Hasta La Gadget!

Those Chinese manufacturers sure know how to quickly copy what’s available or popular and pump out cheap devices — especially tablets. What we have here is a popular Chinese tablet manufacturer, Cube, showing off their new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean powered tablet that also rocks a “retina” like 9.7-inch display.

Cube was the first tablet maker to release a tablet with the Rockchip RK3066 dual-core processor way back when dual-core tablets were a rarity, and today they’ve done the same with their new U9GT5 Retina Display Android tablet. This sleek little tablet rocks a similar 2048 x 1536 resolution display as the new iPad (iPad 3), which offers the same 264 pixels per inch as the all new iPad — although surely this won’t cost as much.

Under the hood however is where the large differences are. For one you’ll be enjoying the latest and greatest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean by Google, but the internal specs aren’t all that great. It uses the same aging Rockhip RK3066 1.6 GHz dual-core processor, manages 1GB of RAM, and comes with 8GB of internal storage. While that all sounds relatively nice, it certainly won’t be up to par with most tablets from Apple, Samsung, or ASUS.

It’s safe to say this tablet won’t be getting purchased by us anytime soon, but most likely they’ll be plastered across eBay in the usual Chinese knock-off tablet fashion we’ve seen for years. Pricing on the 8 and 16GB models weren’t made available but most likely they’ll be cheap. Would you buy this, or just opt for the Nexus 7 or upcoming iPad Mini?

[via Liliputing]

Cube U9GT5 Android Jelly Bean tablet touts iPad Retina display is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Not to be outdone by a refreshed iPod touch (and, let’s face it, a new iPhone), Apple also shot out a 5.4mm-thick iPod nano today — that’s 38 percent thinner than the one it replaces. We just got our hands on the newest, tiniest music player outside of Apple’s product launch today, replete with a 2.5-inch multitouch panel and a familiar Home button. As you’d expect, the enlarged display is hugely beneficial. While there’s no bona fide version of iOS on here, the stripped-down variant seems sufficient for handling media alone. As if the ability to watch widescreen video wasn’t enough, fitness gurus are also apt to take notice — inbuilt support for Nike+ gear, along with Bluetooth, make this one potent device.

The Lightning connector seems to make a lot of sense here, given the dearth of real estate along the bottom, but somehow the company squeezed a big enough battery in here to net some 30 reported hours of battery life. In playing with it, we found screen transitions to be adequately smooth, and video playback was surprisingly enjoyable to watch. The screen is most definitely less stunning than the one on the iPod touch, but at $149, you can bet quite a bit of these end up in stockings this holiday season.

Continue reading 7th-generation iPod nano hands-on!

Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio/Video

7th-generation iPod nano hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At long last, the iPhone 5. We just got our hands on Apple’s latest smartphone following its unveiling in San Francisco, and suffice it to say, it’s a beautiful thing. Some might say we’ve been waiting for this moment since October 4th of last year, but another crowd may say that the real next-gen iPhone has been on the burner for much longer. Indeed, this is the first iPhone since June of 2010 to showcase an entirely new design, but it’s obvious that Apple’s not going to deviate far when it comes to aesthetics.

Apple followers will aptly recall Steve Jobs’ quote in July of 2010 — you know, that one about “no one” wanting a big phone, with current CEO Tim Cook seated just feet from Steve as the phrase was uttered. Now, however, Apple’s inching ever closer to that very realm, with an elongated 4-inch display that enables new apps to take advantage of more pixels (1,136 x 640), while legacy apps can still operate within a familiar space. The phone itself doesn’t feel too much different than the iPhone 4 and 4S; yes, it’s a bit taller, but by keeping the width the same, you’ll utilize a very familiar grasp to hold it.

In typical Apple fashion, even the finest details have been worked over tirelessly. The metal feels downright elegant to the touch, and the same line we’ve said time and time again applies here: there’s no doubting the premium fit and finish when you clutch one of these things. Yeah, the headphone port’s now on the bottom, but avid Galaxy Nexus iPod touch users shouldn’t have too much trouble adjusting.

Continue reading iPhone 5 hands-on!

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

iPhone 5 hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iPhone 5′s display has been revealed today at Apple’s press event, bringing with it a lovely 1136 x 640 screen resolution with 16:9 aspect ratio across 4-inches of space. This device will be rolling out with a Retina quality display, mind you, at 326 PPI, amongst the most high-definition on the market today. This display offers a 5th row of icons for the iOS 6 experience and still fits in our hand with the same width as the iPhone 4S and before.

This device has also been shown to be bringing an improved camera on the back – though it is still called 8 megapixels, it’s a big boost, as well as audio and video enhancements as well. The iPhone 5 will come with three microphones for better noise cancellation than ever before as well as an improved A6 chip under the hood. The iPhone 5 is set to bring on a new era of mobile products for Apple with its new 16-pin port plug for USB and will be coming soon to an Apple store near you.

Check the timeline below for more instant updates on the event surrounding this next-level device and of course hit our Apple portal as well for continued coverage as the device hits stores!

iPhone 5 4-inch Retina display detailed with massive resolution is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Everyone may be waiting for Apple to reveal the iPhone 5 during today’s highly anticipated event, but before the reveals happen, Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage to boast the latest numbers for the company’s products. Needless to say, if Tim Cook is bragging about them in front of a packed house, you can bet they’re pretty good.

Cook started with OS X Mountain Lion, saying that since its release, 7 million people have downloaded a copy. That makes Mountain Lion the fastest selling Apple release of all time, definitely something worth bragging about. The new MacBook Pro with Retina Display – which Apple says is the best Mac it has ever made – and the MacBook Air have been doing quite well too.

So well, in fact, that Apple says its notebooks are now in first place as far as US market share is concerned. To get specific, that’s a 27% market share for its notebooks, and Cook says that for the past 6 years straight, Mac has grown “significantly faster” than PC has. That definitely isn’t bad, and you can bet that Apple will look to keep that growth up with future Mac releases. Be sure to tune into our liveblog for up-to-the minute updates straight from Apple’s press event, and have a look at our Apple portal for more in-depth coverage!

Tim Cook boasts Mountain Lion numbers at iPhone 5 event is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.