Hasta La Gadget!

Sure, Intel’s big push for its IDF 2010 keynote this morning was the new Sandy Bridge architecture, but within the confines of one awkwardly-presented tech demonstration, we got a glimpse at “Project X.” Which, as it turns out, is a pretty interesting Atom-powered development tablet with WiDi technology. From a video conference window projected against the wall, our man Shashi was pushing his slate’s screen wireless to the HD set in the background as he showed off some Starcraft II recap footage. We’re still on the lookout for the device somewhere on the show floor; if and when we find it, you’ll be first to know. One more shot after the break.

Continue reading Intel shows off WiDi-enabled Atom tablet at IDF 2010

Intel shows off WiDi-enabled Atom tablet at IDF 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android Market Logo via Google Android

The new batch of forthcoming Android tablets are all sporting the new version of Android (2.2, or Froyo). But Google says that this version of Android wasn’t optimized for tablets. This means three things for folks interested in buying an Android tablet this fall.

First: If your tablet is built to certain hardware specifications — specifically, those of an oversized smartphone — you’re good. Samsung’s much-anticipated Galaxy Tab fits the bill, as it really is just a Galaxy smartphone with a much larger screen. If you’re wondering (like I was) why the Galaxy Tab had phone-call capability and was laid out in portrait rather than landscape, there’s your answer.

Second: Functionally, the biggest hurdle is that most tablets won’t be able to use the Android Market, Google’s official store for Android apps. This actually makes sense, as not all of the apps on the market will work each tablet’s different hardware. But luckily, Android, unlike Apple’s iOS, is wide open. There are plenty of other ways to get Android apps onto your machine, including other app stores.

Third: Hugo Barra, Google’s director of mobile products, stopped just short of saying that the 3.0 and 3.5 versions of Android, also known as Gingerbread and Honeycomb (Android OS names make me hungry for breakfast cereal), would be optimized for tablets, and presumably there will either be a tablet version or tablet section of the Android Market at that time.

But he also didn’t quite say that. We can play Kremlinology all we want, and suppose that Google is sending subtly coded messages to consumers to wait for the next OS to buy an Android tablet, but it’s quite possible that Google just isn’t sure when or even if it can support a marketplace for everybody’s hardware.

This is the great and frustrating thing about having a wide-open gadget ecology for a platform. On the one hand, you’ve got a much wider variety of hardware options and price points; on the other, it’s much more difficult to provide an easy, unified consumer experience. That’s where we are with Android tablets, and where we’re likely to be next year, too.

See Also:

• Samsung Galaxy Tab Will Cost Over $1000
• Samsung Introduces 7-Inch Tablet to Rival iPad
• Gadget Lab Podcast: iPods, Apple TV and Samsung's Galaxy Tab …
• Archos 101 Android Tablet: iPad Rival or Giant Phone?
• First Look: ELocity's Android Tablet Makes Great Media Player …
• LG Promises Two New Android Phones, Tablet
• Apple iOS 4 vs. Google Android 2.2: How Do They Stack Up?
• From the Game|Life Mailbox: Honeycomb Cereal

Hello, obvious! Anyone who has actually used an Android-based tablet for any length of time would probably tell you that the experience is far from optimal. It works, sure, but it doesn’t take a CSC major to understand that Google’s existing builds of Android were crafted for smartphones and nothing more. Thankfully for those who are tired of arguing the point, Hugo Barra, director of products for mobile at Google, is stepping up to the plate and giving you some backing. Quoted over at Tech Radar, Hugo noted that “Android is an open platform, and we saw at IFA 2010 all sorts of devices running Android, so it’s already running on tablets; but the way Android Market works is it’s not going to be available on devices that don’t allow applications to run correctly.” He followed up by proclaiming that “Froyo is not optimized for use on tablets,” and while he wouldn’t go so far as to affirm that Gingerbread would be built for use on the aforementioned form factor, he did say that the company’s working “to ensure our users have [the] right experience.” How’s that strike you, Galaxy Tab?

Google: Android 2.2 ‘not designed’ for the tablet form factor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We remember it like it was yesterday — pressed against the edge of our seat, speakerphone on 11, listening to Qualcomm preach about how these so-called “smartbooks” were coming to take over the world. Can’t fault ’em for trying. A little over a year after the (admittedly valiant) effort began, Qualcomm’s CEO is effectively putting this whole nightmare behind him. According to Slashgear, Paul Jacobs admitted during an event this morning that “tablets such as the iPad had already occupied the niche his company expected smartbooks to.” Essentially, the iPad delivered on the concept of an “always-on, all-day device” long before smartbooks ever had a chance at gaining traction, and judging by the fact that only a handful of these guys ever made it to market, we’d say that brutally honest assessment makes a lot of sense. We aren’t necessarily better off for it, mind you, but it definitely seems that the resurgence of the tablet (and the proliferation of the longevous netbook) has extinguished any hope of smartbooks dominating the world. Hey, at least this guy’s man enough to know when a journey’s reached its end. Sayonara, smarties.

Qualcomm’s CEO confesses: tablets killed the smartbook star originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At this point Toshiba’s dualscreen Libretto W105 shouldn’t need much of an introduction — or at least after glancing at the picture above we figure it won’t. It looks like a laptop straight out of the future. And it kind of is. It’s the sort of clamshell gadget we’ve seen rendered and rendered for years, but that’s never made it to market… until now that is. In celebration of Toshiba’s 25 years in the laptop business, the company’s gotten bolder than ever, and it hasn’t just created a gadget with two seven-inch capacitive touchscreens, but it’s actually brought it to market. Sure, it’s only available for a very limited run, and at a lofty $1,100, only die-hard gadget geeks are bound to fork over the cash. That said, it’s still one of the most intriguing devices we’ve seen all year, and that’s saying something. And it’s even more compelling when you consider that packs the parts of a 12- or 13-inch ultraportable, including an Intel Pentium processor, 2GB of RAM and a 64GB SSD and also runs Windows 7. But that’s exactly what’s wrong with the Libretto — it looks like the future, but it’s held back by modern day laptop parts and software. We’ve spent quite some time with the W105 — we typed half of this review on the bottom screen! — so you’ll want to hit the break to find out just what we’re talking about.

Continue reading Toshiba Libretto W105 review

Toshiba Libretto W105 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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