriting core applications to take advantage of the iPad’s larger display with “HD” versions. And while there are still far fewer native iPad apps than iPhone apps, Apple is far ahead in the race for native tablet software.

But not everyone wants to join that race.

Continue reading Switched On: Android’s tablet traversal

Switched On: Android’s tablet traversal originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Google’s Andy Rubin kicked off the opening keynote here at the Asian branch of All Things D (that’s AsiaD, if you’re curious), and he finally cleared up a figure we’ve been wondering about for eons. During a back-and-forth with Walt Mossberg about the proliferation of the iPad and whether or not Android was “a flop” in the tablet market, he affirmed that around six million Android-based tablets were “out there.” Of course, that’s only tablets that access Google services, as those are the only ones Google can account for with any degree of certainty. For comparison’s sake, Apple pushed 15 million iPads onto the market in 2010 alone, selling three million in just 80 days after the launch of the original. In fact, Apple sold 11.12 million iPads in its most recent quarter (9.25 million the one before that), which represented a 166 percent increase year-over-year. Moral of the story? Apple still owns the tablet market, but hey, at least we now know the score.

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Google’s Andy Rubin: ‘six million’ Android-based tablets out there originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Continue reading SlingPlayer app now available for Honeycomb tablets, priced at $30

SlingPlayer app now available for Honeycomb tablets, priced at $30 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 06:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Android Market  | Email this | Comments

We waited nearly the entire summer for the Acer Iconia Tab A501 to break daylight. Now that it’s finally shone its uber-glossy face, we were anxious to see if the “4G” HSPA+ model is worth the extra coin (or two year ball-and-chain, should you go that route) over the standard A500. If you have little fear of commitment, signing the dotted line will get you one 16GB slate for $330 — plus the added cost of a capped data allowance or a pay-as-you go plan. Not down to hitch up to the contract wagon? Cool with us… but you’ll pay $150 more to get your hands on one of these. So is settling down for two of the Earth’s rotations with the same tablet a wise move? Are you better off sticking with the WiFi-only model? Read on to see what we discovered when we took the A501 for a spin.

Continue reading Acer Iconia Tab A501 for AT&T review

Acer Iconia Tab A501 for AT&T review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

…And then there were 41.

Oh, sorry, we’re talking about Android devices here. Specifically ones that support video calling over Skype. With the update to version 2.5, the VoIP service has tacked on another 14 Goog-powered gadgets to its list of officially supported handsets and tablets. Yes, that’s right, we said tablets. In addition to bringing support to phones like the Atrix, Bionic and Nexus One, Skype is inviting the Xoom, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Acer’s Iconia to the party. We’ve even received reports that video calls are working on other Honeycomb slates like the ASUS Transformer. You’ll find the full list of officially supported devices in the PR after the break.

Continue reading Skype 2.5 for Android brings video calls to 14 new devices, including Honeycomb tablets

Skype 2.5 for Android brings video calls to 14 new devices, including Honeycomb tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments