Hasta La Gadget!

Looking for something a bit different to replace your Galaxy Tab with? Can’t say for sure why such a yearning would be reasonable, but if we just rang your bell, Viewsonic’s got a newcomer that’s on sale now. Just a few months after passing through the FCC’s database, the ViewBook VB730 is now in stock over at Amazon, with $229.99 netting you a 7-inch slate with Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi, a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage space, a microSD card slot and an 800 x 480 screen resolution. Unfortunately, there’s no Android 3.2 to be found here; instead, Froyo’s listed as the OS of choice, but it’s fair to expect a bit of corner-cutting given that shockingly low price point. Hit the source if you’re sold.

Viewsonic ships 7-inch ViewBook VB730 tablet for $230, sticks with Android 2.2 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 03:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS’s mighty morphing Eee Pad Transformer might be a commercial success (even despite early delays) but, it seems, there’s something amiss with the shape shifting tablet. Earlier today, the company admitted to an issue relating to the slate’s keyboard dock. A post to ASUS’ UK Facebook page reads:

Apologies to anyone who has encountered issues with their Transformer keyboard dock (power drain and charging). The issue is related to the way we configured the device’s power management in/out of sleep mode. We will shortly be announcing details on how this will be resolved for our customers.

We’d say that’s about as vague a promise as a company could offer, but we’ll keep you posted as ASUS opens up.

Update: Looks like the Transformer is set to join the Xoom on the Android 3.2 bandwagon, as ASUS’ Twitter account announced that the company is testing the latest Honeycomb build on the Transformer as we speak, and ASUS hopes to release it “soon.”

ASUS promises fix for Eee Pad Transformer power drain, keeps the apologies coming (update: Android 3.2 is coming “soon”) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 19:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve heard an awful lot about a forthcoming Android tablet rocking an Amazon logo, including a little teasing from CEO Jeff Bezos back in May, and now The Wall Street Journal’s adding flames to the slate fire saying the hotly anticipated tab could be on its way before October. According to those oh so familiar “people familiar with the matter,” the Android-based slate would rock a nine-inch screen and, surprisingly, lack a camera, making it ill-suited as an iPad competitor — the tablet would apparently be focused on offering media purchased from the online retailer. What’s more, those sources are also spreading word of two new Kindles coming in Q3 — one with a touchscreen, the other a budget version of the current e-reader. Of course, it’s all just rumor for now, but that’s a whole lot of rumor.

Amazon Android tablet coming before October? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been a few months since Sony made its (tardy) entrance into the tablet market, and since then it hasn’t been sharing details so much as teasing them in whimsical, perplexing ads. Finally, the outfit’s ready to take specifics. We’re sitting at a roundtable with Sony executives, and just learned that its clamshell S2 tablet is headed to AT&T’s “4G” (read: HSPA+) network, confirming what we already suspected after peeping a tell-tale FCC report. Sony’s is quick to remind us that “S2” is just a codename, so don’t be surprised if it surfaces with a completely different moniker. Otherwise, the company didn’t get too chatty: we still don’t know how or when AT&T will begin selling it nor how much it will cost on contract. Also still MIA: details on when, where, and for how much you’ll be able to nab that folded magazine-inspired S1. Check out the press release below.

Continue reading Sony’s S2 tablet coming to AT&T, price and availability remain a mystery

Sony’s S2 tablet coming to AT&T, price and availability remain a mystery originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We thought Haier’s HaiPad looked oddly familiar, and a quick trip down memory lane suggests we aren’t (completely) bonkers: it’s a rebranded Quanta we spied at CES. The 7-inch slate now sports a custom Froyo skin from DianXin, an 800MHz processor, 802.11 b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and a WCDMA radio. We’re told that last antenna provides the slate with phone and texting capabilities just like some versions of another 7-incher we know. Also present are “dual-cameras” (which we assume means one on each plane), availability in five “stylish” hues, and a vague August ship date. With less than a month to scrounge up 3,299 RMB (about $500) and train to fight off thousands of felines, you had better get cracking.

[Thanks, Marco]

Haier’s HaiPad ships in August, to become the preferred tablet of lolcats everywhere originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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