NVIDIA has finally taken the lid off of its tablet. The Tegra Note is a “complete tablet platform” created by NVIDIA and powered by its own Tegra 4 mobile processor. The Tegra Note will feature the latest Android OS, a 7-inch HD IPS LCD display at 1280 x 800 resolution, rear 5-megapixel and front VGA webcam, 16GB internal storage with microSD slot, “HD Audio” stereo speakers, stylus with DirectStylus technology, HDMI port and 10 hours of HD video playback. More →
Apple is widely expected to unveil two brand new iPad tablets next month, and they may pack a surprise. A new report from Digitimes on Wednesday cites Taiwan-based component makers in claiming that Apple’s fifth-generation full-size iPad and its second-generation iPad mini tablet will both feature new sapphire crystal home buttons. Apple’s upcoming new iPhone 5s utilizes sapphire crystal instead of plastic for the home button as well, and the purpose is to protect the brand new Touch ID fingerprint scanner found beneath the glass. Digitimes’ report doesn’t specifically state that Apple’s next iPads will include the new fingerprint scanner, though a switch to sapphire would certainly make the inclusion of a fingerprint sensor a good possibility. More →
Apple’s upcoming new flagship iPhone 5s won’t be the only new Apple device that will launch with the new space gray color option, if a new leak ends up panning out. Japanese mobile parts seller Moumantai recently added a new listing on its website for a second-generation iPad mini housing in the new space gray color. It also included photos of the new casing, marking the first time it has ever been pictured in Apple’s space gray color, which is much lighter than the slate color seen on the current-generation iPhone 5. Moumantai opines that space gray will replace the current black color option on the iPad mini, and the new shell is already available for sale on the site for 10,000 yen, which works out to just over $101. More →
AT&T announced on Tuesday that it has begun offering 4G LTE service for Google’s Nexus 7 tablet. AT&T’s 32GB model will feature Wi-Fi and 4G LTE data, but unlike the other 32GB models from Google, this one will include an AT&T SIM card. Other than that, the AT&T Nexus 7 is identical — it has a 7-inch display with 1920 x 1200-pixel resolution, a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, Adreno 320 graphics, a 5-megapixel camera, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, optional 4G LTE, HDMI output, NFC, wireless charging support and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. The Nexus 7 with an AT&T 4G LTE data plan is now available on the Google Play store for $349. AT&T is also offering “a $100 AT&T bill credit” to users who sign a new two-year service contract between now and December 31st, 2013, bringing the final cost down to $249.
The new video report from Ooyala gives us a glimpse of how rapidly the American consumer’s habits are changing. As broadcast television continues its slow disintegration, consumers are increasing their video consumption on smartphones and tablets with ferocious speed. Time spent on watching videos on tablets increased by a massive 59% during the first half of 2013. Interestingly, the peak period for staring at iPads is now Friday night. Broadcast behemoths like ABC, NBC and CBS abandoned Fridays years ago, opting to dump dying shows into Friday night time slots and focus their efforts on the first four days of the week. This has evidently started backfiring as consumers are turning Fridays into tablet video nights. This will no doubt erode Friday audiences of major channels even further, accelerating the downward spiral of big broadcasters. More →
Both the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8-inch and 10.1-inch tablets have been lacking multi-user support since their release, but a software update should fix this issue in the coming weeks. Android 4.2 has allowed for multiple user profiles on a variety of devices for a while, but this will be the first time these two tablets will have access to that functionality, according to SamMobile. There is no sign whether this update will bring any other features to the Samsung tablets. A screenshot of the user profiles can be seen below, although SamMobile notes that the screen is from a test build of the firmware. More →
Intel seems determined to become a company that disrupts markets rather than a company whose markets get disrupted by others. Quartz reports that Intel has a very ambitious plan to flood the market with $100 tablets this holiday season in an effort to make tablets more affordable to consumers in emerging markets. Quartz speculates that the upcoming $100 Intel tablets will be 7-inch models that have middling specs but will still be “good enough” for most consumers who don’t use tablets for much more than basic web browsing. The key will be making sure these tablets deliver a strong user experience for the limited number of applications they’re designed to run — as Quartz notes, there are plenty of $100 Android tablets made by no-name manufacturers in the world but most of them deliver demonstrably poor experiences for users.
Apple’s next big press conference has reportedly been scheduled for October 15th. According to French blog MacGeneration, which has a mixed track record with reports on Apple’s plans, the Cupertino-based company will host another big event on Tuesday, October 15th. There is plenty of hardware Apple is expected to launch in 2013 that hasn’t yet been announced, but the stars of the show are expected to be the completely redesigned full-size iPad and a new iPad mini tablet with a Retina display. New Mac computers such as the overhauled Mac Pro could make an appearance as well, as could a refreshed Apple TV.
Apple’s iPad has dominated the tablet space since it launched, but just in case you’re in the market for a change, Microsoft has posted a new offer at participating company stores that will allow you to trade in a “gently used iPad 2, 3, or 4″ for a gift card starting at $200. Microsoft does not mention a value limit for the offers in its advertisement, but if you want to take advantage of this deal, you will have to complete the trade-in in person at a Microsoft store. The promotion started on September 5th and will last through October 27th, over a month after the company’s planned Surface 2 launch event on September 23rd. The Surface RT currently retails for $349 and the Surface Pro costs $799.
Microsoft is currently preparing to announce its new Surface devices on September 23rd, but its hardware partners are also hard at work on their own Windows tablets. Paul Thurrott of WinSuperSite has gathered information from his sources to put together an extensive preview of the Windows tablet fall lineup. Many of the tablets have been detailed in the past, but several have never been seen before, including the Nokia Sirius tablet shown in the picture below. The other tablets listed are as follows: Acer W3-810, ASUS Transformer Book Trio T100TA, Dell Venue, an unnamed Dell tablet, Lenovo Miix 8, Lenovo Miix 2, and Toshiba Encore. Each of these tablets will run on Windows 8.1 and Intel’s new Bay Trail processor. Thurrott also reports that Microsoft plans to release a “Surface mini” that will have an 8-inch screen and will ship later in the year after Microsoft has already released the Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro. More →
There really isn’t much mystery remaining as Amazon prepares to unveil its second-generation Kindle Fire HD tablets and its third-generation Kindle Fire slate in the coming weeks. First we published exclusive details about Amazon’s entire 2013 tablet lineup and then we followed up by revealing all of the key specs for the upcoming new Kindle Fire HD tablets as well as the new entry-level Kindle Fire. Amazon’s new high-definition slates are shaping up to be two of the most impressive tablets in the world when they debut, and anticipation is certainly building. Now, BGR has obtained exclusive photos of the unannounced next-generation Kindle Fire HD that Amazon is preparing to unveil as soon as later this month, giving the world its first-ever look at Amazon’s new hardware for 2013. More →
Apple didn’t unveil new iPad tablets during its iPhone press conference on Tuesday. There was still plenty to be excited about, of course, but new iPads just weren’t in the cards. We still have about a month to wait before Apple finally takes the wraps off of its new Retina iPad mini and its completely redesigned full-size iPad tablet but in the meantime, “iPad 5″ photos continue to leak. This time around is a bit different, however. We have seen the new iPad’s housing and other components leak dozens of times already, however recent photos published by serial leaker Sonny Dickson show the updated iPad’s shell and front panel in the most stunning high-quality pictures we’ve seen to date. Apple’s new iPad and second-generation iPad mini are expected to be unveiled sometime in October but in the meantime, a handful of images follow below that compare the redesigned iPad to the current model. More →