And as we would expect given the availability in the regular Android Market as well as on other platforms — Dolphin Browser HD is available for free. This browser is touted as being the “fastest, easiest and most fun mobile web browser” and while we have not done any scientific testing — we sort of agree. Otherwise, some of the highlights in terms of features include tabbed browsing, the Speed Dial and the Webzine. Of course, the Gestures make browsing and navigating rather nice. Breaking these down a bit further and we have the following;

• Gesture – Let your inner artist out and create a personal Gesture (symbol) to access the mobile and desktop websites you use the most.
• Webzine – Fast Web page loading, with no ads. Dolphin Webzine simplifies the way you read your favorite mobile content, from news to blogs and websites.
• Speed Dial – Visit you favorite mobile and desktop websites on the go with one touch.
• Tabbed browsing – No need to toggle between screens, tabbed browsing lets you open and switch between Web pages fast as lightning.
• SideBars – Make the best of mobile interface via Dolphin SideBar.

Moving past the features and into the basic details — the Dolphin Browser HD app arrives as version 7.2, measures in as a 6MB file download and comes by way of Mobotap Inc. And lastly, while the default Nook web browser seems to work well enough, given the Dolphin Browser HD is free — we suggest giving it a shot.

Let’s run down the specs of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. It, well, looks to be a pretty top notch Android tablet. As mentioned, it’s running Android 4.0, and will come with a 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. It will be offered with 8, 16 and 32GB of Memory and will come in both WiFi and 3G models.

You can expect all the usual refinements from a Samsung tablet, like the TouchWiz interface as well as the Samsung Hub media store with all the movies and TV shows it offers for sale.

They’ve announced it for the UK and the Scandinavian countries (Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark). The UK will be getting it first in March, but pricing was unannounced for that country. The Scandinavians will be getting the tablet a little later in March, but pricing was announced for those countries. It differs from country to country, but prices were running about the equivalent of $450 for the WiFi version and $550 for the 3G version.

No word from Samsung on the possibility of a US release, but considering that US carriers and customers have been loving Samsung’s Android tablets and phones, you have to expect that this little 7-inch killer will be coming to America soon. Especially considering Samsung’s new focus of taking Apple head on and rumors of a 7-inch iPad coming from Apple.

Check out the Samsung press release below.

Samsung’s new GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) offers optimal multimedia experiences in life

February 13, 2012

Samsung expands the GALAXY Tab range with GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) powered by the AndroidTM 4.0 and a 1GHz dual core processor

Prague, February 13, 2012 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today introduced its first line-up of tablets for 2012 with the launch of the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0), expanding the choice of tablets to customers. Light and portable, the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) is the ideal personal on-the-go device, available in 3G and WiFi versions. Starting from UK, the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) will be launched in global market from March.

“Two years ago, Samsung GALAXY Tab began to offer customers more possibilities on the go. Since then, Samsung has actively enhanced our tablet line-up with several tablets in different sizes,” said JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “The new GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) will provide people with delighted multimedia experience and allow efficient communication.”

Samsung’s first Android 4.0 Tablet

Samsung’s first Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)-powered tablet offers a variety of new and improved Android OS features. An upgraded Android Market enables access to more than 400,000 applications which can be enjoyed across phones or tablets. Furthermore, a more intuitive user interface includes the ability to swipe-control applications as well as a wholly redesigned app gallery for easier sharing of content. The new OS’s vastly faster performance and response times across multiple applications is further enhanced by HSPA＋ 21Mbps or WiFi connectivity.

Additionally, Android 4.0 includes a selection of embedded Google applications that enables users to quickly launch sites and applications that they use frequently; meanwhile, the innovative Face Unlock feature unlocks the tablet through unique facial recognition software.

A complete experience with enriched multimedia content

The GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) offers users easy multimedia access, playback and sharing experiences with Samsung Hub services. Samsung’s Music Hub provides a full music store solution with access to over 17 million tracks. Additionally, the Readers Hub provides the user with access to over 2.3 million e-books, 3,500 magazines and over 2,000 newspapers in 51 languages, while the Game Hub instantly connects users to the latest game titles. Samsung is also introducing the Video Hub, which offers over 1,000 film titles for purchase or rent, and provides reviews, trailers and recommendations for easier content selection using the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0).

Complementing the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0)’s multimedia offering is Samsung’s upgraded Touchwiz user interface that features Hub widgets for one-step access to users’ content in Hubs; the device also presents S Suggest, a new service offering recommendations of apps suited to users’ tastes directly on a home screen.

The GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0)’s superb multimedia experience is further boosted by Samsung’s AllShare Play, a new content-sharing service available for the first time on any Samsung mobile device. AllShare Play allows users to play or live-stream their multimedia content on their GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) from PCs, other Samsung smart devices as well as third-party web storages. Users can also easily transfer content to other devices or directly to web services.

Better Communication Capabilities

Connecting socially has never been easier with GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0)’s built-in powerful communication capabilities.With the voice call capability, the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) can be used just as easily as a phone, affording users the handy convenience of a second device in case they misplace their primary phone. It also lets users to spontaneously arrange multi-party video calls via Google＋ hangouts, as well as engage in group chats or micro-communities to collectively chat or share content. In addition, ChatON, Samsung’s cross-platform communication service, connects all phone users of any platform into a single community. ChatON uses phone numbers instead of ID and passwords, and provides easy instant messaging and group chatting in various formats-images, video, voice, contacts-to make messaging simple and intuitive.

Admittedly, the idea of a tablet-based Xbox just seems silly, so it wasn’t long after CES 2012 wrapped that we here at TFTS forgot about those rumors. Well, they’re back again, this time coming from Xbox World Magazine (via NeoGAF), which says that “sources” close to the project claim that the next Xbox will in fact feature a tabletesque controller.

Hearing Xbox World Magazine describe it, it sounds like this Xbox tablet controller will be a lot like the Wii U’s controller. It can function as a remote while watching TV (presumably using you console as a cable box), it can be used as an Internet browser, and even as a portable display if you ever want to take your games with you when you leave the house.

It sounds cool, but we’re not buying it. Reaction to the Wii U’s controller has been mixed so far, and Microsoft’s core audience are those who call themselves “hardcore gamers.” These gamers want a controller with face buttons and twin sticks, and are scarcely interested in gimmicks meant to capitalize on current trends. Perhaps Microsoft can offer a touchscreen controller that actually improves the hardcore gamer experience? Maybe, but it will catch a lot of heat from its Xbox 360 user base for even trying, and if Microsoft wants to stay on top of Sony in the next generation, its best bet is to simply play it safe.

But then, you never really know. Maybe Microsoft will take a chance and deliver a tablet-based console that consumers love. For now, what Microsoft is planning for its next console is for the company to know and for us to find out. That being said, what do you think? Is it really a possibility that Microsoft will ditch traditional controllers with its next console? Put on your speculation hats and jump down to the comments section to share your theories!

That being said, these offers all seem simple enough in that they will all require two-year agreements. Otherwise, beginning with the double data offer, the one appears to be rather simple;

“For a limited time, get twice the data for the same low price when you buy a new 4G LTE Smartphone.”

The only fine print we can see in this aspect, the double your data offer only applies to plans that are 2GB or higher. In other words, you can get 4GB of data for $30 or 10GB of data for $50.

In terms of the other Valentine’s Day offer, lets just say that some of these deals seem better than others. For example, one of the nicer ones involves the 16GB Droid RAZR — in black, white or purple. This handset is priced at $199.99, however it comes as BOGO which means if you buy one you will get another for free.

Some of the other deals include discounts on certified pre-owned Galaxy Tab tablets including the 16GB and 32GB 10.1 inch models which are selling for $279.99 and $379.99 respectively. And if you are willing to pick up a (now older) 7-inch Galaxy Tab, that one is available for free as a certified pre-owned device.

That all being said, those interested in picking something up from Verizon this Valentine’s Day can hit the source link at the bottom of this post to check out the complete list of deals.

And sure, those who are looking for a long list of new features may be disappointed here, however when it comes to enhancing the browser performance, touch response and data connectivity — we deem it worthy. That being said, the update for the 8.2 and 10.1 inch tablets are (almost) identical.

According to the details coming from Verizon, the update measures in at 83.8MB in size and should take about 20 to 30 minutes to download and then another 10 minutes to install. As we always find, those with a tablet in hand looking to update — you have two options. Sit back and wait for the update notification to arrive (the route we suggest) or the get it now approach. If you are looking for the latter, grab your XYBOARD and navigate to Menu -> Settings -> About tablet -> System updates to get the process started.

As for the changelog, here is what you can expect to see after the update has been applied;

Device Features

• Enhanced browser performance to improve scrolling.
• Improved Touch Response.
• Maintain data connection when switching between Wi-Fi and the Verizon 3G and 4G LTE networks.
• Successfully connect to 4G LTE network and see the 4G LTE indicator.
• The Daily application now comes preloaded.
• Device is now capable of Global Roaming.

Email & Messaging

• Successfully open links in email messages without device needing to reboot.

Accessories

• Keyboard function supported in docking station.

The update for the 8.2 model will bring the software up to version 1.6.0M_279-MZ609 and the update for the 10.1 model will bring the software up to version 1.6.0M_279-MZ617. And lastly, as for that one small difference. That point comes in with the second item listed on the changelog. The 8.2 inch reads as listed above and the 10.1 inch reads as follow;

“Improved Touch Response that includes Stylus enhancements.”

The commercial, which we’ll embed below, shows a man with an iPad walking by a woman with a Kindle reader at a pool. iPad man is impressed by the Kindle reader’s $79 price, but says he can watch movies and TV shows on his iPad. The woman points out that her kids have two Kindle Fires, which can do the same thing. Then, she drops the heavy-hitting marketing line of the commercial: The two Kindle Fires plus the Kindle reader (at $129 and $79 respectively) are still cheaper together than the $500 iPad. I don’t work on Madison Avenue, but that’s a pretty strong argument to me.

We’ve seen a lot of Android tablets in the past few years, and despite some early issues, they’ve actually gotten quite good (thought they all obviously lack the iOS App Store). Despite that, none of them have managed to gain any sales traction on the iPad, save for the Kindle Fire, which Amazon is aggressively pricing. They’re losing money on every Kindle Fire sold, in favor of hoping to get it into hands of customers and making money back on sales from the Kindle Store, Amazon Instant Video store and the Amazon Appstore.

It seems the other tech companies are really starting to take swings at Apple. Last year, the Motorola Xoom’s initial marketing campaign mocked all the “Apple sheep”. Samsung’s recent ad campaigns have been making fun of all the people waiting in line for new iPhones and whatnot, and now this Amazon commercial is pointing out the fact that Apple products are pretty darn expensive. It looks the advertising companies representing Apple’s biggest competitors are starting to go directly at Apple.

What do you think about this commercial? Does it make a strong case for the much cheaper Amazon Kindle Fire?

PC Magazine is reporting Samsung confirmed to them that they will not be planning any press conferences for MWC. This is a bit of a story, considering that Samsung has always had MWC events and some of them have been quite dramatic. Samsung is up there with Nokia and LG in the top mobile phone manufacturers worldwide, although like the other two, dumbphones are a large portion of their business. Tech fans may remember that Samsung unveiled Bada OS at MWC 2010 and they unveiled the Galaxy S II at the 2011 show.

Samsung is still expected to announce some new devices, including possibly new Android tablets, but it seems that they will unveil them to the public by just having them on display in their booth, as opposed to having a grandiose press conference like years past.

Like Chris told you about, the 7mm Samsung Galaxy S III is expected to be announced by the Korean tech giant sometime in March, with a release date in late March or April. In addition to being one of the thinnest phones out there, it’s also expected to have a 4.6-inch screen, 1.8GHz dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM. Sounds like quite the phone to us.

Here’s a list of all the 4G smartphones that T-Mobile will be offering for free on the 11^th:

• BlackBerry Bold 9900 4G
• BlackBerry Curve 9360
• HTC Amaze 4G
• HTC Radar 4G
• HTC Sensation 4G
• HTC Wildfire S
• LG DoublePlay
• LG Optimus T
• Nokia Lumia 710
• Samsung Exhibit II 4G
• Samsung Galaxy S II
• Samsung Gravity Smart
• T-Mobile G2x
• T-Mobile myTouch
• T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide
• T-Mobile myTouch Q
• T-Mobile Sidekick 4G

As far as mobile hotspots and tablets, T-Mobile’s website is listing these as being a part of the sale:

• T-Mobile 4G Mobile HotSpot
• T-Mobile Rocket 3.0 4G Laptop Stick (USB)
• T-Mobile SpringBoard tablet

The site also says to visit local stores to see the whole selection, so it’s possible that your local T-Mobile location may be having more phones and tablets on sale than just these. But certainly, these are some of the best phones that T-Mobile has and there’s certainly a lot to be said about T-Mobile’s SpringBoard tablet, which is being made by Chinese company Huawei.

This deal will be exclusive to T-Mobile stores, and for one day only, so you won’t be able to pick it up at Best Buy Mobile or any other T-Mobile affiliate. Anybody planning to pickup a 4G beauty for your beauty?

First of all, we’re looking at a beta version, which means Google will continue to develop it but that you shouldn’t be surprised if you discover any bugs while using it. But what’s most annoying about this Chrome mobile version is that it’s apparently only compatible with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwhich devices – and there aren’t that many to begin with.

Fragmentation – or differentiation – is apparently hurting Google in this instance. The company doesn’t even try to explain why older Android versions, especially Gingerbread and Honeycomb, will not get access to this first Chrome for Android version. But Google did release a characteristic cartoonish video to explain what the new mobile browser will have to offer:

Here’s what you can expect from the new browser:

Speed
With Chrome for Android, you can search, navigate and browse fast—Chrome fast. You can scroll through web pages as quickly as you can flick your finger. When searching, your top search results are loaded in the background as you type so pages appear instantly. And of course, both search and navigation can all be done quickly from the Chrome omnibox.

Simplicity
Chrome for Android is designed from the ground up for mobile devices. We reimagined tabs so they fit just as naturally on a small-screen phone as they do on a larger screen tablet. You can flip or swipe between an unlimited number of tabs using intuitive gestures, as if you’re holding a deck of cards in the palm of your hands, each one a new window to the web. […]

Sign in
You can now bring your personalized Chrome experience with you to your Android phone or tablet. If you sign in to Chrome on your Android device, you can:

• View open tabs: Access the tabs you left open on your computer (also signed into Chrome)—picking up exactly where you left off.
• Get smarter suggestions: If you visit a site often on your computer, you’ll also get an autocomplete suggestion for it on your mobile device, so you can spend less time typing.
• Sync bookmarks: Conveniently access your favorite sites no matter where you are or which device you’re using.

The application is now available in the Android Market, so if you have an ICS device, feel free to install it on your handset or tablet.

That being said, while we are happy to see another Android tablet come available — this one comes with some good and some bad. Well, maybe not bad, but some not quite as nice. In terms of the good, the tablet is thin and measures in at just 7.7mm thick thin. As for the bad, it feels a bit late in the game to release a tablet with Honeycomb as opposed to Ice Cream Sandwich. But on that note, given the UK is not the first market to see the AT200 come available, we sort of expected it to arrive with Honeycomb. And just to clarify, the Toshiba AT200 is running Android 3.2.

Anyway, those two points aside, the tablet is available in the UK and can be found with various retailers. Of which, one is the Carphone Warehouse where the AT200 is priced at £399 and £449 for the 16GB and 32GB models respectively. Also worth noting on those prices, they both include free delivery if you order online.

Otherwise, in terms of the hardware features, the Toshiba AT200 tablet arrives sporting a 10.1 inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280 x 800, a 1.2GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 processor, 1GB of RAM, microSD card slot, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack, mini HDMI, mini USB, 2 megapixel front facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear facing camera. And lastly, the Toshiba AT200 tablet comes with full access to the Android Market, measures in at 256 (W) x 176 (H) x 7.7 (D) mm and weighs in at 558 grams.

Whitman assured CRN that the top minds at HP were preparing to turn webOS into a major player in the mobile space. She added that she’s planning to turn webOS into an operating system that “has huge advantages, in my view, over iOS, which is a closed system, [and] Android, which is incredibly fragmented and may ultimately be more closed with [Google's] acquisition of Motorola Mobility.”

Her complaints about the competition certainly aren’t anything new. The “iOS is a walled garden” and “Android is fragmented” arguments are as old as both of those operating systems. But, they both have something that webOS doesn’t – namely customer demand. Whitman has a tall challenge in front of her. The former eBay president and former Republican candidate for Governor of California took over HP during a rough time in the company’s history when they were bracing from the short-lived announcement that they would abandon their computer business and focus on IT services.

She also said that HP wasn’t conceding the tablet market to their competitors. HP will come out with Windows 8 tablets, first running on x86 processors and later ones from ARM. HP has always had a healthy B2B business and Whitman said that HP would focus on security on their tablets, to make them more appealing to security-conscious businesses.

Do you agree with Whitman? Can webOS prove better than “closed” iOS and “fragmented” Android? Tell us what you think in the comments section.

Appealing as that price may be, it’s actually a slight increase for the Flyer in the UK. Dixons was offering the Android tablet for just £199 during a Christmas shopping sale that has since passed. These low prices must be a hard pill for British early adopters to swallow – the HTC Flyer debuted in the UK last November for the price of £479, or as high as £562 if purchased through T-Mobile.

The HTC Flyer isn’t a bad tablet, per se, but tech nerds need to watch out for a few things. The Flyer only packs a single-core ARM processor, which may cause you grief as more and more Android apps begin to take advantage of dual-core processors. It also shipped with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread, the same version found in phones), not Android 3.0 Honeycomb, which is designed for tablets. Considering this tablet doesn’t seem to be selling well (as evidenced by near worldwide price cuts), it’s questionable if HTC will ever bother patching this tablet up to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

This new £235 price for the HTC Flyer applies to a 16GB, WiFi-only model. Expansys is currently offering them, they’ve got them in stock and offering free shipping. So, there’s nothing stopping you from joining us in the tablet generation, if you have your eye on this device.

The AT&T Galaxy Note will cost you $299.99 with a two-year contract and it will be delivered to your door on February 17. In Canada the device will be available from three carriers, Bell Telus and Rogers with pricing starting at $199.99, $249.99 and $299.99, respectively, when purchased with three-year contracts. However, shipping dates are not available at this time from the retailer.

The Galaxy Note is one of Samsung’s 2011 Android flagship devices, and packs some interesting specs and features including:

• 5.3-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display with 1,280 x 800 resolution
• Corning Gorilla Glass
• 1.4 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor – Exynos chipset
• 1GB RAM
• 16GB/32GB storage
• up to 32GB microSD support
• 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, geotagging and HD video recording
• 2-megapixel front-facing camera
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread with TouchWiz UI on top
• HSDPA, HSUPA, LTE support
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
• DLNA
• Wi-Fi Direct
• Mobile hotspot
• Bluetooth 3.0+HS
• microUSB 2.0 support
• GPS, A-GPS and GLONASS
• S Pen Stylus support
• NFC support
• 2,500mAh battery

Samsung has set up a powerful marketing campaign to promote the device in the U.S. including a Super Bowl ad, which is going to be aired during the last game of the football season. The new commercial is 90 seconds long, and a 44-second teaser is already available.

As expected, Samsung is continuing its anti-Apple theme and it’s making fun of mobile users waiting in line to buy the iPhone 4S. Ironically, this ad campaign also reminds us that Apple devices still draw crowds lining up in front of stores ahead of important launches and that the Cupertino-based company sold 60 million iOS devices last quarter including over 37 million iPhones. That’s a feature Samsung is yet to beat, as none of its Android devices can boast similar performances. Not even the Galaxy Note, which was announced in early September 2011, that’s available for pre-order in the U.S. right now.

What’s more, Clove has reportedly gone over its current stock of devices with the proverbial fine-toothed comb, and has thus determined that they won’t be selling any more units until “further notice”.  They’re not satisfied that the devices actually work correctly, and this really isn’t much of a surprise.

Asus itself, for its part, has already identified several issues at last report with its device, ranging from issues with wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity (that actually delayed the Transformer Prime’s launch back in 2011), to the issues on the GPS systems. But apparently Clove’s problems go a lot deeper than GPS and wi-fi / Bluetooth connectivity problems, as customers have been complaining in large numbers. And when customers start doing anything in large numbers, most any retailer will in turn pay attention.

But it’s not as though Asus has been silent on the issues, having previously extended the Transformer Prime’s warranty from a year to a year and a half. Their response to Clove’s issues, though, is much less encouraging, saying that they tested the Transformer Prime extensively in laboratory settings, and they’re satisfied with the performance. They followed that little sally up with this prime quote:

“We refute any and all claims from third parties regarding the quality of our products.”

This is about the only reasonable stance they could take on their product line, but it doesn’t exactly seem kosher, at least from here, given that even they admit that the thing has problems and has had them previously.

But what about you guys? Anyone get hands on a Transformer Prime and discover that the quality isn’t quite all there? Or are you perfectly satisfied with your Transformer Prime and intend to carry on using it? No matter what you think, head on down to the comments section and tell us what you think!

The ZTE Optik will be available with Sprint in just a few days time, beginning on February 5th. In terms of the price, those willing to sign a two-year agreement can expect to pay $99.99 and those looking to pay full retail — your price will be $349.99. The data plans that will be available include the following;

• $19.99 for 1GB of data
• $34.99 for 3GB of data
• $49.99 for 6GB of data
• $79.99 for 12GB of data

Otherwise, moving past the pricing and the release date and into the specs. The ZTE Optik will arrive running Android 3.2 Honeycomb and have hardware features to include;

• 7 inch WXGA (1280 x 800) capacitive touchscreen display
• Dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
• 1GB of RAM
• 16GB of internal storage
• 2 megapixel front facing camera
• 5 megapixel rear facing camera

Additionally, the ZTE Optik tablet will have a microSD card slot, GPS, WiFi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, a 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo speakers and a 4000 mAh battery. In terms of pre-loaded software — that list includes the Swype virtual keyboard as well as support for Sprint branded features to include the Sprint Zone, Sprint TV, Sprint Music Plus, Sprint Navigation, Sprint Football Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile. The Optik tablet will also arrive as a Google powered device which means you can expect to find support for all of the Google services to include the Android Market, Google Search, Gmail, Google Maps with Navigation, Google Books and YouTube.

Bottom line, we suspect some will be disappointed that the ZTE Optik is running Honeycomb as opposed to Ice Cream Sandwich, however we cannot fault a tablet that comes available with a $99.99 (on-contract) price tag. Plus, it is nice to see another 7-inch device come available with carrier support.

Basically, what we’d been envisioning roughly since the iPad 3 was first rumored for launch is looking to come to pass. Based on snapshots from iBoot, a development tool that gives a lot of information about a piece of hardware’s specs, the iPad 3 looks like it will come out in two different versions. One version will pack in not only a quad-core A6 processor, but also 4G LTE capability, as well as wi-fi, GSM, and CDMA capability. A second version, meanwhile, will boast that quad-core processor, but only have wi-fi connectivity, a distinction that has been commonly done with tablet PCs for some time now.

But notably missing from the leaked specs was any mention as to whether or not either new iPad would boast the Retina Display that many have been looking for an Apple tablet to pack in for some time now. And of course, putting in a quad-core A6 would make this Apple’s fastest device yet, but as is the case with just about everything that isn’t directly from Apple, it’s best to take this with the grain of salt you believe sufficient, up to and including the official Apple Rumor Salt Lick.

I like the way this sounds, in all honesty; they’re clearly going for power tablet here, but the issues of battery life can never be far from mind, especially given that this is supposed to be an ultra-portable platform. And an ultra-portable platform that needs to hit an AC outlet every couple of hours or lose charge isn’t exactly the most portable thing there is. Still though, there are plenty of ifs and maybes to go around here, but if (see, I told you!) these figures bear out toward the release–still expected sometime this month–we may well be in for a big shakeup in the tablet market, again.

But what do you guys think about this one? Is a quad-core A6 tablet going to be a good idea? Will it pull too much juice too quickly? Or will it be a smart idea to get the extra power running through the next iPad? No matter what you think, head on down to the comments section below and tell us how you’re feeling about the possible new specs on the upcoming iPad 3!

That being said, Intuit has officially announced the release of the Mint.com app for Android tablets. More specifically, a Mint.com app designed for Android devices running 3.0 or later. The app is available by way of the Android Market and similar to the other versions — it is both free to download and free to use.

With that, those already using (or familiar) with Mint.com will understand the features and most likely be happy that a version has come available for Android tablets. And for those not as familiar with Mint.com, or for those who have been sporting an Android tablet and have been angry and ignoring Mint because of the lack of app — here is how the feature set breaks down;

• Organize all accounts: One tap gives users a complete overview of their finances; helps them review account balances and automatically categorizes transactions.
• Obtain financial insight: Detailed graphs drill into spending by category, such as food, clothing and travel, or spending over time; provide customizable date ranges for a personalized view.
• Stay on top of spending: Personalized budgets track spending help users reach financial goals.
• Get personalized updates: Streaming delivery of account alerts, bill reminders and personalized advice provides the most up-to-date information and helps people make smart financial decisions.
• Track cash spending: Enter cash transactions while on the go to more accurately capture spending.
• Easily find transactions: The search bar helps users find specific transactions or purchases by merchant, category or tags.
• Review finances anywhere: No Internet? No problem. Storing information from the latest download allows easier viewing of finances, anytime, anywhere.

What’s most interesting is that the court invoked other legal reasons to keep the initial ruling in place instead of recognizing Apple’s design rights, which the Cupertino-based company has been using against Samsung in various international courts including Germany:

But this doesn’t mean that Samsung lost all the way: the appeals court based its decision on a violation of German unfair competition law (Gesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb, UWG), while the lower court’s ruling was based on a finding of a violation of a Community design, the European equivalent of a U.S. design patent.

However, FOSS Patents explains, this is not a total loss for Samsung yet, as the company is still free to sell the modified Galaxy Tab 10.1N in Germany, at least until February 9 when the Duesseldorf Regional Court will decide whether an injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1N is also due. What’s more important for the South Korean company is the fact that Apple did not win this one on its design claims, and this legal victory can’t be replicated in other countries in which Apple is suing Samsung for similar reasons:

Apple can’t replicate the German decision in other countries since German unfair competition law is pretty unique. A win based on an EU-wide design right would have been strategically more valuable to Apple. Even though Samsung formally lost its appeal because the preliminary injunction remains in force, it succeeded in defeating Apple’s design right.

At the same time, it’s worth noting that the legal fight between the two companies is far from over, even though Apple continues to score small victory after small victory against Samsung.

That being said, this latest bit does confirm some of the recent chatter that we have been hearing in the rumor mill. And thankfully, this latest bit is coming by way of Asus. It seems that Asus has begun sending out some press event teasers which are touting how Asus will be presenting “new ways to expand your world.”

Anyway, for those who may have missed or ignored our earlier Padfone related coverage — this is a device that marries a smartphone and a tablet. Or more specifically, it is a tablet that has an opening on the back that allows your smartphone to slip in and dock. The smartphone features a 4.3 inch display and the tablet features a 10 inch display. The Padfone is an Android device and one that we hope is going to be shown running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Otherwise, while the remaining details are rather scarce at the moment, we do have this teaser from Asus;

“Innovation is at the heart of ASUS design and the new Padfone reveals exciting new possibilities for mobile computing and communication. This convergent device combines a smartphone and a tablet computer into one symbiotic gadget that allows consumers to choose the screen size that best fits their activities while seamlessly sharing data and 3G internet access.”

Bottom line here, while the Asus Padfone looks to be an interesting device — it is a device that still poses more questions than answers. For example, we cannot help but wonder how the battery life will be. Not to mention how the data will be shared (and saved) across the two devices.

By “regular” Android tablets I mean devices that come with Google services support on board and with access to Android Market, the way Google intended Android to be. But because Amazon stripped its Android build for the Kindle Fire of any Google features, the device became a threat to its bigger, smarter and more expensive cousins, the Samsung Galaxy Tab family and all the other high-end Android tablets made by other companies high-profile companies.

While Google will not comment against Amazon’s Android use publicly, it’s certainly annoying for the search giant to have to fight Amazon, an unexpected rival, one that like Apple offers users a complete tablet experience, with access to plenty of content from its own digital stores, whether it’s music, movies, TV shows, eBooks or apps.

A recent study from Flurry Analytics shows that the Kindle Fire now matches Galaxy Tab application sessions, a very interesting fact about the Android tablet environment. Does that mean that Amazon sold as many Kindle Fire units as Samsung sold Galaxy Tab models? That may be the kind of information that we won’t have access to in the near future, as neither company mentioned any sales numbers for its tablets for the past quarter, but the research firm suggests that’s not the case yet, with the Galaxy Tab accounting for twice the share of the Kindle Fire right now.

The graphic above clearly shows the Kindle Fire getting lots of app use market share from November to January at the expense of other Android devices. In January 2012 the Kindle Fire managed to match the Galaxy Tab when it comes to end user application sessions, with both getting 36 percent of those sessions. That’s a remarkable drop for Samsung, from 63 percent in November and an equally remarkable gain for Amazon, from 3 percent two months before. And that also means that Kindle Fire users are more likely to buy apps than Galaxy Tab owners.

Meanwhile Google is rumored to launch an ultra-affordable Nexus-branded Android tablet later this year, which should compete against the Kindle Fire, while Samsung is said to announce an even bigger tablet at MWC. And let’s not forget that Apple’s iPad 3 model is going to be released in the following months, with the Cupertino-based company rumored to keep selling the iPad 2 at a lower starting price once that happens, a move that will surely hurt the competition, whether it’s rogue Android devices like the Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet, or regular Android tablets built according to Google’s own expectations.

What tablet are you buying this year?

TabTech apparently heard that the company would indeed launch an 11.6-inch Galaxy Tab 11.6 model in Barcelona in a few weeks. The device will apparently employ a 2GHz dual core Core Exynos 5250 processor and offer S-point pen support. The device would certainly become Samsung’s 2012 flagship tablet, and the main iPad 3 adversary, but will it manage to sell as well?

Do we really need bigger tablets in our lives? Sure, I understand why some users love 5-inch and 7-inch tablets instead of 10-inch models, but going anywhere above that 10-inch display size may not be the best idea. A larger display also means the device is bigger, and possibly heavier, which is not what tablet users want from a tablet. Not to mention that at that size a tablet would be comparable with an 11-inch MacBook Air, or an Ultrabook competitor.

Finally, there’s also the question of price. How much will an 11.6-inch Android tablet cost? Considering that Samsung can’t really brag with spectacular tablet sales, especially with the Kindle Fire threat out there, would the South Korean risk selling a bigger, more powerful tablet for a more expensive price? Let’s remember that current rumors out there suggest that in addition to the iPad 3 that’s coming this year, Apple will also continue to sell the iPad 2 at a lower price, just like it did with its older iPhone models. Therefore the iPad 2 would be even more affordable and users could certainly buy the device instead of choosing the cheaper Kindle Fire or a bigger Galaxy Tab 11.6.

We have plenty of time to learn more details about the upcoming Galaxy Tab 11.6, but while we wait for MWC 2012 to arrive, let us know whether you’d be interested in a bigger tablet or whether you’d buy something from the competition instead.

Well, technically speaking, they have dropped the price as low as they can go when dealing with a two (or three) year commitment. In short, the LG Optimus Pad tablet is now free with a two (or three) year commitment.

Otherwise, the LG Optimus Pad will set you back $449.99 on a one-year agreement or $549.99 to go no-term. And just to clarify, the Optimus Pad was originally priced at $699.99 on a no-term deal with Rogers. Still, we suspect not all that many users are going to be willing to shell out $500+ for a Honeycomb tablet.

The reason behind the recent price drop comes as a mystery, however some speculation suggests that Rogers is simply making way for another LG branded tablet, the LG Optimus Pad with LTE connectivity and an 8.9 inch display. That being said, while a two-year commitment is not something to take lightly, it is kind of hard to argue with a price of $0.00.

With that, just to offer a brief recap on the LG Optimus Pad tablet for those who maybe interested — the specs break down as follows; Android 3.0 Honeycomb, an 8.9 inch (1280 x 768) capacitive touchscreen display, dual-core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, 32GB of internal storage, aGPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a 3.5mm headphone jack, HDMI output, 2 megapixel front facing camera and two 5 megapixel rear facing cameras on the back. Remember, the Optimus Pad tablet sports the ability to capture 3D video. And lastly, the tablet measures in at 243 x 149.4 x 12.8 mm and weighs in at 625 grams.

Though, just to clarify, this offer only requires the purchase of one tablet and one smartphone. And honestly, it does not seem like all that bad of a deal. Well, that is assuming you had been considering the purchase of both an Android tablet and an Android smartphone.

Anyway, this one seems simple enough — buy and activate a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet and the Samsung Galaxy S II LTE smartphone and pay only $249.99. And nicely done, that $249.99 price comes after a instant $250 savings. For those curious, the break down here is as follows;

“Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is $99.99. Save $150 and Samsung Galaxy S II LTE is $49.99. Save $100″

But regardless of how much each device costs — the bundle is $249.99. Of course, there is the catch in that each will require a three-year agreement. Otherwise, the Samsung Galaxy S II LTE smartphone brings features to include a 4.52 inch (400 x 800) Super AMOLED Plus display, 16GB of internal storage, 8 megapixel rear-facing camera and Android 2.3 Gingerbread while the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet brings a 10.1 inch (1280 x 800) touchscreen display, 16GB of internal storage, a 3 megapixel rear facing camera, 2 megapixel front facing camera and Android 3.1 Honeycomb.

All said and done, if this sounds like a deal that you would want to get — you may want to head on over to your local Future Shop retail location. And at the present time, we have yet to see an end-date for the offer. In other words, while we do not expect it to come to a close today, you may want to react sooner rather than later.

It seems that Motorola has begun shipping a Wi-Fi only model of the XYBOARD 8.2 and the XYBOARD 10.1 and at the moment, Motorola still has these models listed as being a “Motorola Online Exclusive.” That being said, the pricing and the specs come as one would expect. Beginning first with the pricing for the 8.2 inch model and then moving on to the 10.1 inch model we have the following;
Motorola XYBOARD 8.2

• 16GB – $399.99
• 32GB – $499.99

Motorola XYBOARD 10.1

• 16GB – $499.99
• 32GB – $599.99

Otherwise, aside from storage and display size, both models will arrive running Android 3.2 Honeycomb with a promised upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. In terms of other hardware features, both will have a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 5 megapixel rear facing camera, HD quality front facing camera, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, aGPS, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, a 3.5mm headphone jack, microUSB, USB 2.0, HDMI out, built-in microphone and a display resolution of 1280 x 800. The 8.2 inch model has a 3960 mAh battery, measures in at 216 x 139.8 x 8.99 mm and weighs in at 390 grams while the 10.1 inch model is sporting a 7000 mAh battery with measurements of 253.9 x 173.6 x 8.80 mm and a weight of 603 grams.

Bottom line, these are the same devices that we saw launch with Verizon with one major exception — no cellular connectivity. Of course, while that is removed you also have one less bill to pay and for some that is reason enough. With that, we should also point out that Motorola is giving the option to get free 2-day shipping on any orders above $75 at the moment. And given the pricing of these tablets, they will qualify for that. During checkout you will need to make sure you select the option for “2-Day Shipping” during the checkout process to actually get it though.

Microsoft is willing to do everything in its power to sell as many Microsoft handsets as possible, from paying large sums of cash to smartphone makers (read Nokia) to offering incentives to smartphone sellers and app developers to make the Windows Phone ecosystem friendlier.

Windows Phone is a huge bet for the company not only in the mobile space, as that Metro UI we’ve gotten used to seeing on Windows Phone devices will be a big part of Windows 8. Therefore we’re really not surprised to hear that Nokia, a faithful Microsoft partner, is interested in developing its own Windows 8 tablet. Mashable suggests that a recent statement from Stephen Elop, available below, indicates that Nokia is indeed interested in moving forward with its cooperation with Microsoft, although the CEO has not actually confirmed the existence of such a project:

The broader digital experience is coming into focus,” he said. “If you look at the overall Microsoft strategy, you see the consistency of user experience… across PCs, tablets and phones. And for the operators, I suspect they see an opportunity to participate in a larger play when a consumer walks through their doors.

What’s important to note is that Nokia reported a $1.3 billion loss in the fourth quarter of 2011, and a 31% decline in smartphone sales. The company sold 1 million Lumia handsets during the period, but that number pales when looking at the total number of handsets sold during the period, $19.6 million.

Microsoft will launch Windows 8 later this year, and by Christmas we could see at least a few Windows 8 tablets in stores. Would you buy one made by Nokia?

The ZTE Optik is set to offer up a seven inch display of as yet unnoted resolution, backed up by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 16 gigs of onboard storage, a five megapixel camera on the back, and a front-facing two megapixel camera to handle your videoconferencing needs. It even offers up a microSD card slot for extra storage, and will start shipping next month.

I promised you a cheap tablet, and indeed, you’ll get one. Should you pick this one up on contract with Sprint, you’ll drop just $100 to lay hands on a ZTE Optik. If you go in without the contract, and thus without the attendant subsidies that go with it, the price will go back up to $349, which is still on the lower end of the tablet scale in general, though nowhere near so impressive a price.

The specs are at least approaching decent–even an iPad 2 packs a dual-core processor–and it’s hard not to look happily at that contract price, something no doubt many users will end up wanting in the first place. Admittedly, the off contract price is a bit on the high side, especially given those specs, but it’s not too far out of line, I’d say.

But what do you guys have to say about this one? Think that the ZTE Optik is going to be the cheap tablet of choice against the Kindle Fire et al? Or do you think that this one’s not good enough to play in the cheap field, and not cheap enough to go after the good field? We always like hearing from you, so no matter what you think on this one, head on down to the comments section below and let’s talk ZTE Optik!

The tablet is dubbed the BlackBerry PlayBook 3G+ and some of the specs have been revealed. Lets begin first with the last portion of the name, 3G+. And as implied by the name, this model of the PlayBook will come with built-in connectivity aside from Wi-Fi. According to the details that have come available; the PlayBook 3G+ will feature support for 42Mbps HSPA+ connectivity.

“Offers a blazing fast, liberating experience by providing all that PlayBook has to offer anytime and anywhere.”

Otherwise, the new model PlayBook will bring a 7 inch display and a “new” dual-core 1.5GHz processor for an “even faster and more responsive experience.” The only other feature that is mentioned on the slide is NFC (Near Field Communication). Nothing surprising here, but this is noted as being “hardware enabled” and that it will be able to “provide the opportunity to connect with information and other NFC enabled devices.”

Judging from the picture of the tablet that was on the slide (as seen below), the PlayBook 3G+ appears to retain the same style and build as the current model. But then again, having played with the PlayBook for an extended time period, it is easy to say that design and build quality were not the issue.

And lastly, while we expect RIM to release PlayBook OS 2.0 sometime in February, based on some of the other leaked slides — it looks like the PlayBook 3G+ will not debut until sometime in late-2012 or early-2013.

We’d heard, in the closing days of 2011, that Sony was looking to get its tablet line updated with Ice Cream Sandwich, but the when of the operation was, as yet, unclear. I say was, of course, because now we have some more information on just when the release is set to hit. Basically, Sony’s got the reasonable, on the surface, idea of installing all the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades all at once, on all three of their upcoming product classes. They’ve actually, according to reports, got the software up and running on units behind the scenes, so making the whole thing run on a wider scale shouldn’t be much of a problem at all.

What’s more, current word suggests that Sony also has some “unique bits” planned for release alongside the Android 4.0 rollout, though much like with a specific date in the three months that comprise springtime, Sony wasn’t talking about just what those might be. Still though, knowing a range of dates in which to keep a better watch is no doubt a relief to all those Sony Tablet S, Sony Tablet P, and Xperia users out there who were wondering when they’d finally get a shot at the newest version of Android.

Though considering how slow and fragmented the rollout has been, I’m left wondering if this approach may not be doing Android products more harm in the long run. We’ve been hearing about Ice Cream Sandwich rollouts for some time now, and there are still plenty of people waiting. And so I put it up to you guys–any Android users out there getting tired of the update wait? Or are you willing to show some patience for a shot at Android’s newest sweet treat? No matter what you think about this one, head on down to the comments section and let’s talk about the Ice Cream Sandwich rollout!

A new study shows that the iPad doesn’t have any contestants, and of all the Android devices the Kindle Fire is the most popular with the crowds, although Amazon’s Kindle Fire sales are incomparable to Apple’s iPad sales, at least for now. While the Kindle Fire has been available for about two months, it has apparently outsold more impressive contenders like the QNX-based BlackBerry PlayBook and the Android-based Motorola Xoom and the Samsung Galaxy Tabs. In fact, the Kindle Fire seems to be a Google Android tablet killer, something we talked about in the past – where by Google Android tablet I mean Honeycomb and Ice Cream tablets as Amazon’s device runs a custom OS version.

But what does Chitika’s graph above tell us? Analyzing Internet activity based on ad impressions during December 30th and January 9 in the U.S. and Canada for the iPad, Kindle Fire, BlackBerry Playbook, Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab, the company discovered that for every 100 iPad ad impressions the other mentioned tablets get less than 7.50 ad impressions as follows:

• Kindle Fire – 2.4 ad impressions per 100 iPad impressions
• Playbook – 1.8 ad impressions per 100 iPad impressions
• Motorola Xoom – 1.55 ad impressions per 100 iPad impressions
• Samsung Galaxy Tab – 1.60 ad impressions per 100 iPad impressions

In addition to the impressive performance of the Kindle Fire – and I’m using “performance” very loosely here since the iPad is killing the competition – I’ll also notice the poor “Samsung Galaxy” numbers. Chitika doesn’t refer to a specific Galaxy Tab version, but rather condenses the whole family under the “Samsung Galaxy” moniker. And Samsung’s family isn’t doing that great, at least in the U.S. and Canada, according to this study, which used a sample of hundreds of millions of impressions.

In a few days Apple will share more details about iPad sales in the fourth quarter of 2011 and we certainly expect the company to report new record sales while the competition can only dream about such numbers, at least for now. In the mean time, let’s hear it from you, what tablet did you purchase?

Basically, if you own the wi-fi version of the Xoom, word is that you’re in some good company, as many users have reported getting their upgrades via over the air transmission. The strange thing here is that, right now, reports of 4G Xoom tablets getting the upgrade, or international Xoom tablets getting same, aren’t there, leading some to wonder just who’s getting the update.

It makes some sense that the Motorola Xoom was the place to start, given that it was the first to launch with Android 3.0 back when it got its start last year. And it’s certainly going to give the Xoom a little bit of an edge over its compatriots for a while, especially with those who are looking to upgrade or replace a current tablet. Still, it does seem unusual that we’re not hearing more about the 4G and international Xoom update, though considering that it’s a complete OS upgrade, maybe they only want to put it out for wi-fi users where the pipes would be bigger. Having used both metered and unmetered internet, I can assure you that not only is using metered internet no fun at all, it’s also profoundly difficult to get any substantial amount of downloading done, even if it’s necessary.

But what about you guys? Any Xoom users out there get their big Ice Cream Sandwich update? Are you still waiting for yours? And those of you without Xooms, would you buy one because of the recent upgrade in operating system that should give this one a lot more capability than previously seen under Honeycomb? Or does the tablet you’re currently working with provide all you need? No matter what your response to these and anything else you have in mind, we always like hearing from you, and the comments section below is the perfect place to do just that!

As expected, the device will be available at first in South Korea, followed by an international roll out, although at this time actual availability dates and pricing information are not available. What we do have are specs and features for the new device, and a bunch of official images for you to enjoy while you wait for the iPad 3 to be announced.

The next iPad, rumored to hit stores in early March after an early February introduction, is probably going to set the pace in the tablet world for another year and it will be interesting to see whether tablets like the LG Optimus Pad LTE will be able to get any significant market share, especially with the other threat to Android tablets out there, the ultra-affordable Kindle Fire. But let’s see what this LTE-ready beast has to offer:

• Size: 9.65 x 5.96 x 0.37 inches
• Weight: 1.1 pounds
• 8.9-inch IPS LCD touchscreen display with 1,280 x 768 resolution
• 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
• 32GB memory
• microSD support up to 32GB of memory
• 8-megapixel camera
• 2-megapixel front-facing camera
• 4G LTE
• Wi-Fi
• HDMI
• DLNA
• 3.5mm headset jack
• 6,800mAh battery
• Android 3.2 Honeycomb

The device is certainly interesting, at least on paper, but LG’s timing couldn’t have been worst considering that not only will the iPad 3 be announced soon but also that MWC 2012, scheduled for late February, will probably bring us quite a few new tablet models, with most of them running a version of Android. By that time the LG Optimus Pad LTE could already be old news, which is what happens in the Android universe with high-end devices once newer machines become official.

Is anyone particularly impressed with the Optimus Pad LTE?

Anyway, according to what we have seen from RIM up until this point, they will be giving away some BlackBerry smartphones, some BlackBerry PlayBook tablets and of course, some accessories. That being said, while we had known that the contest was going to kick off on January 13th, a recent tweet from the @BlackBerry account confirms that things are underway.

“To kick things off, we have 2 #BlackBerry #Bold9900/9930 #smartphones w/ @OtterBox cases up for grabs. Be here at 12 PM ET!”

In other words, if interested you should check twitter.com/blackberry at noon eastern time today. And worry not if you read this post after because this is only the beginning.

The contest will be open to those in the US as well as Canada and the rules seem simple enough — answer the question correctly and you could win. And by could win, you would need to be the “entrant who posts the 10th correct tweet in response to any given Contest Invitation will be eligible to win.” Otherwise, the questions are said to be “BlackBerry related” and your answer will need to be directed to the @BlackBerry Twitter account and contain the #JanuBerry hashtag in your message. With that, here is a breakdown of the prize list followed by the quantity of each that will be given out.

• BlackBerry Bold 9900 Devices – 3
• Case for BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 – 3
• Case of Your Choice Codes – 15
• BlackBerry Torch 9850 Devices – 3
• Case For Torch 9850/9860 – 3
• BBMing Gloves – 20
• BBM Chat Bubble Laptop Stickers – 15
• BlackBerry PlayBook Device – 4
• Case For PlayBook – 4
• BlackBerry Beanies – 5

Of course the catch here, while RIM has offered up a nice list of which prizes will be given out — they did not say when each would be up for grabs. Bottom line, if any of the above items sound like something you would want to win — make sure you pay attention to Twitter. And lastly, the contest will come to an end on January 27th at 12 PM ET.

The word emerged from what was described as anonymous sources at PC vendors, which said many of the upcoming Windows 8 tablets–otherwise known as Wintel tablets–would be looking at a price range of around $599-$899, which would make them easily more expensive than the current front runner, the iPad 2, and likely more expensive than the equally likely upcoming front runner, the next iPad version.

The problem, as those anonymous sources are pointing to, is that Windows and Intel seem unwilling at this stage of the game to lower their costs to the tablet makers for their associated goods (the Windows software and the Clover Trail processors on which it would run), thus forcing the tablet makers to drive their prices up in response.

And in turn, this is an approach that isn’t likely to pay serious dividends for the Windows tablet makers. We’ve seen great success come from bargain-priced tablets from big-name makers, like the Kindle Fire and the Nook Color, not to mention the inevitable consequences of the big HP TouchPad debacle. But one market that hasn’t done very well–though there are exceptions–is the high-end tablet market. Tablet makers have been seeing for some time now, if you have a tablet that’s on par with the iPad and is priced like the iPad, more people will go for the iPad. And it looks like, at least from here, that’s exactly what Windows tablet makers are walking into.

But what do you guys think here? Anyone interested in a Windows 8 tablet for that kind of money? Or would you sooner spend that kind of cash to get an iPad, and possibly, in some cases, save money besides? No matter what you think, we always like hearing from you, so head on down to the comments section and tell us what you think!

The Classmate PC NL3  and the Classmate PC E12 share very similar characteristics, both offering up a 10.1 inch screen, as well as a 1.6 GHz Atom N2600 processor backed up by a gig of RAM and your choice of a standard hard drive or a solid state drive to keep your files straight. They’re also geared toward protection against your basic laptop dangers, jolting and the like, which is pretty much the case across the Classmate line.

However, the style is where these two differ significantly, as the PC E12 is configured like a normal laptop. The PC NL3, meanwhile, ups the ante a bit by putting the whole thing in a convertible tablet casing. Accordingly, the NL3 also tacks on a resistive–not capacitive–touch screen so that you can get a stylus in on the action.

You’ll be able to get your hands on both of these early in February, and the PC E12 will sell at $349, while going the convertible tablet route with the PC NL3 will set you back fully $499.

Personally, I’m not too sure on these. The specs seem a little light given the price, but the option of a convertible tablet version, along with some ruggedization measures certainly does help my trepidation a bit as far as the pricing goes. But still, I’m not sure the value’s there the way it should be, especially given the growing numbers of regular laptops, and even tablets, out on the market currently that would blow either of these out of the water. Even worse, they’d do so for comparable prices, sometimes even lower.

But what do you guys think? Figure that you’d be interested in a Classmate PC, whether it’s the NL3 or the E12? Whatever your call on this one, head on down to the comments section and fill us in!

Amazon’s Kindle is the most popular ebook reading platform to date. Matched with Amazon’s extensive library of ebooks, subscription magazines and other content, the Kindle platform is Amazon’s main revenue generators for its Kindle line of e-readers and tablets. But aside from just ebooks and magazines, Amazon is now letting end-users upload their local content directly to the Kindle with just a couple of clicks.

PC to Kindle sending is now possible through an app download called “Send to Kindle.” Currently available for Windows PCs, the app adds a contextual menu to Windows that lets users send Microsoft Office .DOC, PDFs, RTF and text files, as well as JPEG, PNG, GIF, and BMP straight to the Kindle. Once on the Kindle, users can then add bookmarks, notes and highlights to their documents through Whispersync. Kindle will also automatically save the last page read, much like with Kindle e-books.

Users can also send multiple files to the Kindle by selecting more than one file on Windows Explorer and calling the context menu with a right-click.

The service can also act like a cloud-based storage of sorts. Users can simply send their documents to Kindle for retrieval on other computers or devices later on. The Kindle Personal Documents Service also supports sending of documents via email attachment, which means friends and colleagues can also send files and documents to your Kindle just by sending an email to your pre-defined Send to Kindle email address. If you’re already editing a document, you can “print” these to the Kindle printer driver instead, and the document will be sent to your device.

The Send to Kindle app is a free download from Amazon, and is currently available to Windows users only. Amazon is working on a Mac version, which should come “soon.”

Slowly but surely 4G LTE is being gradually rolled out in various markets, with Verizon leading the pack of mobile operators ready for 4G speeds. The carrier currently covers 190 markets and 200 potential customers with its growing LTE blanket, as AT&T and Sprint scramble to deploy their own LTE networks. Internationally, other carriers are also working on their own LTE networks, although nobody has the same coverage Verizon can already offer.

That’s why the carrier said at CES 2012 that it’s going to require OEMs to include 4G LTE support in all upcoming mobile devices:

From now on, nearly every smartphone, wireless hot spot, tablet, and Netbook that Verizon offers will come with LTE guns a-blazing. Yes, Virginia, that includes Windows Phone and BlackBerry devices, too.

There will be the occasional exception, however. For instance, phones on Verizon’s push-to-talk network are 3G-only for now, and will remain that way until further notice.

The devices will still offer 3G support for those markets where 4G is not available, with Verizon saying that its initial LTE rollout will be completed by the end of 2013.

This also must mean that Apple’s next-gen iPhone and iPad will come with LTE support, unless the iPhone and iPad will be an exception to the rule. While it makes plenty of sense to assume the iPhone 5/6 and iPad 3 will come with LTE on board, Verizon’s requirements will not force Apple to actually include LTE radios in its next-gen smartphones and tablets. Apple will only do it if it makes sense as a business decision for Apple, not for Verizon. That means at least three things:

1.  LTE deployment will meet Apple’s expectations. After all, why launch an LTE-enabled device that most customers won’t be able to use? The more LTE coverage out there, in the USA and other international markets, the more likely it is for Apple to include LTE support in future devices. Let’s not forget that that’s the same path Apple followed with the original iPhone, which was a 3G-less device.
2.  LTE chips will meet Apple’s design expectations. Apple did say in the past that current LTE chips are too big for its standards. But that is about to change as Apple, and everyone else, are probably going to use next-gen LTE chipsets.
3.  LTE chips will meet Apple’s battery expectations. One problem with current LTE devices is low battery life compared with 3G-only devices. LTE requires lots of juice, and LTE devices, especially smartphones, have limited physical room for batteries. Apple won’t want iPhone LTE users to experience a poor battery life. And let’s not forget that the iPhone 4S already has a battery issue that’s affecting certain customers, which Apple is yet to correct.

While LTE reach is out of Apple’s hands, the company has plenty of time to experiment with LTE at least for the next-gen iPhone, it will certainly interesting to see whether the iPad 3 will have LTE support. Current reports on the iPad 3 don’t mention such capabilities for the device.

And what if Apple decides to wait one more year until the iPhone and iPad get LTE powers? Will Verizon decide against selling the next iOS devices? I hardly doubt it.

Samsung’s planned Galaxy GT-N8000 series is described as a “portable tablet computer,” which might mean it’s a smaller variant of the usual 7-, 9- or 10-inch tablet, similar to the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note, which will soon hit the U.S. market. In particular, the FCC filing describes the GT-N8013, while a GT-N8000 and GT-N8010 have previously been granted WiFi certifications.

We note that the current Samsung Galaxy Note has the GT-N7000 model number, which suggests these three devices are successors to Samsung’s extra-large smartphone (or extra small tablet, depending on how you view it).

No specifications, pricing and release date details have been disclosed, although we know a few things about the three models so far: the GT-N8000, GT-N8010 and GT-N8013. Aside from FCC filings, the “portable tablet computers” have been granted WiFi certification by the Wi-Fi Alliance, particularly their networking capabilities. These devices will support dual Wi-Fi a/b/g/n.

But is it really a tablet or something else? The FCC filings refer to a “phone model” in one of the documents, which might suggest that Samsung’s latest devices will be a cross between a tablet and a smartphone, perhaps in terms of size. At any rate, we’re also interested in how Apple reacts to these latest mini-tablets by Samsung. Will they also accuse Samsung of infringing on design patents, as with the Galaxy S smartphone series and the 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab?

Speculation is that Samsung is likely to announce these devices at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona by last week of February.

You’re probably wondering how Dell can say they’re planning to launch their first ever consumer tablet, considering that they’ve had the Streak line for some time and even gone so far as to kill one of them off. Well, the reasoning on that one seems pretty simple, specifically, that the Streak line was a business line rather than a consumer line, which is why you probably never saw one of them in, say, a Best Buy. There’s not too much else being said about this tablet, though, especially in the way of specs, features, and pricing.

We do, however, have some reports that say Dell “likes Windows 8“, and considering that the Streak line was an Android line, you’ll probably see Ice Cream Sandwich play a part in the whole production before it’s all said and done. That being said, though, Dell is going to have a serious problem on its hands, and hopefully, they’ll have a serious response waiting in the wings.

We’ve been hearing reports about the upcoming iPad 3, and while we don’t have word on a release date, what we do have is a whole lot of word that suggests that it will be out before the end of 2012, and it will be an impressive piece of hardware indeed. If Dell’s not readying its consumer tablet to compete on at least one front with the iPad 3–and no one outside of Apple is a hundred percent sure as yet just what it will be packing when it hits–then its new consumer tablet is likely to share the same fate as its business tablets.

So what do you guys think here? Figure Dell’s consumer tablet will take on Apple in terms of price, or hardware? Or do you think Dell’s got something else up their sleeve to take on the current top of the tablet market? No matter what your stance on this one, head on down to the comments section and tell us what you think!

With that, lets dive right in. According to the details coming from the folks at Huawei, the MediaPad tablets will begin shipping with Android 4.0 ICS “in selected markets in the first quarter of 2012.” And for those who have already made the purchase, rest assured in knowing that you will not be waiting that much longer. Huawei noted that existing MediaPad owners will receive an over-the-air update to Android 4.0 “by the first quarter of 2012.”

Bottom line in that respect, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich should be available for most Huawei MediaPad users fairly soon. And in addition to the ICS news, Huawei also unveiled a line of “color series” MediaPad tablets. These new models will be available in shadow black, classic brown and passion pink.

“In a tablet market defined by staid black and white tablets, the new colorful MediaPad offers a personalized look without the need for an external case,” said Richard Yu, Chairman, Huawei Device. “With a hardware package that includes a high-quality screen, a powerful dual-core processor, and long battery life, these colorful MediaPad embodies a rare combination of style and performance.”

The features of the new MediaPad color series models will include a 7 inch (1280 x 800) touchscreen display, dual-core 1.2GHz processor, support for 1080p full HD video playback and a battery life of up to six hours. All said and done, the only real drawback of these models — the will arrive running Android 3.2 Gingerbread as opposed to Android 4.0. And lastly, in terms of when these new colors will be available, Huawei has noted that they will arrive sometime during the first quarter of 2012. And so far, nothing was given as to when an update will arrive for these models.

According to the details we have seen thus far, ViewSonic is planning to launch the ViewPad E70 sometime in “late Q1.” As for the price, that will come in at $169.99. As for the tablet itself, judging from what we have seen in the press release details, this one will be aimed at the value market. Of course, with a well below $200 price point, that almost seems fitting.

“ViewSonic is committed to delivering advanced technology designed with the consumer in mind,” said Michael Holstein, vice president of business development, ViewSonic. “Featuring the latest Android operating system, along with leading apps and services for entertainment content, the ViewPad E70 continues the ViewSonic tradition of bringing feature-rich products to new markets.”

Anyway, as for those specs — they begin with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a 7 inch display and 1GHz processor. Other goodies include 4GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot (with support for cards of up to 32GB in size) and a front facing camera for your video conferencing needs. In addition, the tablet will also have an HDMI out with support for 1080p streaming.

All said and done, while the specs are certainly nothing to get overly excited about, the price tag does give this some appeal. For a nice bit below $200 you could have a tablet with decent specs and (at least for a while) the latest and greatest in terms of Android. And while we are sort of excited about the price, we suspect that we are going to begin seeing other tablets with similar specs and price points coming available over the next few months.