Hasta La Gadget!

Well, would you look at that? It appears someone just can’t manage to stay out of our field of vision. The shot you see above is apparently the same ultra-thin tablet we ran across two days ago in what appeared to be leaked renders. Now, it’s reportedly peeking out of a booth at IFA. From what we (and now you) can see, it’s running Android and sporting a front facing camera. Rumor has it, the slate will also carry a TI OMAP4460 dual-core 1.5GHz processor, micro-USB, micro HDMI and microSD slots. Of course, we’ll just have to wait see if things shake out, but we’ll be here at IFA trying our damndest to get this skinny sucker to come out of hiding.

Toshiba’s rumored ultra-thin tablet plays peek-a-boo at IFA? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 22:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve spent time in the rain recently like many of us, you recognize the value of waterproof gear. And Fujitsu’s leaked Arrows Tab F-01D tablet gets it too, packing a 10.1-inch WXGA display, TI IMAP4430 1GHz dual-core processor, and Android 3.2 Honeycomb — all in a unique waterproof housing. The yet-to-be-announced device is rumored to be launching on Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo in September, and may include UMTS, HSPA, and LTE connectivity, along with GSM and GPRS compatibility for roaming abroad. There’s also a pair of CMOS cameras, 16GB of on-board storage, micro-USB and standard headphone connectors (with waterproof covers, we assume), and a microSD card slot. We haven’t received word on pricing just yet, or whether or not the device can survive scuba depths or just the occasional splash, but if the bizarrely named Arrows Tab is indeed slated to launch in Japan next month, we imagine those details will be bubbling to the surface any day now.

Update: Netbooknews has a wider view of the ad above confirming the F-01D.

Fujitsu to release waterproof Arrows Tab F-01D LTE tablet on NTT DoCoMo (update: confirmed) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier this year, we heard a slew of whispers promising a late winter launch for Microsoft’s Windows 8 tablets — there was even mention of a tab-specific OS. While it’s become clear that Redmond intends for its new operating system to run on multiple devices, insight into its tablet plans are still somewhat shrouded in mystery. From the looks of these gesture patents, however, it’s clear MS has been eyeing a dual-screen tablet future (hello Courier). The recently published patents, not yet granted to the company, touch upon methods for off-screen input (read: bezel-based), but mainly focus on these multi-screen input options: dual tap, pinch and expand, hold and page-flip, hold and tap, and finally, bookmark hold. As you can glimpse from the image above, the patents handle simultaneous touch screen input, allowing a user the ability to swap images between screens, or even freeze a page on one side while continuing to browse on the other. By the looks of things, Sony might have some fierce competition in the multi-screen tablet market. Head to the source below to get a fuller look at these touch-based solutions.

Microsoft gesture patents reveal possible dual-screen tablet focus originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Because tablets were made to consume data, Sprint’s launching an alternative pay model for those hesitant to enter into long-term contracts. Available now from the Hesse-led carrier, HTC EVO View 4G owners can select a per day, week, or even month data pass according to their wireless appetite. If you’re amongst the shackled hordes currently subscribing to a monthly package, you’re gonna have to sit this one out. For the commitment-phobic, however, there’s a $14.99 day plan that nets users 150MB of 3G / 4G use, a $29.99 week plan that ups the ante to 500MB, and the top end $49.99 month pass that serves up 1.5GB of wireless radio soup. In the event you haven’t been sufficiently seduced, the third place network’s even thrown in a “free day” promo pass to get you hooked started on that “third device.” Be sure to head to the source for the full à la carte breakdown.

Sprint brings short-term data passes to HTC EVO View 4G, the contract-averse silently applaud originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hang tight just a second — let me preface all of this with a quick reminder that I’m speaking on a personal level, and I’m absolutely certain that slates have a place in this world somewhere. We could go back and forth for hours with use-case scenarios (and the same could be done with cars, time machines or your luxury good of choice), but this isn’t about proving that a tablet can do one or two things; it’s about the limitations and awkwardness of using one that no one seems to talk about.

After years of watching the masses fawn over the iPad (and every other PC maker scramble to come out with something that serves a similar purpose), I still can’t ever imagine myself investing in one, let alone actually using one in place of a smartphone or laptop. I’ve met quite a few folks in my line of work that all ask me the same thing: “Should I buy an iPad?” It’s worth noting that no one actually asks if “they should buy a tablet,” but that’s speaking more about Apple’s absurdly enviable mind (and in turn, market) share than anything else. My response is always the same: “If you can’t think of a reason you’d need it, you don’t need it.”

Tablets, for whatever reason, seem to defy logic when it comes to purchase rationalization in the consumer electronics realm. I’ve yet to meet a bloke who purchased an ultraportable without knowing full-well that they would take advantage of enhanced battery life and a highly mobile chassis. Everyone I’ve know that invested in a high-end gaming rig knew why they were shelling out on that $500 GPU (read: frames-per-second). And all of my movie cuttin’ pals knew precisely why they just had to have a Thunderbolt RAID setup. But tablets? People are just buying these things in a fit of hysteria — does anyone actually know why this “third device” is such a necessity? Let’s dive a little deeper, shall we?

Continue reading Editorial: tablets aren’t the ‘third device’ I’d hoped for… from a productivity standpoint, anyway

Editorial: tablets aren’t the ‘third device’ I’d hoped for… from a productivity standpoint, anyway originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Aug 2011 12:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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