The HP TouchPad hardware may not have a future, but at least updated software for the tablet does: QuickOffice HD is today updated to include document editing. That’s good news for the several hundred thousand new TouchPad owners looking to be more productive with their tablet. Read more »
Amazon is expected to enter the tablet market soon; if priced at $300 or less, Forrester believes Amazon can sell 3 to 5 million slates this year. I don’t know about those sales figures, but I do know how Amazon could price it’s tablet even lower. Read more »
The number of Wi-Fi hotspots around the world is expected to crack one million locations by 2013 as carriers continue to embrace the hotspot in face of growing data demand. Gone are the days where simple Wi-Fi is a second-class citizen when it comes to networks. Read more »
Customers pining for the Samsung Galaxy S II received good and bad news this week: Verizon won’t be carrying the phone, but may be looking at an LTE model. Xperia phones gain Android 2.3.4 starting in October, and a new 360-degree camera app makes the scene. Read more »
Windows Phone 7 sales have been slow, but Microsoft is steadily building up the platform with more apps and features. The latest is the ability share a mobile broadband data connection in the Mango software update, but it appears carriers will have control over its use. Read more »
Samsung is expected to introduce an updated Galaxy S II handset with larger display, faster processor and bigger battery. But the real upgrade appears to be multimode network support including LTE. Could this be why Verizon is passing on the original and highly popular GS2 handset? Read more »
HP may have canned the TouchPad, but at least the company is trying to make things right for current webOS owners. The official HP Palm blog is serving up a free software six-pack to all TouchPad owners now through the end of the month. Read more »
Samsung is expected to announced a new tablet, the Galaxy Tab 7.7, at next month’s IFA event. The 7.7 could indicate the screen size, but perhaps not: Samsung is working on 7-inch 720p Super AMOLED Plus screens, so this might be a 7-inch, high-definition slate. Read more »
Microsoft’s hardware requirements for Windows Phone 7 Mango devices will add support for front-facing cameras, and Skype will support them. To help broaden the appeal of Windows Phone 7 smartphones, Microsoft should deeply integrate Skype into the platform and consider adding unique services. Read more »
Sony Ericsson will bring Android 2.3.4 to all 2011 Xperia handsets, adding Google Talk video, deeper Facebook integration and support for USB peripherals. The new Xperia Neo V will launch with the software update, but it’s not enough to compete for the top Android sales spot. Read more »
Samsung today announced four new handset classes in the Galaxy line. The strategy is a departure for Samsung, which relied on a single model to boost sales over the prior two years. There’s a good reason for the change as Samsung fights for the smartphone crown. Read more »
Nokia introduced the next major version of its Symbian platform, called Belle, on Wednesday, in addition to three new handsets that will run it. Although there’s some innovation, particular around NFC support, Belle will look familiar to Android owners: more homescreens, better widgets and pull-down notifications. Read more »
The Nook Color gains new magazines with enhanced interactivity, along with performance updates, in a software update today. At $249, many iPad competitors could learn from the “tablet that’s not a tablet” approach: Focus on key features at a reasonable price and customers will see value. Read more »
Weeks after introducing new high-end smartphones, Research In Motion today announced three new BlackBerry Curve devices. With a focus on Facebook, BlackBerry Messenger and other social networks, the new Curve may compete well against low-cost Android phones that appeal to first-time smartphone buyers and teen texters. Read more »
Tech savvy users may be snapping up the $99 HP TouchPad for a reason nobody thought of: You can turn the slate into an Ubuntu Linux tablet with these instructions. The TouchPad will still run webOS, so this solution offers two operating systems for one price. Read more »
When thinking of social photo apps, iOS comes to mind with strong offerings like Instagram. But it doesn’t do panoramic images like 360 for Android does: the beta app doesn’t require a ton of processing power to produce a seamless 360-degree image that can be shared. Read more »
The demise of the HP TouchPad explains much about timing in the tablet market: Consumers won’t buy devices solely for their potential, at least not at full price. Tablet makers still playing catch-up to the iPad’s functions and features better be prepared for a long-term commitment. Read more »
Nokia’s decision to use Windows Phone 7 going forward disappointed many Symbian smartphone fans, but the company continues to support the community, releasing the Symbian Anna software update Thursday. Improvements abound in Anna, even as Belle, the next iteration, was leaked on video earlier this week. Read more »
The most appealing tablet these days is clearly Apple’s iPad, but HP’s TouchPad is a surprising second choice, beating out the many Google Android tablets and RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook in a survey of potential tablet buyers. It may be too soon to call it the “OuchPad.” Read more »
Samsung is reportedly shrinking the size of full high-definition screens and will create them for large smartphones and small tablets. The Super AMOLED Plus technology could support 1280×720 resolution on phones over 5-inches, as well as 7-inch tablets. Even better, the technology is getting cheaper. Read more »
Research In Motion’s new flagship phone, the BlackBerry Bold 9900, is commanding flagship prices in stores: Subsidized costs range from $249 to $299 with a two-year contract and after all applicable rebates. At these prices, and without the next-generation QNX platform, can RIM grow sales? Read more »
Microsoft continues to push its game service on Windows Phone 7 as a key differentiator from other platforms. In addition to the Mango improvements hitting Microsoft phones soon, the Xbox Live experience is gaining four new functions, including Parental Controls and in-game add-ons available for purchase. Read more »
Viewsonic launched its ViewPad 10pro tablet, a unique slate supporting both Google Android and Microsoft Windows 7. Android apps run in a unique virtualization mode, so there’s no need to shut down Windows to use mobile apps. But at this price, the display resolution is lacking. Read more »
AT&T will begin selling its first LTE devices on August 21, in advance of the carriers new network; the new data devices will fall back to AT&T’s current HSPA+ speeds. $50 will buy 5 GB of monthly data on the LTE network when it later launches. Read more »
A German court has temporarily lifted a restriction that was preventing Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 from being sold throughout most of Europe. The timing of this action coincides with news that Apple submitted inaccurate images of Samsung’s tablet, making it look more similar to Apple’s iPad. Read more »
It’s easy to search and browse the photo library on your smartphone, but what if you could search for images on millions of people’s smartphones in real time? Theia, a Rice University project, can do just that by distributing the search between smartphones and the cloud. Read more »
Since 2007, Apple has led the way in a tightly integrated mobile product, combining hardware, software, ecosystem and IP. Competitors have taken notice because four of the six main mobile platforms have followed; the latest is Google’s purchase of Motorola. So where does this leave Microsoft? Read more »
Google’s $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility today shows that the company is all-in with Android, paying a 63-percent premium to acquire Motorola. But what does it show to hardware partners now that Google essentially will be a smartphone and tablet hardware competitor? Read more »
Matt and Kevin are back with the weekly podcast, this time sharing hands-on impressions of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Mango software update. Plus thoughts on the new Acer A100 7-inch Honeycomb tablet, HP’s TouchPad and Research In Motion’s smartphone strategy with several new handset models. Read more »
Acer’s 7-inch tablet, the A100, launched this week with an attractive starting price of $330, but battery life could be a concern. Samsung added a new Galaxy smartphone using a few cheaper components. I also found a free task app that smartly leverages your handset’s GPS. Read more »
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 platform is set to improve with Mango, a software update coming soon. I’ve spent some time with Mango on my smartphone, and it didn’t take long to impress me. Microsoft has a tough road ahead due to competition, but Mango will help. Read more »
I’m not sure if Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been sniffing too much eInk from Kindles, but he has a patent for smartphones with airbags and springs. Ridiculous! Anyone who has dropped buttered toast knows a falling smartphone with airbags will land on the non-protected side. Read more »
Acer’s new 7-inch Honeycomb tablet, the A100, launches today with a compelling $330 price tag. Helping to add appeal to the small slate is support for the compatibility zoom mode in Google Android 3.2 that better supports the many available smartphone apps on the small tablet. Read more »
The non-iPad tablet market is relatively young, but the iPad is still running away with the lion’s share of the tablet market. Aside from the iPad, consumers and enterprises can choose from tablets running on Android, BlackBerry and webOS. But are they buying? Here are a ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
As we increasingly become more mobile, not all of our to-dos are based on due-dates or times. Location is key to really getting things done. Location Aware, a free app, is a simple but effective tool for creating location-based task reminders on Google Android smartphones. Read more »
HP’s next webOS tablet looks to be the TouchPad Go, known internally as the Opal. Due to a prior HP roadmap leak and some detective work based on a recent FCC filing, the Go could be more mobile due to a smaller 7-inch screen size. Read more »
Following a temporary $100 price cut on its TouchPad tablets last weekend, HP today made the reduced list price permanent. While this surely cuts into the margin for HP’s TouchPad, the company can afford a short-term profit gap in order to spur sales and attract developers. Read more »
