Hasta La Gadget!

Move on over, Delta. The 200 iPads at your JFK terminal may entertain some folks waiting to board, but before the year’s out American Airlines will start switching out 6,000 in-flight entertainment systems with Samsung 10.1-inch Galaxy Tabs. Sammy will be customizing the Honeycomb slates with flight related “features” including AA’s streaming service mentioned last month, and possibly even adding “expanded memory” for the devices — no word on how, though. Panasonic’s console has some competition it seems. It’s notable that these will only be available in “premium cabins” on a handful of long-distance routes, and unless you’re flying in a 767-200, WiFi access — a separate purchase, by the way — may not be available. We’ve embedded some PR with the details for all you jet-setting tablet enthusiasts after the break.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab spreads wings, flies to premium seats on American Airlines

Samsung Galaxy Tab spreads wings, flies to premium seats on American Airlines originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nothing like a little software update to get the weekend started right… right? Just days after Samsung shipped the first consumer units of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 (you can find our review here), the Android 3.1 update that first struck Motorola’s Xoom is now gracing the Limited Edition models that were handed out at Google I/O 2011. We’ve confirmed here at Engadget HQ that the update is indeed percolating, with Americans needing to simply register with Samsung (select “UK” in the options list, it’s cool) and proceed to the Software Update within the Settings pane. If you’ve applied the update, let us know how things went in comments below; if you ran into any issues, give those More Coverage links a look. Either way: lucky!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition gets Android 3.1 update, that much cooler originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wait, Vizio’s concocting a tablet? For those with chronic short-term memory loss, you may have forgotten that America’s so-called low-cost TV leader branched out a bit during this year’s Super Bowl, but it’s been dead quiet on the tablet front ever since dropping the Via and sticking with Tablet. Looks like that’s about to change, though — a courteous tipster handed off the screenshot you see above, highlighting the appearance of a ‘VTAB1008’ within Walmart’s inventory system. The device was just added a couple of weeks ago, and while we’re still no closer to knowing if Vizio’s done the right thing and settled on Honeycomb, we do know that it’ll be pricing this thing competitively. How competitively? $349… competitively. We’ll keep you abreast of any release dates we see, but for now, catch up by having a gander at our preview video from a few months back.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Vizio Tablet (VTAB1008) priced at $349 within Walmart’s system originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 19:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Does that bulky black plastic surround look familiar? It’s becoming standard uniform for Android tablets at the $250 price point like the Nook Color and now ViewSonic’s latest offering, the ViewBook 730. Basic specs also look pretty similar — the ViewBook has a 7-inch screen (albeit with a 800×480 resolution, lower than the Nook’s), 8GB of internal storage and an SD card slot. But the 730 does have some significant advantages over its older rival: notably a front-facing VGA camera and a faster 1Ghz Cortex-A8 processor (versus 800Mhz on the Nook Color) that claims to handle 1080p video and output it via an HDMI port. Plus there’s full Android 2.2 instead of the Nook Color’s walled-off ecosphere. Interestingly, the ViewBook also tries to distinguish itself with stylus support for note-taking — akin to the HTC Flyer. Goes to show you can’t judge a multi-function e-reader by its bezel. Hit the PR after the break to see if this budget tablet will tick your boxes when it arrives at the end of June.

Continue reading ViewSonic announces $250 ViewBook 730 tablet, steps on Nook Color’s turf

ViewSonic announces $250 ViewBook 730 tablet, steps on Nook Color’s turf originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Johan, who can’t seem to determine which size is sizable enough. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I’m in the market for a tablet, mostly for content consumption but also for checking emails and being somewhat productive when I feel like it. I’ve never owned one before, so I’m wondering what size is best. I could get a 7-inch, 8.9-inch or 10-inch tablet — I’m more concerned with the size than the OS, frankly. I need it to be portable, yet still feel “bigger” than my Droid X. Any opinions from those that have used multiple sizes? Thanks!”

A great question. There’s obviously pros and cons to each of those sizes, and your options are certainly constricted down at the 7-inch end. That said, the now-discounted Galaxy Tab and the still-growing BlackBerry PlayBook would fit the 7-inch bill, and the choices spread out significantly when creeping up to 10-inches. So, what say you?

Ask Engadget: should I get a 7-, 8.9- or 10-inch tablet? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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