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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Marvell shows off 10-inch Android tablet at Netbook Summit

Unfortunately, we don’t know much about this new Marvell powered tablet, but we couldn’t resist sharing our impressions of the very svelte 10-inch device. We only got a few minutes to play around with the slate at the Netbook Summit, but we can tell you that it has a brushed metal back and there’s an opening on the front for a camera. As for the internals, it’s based on Marvell’s Moby reference design, which uses its Snapdragon-class Armada 610 processor, and will run Android 2.1 Eclair. The rest will be up to whatever Marvell customer is bringing this bad boy to market — the Marvell executive that let us catch a glance at the device wouldn’t turn it on as he feared we may see the mystery customer’s logo. We told you we didn’t know much, but from what we saw today it sure looks promising. Now, if only we felt Android was ready Google would give us a tablet-ready version of Android…

Marvell shows off 10-inch Android tablet at Netbook Summit originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No, we didn’t get an Enso zenPad

Hey folks, it’s just come to our attention that Enso — a French startup that received notoriety for selling vaporware tablets — has been using Engadget’s good name to convince irate customers that its product actually exists. We gave Enso the benefit of the doubt at first, but let’s put things in perspective: we have not received an zenPad tablet, and in fact, we no longer expect to. Enso has now promised us a review unit on five separate occasions beginning in early April, and missed each deadline it set for itself. We do not endorse the supposed product, and we’d appreciate it if you pay no attention when company founders tell you otherwise — or set up fake review websites, for that matter. That’s just not cool.

No, we didn’t get an Enso zenPad originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos 7 Home Tablet now shipping, days ahead of schedule

Looking for a cheap Android tablet that’s neither KIRF nor vaporware? You could do worse than the $199 Archos 7 Home Tablet, now shipping from Amazon a full week ahead of its “early June” release window. For three Benjamins less than that other slate, you’ll get a thin, spacious device that serves as an excellent media player, coupled with a sub-par Android 1.5 experience and a resistive touchscreen. If the lack of Android Market isn’t a dealbreaker, you can slap down your bills right after the break, but we’d recommend reading through our full review to see it in action (complete with video) and find out exactly what you’re getting yourself into.

Archos 7 Home Tablet now shipping, days ahead of schedule originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 01:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink DAP Review  |  sourceAmazon  | Email this | Comments