Hasta La Gadget!

To say Motorola’s Xoom had a coming-out party at CES would be understating things greatly. It was easily one of the highlights of the show, and the potential that was shown was obviously just part of the story. According to Moto’s developer page, there’s actually a barometer included, right alongside an accelerometer, magnetometer, ambient light sensor and gyroscope. Oddly enough, a proximity sensor is left out of the mix, but seriously… a barometer? Truth be told, this is actually just an oft overlooked point that was first shown in VZW / Motorola’s joint press release, but it’s good to know that at least one flagship slate will be compatible with Android 2.3’s barometer support. Here’s hoping it’ll be useful for helping you sidestep ugly weather patterns, or something of the sort.

Motorola Xoom to boast barometer, budding meteorologists have found their next tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We just played with ASUS whole new tablet lineup, which is truly impressive not only in scope, but also for the fact that ASUS didn’t just pick a few capacitive screen sizes and call it a day. Each of the four tablets (three Android-based Eee Pads and one Windows-based Eee Slate) has its own “twist” on what’s come to seem traditional in modern day tablets, while also maintaining significant hardware and screen quality. We’re not crazy about the ‘MyWave’ ASUS software skin on its Android models, but they at least seem serious about providing UI and apps for the entire experience — they’re not kidding around, is what we’re saying.

We’ve got a ton of pictures and impressions, so follow after the break as we break it all down!

Update: We’ve added video as well. You’d be a fool not to click.

Continue reading ASUS tablet lineup preview: Slider, Transformer, MeMO, and Slate EP121 go wild (with video!)

ASUS tablet lineup preview: Slider, Transformer, MeMO, and Slate EP121 go wild (with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netbook Navigator has made tablet pcs in the past — one of which we reviewed — so it should come as no surprise that they’ve got several more brewing. In fact, we are now hearing that the company’s got three (yes, three) Windows-based tablets to show off when the floor opens and the stampede begins. Among the offerings will be the NAV7 tablet, what the company is describing as the “first ever multitouch Windows 7-inch” tablet, plus the NAV10i and a slightly revamped NAV9. While we don’t have full specs for any of these tablets, we do know that all will be Atom CPU-based devices with SSDs, 2GB of RAM, ‘several’ USB ports, WiFi, Bluetooth, and webcams, plus optional 3G. Other details about the NAV10i — it’ll be a 10-incher (capacitive LCD), while the NAV9 will be a rugged 8.9-incher. We’ll let you know as soon as we get our hands on these bad boys, but until then: the full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Netbook Navigator announces it’ll announce three new Windows-based tablets at CES

Netbook Navigator announces it’ll announce three new Windows-based tablets at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is it an e-reader? A two-faced tablet? Something else entirely. Hard to say for sure, but just as it promised, NEC has furnished a boatload of details surrounding its heretofore mysterious LT-W Cloud Communicator. This dual-screen Android 2.1 device shares a pair of 7-inch resistive touchpanels, both of which have a non-glare (huzzah!) panel and an SVGA (800 x 600) resolution. Under the hood, we’re looking at an ARM Cortex A8 processor, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a three megapixel camera, optional 3G, SDHC card slot, a single USB 2.0 connector, an ear-ratting monaural speaker and a bundled stylus pen. There’s also an internal accelerometer, GPS sensor and a battery that’s good for up to five hours in ideal conditions. It seems as if NEC is aiming this at folks looking for a more sophisticated e-reading device rather than those looking for a quirky alternative to the cadre of slates already on the market, but there’s no word yet on a US price and release date. Needless to say, we’ll be digging for both here on the show floor. One more look is after the break.

Continue reading NEC gets official with dual-screen 7-inch LT-W Cloud Communicator

NEC gets official with dual-screen 7-inch LT-W Cloud Communicator originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola has just outed its delicious Honeycomb tablet alongside another device, the LTE-equipped Bionic, on its official site. The company’s CES press conference is ongoing right now, where the Xoom will presumably get its proper announcement. All we know so far is that this slate is headed to Verizon, the press release is still somewhere in the hidden parts of the internet. More soon!

Update: The PR and full spec sheet are now embedded after the break. A 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 will power this 10.1-incher, while 4G connectivity will be made available as an update in Q2 following a Q1 launch. Other specs include a 1280 x 800 resolution, 5 megapixel camera, 720p video recording and 1080p video playback, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and finally, a healthy 32GB of onboard storage. The battery is rated to be capable of supporting 10 hours of video. Be still, our beating hearts!

[Thanks, Pratik]

Continue reading Motorola Xoom becomes official, headed to Verizon in Q1, upgradeable to 4G in Q2

Motorola Xoom becomes official, headed to Verizon in Q1, upgradeable to 4G in Q2 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 19:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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