2011 will go down in the history books as a great year for tablets mostly for Apple's iPad however, not all tablet vendors fared as well as Apple. It's not for lack of products that prevented Android tablets from taking any market share away from Apple this year. By our calculation, over 100 tablets were introduced since the iPad however, we defy even the most tech-savvy of you to name more than a few of them. What was so wrong with the competition that it failed to make any inroads in the tablet market, at least until the Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble Nook came along?
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Member since:2007-08-20
Have you looked at the Nook Tablet? The screen resolution is only 1024x600 and it has no Bluetooth, but it has the MicroUSB and MicroSD, dual-core, WiFi, 1GB RAM, and 16GB storage (not all user accessible, of course). And it's only $249.
I've been thinking hard about it myself. I would probably root it and use a custom ROM.
(There is speculation that the chipset probably supports Bluetooth, but that there is no antenna for it. Apparently this was the case for the Nook Color, and when the custom ROMs came out, they were able to get Bluetooth working, but only for very short distances. Something to consider.)
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:2005-11-02
I just bought my wife one of the much maligned cheap Android 2.3 "tablets". A Nextbook 8 Premium, Its hardware specs are relatively basic; 1 GHz ARM processor, 512 Mb RAM, 4Gb storage with micro USB, a micro SD slot and a 8 in. capacitive screen. It is really just an extended eBook reader. But it is fast and intuitive to use. In addition she can browse the web using WiFi and the Webkit based browser that comes with Android (a better experience than I expected), read her email, view videos (YouTube runs smoothly), take pictures and listen to her favourite music as well as reading ebooks. As for apps so far I have installed Overdrive for her so she can borrow ebooks free from our public library. She is keen to try some other apps as well, like one that will do web radio. She couldn't care less about games.
It might not compare to an iPad or be the perfect small Android tablet but at about a third the price of an iPad, it is a very useful and competent little device that meets her needs exactly.
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.
Member since:
2005-07-06
I'm still waiting for the perfect 7in. android tablet. I want something with 1280x800 resolution, microsd slot, at least 16gb storage, dual core 1ghz minimum, 1gb ram, microusb port, and bluetooth. The ideal price for me is $299.
I've considered a galaxy tab 7 plus, but the lack of microusb is a deal breaker for me. I've also considered a kindle fire, but no microsd is a no go.
I'm strongly considering getting a 7in. toshiba thrive, although its a little more expensive than I would like. The nook tablet would be ideal if only the bootloader were unlocked...
Those are the things that are personally keeping me from buying an android tablet. I recently came across this link http://www.spemall.com/Tablet-PC_c.html they seem to have a bunch of generic android tablets for cheap.