Engadget’s Joanna Stern is pretty impressed overall with the Sprint version of the Galaxy Tab, although the lack of tablet-optimized Android apps is a major sticking point.
Tag Archives | Tablets
Tablet Phone Seekers, Here’s Your ViewSonic ViewPad 7
When I asked you all for questions on Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, I was surprised by how many people wanted to see a 7-inch tablet that doubles as a phone. Since the Galaxy Tab won’t have voice service, tablet phone seekers may consider ViewSonic’s ViewPad 7 instead.
ViewSonic announced U.S. pricing and launch details for the 7-inch tablet today. The ViewPad 7, running stock Android 2.2, will be available in November or December for $479. ViewSonic also announced the ViewPad 10, a 10-inch tablet that dual-boots Windows 7 and Android 1.6, coming in January or February for $629.
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The Nook Goes Color
Barnes & Noble just announced its new Nook e-reader–and as rumored, the big news is that it has a color screen. No, it’s not some bleeding-edge color electronic ink: The $249 Nookcolor uses an IPS LCD, the same type of screen used by the iPad, but in a 7″ size. Like the original Nook, it runs Android, and B&N says it will run for eight hours on a charge.
Barnes & Noble is calling the Nookcolor a “reader’s tablet,” cleverly splitting the difference between Kindle-style e-readers and iPad-esque tablets. It’ll only succeed if it’s good, but its positioning seems distinct and comprehensible–unlike a Kindle, it has a color touchscreen, and it’s much more portable and affordable than an iPad.
That doesn’t make it the ideal device, of course–it can’t compete with the Kindle’s battery life or the iPad’s third-party app riches. (I can’t tell from B&N’s site if the device can run stock Android apps, but I’d tend to doubt it.)
The Nookcolor is supposed to start shipping around November 19th; more thoughts to come.
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In Defense of iPad’s Orientation Lock Switch
When Apple updates the iPad to iOS 4.2 next month, it’ll be bittersweet. I’m dying to get some folders on the home screen, and multitasking will certainly be useful even if the implementation can be obnoxious.
But one thing I’m not looking forward to is the demise of a dedicated hardware switch for screen orientation lock. After the iOS 4.2 update, that switch will be used to mute the iPad. To lock the screen horizontally or vertically, you must double-tap the home button, swipe left in the task tray, tap a software lock button and double-tap the home button again to exit the tray.
There won’t be any way to restore orientation lock to the hardware, according to a supposed Steve Jobs e-mail relayed by 9 to 5 Mac. That doesn’t surprise me. Apple is quite particular about how iOS hardware functions, and flexibility is not its strong suit. Still, I’m delighted to see that I’m not alone in lamenting the change; 9 to 5 Mac’s comments section is flooded with people who say they’ll now jailbreak the iPad to get their trusty lock switches back.
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HP Slate to Ship, Sport Humiliating Tag
The much-hyped, strangely-delayed, didn’t-sound-like-a-great-idea HP Windows 7 tablet–the one I prematurely (but not unreasonably!) thought was dead–is alive, Engadget’s Joanna Stern reports. But it sports one feature that makes me want to weep: a slide-out tab with its Windows license and other mind-numbingly boring information which no buyer will ever care about. Apparently, HP didn’t want to ugly up the tablet’s underside with this stuff, but felt that it couldn’t just supply it on a piece of paper. I don’t know who to blame–HP? Microsoft? Lawyers? The Feds?–but it’s the final indignity for a product that couldn’t catch a break. Maybe it was cursed…
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Verizon’s Galaxy Tab is $599.99
Starting on November 11th, you’ll be able to buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab from Verizon for $599.99, no contract required (or available). That puts it at $100 above the cheapest iPad and $29 below the cheapest 3G model; if you buy a Tab, it’ll be because you prefer its size, features (such as dual cameras), and/or operating system, not because Apple priced the iPad too high.
I’ll be fascinated to see how well the Tab does (and I think it’s pretty obvious that a $499.99 Tab would be about three times more appealing than a $599.99 one). I wonder how long it’ll be until there’s an appealing iPad alternative that’s meaningfully less expensive?
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Don’t Dismiss 7-Inch Tablets Because of Steve Jobs
During Apple’s earnings call, Steve Jobs wiped away the possibility that Apple will release a seven-inch tablet.
“The seven-inch tablets are tweeners: too big to compete with a smartphone, and too small to compete with an iPad,” Jobs said. Tablets must be at least 10-inches to allow for great apps, he said, otherwise there’s not enough room on the screen to reliably tap, flick and pinch.
Around the iPad’s debut, I also questioned the purpose of seven-inch tablets, but lately I’ve started to come around. My brief time with Samsung’s Galaxy Tab helped to highlight some areas where bigger isn’t necessarily better.
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A Reliable Source Dismisses Rumors of a 7-Inch iPad
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Apple and Verizon: Together at Last, Kinda-Sorta
It’s not a Verizon iPhone, but could it be a sign of things to come? Starting on October 28th, Verizon Wireless will be selling Apple’s iPad in its stores. No, Apple hasn’t built an iPad that works on Verizon’s network: Instead, Verizon is bundling the Wi-Fi iPad with a MiFi mobile router that can deliver wireless Internet to the iPad via Wi-Fi. The total prices you’ll pay are the same as for AT&T 3G iPads: $629 for a 16GB iPad, $729 for a 32GB model, and $829 for a 64GB model. 1GB of data costs $20 a month, and I don’t see any mention in the announcement of a contract being required.
Using an iPad with a MiFi is a very viable alternative to buying an AT&T 3G model. I think so, anyhow: It’s what I do. (I use mine with a $60/month Verizon plan that provides me with 5GB of data, enough to let me use my laptop and iPad all I want without worrying about overages.)
I’m not going to puzzle out whether there’s any particular significance to the timing of today’s news, but even the most optimistic of predictions don’t involve Verizon having an iPhone until early 2011. By stocking the iPad this month, it gets an Apple goodie in time for the holidays–and an opportunity to buddy up with Apple fans before it has a phone they’ll want to buy.
In related news: AT&T, which has been powering the iPad’s 3G service but not selling the device itself until now, will begin stocking the tablet on the same day that Verizon stores do.
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Beware the Virus-Laden Touch Screen
Gross. A story in the Sacramento Bee says mobile phones carry 18 times more bacteria than a men’s room toilet flush handle, and glass touch screens are great for spreading pathogens.