Hasta La Gadget!

Pure gimmickry, but undoubtedly beautiful. And despite its name, the Levitatr ships with all vowels intact

James Stumpf dreamed of an iPad with physical keys which would rise, magically, from the glass itself. Of course, this is a ridiculous dream, but that didn’t stop James from striving to make it real. The result is the Levitatr, a sleek slab of aluminum and polycarbonate from which — you guessed it — the keys magically rise.

The $80 keyboard (currently seeking funding on Kickstarter) is activated by pressing down a knobbly button on one side. This pops up the keys which were previously flush with the surface. Two more buttons — one for power and one to connect via Bluetooth — are hidden around back, and there’s a fold-out kickstand to hold the iPad at the appropriate angle.

The only problem I see is that it’s thick, at 9.8mm (0.4 inches). That only makes it a little bit smaller than Apple’s own aluminum keyboard inside a case.

Still, it’s neat-looking, and James has hopes for this to be incorporated into the screen of an actual tablet in the future. Although that sounds pretty difficult, if he can crack it, then he might genuinely be onto something that would differentiate a tablet from the iPad.

Levitatr: A keyboard with elevating keys for iPad, Tablets [Kickstarter]

See Also:

• Fat, Folding Logitech Keyboard Case for Slim iPad 2
• Writer, an iPad Keyboard Case for Pros
• Clever Stand Clamps Keyboard to iPhone, iPad
• ZAGGfolio for iPad: Great Keyboard, So-So Case

This video should give you a better idea of what the Windows 8 versus iOS experience is like. Image: Winrumors

For those who weren’t able to attend Microsoft’s BUILD conference and check out a Windows 8 tablet firsthand, the fine points of its new OS may sound a bit vague.

The video below may give you a better idea of what you’re missing. Microsoft enthusiast site Winrumors compared the user experience of an iPad 2 running iOS 5 and the pre-release Windows 8 tablet. Running side by side, function by function, we’re really seeing how Windows has created a new way of interacting with a tablet.

We got a deeper look at Window’s new operating system earlier this week at Microsoft’s BUILD keynote. Windows 8 features a number of significant user interface changes, and is designed to run on both tablet PCs and desktop PCs, as well as ARM and x86 architecture. Those in attendance at the conference got a free Windows 8 tablet built by Samsung (which was rumored beforehand). The exact launch date for Windows 8 is yet to be announced.

The differences start right at the log-in screen. While iOS 5 offers a pin-based log-in, Windows 8’s default is a photo selected by the user, which they can tap or swipe on in a particular pattern (of their choice) to unlock the device.

In a refreshing change of pace from other mobile platform makers, the menu screen interface looks entirely different. In Windows 8, you’ve got a rectangular arrangement of smaller square-shaped “Live Tiles,” as well as larger rectangular ones. You can rearrange their order, put them on different pages, or even shrink larger tiles into smaller ones. It’s very customizable.

Windows 8 also includes subtle tweaks in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser. A swipe brings up the address bar, and shows you other tabs you have open with small screenshots across the top of the display. Windows 8 also supports pen input, so you can use a finger or a stylus to write in the name of a website, for example, rather than type it out.

For more, check out the video below.

Fusion Garage’s Grid 10 tablet is now set to launch October 1. Image: Fusion Garage

Everyone making a tablet that doesn’t run on iOS is getting serious about unseating Apple’ iPad from its lofty throne. More and more are deciding to sacrifice the bottom line for a bit of user adoption.

The latest example is Fusion Garage, which is dropping the price of its Grid 10 tablet from $499 and $599 (for Wi-Fi and 3G models), to $299 and $399, respectively. Carriers for the 3G model have not been announced yet.

We got to check out the Grid 10 tablet firsthand, and it was pretty cool. It’s based on the Android kernel, but completely re-skinned to provide a unique grid-based user interface. It’s got a 10-inch, 1366 x 768 resolution display and a front screen free of buttons.

We’ve seen a number of tablet makers drop their price points below the iPad in recent weeks, after iPad-like prices haven’t fared so well. One case in point: the Motorola Xoom. Lenovo’s A1 tablet will start at $200, making it one of the cheapest options out there. Amazon is purported to be debuting a $250 7-inch tablet in the coming months. And the HP TouchPad positively flew off shelves once HP dropped it down to $99.

According to Fusion Garage, the reason for the price drop was that the company “was able to negotiate better supply chain pricing from its manufacturing partner.”

Fusion Garage’s Grid 10 was set to debut September 15, but that date has been pushed to October 1 to accommodate testing to satisfy Adobe Flash Player’s new certification requirements.

Fine by me. We’ve seen what happens when a tablet (or any product) is pushed out too soon, with the Blackberry PlayBook being a recent case. Although the Playbook’s launch was delayed, it still shipped prematurely, without native support for important features like e-mail, contacts or messaging and with problems displaying Flash. It ended up getting panned by critics and consumers.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer talks about the future of Windows at CES 2010. Photo: Jonathan Snyder/Wired.com

We may finally get a look at Microsoft’s first Windows 8 tablet.

Samsung and Microsoft are set to introduce a brand-spankin’-new Windows 8 tablet next week at Microsoft’s BUILD conference, the Korea Economic Daily reports. The device is expected to house a quad-core ARM processor.

And tech blog This Is My Next says conference attendees will get the tablet for free.

We first got wind of Microsoft’s plan to release Windows 8 tablets when Steve Ballmer accidentally detailed the company’s roadmap in May, saying, “As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors.” Other reports indicated Microsoft may deliver a Windows-branded tablet, but that seemed unlikely.

Windows 8 is designed to run on desktops and tablet PCs, unlike Apple’s mobile operating system iOS and Windows Phone 7. It shares its tile-based interface with Windows 7, and users will be able to purchase apps through a dedicated Windows 8 app store.

Last year, Microsoft gave away Windows Phone 7 devices as a perk to conference attendees. But seeing how Windows 8 isn’t even out yet, a complimentary Windows 8 tablet (likely running a pre-release or dev build), would be an extra nifty gift.

So far, Windows’ only foray into the tablet space has been the Windows Phone 7-running Lenovo IdeaPad K1. A previous tablet project, Microsoft Courier, never saw the light of day.

Amazon’s third generation Kindle will reportedly be joined by a new 7-inch tablet later this fall.

That rumored Amazon tablet we’ve been hearing about for months and months? It’s real, and at least one non-Amazon employee has gotten a firsthand look at it.

“Not only have I heard about the device,” TechCrunch’s MG Siegler says. “I’ve seen it and used it. And I’m happy to report that it’s going to be a big deal. Huge, potentially.”

The tablet Siegler saw has a 7-inch full-color back-lit LCD touchscreen. From the outside, it looks a bit PlayBook-like: black, no buttons and a rubberized back.

According to Siegler’s source, Amazon will sell it at $250 (the same price point as the Nook Color) beginning in mid-to-late November; if the smaller tablet does well, the company may release a 10-inch version next year.

The operating system is based on Android, as was previously surmised. But Amazon has completely overhauled and customized the interface.

The custom build “looks nothing like the Android you’re used to seeing,” Siegler says. The color scheme is decidedly Amazon, with theme colors of black, dark blue and orange. The OS supports gestures, but appears to use two-finger multi-touch, as opposed to the iPad’s 10-finger multi-touch. Without a physical home button, you access a navigation menu to return to the home screen by tapping the lower left-hand corner of the display.

Finally, Amazon’s services, from Kindle, Instant Video and Cloud Player to its Android Appstore, are completely integrated and immediately accessible within the OS. It has a Kindle-skinned, tabbed web browser with Google set as the default search engine, but otherwise there’s no Google branding anywhere, which is highly unusual for a device said to be running Android.

Amazon has long been pegged as the most credible threat to Apple’s position at the top of the tablet market. Amazon makes the hugely successful Kindle e-reader, but for the past year or so, rumors have repeatedly sprung up that the company would be branching out into the growing tablet space, whether with Android or some other OS.

After the introduction of its Appstore, it was clear that Amazon wasn’t afraid to embrace Android. An anonymous source tipped off the world that Amazon was prepping both dual and quad-core tablets, and additional reports pegged their official release for this fall.

The version Siegler got to check out was a Design Verification Testing (DVT) unit that’s begun to float around Amazon headquarters for final testing. He believes it’s a single-core device, with just 6 GB of internal storage. (The assumption is that it doesn’t need tons of on-board storage; that’s what Amazon’s Cloud services are for.) The ten-inch version, if released, will have a dual-core processor. There’s no camera built-in to the tablet. It’ll start out as a Wi-Fi only device, but Amazon is working with carriers on developing a 3G model.

What about the current E Ink Kindle? Aren’t tablets and e-readers mortal enemies? Recent studies say absolutely not; many customers own both. Amazon’s plan, according to Siegler’s source, is to continue to make and sell E Ink Kindles as an inexpensive reading device, with no current plans for adding a touchscreen. The new Kindle tablet or tablets will be the premium, touch-driven, multimedia versions.

Oh, and another bonus: An Amazon Prime subscription, normally $79 annually, will reportedly be bundled in with the purchase price. Drool.

Finally, a new tablet I can’t wait to get my hands on.