Hasta La Gadget!

Looking for a telltale sign that tablets have shot right past mainstream and into over-saturation? Fix your focus a few pixels up, and you’ll be staring at it. VTech has just pushed out its InnoPad, a learning tablet developed specifically for kids aged 4 to 104 (or 9, if you’re concerned with “facts”). Boasting a 5-inch touchpanel, a tilt-sensor for gaming control, microphone and interfaces for USB, an SD card and a headphone jack, it’s actually more like a MID than anything else. Of course, the “kid-tough” casing makes it far bulkier than most, but at least it’s designed to take a licking (and keep on ticking). Contrary to conventional tablets, this one will rely primarily on learning cartridges, but there is support for digital downloads for those who’d rather sync it up with their Mac or PC and transfer things to a memory card. You’ve got a slew of options when it comes to software, and once your kid’s done learning for the day, the InnoPad can double as an MP3 player, video player and datebook. It’ll ship this fall for $79.99, with each title priced at $24.99. Something tells us this thing’s got “iPad killer” written all over it. In Children’s Doodle font, but hey…

Continue reading VTech’s InnoPad brings tablets to youngsters, floods their sponge-like brains with knowledge

VTech’s InnoPad brings tablets to youngsters, floods their sponge-like brains with knowledge originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 01:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By now, you know how HP’s new slate compares to the crowd — now, see how it looks up close and personal. We just got our hands on that dual-core Palm webOS tablet here in San Francisco, and it’s a beaut, with a slim black profile that highlights the brilliant 9.7-inch screen. We’ll be back in a jiffy with some impressions of that newfangled Tap to Share and card-based multitasking, but for now, simply feast your eyes on our gallery below.

Update: Video time! Check it after the break.

Continue reading HP TouchPad first hands-on! (updated with video!)

HP TouchPad first hands-on! (updated with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell unveiled a mighty business laptop lineup this morning, but only a few stood out — like this Dell Latitude XT3 convertible tablet PC with a quad dual-core Intel Sandy Bridge processor inside. Yes, it seems Dell’s decided to forgo the incredible battery life of its predecessor for potent performance instead, with this particular unit packing a 2.5GHz Core i5-2520M CPU and 2GB of RAM underneath that swiveling 13-inch display. While the prototype XT3’s screen seemed a little washed-out and viewing angles left something to be desired, we have to admire its matte dual-digitizer display, which takes multitouch input from at least three fingers simultaneously and also recognizes a pop-out stylus pen (the former responsive enough to navigate Windows 7 by touch alone, and the latter beyond our can’t-draw-a-straight-stick-figure ability to easily test). That sunlight-readable screen isn’t just for traveling artists, though, as Dell was quick to inform us that the XT3 is the company’s attempt to make a convertible tablet that corporate IT will accept as one of its own, thanks to the same magnesium frame and universal docking port as the rest of the new Latitude lineup. We can’t lie: we’d be pretty excited about the potential for awesome here, if we had any notion of release dates or price. Find some pictures below, and mosey past the break for a hands-on video.

Myriam Joire contributed to this report.

Continue reading Dell Latitude XT3 convertible tablet, hands-on (video)

Dell Latitude XT3 convertible tablet, hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Call us crazy, but we’re having a hard time interpreting this line of fine print in any other way:

“To activate WiFi functionality on this device, a minimum of one month data subscription is required.”

That’s listed under Best Buy’s most recent ad highlighting the world’s first Android 3.0 tablet, and it most certainly sounds both ominous and ridiculous. Hardcore Verizon followers may remember the days of Big Red crippling Bluetooth radios in phones in order to “coerce” users to purchase ringtones and such from them rather than snagging one on the subway from Tom, Dick and / Jane, so we definitely wouldn’t put something like this by the company. It’s hard to say how this will be implemented once the $800 Xoom hits retail shelves, but it’s certainly hard to believe that this is a Best Buy policy (and not a Verizon mandate). We’ll be digging for more details (after all, this could all be some strange, terrible dream), but we’ll be straight with you — we don’t like the potential implications here.

Update: We’re hearing from some Best Buy Mobile employees that these simply won’t be able to be sold without being first activated on Verizon’s network, so even though you could theoretically cancel the same day, you’ll still likely get hit with a one-time activation fee (and possibly one month of data). Then again, there appears to be typos on the flyer, so you may want to wait for Verizon’s official word before getting up in arms.

[Thanks, Michael]

Verizon locking WiFi on Motorola Xoom until you buy one month of data service? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 19:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jonney Shih has never been one to back down from his stance on anything, and in a recent sit-down with IDG News Service, the ASUS chairman delivered quite a few nuggets worth poring over. For starters, he played up (and subsequently downplayed) a “secret weapon” that would likely rival the iPad 2, but wouldn’t go so far as to confirm that said weapon would actually be a slate. His response to prying? “I think it’s best not to say now. You will have to wait until the launch.” He also noted that personal cloud computing was poised to boom, and didn’t leave much hope for the likes of webOS and QNX — he claims that there is only room for three OS camps to win, and those three slots are already occupied with Windows, Android and iOS. Finally, he took the opportunity to fling water on the 3DTV buzz, noting that he “doesn’t think that will prevail.” He did leave open the possibility for glasses-free options in handhelds to succeed, but beyond that, it’s safe to say he’s not much of a 3D advocate. Hit the source link for the full skinny, but don’t go digging for any extra details on his iPad 2 killer — something tells us you’ll be sorely disappointed.

ASUS chairman Jonney Shih promises ‘secret weapon’ to rival iPad 2, disses 3DTVs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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