TABLETS SALES UP; IPAD STILL RULES

Apple announced that it shipped a whopping 15.4 million iPads during the last quarter of 2011. In all, about 26.8 million tablets were shipped during this quarter. If you do the math, it is not difficult to see that Apple still claims about 57.6 percent of the tablet market.


The company had 68.2 percent of the market share during the same quarter in 2010. That means, Apple’s market share is

MOTOROLA SHIPPED A MILLION TABLETS IN 2011

Consumers across the world bought nearly 10.5 million Android tablets in 2011. It looks like a million of them were shipped by Motorola. The company reported its quarterly earnings yesterday and said that it shipped 200,000 tablets during the last quarter of 2011. It shipped close to a million tablets during the entire year.


The Motorola Xoom, which launched in February 2011, was the first

SAMSUNG SERIES 5 ULTRABOOKS UP FOR ORDER FOR $900 AND UP

The Samsung Series 5 ultrabook is now up for pre-order for the starting price of $900. The laptop has got an Intel Core i5 processor. It also features quick boot and resume technology.

The Series 5 ultrabooks will be available in three models: two of them are already available for pre-order.


Both Amazon and J&R have started taking orders for the 13.3 inch and 14 inch models. Both come

LENOVO THINKPAD X130E NOW UP FOR ORDER $429

The Lenovo ThinkPad X130e is now up for order. The 11.6 incher is aimed at students. It was supposed to be available in December, but Lenovo missed that date. Now the laptop is up for order from Lenovo’s website. The base configuration runs $429. It will start shipping in the second week of February.


Two different models of the laptop are available: one with an AMD processor and another with

AT&T SELLING PANTECH ELEMENT WATER PROOF TABLET FOR $299.99

The Pantech Element is a waterproof tablet with an 8 inch display and a $449.99 price tag. If you are willing to sign up for a 2 year service contract, AT&T is offering it for $299.99.

The tablet is powered by a 1.5Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual core processor. It has also got 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth as well as AT&T’s 4G LTE or HSPA + network. The 8 inch capacitive

ARCHOS 101 G9 TABLET NOW SHIPPING WITH 1.5GHZ PROCESSOR IN FRANCE

The Archos 101 G9 tablet has started shipping in France. It is available in several different configurations. The base model has a 1GHz TI OMAP 4 dual core processor. Higher-end configurations have 1.2GHz or 1.5GHz processors.


As you can probably imagine, the 1.5Ghz model is faster than the 1GHz model. The Archos 101 G9 is one of the first devices to ship with the 1.5Ghz TI OMAP 4460 processor

SONY REFRESHES VAIO LAPTOP LINEUP

Sony is refreshing its 2012 laptop lineup. The refreshed VAIO Z laptops will be available with new configuration and color options. The VAIO S and E series laptops too will sport new internals.

Sony VAIO Z Early 2012 Refresh

The new Sony Vaio Z laptops will be available with a choice of Intel 2nd generation Core i5 or i7 processors including the i7-2640M. While the previous models had 3G, the

ACER ASPIRE ONE 722 NOW AVAILABLE FROM AT&T

The Acer Aspire One A0722 is now available from carrier AT&T. The 11.6 inch laptop has got built-in HSPA+ connectivity. The device is powered by a 1GHz dual core AMD C-50 dual core processor. It has got 320GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. That AMD C-50 processor comes bundled with powerful Radeon graphics with HD video capabilities. Needless to say, Acer has

ACER ICONIA TAB A200 NOW AVAILABLE FOR $350

Best Buy has started selling the Acer Iconia Tab A200 Android tablet in the US. It runs $349.99. The Iconia Tab A200 is a budget-minded tablet with a dual core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and Android 3.2 Honeycomb operating system. It has a 10.1 inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels.


Although the Iconia Tab A200 has decent hardware, it can’t claim to be top-of-the-line

NOTION INK ANNOUNCES ADAM II WITH TI OMAP 4 CPU AND ANDROID 4.0

Notion Ink has announced its plans to build a second generation Adam tablet. The Adam II will have a Texas Instruments OMAP 4 processor and PowerVR graphics. It will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.


The original Adam was the first tablet to launch with a NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual core processor and optional Pixel Qi low power sunlight readable display. While the tablet had

ULTRABOOKS TO DICTATE ACER NOTEBOOK LINEUP IN 2012

According to Acer Chairman ultrabooks could account for as much as 35% of the company’s entire notebook lineup in 2012. The first of these models will be the Acer Aspire S5 and Timeline Ultra. Acer also plans to launch more models in summer.

Acer doesn’t expect its market share to improve in the US and Europe where it is facing stiff competition from iPads and Macs. However, it is confident of

QUANTA BUILDING ARM-BASED WINDOWS 8 TABLETS FOR LENOVO AND TOSHIBA

Word is that OEM maker Quanta Computer is building Windows 8 tablets for Toshiba and Lenovo. First models are expected to hit the market early next year. They will have ARM-based processors. Windows 8 will be the first version of the Windows OS compatible with ARM-based processors. Right now most of the tablets powered by ARM processors run Google Android.

Microsoft will launch Windows 8 for

LENOVO IDEAPAD A1 TABLET NOW AVAILABLE FOR JUST $167.20

The Lenovo IdeaPad A1 tablet can be purchased for just $167.20 this week: you only need to use the coupon code EMPLOYEEPRICE0119. This is perhaps the best price for this tablet to date. The IdeaPad A1 usually retails for around $200.

As you may have already guessed, the IdeaPad A1 isn’t a high-end tablet. It has modest hardware including a 1Ghz TI OMAP 3622 single core processor, 512MB of RAM

CLOSER LOOK AT ASUS B23E BUSINESS NOTEBOOK

Besides a whole new line of low cost notebooks and netbooks, Asus introduced a high-end ultraportable laptop at CES last week. The Asus B23E is a 12.5 inch notebook aimed at businesses. It will be available with a choice of Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processors and Windows 7 Home, Professional or Ultimate operating system.


The 12.5 inch LED backlit anti-glare display has a resolution of 1366 x

2ND GENERATION SAMSUNG CHROMEBOOK HAS INTEL CELERON CPU

It is not easy to find Intel Celeron-based laptops these days. In fact, none of the laptops announced since mid-2008 has an Intel Celeron processor. But that didn’t prevent Samsung from announcing one at CES last week. The second generation Series 5 Samsung Chromebook the company unveiled at CES sports an Intel Celeron processor.

The unnamed Celeron processor will replace the Atom N570 found in

LG OPTIMUS PAD CONFIRMED WITH LTE AND 1.5GHZ PROCESSOR

While most device makers launch their devices at CES, LG waited until after CES to launch its Optimus Pad LTE. The 8.9 inch tablet is a successor to its original predecessor called Optimus Pad. It has got a 1280 x 768 pixels IPS display and a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The original model had a 1GHz Tegra 2 processor. And as the name itself suggests the Optimus Pad LTE also supports 4G

ARCHOS ARNOVA 7B G2 ANDROID TABLET UP FOR PRE-ORDER FOR 99 EUROS

Amazon.de has started taking pre-orders for the Archos Arnova 7b G2 Android tablet for 99 Euros. The device has a 7 inch resistive touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. It is powered by a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor and runs Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. The display doesn’t support multitouch inputs. Other specifications include 4GB of RAM, WiFi, a

APPLE LAUNCHES IBOOK 2

Apple launched a new service called iBooks 2 for the iPad yesterday. It offers support for digital textbooks that make use of features such as image galleries and video 3D animation.

The best thing about digitial textbooks is that you can constantly keep them up-to-date. They are also much lighter. Carrying an iPad is easier than carrying four or five heavy textbooks in your backpack. Already

MOTOROLA XOOM GETS ANDROID 4.0 OTA UPDATE

The WiFi-only version of the Motorola Xoom tablet has started getting the Android 4.0 update. The Xoom hit the market in early 2011 as the first tablet to ship with the Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system. Right now it is the second Android tablet to get an OTA update to Android 4.0. The Eee Pad Transformer Prime is the first.


The new version of Android sports an improved user interface. It

LENOVO THINKPAD T430U LISTED WITH FULL VOLTAGE CORE I5 PROCESSOR

A Vietnamese website has posted a listing for a Lenovo ThinkPad T430u ultrabook with an Intel Ivy Bridge processor. What is interesting about this listing is that it shows the laptop as having an Intel Core i5-3320M standard voltage processor. Ultrabooks are supposed to have ultra-low voltage processors. This IS probably a typo, or maybe we are looking at a standard laptop with higher-end specs.

UPCOMING OLPC LAPTOP AND TABLET CAN RUN ENTIRELY ON SOLAR POWER

Modern computers use much less power than the computers of yester years. They are much more powerful too. But can a computer run directly off the power generated by a small solar panel? Well, OLPC says that it can. The upcoming OLPC XO 1.75 laptop and the XO 3.0 tablet can run entirely on solar power.

You can plug the devices into the solar panel and remove the battery altogether. They will

FUJITSU WORKING ON AN ANDROID TABLET CALLED STYLISTIC M532

Fujitsu is the latest company that wants to make its presence felt in the tablet space. The Japanese PC maker is reportedly working on a Tegra 3 powered tablet. The machine will launch in May.


The Fujitsu tablet will have a 10 inch HD display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. It will have two cameras – a 3 megapixel camera on the front side and an 8 megapixel camera on the rear side. The

LG OPTIMUS PAD LTE ANDROID TABLET GETS OFFICIAL

LG has officially announced its Optimus Pad LTE tablet. We have already spotted this machine in the wild. The Optimus Pad LTE is an 8.9 inch tablet with a 1280 x 768 pixels IPS display. It is powered by a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU.


The tablet has got an 8 megapixel camera on the rear side a 2 megapixel camera on the front side. The tablet measures 9.3mm in thickness. It has also

ASUS LAUNCHES B23E BUSINESS LAPTOP

The just-released Asus B23E-XH71 is a 12.5 inch business laptop with a full-voltage Intel Core series processor. The laptop has a matte black exterior and a magnesium-alloy chassis designed for durability. Other features that make the laptop more durable than consumer oriented laptops include spill-resistant keyboard, metal hinges and anti-shock hard drive.


The Asus B23E has a 500GB hard drive

ACER ICONIA TAB A200 UP FOR PURCHASE IN THE US

The budget-minded Acer Iconia Tab A200 is now available for purchase from retailer Staples. It runs $350. The tablet has a 10.1 display and a NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual core processor. The supported connectivity options are WiFi and Bluetooth. The 10 inch multitouch panel has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels.


The model that Staples is offering has 16GB of storage, 1GB of RAM and a 2 megapixel

FIRST CEDAR TRAIL NETBOOKS UP FOR PRE-ORDER

Intel has officially launched its third generation of Atom processors code-named Cedar Trail. The Cedar Trail processors have better graphics capabilities than the Pine Trail processors of Today. They also get better battery life. Some of the Cedar Trail netbooks even support Intel Wireless Display technology.

Some of the first netbooks with Cedar Trail processors are now up for pre-order. Here

10 INCH BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK COMING SOON

Research in Motion’s 7 inch BlackBerry Playbook tablet didn’t break any sales records. It is a nifty little machine with decent hardware. Unfortunately it didn’t sell well. But that hasn’t deterred RIM from working on more PlayBook tablets.

According to a leaked product map, RIM will launch a 3G-enabled version of the PlayBook in April. In December, we will see a larger PlayBook with a 10 inch

ASUS EEE PC 1225B NOW AVAILABLE IN ITALY

The Asus Eee PC 1225B ultraportable notebook is now available for purchase in Italy. The notebook sports an 11.6 inch display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. It will be available with a choice of the 1GHz AMD C-60 or the 1.65GHz AMD E-450 dual core processor. The model with the C-60 chip has the Radeon HD 6290 graphics while the E-450 configuration boasts of the speedier Radeon HD 6320

NOTION INK LAUNCHES ANDROID 4.0.3 ALPHA VERSION FOR ADAM TABLET

Notion Ink has released an alpha version of Android 4.0.3 for its Adam tablet. The company had released a pre-alpha version of the software a couple of weeks ago. The new version fixes many bugs. Features like Bluetooth, audio and GPS now work smoothly. That said, this alpha version too is far from perfect. There is still no support for camera or USB mass storage.


The Notion Ink Adam is a 10

LENOVO UNVEILS IDEAPAD K2110 ANDROID TABLET

Lenovo unveiled a new IdeaPad tablet called K2110 at CES last week. The new Lenovo IdeaPad K2110 has a 1.6Ghz Intel Atom Z2460 Medfield processor. The Intel Medfield processors are meant for use in tablets and smartphones. They are more power efficient than the Atom processors. In terms of power efficiency and performance they are comparable to the ARM-based processors built by NVIDIA, Qualcomm

NEW IDEAPAD U310 AND U410 LAPTOPS COMING IN MAY

Lenovo is expected to launch two new U series ultraportable laptops in May. The new models are the 13.3 inch IdeaPad U310 and the 14 inch U410. These appear to be the sequels to the U300 and U400.

The new IdeaPad U310 and U410 will ship with Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors. That is kind of disappointing because the latest Ivy Bridge processors are expected to be available in April. The storage

LENOVO UNVEILS THINKPAD T430U ULTRABOOK

The Lenovo ThinkPad T430u is a 14 inch ultrabook powered by Intel’s Core i-series processor. It is not exactly clear whether it has the existing Pine Trail processors or the upcoming Ivy Bridge processors. My guess is that it will sport the latter.

With its 14 inch display, the ThinkPad T430u is bit bigger than typical ultrabooks. It has got more features too. For instance, this model will be

TOSHIBA UNVEILS PORTEGE M930 CONVERTIBLE TABLET STYLE NOTEBOOK

Toshiba showed off a convertible tablet style notebook at CES last week. The Toshiba Portege M930 has a 13.3 inch display and an Intel Core i5 processor. It has also got 4GB of RAM and a 256GB Solid State Disk.


Convertible tablet style notebooks usually have a swivel that would let you rotate the display down over the keyboard. But this model is different. It requires you to push the top of

FUJITSU LAUNCHES LIFEBOOK SH76/G

Fujitsu has announced a new thin and light notebook called Fujitsu Lifebook SH76/G. The Lifebook SH76/G is powered by an Intel Core i5-2450M processor with a clock speed of 2.50GHz. It has a 13.3 inch display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. Other specifications include 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 128GB Solid State Disk, built-in webcam and DVD burner. The laptop runs Windows 7 Home Premium

BEST BUY LISTS THE SAMSUNG SERIES 7 NP700 IVY BRIDGE-BASED LAPTOP

The Samsung Series 7 laptop lineup is going to get updated with 17 inch models. Best Buy has already uploaded the product pages for a Series 7 laptop called NP700G7C-S01US. The most interesting thing about this laptop is its quad-core Intel Core i7-3610QM Ivy Bridge processor. We haven’t come across many product listings with Ivy Bridge chips. These are the processors that will replace the Sandy

CTL LAUNCHES CLASSMATE PC WITH ATOM CEDAR TRAIL PROCESSOR

Intel has updated its Classmate PC reference design with the latest Atom Cedar Trail processors. The new Classmate computers are more rugged, have improved touch features and get longer battery life.

The Intel Classmate computers are designed for students. They sport a rugged design, built-in handles and education-focused software. CTL, a company that has already launched several Classmate PCs,

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB 7.0 PLUS N GETS READY FOR GERMAN MARKET

The Samsung Galaxy tab 7.0 Plus N is all set to hit the German streets. This model is specifically designed for the German market. It is basically the same Galaxy Tab 7.0 Samsung launched in US. It just happens to have a slightly different design and that is because in Germany Samsung is facing a design-related law suit from Apple.


The tablet still has a 7 inch display with a resolution of

CLOSER LOOK AT THE SAMSUNG SERIES 5 ULTRABOOK

The Samsung Series 5 ultrabooks are available in two sizes – one with a 13.3 inch display and the other with a 14 inch display. The 13 incher starts at $899. The 14 incher has a DVD drive and a starting price of $949.


That DVD drive is perhaps the most outstanding feature of the Series 5 ultrabook. While it is quite common to find 14 inch or 15 inch thin and light laptops with built in DVD

CLOSER LOOK AT THE TOSHIBA NB510 CEDAR TRAIL ATOM NETBOOK

The Toshiba NB510 is a shiny little laptop with Intel’s new Cedar Trail Atom processor. It is the latest 10 inch netbook from Toshiba and doesn’t look all that different from the netbooks the company launched in 2011.

The NB510 is available with a choice of Intel Atom N2600 or Atom N2800 processor. The 10 inch display has a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. It has up to 2GB of RAM (base

FUJITSU LAUNCHES ARROWS TAB RUGGED TABLET

Most water proof tablets on the market can survive only a few drops of water. So what will happen if you immerse the device in a bowl of water? Well, in all likelihood the tablet will sustain damage unless of course it is the Arrows Tab built by Fujitsu. This 10 inch tablet is really water resistant. It has a rugged design that will protect it from damage even when it is submerged in water.

TOSHIBA LAUNCHES 14 INCH SATELLITE ULTRABOOK

Toshiba has added a new laptop to its ultrabook lineup. The new model will bear the Toshiba Satellite brand name.

The 14 inch Toshiba Satellite ultrabook will start at $799. It has a 1366 x 768 pixels display, 1 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port and HDMI output for transferring video to an external monitor. While typical ultrabooks have SSD storage, this model has a hard drive with a

GIGABYTE TABLETS GET INTEL CEDAR TRAIL ATOM UPDATE

Gigabyte has updated its Windows tablet and convertible tablet style netbook with Intel’s Cedar Trail Atom processor.

The new Gigabyte S1081 has an Intel Cedar Trail processor, HDMI, VGA, USB 3.0, Bluetooth 4.0 and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. It can be configured with an SSD or a 500GB hard drive. That makes the tablet a little more powerful than typical Atom-powered tablets. The Gigabyte is also

ASUS EEE PC X101 GETS CEDAR TRAIL ATOM UPDATE

The Asus Eee PC X101 has got a Cedar Trail Atom processor. Precisely the new model – the Eee PC X101CH – has got a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N2600 dual core processor. This is the second Cedar Trail Atom powered netbook Asus introduced this week. The first model is the Eee PC 1025C.

The new laptop will ship in February for $269. It can decode 720p HD video and supports DirectX 10 graphics. It has also

ASUS EEE PAD TRANSFORMER PRIME GETS HD DISPLAY

Asus will soon launch an updated version of its Eee Pad Transformer Prime Android tablet. The basic features of the laptop will remain intact but the new model will have a full HD display with 1920 x 1200 pixels. The original model had a 1280 x 800 pixels display.

Now that the tablet has got a full HD display, you will be able to watch 1080p HD videos without converting them to a lower

SAMSUNG SERIES 5 ULTRABOOKS TO START AT $899

The Samsung Series 5 ultrabooks will start shipping this month for prices starting at $899. Two models will be available – one with a 13 inch display and another with a 14 inch display.

Like most Samsung laptops, the Series 5 ultrabooks too will have matte displays which make them kind of readable in bright surroundings. Glossy displays look great indoors but are nearly useless in direct

ASUS TO LAUNCH EEE PC 1025C CEDAR TRAIL NETBOOK IN FEBRUARY

Asus is expected to launch its Cedar Trail Atom powered 10 inch netbooks in February. One of the first Asus netbooks to sport Intel’s third generation Atom processors is the Eee PC 1025C. The base configuration which runs $299 will have a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N2600 processor. A higher-end model with the 1.86GHz Atom N2800 will be available for $319. This particular model will be called Eee PC 1025CE

FIRST LOOK AT LENOVO IDEAPAD S200 ANDROID TABLET

Lenovo unveiled a new ultraportable notebook at CES this week. The Lenovo IdeaPad S200 is pretty cheap for an ultraportable notebook, but that is hardly surprising: It has netbook internals. On the bright side, it has a full-sized keyboard and a larger display.

The Lenovo Ideapad S200 will start at $349. It has an 11.6 inch display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. It will be powered by

LENOVO UNVEILS IDEAPAD A2 ANDROID TABLET

Lenovo has unveiled a new 9 inch tablet. The Lenovo IdeaPad A2 is a successor to the IdeaPad A1 tablet the company unveiled in 2011.

Like the IdeaPad A1, the new model too has a durable design. The 9 inch display has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels.


Specs-wise, the tablet has 16GB of storage, a dual core Texas Instruments Processor and SRS audio. It will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

LENOVO UNVEILS IDEAPAD K2 AT CES

Lenovo showed off a sequel to last year’s IdeaPad K1 at CES this week. The Lenovo IdeaPad K2 has a 10 inch IPS display with an impressive 1920 x 1200 pixels resolution. It will be powered by a NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor. The tablet has also got a full-sized USB port, a micro HDMI port, 4-speaker SRS sound and up to 2GB of RAM.

Unlike the IdeaPad S210, the K2 doesn’t have a keyboard dock

LENOVO UNVEILS IDEAPAD U310 AND U410 ULTRABOOKS

Lenovo has added two new ultrabooks to its laptop lineup. The Lenovo IdeaPad U310 ultrabook has a 13.3 inch display. It measures 0.7 inches in thickness and weighs 3.7 pounds. Those measurements sort of make it thicker and heavier than typical ultrabooks.

The Ultrabook U410 has a larger 14 inch display. It is even thicker and heavier. It measures 0.8 inches in thickness and weighs 4.2 pounds.