Windows tablet OS preview coming next week?

We’ve heard an awful lot about a Windows tablet OS this past year, with stirrings of a 2012 launch — heck, even Steve Ballmer’s fanned the flames of speculation — and now the rumor mill’s been set in motion with word of an impending preview expected next week. According to Bloomberg, three sources have confirmed Microsoft’s plan to flaunt the much-anticipated UI, possibly at upcoming appearances at AllThingsD and Computex. The showcase is supposedly set to run the touchscreen-enabled software on a Tegra-equipped machine. We’d previously reported on stirrings of a June demo. Considering all the evidence that’s stacked up over the past few months, we’d say 2012 is looking like a rather practical target.

Windows tablet OS preview coming next week? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 May 2011 20:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Business Insider  |  sourceBloomberg  | Email this | Comments

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will ship with Android 3.1 on board, said to be ‘a few days away’

Do you like Android 3.1? Do you like tablets slimmer than the iPad 2? You might want to talk to Samsung in that case, because the Galaxy creator has put those two features together on its Galaxy Tab 10.1 product page and has compounded the excitement with a tweet saying the tablet is mere days away. Now, there’s a bit of conflicting information here, because Samsung’s tweet actually promises Android 3.0, but the Tab 10.1 page clearly lists the harder, better, faster, stronger Android version as the one that comes with the slate. Additionally, our conversations with Samsung at Google I/O earlier this month indicated that the June 8th launch date that we’ve been taking as gospel until recently is a little shakier now, with a slight delay possibly being caused by the desire to install the latest Honeycomb on board. So maybe the tweet’s accurate in saying the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is coming in just a few days, it just depends on your definition of “few.”

Update: Another tweet from Samsung’s US account has reaffirmed that Android 3.1 will be the OS.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will ship with Android 3.1 on board, said to be ‘a few days away’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 04:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink thegadgets.net  |  sourceSamsung, @SamsungMobileUS (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

StreakDroid 2.0.0 gives the gift of Gingerbread to Streak hackers

If you’ve been following along, you know that a phone enthusiast named DJ_Steve has kept the Dell Streak fresh, thanks to a series of hacked ROMs, dubbed StreakDroid. The latest version, 2.0.0 (or GingerStreak, if you’re feeling cute) brings Gingerbread to the 5-inch smartphone — expanding on the last ROM, which gave hackers the option of selecting Gingerbread’s app launcher. As always, though, dear Steve has noted a handful of bugs in the ROM’s early stages, including issues with the Superuser app, less-than-stellar graphics performance, and the fact that both GPS and 720p video recording require an engineering baseband and DSP to be flashed. As of this writing, all of the comments are from Streak owners eager to download this for themselves. We assume you are, too, so let us know how the new ROM works out for ya.

StreakDroid 2.0.0 gives the gift of Gingerbread to Streak hackers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 01:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMoDaCo  | Email this | Comments

Pantech Vega No.5 bringing sexy back to tabletphones, packs 1.5GHz dual-core chip

Yes, tabletphones are coming back! Joining the eccentric Dell Streak 5 is Pantech’s conveniently named Vega No.5 (or IM-T100K), a 5-inch Android 2.3.3 smartphone powered by Qualcomm’s brawny dual-core 1.5GHz MSM8660. Apart from the extra 0.7 inches of screen size, what we have here is essentially the same package as the Vega Racer: 800 x 480 LCD, 8 megapixel 1080p camera, front-facing camera, 1GB DDR2 RAM, 16GB of memory, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, and 14.4Mbps HSPA+ connectivity. No word on international availability, but expect this slate to hit the shops in Korea later this month. Hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Pantech Vega No.5 bringing sexy back to tabletphones, packs 1.5GHz dual-core chip

Pantech Vega No.5 bringing sexy back to tabletphones, packs 1.5GHz dual-core chip originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 06:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS gets Computex 2011 started early with a tablet teaser, asks us ‘pad or phone?’

Oh ASUS, what are you up to now? The company that brought us the wildly popular Eee Pad Transformer has another new tablet brewing in its design labs, which we’re promised we’ll get to witness for the first time at Computex 2011. Until then, we’ve been provided with a trio of images to pore over and get the guessing games going. The slate device, whose size and software remain unspecified, is said to feature a bump (above left) and a clip (above right), though there are no explanations given about the function of either. You may see both images in their full size after the break, along with a teaser image from ASUS’ Facebook page with the slogan “break the rules: pad or phone?” stood in front of a tablet silhouette. That provides plenty of clues for aspiring Sherlocks out there, but little concrete knowledge. Ah well, Computex is just a week away.

Continue reading ASUS gets Computex 2011 started early with a tablet teaser, asks us ‘pad or phone?’

ASUS gets Computex 2011 started early with a tablet teaser, asks us ‘pad or phone?’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 04:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Notebook Italia  |  sourceTechinStyle.tv  | Email this | Comments

HP thinks the TouchPad will be ‘better than number one,’ if that’s even possible


HP‘s expectations for its new TouchPad tablet are running pretty high — so high, in fact, that they can only be expressed with a make-believe number. During a recent press conference in Cannes, HP’s Eric Cador boldly declared that his company’s new slate won’t just be the best on the market, it’ll be the bestest. Cador explained:

“In the PC world, with fewer ways of differentiating HP’s products from our competitors, we became number one; in the tablet world we’re going to become better than number one. We call it number one plus.”

A spokesman later confirmed that the device will launch in the UK with apps from the Guardian, Sky and Last.fm, but promised that “thousands” of other apps are on the way. The metrics might sound a bit optimistic, but the message is clear: HP thinks the TouchPad will annihilate the iPad and blow our minds to smithereens. We’ll just have to wait and see whether it’s as explosive as advertised.

HP thinks the TouchPad will be ‘better than number one,’ if that’s even possible originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 03:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceThe Daily Telegraph  | Email this | Comments

Samsung Germany puts cart before horse: Galaxy Tab 10.1 peripherals on sale now

Like what you’ve seen of Sammy’s slim new slate, but aren’t so psyched about typing sans tactile feedback? Well, worry no more, as Samsung Germany is showing off some peripherals for the ten-inch Galaxy Tab. There’s a €150 ($213) case with an integrated Bluetooth keyboard to give it that Transformer-esqe form factor or an €80 ($114) keyboard dock (“available soon”) that should also sate your phalanges’ physical desires. Other accoutrement includes USB adapters, protective cases and sleeves, a docking station, and an HDMI adapter for viewing video on screens of all sizes. So now that Samsung’s selling some of the sides, we’ve got one question. Where’s our entree?

Continue reading Samsung Germany puts cart before horse: Galaxy Tab 10.1 peripherals on sale now

Samsung Germany puts cart before horse: Galaxy Tab 10.1 peripherals on sale now originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 May 2011 22:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Tabtech  |  sourceSamsung Germany  | Email this | Comments

Flyer Friday: Best Buy starts selling HTC’s seven-inch slate today

We thought HTC’s Flyer wasn’t going on sale until May 22nd, but it appears a certain big box retailer has changed its plans. Our tipsters have told us that stores with the device in stock have started selling it today, May 20th, despite the somewhat confusing text you see in the picture above. So, if you’re pining for a $500, seven-inch slab of silky smooth Sense 3.0, head on down to the local Best Buy and grab one yourself.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Flyer Friday: Best Buy starts selling HTC’s seven-inch slate today originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 19:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Explosion at Foxconn’s Chengdu plant kills two

An explosion occurred at Foxconn’s Chengdu plant earlier today, with reports claiming several workers have been injured. The Taiwanese company has yet to release a statement regarding figures and the cause of this tragedy, but according to 21st Century Business Herald, witnesses saw lightning hit the A05 building before the explosion took place — it is believed that this is a case of dust explosion, and security guards were allegedly warning evacuees that the smoke was toxic. At the time, hundreds of workers were present in the affected workshop which houses an iPad 2 assembly line. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.

Update: Sina Tech is reporting two deaths and sixteen injured people, with three in critical condition. We’ve also added a video from the scene after the break, courtesy of Sohu.

Update 2: Apple has provided a statement to All Things D, saying:

We are deeply saddened by the tragedy at Foxconn’s plant in Chengdu, and our hearts go out to the victims and their families… We are working closely with Foxconn to understand what caused this terrible event.

Continue reading Explosion at Foxconn’s Chengdu plant kills two

Explosion at Foxconn’s Chengdu plant kills two originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 11:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink M.I.C. Gadget  |  source21st Century Business Hearld  | Email this | Comments

Android Honeycomb has hidden Gingerbread interface, enabled by higher LCD density

Google’s already indicated that tablets and smartphones won’t be sharing the same Android build until Ice Cream Sandwich in Q4, though interestingly enough, it turns out that the tablet-friendly Honeycomb actually has Gingerbread’s interface quietly tucked underneath. According to modder Graffix0214, all you need for making the jump is one simple tweak in a system file: assuming you already have root access, use your preferred method — Pocketables recommends the LCDDensity for Root app — to change the LCD density value to 170 or higher to emulate a smaller, denser display. After a reboot, you should then see some Gingerbread love as demoed by Graffix0214’s video after the break; and likewise, set the value to 160 or lower to roll back. It sure is nice to have an option, eh?

Continue reading Android Honeycomb has hidden Gingerbread interface, enabled by higher LCD density

Android Honeycomb has hidden Gingerbread interface, enabled by higher LCD density originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 04:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePocketables  | Email this | Comments