Tag: Android tablets

The Real Reason Android Tablets Failed

When Apple released the iPad in 2010, it toppled the industry owing to the groundbreaking design and technology the device incorporated. It is still considered as the time which led to the advent of tablets. Many Android manufacturers including Samsung and Motorola, tried to cash in on the trend at the time but failed. The market for Android tablets hasn’t really caught on since. So, what can be the reason for the tremendous success of the Apple iPad but the dismal failure of Android tablets?

History Of Tablets

Interestingly, the first tablet with touch input was neither running iOS or Android. While it is debatable, the Microsoft Tablet PC, announced in the year 2000, is considered to be the first tablet. It ran Windows XP and supported touch input. But the product failed abysmally, owing to the poor user experience and an uninspired design. The Apple iPad, released in 2010 by Steve Jobs is considered the reason tablets got popular in the first place. At the time, Android OS was relatively new and unpolished, so the success of the iPad was foreseen. However, manufacturers on the Android side tried catching up to the competition and we got the first Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Released in 2010, the Galaxy Tab had a 7-inch display and ran the Samsung’s TouchWiz UI on top of Android 2.2 Froyo. The Operating System lacked any sort of optimization like on the iPad which resulted in an unrefined, laggy experience. Google tried to fix the optimization issues by releasing a new Operating System built around them. Called 3.0 Honeycomb, this allowed developers to build applications that could match the size of tablets and that did not feel out of place. Many manufacturers, like Motorola with its XOOM tablet, LG with its G-Slate and Acer’s Iconia Tab were all running the new OS by the year 2011.

Android Tablets: Jumping Ship

While Honeycomb was a promising OS, unlike iOS, most developers didn’t get on board to develop apps for it; due to the variety of screen sizes available, which made Honeycomb a rarity on devices because of poor app support. By the year 2011, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was a thing, which had better compatibility with most apps, was also supported just fine on tablets.

Then arrived the Samsung Galaxy Note in 2011. The smartphone featured a 5-inch display which was considered massive at the time for mobile devices. A new term, called ‘Phablet’ was coined then. It meant a device which is a combination of a smartphone and a tablet. The device wasn’t doomed with poor app support, ran a more common version of Android and was more pocketable than tablets. So to make things more confusing, tablets which were already a device between a smartphone and laptops was slowly replaced by phablets, a mix of the smartphone and tablets.

The Ultimate Doom

Google tried updating its Android OS along to support both smartphones and tablets. It also released the Nexus 7 and Nexus 9 Tablets in 2013 and 2014 respectively to try reviving the slowly fading market. It did work for a while, but using Android apps on tablets was still far from perfect experience. Many applications were not designed for big screens so it ended up looking like a stretched out version of its smartphone counterpart.

Smartphone makers meanwhile were more focussed on making the screen size bigger or on phablets. And by the year 2017, the race to a bezel-less future started. This led to ever-increasing screen sizes, reaching up to 6.5-inch displays on average. With the line blurring out between tablets and smartphones. Apple also understood the same and tried marketing the iPad as a media device and the iPad Pro as a replacement to a computer. The Android tablet makers, who tried mimicking the same, couldn’t make it work. This was again, due to poor software optimizations and abysmal app support. It didn’t help that they used mobile processors which weren’t powerful enough for computing.

The last attempt by Google at developing an Android tablet was 2015’s Pixel C, which was cut off from receiving software support starting last year’s Android 9 Pie. This meant Google finally accepted that Android tablets wouldn’t work. They were fine as media devices, but give them anything more, and you’d be disappointed. All is not grim though, as company’s like Samsung, Huawei, Lenovo and Xiaomi still make tablets which have decent specifications and work well as a primary media consumption device.

Looking Forward

With Google accepting the fate of Android Tablets, it suggested that the era of the devices will finally meet its maker. Surprisingly, that didn’t happen as the company released the Pixel Slate last year. It ran ChromeOS, Google attempt at making a web-based operating system for PCs with humble hardware. The ChromeOS was designed in a way where Android apps can be used with ease and it offered a better software experience. While the tablet received wretched reviews for its poor software optimization, it did showcase one thing. The Pixel Slate revealed the next step for Android tablets, existing as ChromeOS devices.

There are again problems with ChromeOS. The Android application support is limited and the software can be buggy. But more often than not, it shows promise which Android tablets didn’t do. The OS is light and fast on mediocre hardware. It also gets fast software updates and has the potential to be a good computing device for a lighter workload. But to affirm the position of tablets, it needs more manufacturers onboard.

Also read: Top Tech Gadgets & Accessories For The Month Of March

To make a tablet successful, you first need a use case for it. The iPads have theirs, non-Android tablets like the Fire tablet have things like excellent app support for Amazon’s apps and an affordable price. Android apps mainly failed because they didn’t manage to find their footing. They are larger than a smartphone, but you can’t take calls on it’s like you do on the former. They are smaller than a laptop, but you can’t do any heavy work like you can on a computer. Unless a tablet, whether it is running iOS, Android or ChromeOS cannot define its existence, it can’t survive. That is what led to the demise of Android tablets.

March 22, 2019
Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 To Launch On June 25th

After a few days of speculations and leaks, Xiaomi has officially confirmed that the Mi Pad 4 is coming. The Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 will launch in China on June 25th. The poster was posted on the company’s official Weibo page. The fourth-gen Mi Pad will succeed the Mi Pad 3 which was launched in April 2017.

The Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 has so far flown under the radar of internet leaks. We barely know anything about the upcoming tablet apart from a few vague details. Recent leaks suggest the Mi Pad 4 will run on Snapdragon 660 chipset and sport an 18:9 aspect ratio. If true, this will be a headline-grabber as well since no other tablets with this aspect ratio have launched so far.

It is also rumoured to have a 13MP rear-facing camera and a 5MP front-facing camera. The Mi Pad 3 did not feature a fingerprint sensor. With the Xiaomi Mi Pad 4, there are chances of the company introducing the feature that has become the norm in all sorts of mobile devices. However, Xiaomi usually placed the fingerprint sensor on the back of its devices which might be cumbersome on a tablet.

Xiaomi is one of the few Android smartphone makers to still push tablets into the market. After a few years of competing with Apple’s iPad lineup, Android tablets have slowly faded into oblivion. It’ll be interesting to see how the Mi Pad 4 performs in the market considering the 6th-gen Apple iPad is also very affordable. The Mi Pad 4, however, will definitely undercut the cheapest iPad in terms of pricing when it is launched.

6th-Gen iPad

The launch of the Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 isn’t too far away. Its launched in India, however, is indefinite. It is to be seen whether the company decides to bring its latest tablet offering to India or not.

June 20, 2018
Lenovo Launches Two Budget Tablets – Tab 7 And Tab 7 Essential

Lenovo has continued its efforts of consistently launching tablets with two new additions of the Tab 7 and Tab 7 Essential. While the Tab 7 is priced at US $99.99 (Rs 6500 approx.), the Tab 7 Essential is priced even lower at US $79.99 (Rs 5200 approx.).

The Tab 7 has a 7-inch IPS LCD display with a 1280 x 720 px resolution.

Under the hood, the budget tablet has the MediaTek MT8161 chipset, 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage which can be expanded via microSD card. Lenovo has not mentioned the exact battery capacity of the tablet but, it does claim up to 15 hours of usage time.

Lenovo Tab 7

The Tab 7 runs Android 7 Nougat.

The tablet has a rear-facing 2MP camera and a front facing 5MP camera.

The Tab 7 Essential has a 7 inch IPS LCD display with a 1024 x 600 px resolution.

Under the hood, the Tab 7 Essential packs a MediaTek MT8167D, quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. Lenovo has not mentioned the exact battery capacity of the tablet but, it does claim up to 20 hours of usage time.

Just like the Tab 7, the Tab 7 Essential also runs Android 7 Nougat.

The tablet has a rear-facing 2MP camera and a front facing 2MP camera.

November 20, 2017
Kobian Mercury mTab7 Now Available At INR 6,499

The Mercury mTab7 price in India has been revealed by Kobian, a brand that’s not known for merely associating itself with budget tablets. It’s given us the Rs. 15,000 mTab Neo2 and the Rs. 16,000 Neo previously.

This time around, the company is catering to the ‘price sensitive Indian market’ with its latest introduction. It is the sixth and newest of the mTab members, all of which run various versions of the Google mobile OS.

Priced at Rs 6,499, the tablet comes with a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen. Other specifications of the tablet include a 1.2 GHz Cortex A8 processor, 512MB DDRM and 4GB storage.

Mercury mTAB7 operates on the Android v4.0 platform. As per an official statement released by Kobian, the tablet weighs 300 grams. The 7-inch touchscreen gives a vivid and clear picture, a stable response time of liquid crystal, and its smart driving technology.

The tablet is Wi-Fi enabled and supports Adobe Flash 11.1. The 0.3 megapixel front camera allows users to capture the memorable moments and video chat. It allows connectivity to 3G through a dongle and offers a high HDMI output. The built-in speaker with full HD is a boon.

[quote]“The price sensitive Indian market is always looking for low cost, feature rich tablets and here we introduce one in the sub 7k range. mTAB7 brings joy of tablet at low cost .The ultra-thin and light weight features allows one to carry mTAB7 easily anywhere and its sleek features allow it to comfortably land in your pockets. We are not preloading with applications as we believe that the customer has a wide array of choices and they can download and access Apps easily through the Wi-Fi support,” said Sushmita Das, country manager – India at Kobian.[/quote]

October 8, 2012
Ice Cream Sandwich on 16 Percent of Android Devices

Ice Cream Sandwich’s share of the Android market continues to grow rapidly, with the operating system now present on nearly 16 percent of all Android phones.

Ice Cream Sandwich has more than doubled its distribution share over the space of a single month — variants of Android 4.0 have risen from a combined total of 7.1 percent to 15.9 percent, according to figures from Google.

Gingerbread still reigns supreme at 60.6 percent, but that was down from the 64 percent of the market it held inJune.

Ice Cream Sandwich just barely ekes past Froyo, which is still present on 15.5 percent of Android devices. Eclair is on 4.2 percent, Donut has 0.5 percent of the pie, and Cupcake is now down to 0.2 percent.

Android 4.1 ‘Jelly Bean’, which was officially unveiled at Google’s I/O conference on June 27th, and was released as an over-the-air (OTA) update for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus on July 11, has reached 0.8% market share.

The data was collected from Android devices that access Google Play, the Android app store formerly known as the Android Market, during the two week period ending August 1.

August 2, 2012
Amazon Updates Kindle App for Android for improved support of Tablets

If you do a lot of reading on your Tablet and your tablet is an Android one then you will be happy to know that Amazon has pushed out a new version of the Amazon Kindle app for Android.

The big addition is the ability to view two pages side-by-side in landscape mode (as seen above). Otherwise, you’ll now find additional options for margin and spacing controls, along with a number of bug fixes . Including the major bug that required you to re-sign in every time you restarted the App.

[Google Play]

June 14, 2012
Asus Rebrands Transformer line, Say Hello to ‘Infinity Series’

Asus has announced a major rebranding of its Transformer lineup of dock-able tablets, now to be called the Asus Infinity Pad. The first in this release lineup is the TF700T with a dual-core Qualcomm MSM 8960 Snapdragon S4 CPU and an optional LTE radio. For wifi only versions there is a Tegra 3 option, the 3G / 4G versions will have a S4 chip.

A lower end 16GB option will also be available, the specs are the same, including a quad-core Tegra 3 SoC, dual 8MP / 2MP cameras, 1GB of RAM, HDMI and a 10.1-inch, 1920 x 1200, Super IPS+ Gorilla Glass 2 display.

Infinity Pad will run Android 4.0 out of the box, 8GB of free lifetime ASUS WebStorage and 10 Hours of battery life along with a 6 hour boost from the Asus dock.

MORE MWC NEWS CLICK HERE

February 27, 2012
ASUS launches the new Transformer Prime with Tegra 3 and 12 Hour Battery (PR)

Asus has officially announced its revision to the Asus EeePad Transformer, this one dubbed the “Transformer Prime” will feature enhancements inside out. The major changes include the all new Nvidia Tegra 3 SOC with quad core processors and 12 core GPU, the enhanced 10.1 inch Super IPS LCD display. The new tab will also feature a 8.3mm-thick/ thin body, mini-HDMI output, microSD slot ( for next Gen. upto 64GB)

The pricing has also been revised to tackle the market by surprise, the tablet launches worldwide in December for a price of US $ 499 for the 32 GB version ( Approx. Rs 25,000/-) and US $ 599 for the 64GB Version (Approx. Rs 30,000). The display has a resolution of 1280 x 800 and is a Gorilla Glass display with a 178-degree viewing angle and a brightness of 600 nits. The battery is going to run upto 12 hours on the tablet alone, thats before adding the extended battery pack from the dock. The tablet will have 1 GB of RAM and an 8 MP auto focus, f/2.4 lens, backlit illuminating sensor ( similar to the one seen on the iPhone 4S). The device will have 1080p video capture and a front facing 1.2 MP camera for video chats on their upgraded version of Ice Cream Sandwich ( aka Android 4.0)

[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]ASUS Announces the Eee Pad Transformer Prime
Featuring the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 Quad-Core Processor the Transformer Prime is designed to greatly enhance the mobile computing experience

Fremont, CA (November 8, 2011) – ASUS officially announces the world’s first tablet with the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor – the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime. The Eee Pad Transformer Prime is ultra-thin at 8.3mm (0.33″) and lightweight at 586g (1.29lbs) while featuring a stylish metallic swirl design with class leading enhancements including ASUS SonicMaster audio technology, an HD 8MP rear auto-focus camera with LED flash and battery life rated for up to 18 hours* when combined with the optional mobile dock. Pricing will range from $499** (32GB) to $599** (64GB), with the optional mobile dock accessory priced at $149**.

Incredibly Slim yet Incredibly Powerful
Featuring an ultra-slim form factor, the Transformer Prime is only 8.3mm (0.33″) thin and weighs in at a mere 586g (1.29lbs without dock). This makes watching movies, surfing the web, playing games, taking photos, finishing up homework or video chatting with friends or family so easy and natural that you’ll wonder if the Transformer Prime was designed specifically with you in mind. Its innovative metallic swirl design is made of aluminum for a secure yet extremely comfortable grip that comes in two gorgeous colors: Amethyst Gray and Champagne Gold.

The Transformer Prime is the world’s first tablet to feature NVIDIA’s next-generation quad-core Tegra® 3 processor. With the quad-core CPU, 12-core GeForce® GPU and vSMP technology, the Transformer Prime delivers an optimum user experience featuring smooth multitasking capabilities, lightning fast app loading, a rich and fluid web experience, full 1080P HD video for realistic media playback or recording and of course, incredible gaming performance that allows you to experience games in an entirely new way.

Fantastic Battery Life
While the Transformer Prime is extremely slim and light, ASUS did not forget about battery life. Thanks to the advanced power management features of the Tegra® 3 processor and ASUS optimizations the Transformer Prime has a battery life of up to 12 hours*, but when combined with the mobile dock, it lasts up to an incredible 18 hours*, the longest battery life of any current tablet. That’s enough battery life for a trans-ocean flight, all-night game session, viewing several movies on a long road trip or even video recording, editing, and then playing back your child’s school play all in 1080P HD clarity.

Unrivaled Visuals
The Eee Pad Transformer Prime boasts a wide 178° viewing angle IPS display, protected by Corning® Gorilla® Glass, which features new ASUS technology to enhance the brightness of the screen for a better outdoor reading experience while still offering a remarkably vivid and brilliant viewing experience of photos, books, videos, movies and web pages indoors. Thanks to Multi-Touch technology, you can use your fingers to do everything from swiping through photos, surfing the web, playing the latest games, typing emails, instant messaging, reading books or magazines, and starting your favorite movie.

A 1.2MP front camera allows for instant photos or high-quality video conferencing with friends, family or coworkers while an 8MP rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash takes brilliant photos or video thanks to a large F2.4 aperture, back illuminated CMOS sensor, touch-to-focus depth of field and low-light noise reduction to provide the clearest and sharpest photos or even 1080P HD videos.

Advanced Audio
The Transformer Prime offers impressive audio capabilities in a tablet, powered by ASUS exclusive SonicMaster technology, renowned for crisp and acoustically accurate audio. It produces crystal clear sound with a wide sound stage, increased audio fidelity, and distinct vocal enhancements for an immersive audio experience with your favorite music track, video, or movie.

Unlimited Productivity
The Transformer Prime is offered with either 32GB or 64B flash storage options for quick, efficient and reliable access to your applications. Both models feature a micro SD card slot, 3.5mm combo audio jack and micro HDMI port so sharing both what’s inside and on-screen is quick and easy. However, the function that gives the Transformer Prime its namesake is the mobile dock, which gives new meaning to the term versatility. This innovative and convenient design seamlessly provides the user with a keyboard and touchpad, along with limitless expandability options via the USB port and SD card slot.

ASUS will include several innovative applications like SuperNote that is fantastic for its ability to take, draw or record notes and Polaris® Office which is great for staying productive with the ability to read, edit or create Word, Excel and PowerPoint (MS Office 97-2007) compatible files. Thousands of top rated applications and games are also available at Android Market that fully takes advantage of the Transformer Prime’s amazing features and power.

*Battery life will vary based on usage patterns and options.
**Pricing will vary by country and SKU. North American MSRP pricing listed.[/toggle]

November 9, 2011
Fujitsu is launching a waterproof Tablet next month, the Arrows Tab LTE F-01D (PR)
Fujitsu is all prepped to launch a waterproof Tablet, making it the first company with such a device. The waterproof tablet called the Arrows Tab for some wicked reason, is completely soak proof. The device also boasts decent specs
- 10.1-incher WXGA display
- Dual-core processor running Android 3.2
- 1.3 megapixel front-facing / 5 megapixel rear camera
- Up to 32GB of storage
- Waterproofing seals and air tight vents.
The interesting bit would be how Fujitsu prices this device, the fact that is might as well be the first waterproof tablet. But also it won’t be the last

[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”no” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]DOCOMO to Unveil First Tablets for LTE Service

TOKYO, JAPAN, September 8, 2011 — NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today the unveiling of the first tablets compatible with its extra-high-speed next-generation LTE service, Xi™ (read “Crossy”). The “docomo Tablet GALAXY Tab 10.1 LTE SC-01D” will go on sale in Japan in the beginning of October and the “docomo Tablet ARROWS Tab LTE F-01D” in the middle of October.

Both tablets feature large 10.1-inch displays and are powered by dual core CPUs running on Android™ 3.2. The light, thin and fast docomo Tablet GALAXY Tab 10.1 LTE SC-01D is DOCOMO’s LTE-optimized version of the GALAXY Tab 10.1, the latest large-screen tablet in the globally popular GALAXY series. Customized for DOCOMO services such as sp-mode™, docomo market and Area Mail™, the device offers excellent operability and mobility. Its 8.6mm body weighs just 565g and it comes with a high-capacity 7,000 mAh battery.

The docomo Tablet ARROWS Tab LTE F-01D, the first Android-based tablet manufactured by Fujitsu Limited, also boasts a thin, lightweight body, measuring 11.3mm thick and weighing just 597g. Its IPX5/IPX7 waterproof design enables users to enjoy video and one-seg mobile TV even while relaxing in the bathtub*. Highly convenient “Hand Gesture Control” enables operations to be performed with simple hand gestures without touching the device – perfect for checking recipes or performing other tasks while the user’s hands are wet or messy.

In conjunction with the launch of these inaugural Xi-compatible tablets, DOCOMO will offer four new broadband applications, including the popular Hulu and Qik Video services, which are specially suited to Xi’s high-spec mobile video/TV, communications and online gaming capabilities.

In addition, DOCOMO will partially reorganize its device lineup by establishing a separate series for tablets, called “docomo Tablet,” in recognition of the growing number of tablets in the market and the differences in usage and needs compared to smartphones. Going forward, DOCOMO will work closely with content providers to steadily expand the range and attractiveness of docomo Tablet content for enhanced user experiences.[/toggle]
September 9, 2011
Samsung Launches the Galaxy Tab 7.7 inch with Android 3.2 and 1.4 GHz Dual Core (PR)
Samsung has announced the new Samsung Note and the Galaxy Tab 7.7, the tab features a new Samsung made 1.2GHz dual core processor which is capable of 14 thread multitasking.

Specs of this new tablet include
- 7.7-inch (1280 x 800) display
- Super AMOLED Plus panel
- Android 3.2 Honeycomb
- TouchWiz UX
- Samsung-made dual-core 1.4GHz processo
- HSPA+ radio speeds as high as 21Mbp
- 0.74-pound (335-gram)
- 16GB to 64GB of internal storage
- microSD card slot
- 5,100mAh battery rated for 10 hours
- 802.11n WiFi
- GPS
- Bluetooth 3.0
- Dual 3MP and 2MP cameras
This tablet is what completes the Samsung Galaxy line up – with a galaxy player 3.6, Player 4, POP, FIT, ACE, Galaxy SL, Galaxy S, Galaxy S2, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Tab 7, Tab 7.7, Tab 8.9 and the Tab 10.1 Samsung seems to have taken all Screen sizes into account.

[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”no” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, World’s First Mobile Tablet Featuring
Super AMOLED Plus Display Unveiled at IFA 2011
Pioneer of the 7-inch mobile tablet introduces next generation Galaxy Tab, delivering the ultimate in viewing quality and portability

BERLIN – Sept. 1, 2011 –Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading provider and innovator of award-winning consumer electronics, today announced the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, the world’s first tablet to feature the brilliant Super AMOLED Plus display. The powerful Galaxy Tab 7.7 with a 1.4GHz dual core processor measures just 7.89 millimeters thin and weighs only 335 grams (12 ounces), making this tablet one of the most portable devices in the market.

“The new Galaxy Tab 7.7 demonstrates Samsung’s commitment to offering consumers the most choice in the mobile tablet market,” said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business. “The Galaxy Tab 7.7’s ultra-thin design and WXGA Super AMOLED Plus display are impressive differentiators in the tablet marketplace and pillars of our ultimate goal of meeting a wide variety of consumer needs.”

Brilliant Super AMOLED Plus display
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the first tablet that incorporates Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus display technology, delivering brilliant, high-contrast colors and a beautiful, crisp viewing experience. The Super AMOLED Plus display allows for a wider range of colors with greater separation between lights and darks, making images incredibly vivid.

Sleek Design with Ultimate Portability
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 provides ultimate portability and viewing quality within the Galaxy Tab portfolio, featuring a brighter display combined with a thinner and lighter design that easily fits in your jacket pocket or purse. The elegant, linear design features a stylish metal casing and rounded edges for a sleek look that’s comfortable to hold while you’re sitting or walking.

Impressive Speed, Power & Battery Life
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 features HSPA+ 21 Mbps network for faster uploads and downloads. It also supports Wi-Fi Channel Bonding, bonding two channels into one for improved network connection and data transfer at up to twice the speed. The device is powered by a 1.4 GHz dual core application processor for fast web-loading, seamless multitasking and superior multimedia performance. Thanks to a 5,100 mAh battery providing up to 10 hours of video playback time[1], the Galaxy Tab 7.7 does not sacrifice battery life for its ultra-thin design.

Latest 3.2 Honeycomb OS with “Samsung TouchWiz UX”
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is powered by Android™ 3.2 Honeycomb, Android 3.2 has been optimized for a 7-inch tablet with a new compatibility zoom mode. This optimizes applications that are not designed to run on larger screen sizes, so they fit on the entire screen without distortion. In addition, the tablet supports MicroSD cards of up to 32 GB for direct media files transfer.

Samsung’s TouchWiz user experience is designed with a Live Panel menu for customizing the home screen of the Galaxy Tab 7.7 with digital pictures, favorite Web sites and social network feeds.

In addition, the TouchWiz UX includes a “Mini Apps” tray of commonly used features such as task manager, calendar and music player which can be launched while other major applications are already in use. The clipboard feature allows users to copy and paste texts and images.

Powerful Multimedia
Galaxy Tab 7.7 lets you enjoy video clips without limitation, featuring 1080p full HD playback, DivX included multi codec and Micro SD. The device also includes Universal Remote Control functionality, allowing control of the entire home entertainment system – TV, Set top box, DVD, Blu-ray player, AV audio system – from one device.

Samsung Hub Services [AVAILABILITY DEPENDS ON MARKET]
Samsung’s Hub Services offers easy access to content including games, eBooks, music and more. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the first mobile tablet to include a pre-loaded Game Hub, complete with easy social games, all delivered with lightning fast graphics. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 also features access to Samsung’s Music Hub service, which offers 15 million songs for preview, download and play. The Readers Hub service features a robust library filled with more than 2.3 million books, 2,000 newspapers and 3,000 magazines in up to 49 languages, and Samsung’s Social Hub service aggregates email, contacts, calendar and social network connections into a single interface.

Voice and Video Support for Better Communication
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 offers both voice and video calls for better communication. There is no need to bring a headset and BT for voice calls. In addition, it is possible to call privately in public places with Receiver Mode.

Google™ Mobile Services
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is preloaded with the full suite of Google Mobile Services including access to more than 250,000 applications on Android Market™, Gmail™, Google Search™, Google Maps™ 5.7 with 3D maps, and Google Talk™ with video and voice chat.

[/toggle]
September 2, 2011
Sharp Galapagos A01SH tablet goes on sale in Japan

Want a tablet for INR 50. ? Well the Sharp Galapagos tablet has gone on sale in Japan on contract for a mere 100 ¥, which is roughly Rs 50.

The Device is one of the first tablets to show instances of Honeycomb 3.2 in person, But don’t fall easy for the cheap price tag, you will need to tie yourself in a deal with the ISP for a long and problematic contract. The device is also available outright for ¥44,800 or INR. 28,000, which is still cheaper than the Galaxy 750 / tab 10.1s asking price.

The Device is a WiFi only 7 inch device with Android 3.2 Honeycomb and a Unibody shell.

August 31, 2011