Hasta La Gadget!

It’s hard to believe, but with the show still six months away, we’re already getting bombarded with CES-related e-mail. We do have one piece of intriguing news to report at this early stage of the game: Steve Ballmer is set to kick off the festivities with the preshow keynote on January 9th and it’s a safe bet the presentation will be loaded with Windows 8 goodness. Now, what exactly we’ll see when the reliably excitable Microsoft CEO takes the stage is still a mystery, but WinRumors‘ little birdies have been whispering about a public beta of the upcoming OS and demos of both Intel- and ARM-based tablets — predictable, but still exciting prospects. Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Steve Ballmer to deliver CES keynote, Windows 8 will be the real star

Steve Ballmer to deliver CES keynote, Windows 8 will be the real star originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 08:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  WinRumors  | Email this | Comments

Motorola reduced the price of its Wi-Fi only Xoom tablet to $500. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Motorola announced on Wednesday that its Android tablet is now available for a hundred bucks cheaper than before, now priced the same as the entry-level iPad 2.

Originally priced at $600, Motorola’s Xoom tablet is now available for $500 in its Wi-Fi only version. The price reduction was announced via Motorola’s Twitter account, and first reported by The Business Insider.

Motorola’s Xoom was the first device to run Google’s tablet-optimized version of Android, (Honeycomb), beating all other major tablet manufacturers to market with its February release date. Sporting Nvidia’s dual-core Tegra 2 processor, an interface which eschews physical buttons and a fancy black matte finish, the Xoom looked like the tablet to beat in 2011.

The head start, however, doesn’t seem to have worked in Motorola’s favor. Critics of the Xoom denounced Motorola’s high prices right out of the gate — $600 for Wi-Fi only, and a whopping $800 for the Verizon 3G capable version. Compare that to the entry-level iPad 2’s $500 price tag, or even the fellow Android-powered Acer Iconia A500, priced at $450. A $500 base price tag is the predominant standard for the field, originally set by Apple.

It’s unclear whether the 3G-capable version of the tablet will take a price hit, though Motorola’s website shows no change to the price currently.

Verizon Wireless did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The 3G version can be purchased at a subsidized rate, however; a Xoom with a two-year Verizon contract will set you back $600.

Before stumbling back to work this morning, you might wanna take a minute to give your neurons a well-deserved massage with this new teaser for Sony’s S1 and S2 tablets. Much like last month’s spellbinding ad, this sequel features plenty of balls, levers and bizarre figurines moving together in serpentine synergy. If you look closely, you might even spot one of Sony’s Honeycomb slates. This is only the second installation in what could very well be a never-ending series — but we’d be OK with that, because these clips make our brains happy. Click play to get the ball rolling and let the symphony begin.

Continue reading Sony’s new tablet teaser is just as hypnotic as the first (video)

Sony’s new tablet teaser is just as hypnotic as the first (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |  Sony (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

Go grab the Morton — you’re gonna need a grain or two. According to a “confidential HP product brief” sent anonymously to PreCentral, HP is on track to launch a new 64GB TouchPad next month, complete with a white glossy cabinet and a “processor bump,” along with support for AT&T’s HSPA+ network. The company just started shipping its 16GB and 32GB TouchPads, but even August wouldn’t be too soon for a speed boost, considering the tablet’s disappointing performance during our review. The presentation also lists the Pre 3 for a “fall” launch, along with that mysterious Opal tablet. Despite the so-called leaked confidential presentation, this rumor should be approached like any other — but on the other hand, with the Pre 3 making recent appearances at the FCC in both AT&T and Verizon flavors, HP’s latest webOS smartphone could easily be on-track to hit stores by autumn.

Leaked HP presentation hints at faster 64GB TouchPad in August, Pre 3 in fall? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Everything Pre  |  PreCentral  | Email this | Comments

Well, that oversized Kindle didn’t become the textbook killer Amazon hoped it would be, but at least one country is moving forward with plans to lighten the load on its future generation of Samsung execs. South Korea announced this week that it plans to spend over $2 billion developing digital textbooks, replacing paper in all of its schools by 2015. Students would access paper-free learning materials from a cloud-based system, supplementing traditional content with multimedia on school-supplied tablets. The system would also enable homebound students to catch up on work remotely — they won’t be practicing taekwondo on a virtual mat, but could participate in math or reading lessons while away from school, for example. Both programs clearly offer significant advantages for the country’s education system, but don’t expect to see a similar solution pop up closer to home — with the US population numbering six times that of our ally in the Far East, many of our future leaders could be carrying paper for a long time to come.

South Korea plans to convert all textbooks to digital, swap backpacks for tablets by 2015 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 06:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MIT Technology Review  |  The Chosunilbo  | Email this | Comments