Acer said to be launching 7-, 10-inch Android tablets before the end of the year

Acer’s already offered some indication that it planned to launch at least one Android-based tablet before the end of the year, and it looks like we’re starting to get few more tidbits of information. According to DigiTimes (reasonably reliable when it comes to Acer rumors), the company is planning to launch both 7-inch and 10-inch tablets sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, both of which will reportedly be ARM-based and run Android 2.2 (complete with Flash support_. Details are otherwise still pretty light, but DigiTimes is backing up earlier talk that Acer’s looking to partner with mobile carriers on the devices, which we presume means they’ll both at least have a 3G option.

Acer said to be launching 7-, 10-inch Android tablets before the end of the year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SmartQ T7 and T7-3G Android 2.1 tablets announced and priced in China

Don’t worry, it’s not déjà vu — these SmartQ T7 tablets may appear just like their Ubuntu-riding R7 sibling, but they offer Android 2.1, an integrated 3G option, a speedier 720MHz CPU, and a colossal 4,700mAh battery — 1,400mAh more than before! If that’s woken you from the slumber brought on by yet another boilerplate tablet, SmartQ’s also boasting support for a similarly impressive range of video codecs, meaning you can grab any RMVB, AVI, MKV and WMV files (even at 1080p) from your various, ahem, sources, and just play them back on the 7-inch LCD (probably at 800 x 600 like the R7) as they are. If you’re cool with just WiFi connectivity, then go for the ¥1,480 ($219) T7; if 3G is a must, be prepared to dole out ¥1,880 ($278) and ¥1,980 ($292) for the EVDO and WCDMA flavors of the T7-3G, respectively. And if you’re hanging out with China Mobile, price for the TD-SCDMA version’s to be confirmed later.

SmartQ T7 and T7-3G Android 2.1 tablets announced and priced in China originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink iTech News Net  |  sourceSmartQ (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Roverpad comes clean with five new tablet PCs, one running Tegra

And here you were thinking this whole “tablet revolution” thing was a myth, huh? Out of seemingly nowhere, Russia’s own Rover Computer has just issued not one, not two, but five new tablet PCs for its nine time zones, with one of ’em boasting Windows CE 6.0 and the others running on Google’s Android system. Kicking things off is the Air G70, which will boast a 7-inch resistive touchscreen, a 667MHz ARM11 CPU, 256MB of RAM, a 4GB internal flash drive, WiFi, optional 3G and a microSD expansion slot. Next up is the Go G50, Android-powered 5-inch slate that relies on a Marvell PXA303, 128MB of RAM, 2GB of storage as well as 3G, WiFi, a microSD slot and a USB socket. Going even smaller is the aptly-named Air G70, which checks in with a 4-inch display (800 x 480 resolution, though), support for a multitude of file formats and compatibility with navigation software. The Go G72 steps it back up to a 7-inch panel, but also throws in a webcam, Bluetooth, GPS chip and a hint of color around the edges. Finally, the 7-inch TegA W70 will hum along with NVIDIA’s Tegra within, and being the flagship that it is, it’ll also include HDMI, 4GB of flash storage, 3G, a webcam, 512MB of RAM, a capacitive touchscreen and Android 2.1. Pricing details have yet to be hammered out across the line, but we’re told to expect the family on store shelves by October.

Update: We’ve received credible information that Rover may not actually survive as a company long enough to release these. Word has it that the general manager just bolted, and the vast majority of the marketing team was let go. In their words, the company is “practically bankrupt now,” and it’s unlikely the firm will find the funds to brand these otherwise vanilla ODM designs as its own.

Roverpad comes clean with five new tablet PCs, one running Tegra originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 05:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG confirms Android tablet for Q4 2010 launch, Froyo for Optimus Z

Now this is jolly good news. LG, which already has a Windows 7 tablet in the works, is gearing up to service those with a hankering for some Android in their slate computers as well. Clearly unwilling to fall behind its fierce rival Samsung, LG has just announced that it’ll bringing out its own Google-centric tablet before the end of 2010. Indications are that it’ll be different (presumably better) than current offerings on the market, but alas there’s nary a peep about what that might mean on the spec sheet. In other machine-translated news, the Korean company is also planning a new version of its SU950 handset, aka the Optimus Z, which will come preloaded with Android 2.2. Current owners of the phone need not despair either, as Froyo upgrades are planned for them by the fourth quarter as well. Hmm, all this Q4 and 2.2 action flying about, would be nice to think this tablet would benefit from the same treatment.

LG confirms Android tablet for Q4 2010 launch, Froyo for Optimus Z originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 01:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Wall Street Journal  |  sourceLG Korea  | Email this | Comments

Expansys becomes exclusive retailer for Huawei S7 Android tablet

Huawei’s Android-based, Snapdragon-powered S7 tablet certainly managed to impress at Computex earlier this month, and it looks like you’ll soon be able to get one yourself — UK retailer Expansys has announced that it’ll be the first to carry it and, for the time being at least, the only place to get one. Somewhat curiously, Expansys lists a 768MHz Snapdragon processor, not 1GHz as we had heard before, but the rest of the specs are right in line. That includes Android 2.1, a 7-inch WVGA display, 3G and WiFi connectivity, a 2-megapixel camera, and a microSD card slot for some additional storage, among other standard tablet fare. Sound like just the tablet you’ve been waiting for? It’ll set you back £299 (or about $450) and should ship within seven days.

Expansys becomes exclusive retailer for Huawei S7 Android tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Unwired  |  sourceExpansys  | Email this | Comments

Another Android tablet spotted? Say it ain’t so!

What’s this? Oh, just yet another Android tablet spotted in the wild hanging out, looking cool. This one, made by Acorp, is a 5-incher with Android 1.5 (upgradable to 2.2) and we have to say, it definitely looks a lot like the Dell Streak. We also hear that there’s going to be a 7-inch version as well, if you need something that’s absolutely massive. It’s got a 600MHz Rockchip ARM9 processor, micrsSD slot, 3.5mm jack and Wi-Fi, and a resistive touchscreen with stylus. We know that it’s going to be available sometime next month, and while we don’t have pricing information, we’ve heard that if you’re willing to buy it in bulk (over 1,000 units, friend) they’ll be around $88 each. Deal? Video after the break.

Continue reading Another Android tablet spotted? Say it ain’t so!

Another Android tablet spotted? Say it ain’t so! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 10:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Community  |  sourceAndroid Guys  | Email this | Comments

Dell Streak free on contract in UK, assuming £25 monthly plan

You know that Dell Streak tabletphone that’s got us all hot and bothered these days? Yeah, well, what with all the stabbing, we totally didn’t notice that the device has already been priced in the UK. When it launches on June 4th at The Carphone Warehouse, the Streak will cost you a sizable £429 off-contract — the same Apple wants for an iPad 16GB — but not a penny if you opt for its data plans (carried by O2). With a £25 mobile broadband contract or a £35 voice and unlimited data contract, the five-inch WVGA slate will be yours to take home free — the same as Carphone’s iPhone 3G pricing. We don’t know quite yet if O2 UK’s official tariffs will be cheaper or more expensive, but the tree doesn’t grow too far from the apple, as they say.

Continue reading Dell Streak free on contract in UK, assuming £25 monthly plan

Dell Streak free on contract in UK, assuming £25 monthly plan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceThe Carphone Warehouse  | Email this | Comments

Enso zenPad unboxing and hands-on: one disappointment after another

For the price, there’s nothing truly terrible about the SMiT MID-560A touchscreen tablet. If you’ve never held an Android device, you might even be pleasantly surprised with the functionality on offer. But if you have — or if you bought yours from a company called Enso and became embroiled in a vaporware scandal as a result — the zenPad is quite the letdown. Hear why after the break.

Continue reading Enso zenPad unboxing and hands-on: one disappointment after another

Enso zenPad unboxing and hands-on: one disappointment after another originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 17:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer CEO teases 7-inch Android tablet, promises it for Q4 2010

Acer’s been busy doing a presentation over in Beijing today, and the highlight of the show was the first sighting of the company’s 7-inch Android tablet. It’s described by Shufflegazine as “pretty fast with sensitive touch,” though CEO Gianfranco Lanci was apparently reluctant to disclose any of the specs. He told the gathered press to expect it in the fourth quarter of this year, which sounds all kinds of 2000-and-late, but we have to consider the fact that only a couple of months ago Acer was telling us it wasn’t going to enter the tablet realm at all. What’s interesting is that Lanci described network operators as an “obvious” sales channel, suggesting the slate has an integrated 3G module, while it also looks like the silvery bottom of the device is occupied by a QWERTY keyboard not unlike that found on Amazon’s Kindle. Interesting times lie ahead, that’s for sure.

[Thanks, Imran]

Acer CEO teases 7-inch Android tablet, promises it for Q4 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 02:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shanzai shocker! VIA processors in $100 Android tablets later this year

Brace for a storm of craptablets: this week, Taiwanese semiconductor firm VIA said its processors will appear in a new slate of cheap Android tablets destined for the US in the second half of this year. Speaking to Bloomberg, VIA marketing head Richard Brown said the company’s Chinese customers will ship around five tablets, that they’ll appear at $100 to $150 price points, and that “the tablet market has been legitimized by Apple” — that last likely in an attempt to make Bloomberg utter the words “VIA” and “iPad” in the same breath. (It worked.) Mind you, the iPad certainly isn’t the be-all, end-all of tablet computing, but we wouldn’t expect to get a legitimate iPad killer for $100, either. We think we said it best in April: you get what you pay for.

Shanzai shocker! VIA processors in $100 Android tablets later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 May 2010 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |  sourceBloomberg  | Email this | Comments