Toshiba reveals more tablet details, confirms Windows and Android versions

More details on Toshiba's upcoming tablets, Windows and Android versions confirmed


It wasn’t that long ago that we heard confirmation from Toshiba America’s Jeff Barney that there was a slate coming from the company in early 2011. Now Jeff has disclosed a bit more information to Reuters, including the presence of not one but at least two of the things, and he’s saying they’ll be out before the year is through. The first will be a premium model running Windows 7, roughly 10 inches in size and, interestingly, having not one but two screens. (Is this you, Courier?) The second will run Android and is said to come in at a lower price, though beyond that it’s up to you to decide what kind of specs it should have. The prime intent for both is “media consumption” according to Barney, who sees the presence of slates as “expansive like netbooks.” In other words: not stealing sales from the company’s laptop business. Given he also took the time to talk up the 50-percent boost in Toshiba laptop and PC sales this year, he’d better hope that’s the case.

Toshiba reveals more tablet details, confirms Windows and Android versions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink electronista  |  sourceReuters  | Email this | Comments

ODROID tablet sports Hummingbird application processor, shows off naked dev edition on video

Time to add another candidate for the tablet portion of your gadget budget. The ODROID tablet — being developed by Hardkernel, the folks behind the ODROID portable console — has at its heart a 1GHz Samsung S5PC110 application processor. Also known as Hummingbird, this chip can drive 1080p video at 30fps according to Samsung, and its ability to deliver a flawlessly smooth user experience was demonstrated in our Galaxy S hands-on. It is an extremely promising core to build around, and the 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with 1,366 x 768 resolution and Android 2.1 inclusions are nothing to sniff at either. For now, all we have is the demo video after the break — starring your favorite tech blog — but we’ll surely keep an eye out for developments with this device. Particularly if the bezel matches the thin metal frame we’re seeing right now.

Continue reading ODROID tablet sports Hummingbird application processor, shows off naked dev edition on video

ODROID tablet sports Hummingbird application processor, shows off naked dev edition on video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Netbook News  |  sourceYouTube  | Email this | Comments

Enso’s zenPad is vaporware, get refunds while they last (update)

Did you order a Enso zenPad? If so, you’ll be happy to hear that the company has decided on a concrete release date; its website is now ticking down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until May 8th, when Enso claims they’ll finally ship the rebranded Smit MID. Problem is, if you ordered your zenPad on March 22nd — the day we wrote about it — you will have waited 47 days by the time the device ships, exactly two days too many to get a PayPal refund. But more importantly, manufacturer Smit has now disavowed any knowledge of a deal, and Enso itself has admitted that the zenPad as such does not currently exist. We’ve done quite a bit of digging and even spoke with an Enso founder to get the whole story. Enough promises have now been broken and lies told that if we were you, we’d request refunds ASAP, but if you still want to hang on for a chance at a $155 Android tablet, you can hear the whole tale right after the break.

Update: We just spoke to Enso CEO Alberto Armandi, who says that the company has now secured the necessary funding to make good on orders, and promises that he will ship us a zenPad for review within two weeks. We’ll revisit this story then. Meanwhile, read how we got to this juncture after the break.

Continue reading Enso’s zenPad is vaporware, get refunds while they last (update)

Enso’s zenPad is vaporware, get refunds while they last (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Enso’s zenPad is the cheap Android tablet you’ve always wanted, available now

Enso's zenPad is that cheap Android tablet you've always wanted, available now

With so many concept Android tablets floating around lately we were inclined to just ignore this one — until we learned two particularly interesting aspects: it starts at $155, and it’s actually shipping now. It’s the zenPad from Enso, a five-inch, 800 x 480 Android 1.6 tablet with 8GB of storage (on a replaceable microSD) that, for an additional $25, comes with GPS. It’s powered by a 667MHz Samsung 6410 processor, pledges six hours of battery life, and has WiFi built-in while an external 3G adapter is just another $35. That means a fully max’d out unit with GPS and 3G would set you back $210 — plus $25 for shipping. And yes, they are shipping now, as evidenced by a number of the things popping up on eBay. Sure, it doesn’t look as fancy as the Dell Mini 5, but you won’t have to fly to Shenzhen to get one. Video demonstration embedded after the break, but the footage was apparently encoded using some demo software, so beware nagging audio intrusions.

Update: We were guessing this was a rebrand of something, and thanks to commenter Raikus it looks like this is a Smit MID-650, which eviGroup’s Wallet was also said to be based on — at more than twice the price. Also, we (well, you really) seem to have taken down Enso’s site thanks to traffic. Oops! Hit that eBay link if you’re desperate to Buy It Now(R).

Update 2: The annoying demonstration video previously embedded, which Enso had provided, has been replaced by the original, nagware-free version courtesy of ARMdevices.net.

[Thanks, Corey]

Continue reading Enso’s zenPad is the cheap Android tablet you’ve always wanted, available now

Enso’s zenPad is the cheap Android tablet you’ve always wanted, available now originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 09:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceEnso-Now.com  | Email this | Comments

Entourage Edge review

Is it an Android tablet? An e-reader? Just a sweet gadget with two screens? Truth is the Entourage Edge is a little bit of everything, and that’s exactly why we’ve been so intrigued with the “dualbook” since we fondled it at CES. Finally ready to make its shipping debut, the $499 dual screen device is aimed at students, but really it’s for anyone interested in a combination 9.7-inch E Ink reading / note-taking experience and a 10.1-inch Android web tablet. It’s sounded very cool to us for quite a while, but there’s always a difference between hype and reality. Does the Edge live up to its promise or attempt to do too much? The only place to find out is after the break in our full review.

Continue reading Entourage Edge review

Entourage Edge review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Huawei announces SmaKit S7 Android tablet

When we first spied Huawei’s SmaKit S7 Android tablet, we were at CeBit and it was… well, non-functioning. Now Huawei’s officially announced the tablet now, and we have to say that it looks just like every other Android tablet being hoisted upon the world these days, but it’s got some nice features that make it worth a second gander. The 7-incher boasts an 800 x 480 pixel resolution, 720p playback, 3G connectivity, plus a dock with HDMI out, two USB 2.0 ports, and two microSDHC slots. The tablet, which runs the 1.6 version of the OS, will supposedly be available this summer, though we don’t yet have any information about where it will be available or how much it will cost. We’ll let you know as soon as we do — but in the meantime, there’s a video demo after the break.

Continue reading Huawei announces SmaKit S7 Android tablet

Huawei announces SmaKit S7 Android tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceLet’s Go Digital, Phandroid  | Email this | Comments

$92 MD500 Android tablet from Hott actually looks pretty cool

Hott's $92 MD500 Android tablet actually looks pretty cool

At this point we really need another tablet like we need another hole in the head, but when this one could cost around $100 and still look quite good, well, it’s worth talking about. It’s the Hott MD500, an Android device with a 4.8-inch, 800 x 480 screen and plenty of OS customizations to make it rather more media-friendly, including the ability to “play every codec” according to the guy doing the demonstration. We’ll believe that when we see it, but it is shown playing a 720p clip from the cinematic masterpiece Tokyo Drift without too much trouble. The somewhat iPhone-esque design looks very nice and is much smaller than a comparable Archos 5. The price is $92 to distributors without any flash memory and, since you can get a 4GB microSD card for a few bucks these days (even a legit one), we wouldn’t be surprised if these sell for $115 or $120. Whether they’ll ever hit retail in the US is, of course, another question. Video demonstration is embedded below if you want to hear the hype, just try not to lose your breakfast every time this is enthusiastically called an iPad killer.

Continue reading $92 MD500 Android tablet from Hott actually looks pretty cool

$92 MD500 Android tablet from Hott actually looks pretty cool originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceARMdevices.net  | Email this | Comments

Leaked Dell Streak flyer shows multitude of color options, confirmed specifications

There’s no denying that the Mini 5 is real, but up until now, we’ve had to provide all of our own promotional material. At long last, it seems as if the suits in Round Rock are finally getting around to crafting the first advertisements for the upcoming slate, and while we knew about the 5-inch WVGA (800 x 480) touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, capacitive touch front buttons, front-facing VGA camera (for video chatting) and the 30-pin docking connector, we weren’t aware of Dell’s plans to reveal a slew of vivacious color options. If this here flyer proves legitimate, we could eventually see the Mini 5 available in an array of premium finishes and hues (thanks, Design Studio!), and we’re hoping for a few different spec builds as well. So, are you opting for the pink, or are you crossing your fingers in hopes that Dell allows you to print that embarrassing shot of you and Mr. T on the rear of one?

Update: Oh, snap! We just landed a few more official slides from an internal Dell document, and it’s safe to say that the company is going to call this beauty the Streak. Or, at least that’s the internal codename. Better still, it looks as if it’ll launch with an Amazon content partnership, which will bring a Kindle e-book reader app, Amazon MP3, Amazon video streams and pretty much any other material that Amazon sells in digital form right to the slate. C’mon now — how’s about a ship date and a price?

Leaked Dell Streak flyer shows multitude of color options, confirmed specifications originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

FirstView’s $95 Android / Windows CE PC607V tips a craptablet iceberg at CeBIT

Doesn’t look too bad for a $95 Android tablet, huh? Well, there’s plenty more where that came from. Scattered along the main halls of CeBIT are dozens of Chinese and Taiwanese consumer electronics resellers looking to sell products to new customers, and this year they sure loaded up the suitcases with cheap Android / Windows CE tablets. For the most part all these tablets (or small smartbooks) have ARM 9 or 11 processors and 5 to 7-inch resistive touch displays. While some like the FirstView PC607V tablet (pictured above) have attractive skins on top of Windows CE, others from companies like Forsa and Huawei have gone with stock versions of Android. In truth, all of the ones we played with felt chintzy, but it was easier to lower our standards when we learned they wouldn’t draw more than $150 from our wallets. We’ve got a hands-on video with FirstView’s Android tablet after the break, but if that doesn’t fill your cheap tablet needs hit the more coverage links for videos by some serious Android / ARM tablet lovers.

Continue reading FirstView’s $95 Android / Windows CE PC607V tips a craptablet iceberg at CeBIT

FirstView’s $95 Android / Windows CE PC607V tips a craptablet iceberg at CeBIT originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Haleron’s 7-inch iLet Mini HAL costs $199, ships March 1

Want a tablet computer sans all the brand loyalty drama and eye-opening prices? Haleron‘s got just the thing for you with its iLet Mini HAL. Its humble spec brings only a 600MHz VIA CPU and 128MB of DDR2 RAM to the table, but it runs Android 1.6 and if all you want is a tablet to access the web with, do you really need more? Additionally, the onboard 2GB of flash storage is augmented with 10GB of cloud storage and the cheap expandability that’s on offer via flash memory cards or USB drives. The iLet Mini HAL costs $199 with shipping starting next week, and we’ve been reliably informed that there’ll be no additional charges no matter how many poor Space Odyssey jokes you decide to make.

Haleron’s 7-inch iLet Mini HAL costs $199, ships March 1 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink best tablet review  |  sourceHaleron  | Email this | Comments