Whoops! Windows 8 do-over on the way
Uh oh. Looks like Windows 8 is due for some changes, according to a Financial Times report featuring thoughts from a Microsoft executive. Read more »
Intel debuts Silvermont: mobile chips with powerful battery-sipping abilities
photo: Intel
Does Intel still stand a chance in the highly-competitive mobile chip market? Yes, if the company’s new Silvermont chip lives up to its promise of 3x the performance of today’s Atom or 5x the power efficiency. Read more »
One Linux over all: Mark Shuttleworth’s ambitious post-PC plans for Ubuntu
Canonical Founder Mark Shuttleworth has really big, plans to put Ubuntu on your smartphone, on your tablet and (via OpenStack). What he doesn’t offer is details on revenue. Read more »
iPad is top selling tablet, but Android now most common tablet OS, says IDC
Tablet sellers had a really good first quarter. As a result, Apple’s overall share of tablet sales is slipping. Read more »
By 2018, tablets will be obsolete, says legacy smartphone company CEO
photo: Google
BlackBerry’s CEO is making waves again, this time by saying tablets won’t be necessary in five years and that they “aren’t a good business model.” Samsung, Apple and mobile computing trends beg to differ. Read more »
Get ready for Google I/O: reported Nexus 11 tablet specs leak
Google may be up-sizing its tablet line in a few weeks: A reported Samsung road-map shows a Nexus 11 tablet with two potential firsts. This could be a Nexus with memory expansion and also use an octa-core Samsung Exynos chip. Read more »
Pushing for better tablet apps, Google adds new developer optimization tool
Google continues to make it easier for developers to improve the Android app experience on tablets. When submitting apps to Google Play, a new optimization tip tool alerts developers when they’re missing out on tablet support. Read more »
Latest software update hints at Chrome OS tablets being “what’s next” for Google
We’ve hear rumors of Google Chrome tablets in the past but they’ve never panned out. Google, in fact, denied working on one. The most recent Chrome OS build gives strong hints that point to the contrary, however. Read more »
It’s a big market for little chips: 2.6B ARM chips shipped last quarter
The mobile market has been good to ARM Holdings, which designs the chips that power most smartphones and tablets. The company is growing revenues and nearing 1,000 licensees. Read more »
QWERTY out, KALQ in: the new fast keyboard for touchscreens
A model that combines thumb movements with English-language tweets created a new keyboard layout to optimize thumb typing on tablets. Typing with KALQ was 34 percent faster than on QWERTY. A free Android app will be released in May. Read more »
Microsoft earnings: Windows wasn’t as bad as expected but it wasn’t good either
photo: Flickr / ToddABishop
Despite flat year-over-year WIndows revenue, Microsoft logged a 19 percent profit year over year. Not too shabby for the much maligned company. Read more »
Dell mistakenly sees hope in Windows RT where others don’t
Among Microsoft’s hardware partners few are publicly backing Windows RT after low sales and demand. Dell is standing out from the crowd here, likely in an attempt at relevancy in the mobile market. But it’s not a good bet on Dell’s part. Read more »
Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0
Being a sucker for small slates, I dropped $399 on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 this weekend. How is it? Not bad, but not ground-breaking either. Here are my first impressions. Read more »
Breakdown of Android tablet market shows small slates rule the roost
With data gathered from nearly a million of its users, Animoca’s information shows that five of the top six Android tablets are small slates. That’s good for Microsoft, if it is indeed planning a smaller Surface tablet. Read more »
With a 7-inch Surface tablet, Microsoft can finally deliver on its UMPC concept
Reports indicate Microsoft is planning a smaller Surface tablet for later this year. It won’t be the first though: Remember UMPCs? The idea was sound, but the interface and hardware weren’t; two things that Microsoft can easily fix now. Read more »
The PC market is a horror show right now
We can pretty much stop arguing about whether the PC industry is deathly ill or not: the numbers speak for themselves, with its worst quarter since tracking began in 1994. Read more »
Podcast Gallery smartly brings podcasts to mobiles, Dropbox and Google Drive
Podcast directories are a dime a dozen, but Podcast Gallery is a new one that’s well worth a look. The web service integrates with Dropbox and Google Drive to save podcasts, plus you can use any browser to view or listen to episodes. Read more »
Report: New Nexus 7 tablet due in July. Here’s what to expect.
It’s about time Google’s Nexus 7 tablet gets a refresh and sources tell Reuters it will happen in July. Here’s what to expect in terms of pricing and hardware changes. Read more »
Samsung’s reported Galaxy Mega to be a 6.3-inch smartphone
Now that we have 1080p smartphones, its likely that screen sizes will get even bigger because of the high pixel densities. Samsung may continue leading that charge with a 5.8- and 6.3-inch smartphone says SamMobile’s sources. Read more »
Kobo starts selling e-readers directly through its website again
Kobo is now selling its e-readers directly through its website in the U.S. and Canada. Previously, customers had to go to third-party retailers to buy the devices. Read more at paidContent »
What’s next in digital publishing: New platforms and payment models
What can a book look like in the digital age and how will people pay for it? This is one of the themes we’ll be exploring at paidContent Live on April 17 in New York Read more at paidContent »
Podcast: How enterprises can build successful BYOD programs
The latest GigaOM Research podcast examines the value of BYOD in enterprises and how companies can address security, privacy, and the latest technologies. Read more »
Samsung’s ATIV Windows 8 Smart PC Pro 700 slate now includes integrated LTE
Looking for a Windows 8 slate with mobile broadband? Samsung has added an LTE radio in its Ativ Smart PC Pro 700 tablet, but it will cost you quite a bit up front for the privilege. Read more »
Hey, people who really like Barnes & Noble: Buy a Nook tablet, get a Nook e-reader free
photo: Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble is running a weeklong promotion: Customers who buy a Nook HD+ tablet (starting at $269) will get a Nook Simple Touch e-reader ($79) for free. Read more at paidContent »
IDC tablet takeaway: Androids to outsell iPads this year as tablet sizes, prices shrink
That small slate market — which in Apple’s eyes, didn’t exist — will account for more sales than larger slates, says IDC. And due to lower prices, Android’s tablet market share will reach just past that of iOS this year. Read more »
TouchPal: A Windows 8 keyboard that predicts, swipes and types
Mobile device users already know about TouchPal, the third-party keyboard that speeds input with swiping gestures and word prediction. The free app has now graduated to the big screen of Windows 8. Read more »
Google launches (and sells out of) a $30 Nexus 7 dock
Nexus 7 owners paying attention to Google Play may have scored the official tablet dock for $30 … if they were quick. The dock is already sold out; another sign that Google needs to up its sales and inventory game. Read more »
Finally! More devices using Android 4 than older versions
photo: Image Credit: Louis Gray
Uptake for Android 4.0 or better continues to rise and there are finally more devices fitting this category than those that use the old Android 2.3 Gingerbread software. That’s good for users and for developers. Read more »
Surprised Samsung is pulling Windows RT from Germany? I’m not
First Samsung decided not to even sell its Windows RT tablet in the U.S. Now it appears to be pulling the product out of Germany and unspecified other European regions. Here’s why. Read more »
ABI thinks 2013 is the year developers go Android first, but I doubt it
When it comes to apps for mobile phones and tablets, Android owns one market while iOS owns the other. Yet few top-tier titles come to Android first. ABI research suggests that changes this year. Here’s why I don’t see that happening. Read more »
Android this week: HP’s me-too Slate7; Tablets as phones; Android on Chromebook Pixel
HP is back in the tablet game with an Android slate, but some of the specs are from 2010. Will the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 and Asus FonePad get to keep their voice functions in the U.S.? I’m not so sure. Read more »
7 stories for the weekend
A 101-year-old marathoner, who U.S. gets weather forecasts wrong, what does 212 have to do with rotary dial, India’s rice revolution, Armed Forces and their treatment of women, rise and fall of Alex Rodriguez and amazing chef Curtis Duffy. Read on … Read more »
iPad mini and other small tablets could outsell large slates in 2013
Apple’s iPad mini may be the right device at the right time. According to Display Search, shipments of smaller tablet screens far outnumbered those for large slates early this year. Read more »
Pandora caps monthly free tunes on mobiles to 40 hours
Addicted to Pandora’s free music service on your mobile phone? If the music cuts out, here’s why: Mobiles will be capped at 40 hours per month although you can pay a buck to keep on rockin’. Read more »
Asus brings voice calls to its 7-inch FonePad tablet, but not likely for the US
The new Asus FonePad merges cellular voice calling with a small tablet. I actually had this functionality in 2010 with the Galaxy Tab but US carriers stripped the voice features. They’re likely to do the same again. Read more »
Nokia opens up Here platform with an eye to the future
Nokia’s mapping and location-based services suite will be available on multiple platforms and open to third-party developers. This gives the company an OS-independent platform to exploit, and a chance to make the most of smart glass. Read more »
More evidence of tablets slowly killing the PC market
Naysayers may continue to ignore the trend, but tablets aren’t toys and the tablet market isn’t a fad, as 2012 shipments show. This year, tablets could surpass both desktops and laptops. Read more »
HP planning a new Android tablet? Good luck with that
Is HP about to attempt another comeback in the mobile market? Reports suggest that the company is working on an Android tablet. Sounds good but the Android market is a tough one to crack unless your name is Samsung. Read more »
Here’s what’s new in Android 4.2.2: Small but useful tweaks
So what’s in the Android 4.2.2 software update that’s tricking out to Nexus phones and tablets? Just a few visual changes it seems, but they will help improve the Android experience. Read more »
There’s really only one reason to consider Windows RT over Windows 8
I had high hopes for Windows RT but the apps I want aren’t supported. Windows 8 on Atom chips offers similar battery life and better app compatibility so why go RT? Right now there’s only one reason. Read more »
