Tag Archives | Tablets

Sorry, Two Operating Systems Aren’t Better Than One

Posted by Harry McCracken on March 9, 2011 at 4:22 pm

Leo Apotheker, HP’s new CEO, says that in 2012, every HP PC will run the company’s WebOS operating system–presumably in conjunction with Windows in most cases, although no details are available just yet. ViewSonic has an Atom-powered ViewPad that dual-boots between Android 1.6 (a version so old that I’ve forgotten what its dessert-themed codename was) and Windows 7. Lenovo continues to demo its Windows laptop that lets you pop out the screen and use it as an Android tablet. Other companies are also working on split-personality, multiple-OS computers. More than one of the hardware makers that are doing this is using the phrase “the best of both worlds” to explain why it makes sense for one device to run two operating systems.

Is it just me, or is this a profoundly lousy idea?

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Beware of Knee-jerk iPad 2 iLine Analysis

Posted by Ed Oswald on March 8, 2011 at 3:19 pm

In what has become somewhat of a spectator sport among tech pundits, a good deal of line watching will be done this Friday as the iPad 2 launches to the masses. This time however, it’s going to be a little more difficult to judge just how big the launch of this device iis.

Why? Simple answer: distribution. Demand for the original iPad was pretty simple to gauge because it was only available through the Apple Store and most Best Buy stores at its launch. Thus analysts had a much easier time seeing just how successful of a launch the iPad was.

This time? Not so much. In what is the widest launch of an Apple mobile device outside of the iPod, the iPad will be available across a wide range of retailers on 5pm Friday. In addition to the aforementioned locations, the device will be available at Wal-Mart, Target, and most AT&T and Verizon stores.

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Lenovo Launches Intel vPro ThinkPad Tablet PC and Ultraportable Models

Posted by Jacqueline Emigh on March 7, 2011 at 11:24 pm

Lenovo has rolled out new ThinkPad Tablet PC and ultraportable laptop PC models based on Intel’s new second generation vPro Core processor, hot on the heels of Intel’s announcement on Monday of the speedier and more secure new chipset.

The new 12.5-inch X220T convertible tablet and X220 laptop will be available with second generation Intel Core and vPro Core chips. All i7 models will also offer USB 3.0 for faster data transfer, but the i5 and i3 models will be limited to USB 2.0, said Ross Compton, a Lenovo product manager, in an interview.

Aside from new processors, the new ThinkPads will also feature a revamped design revolving around changes to the display, touchpad, and latch.

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More Video Goodness Headed to iPad (NCAA, BBC)

Posted by Dave Z on March 5, 2011 at 10:49 am

March Madness App

As I’ve proclaimed several times these last few months, smaller media consumption devices are poised to become our kitchen or den “televisions.” Of course, the tablet with the richest third party ecosystem is Apple’s iPad. And I don’t see that changing any time soon, despite possibly stifling some development via their recent subscription commission policy change. Comcast recently launched 3,000 hours of on demand iPad video content and announced their intentions to broadcast live video to tablets. I’m hopeful my provider Verizon follows suit. But beyond the broad aggregation by the larger players, there’s a huge amount of specialized or niche content – currently active… and those coming down the pike.

For 2011, CBS is offering a March Madness On Demand iPad app for free. In fact, I’m willing to bet their online streaming NCAA baskbetball properties are amongst the most lucrative when it comes to advertising. So why not give the app away? It’s expected to launch March 10th with games getting underway on the 15th. Unfortunately, my poor Maryland Terrapins aren’t even on the bubbleat this point.

Next up, 2011 looks to be the year that the BBC brings their online content to an international audience. It’s expected to launch later this year and will run “a small number of dollars per month, definitely fewer than 10.” Unlike a Netflix, the BBC iPlayer, in its current form. is referred to as a “catch up” service and only streams recent episodes versus entire seasons. But I’m hopeful the UK powers that be realize we have a lot of catching up to do here in the US… and will consider providing a more comprehensive library.

(This post republished from Zatz Not Funny.)

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Xoom Looks Headed to Sam’s Club for $539

Posted by Ed Oswald on March 4, 2011 at 12:27 pm

If Apple has one thing over its Android competitors, it’s definitely (and surprisingly) the iPad’s low starting price. Well, leave it to a wholesaler like Sam’s Club to come to the rescue. According to some information obtained by Android blog Droid Life, the retailer appears set to start selling a Wi-Fi only model of the Motorola Xoom at a price of $539.

This would be $60 less than the target price Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha alluded to about two weeks ago–although still $40 more expensive than the cheapest iPad–and seems to confirm the company has plans to bring it to the US, which was also a question. Obviously, you have to pay for membership to Sam’s in order to buy the item — so the deal is not necessarily open to everybody.

The report doesn’t mention a release date, but does note that a Wi-Fi version is headed for the European market in April.

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No Windows Tablets Until Late 2012? That Could be Disastrous. Or a Pretty Good Idea.

Posted by Harry McCracken on March 4, 2011 at 10:01 am

When is Microsoft going to have a version of Windows that can power tablets that have a chance at competing with the iPad? Bloomberg’s Ian King and Dina Bass are reporting that the world’s largest software company won’t release anything until 2012’s back-to-school season. They don’t use the words “Windows 8” in the story, but if they’re right about the timing, it sounds like Microsoft has decided that the best way to respond to the iPad is with a version of full-blown Windows that’s been thoroughly reworked for tablets (rather than the plain ol’ Windows 7 which failed to storm the tablet market back in early 2010).

Then again, it may have other, speedier plans. ZDnet’s Mary Jo Foley wrote about Windows Embedded Compact 7, a version of the operating system based on the same guts as Windows Phone 7. It’s already out, and meant for a variety of devices, including…tablets! But maybe simple ones focused on the consumption of content rather than creation. (With Apple’s demos of versions of iMovie and GarageBand for the iPad, I hope there’s nobody left who insists that the iPad is purely, um, consumptive.)

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Your iPad 2 Predictions: What You Got Right (Most of It!) and What You Got Wrong

Posted by Harry McCracken on March 2, 2011 at 10:08 pm

Another Apple press event has come and gone, And as usual, the predictions I asked you to make hours before the event start turned out to be…well, not perfect, but impressive overall.

You didn’t figure out that Steve Jobs would preside. You expected the iPad and iOS 4.3 to take longer to show up than Apple says they will. You were excited about a new version of MobileMe that remains, for now, strictly theoretical. But you got most of the big stuff right, including some points I would have messed up. (I was expecting the iPad 2 to lack a rear camera, and for Steve Jobs, or someone, to helpfully explain to us that we didn’t even want one.)

Let’s recap–the numbers are the percentages of respondents who made each prediction, and the upshot is [IN CAPS AND BRACKETS] after each item.

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The iPad 2: It's a Game of Millimeters and Ounces, or the Lack Thereof

Posted by Harry McCracken on March 2, 2011 at 5:30 pm

More than most unannounced Apple products, the second-generation iPad–which we now know is the iPad 2–has been subject to wild swings of the Expectations-o-Meter. It was going to have a “retina display.” But only for awhile. Then it was going to be the meatier of two iPad revisions for 2011. It was also going to have two cameras. Until it wasn’t.

Finally, as of yesterday morning, the new iPad was supposed to be a “ho-hum” speed-bump of a refresh. Nothing to see, folks–move along.

At this morning’s press event, I sat next to gdgt’s Ryan Block. While I was gawking at Pixar’s John Lasseter, Ryan noticed that Apple COO Tim Cook and marketing honcho Phil Schiller were hobnobbing with the audience. Which meant they weren’t backstage prepping to host the event. Could that mean that Apple’s CEO would do the honors, Ryan wondered?

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