Hasta La Gadget!

It may be a bit difficult to pay attention to the spate of Honeycomb tablets that seem to be popping up left, right and center — you know, now that Ice Cream Sandwich has been officially promised — but what’s not easy to overlook is an 8.6mm slate. Checking in at a sliver of a pinch thinner than the illustrious iPad 2, Samsung’s rethought-out, redesigned and definitely-not-renamed Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the first Android tablet to date that seriously goes toe-to-toe with Apple in both specifications and design. Granted, the consumer models aren’t slated to ship out until June 8th, but given that Google handed us one last week during its annual I/O conference, we figured we’d spend the following weekend wisely. You know, photographing, benchmarking and testing this thing to the hilt. (Of note, the unit tested here was the Limited Edition model, devoid of TouchWiz, 3G and a microSD card slot, but is otherwise identical to shipping units aside from the design on the rear.)

The Tab 10.1 — not to be confused with the older, since-relabeled Tab 10.1v — weighs just 1.31 pounds (marginally besting the iPad 2’s 1.33 pound chassis), and if looks could kill, few people would’ve made it out of Moscone West with all organs functional. But as you well know, style only gets you in the door — it’s the guts, the software, and the marriage of it all that makes or breaks the tablet experience. Hop on past the jump to find out why we think Samsung truly delivered on the promise of a Google-powered tablet, and why you should all seriously consider socking away funds as early June approaches.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition review

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 May 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Over the past couple of years, HTC has rapidly built up an enviable reputation (and bank balance) in the smartphone space with a succession of feature-rich, smartly designed, and innovative handsets. The HD2 introduced us to the 4.3-inch form factor, the EVO 4G ushered in the era of 720p video recording, and the Legend wrapped itself inside a never-before-seen aluminum unibody enclosure.

Today, the company’s Android assembly line is turning out yet another groundbreaking device, though this one’s closer in size to the Athena than the Aria. Yes, we’re talking about the 7-inch Flyer, the most unique of this year’s Android tablet offerings, opting for a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a sturdy aluminum construction that doesn’t even try to compete in the race for extreme thinness, and a Magic Pen to make you forget it’s running Gingerbread and not Honeycomb (yet). Also set for release under the EVO View 4G moniker on Sprint in the US, this tablet is the sum of a set of bold choices on the part of HTC. To see how well those decisions have come off, click past the break for our full review.

Continue reading HTC Flyer review

HTC Flyer review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s pretty fitting that BeBook chose the word “Live” for its new product, because until we got a note from a member of its staff earlier today, we weren’t entirely sure it was still kicking. The company has followed up its solid, if pricey, black and white e-reader with, get this, an Android tablet. The BeBook Live tablet has a seven-inch multitouch color screen, a 2MP front facing camera, 1080p HDMI out, Flash support, and 4GB of built-in memory. Weirdly, the device’s “tablet OS” is actually Android 2.2, which will no doubt feel downright antiquated when it launches in June for $279 — which, to the company’s credit, is significantly cheaper than its lower tech predecessor. Video after the break that may or may not be narrated by the Moviefone guy.

Continue reading BeBook Live tablet delivers the goods for Froyo diehards

BeBook Live tablet delivers the goods for Froyo diehards originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 May 2011 10:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo’s long awaited LePad finally made its Chinese debut back in March, and while we may not ever see the tablet stateside — not as LePad, anyway — we can at least get a peak under the hood. Thanks to a teardown by IMP3, we’re seeing the inside of the machine for the first time, and while there’s not much in the way of surprises here, it’s always nice to see what makes these things tick. As we already knew, LePad’s packing the 1.3GHz Snapdragon chipset with Adreno 205 integrated graphics as well as an internal 27Wh battery. It’s also appears to be rocking Toshiba flash memory and a Wolfson audio processor. So we might not have much in the way of revelations here, but at least now you know what the LePad, or Skylight, or whatever, looks like underneath its skin.

Lenovo’s LePad gets LeTeardown originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 16:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading HTC Flyer up for preorder for $499 at Best Buy on April 24th

HTC Flyer up for preorder for $499 at Best Buy on April 24th originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Apr 2011 16:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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