Hasta La Gadget!

Sheesh — whatever happened to TabletKiosk, anyway? Aside from one random slate PC tailored for the medical industry, we haven’t seen anything meaningful from these guys since 2008. And yes, that includes the present day. Oh sure, the company’s newest trifecta of machines — which includes the 7-inch eo a7330D, 7-inch eo TufTab a7230XD and 12.1-inch Sahara NetSlate a230T — may use the incredibly mighty Atom CPU now, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re all uglier than sin itself. In fairness, all three are designed more for the enterprise market than for fashion conscious consumers, but still, we’re struggling to see any design improvements here compared to the wares this outfit was pushing way back in 2007. If you truly believe that beauty’s on the inside, hit the read link for all the dirt.

[Via HotHardware]

Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

TabletKiosk rises from the ashes, pops Atom CPUs into hideous new UMPC / tablet line originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know, we know — you’re probably still waiting for the Apple tablet that’ll never come, but how’s about a prototype alternative from said outfit’s arch enemy to tide you over? Gizmodo has just let slip details surrounding what was previously a top secret project deep within the lairs of Redmond, but given that this is more of an advanced proof of concept than anything else, we’re doing our best to curb our inner enthusiasm about a near-term release. We’re told that the folding device could eventually ship with dual 7-inch displays, both of which support multitouch gestures and can also be controlled via a stylus. It should too boast a camera and possibly an inductive charging pad on the rear, though we can’t help but be a wee bit frightened by hearing that the user interface is “complex.” Essentially, the Courier is a touch-friendly, two-screen tablet that can’t let go of the tried-and-true pen input method, and your guess is as good as ours when it comes to purpose. Though, something tells us ASUS might just have the answer. Video’s after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft’s dual-screen Courier booklet emerges, isn’t near production

Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

Microsoft’s dual-screen Courier booklet emerges, isn’t near production originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s definitely not the first LifeBook to boast a multitouch panel, but given just how popular the original T5010 proved to be, we’re pleasantly pleased to see the outfit bless that very convertible tablet with a touchscreen. The new dual digitizer option gives the 13.3-inch machine a whole new purpose in life, as it now supports two-finger touch (for rotating, pinching, zooming, groping, etc.) within Windows 7. Oddly enough, Fujitsu’s choosing to ship this with Vista until October 22nd rolls around, so we’d advise you to hold tight for another month and change if at all possible. Everything else about the rig remains mostly the same, though the $1,759 (active digitizer) / $1,859 (dual digitizer) starting tags are actually lower than the MSRP given to the first T5010 in early 2008.

Filed under: Laptops

Fujitsu gifts LifeBook T5010 convertible tablet with multitouch LCD originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re hearing “multiple sources” are now reporting that Apple is most likely planning a keynote event — possibly for the week of September 7th. There’s also the requisite murmuring that one Steve Jobs may make an appearance — though of course, there’s also nothing more solid than wishes and fairy dust to back that one up. As far as possible product launches go, well, there have been significant whisperings about upcoming iPod / iTunes developments as of late, including the company’s reported dealings with major record labels. This would fall in line with Apple’s habit of releasing iPods every fall, and we’ve heard plenty about upcoming iPod touches which boast, among other things — a camera and microphone. Daring Fireball has also reported that these bad boys will come in 16, 32 and 64GB varieties running $199, $299, and $399, respectively. In more salacious gossip, there’s the possible Apple tablet we’ve been hearing about, but there’s no solid word on any products for now. We’ll be watching this one closely, we assure you.

Read – Here it Comes. But what is it, exactly?
Read – Daring Fireball on Zune HD and new iPod touch

Filed under: Portable Audio, Tablet PCs

Apple might be planning keynote for week of September 7th, might have new products on offer originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a presumed effort to shake up the Japanese wireless industry and provide consumers with 3G-equipped PCs that aren’t tied to multi-year contracts, Hewlett-Packard has quietly announced a deal with Japan Communications that will allow its machines to be sold with SIM cards that can be used on a pay-as-you-go basis. For those unaware, JCI leases network space from NTT DoCoMo, and as part of the agreement, HP will not only get to choose which devices can connect, but it’ll get to keep a nice slice of the mobile data revenue as well. Here’s the crazy part: the initial wave of netbooks will be sold for between $50 and $100 sans contract. That’s about what users pay in America now for subsidized WWAN-ready netbooks, but there’s a two-year contract tagging along. If all goes well, we could even see full-sized laptops, smartphones and digital cameras hop on the same bandwagon, but for now, we’ll be keenly watching how brisk sales are when things kick off next month.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablet PCs, Wireless, Internet

HP to sell contract-free, WWAN-equipped PCs in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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