Hasta La Gadget!

In the market for a $750 Android tablet with an IT-controlled closed ecosystem, Atom processor, and a requisite middle man to place your order? Then you probably work for a corporation. Cisco’s Cius Android tablet was designed with a Cisco infrastructure in mind, focusing heavily on security and integration with other products. Sure, you can watch HD video or play Angry Birds (if IT is willing to flip the switch on game downloads), but you’ll mostly be using the Cius to join WebEx presentations, TelePresence conferences, and access custom enterprise apps — this is not the tablet to give your kids, for someone just looking to browse the web, or really for anyone not working at a company that already depends heavily on Cisco services. Basically, if a Cius magically appears on your desk one day, you’ll know it’s right for you.

Today Cisco launched AppHQ, a custom app store created to give IT departments complete control over device app loading, allowing them to limit access only to enterprise apps, or the entire Android Market. We went hands-on with the tablet and AppHQ at the company’s offices in NYC, and were impressed with the tablet’s ability to integrate seamlessly with Cisco services. Even though Cius isn’t intended to be used for entertainment, it’s designed to be both your primary portable device and desktop workstation — so that ability to play HD video will definitely come in handy. You can access all of Cisco’s popular communications tools, making private calls as you walk, joining a video conference from the train over AT&T or Verizon LTE, and then slipping the device into its dock once you reach the office, which adds speakerphone functionality, three USB ports, video out, and even Ethernet connectivity. You can use Cius to access an offsite virtual Windows desktop, using a mouse, keyboard, and monitor to control your primary machine. The tablet has begun rolling out to some clients and will be available worldwide on July 31st. You’ll need to reach out to your Cisco sales rep to make a purchase, but jump past the break for a quick look in our hands-on video.

Continue reading Cisco Cius Android tablet hands-on (video)

Cisco Cius Android tablet hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s hard not to love Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color, especially if you’re amongst those who’d rather look at text on a quality backlit screen than an e-paper display. Not only did we enjoy the e-book reader when we first reviewed it, but it keeps getting better thanks to updates to its hidden Android core plus the recent addition of its own app store complete with Pandora and Angry Birds. And while there’s also a decent bundled web browser and music player, it’s not the software that we like the most — it’s the hardware, and particularly the value proposition.

See, $250 ($200 on sale) buys you a gorgeous 7-inch 1024×600 pixel capacitive IPS panel with excellent contrast and viewing angles, an 800MHz TI OMAP 3621 CPU, a PowerVR SGX 530 GPU, 512MB RAM, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, 8GB of built-in storage, an accelerometer, and a microSD card slot — all wrapped in an attractive 12mm thin package. Sure, there’s no 3G radio, no camera, no microphone, no ambient light sensor, and no haptic feedback, but despite its lower-end specs, the Nook Color just begs to be turned into a full blown Android tablet.

And that’s just what we did, by installing CyanogenMod 7 on Barnes & Noble’s color reader, complete with Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) and the full suite of Google apps. Take a look at our screenshots gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video and impressions.

Continue reading CyanogenMod 7 on the Nook Color hands-on (video)

CyanogenMod 7 on the Nook Color hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, lookie here! Seems that ThinkPad Tablet’s getting more real by the hour. For what it’s worth, Lenovo hasn’t exactly done a laudatory job keeping its next major Honeycomb tablet under wraps, but flaunting it in public? Now that’s just asking for it. According to ZTOP, the enterprise-centric Tablet will arrive within three to four weeks boasting Tegra 2 silicon, a 10.1-inch display (1280 x 800) and an optional folio / cover that might just steal the show. According to the report, it’s a leather-wrapped case that contains a full-on keyboard and optical tracking sensor, presumably using a USB connector to make the magic happen. Think Clamcase, but tailored for Lenovo. There’s no mention of a price on that one, but we’re guessing it ain’t gonna be tossed in gratis. Tap the source for one more look, and expect to hear more on the whole kit and kaboodle as July draws closer.

ThinkPad Tablet shown off with keyboard-laden folio cover, could ship within a month originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 06:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry PlayBook enthusiasts will want to cuddle up with their favorite blanket and a carton of ice cream, as the 10-inch version of RIM’s tablet may have been given the axe. N4BB reports that its development was recently cancelled to focus on an upcoming QNX-based “superphone,” said to feature a 1.2GHz single-core processor (same as on the Bold Touch 9900) and a 4.3-inch HD-quality display. It’s no secret that phones powered by this platform are on the roadmap, but scrapping a PlayBook project in its behalf could indicate the company’s elevated desire to get it to market even sooner than originally planned. Anything less than two cores, however, will be an unpleasant surprise; company reps have stated that a QNX-powered handset won’t hit the market without a dual-core CPU inside. The motive behind this change of heart appears to be battery life concerns with the existing PlayBook’s chip. The report doesn’t completely rule out the possibility of an extra core getting thrown in, but we’re not holding our breath. While tragic, the scrapped product will make room for other projects — the already-announced 7-inch LTE variant is reportedly targeted for an October launch — but since this is all hearsay, let’s hold off on the eulogy for now.

RIM scraps 10-inch PlayBook to focus on QNX-powered superphone? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you have kids and own a tablet, chances are you’ve passed it to the back seat on occasion, asking your five-year-old to help you navigate to the beach, or to beat an otherwise hopeless level in Angry Birds. Now, you can reward them with a tablet of their own. Available in green and pink, the $100 LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer includes a 5-inch, 480 x 272-pixel (16:9) touchscreen, 2GB of built-in storage, and a durable housing — but your 5-9 year old isn’t going to get caught up on specs. They will take notice to the built-in camera (with video capture), microphone, stylus, and accelerometer, however — all of which enable custom kid-friendly apps and educational games, including Disney Animation Studio, an interactive reader, and compatibility with over 100 downloadable apps and LeapFrog cartridges, which range in price from $5 to $25. There’s no wireless connectivity, so you’ll be tethering with Windows or Mac OS to download additional content, and to share your child’s creations with family and friends.

We’re certainly far outside LeapPad’s target demographic, but we did have a chance to go hands-on with the device earlier today, and felt that the tablet was solidly built, with a well-rounded feature set and sufficient expandability options — for a kids toy, of course. Games and apps took advantage of the Pad’s features, such as Roly Poly Picnic, which uses the accelerometer to navigate through a maze, spelling out simple, three-letter words along the way (like all apps and games, Picnic is adjustable based on your little one’s age and skill level). There’s also a video player (currently limited to 4:3 content), photo, and video capture apps. Shipping August 15th, the device doesn’t have a ton of horsepower under the hood — a 400MHz processor means apps won’t launch with the speed and grace of an iPad 2 — but for a $100 toy, the LeapPad will do just fine. PR and hands-on video are after the break.

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LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer tablet hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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