Dell's tablet gunning for Apple's iPad

Dell's first effort at a tablet will be the Mini 5 (a name that is still in beta) -- a slice of plastic and glass with a 5-inch capacitive touchscreen that according to Michael Dell will debut "in a couple of months."

The Mini 5 will sport a 5-megapixel camera on the back, a separate front-facing camera that can be used for video conferencing, a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1-GHz processor.  (Source: Priya Ganapati, Wired)

Archos tablet doesn't make Windows look good

Archos 9 is lethargic because it runs Windows 7 on a processor that's even slower than those used in netbooks — those slow, small laptops. How slow is it? Windows rates computers from 1.0 to 7.9 based on how fast the hardware is, and places the Archos 9 at a 1.3 — the lowest I've seen. It takes nearly two minutes to boot up. TV shows on Hulu.com stutter so badly they're like slide shows with a soundtrack.

It's a little disconcerting that the Windows tablet experience is so poor, nine years after Microsoft made a big push for its Tablet PC version of Windows XP. Clearly, Microsoft hasn't really adapted Windows properly for this type of device.  (Source: Peter Svensson, CNN)

Apple iPad Misses the Mark

Apple did not live up to the hype with their introduction of the iPad yesterday.   Here’s my list of the design decisions that fell short:

1.       Using their own A4 processor.  The A4 processor is a ARM processor which is compatible with the iPhone and the iPod Touch.  If they had use an Intel x86 processor and OS 10, the iPad would have been a bigger hit because it would run all the existing desktop applications.  Further to say that the A4 is a fast processor is interesting.  All ARM processors are RISC (reduced instruction set computing) where they execute an instruction per cpu cycle.   So the limiting factor on the performance will be the front side bus which is tied to the ram and flash storage.

2.       Using a color display. Using a color display is not as easy to read as the black and white displays that the Amazon Kindle uses.  Plus color displays use more power.  The Kindle practically powers down between page changes which improves the battery life.

3.       Including 3G internet connectivity.  By including 3G, Apple is focusing on an online experience with Safari.  Since the iPad has a larger display and internet access, users will expect more applications that integrate with Safari.  Examples add-ins include Adobe Shockwave, Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat, QuickTime and Java.

4.       Lack of integration with the home theater experience.  The iPad could have included consumer IR and been the ultimate home theater remote control.

5.       Running existing iPhone/iPod Touch apps by pixel doubling will make them look worse.   Pixel doubling will make the applications look “blocky” and make the fonts harder to read.  To really take advantage of the iPad, developers will have to create new versions of their applications to take advantage of the larger resolution.

6.       Cost.  Who is going to buy an iPad at $499 - $829?  I see other competition at this price range, and display size with the netbooks which are under $500 and some are subsidized by cellular carriers to $100-200.  Also at CES there were netbooks with touch screens and multitouch such as a version of the Asus EEE PC.  Also, it’s clear that Amazon has recognized this by offering a desktop reader version of their eBook software.

So based on the market projections of ebook readers selling around 6 million, I expect that the iPad won’t be that hot of a commodity due to its higher cost and the decision to support the iPhone version of OS 10.   (Source: Chris De Herrera, Tablet PC Talk)

Inside the iPad: Apple's new 'A4' chip

Called the A4, ("A" presumably for Apple), the most obvious difference with the chip in the iPhone 3GS is speed. The iPad's chip runs at 1GHz, compared to the estimated 600MHz (0.6GHz) of the iPhone 3GS. On Wednesday, at the event in San Francisco, the A4 was billed as "the most advanced chip" Apple has done yet. While fast, it's also frugal with power. "The A4 chip is so power efficient that it helps iPad get up to 10 hours of battery life," according to Apple's iPad Web page.  (Source: Brooke Crothers, CNet)
Posted Wednesday, January 27, 2010 by ChrisD
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For Media Industry, a Mixed Bag in iPad

Apple Inc.'s iPad tablet device, shrounded in secrecy until Wednesday, has been hyped as a coming revolution for all corners of the media business. But while the gadget, in its debut, promised to upend how people read and pay for books, it offered few signs that a new model for distributing TV shows, movies or magazines.

Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs announced a new online bookstore—iBooks—and a deal with big book publishers, setting the stage for a battle with e-book front-runner Amazon.com Inc. Publishers will get to set the retail price for each of their titles, unlike with Amazon.  (Source: Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg and Shira OvideVIDE, Wall Street Journal)

Microsoft and H.P. To Reveal Slate PC Ahead of Apple

My sources, however, say that Mr. Ballmer will show the as yet unnamed H.P. device. The product will be touted as a multi-media whiz with e-reader and multi-touch functions.  (Source: ASHLEE VANCE, New York Times)
Posted Tuesday, January 5, 2010 by ChrisD
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10 Reasons Why Microsoft Products Will Outshine Apple iSlate, Nexus One in 2010

Nowadays, all the talk in the tech space is about Apple's possible release of the iSlate and Google's Android-based Nexus One smartphone. Many observers contend that the iSlate will be the most important product release of 2010. Others are saying the Nexus One could be the "iPhone killer" we've all been waiting for. But maybe it's time to shift that focus to Microsoft and why it could dominate the industry in 2010.

The last year was a tough one for Microsoft. Its Windows Mobile platform sank to around 9 percent market share. Google was the first to build hype on Web-based operating systems. And Windows Vista still kept consumers and the enterprise from fully believing in the value Windows 7 offers.

But 2010 is quickly shaping up to be a much different year. With Bing offering a service that can actually stand up to Google Search, Windows 7 carrying the Microsoft banner forward and the possibility of an improved Windows Mobile, 2010 might just be the year when Microsoft regains its spot as the dominant force in the tech industry.   (Source: Don Reisinger, eWeek)

Bsquare Renews OEM Distribution Agreement With Microsoft

BELLEVUE, WA--(Marketwire - January 4, 2010) - Bsquare Corporation (NASDAQ: BSQR), the leading software solutions provider to the global embedded device community, has renewed its OEM distribution agreement with Microsoft Corporation under which Bsquare sells Microsoft's complete line of software products for embedded systems to OEMs in North America. The new agreement is effective for a six-month period Jan. 1, 2010 to June 30, 2010 -- at which time Microsoft anticipates introducing updated agreements for its distributors.

Under the agreement, Bsquare enables OEMs to quickly adopt Microsoft software products including Microsoft's innovative, new Windows 7-based technologies. Windows 7 for Embedded Systems and Windows Embedded Standard 2011 both enable touch and gesture input improving the end user experience for Bsquare customers building point-of-service, medical and industrial devices.

"The renewal of Bsquare's existing OEM agreement, along with our recently announced Windows Mobile distribution agreement, allow us to offer unparalleled support to OEMs building both mobile and embedded devices," said Scott Caldwell, Bsquare's director of licensing sales. "Bsquare's consultative approach to licensing sales ensures OEMs get the right product and pricing. We work closely with OEMs throughout their development cycle offering world-class engineering services, products and technical support to accelerate time to market."

As the only North American distributor that is nearly 100 percent focused on Windows Embedded products, Bsquare offers personalized account management and highly responsive technical support. Additionally, Bsquare offers products, engineering services and training to enable device OEMs to move from prototyping and development to testing and production faster with higher quality devices. (Source: Press Release)

HTC To Launch Apple iSlate Competitor

Smartphones, tablets and netbooks are set to be high on the agenda at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show as traditional PC vendors look to compete with the new Apple iSlate which is due to be released on the 26th January in the USA. Among those set to take on Apple is HTC (Source: David Richards, SmartHouse)
Posted Thursday, December 31, 2009 by ChrisD
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