Intel Studybook platform to usher in new era of inexpensive tablets
With Medfield-powered smartphones now heading to retail, Intel’s big push into the mobile market is well under way. Next up: tablets, of course, and Intel has its sights set on the education sector and emerging markets.
The new StudyBook (or possibly StoryBook according to some reports) platform will join Intel’s Classmate PC reference design as a way for device manufacturers to fast-track x86 tablet development. Intel has been offering up the Classmate for about five years, and it’s seen a fair amount of adoption in emerging markets — with companies like Lenovo signing on to offer laptops based on their designs. Beyond the Medfield processor, all that’s been leaked about the StudyBook hardware is that it features a 10-inch display.
While ARM implementations like Nvidia’s Tegra and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon currently dominate the (non-iPad) tablet landscape, StudyBook-based designs would offer manufacturers one key advantage. Since it’s an x86 chip, they can ship virtually any OS they choose — though Windows and Android would seem the most likely choices.
Even when Windows 8 for ARM arrives on tablets later this year, Intel-powered models will still have an advantage. They’ll be able to run the same version of Windows 8 that a desktop or laptop can, and that includes the ability to run legacy applications. ARM-based tablets will only be able to run Metro apps or desktop apps that have been re-compiled for the architecture.
The best part is that StudyBook-based tablets are expected to hit retail shelves at prices of $ 299 or less. We’ve already seen plenty of Android tablets in that neighborhood, but Windows tablets remain rather pricey by comparison. Perhaps Intel’s new reference design will allow OEMs to offer them up at a substantial discount over their previous models.
More at DigiTimes and Liliputing
Geek.com
Android tablets running on Nvidia Tegra 3 to hit $200 this summer
Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said in a recent interview that their recent cost reductions on the Tegra 3 processor will enable manufacturers to launch Android tablets with $ 199 pricetags, and that we'll see them as soon as this summer. As Huang explains, this can seriously lower the barrier for entry.
“We took out $ 150 in build materials, things like expensive memory. At $ 199, you can just about buy a tablet at a 7-Eleven.”
$ 200 is a sweet price point, as proven by the success of the Amazon Kindle Fire, and now others, like the ZTE Optik, are trying to follow up. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more decently powerful Android tablets that also happen to be reasonably priced, but maintaining quality at those lower tiers is going to be a challenge.
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Archos 80 G9 and 101 G9 tablets get ICS and speed boost
Fresh from rolling out the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update to its G9 tablet lineup last week, Archos is releasing the turbo versions of the Archos 80 G9 and Archos 101 G9 tablets, which received a nice bump in the clock speed department and come with ICS straight out of the box.
You can now get the “new” Archos 80 G9 and Archos 101 G9 with a Texas Instruments OMAP 4 dual-core 1.5GHz processor, whereas the previous iterations only went as high as 1.2GHz. The speed bump may not necessarily bring significant improvement to the tablets’ performance, but the devices do ship with Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box to sweeten the deal.
One of the stalwart makers of portable multimedia players, Archos has made the jump to Android tablet manufacturing remarkably well, even managing to bring a touch of innovation to the game. The use of hard drive storage (250 GB!) on the Archos tablets is nothing short of a godsend for multimedia freaks who insist on carrying their HD movie collections anywhere they go. A more traditional flash storage model is also available, so it seems that Archos has all the bases covered.
The new Archos 80 G9 boasts an 8-inch screen with 1024 x 768 resolution, a 720p front camera, micro SD port, HDMI slot, GPS, WiFi b/g/n, and a built-in kick stand. The Archos 101 G9 model, while sporting a bigger 10.1-inch screen with 1280 x 800 resolution, shares the rest of the specs with its smaller sister. The 8GB flash storage/250GB hard drive versions of Archos 80 G9 can be yours for just $ 269 and $ 369.99, respectively. Moving on, you’ll have to shell out $ 329.99 for the Archos 101 G9 8GB or $ 389.99 for the 250GB hard-disk model. If you fancy them, just head over to the Archos online store for a rendezvous.
If you don’t mind waiting, Archos is planning to release the company’s first high-end Android tablet sometimes in the future. No other details are known yet except that the Archos G10 xs will be a record-setting 7.6mm thin.
NEXT: ICS Update for Archos G9 Tablets Now Available
More Android based Archos tablets 
ARCHOS Releasing Honeycomb Tablets Starting September 20 with up to 1.5 GHz CPU, 250 GB of Storage
This article, Archos 80 G9 and 101 G9 tablets get ICS and speed boost , was originally published at androidtime.com – Your Android News Source.
From the Editor’s Desk: Privacy, Google Play, Nexus tablets and more
It was a question I knew I'd get this week. Wasn't sure when, and I wasn't exactly sure what the ramifications would be.
"I have 4G now?!?!?!"
That was a text from my wife, two days after I updated her iPhone 4S to iOS 5.1. (Yes, the wife of the greatest Android blog on the planet uses an iPhone 4S. She can use any damn phone she wants. She's my hot wife.)
A funny thing happened last week after the iOS updated — folks started to care about something we've been railing against for a year or so now — AT&T's faux-gee 4G. This hardy is a new phenomenon; we've had "4G" (as in HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul) Android phones on AT&T for some time now, and we've got the first true (and, actually only) 4G phones on any network, be it Sprint, Verizon or AT&T, thanks to Wimax and LTE. (Unless you want to count the HTC Max 4G.)
So if you've got a friend with an iPhone, pat them on the back and congratulate them on getting 4G. Then run a speed test with your LTE or Wimax phone, flip a table and walk away.
As for my wife's question? I'm a grown man. I told her the truth.
"Sure you do, Baby."
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Will future tablets and e-readers become more book-like?
All tablets today generally follow the lead of the iPad. You can expect a large slab with a multitouch display, a bezel, and either an aluminum or plastic back. It’s a simple form factor that lends itself to versatility. It gets out of the way to let your content take center stage.
But what if you took the general tablet concept, and bred it with a physical book? Then you might have something like the device that we see in this concept video. It’s a book-like tablet (or e-reader?) that features two or three panels — all of which have multitouch displays on both front and back.
Most videos like this fall into one of two categories: a prototype device that isn’t ready for mass production, or a conceptualized fantasy created by talented videographers. This video doesn’t fall into either of these categories. As demonstrated in the video, the creators (grad students at Darmstadt University in Germany) use a folding dummy unit, and use 3D projectors to create the illusion of displays.
Though it’s basically science fiction that was created with unconventional methods, such a device would open the doors for some unique interactivity. Multitasking would become much simpler, with different panes displaying different open apps (similar to a multi-display PC). As you can see in the video, folding a new layer on top of another leads to the content of the submerged layer jumping to the top.
Who knows whether we’ll eventually see something like this. If we do, it will be many years away. The device would have to be thin enough to make page-turning a breeze, while supporting multitouch, bezel-less displays on both sides. You’d have to get the battery, processor, flash storage, etc. shrunk down to sizes that we aren’t anywhere near producing right now. It isn’t even clear if such a device would be beneficial, or just an unnecessary complication. The simple slab of glass and metal that we call an iPad tends to highlight your software, while something like this might put the focus on the device itself.
Still, all great innovations start with a vision. Consider this to be a sci-fi fantasy that possibly could come to fruition 10-20 years down the road. That is, if someone finds it worthwhile.
via The Digital Reader
Geek.com
Top 10 Upcoming Low-Cost Android 4.0 (ICS) Tablets for 2012
Can there be such a thing as a good cheap Android tablet? Has Ice Cream Sandwich really leveled the playing field so that cheaper hardware can run it smoothly? Ever since the “tablets” have become a must-have item, it seems as if every electronics manufacturer on the face of this earth is trying to get their hands on some of the market share. That’s right, Sony, HTC, Samsung, Motorola, Lenovo and even Amazon have stepped up and produced Android tablets. However, no matter how many Android tablets the manufacturers push at us, they all seem to fall very short of the iPad. So why do people still buy them and why are they still being made you ask?
Price!
Both iPads have been set at a $ 500 starting price, and that is just for the most basic model. Android tablets have come out with price tags as low at $ 79! In response, Apple would probably say something along the lines of “you get what you pay for”. But we tend to look at the price difference the same way Amazon does:
So without further ado, here are your top 10 Ice Cream Sandwich tablets of 2012 that won’t break your piggy bank:
Don’t forget to pick your favorite and let us know why in the comments at the bottom!
NOVO7 Paladin
Ainovo took the world by storm last year when it was announced they were releasing a sub-$ 100 tablet. And if that was not enough, it would be one of the first tablets to run Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0). However, the tablet was no where to be found until now. The tablet that made an in person appearance at CES will only cost you $ 89 for a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich.
Note: Upon purchasing the Paladin, shipping to the Eastern United States turned out to be around $ 60. This brings the overall cost of the tablet up to $ 149. Additionally, it has a MIPS processor inside, so many apps in the Android Market will not function properly.
Price: $ 89
Screen Size: 7″ HD LCD
Resolution: 800 x 480
Processor: 1GHz Ingenic JZ4770
Memory: 512 MB RAM
GPU: GC860 core with 3D rendering upgrade
Storage: 8GB/16GB
Camera(s): No Camera
Battery: Built-in 4000 mAh lithium-polymer battery (8 hours of Web Surfing)
Release Date: Buy Now!
Viewsonic Viewpad e70
Now that the creators of the Novo7 have snuck a $ 60 shipping fee in, the sub-$ 100 ICS tablet isn’t so sub-$ 100. On January 10th, Viewsonic announced that they would be making the ViewPad E70. This 7″ tablet is aimed at consumers who want the ultimate value while still being able to attain Google’s latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Although the device has been shown off in public, some of the specifications are still up in the air or remain unknown.
Price: $ 169.99
Screen Size: 7″
Resolution: 800 x 480
Processor: 1GHz processor
Memory: Still Unknown (Most likely 1GB of RAM)
Storage: 4GB (Up to 32GB Micro SD slot)
Camera(s): Front-Facing Camera
Battery: Still Unknown
Release Date: Late Q1 (Late March?)
Archos 80 G9
When you think of tablets, you probably don’t think of Archos. However, even before the “low-cost” tablets came into play, the Archos 80 G9 had always offered the same incredible specs for a fraction of the price of the other guys. And now, to sweeten the deal even more on the almost unknown tablet, Archos is upgrading the G9 tablets (80 and 101) to Ice Cream Sandwich.
Price: $ 299.99
Screen Size: 8″
Resolution: 1024 x 768
Processor: OMAP™ 4 smart dual-core ARM CORTEX A9 from 1GHz to 1.2GHz
Memory: 512MB
Storage: 8/16GB (Additional microSD slot)
Camera(s): 720p front camera
Battery: Internet navigation time up to 10 hrs
Release Date: February to March
A full chart of the Archos G9 tablet variations thanks to arctablet.com.
| Model | Screen size Aspect ratio |
Storage | CPU | Memory | Price | Availability |
Archos 80 G9 |
8 “ 4:3 |
8 Gb | TI OMAP 4430 at 1.0 GHz |
512 Mb | €249 $ 299 |
September 20th |
| 16 Gb | TI OMAP 4 at 1.2 GHz |
512 Mb | €279 $ 329 |
Early December, 2011 | ||
| 250 Gb | TI OMAP 4 at 1.2 GHz |
512 Mb | €299 $ 369 |
January, 2012 | ||
| 16 Gb | TI OMAP 4460 at 1.5 GHz |
512 MB TBC |
TBC | Christmas, 2011 | ||
Archos 101 G9 |
10.1″ 16:10 |
8 Gb | TI OMAP 4430 at 1.0 GHz |
512 Mb | €299.99 $ 369 |
September 20th |
| 16 Gb | TI OMAP 4 at 1.2 GHz |
512 Mb | €349 $ 399 |
End of November, 2011 | ||
| 250 Gb | TI OMAP 4 at 1.2 GHz |
512 Mb | €399 $ 469 |
Unknown | ||
| 16 Gb | TI OMAP 4460 at 1.5 GHz |
512 MB TBC |
TBC | Christmas, 2011 |
Asus Memo 370t
Out of all of the cheap tablets that will be running Ice Cream Sandwich, I have to say that this tablet is by far the best deal. It is blazing fast and half the price of the other quad-core Ice Cream Sandwich tablet (Transformer Prime). If you are looking for a smaller sized tablet of the 7 inch variety, want some serious power under the hood, then this is definitely the one to hold out for.
Price: $ 249.99
Screen Size: 7″
Resolution: 1280×800 Super IPS display
Processor: Quad-Core Tegra 3 (Unknown Speed)
Memory: 1GB
Storage: 16GB/32GB
Camera(s): 8-megapixel rear-camera
Battery: Still Unknown
Release Date: Q2 2012
Coby MID 7042
Coby has been in the cheap tablet market for a while now. However, almost every single one of their tablets have been sub-par. Now, with the addition of ICS and upgraded specs, Coby might actually have a chance at some market share (Maybe!).
Note: Be careful, rumor has it this tablet will have access to the GetJar marketplace instead of the Android Market.
Price: $ 179
Screen Size: 7″
Resolution: 800 x 480
Processor: 1Ghz ARM Cortex A8 processor
Memory: 1GB
Storage: 4GB (microSD slot up to 32GB)
Camera(s): Front facing camera of unknown quality
Battery: Still Unknown
Release Date: Unknown (but soon)
Argos Skypad Alpha2
Argos SkyPad is the latest cheap tablet manufactured by Skytex. Once again, this is not really a high-profile company that is a household name. In addition, the tablet will have access to the 1mobile market instead of the standard Android Market. But as noted in the picture above, the Alpha2 will have access to a lot of the big and famous Android apps.
Price: $ 199
Screen Size: 7″
Resolution: 1024 x 600
Processor: 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A8
Memory: Unknown
Storage: 8GB
Camera(s): At least a rear-facing camera
Battery: Removable Battery of Unknown Size
Release Date: Early 2012
Ramos W6HD
The W6HD is the newest Android tablet from Ramos, a Chinese tablet manufacturer. The only reason I mention their location is because the tablet is not being sold directly to US customers. However, you can find the tablet online with 3rd party dealers, but you may also find that they are selling the W6HD at a higher price.
Price: $ 148.99
Screen Size: 7″
Resolution: 1024 x 600
Processor: AMLogic Cortex-A9 2nd generation core
Memory: 512MB
Storage: 8GB Storage
Camera(s): 0.3Mp front + 2.0Mp rear
Battery: 3300mAh (4-5 hours of video)
Release Date: Buy Now!
X10 AirPad 7p
Although once again we are looking at a “no name” manufacturer, the Airpad is being sold at an incredible $ 150 and offers features that appeal to many users. After all, some of us just don’t need a quad-core or rear-facing camera. If that person is you, the Airpad might be the way to go.
Price: $ 149.99
Screen Size: 7″
Resolution: 800 x 480
Processor: 1.2 GHz Allwinner A10 Cortex A8 processor + 395 Mhz DSP
Memory: 512MB
Storage: 4GB (microSD slot up to 32GB)
Camera(s): 1.3 MP front-camera with video recording and playback
Battery: 8.5 hours movie, 30 hours music, 8.5 hours WIFI Internet access
Release Date: Buy Now!
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2
Samsung did pretty well with their first round of Galaxy Tabs (minus all of the patent infringement cases). And now that they have announced that Ice Cream Sandwich will not be given to any of their older tablets, they have decided to produce another round with ICS.
Price: $ 350
Screen Size: 7″
Resolution: 1024 x 600
Processor: Dual-core 1GHz
Memory: 1GB
Storage: 8/16/32GB (and microSD)
Camera(s): Front facing camera of unknown quality
Battery: 4000 mAh, with up to 30 hours of music playback
Release Date: Q1 2012
Xvision an4
Electronics manufacturer WSL Japan will release the Xvision an4 in April of 2012. With a supposed low price tag and a big screen, this is a combo that many tablet “wanters” have been looking for. In addition to the average processor, the an4 will be packing 16GB of internal storage for all of your apps, pictures, and music.
Price: Consistant with others ($ 200-300)
Screen Size: 9.7″
Resolution: 1024 x 768
Processor: 1GHz CPU
Memory: 1GB
Storage: 16GB
Camera(s): 0.3 MP front-facing
Battery: Unknown
Release Date: April 2012
Our Picks
Budget:
If you’re really looking to get the best deal on an Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) tablet, the NOVO7 Paladin is definitely the way to go. Coming in at just $ 89 the 800 x 480 7″ screen and 4000mAh battery should suit you well.
Performance and Overall Winner:
After taking a look at all of the tablets, if you are looking to get high-performance while not breaking your bank, the Asus Memo 370t is right up your alley. It is the only low-cost quad-core tablet and only costs 1/2 of the Asus Transformer Prime at $ 249. Although it is just 7″, the Asus Memo 370t packs 16GB of internal storage and an 8MP rear-facing camera.
And how about you? Would you opt for a lower priced tablet? See anything you like? Let us know in the comments below!
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This article, Top 10 Upcoming Low-Cost Android 4.0 (ICS) Tablets for 2012 , was originally published at androidtime.com – Your Android News Source.
Fujitsu preparing smartphones and tablets for Europe, U.S. up next?
Find yourself yawning at a never-ending sea of silver or black smartphones? Wish you could pick up a handset that offered a CMOS sensor that competes with a digital point-and-shoot? You’re in luck, as Fujitsu is getting ready to peddle its mobile phone wares outside of Japan.
They’ll be on hand at Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona, where a range of Fujitsu phones and tablets will be on display. Unlike a growing list of competitors that includes Acer, Panasonic, and HTC, Fujitsu’s managed to keep its line-up under wraps so far. You can count on what’s revealed being thin and eye-catching — like the 6.7mm Arrows ES. Another safe bet is that Fujitsu will continue to push integration with Toshiba’s Regza Smart TVs, and you may also see models arriving with biometric sensors — a feature common on their high-end Japanese offerings.
On the tablet front, Fujitsu will likely show the Stylistic M532 and its powerful Tegra 3 quad-core processor. They might need to tweak the design slightly for the European market, what with the striking similarity it bears to the once-banned Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Apple won’t be turning a blind eye to Fujitsu just because they’re the new kid on the block.
It’s also likely that Fujitsu’s European offerings won’t be limited to Android. They were, after all, the first manufacturer to launch a Windows Phone Mango device — the sleek IS12T. Even if Fujitsu launched the phone with the same 32GB of internal storage and a 13.2MP camera Japan got, it would still stand out against the current crop of Windows Phone contenders.
Whatever the specifics, Fujitsu is saying that its Western push will be limited to top-shelf hardware. They’re planning to compete head-on with Samsung and Apple, but they’re not going to do it by throwing a bunch of mid-range or low-end phones at the wall and seeing what sticks. Once they’re set up in Europe, Fujitsu will continue on to the U.S. — where they hope to be selling phones within the next year.
More at Gizmodo UK
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